Fig gently pulled the covers up closer to her chin, relishing the pocket of warmth she lay nestled in. Heat blew against her face, bringing a satisfied grin to her lips. She was awake, but unwilling to let the world know just yet. She hadn't been this comfortable in all her life. 

As she snuggled deeper into the bedding, her mind suddenly remembered something—something that made everything else click into place. It was the memory of hurried steps. Achy lungs. Shallow breaths.

Numb.

Cold.

Trapped.

Which could only mean one thing: she was not at home.

Eyes flying open with this new realization, she threw her blankets to the side and popped up from her resting position. Slipping the knife from her leg wraps, she secured it in a stone grip with one swift motion. She eyed the room for a moment, dagger poised and ready for the kill before her guard dropped and she lowered her hand.

The room was anything but threatening. The cozy warmth of the strange place seemed to almost wrap its heated arms around her. It was like standing in the middle of a hug: comfortable and relaxing.

This was most definitely not home.

Her gaze quickly fluttered to the strange structure blowing heat at her. She wondered if it was alive. She tapped it, but quickly pulled her hand away when the warmth penetrated her skin. Lava and fire were the only things that Fig had ever seen produce such heat, but neither seemed to be raging inside the strange box. Tearing her gaze from the odd contraption, she continued her perusal of the room with curious eyes.

On the far side was a masterfully carved table surrounded by plush chairs. The walls were made of wood planks that had been painted a dusty blue. Curtains hung from the windows behind her, covering her view to the outside world. There was a fancy fireplace across from her, casting a red glow throughout the bright room.

She would normally blame the brightness on the orbs outside, but the thick curtains made it impossible to tell if it was day or night. Her eyes wandered upwards to where the source of the light seemed to be coming from. A strange globe had been expertly attached to the ceiling and was emitting a stream of light that illuminated the entire room. How they were able to capture an orb and contain it in their ceiling was a mystery to Fig, and it didn't make sense that no heat was radiating off the ball of light.

Still seated, she sat up straighter to get a better view of her surroundings. She clamped a scream behind her teeth, her heart accelerating at a dangerous tempo, as she turned to find a creature lounging in a stiff chair beside her. Its eyes were shut and a nearly invisible frown pulled at its lips. Though Fig could sense that something troubled the pale-skinned creature, it seemed at peace.

The only problem was... she didn't think it was actually a creature.

As she looked intently at it, she realized it had similar features to her own: two eyes, a nose, lips, ears, a head of hair, and flesh covering the rest of its apparatus. She spotted a strange metallic looking brace around its upper forearm and she wondered if it was a sign of rank and wealth, or just a fashion statement.

Its flesh was a brilliant white that contrasted significantly with her own tawny complexion. What caught her attention the most were the intricate, black scales that decorated its skin in swirls and symbols. It wasn't human, but it was similar to one.

With this realization, she jolted from her seat, desperate for answers. Her sudden movements awoke the human creature, and it jumped slightly before meeting her gaze.

She froze.

It froze.

It was strange to see a being so like herself, and yet, so very different. Where she was small and petite, it was broad and muscular. Where she had long woven locks of dark brown tresses; its hair was a short, black mess. Where she had a face of smooth, feminine curves; it had an angled jaw and strong features.

"What are you?" she finally blurted, her shoulders tense with uncertainty. Her dagger was still dangling from her fingers, ready for attack if needed.

"What am I?" he repeated her question, confused by her choice in words. "The name's Emerzahn?" His response sounded more like a question, giving away the fact that he wasn't exactly sure if that's what she was asking.

"No," she argued. "Why are we different?"

He laughed nervously, running a hand through his hair. Fig could almost sense his insecurity, and she wondered what had provoked such a reaction.

"Uh, because I'm not a woman," he answered, again lacking confidence in his response, but still managing to tilt his lips upwards slightly, giving Fig the impression that he was teasing her.

"Nor are you a man," Fig said, flicking her gaze from the creature's head to his feet. "What are you then?" she whispered, more to herself than to the being across from her.

He looked at her oddly for a moment without speaking, but when he did Fig's hand clenched beside her with the sudden desire to slap his impeccable face.

"I'm a male," he uttered, as if speaking to the world's stupidest child. She could see he was thoroughly enjoying bating her along, and her unease and embarrassment was making her quick-tongued.

"Obviously," she replied with a harsh whisper, unable to deny his masculinity as her gaze trailed over his lean form once again.

Her eyes traveled over him, curious about the scales embedded in his flesh. They didn't appear to have been inked into his skin, nor did they carry signs of surgical implantation—though Fig couldn't be sure what that would have even looked like. As she inspected him more closely she got the sickening impression that this male had actually been born this way. The glistening scales weaving and swirling across his, otherwise untainted skin, were a part of who he was.

Heat bloomed beneath the collar of her shirt when she realized she'd been ogling him, and she quickly diverted her eyes. When her gaze met his she realized he'd been studying her infatuation of him. His brow dipped, questions swimming through his pale blue eyes. She couldn't stop staring. The nearly opaque tint of blue that stared back at her was mesmerizing. They made her feel as if she was peering into the deepest parts of an icy abyss. They were terrifying and mystical all at once. Nothing about this male before her was repulsive in any way, and yet Fig found it almost sickening how beautiful of a specimen he was.

"Are you the only one of your kind?" she questioned.

"What?" He quirked his brow at her in confusion. Fig could almost hear the thoughts of concern pulsing inside his head. He obviously thought her an imbecile.

"Of course not," he told her, standing and making his way towards an archway that seemed to lead to another room. "She's up," he hollered, without taking his eyes off the girl.

It was as if a herd of vod had been let loose with the amount of racket coming from the other room. Curious, she twisted in her seat, hoping to get a better view of what was causing so much noise. At the same moment, three more bodies emerged and she jumped back in surprise, pulling her dagger in front of her as a warning.

When Fig's eyes landed on the features of three more humans, a gasp halted in her throat. Her gaze quickly danced between all four of the strangers in front of her. At first she'd assumed they were all males, but upon closer inspection she realized there was one girl. Her pale, intensely curly hair had been hacked off and seemed to hover around her head like a ball of cotton. She wondered what disgrace had prompted the girl's hair to be chopped of its feminism.

"Hello," the blonde said, a smile lighting up her young face. There was no doubt the girl ate well. Her tight-fitted clothing revealed several unflattering rolls around her middle. It wasn't that the girl was really all that large, but Fig had never laid eyes on someone who carried unnecessary weight. In Zohrul, where every meal was cherished, there was no room for indulgence. Clearly, things were different in these parts of Falu.

While she wanted to continue staring, she realized the impoliteness of such actions. Choosing to ignore the girl's shocking size and lack of long hair, Fig returned the smile.

"You're like me," Fig muttered, her feet firmly planted, though the desire to step closer coursed through her. "Human."

"Looks like we caught ourselves a real thinker," one of the nameless boys whispered, the words oozing with bitter sarcasm.

"Uh," the girl laughed nervously, glancing towards the male called Emerzahn, before landing her eyes on Fig again. "Yes. I'm Juniper."

"Juniper," Fig repeated the name, her mind overflowing with awe and suspicion. The girl couldn't be trusted; her short hair was a testament of some past dishonor, though, Fig didn't dare question her on it quite yet.

"I'm Tobias," the third human greeted, sticking out his hand in front of him. Fig stared at it for a moment, before smiling at his friendly, though somewhat shaggy, appearance. Something about him calmed her.

After a moment he pulled his hand back, looking embarrassed, and she wondered what caused such a reaction.

"He's the one that saved you," Juniper said with pride. She glanced to her side where Tobias stood.

"Oh," Fig responded quietly, and then the room fell into silence before her gaze skimmed over the last member of the group.

His eyes held caution as he watched her from the hallway. He hadn't even attempted to step into the room she occupied. Instead, choosing to stay back and examine the mysterious girl that the others seemed to welcome without a care.

Juniper noticed the direction of Fig's gaze, and turned to eye the boy.

"That's Kash," she told Fig, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at the quiet human.

Fig didn't respond, but only allowed her eyes to take in the hard shoulders and calculating gaze of the boy called Kash, though Fig could easily argue that he was no boy. His strength and confidence was obvious in the rigidity of his stance, and the lean arms folded across his chest. She narrowed her eyes at him, confused by his wariness of her.

A movement of white grabbed Fig's attention again, and she turned to face Emerzahn. Something about him was intoxicating. Her eyes greedily drank in his mesmerizing features. She felt as if she could watch him everyday of her life and never grow bored of the scales tattooing his capable arms, and the glow behind his piercing eyes.

"What are you?" she asked again, this time stepping closer to the male. Her thoughts had left her and she was acting on pure desire as she stepped closer, invading his space. He mimicked her action, taking a step back. Fig's fingers ached to trace his flawless features and mysterious skin art, but she resisted, not wishing to frighten the male more than she already had.

She continued to examine him, hoping to crack the mystery of what he was herself. She knew she was causing suspicion to well within him, because he stepped back slightly, eyeing her warily.

"You're so pretty," she whispered, stepping back and finding his eyes with her own again. He was looking at her with a mixture of concern and fear, his brows scrunched together as if she was crazy. He took another tentative step back.

"Well, yes," he answered, glancing at his friends briefly, worry still evident in his features. "I'm a vorg."

The way he said this made Fig feel as if it was common knowledge, something she should already know.

"Are all vorgs as beautiful as you?" she asked, and she watched the concern slip from his brow and his lips quirk up into a smirk.

"I'd like to think not," he told her confidently, a smile still dancing across his face. Fig couldn't help but smile in return.

Someone cleared their throat from the other side of the room, and Fig glanced up to see Kash glaring at her. She shifted her gaze to the other two, and found them both holding back their amusement behind fist-covered mouths.

"What's funny?" Fig questioned, not understanding the delight in Tobias and Juniper's faces, but she wished to find out.

"Your attraction to Emerzahn is expected," Juniper explained, Fig's mind halting on the word 'attraction' for a brief moment, "but, that's all it can ever be."

"What do you mean?" Fig felt stupid. She felt as if this 'attraction' was something she should be familiar with. She knew what the word meant of course, but never had she felt this severe of a draw towards another being before. What kind of attraction was this?

"She means," Kash spoke up for the first time, stepping out of the shadows. "the two of you could never—." It was then that Fig realized his skin held a darker tint to it, similar to her own, but before she could comment on it, Juniper cut in.

"Hold on," she said, seeming to realize that the girl before them was completely lost. "Have you ever met a vorg before?"

Fig shook her head from side to side, and all four of the strangers expressions changed. Awe. Disbelief. Understanding. Worry. Suspicion. These were the emotions, along with several that she couldn't decipher, that flashed through their eyes as they gaped at her.

"What?" she questioned.

"Never mind," Juniper said, waving her hands around in an attempt to erase everything they had just said. "I'll explain everything... " she glanced at the three males in the room, "later. For now, all you need to know is that vorgs and humans can never be together."

"But we're together now," Fig answered, glancing at Emerzahn briefly before throwing Juniper a questioning look.

She laughed. "No," the blonde began. "This is okay," she explained, motioning between Fig and Emerzahn with her hands, "You can be friends, but you can't be..." she paused, discomfort settling into her features before the word released itself from her lips, "lovers."

"Oh," Fig responded before full understanding dawned on her face, and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh!" Her desperate gaze found Emerzahn's, pleading for him to understand. "I didn't mean... I had no idea... you're just so beautiful," she paused, groaning at her word choice. "I didn't realize you would think... " She stopped rambling and rubbed her temples with her finger.

She'd been so distracted until now that she didn't realize how achy her body was. Exhausted by the mixture of near death and humiliation, she threw herself back onto the couch, shoving her knife into her laces and covering her face with the blanket. Laughter filled the room, increasing her level of discomfort and making her wish she could melt into the fabric of the couch, but she couldn't hide. Without warning, the covers were being pulled from her grasp, exposing her heated cheeks to everyone watching. Emerzahn gazed down at her.

"I don't mind," he assured her, before winking and stepping away.

"Well," Kash said after a moment, "Now that that embarrassing situation is over, how about we eat."

"First," Juniper interrupted, before turning to look directly at Fig, "Would you mind telling us your name?"

She didn't know if she could trust the four strangers staring expectantly at her, but since they had saved her life and offered her a place to rest, she couldn't doubt their intentions too harshly. Offering a tight smile, she returned their confident gazes with one of her own.

"I'm Fig."