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 Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 5:58 pm
Turin sighed when Tari broke away, still concerned about his side. "I said it's fine," he argued back, but without conviction. His thoughts had been a little slower than hers, but he'd gotten there eventually. They were back in the sea...where things weren't nearly as tame as in the lake. He'd need to remember that quick if they were going to be out here for any amount of time. He'd also need to be in top fighting condition. He was already without his spear.
Realizing she wasn't going to leave him be, he allowed her to guide him down to take a seat on a rock ledge, tail curling back behind him. She removed her cloak, and he had to make a conscious effort not to stare. He must be more tired than he thought. This was not the time to be fixating on how beautiful she looked in the low light, without all the jewelry and bangles...
Turin was no fool; he was familiar with protocol for injuries in the field. Tend to injuries, no matter how minor, when the danger has lessened, because you never know when you might lose the chance. So, being a good patient, as long as she was going to continue talking, he lifted his arm and rested his hand on her slim shoulder to give her better access to the wound over his ribs.
She was still talking, so he listened. As he always did. "You're not that transparent," he started to say, interrupted as she pulled the coral from his side. Hissing, he clamped his hand down over her shoulder briefly out of reflex, then immediately released her when he realized what he'd done. "Sorry," he muttered, looking ashamed. Geez, couldn't he take a little pain? He was used to it. All kinds.
You all abandoned me.
'But, I never abandoned you, Tari. I never will.'
He'd lowered his gaze, allowing her to finish while he got a grip. "Tari," he finally started, shaking his head sadly. "You're not that transparent. Not to everyone. It's just," he hesitated, only glancing up at her. "We've known each other for a long time. Feels like forever." He raised his head, daring for a moment to reach up and stroke her cheek once with the back of his hand, offering her a sad smile. "If anyone can see through you, it's me. I know you, Tari. I can see when you're putting up walls...when you're pushing others away. I just can't see why sometimes. Only you know that."
He dropped his hand, addressing her accusation. "Yes, I have my...my family," he admitted, though it felt odd for some reason to say that, especially to her. He wasn't sure why; wasn't this settled before? "But, how does that change anything? The kids are serving the Court now, and it's not like I have to be away or anything. My time is dedicated to the Court," he finished, hearing something different in his head than what was voiced. 'My time is dedicated to you...or would be, if you'd let me.'
He could tell that Tari's emotions were near the breaking point; he was surprised she'd made it this long, in fact. He reached up to pull a floating lock of hair from her face, tucking it behind her fin. "It's okay, Tari. Really. I'm here, still here, not hurt." He paused, glancing down and trying to make a bad joke. "Well, mostly not hurt." He tried to give her a half-grin, but there was effort to it. Some wounds hurt worse than others.
Feeling the need for a subject change, he looked down at his side again, nodding once. "So...what's the damage, doctor?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 8:45 pm
"If anyone can see through you, it's me..." Hearing that caused her to suck in a little harder, needing a little more oxygen. Right in the feels.
Tariel was thankful for that subject change, because she wasn't really up to round two of Turin's family debate. She knew he spoke the truth, and she knew she should drop it, but her heart didn't really want to.That was just something she'd have to deal with on her own. Like most things ... no ... Turin said to be more open. She inwardly sighed and promised to work on that. Time to focus on other things.
"Your wound is fully of bits of coral, but I don't think any of it's poison. I don't see the signs. But before we can bandage you, we have to get the bits out." She held one of the bits out to Turin to inspect as she tried to grab another. Why when he squeezed her shoulder did that give her such an exhilarating rush that she could feel emanating from her chest. She smiled at him, one of those small, candid smiles that sneak out and can't be helped.
She handed her cloak to him. "Tear a few more strips so we can wrap them around you and try to stop the blood scent."
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:24 pm
Well, that was a relief at least. This could have been a lot worse, considering. Geez, if it had been something like fire coral that he'd hit in the darkness...well, he'd have known immediately if it had been fire coral, but something else just as bad, but lingering would have been horrible.
Ugh, thank the Waters something was going his way. He'd take what small favors he could at this point.
He turned at Tari's diagnosis, nodding and catching a glimpse of her smile. Though he'd been forcing a smile before, now one came unbidden to his lips in response. He took the cloak in an effort to hide the expression, "Uh, yeah, sure. Give me just a second to do that then uh....I dunno, what makes this easier for you...? I can sit here, or uh...hold on." He carefully tore several long strips from the now tattered cloak and passed them back to Tari. Then he started to shift onto his side, half laying down, but propped up on one arm with the other carefully out of her way so that she could work. This way he wouldn't accidentally hurt her again, as he feared he had when he'd squeezed her shoulder earlier.
"I suppose when I shifted," he mused, thinking out loud, "they probably would have come out easily then, but shrinking down with them still in there..." He trailed off, wincing already at the thought, not even voicing it. This was going to hurt. Poor Tari...this wasn't the sort of thing she was used to by far. And yet, though it was far from proper, and he knew it was going to hurt, Turin couldn't help but enjoy the gentle touch of her fingertips against his scales when she wasn't pulling out bits of coral. Flushing slightly, he turned so that his face was mostly hid by his arm and shoulder, pretending that he was getting comfortable. "Err...thank you, Tari. I'm sorry that you need to do this."
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:07 pm
"Why are you sorry, it's my fault this happened in the first place," she said as she pulled the last little bits she could see. She looked at him, wanting to gauge his reaction to the pain and injury. He seemed to move decently so she wasn't thinking it was terribly bad. But still, he wouldn't have had this happen at all if she'd not run away...
I ran away.
She lowered her head, pausing for a moment before speaking softly. "I'm really sorry, Turin, I mean it." She took the one strip of her cloak that she'd hung on to while pulling the bits of coral and gave it a shake. "Sit up, I'll wrap the first bit." she instructed him. After he did so, she stretched the fabric out in front of her, making sure the center would go over the wound. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing the dressing against his skin to make sure it didn't slip. She tied the two ends together on at his back.
Her hands lingered. She's not sure why she was letting herself take advantage of this. Turin meant so much to her, she'd never jeopardize that by, well, by being Tariel. Her fingertips slid along the bandage, back towards his front as she told herself she was merely making sure it was secure. It was in her nature to show her appreciation in certain ways, in certain situations. This was not the appropriate time or place, but her long pent up feelings were making it difficult to resist the urge.
You are in a graveyard. Your mother is probably here.
"Got another strip? I think we'll need a few to completely cover it."
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:29 pm
The 'operation' hadn't been that bad overall, only a few instances where the Naiad Captain had twitched, tightening the grip he had on his own upper arms. Otherwise, he kept his expression hidden behind his crossed arms. When she asked him to sit up, he complied only commenting on her apology, "It's alright, Tari. Really." Was it though?
Puzzling over how best to do this comfortably, at first he put his hands up on top of his head to keep his torso clear so she could finish wrapping his wound. Then, he realized he felt a bit stiff in one shoulder. He must have banged into a couple more walls along the way down the crevasse. Lovely. He hesitated when he realized what his only other option was.
Ah, hell with it.
The two had become a lot more comfortable within each other's space recently, and besides, she was bandaging his wounds. They were going to be close. Touching. With a sigh, he lowered his arms, resting them on her shoulders, his hands draped casually against her back. She was already so close, and he could feel her fingers tracing lightly over the first strip of bandages, leaving heat trails in their wake. Maybe he did have an infection. Yeah, maybe...the heat seemed to be growing; maybe he had a fever. She was so close...
He practically jumped at her question, looking about and trying not to appear as flustered as he felt. "Err, yeah...had some here a second ago. Hold on, here's one," he made an awkward grab at one of the floating strips of cloth, managing to get it tangled between his fingers. He attempted to disentangle it and hand it to her, playing it off calmly.
Yeah, right. Smooth, Turin.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:42 pm
Tariel giggled at the tangled cloth, and reached up to help pull the strip free from his fingers. "I got it." She gave the strip a flick to straighten it out, just like the last one. "I noticed you favored your shoulder, can I inspect it once you're wrapped?"
She pressed the clothe against his wound again, covering more of the top part. She repeated her same slow motion to smooth the cloth down, taking her time to tie the knot as her arms wrapped around him. She liked this closeness, she liked it when it happened that one other time too, also after an emotional blowout. She needed to find better Turin-bait, she thought to herself, bringing another smile to her face.
"I think just one more will do it," she told him, looking up towards his face. So close. ... so close. She could feel her heart start to beat faster, so reminded herself again, where they were, and why, and she slunk back down, testing the tightness of the top dressing.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:59 pm
Even if it was laughter at his expense, it was Tari's laughter, and that naturally brought a smile to Turin's face, if an awkward one. Oh, by the Waters, did They hate him so to torture him like this? He tried to keep his voice even when he answered, arms resting against her back once more. "If it makes you feel better, sure. I think it might bruise a little, but nothing we can really do for that." Naiad Captain mode kicked in for a moment and he frowned, muttering, "That was a pretty rough ride, even as a serpent. I can't imagine what it would be like for normal Naiads. We'll have to spread a warning to stay away from there when we get back."
Her fingers trailing lightly over his torso distracted the Naiad Captain once more from his thoughts, and there was no more speaking on the matter for now. He glanced down, in time to see her smiling up at him...from so close...he could just...
He swallowed hard, reminding himself many, many times rapidly in his head how these were not appropriate thoughts to be having, let alone in the current situation. Thankfully, she dropped her gaze, and he felt like he could breathe again. One of the strips of cloth floated nearby, passing peacefully through Tari's hair. He reached for it, allowing himself a moment to let her silken tresses run over his fingers before he took the strip of cloth and handed it to her meekly. "Here you go."
He thought his heart would pound right out of his chest.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:13 pm
Tariel frowned while her gave was still lowered. "I'm surprised I did not receive reports of that. It's not that far from the temple, and Naiad explore all over the lake bed. Do you think it's new, and what could cause it? I thought the waters flowed naturally between the cracks."
She looked up briefly to take the final strip of her cloak-now-bandage and pressed it, as she had the other two. She let her guard down, and starting getting comfortable with the closeness. After she tied the knot, she made sure the would was completely covered. This would stop the blood and slow down predators, at the very least.
She swam around Turin, letting her fingers linger and drag along his chest as she moved to check out his shoulder. She rubbed tenderly at a few muscles to gauge his reaction for pain. She was very glad to not see another open wound. "Try lifting your arm, and swinging it out towards me," she instructed, wanting to see what his range of motion was before pain. They had a long swim ahead of them, and she wanted to make sure he wasn't going to be too strained. "I might be able to make a sling from the rest of my cloak so you can rest your shoulder if it's too bad."
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:28 pm
"A new development, you think?" he thought aloud, welcome for the distraction. She had a point, why hadn't they heard something about this before? Especially from the lake Naiads who knew the area so well? Surely they would have noticed this before and brought back word. Unless...they didn't make it back. It was a sobering thought, and he could only pray to the Waters that this wasn't the case.
He was about to bring this up, when Tari finished his bandages and moved to inspect his shoulder, trailing her fingertips over his chest along the way. Oh, by the great Waters beyond...
"R-really, I'm sure it's fine," he answered, his voice wavering slightly despite his best efforts to keep it steady. He winced slightly at her massage at first when she pressed at what had to be the impact point, then a different sort of expression crossed his face as she continued. He dropped his head forwards, making a show of rolling his neck to hide his face from her until he could focus. Then, he raised his arm obediently, rotating from the shoulder to show he still had full range of motion. "I...think it's just going to bruise. It's not a strain. I'll be fine."
'Oh great Waters, Tari...have mercy...'
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:40 pm
Satisfied that he was being honest about the injury to his shoulder, she let his arm go. "I think you're right. It's not damaged, just bruised," she reiterated what he'd said. She had just one thing she needed to check before they could start assessing where they were and how to get home.
Home... such a relative term.
She moved slowly, drifting to face him, and cupped her hand on the side of his jaw, moving his head so she was looking in his eyes. "I just want to check your pupils." Couldn't have him with a concussion in addition to everything else.
She inched closer to him, sliding her other hand on to his uninjured shoulder, giving him a very light squeeze. How badly she just wanted to close the distance. How much she'd forgotten the reason she didn't allow herself this little taste of paradise.
At precisely the moment she was about to close her eyes to move in for a kiss, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She didn't see it for long, and there was no way she could even identify it. It moved quickly, as if it knew it was spotted. She'd normally question if she seen anything at all, but the quick movements caused tiny bubbles in the water that were unmistakably real. It didn't move like a predator, either, so she wondered if they were alone down here. She froze, fear taking hold again. "There's something out there," she whispered.
Inside she wept. The curse was real.
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Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2013 7:57 am
When her hand touched his cheek, Turin froze, swearing that time itself had stopped. Even in the low light, her green eyes were hypnotic, and he swore he could fall forever into their depths. All was still, save for his heart, drumming out a swift, staccato rhythm against the inside of his rib cage.
She was so close, the look in her eyes both frightening...and thrilling. He suppressed a pleasant shiver, her hand gently caressing his shoulder. He had no idea what to do. He had no thoughts. No words. He just...froze. But, she was so close...so close...all he had to do was...
Suddenly, the spell was broken. Tari's fear was tangible, and Turin snapped back into bodyguard mode, immediately her defending protector once more. He whirled around in the water, swiftly enough to create a flurry of bubbles, eyes scanning the area now ahead. He subconsciously put an arm out to pull Tariel behind him, on alert for any threat towards her. If anything tried to get to her, it would have to go through him first.
He ignored his exhaustion and pain. There was a flicker of warning that flared at the back of his mind; then it was gone. Just like whatever Tari had seen. Had he imagined it? Or was there something out there that actually meant to cause them harm?
"I don't like this," he muttered to her in a low voice. "We're too exposed out here. And I..." he hesitated, in his shame...but this was no time for false bravado. "...I'm too tired to shift again right now. We need to find cover, at least until I can find a weapon of some sort."
He looked out over the ruins of their old home. Much as he hated to think about it, this was not the shelter they so desperately needed right now. Who knew what may have taken up residence there in the past two years? They needed to get away from here, especially if something out there was hunting them.
Never letting his guard down, he murmured a quick prayer for those left behind. "May the Waters watch over you and carry you on your journey beyond," he spoke in a near whisper aimed in the direction of the crumbled palace, fist held over his heart. Then, he reached for Tari's hand to pull her along beside him. "Come on, Tari, let's move."
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Posted: Thu Feb 14, 2013 5:21 pm
Tariel bowed her head when Turin said his prayer to the lost Aernyn, and put her hand over her heart as well. Swimming behind him, keeping a firm hold of his hand, she observed the ruins as they swam through them. Some landmarks were vaguely familiar while the coral growth had completely changed others. "I can't believe this is what became of our beautiful home," she said, thinking aloud. She looked above her, and the towering shadow of that island didn't seem to have an end in sight. "It used to be so alive."
As they moved, it occurred to her that they couldn't just simple swim home. They'd have to go around the island, and then find an inlet unless they wanted to do the painful trek across dry land, but the last time she did that, she didn't think she'd recover from the pain. Turin was exhausted anyway, and they had at least a few days worth of swimming ahead of them. There were no caves or shelters around here, at least none she was aware of. The sea bed could have changed a lot in the last few years. She looked towards the mountain that is the island and noticed many holes in the surface.
"Turin, what do you suppose made those holes?"
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Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2013 8:34 am
The isle's shadow hung over them like an ominous omen. With no end in sight, Turin's earlier fears were validated. He'd quickly thought of what they'd have to do for survival, since there was no way they'd ever be able to swim back up the treacherous tunnel against that current. It couldn't be natural, else they'd have never had trouble escaping from it in the first place.
They would have a few days travel ahead of them easily. Several days to swim back out and up to the edge of the Isle, then however long it took them to cross the top of the Isle itself, depending on where they surfaced. Hopefully, they could stick to the water as long as possible before needing to take to land. A short walk of a few hours was one thing for a Naiad; a few days was another.
And if the view above was ominous, the view below was depressing. Empty shells of their former life, haunting like restless spirits. He could only hope that the Waters gave peace to those who were lost. Tariel's words, softly spoken, hung on his heart. It seemed the shadow of the Isle itself weighed down on them, pressing down on their spirits. They needed to keep moving.
He squeezed Tariel's hand tightly for reassurance, powering ahead and keeping all his senses on alert for signs of danger. He'd started noticing the irregularity of the ground above, but Tariel's eyes were still better than his at this depth. Glancing upwards anyway, he couldn't see much, but that certainly didn't make him feel better about the situation.
"Honestly, I have no idea," he admitted. "But, while the idea of looking for a shorter path back to the lake is tempting...I'm not sure it's a good idea to start poking around in any dark holes, at least without a weapon of some sort." Still, he looked upward regretfully. It would be worth it if they could find a shorter path back to the lake, right? Save them several days of travel and reduce the risk of getting everyone up in arms at their disappearance.
Well, maybe not if something ate them instead. Who knew what sorts of creatures could be using those holes as dens?
The concern had been fixed on him for too long, so Turin switched the subject back to her as they swam. "Tari? You're alright, aren't you?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:50 pm
Tariel's chest rose and suck sharply as she sighed at the truth Turin confirmed. Testing the holes for ways back to the lake was a bad idea. And he reminded her that he was without his spear, which seemed odd.
The landscape was nothing but depressing, and Tariel felt oddly cold. Being aquatic, it's very unlikely an Naiad would shiver or get cold, but the haunting vibes and guilty emotional residue just permeated the whole sea right now for her. Turin's question caught her off guard because she was lost in thoughts of 'what if' and hadn't even considered checking herself for injury. Nothing hurt so the thought didn't enter her mind.
And she hoped he wasn't referring to anything else.
"I'm fine. No injuries that I can feel. But I do feel cold." She hesitated, but decided it was best to keep attention off herself to avoid revisiting her problems. "Turin, where is your spear?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:40 pm
Chiding himself for his earlier rush, as if there had been anything else he could have done, Turin sighed and answered, "...back at the palace." He wanted to leave it at that, but felt Tari wouldn't take that as a complete answer. So, he added, somewhat defensively, trying to keep his tone even, "I was sort of in a hurry."
Deflecting the attention from his (in retrospect, quite colossal) blunder, Turin slowed his pace somewhat to glance back at Tariel in concern. "Cold?" She was...cold? "Well, the waters as these depths would be a bit cooler than we've gotten used to," he mused, but that didn't satisfy the nagging feeling in his gut. It wasn't just the water temperature. Couldn't be. Was she injured after all? He'd tried to take the brunt of the impact earlier, but if he'd screwed up...
"You said nothing that you could feel," he repeated pointedly, slowing to a halt. He shouldn't have been pushing her at this pace without being sure that she was okay first. He turned a concerned frown on the Naiad Queen, moving closer with a gentle flick of his tail fin. "Alright, I had my turn. Now, it's yours. I'm not moving another fin length until we're both sure you're okay." He was using his 'Captain' tone of voice now, so there was no arguing with him.
His concern was paramount, replacing all other thoughts in his mind until he could be absolutely sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that Tariel was unharmed, and had seen it with his own eyes. Her hand still in his, he looked at her arms before releasing his hold; no scratches, bruises, or anything that seemed to imply anything more serious beneath the skin. Good. A gentle flick of his tail and he moved around her slowly, looking her over from the top of her head, to the tip of her tail fin for any sign of injury or harm.
Arms, okay. Ribs, safe. Graceful tail fin, undamaged. Delicate scales, intact. No signs of trauma, certainly nothing obvious, though he searched for the slightest scrape, using only the lightest touch when appropriate. The smooth, slope of her back remained unmarred; her hips...
As his mind was put to ease that she wasn't injured, he discovered a new problem; he was getting a bit distracted in completing his 'field exam.' Well, she may have felt cold, but he could feel heat radiating from his face by the time he was nearly finished. 'Keep it together, Turin. Professional. This is a survival situation. You need to make sure that you're both in full health, or as close as can be assured, nothing more. Keep your mind on the task.' But his mind had other thoughts it wanted to entertain.
Not the time!
He swam around to face her again, reaching a hand slowly for her cheek. No, no damage here, though he would have noticed earlier if there had been. Still, she'd finished his exam here, right? "I don't suppose you have a concussion or anything, but still...better safe than sorry," he murmured, gently turning her face to look in her eyes. Oh, those hypnotic eyes...
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