|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 9:11 pm
Early morning sunlight snaked across the room with it's venomous bite. It slithered betwixt chaise lounges with plush cushions and half full goblets of wine tossed to the wayside on ornate rugs. As the sunlight neared one sleeping figure in particular it's fangs seemed to glisten just before puncturing the tender flesh of his eyelids. The light clawed at him, digging straight through a growing migraine until Callum was given no other choice but to wake up.
The swordsman - former swordsman - rolled his legs over the edge of the bed and slouched with his head nearly laid up against his knees. His hair, which had grown so much over the past few months, hung over his shoulders in a knotted mess. He vaguely remembered hands clawing at the curly tendrils and pulling on them so hard his scalp began to burn. The ache was gone now; it was replaced with a migraine and a weariness that seemed to go much further than his bones.
In times like this, when the morning was still fresh and his senses were his own Callum could remember. He remembered taking his children by the hand into the streets of Sulburi to feed them while their baba bartered for passage to the North. It never occurred to Callum that Oba's darker side might show itself with his children by his side, in broad daylight no less. When Orna and her husband, Devos, had appeared before them. He couldn't remember what had started it; something Devos said, or maybe it was Orna? His children had been threatened, taken, and he could have fought but...What would have been the point? In the end Ygraine or Sol might have gotten injured and after his spectacular defeat in the arena how was Callum supposed to defeat four armed guards? So, he bartered himself to the Collectors.
"Orna, you're a smart woman with a keen eye for business. How many years do you think it would take you to get anything from these two? How many years of feeding, training, clothing...all while getting nothing in return? It's me you want; I can give you everything you want and more so long as you let them go. "
They hadn't been able to refuse. He would have caused a fuss if his children were taken, and the situation would have become ugly fast. Taking him lacked any semblance of risk, and so in the end, Callum had gone with them. He remembered telling his children to run, and not to look back. Run and don't stop running until you find baba. He didn't trust the Collectors not to send their guards after the children once they were out of his sight, but so long as they were with Nimueh...
Callum stood with a groaning yawn. How long had it been since he had seen Nimueh, or heard his voice? He padded to the window, only to have a hard tug at his ankle stop him short. A chain and manacle kept him tied close to the bed; insurance so that he wouldn't escape again. There had been attempts in the past to get back home. Twice? Maybe three times? That he couldn't remember. The only life that Callum knew now was that of glorified slavery, and a haze of memories that either blended in with one another or simply weren't there at all. He had become so used to waking up with no memory of the past week that going days without that sort of stimulation bothered him more than the initial loss.
He needed it now. Whatever they gave him...Callum needed it, and it was that need that stopped him from escaping.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 10:22 pm
The thing that Nimueh was growing to understand about Obans was that they really and truly thought they were better, and smarter, than other races. And the Collectors? Being Oban nobility meant that as long as you played along, and let them think they were winning... then you could go about as you pleased, and they would be none the wiser. After all, why should they, who had successfully recruited so many other hybrids, suddenly expect that some doddering Alkidike hybrid, wearing nothing but a loincloth and a numerous ring of crystal necklaces, should be able to one-up them?
Half naked, and baked under the desert sun, it had taken a surprisingly long time for the Collectors to rear their ugly heads, to the point Nimueh was almost afraid that the jig was up. But, after about three days of wondering about the market, asking for food and widening his eyes so as to exaggerate his Alkidike features, a palanquin stopped beside him and he was invited inside by a lady, dressed so finely that Nimueh had no doubt it was the woman Callum had mentioned, so long ago.
Maybe it was because he was large, broad, and being topless actually showed the line of muscles along his body. Wasn't it a risk, to recruit someone who seemed able to overpower you? Thankfully, Nimueh only needed to imagine the woman was an Alkidike sister, and his shoulders shrank, his head ducked, and his bashful and almost embarrassed behavior was enough to let them think he was a witless beast of a man, who had gotten lost in the desert and simply washed up in north Oba.
For the first week or so, Nimueh simply let go, and let himself be washed into the tide of the collectors, and let himself play the part of the wide-eyed, gaping country bumpkin. Many of those meetings were with smaller groups, with Orna herself, or her husband, and for now they seemed content to let him glutton himself on their decadence, awe in the splendor of Oba finery, and pretend he wasn't being gawked at. They moved slower now, he realized... for he didn't see the red flower Callum had described until the second week. The red flower that he'd spent weeks finding, the flower whose venom he'd spent months trying to find some sort of antidote for. "The finest nectar in all of the world." He'd been told, and they'd watched hungrily as he picked it up, eating it in one bite as directed.
To them, it was another successful link in the chain that would bind him there. And for those first few days, he let the dizzying effect take place... let himself wash away in the clouds. Of course, how could the Collectors know that Nimueh had had an oral fixation for as long as he could remember? How could they know that it was out of instinct more than any actual functioning memory that Nimueh traced his fingers down the twine of his necklace to a stone and popped it into his mouth, causing it to disintegrate under his tongue? It was something he had simply always done, and with so many crystals hanging about his neck (and no reason to wrestle necklaces away from a large, towering hulk of an Alkidike), one crystal ground to dust in his mouth wasn't to be missed? Within an hour the haze had cleared, and Nimueh was free to do as he pleased, as long as he was careful, and didn't think about the various aches in his muscles.
The others were allowed to laze about all day, cloudy eyed and unable to contemplate anything beyond the mechanical reactions to what they were told. Some paced, out of some sort of remnant of nervousness - and base instinct that told them they were caged. And so it wasn't strange for him to move about the complex itself, and even to occasionally wander down a hallway, lost in his trance as he was!
That wasn't to mention the times, at night, that he woke from the daze, and realized just what was happening. But as long as he didn't think about it, and focused instead on getting to Callum, it was worth it. It had to be. Even so, weeks into devising his escape plan, Nimueh was exhausted... not only from the actual events of the place, but also from the constant barrage of drugs on his system. One to dose him, the other to counter the effect - it may have worked, at first, but he was aware now that his system was going to get worn out, sooner rather than later.
The escape needed more finesse, but as soon as he found where Callum's room was, he hadn't been able to wait any longer. Lingering outside the door, Nimueh scratched one finger down the edge, clawing at it to try and get Callum's attention. Assuming he was even awake. Then, raising his hand to grasp the cold iron handle to the door, Nimueh twisted it - only to find it unlocked. Somehow. No doubt, because they doubted Callum would be able to escape from it. Quickly, he yanked it open, threw himself inside, then slid the door closed - careful to do it as swiftly as possible. He didn't turn to look inside the room just yet- instead, he stayed hunched beside it, listening for any noise from the hallway beyond, which was only just starting to stir with morning.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 11:18 pm
Callum was so used to intrusions that he barely paid them any mind these days. He had already slipped back onto the bed, brazenly sprawled out onto his back with nothing more than the manacle about his ankle to cover him. Orna would be the one to dictate what he wore for the day, and as a rule she wasn't an early riser. Unless it was a special occasion, such as a birthday or a visiting 'friend', he would often be on his own for a few hours before released to wander about as he pleased.
Not that he ever went far. Even without Orna to guide him the routine stayed the same; soon Isanna would come to his door with his breakfast. Some protein to get him started, water to quench the thirst, and a single, red blossom. The woman had been kind to him for the most part. She had been a slave, a girl born of Oban and Matori descent, who now served as a sort of keeper for the pets. Isanna was the reason he remained chained until breakfast was over. The last escape attempt had been on her watch, and Callum had been forced to watch as her punishment was enacted. It was an event neither would forget for a very, very long time.
He hoped it was her that had slipped in. The draw in his veins for the red flower was strong this morning, and a bout of nausea was starting to come over him. His body, which had always been naturally lithe, had turned almost gaunt. They never allowed him to go too far over the edge; if he did, he wouldn't be an attractive asset anymore, and then what use would they have for him?
His hand traced the line of his hip in a calm daze, moving along the right side of his lower torso towards a new scar. A brand; one that had been burned just above his hip bone and signified him as part of the Collector's house. The meaning of it had long sense worn off, having been replaced with the hazy sensation of fingers moving over the raised fleshy pattern.
When Isanna failed to haul him up, Callum moved so that he rested on his left side, balancing himself precariously atop the bed with his arms. His eyes attempted to focus on the figure and ultimately failed. It wasn't Isanna; she wasn't that big, nor was she blue. Something...something was familiar about that blue, but...?
Callum slumped back down against the bed, but his eyes remained somewhat trained on the figure. "You're so tall," he murmured, words slurred and jumbled. "I bet they paid good for you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2016 11:38 pm
When it came down to it, Nimueh's treatment had been sunshine and daisies compared to Callum's. After all, he wasn't a flight risk - and he had, so far, taken his prescribed blossoms on schedule without a twitch of resistance. Being larger in size, the dosage had actually gone up over the last few weeks, in order for the effect to truly take hold - and thankfully this meant that he could pluck a petal from one of them without much notice.
Callum had told him enough about this place before... about the flower, and the cramps that had overtaken him when he went without it, after his escape. The healer he'd finally tracked down had explained, in detail, the long term effects of ingesting the plant, and he'd absorbed enough of it to realize that Callum would need to take at least some of it, if only to stave off the long list of effects that running away without it would cause.
The crystals around his neck staved off the actual effects of the plant on his senses, but not the addictive quality of it, and if the two didn't have at least a taste to rely on, then they would both be in very deep trouble - Callum more so, because he'd been here for...
Aisha, for so long now. Nimueh was almost afraid to turn around, but finally the sound of someone shifting behind him made him build up his resolve.
Even so, as he turned to look, he nearly choked with emotion. Callum was painfully thin - angular, gaunt, but delicately attractive in a way that the nobles quite liked. But compared to the leanly muscled, smiling version Nimueh knew, this Callum was painful to look at. Callum was strong, was fierce and passionate, loving and handsy and his strength, his musculature, and the shaggy mane that he'd cut free from his long braid was what Nimueh had come to love and expect. His hair was growing out, still tussled from the night before (and Nimueh didn't dare think of it, nor to look closer for signs of bruising), but styled in a way that was strange to see on his practical lover.
Following the curve of his arm, when Nimueh spotted the brand he ground his teeth, seething- only to freeze when Callum finally spoke. The words were slurred and disinterested, and the realization that Callum didn't recognize him hurt more than he had a right to hurt. It wasn't his fault, and yet Nimueh still felt a sense of failure, and the pained expression and the twist of his gut betrayed his emotions. However, drawing in a deep breath, Nimueh fumbled with his necklace, breaking off a number of the crystals, and moving to kneel infront of Callum. Popping one into his own mouth to show him it was harmless, Nimueh offered the older man a few more, raising his eyebrows in invitation. With this larger dosage, Callum would have a clear head in a matter of minutes... and hopefully that would give them enough time to get out before anyone was the wiser.
The bigger issue was the manacle around his ankle... but that would have to come later. "Take this, Callum. Take this and we'll get out of here, together."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 9:18 am
Callum canted his head at such an odd angle that his hair nearly covered his face. His lack of definitive memories concerning this 'visitor' didn't bother him as much it should have. He saw so many faces that it was hard to keep track of them all, let alone give a name to them. Callum moved to raise himself up once more, this time pulling himself into a full sitting position to gander at the...man, was it? The longer he took to wake without his breakfast the more Callum's vision began to clear. Colors were still so explosive to him that just looking at this man's skin seemed to entrance him. Markings...were they painted? He focused on them, particularly the ones on Nimueh's arms, with a sort of hazed concentration. They didn't look painted, but then how...?
When his eyes moved towards the other's face Callum was momentarily stalled. There was something in that look that bothered him. It shouldn't look like that; as if something were so close to snapping from...grief? Pain? Then he took something from his necklace, and Callum knew. Or rather, he thought he had it figured out.
The Sauti native let out a peel of unexpected, half-mad laughter. "You think...you think you can get out by sucking on rocks?" How pathetic! It was obvious just how new this one was to the game. "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!" With his laughter dying down, Callum shook his head and let out one last chuckle.
He pulled himself closer to the other and reached out to lace his arms about strong, broad shoulders. The sensation coupled with the scents and sights he was pulling from this person...Maybe they had danced before? Nimueh. It was his name, and as Callum felt his waning strength give out, his body slumped against Nim's. He let out another fit of laughter, this time muffling it against Nimueh's chest. "You smell soooo good...I bet you taste better. You can stay here if you want; we'll wait for Isanna together and you can keep me company. She better get here soon...wonder what's holding her up..."
The sound of his own laughter had aggravated his migraine. Callum moved one of his hands down from Nimueh's shoulders to massage his temple.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 9:37 am
For a long moment, Callum simply looked at him, eyes lazily sweeping across him, and with each passing moment the continued lack of recognition only bit deeper. However, then Callum let out that laugh. It was sharp, nothing like the soft chuckles or easy laughter he was so used to. To Callum, perhaps it was sheer glee or amusement... but to Nimueh it was the most broken, pained laugh a person could have, and that it came from the father of his children...
If Nimueh let himself give in to that pain, he'd be stuck here forever. Instead, he converted it into anger, pressing his lips tightly together. Before he could react, however, Callum had moved closer, slinging his arms around him, and Nim had no choice but to meet his embrace with one arm, half-holding him up. But Aisha, Callum felt so small, so slight in his hold...
...Isanna? Instantly, Nim's heart began hammering, and he looked over his shoulder, jaw tense at the realization that someone was expected to be here, and soon. "Dammit, Callum! Look, I don't care if you believe me or not. Just amuse me, huh?" Shifting his hold so his arm was hooked under Callum's, sliding behind his back to hold him upright, Nimueh brought his palm up to his lips, offering the handful of crystals. "Don't you want to see our children again? Isn't it worth just trying it?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:40 am
"Shh, if you keep yelling like that they'll wake up." Every noise to Callum may as well have been yelling; it felt as if he could both hear everything and nothing all at once. Besides, it was always so much more pleasant when people talked in whispers. Loud voices usually meant bad things and it was too early in the day for bad things.
The rock sucker seemed pretty adamant about sharing his find. Maybe this was a new form of the flower? If so Callum didn't like it. The stones weren't nearly as pretty and he doubted they would go down half as well as the soft petals. "...children? I don't have any children...here." There was a length pause before his last word. He plucked up the rocks with pincer like fingers, holding them up to his eye for inspection.The sunlight made them look like little bugs, like the ones that used to crawl on his skin when he first came here. Callum didn't like those, but on the flip side being able to eat them instead of having them eat him sounded good. "Wouldn't be a very good trade if they were here instead of there."
On impulse he plopped the rocks onto his tongue and closed his mouth. Callum hadn't even truly made up his mind on whether he wanted them or not; his body had simply acted on it's own. The clawing in his eyes propelled him to find anything that might subdue it. "This tastes like piss. The flower is...is...?"
Color started to slowly dull around him, leaving Callum with a slightly darker, yet sharper view of his surroundings. While his migraine remained, as did the aches, the sense of wonderment that the haze created began to dissipate. There was a long time in which Callum said nothing; he simply allowed his head to loll around, looking at inanimate objects as if only just now realizing they had never truly been living. That all the times he'd seen them move had been false images.
Then, once enough of his sanity had returned to him, Callum looked back to the rock sucker and was overcome with horror. "Nim?" His voice was barely above a cracked murmur, but then it rose in a sudden spike, "What are you doing here?! Get out!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 11:14 am
Was Nimueh like this, too, when he was drugged? Maybe Callum's dosage was stronger, or it had a different effect because he had been here so long? It was horrifying, to see him like this... to realize he'd been like this around people who only wished him harm. But, only now, had Nimueh let himself think about how he'd been similarly drugged, how he had no idea how long he'd been in such a state until he decided to fiddle with his necklace.
What may have happened while he was, like Callum, unaware and listless.
A chill went down his back, and with the knowledge that someone was possibly coming soon - the fear of being discovered, and of his necklaces being taken filled him with dread. His mother, Izuzue, was outside, waiting - but she couldn't see into the complex, and she would have no way of knowing if the plan had gone sideways or not. His breath quickened, as panic nearly took him, but he was cemented by Callum's new interest in the rocks. At the very least, he was considering it, and Nimueh stared at him, hard and hopeful, as he eyed them.
'I don't have any children.' Callum said, so dismissively that Nimueh felt a sob break in his throat, a pained sound that escaped before he could stop it. 'Here', Callum finished, and yet even that small admission was little solace. So it had been a trade. The children hadn't mentioned it being a trade, but had told him, after they were home in Zena, that some strange Obans had taken papa away. He should be proud of Callum, for keeping them safe, and yet at the same time Nimueh felt another rush of that intense anger. Anger that Callum hadn't fought, had just let himself go...
But that wasn't fair, was it? If he had been in the same situation, him or his children, he would have done the same thing. And yet he couldn't be happy that they were safe, not when the cost was Callum. Knowing that Callum had been here by himself, for so long...
Callum ate the rocks. The complaint garnered only a twitch of reaction from Nim, before he gently released Callum, letting him settle back onto the bed as he moved to kneel down, fingers tracing the thin ankle, around which a manacle was wrapped, inspecting it for any weaknesses. As he looked, Callum was coming back to himself... until finally he heard his name, murmured out into the open.
He raised his head to meet Callum's gaze, offering a wan smile, but then ducked back down, tugging at the end of the chain, where it was secured into the heavy wood of the bedframe. Jauhar wood. "Yes, that's the plan. But not without you." Nimueh responded, tense. "This Isanna person - when is she coming?" He didn't want to do anything rash, but he may have no choice but to keep her from interfering. By any means necessary.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 11:48 am
The shift from a state of near blissful ignorance to reality left Callum sick to his stomach. So many questions begged for answers inside of his mind that he had trouble focusing on just one. How long had Nimueh been here? What had they done to him while he was here, and the kids...? Surely they weren't here. They couldn't be. If they had been he would have seen them...or would he? It was possible that Nimueh had been here just as long as Callum without him being able to recognize his lover in a sea of shifting faces. Callum sucked in a sharp lungful of air, which momentarily quelled the near hyperventilation he'd succumbed to.
He felt cold and warm and wrong. A surge of anger ripped through him, breaking through his near panicked veneer. His fingers gripped the sheets like claws as his mouth turned to a snarl, "Why the hell not?! I came to them; they're not going to let me go! Not twice. Dammit, Nim, our kids can't lose both of their fathers." He didn't mean for his voice to get so loud, so shrill, and full of emotions that had no names. In a better state of mind Callum would never have yelled at his lover, but now...
His head snapped to the closed door, and the back to Nimueh. He looked so...so...Why did you come? Callum knew the answer, but didn't want to dwell on it. In another life it may have been touching, but now it was heart breaking. "You're leaving, today, now, as soon as we can get you ou-"
A knock at the door silenced him. "Callum? Are you alright?" As fast as he could Callum ripped the blankets out from under him and tossed them over Nimueh, hoping that his lover's crouched position might hide him.
Isanna opened the door with first a confused, slightly wary, look before smiling. Her hair was anything, but neat; if anything she looked rougher than the pets she cared for, save for her clean bloodstream. In her arms resided a golden platter. A serving of eggs and water greeted Callum, along with that horribly beautiful red flower. "I heard yelling so I knew you were awake. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting; one of the guests was throwing a fit. Something about a torn dress-" She gave her head a little shake and closed the door with a push of her foot.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:12 pm
Callum had to be joking. Nimueh paused, looking up once again, unable to hide a look of shock, which quickly contorted into a shadowed expression, tense and drawn at Callum's rejection. It took everything in him not to raise his voice, as uncharacteristic as that was. Yes, Nimueh could see Callum's point. Why should he do this, risk everything in order to get Callum out, when it was a long shot that it would even work? Izuzue wasn't all powerful, and even if she was outside, a single Alkidike warrior couldn't fight off an entire compound of Obans on her own. She'd fought with him, fiercely, about his foolish plan, but in the end if he was going to do this, she couldn't blindly look away and not back him up.
Just as Nimueh couldn't peacefully live in Zena, raising his children, and knowing full well that Callum was alive, that he was going through hell, and no one cared enough to get him out of it. How could he look his children in the eye and say he'd done right by them, if he'd left his lover alone? And, from a more selfish perspective, there was no way that Nimueh could do it. Not without Callum. He had a family, had parents, was a parent, and yet without Callum there, he didn't have the strength to do it. He would turn into Elsheba - cold, empty. He wasn't strong enough to do it.
Callum had gone with these monsters, trusting that Nimueh would do well and be able to take care of their children without them. But he'd failed. He couldn't do it, and if that earned him Callum's hatred then he'd have to suffer through it. Even if a part of him, deep inside, broke at the raised tone. Callum had never yelled at him before, and even this situation couldn't dampen the blow. What he needed now, more than anything, was for Callum to just shut up and help him get them both out of here!
He opened his mouth to respond... though, with what, he didn't know. Reassurance? Callum clearly didn't want any of it, he only wanted Nim to leave. Yelling? Maybe, if only out of his frustration and the flurry of his own emotions. But then the knock came, and Nimueh froze, head canted to watch it, his breath frozen in his lungs. In this moment, Callum reacted before he could, throwing an armful of blankets over him. It may work, at least at first glance, but as soon as the woman was fully in the room, and turned her attention off Callum, it would be over.
Even so, Nimueh remained still, crouched at the base of the bed, barely hidden under the blankets, hand frozen against Callum's ankle, still chained as it was to the bedpost. And he listened. Listened for the telltale click of the door closing. And when it came, he dropped his hand - the only sign to Callum of what he was about to do. Raising in one fluid motion, the blankets dropped from where they'd been flung over his shoulders, and in one step he was at her side, gripping the edge of the tray so it wouldn't drop, and alert others to chaos in the cell. The other hand fisted in the back of her messy hair, ignoring the pang of sympathy and horror at the state of the woman. She was a slave here, but she wasn't Callum, so she couldn't be trusted - not now. Staring into her eyes with his own, often unnervingly empty ones, Nimueh's face contorted into pure rage, and he tugged her head back, sharply. "If you make a sound, I'll make sure you never leave this room." He said, voice a low growl that he'd never heard from his own lips. But after what had all happened in these walls, he wasn't faking that rage - nor was it an empty threat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:36 pm
If Nimueh was going to get pissy with him over his decision then so be it. At the time he'd seen his opportunity and snatched it. It wasn't as if Nim was there to offer any kind of input to the situation - Callum had to stop himself. It wasn't fair to place blame on his lover simply because he hadn't been there at that particular moment. Fate may have changed things if he had been, and made it worse for the whole family.
What did he think he could accomplish? He had no tools, no weapons that Callum could see, and was barely clothed more than Callum himself. Neither one of them was adept at stealth, so slipping out unnoticed would have been an impossibility. And still Callum foolishly latched onto this shred of hope. He hated himself for it. There was no way he could see for both of them to make it out of this, but now with Nimueh he had to wonder. You've tried it twice, and look what happened.
Callum felt the hand at his ankle slacken, then drop away all together, and he almost reached out to snatch it back. Whatever Nimueh was planning to do would only get them into trouble. He tried to respond to Isanna, tried to warn her, but his reaction time wasn't nearly as fast as it had been. Nimueh was on her before he could open his mouth.
Isanna's scream died before it was ever born. She held onto the tray with shaking hands, copper eyes shriveling beneath the intensity of that golden gaze. There was nothing there; nothing for her to focus on except for the large man holding her captive. When he tugged at her scalp she whimpered, sucking in a sharp breath against her better wishes. Callum hated it. He twisted himself so that he could move off the bed and stand on the floor, keen on interrupting it but the tug of his chain kept him from it.
He'll kill her. There was no doubt in his mind that his awkward, tenderhearted lover would tear her down if she went against him. "Let go of her," Callum hissed. "If you hurt her-" He shook his head, but the threat was clear. If that woman was harmed...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:54 pm
Moments ago, Nimueh had been panicking. The fear of being captured, of their only link to sobriety being taken away, of being seperated from Callum again had been enough to almost overwhelm him... and yet now? In this moment, standing over this woman, he felt nothing. He didn't take pleasure in her fear, but he didn't react to it with any sympathy - he couldn't trust that if he released her, she wouldn't run out of the room screaming. Or drop the plate, or... or do something that would get them caught.
He stared her down, watched her own, strange eyes dilate in fear. And he didn't break that gaze, not until another voice broke through the numbness. Only, instead of relaxing, Nimueh tensed at it, and turned his head, just enough that he could see Callum standing. Stance defiant, voice sharp. For a long moment, Nimueh simply looked at him, his shoulders a sharp line of tension, before he released her hair, and instead plucked the tray from her trembling hands, then brushed behind her, his shoulder bumping hers as he moved his body between her and the door. Gesturing with his chin towards Callum, Nimueh knelt down and set the tray, carefully, on the floor, out of their way, plucking up the flower. He didn't know how long it would be until they got to a healer, and he'd need the flower to keep Callum's withdrawal at bay.
"Unlock him. We're getting out of here, with or without your help." He paused, inhaling sharply through his nose as he looked at Callum again. He didn't know why Callum's defense of her stung so sharply, but it did. After all that had happened, Callum had been here longer than him... didn't he understand the sacrifices they may need to make to get out of here? Did Nimueh accepting that responsibility truly make him so abhorrent to him?
Fine. Maybe Callum's interference would keep Nimueh from doing something he regretted, but for now, with so much at stake, Nimueh couldn't thank him for it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:25 pm
Scarlett Arbuckle I have no regrets about Isanna's accent lol
They needed out, but he wouldn't do it through bloodshed. Not if he could help it.
Isanna never moved until Nimueh instructed her too. She fumbled with her belt, moving her fingers underneath it to where a string of keys lay dormant. Once she found the one she was after the woman moved towards Callum, and crouched down to released him. Her fingers were deceptive smooth against his skin, uncalloused despite her hardened life, and once the manacle opened with a 'click' Callum was glad for those fingers. They helped to massage the raw skin of his ankle, marred in the manacle's own image, before rising up to stand beside him.
She seemed to eye Nimueh critically, as if she were afraid he might rush her again. "If what you sai eez trué you'll need a guide. You don't know lé estate lik ai do. Zey rebuilt aftair la fiyaire, eet eez all diffairént. Ai can show you ze wai oot... If you promize to tak me wiv you."
"She has a point, Nim. Outside of this room I'm lost." Unless his lover had managed to seek out an escape route before his valiant rescue then they were doomed from the start. Isanna may be able to lead them out safely, but could she be trusted? Her life was harder than those on the outside, but still a dream compared to others within the estate.
Were it not for one particular incident he wouldn't risk it. However, that one memory, so sharp in his mind, kept him from saying anything against her. It was something he didn't dare bring up now, not with tensions so high, but one he would have to share with Nimueh at some point. For now he just wanted to get moving before his strength gave out and his nausea turned into something much worse.
Callum looped one arm absently around his waist as his once straight, defiant posture began to wane.
"If we go now and stai on le west side we weehl be safair. La mastairs are asleep; but zéy won't be fair much longair."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 5:33 pm
While Isanna moved to unlock Callum, Nim moved to the door, listening to it, trying to discern if anyone else heard anything going on. As he listened, he watched her unlock the manacle, but took interest in her lingering touch, not out of any jealousy, but because... who would take the time to soothe someone's aching flesh, if they didn't have some sort of compassion? Especially when your life had just been threatened?
Later, he'd let himself feel guilty for his threat, but for now he watched instead, matching her critical look with his own, until she spoke. The .... accent was so strange, like nothing Nimueh had heard before, and it took him a moment of concentration to pick up what was being said, if only because of the lingering cloudiness of his own mind. He hadn't taken the drugs as long as Callum had, not by a long shot, but there were bound to be some effects left over from the dosage nonetheless.
He'd traveled around the grounds, of course, enough that it was at least something to go on once they escaped this room. But... he couldn't deny that they were right. It was a larger risk to leave her here, awake, than it was to go with her. She could raise an alarm if she came, of course, but... if he knocked her out, there was the risk that she'd wake up before they had made their way out of the complex.
"...Then lets go." He finally agreed, the commanding tone dropping aside. Instead, he tilted his head to Callum, wanting to wrap an arm around him to help - but would Callum even accept the aid? And, even if he did, would walking through the building supporting him raise suspicion?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 6:12 pm
"Vairy wéll." Isanna tucked strands of dark chocolate hair behind her azure ear, and smoothed out some folds in her dress. It was a seemingly mundane task, but once it was over the simplicity of it had calmed her. There was no longer a shake to her hands and her horizontal pupils could meet Nimueh head on. "First thengs first, 'é's goéng to need cluthes." She turned to look Callum over, taking in his stance like someone assessing the worth of a Quhar before travel. Clucking her tongue, she moved past him and opened a trunk at the foot of the bed. It's contents were sparse, but Isanna did manage to produce a pair of thin, white short pants. "Modestay eez impairtent to ootsidairs."
Callum really didn't seem to care one way or the other. He had always been comfortable in his own skin, relishing any chance to simply let himself go, but now those feelings of elation were gone. There was simply nothing. Either way, clothed or nude, he was still going to feel the same and that was what mattered to him. He stepped mechanically into the pants that Isanna held out for him, and pulled them up to his hips.
"Stai quiet, stai closé et stai ailair." Each word was punctuated by clipped pauses. The woman moved to the door, but managed to give Nimueh as wide a berth as possible. She cracked the door open just a smidge so that she could listen for outside noises, and when things checked out Isanna stepped out into the hall.
If at all possible this structure managed to pass it's predecessor in both grandeur and size. Gold flecks had been incorporated into the stone work, etching themselves like veins in the clay walls. Callum moved to follow behind her, but stopped once he had reached Nim's side. There was a tension between them now that he hoped would go away once this was over. The likelihood of that happening was slim, but still Callum looked up at him with questions in his clouded, bloodshot eyes. Would him escaping make the family better? Or would the 'new' him drag it down? Would their relationship still be a relationship? He wanted so badly to say-
"Come on," Isanna hissed from the hall. Callum snapped out of his revere and shuffled after her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
