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 Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 7:39 pm
Having made it into the housing buildings relatively easily, Lex breathed a small sigh of relief as he shifted a squirming Kat in his arms. How she could move under the blanket, coats, and tiredness that were all heavy upon her, the Life trainee would never understand.
Making his way to the room number she had given him was a small walk, with no troubles. Just a squirming Sun hunter in his arms, who wasn't even supposed to be alive. He thought of what she'd probably gone through, and how she was dealing with it. She'd sobbed earlier, but...
Well, Jerry was right about Allan, maybe Ryan would come back with a miracle, too.
They arrived at the room just as Lex was done with his own musings, Lex giving the handle a little jostle to open it.
It didn't work.
"Well...seems they've locked your door."
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:07 pm
Kat had overheard the commotion of Allan's return, relief washing over her like warm blanket, yet.. Still there was no good news on Ryan's half. She hadn't even seen his body about. Did one of the hunters move him somewhere else or something..? But.. They said that he had collapsed. Considering Jerry's words, she struggled with the idea of keeping faith, however.. how long could she keep that up?
At first, Kat didn't bother to fight Lex as he moved to relocate her inside the building. She was more than happy to get away from the area Caelius was currently haunting, and to her dorm room. Whether or not Caelius had already taken notice of her presence, or would soon realize, was yet to be known. But she knew.. it wouldn't be long.
Once inside, her struggling as well as the protests that followed about being carried began. "Lex, Leeex I can walk!" So what if she was still a little weak on her feet? Being carried around like this--it was embarrassing.
Puffing her cheeks when she didn't get her way, the struggling stopped all together when her dorm came in sight.
"Well...seems they've locked your door."
"What?" Why was it--ohhhh.. right. "Well, I guess I am supposed to be dead.."
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 8:58 pm
Frowning at the offending door, Lex began to think of just what he would do with Kat. Taking her to his room until they could figure out something a bit more stable was the first thing on his mind, but what would that more stable thing be? He couldn't just put the girl in the infirmary - Caelius would catch wind and probably do awful things to the both of them, and Nevada.
Well, maybe she could live with Ami? They were good friends, right? Or maybe the other Hunter, Ceres?, that had been with her. Either way, she needed to stay out of Caelius' eyes, and eventually talk to Allan about getting her back in.
"What?" Why was it--ohhhh.. right. "Well, I guess I am supposed to be dead.."
"Yeah....I'm aware." A soft smile as he turned in the direction of his own room, carrying her to it, kicking the door open, and placing her on the bed.
"I'd take you to the actual infirmary, but Caelius would see you there, and that would probably get messy..." He explained, setting himself down on the foot of the bed. "So you'll be resting up and recovering here until I can figure something out."
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:32 pm
Gawd.. she could only imagine what happened to all the items in her room. She wouldn't be surprised if they had gone through all her stuff, or had just thrown everything out. With the door locked, she had no way of knowing the fate of her possessions. Oh well, its not like she had much anyways, except-
Oh for the love of--my clothes were all in there!
Before she could speak of the situation further, they were headed off in a different direction, further away from her own dorm room. "Where are we going?" She asked, raising a brow as she struggled to get a look of the area. With no immediate answer, she settled back down in his arms, thinking over possible solutions to this whole mess. With her being written off as dead, going to her dorm was a big fat no. It was likely she wouldn't have access to the cafeteria, and there was no way in hell she could make it off this island with the portals off limits to her. Conclusion: she was screwed.
Not realizing Lex had stopped, until he literally kicked the door open, Kat withdrew from her thoughts, startled by the sudden noise. Squirming again, she managed to get a better view of where it was they had arrived at. A dorm--who's?
Once set down, she rolled to sit up, still hugging the blanket and coats that were given to her. "Whe-" Just as she was about to start, Lex spoke up, filling her in on their current location, and the current plan--or more like plan in the making.
This.. was his dorm..?
"H-here?" Kat practically squeaked glancing about the room again, as if she were suddenly in a foreign area. Never before had she stepped foot into a guys room before, or even dared to!
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:51 am
"Yeah, it's the only place I can think of right now. It's just for the day, don't worry." A soft smile as Lex got up to start rummaging through his closet to find the girl some actual clothing.
A few moments later, he had a hoodie that would be comically big on her, and a pair of pajama bottoms that would probably fit her, thanks to her girl hips. Sitting back on the bed, he handed the articles of clothing to her with a concerned smile/ "These are the warmest things I've got. The hoodie has wool lining, the pants are made of flannel."
Getting up again, he hung up his own coat - miraculously clean - and began taking off layer after layer until he was down to a shirt, and threw everything into the laundry basket he'd managed to nick out of one of the unused rooms. He turned back to her, giving a little piqued eyebrow.
"I'm going to go brush my teeth and grab something out of the kitchen. Want anything?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:24 am
Tense, Kat continued to scan the room wide eyed, giving him a silent nod as he spoke. Okay, sure, she could handle this, right? For gawds sake, it was just a room! Why the hell was she so nervous!?
Sliding her feet out from under her carefully, she sat more upright, giving Lex the occasional glance as she stared at her surroundings. His room was too clean.. but such was the case for just about every hunter here. Not one thing out of place--it almost made her want to snoop.
"These are the warmest things I've got. The hoodie has wool lining, the pants are made of flannel."
Looking from the clothes to his face, she hesitantly reached out to take the clothing from him, holding them close as she watched him. "Uh.. thanks." It was definitely better than the tattered robes she was wearing underneath all the layers she currently had wrapped around her, yet the idea of wearing his clothes.. she wasn't quite sure how to react.
Sucking in a breath, she cast a glance off to the side as he began to remove some of the clothing. Cheeks flushing, she focused her attention on the door, keeping it there. Oh for gawds sake, he isn't naked, this is ridiculous! At his question, she only shook her head before pausing--gaze still on the door. "I'll just.. change while you're doing that."
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:39 pm
"M'kay - don't wander around while I'm gone." He teased, winking as he grabbed his toiletries and walked out of the room, headed towards the bathroom. His mind was going at a faster pace than he'd like, and he kept thinking about just who to go to about Kat.
Ami, he suddenly decided as he spat out the foamed up toothpaste. If anyone could keep something under lock and key, it was Ami. That girl was as guarded as they came; the fact that she was friends with Kat was also a pretty key factor in the equation.
That was it, then, Lex decided as he meandered to the kitchens to scrounge up something to eat and finding some granola bars in the pantry. She didn't say if she wanted anything, but Lex grabbed one for Kat as well - she couldn't have had much to eat while in the Sahara or Alaska.
How she'd gotten from the desert to the tundra was a question on the man's mind as he walked in on a Kat dressed in his clothes.
"See, you're already looking better." He complimented, handing her the granola bar he'd picked out.
Sitting on the bed, he smiled at the Sun as he unwrapped his own bar, asking "What exactly happened after you were made to leave?"
Wow, that got probing quickly.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:07 am
Puffing her cheeks at his words, she gave him a sideways glance. Looks like snooping was out of the question after all..
On his way towards the bathroom, Kat cast a wary glance in his direction, slipping off the bed as the door closed behind Lex. Clinging to the clothing he had given her, she dropped the blanket that had been wrapped around her, followed by the other articles of clothing that had been piled on her to keep warm.. those clothes would need to be returned to each of their owners.. once the blood was out. Glancing over her shoulder, she eyed the bathroom door suspiciously, a little hesitant to change. Though, from what she gathered from Lex, he was not the kind of person to sneak a peak.
Shedding the tattered robes the horsemen had given them, she reached for the hoodie first, pulling it over her head, wincing a little from the movement. This was probably the first time she had to suffer wounds like this, and without her weapon to aid her. The healing process was going to be a b***h!
Once comfortably dressed in both the hoodie and pj bottoms, the former hunter reclaimed her spot on the foot of the bed, leaving the collection of coats and scarves in a pile to be washed later. Lost in her own thought, she lifted her chin slightly at Lex's return, taking the bar from him when offered. "Yeah.. thanks."
Unable to recall the last time she had eaten, she tore away at the wrapper, almost choking down the snack. Totally unladylike, but hey--she was hungry!
At his question, she stiffened. "What do you mean..?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 12:38 am
Lex had to chuckle at the way she scarfed the food down, breaking off a majority of his own bar and handing it to her as he elaborated. "Well, forgive me if this seems nosy, but what happened to you and Ryan after we all left the room? I don't exactly need details, but a good overview would do good." His voice was flowing easy, but held concern to it. You didn't just get completely messed up like that in one battle - there had to have been more things that had happened.
Not to mention the whole Sahara to Alaska thing. He'd heard the rumors of the two being given a punishment worse than death by the Death lead, that he'd sent them into the Sahara, where the Horsemen reportedly had a lair. He could put two and two together, and assumed that the Horsemen were meant to find them.
But...why wouldn't they have just left the two exiles to rot in their lair?
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:27 am
Choosing to ignore his chuckle, the wrapper from the granola bar was crumpled in her grasp, while she made no attempt to throw it out just yet.
Inhaling, she held her breath a moment before exhaling again, her gaze downcast as she started. "When most of everyone left, my weapon was taken, and the bond forcibly removed. After that, we were exiled into the Sahara where we were expected to die." Something of which she could of sworn had happened, but were apparently nightmares and nothing more. That was what she believed now, anyways.
"I don't know," She pressed her hand to her face, growing frustrated. "I passed out sometime after from exhaustion, I barely remember a thing from then on in the desert.
I vaguely remember Ryan carrying, and speaking to me when I did gain consciousness, but.. I really can't remember." It was hard to think that Ryan was dead, especially when he was so determined to make it through that hell. And here she thought she would never have the burden of worrying over a possible friend dying anymore..
Holding back any tears that dared to fall, the woman took in another breath and continued. "When we woke up, we were in the horsemen's lair, with Medea offering us a place in her society." She cringed at the idea, to be with all those horsemen now--especially after what they had done--she loathed the thought. "Lets just say her bargain was for us to aid them in weakening Deus. Obviously, we turned her down, and they knocked us out." She paused. "I have the bump to prove it." She gestured to the back of her head, brow knitting together. Damned horsemen..
"The next thing we knew, we were in a small shack where they had left us chained. I don't know why we were brought there, but we were. Gale, Eva, Ceres, Wilson and Jake found us and escorted us out. After that--well.. you know the rest." She waved a hand lazily. All in all, their grand adventure ended on a sour note, and her right back at the very place she never wanted to see again.
Remaining in a thoughtful silence, Kat thumbed the wrapper in her hand, gaze distant.
How could they had made it that far, only for Ryan to die right before they were home free? Allan had made it back, sure, but.. there was no sign that the moon hunter had survived, and with no one knowing of what happened to him after collapsing-
"How did this all get so complicated..?" It came as a whisper, barely audible, as the tears threatened to spill again. Before having bonded with several of the hunters--befriending them--she was a capable hunter. Orders were not an issue with her then, nor would she have thought to question them.
Now.. maybe she wasn't cut out to be a hunter after all.
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 1:35 pm
The corners of his usual grin were tugged into a slight frown at the fist part of Kat's tale, easily remembering the pain and discomfort that had been brought upon the Hunters who'd lost their weapons in the Haunted House. Caelius. He nearly sneered at the thought of the insane diva of a division leader, but kept his face neutral as he continued to listen.
He smiled a small bit when she told him that she and Ryan had refused to give in to Medea; troopers until the end. When she told him about the bump, he quietly leaned his head back to give it a once over. "Yeowch." He remarked, inhaling a bit at the thought of getting a goose egg like that. It'd take a few days to go down, at best. There was one of the disadvantages of losing one's bonded - you lost your speed recovery. If Lex had a bump like that, it would be gone in the day.
When her recounting was done and she asked such a complicated and heavy question, Lex put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a soft smile. Why did things get so complicated? He'd never truly understand - but no one else would, either.
"I'm not sure if it'll make things less painful, but we could talk how you're feeling out. It would give you some clarity, at least."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 4:44 pm
Thinking back on things now, she really did screw up. To make matters worse, she got other people involved as well, getting them in trouble as well. It was their own choices, but she couldn't shake the idea that her and Ryan might have triggered it all. Maybe things would have been easier if she had followed orders? Perhaps Caelius had the right of it all? Her judgment on the matter was clouded by her emotions, but the guilt of it all lead her to believe she was so very wrong. Yet, to let her friends sacrifice themselves for the greater good--she knew that was the risk of becoming a hunter, but.. maybe Deus was more a family to her than she had realized, and that's why it hurt to let go?
"Lex, I-" She started, planting her face in her hands, failing to fight the tears any longer. "-I don't know what do do anymore! I thought I was doing right by others, but all I've done was make things worse! I should have just kept my mouth shut and followed orders! If I had, none of this would have happened, and Ryan-"
What was she supposed to do now? If she was 'dead' to Deus, than she was stuck on the island. It would only be a matter of time before Caelius finished what he had started. Perhaps if she appealed to Allan--though.. did she really want to return to the life of a hunter? She wasn't even positive she had it in her anymore.
"Do you think I was wrong?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 6:49 pm
Okay, she was crying now. Crying was bad, very very bad. What to do? What to do? Quick, think quick. A gentle hand was placed on her back, rubbing up and down in a gesture of comfort. He honestly hated to see someone cry, and it set him into a full on panic - good thing he was trained to keep his cool. He just had to do this, right? Show genuine discomfort at her pain and use comforting gestures.
"I think you did the right thing." Lex replied, complete honesty showing in his voice and on his face. "I wasn't called out by Caelius for nothing, you know. I commended all of you in my mission report - by name." Which was what got them stuck in this sticky situation in the first place. If he'd just kept his own big damn mouth shut...
"Kat, I think the thing to do now would be to try and live your life as best as you can, and keep standing up for your beliefs. Ryan would have wanted that, I think." A softer smile as his hand stopped just at her opposite shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "I think you'd rather go out with a heart than live as a cold machine."
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Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2012 8:24 pm
By tomorrow, she was sure she would live to regret crying in front of someone--a guy no less--but right now, she just needed to let it all out. At the touch of Lex's hand on her back to calm her, Kat didn't shy away like she normally would. She hadn't known Lex long, but already he was sticking his neck out for her by hiding her here, and was even willing to listen to her ramble on about her problems and mistakes.
Looking up from her hands, she merely stared at him, surprised. She knew he had gotten called out by Caelius as well, but she didn't know what for. At the time this had happened, she had remembered their disagreement on things, even snapping at him.. something of which she had yet to apologize for.
Wiping at her eyes with the back of her sleeve, she cast her gaze down to the floor again. "Maybe.."
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Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 1:50 pm
Frowning a little more, Lex took a hand hand tucked it under Kat's chin, gently guiding her face to look at him as he gave her a soft smile. "That's more of a definitely, I believe. You signed up for this because you care; people don't just join a military organization that promises no glory because of the benefits." He had to smirk at the last part - what benefits? Getting two days of leave a month and dealing with calloused, cold people all day? Dealing with people like Caelius?
Being a Hunter truly was the bottom tier of the job world.
"You know, though...there are some benefits to being a Hunter..." He raised his brow, grin becoming a tad more sly. "Blowing off steam, for instance, isn't nearly so frowned upon."
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