It was rare for Arya to be out as late as she was currently. Usually she actively avoided staying up late, having a strict curfew because she knew she would regret it the next day having to work exhausted from the night before. Yet the day had been stressful, work had been hard and news of her mother becoming sick had not helped her situation. She was upset, but not enough to push her over the edge and to lose control of her emotions. So despite her better judgement, she realized she would be up all night tossing and turning if she didn't do something to ease her mind. So the young Were got up, threw on an old warm hoodie from the aquarium gift shop and some equally old jeans, and left her little apartment late at night to take a walk. Hopefully clearing her mind with fresh air and exhausting herself enough to fall asleep immediately upon her return home.

The small brunette walked beneath the street lights and neon signs that illuminated this part of the city. It was definitely not the best or safest, but it was what she could afford and she had never faced any problems she couldn't handle yet. It seemed dangerous for a girl as small as she to be walking alone in one of the worst parts of town, where criminals and drunks and even just the nasty sort of supernatural liked to hang out, but she had always been able to deescalate any situation she ran into with her power to manipulate others emotions. And if that didn't work she always carried a knife and her cellphone on her to defend herself; thankfully it had never come to that yet. Arya was not one for violence, and she couldn't even imagine what would happen if she actually had to fight for her safety. Her animal form was not exactly threatening nor well equipped to fight off others, especially on land, and she herself was not the biggest nor the strongest. She supposed she'd cross that bridge if she ever came to that

She walked quietly along the streets, the chilly night touching the tip of her nose and the tips of her ears despite them being hidden beneath her long hair. Her amber eyes were always on alert, in fact all of her senses were heightened. The Were knew she was relatively close to the harbor, pack territory, a dangerous place to be for a lone Were like herself. She did not have the worldly experience to know that some packs operated differently to how her colony back home did, and that some were less than welcoming to outsiders, and so she naively dared venture close without worry of her safety until the sound of yelling drew her attention and curiosity closer. When she arrived upon the scene there were two drunk men, arguing back and forth, their words loud, slurred, and full of aggression. It seemed as though at any minute the two could come to blows, and there was no one around, atleast no one around that cared to pay attention, that would stop them. Without a second thought she moved to them, gently grabbing their attention by placing a hand on both of them. Both of their heads shot to her, and for a second it seemed like their anger was about to be turned on her, but instead they both suddenly calmed down. The tendrils of her mind reached through them, calming them from their rage induced state. Alcohol could be hard to work against but she knew that touch could combat their hazy emotions.

"I think it would be best for you two to go home, there's no use arguing out here in the cold anyway," she said, her voice calm and gentle, they both looked down for a moment before one nodded and stumbled away but the other seemed to be thinking for a moment. Suddenly, before she could even sense the change in emotion, his hand lashed out and hit her, sending her backwards an onto her butt. She was dazed for a moment before the stinging pain took hold of her cheek. Her eyes watered as she reached up and gently touched her cheek, wincing as the slightest touch caused a spark of pain. It had happened so suddenly she wasn't even sure what to think, but when she looked back up the man was standing over her new, spitting obscenities at her and becoming aggressive once more. She stayed on the ground, hoping to keep herself small and nonthreatening as her mind desperately reached out to take hold again, wrestling with the intoxication to calm him once more. Finally she had a full tight grasp on his mind and his body language quickly shifted to something calmer. He kind of mumbled something that sounded like an apology before stumbling off. She sat on the ground for a moment, mildly shaken and touching her cheek. Maybe it was time to go home.