[PRP] Wrongfully Arrested

[DystopicRhythm]

”That certainly would explain,” Ethiriel sighed, pulling her lips into a tired smile. She didn’t mind when he pulled her into an embrace, her arms wrapping around his back – her eyes widened a bit but within moments she calmed, pressing her right cheekbone against his chest before being separated again. There were few Raevens who allowed her in such close proximity, and Rivener had to have been one of the first Sigels to do so. She had already met Zul; she certainly wasn’t expecting a torso on Rivener's part, though it was undeniably nice. Raevens were a bit different than humans.

With his hands still holding her firmly in place, Ethiriel offered a small nod of her head. ”Whatever those things were… One had managed to knick one of my branches,” she said, glancing over her shoulder to her wings. They were some of the only things she could see clearly and her expression sobered ever so slightly when she returned her sightless gaze. ”My shoulder is sore but nothing of terrible consequence... My silver cannot be broken, you see.”

She almost sounded prideful.

”I am most relieved to hear that you are well, Sir Rivener. The circumstances are unfortunate, but… in some ways I am glad it wasn’t you that had been detained. I feel they would not have been so gentle as they had been with me,” she grinned, her smile pulling at the corners slightly. Her tone was nearly teasing but she hadn’t lied; she was grateful that they had been so careful with her – something they certainly would not have extended to other Raevens, especially not their actual target. Lifting her hands she allowed them to rest on Riv’s wrists and if given permission she left them. ”You forever have my gratitude.

“As for contacting Sir Leonard… I am sure he will be relieved to hear from us. He was working when I was taken…” she sighed, once again trying to smile for her savior. It was painfully obvious that it was forced, the Frei hardly able to keep her eyes open. She would need tarnish soon, or at least some water. Without meaning to the humans had nearly starved her. Of course, Ethiriel found it rude to actually bring into conversation. She supposed she would be fine until she made it home.  

[Aphismet]

Riv was pleased that she seemed unphazed by his description of the situation. No shock over him being in any way involved, no anger that she'd been captured in his stead. It was a relief to say the least. Rivener frowned with worry at the branches when she mentioned them, but her subsequent comment, laced with pride, had the Sigel's eyebrows raising. "Really? Well, that's something!" He touched her shoulder gently, wishing he could help her, but a numbing injection would only make her ache worse later. Best she just take it easy for a while, then.

He snorted at her teasing jab. "Yeah, they would not have been anywhere near as nice to me. Though on the way out they weren't really nice to either of us." He considered telling her it was bullets that had zipped past and nicked her branch, but maybe there was no need. She'd know what guns are someday, surely. And the sound of it was unmistakable. If he could spare her that terror for a while, all the better. He let her rest her hands on his wrists without a sliver of protest, shaking his head at her thanks. "Don't mention it. It was the least I could do, to make it up to you for going through that in my place."

"Do you have his phone number? I have a cellphone, we can call him now. ...Are you alright? You seem really tired." Unlike Eth, Riv had no qualms asking about her lack of energy. He began to worry only once he'd said it that perhaps she was weak from hunger? "We can try to find you something to eat if it would help," he mentioned, unaware that he was breaking her unspoken etiquette. He had his phone in one hand, ready to dial, but his eyes were on her.  

[DystopicRhythm]

Letting out a small, muted laugh, Ethiriel shook her head as she gave his hands a gentle squeeze. ”I fear that a mall would not have what I need…” she cooed, closing her eyes once more. ”Though I’m sure they would at least have a vender serving hot water.”

With that there was a brief silence between the two, the Frei tilting her head gently to the side as she attempted to recall her guardian’s number but it wasn’t long before she smiled again. Ethiriel listed off the number rather quickly, though slow enough for Rivener to punch in each digit. She could hear the dial tone on the other side along with an equally tired sounding Leonard on the other side.

”Yes, hello? Who is this?”

There was a fraction of worry in his tone despite being bogged down by exhaustion.  

[Aphismet]

Rivener frowned in worry that she should think she couldn't find her food source in a mall. But hot water might help? "We'll get you some water after we call your guardian, okay?" They'd just need to float down to ground level and look around a bit. Surely a coffee shop or something similar would have some hot water for her.

The number was given and Rivener punched it in, bringing it to his ear and hovering near Ethiriel the whole time, though his eyes glanced about. A man answered and Rivener realized he didn't know the name he should be using. Damn, the memory from their meeting that day in the Garden escaped him: the Scorpion never really made an effort to remember human names, just the Raevan ones. Still, he had to say something. "Ah, hello, is this-... Ethiriel's Guardian? I'm Rivener, another Raevan, we met at the Summer Garden party, I think. Um, I have Ethiriel here with me, she's safe now, but I think she needs to get home soon. We're at the strip mall on Tofino street, in downtown Durem. Do you think you could come and get her?"

He peered over at the girl. "She's also pretty hungry so... we'll be at the mall's coffee shop. Alright?"  

[DystopicRhythm]

The rest of the conversation was short and filled with profuse apologies and thanks, and it wasn’t long before Leo announced that he was hopping into his car then and there. Ethiriel had been able to relax just a bit more knowing that she was safe and news had spread to her guardian. In all honesty, she was glad that her needs were going to be catered to after so long. She still had no idea just how long she had been there.

Despite Rivener’s injured wings and Ethiriel’s inability to fly, floating down to ground level was easy enough and in mere moments they had made their way into the mall. It was noisy – rather jarring compared to the relative yet sensitive silence the Frei had been exposed to in recent days. Lots of hustle and bustle, lively children running around and screaming for their parents (or at, in some cases) and not to mention all the walking. She could hear almost every footstep within a few yards, the only difference being some overpowered others. Of course, the two Raevens, arm-in-arm, made no sound when they travelled.

Sometimes Ethiriel would catch small glimpses of silver – a necklace or watch here or there, and her attention would immediately be drawn to it until it was out of sight.

Once in the coffee shop, she was led to sit near one of the windows; able to appreciate the warm sun as that much more nourishment. When Rivener returned with her water, she gingerly took it in her own hands and dipped her thumbs in, eyes closed. ”I must thank you again… You say it is nothing much but it means more than my guardian or I could ever repay.”  

[Aphismet]

Rivener reassured Leo that he'd keep an eye on Eth until he arrived, then the pair of floating bodies headed down to the mall proper. A few people looked startled to see them descend gracefully from the roof, even though Riv had picked the side of the large building to descend on. He smiled at them winningly and then promptly ignored them, heading inside. The noise of a crowd was reassuring- no one would cause a scene here. As they floated through the place, Riv noticed that sometimes his companion "looked" at people. Odd, wasn't she blind? He was curious, but these questions seemed too rude so he kept them to himself.

At the coffee shop, Rivener bought a cup of coffee for himself and a mug of hot water for her. He brought both to the table and smiled at the sight of her dipping her thumbs in. Is that how she fed? For some reason he found it exceedingly adorable. The girl offered her thanks again and Rivener realized then that dismissing those thanks would not be polite in the least. So he smiled warmly and leaned forward to pat her arm. "You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help you and that they didn't hurt you."

He would be content to wait in silence after that, but for one little question. "I'm really sorry but your Guardian's name escapes me. What is it? And what does he looke like? I can tell you when I see him come in."  

[DystopicRhythm]

While it did little to satiate her appetite, it certainly managed to dull the ache in her center. It took her a few minutes but once she was content enough, Ethiriel opened her eyes once more and stared ahead to whom she assumed was Rivener. Smiling warmly at the hand against her arm, she shook her head.

”Once they had realized they had made a mistake they were quick to accommodate at least a little. Of course, as you noticed, they weren’t necessarily grand chambers by any stretch of the imagination,” she said, adding a gentle laugh to the end. Now that the initial fear of the entire situation had worn off and they were safely tucked away, it was easy to find at least a little humor in the situation. Removing a single thumb from the water, she placed her hand over his arm instead. ”I do not know how long I had been detained, but I’m glad you found me. I’m not sure how much longer they could have kept me in health.”

With his next questions her smile faded a little, but she did her best to keep it on for as long as possible. However, her eyebrows knitted upward in response. ”I’m… afraid I cannot assist you much when it comes to appearances. I only know that his hair is lighter than his form.” Ethiriel’s voice remained even, calm and refined despite her inability to accurately help her friend. ”However, his name is Leonard. I am quite sure he will notice us when he arrives, though it could be some time. Last we came here I seem to recall the trip was the slightest bit lengthy…” she chimed, some small bits of silver catching her attention again before she stared in approximately Rivener’s direction. ”We seem to have some time.”  

[Aphismet]

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought maybe you could see him to some extent, as I've noticed you looking around as though you do in fact see at least a little." As she demonstrated just then, glancing sideways like she'd seen something. He wondered what it was she was seeing? Perhaps movement caught her attention?

At any rate, he was glad that she seemed not overly frazzled or upset about the whole ordeal, though that might come later. Once all the adrenaline left them, she might be more uneasy. Riv wished he could help with that, but he would have to leave her in her guardian's hands. "I'm glad I found you too. I would feel horrible if they had hurt you. Thankfully they seemed nice enough, if ignorant of your needs." He took a drink of his own coffee before asking the question that had been burning him.

"You said they took you by accident, a ways from here. Wasn't your guardian with you? Why were you wandering on your own?" Maybe she had an adventurous spirit, but he couldn't imagine a near-blind girl being very safe going on walks alone...  

[DystopicRhythm]

”Well,” Ethiriel started, removing her hand from atop Rivener’s arm to reach over her shoulders, fingers gently running along the length of one of her branches before hooking onto them with a smile. ”While this is only an assumption on my part, I am able to see these, even if nothing else. Leonard often carries a silver watch, which I am also able to see.” Her hands slid from the silvery branches to her shoulders, then carefully down her arms and onto the table. Eyes resting on nothing in particular, though she hoped they were on her friend, her hands searched the flat surface for a moment, slowly as to not knock over her styrofoam cup, before managing to find it and curl her fingers around its sides and placing her thumbs carefully back into the water. ”It is hard to explain, I suppose, but the lighter the color, the easier it is for me to see… Silver is the only thing my vision can pick up without issue.”

Ethiriel smiled at his next statement, but the question that followed made her brow furrow. ”Indeed…” The Frei did her best to fix her expression, offering Rivener another smile as her fingers tightened around her cup. ”I was, indeed, with Leonard. He had my arm, in fact. My best assumption would be that they had taken me by some sort of vehicle.” There was no way she would ever willingly travel on her own; at most she would sit at a bench as Leo worked or perhaps floated stationary, but in an unfamiliar, industrial setting such as the inner city, she never would have considered.

”It no longer matters, however.” she said, giving a more genuine smile. She was out of the fray and that was the important thing. ”I know I have said it over and over again but really, my thanks for you are eternal.” Once again, Ethiriel removed a hand from the water and explored the table, looking for Rivener’s hand. A small flush crept on her cheek, slightly embarrassed as she couldn’t locate his arm; she didn’t know whether he had merely moved it or pulled away from the table entirely, so as she couldn’t find it Ethiriel instead opted to allow it to rest in what she assumed was the middle.

Discussion didn’t last much longer, however. As Rivener had begun to answer Ethiriel’s questions, a familiar, blond headed and spectacled man practically burst into the diner. As soon as he laid eyes on his Frei and her companion, Leo eased for the first time in a week. The man rushed over to join conversation, but it wasn’t long before he voiced his wishes to return home and relax.

Ethiriel needed proper food and, possibly, to clean herself up.

Rivener was thanked immensely, Leo offering his number for if the Sigel ever wanted to speak to Ethiriel again, before the two of them were off. The car ride home was mostly silent, as always, but it was welcomed.

Rivener went to his home, as well.