Instead, she was darting her way over the rooftops of the business district of the city. If she was going to have to make a stand she wanted it to be on her terms. Not to mention she needed to find a half decent weapon because her useless stuffed paw would do nothing more than make someone laugh themselves to death. If she was so lucky that was.
She wasn’t.
The question was, where should she head?
The evening had been rather, blase. Not even a stray youma had reared its ugly head to break up the monotony of the patrol. It was the quiet nights that got to the Knight more often than not. She hated being idle. Idleness meant she needed to entertain herself in other ways and sometimes those other ways manifested in her mind roving over problems or past mistakes that liked to come back and haunt her. It wasn’t always fun, but at least she’d gotten to the point where she knew how to deal with those issues.
Walk. Move. Do something even if it was really nothing at all. Focus on that building. The people milling on the streets, the cars, that rat by the dumpster. It all worked.
And then she felt the signature. Like she had stumbled upon it in the dark, the Lieutenant was just ahead of her and had obviously taken note of Hy’s presence. A moment of doubt crossed Hy-Brasil’s mind. Would she let pleas make her falter again? Was this agent also going to end up healed, patted on the head like a weak child, and sent on their way like the half-youma?
No. She couldn’t...wouldn’t do it again. She needed to prove to herself that that had been a one time occurrence. She wouldn’t let the negaverse play her again like some sad marionette. No!
The Knight took off after her prey who immediately began to run.
The chase was on.
I feel like I need hip replacement surgery already, and I'm not even 30. I hope Kavinsky wasn't ******** right about me being middle-aged… The knight limped noticeably with the steep drops in temperature. His awkward compensation lent a disconcerting silhouette, with his right arm missing and his left leg suffering, yet he carried bone whip in hand with as much purpose as he could muster. I'm starting to think my summons will be my travel companion yet. Chasing these damn Negaverse agents around could stand to be a bit easier.
While the auric energy pealed over the area, and Scholomance felt the iniquity at the center of it, he made no effort to stalk at a quick pace. A lieutenant meant little in the scheme of the Negaverse -- a grunt foremost, they seldom held positions of power. Spending time knocking them done felt almost like a waste, a few precious hours better spent hunting for their superior. Yet there he was, with no superior found, no traces of even a captain in the earlier hours of his patrols. He felt a little deprived for it.
But he gave chase nonetheless -- beating this one might provoke a higher rank to step out of hiding momentarily. And if the kindred knight aura spanned his way, he might tag team his way through one of the Negaverse's more useful leaders.
Hell, it might even be Schörl or Cinnabar.
Scholomance spurred himself forward, his flagging energy renewed somewhat by the appearance of a compatriot. They approached from the opposite end of the lieutenant, surely, so that a little prediction and maneuvering would yield a pincer attack. Scholomance kept his paths high with crossing over another set of brick buildings. He thanked himself for his liberal use of the business district; if he went residential, the sloping roofs would murder his legs before an hour's time. He felt like he aged too much for these practices anymore.
Once he crossed enough distance to the lieutenant, Scholomance dropped from a stone gargoyle and struck the ground with bone heels. He unraveled his whip and struck the floor with a deafening crack, seeking to drive the lieutenant into his approaching comrade. If nothing else, his white-haired quarry would die quickly and leave very little cleanup need.
You have got to be ******** kidding me. She cursed loudly in her head as another signature moved towards her. What were the odds that she’d pick up not one, but TWO opponents that were ultimately much stronger than herself. Well, not that people being stronger than her was odd, but two of them at once? That was beyond annoying. It could be downright deadly for her, and Violane was very well aware of that fact.
Immediately any plans she had at trying to take her single pursuer by surprise switched to getting the hell out of dodge. She needed to get to safety. Do I call Leucite for help? That thought was immediately squelched down. She was not going to subject herself to that man’s assistance if she didn’t need to. She’d try and find her own damn way out.
It was times like these that Violane thanked the rubber soles of her boots. Their silent nature meant she wasn’t cringing with each stride and could, possibly, find herself a safe haven without being ********!” The word escaped her as the Knight appeared in front of her, whip cracking against the ground promising pain if she drew any closer. She’d lost track of him during her contemplation. I can hear Cinnabar lecturing me. Though the half-youma was not her General anymore, Violane still remembered the lessons the woman had taught her.
Skidding to a stop she immediately changed directions but instead of running back towards[/] the green knight behind her, she opted to run parallel to the bone Knight and dodge onto the main street. Perhaps they won’t attack me in plain sight of civilians?
Another aura grew closer and Hy-Brasil was certain they were trailing the same Lieutenant she was. Perfect. Perhaps this will make the chase all that much easier. The Lieutenant, sly that she was, kept utilizing the buildings to her advantage and kept the Earth Knight at a fair pace away. The occasional flash of white hair though promised Hy that she wasn’t too far off.
Turning a corner, the Knight caught sight of white hair again and just as she was sure the Lieutenant would give her the slip again, a figure dropped down in front of her. Darkness was their friend as Hy couldn’t quite make out who it was, assuming it was anyone she knew. A loud crack echoed and the agent didn’t turn back towards her as Hy had hope but instead dodged out into the busier part of the streets. “Damn.” She cursed quietly as she jogged up to her compatriot.
“That was certainly worth the try, I bet we can flush her back…” The words stopped as she realized the Knight in front of her was not only familiar, but someone she had not been expecting to see in the least. The last time she had seen the specific Knight she had been skewered from the back and dangling from a General’s weapon. She couldn’t even remember what happened between that time and her waking in the hospital. No one could give her an answer. Then agian, I did’nt exactly seek any answers past what the nurses and doctors could give me.
That had all been months ago.
“Well, seems fate has thrown us back together. And over a Lieutenant none-the-less.” She sighed heavily as eyes roved over him. He looked to be fairly well. No more missing limbs than she remembered and now he seemed to be actively hunting negaverse agents. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that last part. It meant he was thrusting himself back into danger and it tugged at feelings she thought were well enough broken. They are. I just haven’t had to deal with it up front like this in so long.
The agent cut left and straight into traffic; Scholomance sighed behind his half-mask. From the glimpse he caught of her uniform, she'd blend into the surrounding area with a surprising ease that he could not claim for himself. No, bones and blacks held no place in the Destiny City streets, lest he be looking for a traffic accident. Which, a traffic accident certainly wasn't the worst way to go -- it might possibly be pleasant for its quickness -- but he had an agenda to complete first. This agenda did not necessarily include the destruction of a nameless, faceless lieutenant.
Scholomance loped forward only so far as to look down the connecting alley to the street, where the figure quickly disappeared. Crossing the main thoroughfare through the heart of the city proved too dangerous for the knight, however, and he abandoned thought of pursuit. Yet his company did not, and a familiar voice broached him.
He turned at the tapering response, and flashed the easily-recognized Hy-Brasil a smile before realizing he donned his half-mask. He rectified the gesture soon after dismissing his weapon. "We could," he conceded, "but I imagine there are better uses of our time. A lieutenant is certainly a potential threat if she learns her way about her chaos power, but I've a little more interest in generals as a main course here. Call it a growing appetite." Inwardly he wished that appetite culminated in the restoration of a missing limb. Even his wonder lacked the technology for such a pursuit, however.
"But since we're here… How have you fared?" She looked well enough; the dire straits of the war inflicted deeper invisible scars than the ones marring their bodies. Undoubtedly the general's blade left its mark in body staples and cavity sutures. She was upright now, and fascinatingly enough, a knight. He gestured to the signs of change over her body easily, and spoke in a lilting tone. "Did your Wonder decide to throw you a congratulations? 'Happy day, you didn't die. You can be a knight now'. Quite the bitter affair, if you ask me, but Wonders are temperamental things.
"Oh, but I'm talking too much." Scholomance pressed the heel of his hand to brow in dramatic gesture.
The bright lights of the street, glowing neon signs, cars, and the passing of people gave Violane the perfect shroud she needed to give herself some distance between the Knights. Thank god her uniform wasn’t of the sort to make her stand out. At most, people would assume she had bounced out of a club early while most others wouldn’t even give her a second glance. Sometimes things did work out in her favor.
The signatures, like beacons on a dark night, seemed to have stopped pursuing her. In fact, it felt as if they hadn’t moved from the spot she had ditched them. “Interesting.” She mused.
Well, whatever was saving her a**, she wasn’t going to complain about it. If the two wanted to play buddies, give introductions, catch up or whatever it was Knights did, Violane wasn’t going to complain. Dodging back into a new alleyway, she found a dark space, alongside a dumpster that had, thankfully, been emptied recently, and powered down.
A young woman stepped out of the dark of the alley. Her jeans, ripped and faded, were accompanied by a DCU hoodie. The hood was pulled up covering her white, half shaved head as she tucked her hands in the pocket in front. She paused a moment, look around at the people nearby before turning and heading back in the general direction of her university, and by proximity, her apartment.
“You should know better by now that Generals send their lackey’s out to do the dirty work. We’re better off hunting the nobodies down to find those that actually matter.” By this point Hy-Brasil was well aware that their prey had most likely skittered off into the darkness. In fact, the Lieutenant was either too far away to be felt or had cowardly powered down so as to loose them. She heaved a sigh and dismissed her own weapon. The scent of sandalwood continued to linger in the air around her despite the censor disappearing.
It was….awkward. At least on Gwen’s half. She wasn’t sure what to do with this Isaiah as he smiled at her and inquired about her well being. Some part of her felt bitterness towards him as he stood there appearing calm and collected. Had she been the problem? Is he so much happier now without her around? It certainly appeared so.
Eyes rolled at what felt like an obvious slight against their Wonders. Guess he’s still bitter about his own and obviously the rest of us should feel the same. “I’ve been well enough.” She remarked. There had been a time she would have confided in the man and told him her worries, fears and the things that bothered her, but not anymore. “And I can’t say why Hy-Brasil decided to grant me Knighthood, but it’s been a very useful improvement.”
Crossing arms under her chest, she shifted her weight to one leg. “It seems you’ve been doing fairly well? You look…content.” Damn it, Gwen, you’re not helping matters here. Just relax. “You’ve been keeping your head down since the attack in the spring?” She questioned, referring to when he had been nearly corrupted or killed.
"Oh, I should know by now, should I?" Scholomance cast her an unimpressed glance. "Because generals never fail to crop up when their grunts scream, right? Yes, I should know better -- and do know better. The lieutenants mean as much to them as they to us. They're nothing. They're mongrels. They go skittering about collecting their quota because that's the shitty life they were left with, courtesy of those very generals. You're a Knight now, Hy-Brasil, so I expect you'll pick this up at some point: the generals almost never show up because you squashed one of their pet bugs. That's not the way this works."
Scholomance glanced down the street with a sigh. Wherever the lieutenant once was, she vanished now -- and he cared little for it. But if Hy-Brasil planned to ride him for letting the lieutenant go free, then her sudden disappearance gave Hy all the ammo she needed. He wasn't in the mood for another biting lecture from someone who hadn't bothered to think about his experiences.
"More or less, I suppose. I've been spending a touch more time at my wonder lately. It's different now, with Blaine gone. Not a bad sort of different, mind you. It's… Strange how much there is to the place without him. No weird history lessons or random announcements of how Blaine failed terribly at some point in his career. Instead, I sometimes get these flashes. Like little artifacts from the past. I just walk into some area and it's like I slam my face straight into one." He recalled the lurid image of the Conservatory, standing proud, with a thousand faceless students crammed into its quarters. Red maple desks featured a rich glow he never witnessed prior. And near the front, by the reception desk, someone introduced an oratory.
The scene felt so distant now, so vague. He still felt its tantalizing pull.
"But that's neither here nor there. I shouldn't keep you from your lieutenant hunts. I imagine you'll want to get right back to that, what with this one gone." He offered a polite smile, a slight bow to match his casual escape from social hell.
Never once had he relished running into an ex.
Hy-Brasil winced at the short lecture. In fairness, he was right. Woefully right, in fact. How many Lieutenants had she hunted down? Countless. How many resulted in their superiors coming to aid them? None. Absolutely, none. But it was the only thing she could do to feel like she was being helpful. As if she were making a mark in this war that could help them win. Still, having it rubbed in her face like a dog being punished was not at all pleasant. In fact...it rankled a bit.
A tight smile. ”Spending time on your Wonder sounds like it’s been an eye opening experience at least. The flashes sounds interesting though. I wonder if that happens for all Knights once their ancestors move on?” Hy briefly wondered about Cashel and if she’d get tiny glimpses into the past. Would it help explain what had happened to her in the woods? For a brief moment she was going to mention it to Scholomance, after all, he was always the better tactician of the two of them, but something held her back. Once upon a time she would have told Scholomance everything. Times had changed, though.
And then something snapped in her as Scholomance said his goodbyes. It was if a switch had been turned on. “Damn it, Scholomance.” She cursed as he tried to bow out of their run in. “Going to turn around and run away from me again? What good does that do?!” She marched right up to him, still shorter than he, even in her heels, but it was by an inch or two and nothing less. Fury was written on her face as she stared him down unwavering. “You were the one that went out and banged other people while we were still together. You could have said something. Told me you were at that point! But, no. Are you afraid to face me because of it?!”
Blue eyes flashed as she pushed herself against him, intimidation not even in her state of mind, just a need to press her advantage. A need to express her pent up frustration. “I tried. I tried so. Damn. Hard.” She said as a hand pressed against his chest. “What more do you want from me?
“I tried….I wanted to help you.” Tears glistened in her eyes but she bit back their escape. “You have no clue how much I wanted to help you. You weren’t the only one suffering, but that’s how you saw it. Forever about you. I worried. I cared. I still do! What happened to you still haunts me and…” She stopped dead in her tirade that kept going. Up until that point she barely left any room for Scholomance to interject but at that precise moment she stopped completely as she stepped back and away from him, shaking her head, teeth biting down on her lower lip.
“You know what? It doesn’t matter. Does it? None of it. I am labeled. I am nothing more than an ex and that’s all I’ll ever be. Someone you want to avoid like a plague.”
A low chuckle, bitter and cold escaped her. “I am sure I’ve just set myself up as a complete b***h but…” She shrugged. “At least you know where I stand. I still care about you, worry, and want you to be happy. Call me crazy for that. ******** it.” She waved her hand in emphasis as she finally turned away from her rubbing a hand down her face.
That had not been something she intended to do. Those feelings...she had thought they were well bottled up. He probably hates me now. Why did I -do- that?
Strangely though….she felt oddly liberated.
Hy-Brasil's demeanor flipped wholesale, and Scholomance's first thoughts strayed to his wonder and the simple pledge that would bail him out of her ire. His wonder's promise to help him in exchange often seemed one-sided, perhaps even devilish in the amount of cost to his person, but the simple exchange of oath for escapism tempted him terribly. There would be no knight to continue castigating him if he could separate himself. Hy-Brasil couldn't dog him with failures and unrequited feelings and unsaid rage if he simply wasn't present for it. But she had her own signet ring, and regrettably knew how to use it. Then again, he still had a lighter on him when he powered up.
Running away does a lot of good, actually. It keeps you alive. Thought trailed back to his cornering by Schörl and Cinnabar and he tasted bitter bile in his mouth. Swallowing promised a gag, so he stewed with a steadily filling mouth.
She continued with her rage, spitting her frustrations at his flightiness, his infidelities, his resistance to her help. She insisted that the lot of it didn't matter, never mattered, that her diatribe meant nothing because of her status as an ex (which, he realized, she wasn't terribly wrong). A few of her points were perfectly valid, and he knew it himself. He knew his habit of retreat was cowardly, that his sleeping around seemed alien to her, and that he had a habit of dismissing people's opinions when they won themselves a poor lot with him.
Scholomance found he could breathe again when her hand slipped from him and she turned away, so he used to precious moment to spit and draw breath. His mouth still tasted of portent to vomit. "You… Still aren't getting it, Gwen. I'm sorry for that." He spoke comparatively quietly. He wanted to wring his hands. "And I realize it doesn't do either of us a lot of good to belt out 'I told you so's and 'you a*****e's.
"I know what it's like to lose someone. It wasn't in the same way -- he's dead and, in your case, I'm not -- but it was due to… What I thought at the time were shitty decisions. And looking back, I still think they're shitty, but those decisions were part of he thought he wanted to do. They were the guiding stars to his night sky. The ancestors to his path, to put it in our dumb knightly routines. I couldn't change his decisions, as much as I wanted to. Even if I had the opportunity to do it now…" He paused, offered a saturnine smile. "I'd want to, but changing his decisions for him would be fundamentally changing him. And I loved who he was, not my idea of him.
"My point is this: you can hate the decisions I made. Looking back, yes, it was a bad decision to cheat on you." I probably should've broken up with you first. "It was a bad decision to just shove you out the door instead of explaining why I needed the space when I was injured. And you can hate me for it if you want to. But from the sound of what you're saying, you're pushing for me to change those decisions. Fix the past somehow, so to speak. And I can't do that -- not without erasing who I am. And holding that against me doesn't do anything but push me further away. Would you want to be with someone who wants to change who you are into what they want you to be? Probably not. Or I'd hope not.
"That's why it was the best idea to cut it off."
“No.” The word was soft. A shake of her head and she looked up past the buildings looming over them to the few stars bright enough to gleam through the city lights. “No I wouldn’t want to change and…” She half laughed. “I don’t nor ever wanted you to change who was fundamentally you. I think, what I’ve been so bitter about is the fact you wouldn’t talk to me. As if I was not even worth the trouble to be told ‘This is working out. I am done.” Blue eyes shifted from the night sky above back to Scholomance. He looked so….certain. So sure of his decisions. How? How could he be? Why couldn’t she be the same? Why did she keep thinking back wondering if there was a way she could have changed things. To at least have proven to him she wasn’t just some annoying baggage. Like she felt she was.
“Thank you though.” The fire in her had very obviously diminished. “I...I felt like all of the blame had been thrown onto me. That, somehow, I was the one and only reason that we fell apart.” A shrug of shoulders that had drooped in her defeat. “I still do love you. That my ever change, but that doesn’t mean that I am incapable of acting like a civil human being.”
“I am not blind, Scholomance. Since we parted, I realized how...well, how incompatible we were.” A dry laugh and her own sanguine smile met him. “I would really hate to see us throw all of this away over something….something in the past. Something that I think we can get over if we’re both willing to at least try?” Arm spread open at hip height. She sounded upset but there was hope in her voice. Hope that maybe, just maybe, the two of them could work past the history they had together.
“I mean, if nothing else, we would be useful partners in this war.”
Scholomance squinted. "But that's exactly what I said when I met you on the bridge. I don't know what you're looking for from me." What is she after here? It sounds like she's trying to rationalize more to herself than to me. I've been through those sleepless nights of what-ifs and how-comes and why-nows at least a dozen times. It's only my experience now that's given me an edge, really, over those thoughts. Maybe she's just running into that same dilemma. Sorry Gwen, you're on your own there.
Scholomance spared a smile, polite and prepared. "Apologies that you got that impression." Though really, it was mostly your fault if we're playing the blame game here. You were the one asking for exclusivity, and I should've been more firm on that, but between that and your attempts to commandeer my recovery I'd say the count lies in your favor.
And I'm not exactly sold on your being able to act like a civil human being. One more time, Gwen, with feeling.
The knight shifted in his step, and started in a slow meander toward the mouth of the alley. Cars flickered by in their highway speeds, never offering more than an afterthought of their color. "What's 'all of this'?" He asked with a glance over his shoulder. "I'm not entirely certain what we're throwing away here. An ability to work together as knights?" He recalled a few battles together, but hardly any tactics hashing. Mostly they worked on an impromptu level without any prior coordination. His failure to prevent a skewering left him reticent to pursue any real coordination tactics with her, too; his disappointing performance often halted him from reaching out to any capacity.
He turned more fully to her, his back now to the whooshing traffic. "You're asking a lot here. can you put it all behind you?"
I should really look into Scholomance records for some kind of lobotomy practice. Or memory wipe. Yes, that'd be a good one. What a dream that would be…
Had it been? Despite her brain having replayed that day over and over in her mind for several days, even weeks after their break up, Gwen could not remember an apology or admittance to his own fumblings in their time together. Of course, that was assuming she remembered everything in fine detail without emotional investment. That was impossible. That day had been so highly stressful and difficult it was impossible for her to say that her memories were 100% correct.
But still, despite what he thought, he apologized. Gwen could appreciate that. Biting the bullet and just giving her what she needed to hear showed he was a better man in this situation. It stung but also helped ease the churning of resentment within her chest.
Blue eyes trailed Scholomance as he slowly moved towards the entrance to the alleyway. The car speeding by created an interesting backdrop against his dark uniform that helped him blend into the shadows cast by the buildings on either side of them. “A chance.” She responded, not daring to move from the spot she had finally rooted herself in. “Besides chance encounters, we never worked together even after we found out about each other. It was...a smart move. A lot could have gone wrong if anyone had sussed out our relationship, but now it doesn’t matter. Who’s to say that we won’t work well together if we actually tried? We can both fight and our magics, though not necessarily complimentary of each other, would certainly get us out of a pinch or, better yet, give us an upper hand.”
He turned fully to her and presented her with the toughest question of the night. Shoulders slumped as teeth met her bottom lip. A mental debate raged inside of her as eyes took him in. The whole of him as he stood there backlit by the street. A flicker behind her eyes as shoulder realigned themselves as she took a deep breath. Decision made. “Yes. I can. I am not going to tell you I am going to try and forget it or ignore how I still feel. First that would mean trying to ignore everything I’ve learned since we met, and you’ve taught me a lot. Secondly, it wouldn’t be true to myself, but…” A soft smile spread across her face. “That’s not to say I can’t put that aside. It’s in the past now, and I really would rather not have to shut you out of my life completely. If you’re willing though. I am...I am not going to demand anything of you. I’ve obviously done more than enough of that.” A wave of a hand indicating the space that lay between them like an obvious analogy to their own relationship while bitterness laced her voice.
“We may be just those sorts of people who are better off as friends instead of anything more.”
"You're right. We haven't." He looked toward the ground beneath her feet. Her stance was spread enough to indicate power, but still narrow for idleness. Maybe they wasted time here, batting about their old misgivings like this. At least, Scholomance realized thankfully, they had no superior looming over them and punishing them for a lack of efficiency. And the Code had been silent for months; nothing laid claim over chastising them. "So," he looked to her again, "there's always a possibility of trying it. Obviously our magic isn't the best for offensive encounters, and an incense burner isn't quite the bludgeon one would hope for, but…"
Scholomance shrugged. "Maybe we could make a team out of it at some point. Granted, that's setting sights a little far, but having other knights with more offensive magic would round us out. As we stand, we'd make a fine extraction duo, but… Well, I'm sure you see our shortcomings." And that was all while talking around their prior issues.
"I think it's worth a try." The taller knight paced back toward one of the brick walls lining the alley and leaned against it. A bone heel dragged up its surface, coming to rest below the tuck of his a**. "If you want to train together, we can figure out a time. What with holiday bullshit going into full swing, I've lost a lot of my ability to just ******** around as a knight, but I think I can clear up some space on Sunday. But one of Vargas' kids is in the hospital right now, and I wanted to give him the time off to stick around with her, and that's really biting me in the a**…" Scholomance tapped his chin with gloved fingers. I really need to sell the business.
"So, Sunday evening. We'll iron out our tactics preferences, then go looking for something a little tougher than lieutenants or youma. How does that sound?" Anxiety warned vehemently against this plan; he felt tightness in his chest. But while Gwen made poor company at times, having another knight on hand meant fewer nights like the one with Schörl and Cinnabar.
I am glad Sunday’s work for you. You’re damn well lucky that I don’t tend to have anything pressing in the evenings, since you went ahead and made the plans. The anger flared up unwillingly. A flare of nostrils and Hy-Brasil closed her eyes to suppress the want the snap back at him. What is wrong with me? I just told him I wanted to work through this and yet I am still getting aggravated at the smallest things. Heaving a sigh she nodded, and opened her eyes. The tension in her body still remained but her small pause had given her the moment she needed. “Right. Sunday evenings should be fine.”
What else did she have to do anyway? Sit at home? Go on patrol herself? So why the smoldering of frustration?
Blues eyes roved over Scholomance as he leaned against the brick building. His pose so fluid and natural looking as he rested against the wall with ease, foot tucked up as if it were acting as a seat for him. The bone heels though...they certainly did wonders for his legs. Her mind began to wander to other parts of him and...
What. The. Hell. Am. I. Thinking?
“Two Knights out on patrol together means there’s less likely of a chance of being taken by surprise or overwhelmed by an opponent. Magics aside, it’s not a bad idea.” She tilted her head, brushing a stray strand of red hair behind an ear as she shifted weight to one leg. “Thank you for giving this a try.”
Hy-Brasil looked about ready to snap his neck, but Scholomance marched on with meager hope that she might shelve that thought for later. And, as she started to speak again, she made good on that hope. He hadn't decided yet if that was a good outcome or not -- death by passionate murder sounded quite a bit better than death by Schörl or Cinnabar or even living as he was -- but he would accept a win, however small. Scholomance offered her a thankful nod in return.
"Right. If nothing else, it's a touch safer for us. And given that safety has been an issue in the past…" He let the thread of conversation spool out unfinished. Hazel eyes cast downward toward her feet, searching the craggy flecks of tarmac and detritus. He counted the number surrounding her left foot to eight. The matter never lasted long enough. With a certain stiffness, he dismounted from the wall and started in the direction of the recently rehabilitated business district. "I'm sure we'll be fine." He wanted to believe it, even if it felt reckless to do so. To trust in himself now, mangled and weathered with the fight, smacked of audacity. Even Hy-Brasil must feel the same. Why patrol with him at all, especially with their history?
He waved his only hand to banish the thought. "Well, it's all decided now. I'll send you a message when it comes near time to meet and we can hash out where we'll kick off our patrol. Until then, take care of yourself." If that phrase even means anything anymore.
I get the impression we're all notorious for our s**t self-care. It's not terribly surprising, then, that we can't ever make headway in this war.
He left with the thought still eating its way into the back of his mind. He left with bone heels touching down on new parapets, on rooftops not yet crossed for some time. He felt a certain weariness to his body, a certain heaviness, that only pervaded him when he was forced to face her. Would it abate? Could he find respite from it in the bottom of a bottle? Hope rode with that outcome.
Inevitability promised it.
kolina
