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 Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 2:51 pm
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Miache's lips pursed into a fine line. So much for his last clean hand cloth.....though, as he squeezed orange blood out of it (the pigment holding far too well to the white cloth for his taste) he somehow found it more preferable. Was that.....weird? He frowned at the thought. She was just an orangeblood....why was he inconveniencing himself for her? Why had he been worried for her? Why had he let his (admittedly destroyed) vest be further coated in her blood by letting her rest her head on it? He didn't like it....he was better than her, a highblood....a NOBLE! A gentleman! And yet there he was trying to help clean her and let her......'brother', Reemus, and Alexin tend her bandages. (He hadn't trusted they would clean her wounds to his own impeccable standards.)
After wringing out as much blood from the cloth he could he put the luke warm, wet cloth to his neck, letting his eyes slide shut in contentment. It was...relaxing. There was a sting that brought his mind back from the clouds, but otherwise it was nothing short of heavenly. He had to try to ignore the stains of her blood, knowing the cloth itself was clean....just the pigment wouldn't wash out until he could properly take it home and bleach it. A heavy snout at his back brought him back to reality. Miache glanced at his lusus before looking down at himself, shuddering at the sight. Okay.....he had to get out of his shirt. It was torn and heavily saturated in blood and mud. The thought made him queasy once more, his stomach roiling at the thought. Unfortunately with the handcuffs he still wasn't in the best position to simply shrug out of his shirt....though....maybe Keionx' sword? He could cut himself free...it wasn't as it his shirt was repairable at this point, bleach could only do so much and he wasn't skilled enough with a needle and thread to repair holes frayed edges. He doubted anyone could salvage it at that point. He unbuttoned his shirt first, trying to ignore just how much mud and blood he found under it. He could see a couple bruises forming that made him flinch. Unsightly and obnoxiously obvious. He hated how it looked....he could deal with the pain...but it looked like his skin was blotchy and as if uncared for. Ugh, he scrubbed his torso harder, at least peeling off the hardened mud.
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:32 pm
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Keionx woke up, not so much suddenly awake as she abruptly realized she was already awake. She had that timeless sense where, clearly, she had been between consciousness and unconsciousness for a while, now. Half-remembered nightmares lurked at the edge of her conciousness, not quite fading in the gloom of the swamp-lights. She remembered voices, and then silence, but she wasn't sure what was nightmare and what was real. She moved to sit up and was greeted by sudden pain in her abdomen and a dizziness that nearly knocked her right back down.
That – she could tell – was very much real.
She groaned and lay back down on the pillow (pillow? She had a pillow?) only then noticing that – despite her first impression of silence, she was not alone. There was another there, bruised and blue, with a fierce beast of a lusus by his side...
Him?! What was he still doing here?! Dirty, of all things?! |
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Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2015 11:08 pm
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The blueblood started when Keionx moved, suddenly conscious of what a disgrace he looked. He needed a comb. A new towel. Fresh clothing! Anything really, at this point he'd even take some mundane outfit over his ratted suit. Regardless he righted himself as if aware of how he appeared in her eyes. "You'll have to forgive my poor apearance," he said, casual as possible. He looked like hell warmed over, his suit mangled and bloody....his skin bruised, cut, and coated.
He leaned over her again, tugging her shirt enough that he could eye her bandaged wound, wanting to be certain it hadn't reopened with her movement. After smoothing it back down he sat back on his haunches, his eyes just as firm as before. "What are you going to do now?" he asked, staring at her intently. "I've heard some trolls mention plans to stay in this.....cespool," his face scrunched in distate, "and with your injury that may, unfortunately, be the safer option...." He idly returned to trying to scrub himself clean of contamination, only barely glancing back to her every now and then, perhaps checking to see if she was in more pain.
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 6:49 pm
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Keionx didn't comment about his 'poor appearance'... partly because moving had done something – either dislodged something or tensed something that wasn't ready for it – and the pain was too much for something so idle as conversation. She stared at him – his mangled suit, his blue-bruised skin, his stained clothing and cleaning towel – glowering as he checked her wound and as she recovered. It did not escape her that he was awfully close, and for some reason this annoyed her powerfully despite the circumstances... but there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she'd wanted to.
”I want to go home.” she managed, finally and carefully through gritted teeth. ”But... twill be later.” she admitted as her injury spasmed in pain. She lifted a hand, feebly, to put pressure on it, alleviating some of the pain. ”Thou art right...” she said grudgingly. Staying here, for now, was the best option. She couldn't go home to Busthind in this state – moons and stars, she wouldn't make it through her front door in this state.
”And thou.” she said, giving up on moving for the time being, ”What wilst thou do?” |
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2015 9:07 pm
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Keionx was quiet. Realization didn't dawn on her, not exactly – it was already there. It merely re-awoke with her, reminding her of its presence. She knew what she had done - she could not have missed it: her brother, Etsali, Ephias, Alexin... They were here, stuck here with the Rebels, not because of the Scouts, but... because of her? On some level, she knew it wasn't the right answer, but somewhere else, some last lingering element of her delusions of hero-dom, told her otherwise.
This all led to her.
This was all a part of her story.
This was all her fault.
She had ruined their lives
And no matter how her common sense told her that no, Zariah had been here before she had, Etsali and Ephias had come here on their own, and Alexin... Well, that is your fault that reasonable and rational part of her had to admit. Alexin... and Miache.
”Do you think... you have been found out?” she asked quietly, not without hope. If he hadn't been seen with them, there might be a chance... to get rid of him.
Not that it was likely. Even Keionx knew that he would probably not be allowed to leave the swamp unhidered. That would be foolish... ”Ngh!” she exclaimed, wincing. She did hurt, but... ”I can... handle it.” she said through gritted teeth. She had to handle the pain, otherwise... otherwise she could never make this right. And she would. She held out her hand for the cloth. ”Here. Hand it... here.” she said, ”I can...” yes, she could do something, something to make her less helpless, ”Help me... sit up?” she asked. She knew it would hurt. She knew it was a bad idea. But she wanted to get this wound to healing, and the faster she did that, the faster she could... ”Ngh... gah...!” she gasped – it hurt to move. It hurt to breathe. She fell back with a small cry of pain and frustration – she had to do this. She had to do just one more thing, take one more step, take care of herself they way she was supposed to... but she couldn't. |
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2015 1:28 pm
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"....yes, " he answered mildly, remembering how he'd been grouped with Tamiya once again before he'd found the kids. No, she would recognize him. He had left a bit of a bad taste in her mouth their first meeting, he doubted she would let go of such a foible on his part. "Don't be mistaken," he added, looking at her firmly, "I do not regret my choices. We may be here for different reasons, but we're both here. I'm sure everyone else has their own reasons as well."
Miache moved back over to her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying to sit up again. "Rest, stupid. Reopening your wound and making everyone worry about you won't get you out of here faster. Hell, your support group will probably try to keep you bedridden extra long." He smirked a little at the thought, she didn't seem like the lie back and take it easy sort, she would probably get driven mad just lying down for so long.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:44 am
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"Good," he said in a patient tone when she stopped trying to sit up. He finally finished cleaning himself as best he could, wringing out the murky cloth and exchanging the pot for a fresh on, dumping the dirty water in with the other boiling pot. He brought the pot and stained cloth back to her, frowning a little in his dismay. "The cloth has been.....well used I'm afraid, and I wasn't thoughtful enough to pack more. You'll have to endure with this..." his face scrunched in obvious disdain for the coloured cloth....well....rag now. He dipped it in the hot water, wrung it out, and gently dabbed at her face. The pain was making her sweat a little....clearly not good for a healing body.
Her stared at her confusion before barking out a sharp laugh. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed your little fan club," he grinned a little at her, "they're all worried about you. I know a few of them but.....well, I'm not too familiar with the rebels....I've never fought against them by choice." His lips pressed together firmly, the laugh falling short. Well, he knew Alexin and Reemus, but from the sounds of it she had quite the group of friends. Whereas he.....siding with the Empress as was proper, where was he? Stuck in a swamp surrounded by those that would likely see him as an enemy. Perhaps sneaking out in the dead of night would be his best plan.
As a change of pace he pursed his lips, staring very intently at her. How to phrase it....? Well, he wasn't really best known for his civil tongue anyway, "What made you chose to betray the Empress?" he finally blurted out, sounding at least a little awkward.
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Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:09 pm
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Keionx didn't mind the state of the cloth (though it looked very... saturated. With her own blood color). It wasn't as though he'd expected to get caught out here, without any supplies. ”I will endure.” she replied. She didn't want to say anything more comforting than that, partially for the pain, and partially because the thought of making him feel better seemed annoying. Even if it was her fault (in some way) that he was stuck here. Even if she was grateful to him. It was a complicated feeling.
”I haven't?” she had a... fan club? That was new. Heros were supposed to have adoring fans, or at least people who took heart and hope from stories of their exploits. Keionx knew that others found her annoying, and had resigned herself to the latter, but... Fans... I have fans! I wonder if... a few names, faces, and symbols flashed through her head. ”Who?” she asked. ”Who are my fans?” it was important to know who had been so inspired by her – it was good to be inspiring and bring hope to others, and it could only make the world better... which was good because things had gotten bad.
Keionx's sudden stirring of enthusiasm fell away as suddenly as it was sparked, and she stared at him numbly as his blunt question drove the whole thing home, finally, into her pumpbiscuit. She was quiet for a moment, thinking. She owed him an explanation - as she owed Alexin an explanation and as Zariah... well, Zariah owed her an explanation himself. He owed her many explanations... perhaps it was finally time to collect on that...
Hmm... how could she explain it, though? ”It was less a choice of betraying the Empress...” she said slowly, thoughtfully, mindful – always – of the pain in her abdomen – ”And more a choice of...” She hesitated, the concept remaining fuzzy and amorphous, even to her. She wanted to stop there, but the debt she owed to Miache pulled on her like a hook in a fish, and she wanted to hear her explanation, too. ”After I fought against Aendal, deep in the caverns beneath Chittentown, I discovered that everything I believed about the world, that all the trolls I respected, that the people I cared about, that my own lusus...” Tears came and she bit them back. She would not cry in front of Miache, and she could not cry – this was in the past. ”... That I had been opposing them all along. Fighting against them.” She fought the tears and, for the moment, claimed victory. No orange-tinted drops rolled down her face, but, as her guard dropped slightly in her effort to put thought and impression and inner turmoil into words, the tears conquered her throat, and her voice wavered. ”I had to make a choice, and it took a great deal of self reflection. Even then, I didn't know... I couldn't make it. I didn't know if I ever could... I only went to the rebellion's headquarters that night to see if I could understand why they followed this... this banner. Why they chose this side. I had hoped to only observe, to... to help out, here and there... I had hoped for a quiet moment to reflect and compare and... and...” she fought the tears again – she didn't know why she cried. Tears were meaningless. She didn't need to cry anymore. She had found meaning, after all... But its still sad... she thought to herself, That that choice was forced upon me. I never had a chance to truly make a choice... ”That was not what happened.” she said – an understatement. ”But now I think I understand their motives, a little, and I have decided to follow their cause, wherever it may lead.” she finished, finally, resting. ”... whether I... agree or not... with its... um... with it.”
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Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2015 10:07 am
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She seemed more disappointed to have her decision forced than anything. His face scrunched a little at that thought. "Keionx," he began, tone a little weary from the night's adventures, "you are brave, noble, stubborn, foolish......but you've never seemed....uncertain before tonight. Gut instinct seems to suit you best, but you're over thinking this one thing. Why? What makes this different? I'm sure my opinion matters little in whatever you decide, but the way I see it you've gone from protecting the crown....to protecting the trolls you care about. Isn't that what matters most to you anyway?"
Miache shook his head. She really was a bizarre one. He doubted he'd ever fully understand her, but maybe he preferred that? Something about trolls like her and Reemus made them more....interesting to be around. They were....weird, confusing....maybe a little stupid...but he enjoyed that about them. He smiled faintly at the thought, keeping his head turned so she wouldn't see. "If you truly think you've made the wrong decision you could always plead with the Empress to get back in her good graces. Sell out the trolls you've met here and gain her favour....hell, if you told her you were only here to find out where the rebels would go next she might even let you lead the charge. Think of it....front of the pack, fighting for the Empress' command.....it could be a very...lucrative position." He glanced back thoughtfully at her, this time letting a smirk escape. "Though....I'm afraid to say you'd be without my delightful company on that battlefield. I think I might just stay here....if they'll have me of course."
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2015 6:46 pm
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He wasn't wrong. Keionx didn't like to be forced into anything, even if it was the Right thing to do. But she was here now, and though the decision to support this rebellion had been thrust upon her by fate and happenstance... ”I could never do that.” she said harshly, turning away ”And I wilt not think about it.” The very thought of betraying the trolls she cared, and in turn the cause that they cared about, about made her feel sick... or was that her injury? It was hard to tell.
She was quiet, for a time... He was right. She hadn't expected him to be right – just a poncy noble who, for some reason, was by her side, patching her up. Honorable, yes. Organized, yes. But right... He said it so easily, as if it was definable: Protecting trolls and helping the trolls she cared about mattered the most to her... and it always had. ”I never thought...” she murmured out loud, her voice weakened from speaking so much so soon. ”That the trolls I cared about and the empire would not be the same thing.” |
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Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2015 5:23 pm
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"I am.....unsure," he admitted finally. "I can't say medicine is where I excel....but there are many trolls here much more...adept than I. If you want a rough guess, at least a night before you start moving around, though at least two or three nights until I would recommend letting you go back to your hive. And NOT alone," he added, suddenly turning stern. "If I must I will follow you to your hive simply to make certain you don't do anything too foolish when retrieving your essentials." Speaking of.....he would need to retrieve his own....but....he still didn't know if he would be staying in the swamp. While he hated how....disgusting the idea was....the treetop hives weren't so bad, it was a rather interesting setup they had....but he wasn't sure if someone like him would be terribly welcomed. It wasn't a secret that he was with the royalists until recently.
Miache took the cloth and brushed more sweat and...possibly tears....from her face, washing the cloth again before folding it and placing it back on her forehead. "Sick of me already?" he asked, smirking a little. He was fully aware he was a little....overbearing. In part he blamed his lusus, it was in the way he was raised.
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