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 Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 6:33 pm
Nimueh should be helping. He should be holding Callum steady, should be pressing kisses to his hair, should be holding his arm as he stepped into his clothes - but he stayed still, and silent, and lingered by the door. Maybe it was fear that the touch would be unwelcome to Callum, after all that had happened? The image of Callum shaking him off was one Nimueh couldn't think he could take, but beyond that Nimueh still felt that hesitation, still had something in him that kept him still. And he really didn't know what it was.
This was still Callum, and yet everything about him was startlingly different, almost like he was a completely different person. And Nimueh, normally, had never known how to deal with people, how to read their signals, know the limits. This different Callum terrified him. And yet right now that wasn't the reason either, because that numbness pervaded, only tinged by the simmering anger of Callum's rejection. At least rejection was what it felt like, to have come so far and to be so willing to do anything to make sure Callum escaped safely - only to have him react as if he was the monster here, and not the Collectors for putting them in this predicament.
The touch of the Collectors hung on every inch of Callum, now. His hair, his hopeless eyes, the mechanical motions that had overcome his dancer's limbs... even the white trousers couldn't hide the peek of scarred flesh that peeked against his hip from the brand. As Isanna listened at the door, Nimueh tucked the red blossom into the messily tied up bun at the back of his hair, slowly dropping his hands, limply, to his sides as Callum neared him. He wondered, distantly, what of the Collector's touch Callum saw in him.
The tension was palpable between them, and yet... this may very well be their last chance. If this went sideways, and they were captured, then one or both of them might not make it through this. And, if they did, there was no guarantee they'd be lucid enough to share any passing words. Nimueh couldn't offer any soothing words, because he couldn't find any within himself. But what he could offer was a quick press of his lips against Callum's temple - contact that was brief, as Isanna called after him, and Callum hastened to follow, breaking their contact. Nim waited until he had cleared the doorway before following, easing the door shut behind them, and following.
The complex was waking up, and while some may not question the woman leading them around, it was still risky. But if they could get outside... then Izuzue would take care of the rest. He hoped.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 7:00 pm
Fingers that had once been so nimble tapped erratically against his ribs. One arm tucked against his sides quickly became two. Callum couldn't figure out why it was so cold, especially when they were in Oba of all places, but it was absolutely maddening.
Everything was driving him mad.
The situation, the need to keep quiet, that kiss...Callum didn't know what to think about that. His mind was too foggy to focus on it properly, but he forced it to keep up. This wasn't his Nimueh. His Nimueh didn't threaten women and snatch them up by their scalps. His lover wasn't nearly so..so jaded with a necklace of curative stones hanging about his neck. The damage had worked more on his mind than his body, and Callum had foolishly thought he'd been spared the worst of it. He hadn't taken into account what resided beneath his skin...Callum had wanted to snatch that damn flower out of Nimueh's hair, and crush it in his hands, but he didn't trust himself. At this stage he was more likely to ingest the cursed blossom than he was to dispose of it. And what did that say about his influence over Nim?
Callum knew that what he was projecting to the alk was a horrid show, but he couldn't bring himself to stop it. And he dreaded the future. A future with no flowers...It terrified him more than getting caught.
Isanna snapped her fingers not once, but twice in front of his eyes. "Focus!"
Callum sluggishly nodded his head, and followed her lead once more. She led them through the hallway into a great room that served as a sort of lounge for the pets. At this hour only a hand full made themselves at home there, but none were lucid enough to worry over their movements. One of the girls was barely half his age, curled up with her back against the wall, shoulder to shoulder with an older woman.
His eyes must have lingered for too long because when he turned back to Isanna she was already half a room away.
She led them down a set of stairs onto the main floor, where her back straightened and her pace was much more calculated. They made their way to the edge of an open air courtyard that flourished with an obnoxious amount of foreign plants. In the midst of all the flora resided several bushes laden with the horrid flowers. These were guarded, for obvious reasons. It would only take one pet to nab a hand full for the rest to follow, and within hours the estate would be filled with over dose victims.
Two armed guards patrolled the courtyard. Callum had seen one before, but the other was new. The newer guard paused in his patrol to cast a sharp eye towards the trio. "You there, woman. Where are you taking him?"
"They are to be prepped-"
"Not them. Him." He motioned with the tip of his spear to Nimueh. "I asked for him tonight, as a promotional bonus. And the other...well, Orna will be wanting him, won't she?" He smirked, and motioned for Nimueh to come closer. "Step over here boy, and let me get a good look at you."
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 7:21 pm
The fact that the sight of the lounge was such a mystery to Callum spoke volumes. Was it because he'd been too out of it to recognize it before? Or had he been kept away from it due to his past attempts at escaping? Nimueh knew this place - knew the faces here. Knew to ignore them, to not think about them. To not consider that every one of them were just as hurt, just as jaded as he, or Callum was - maybe even more so. That each one of them was a thinking, breathing person beneath the drugs, and that by leaving them here he was dooming them to this life.
It was times like these, looking over this sea of faces, that he envied them their flowers. Envied the fog, the lack of thinking. Because Callum was having a hell of a time, and yet when he was drugged he had seemed docile, catlike even, and how deeply could the pain of what was happening cut when you walked on the clouds? How many of them woke up in the mornings, with clarity tantalizing the senses, and longed for the flowers again ? If only because they, unlike Nimueh, had given up hope of escape, and had no other choice?
He was used to walking this floor, knew that no one was here to watch. And so when Callum slowed, Nim did as well, watching him, unwilling to risk separation by forging a path ahead and following closely at Isanna's heels. When she urged Callum on, she urged them both, and Nimueh followed. Once outside this room, however, he was in unfamiliar territory. If this worked, it would all be thanks to Isanna - and that relieved him, and infuriated him in equal measure.
Isanna stopping in her stride caught his attention before the guard did, and it was a great effort to keep himself from tensing up. Drugged pets were slow to react, and if he snapped his head to look at the approaching man it would give everything away. It was the moment of truth for Isanna - she could easily shove them into the guards, could easily make up some sort of story that she had been threatened, hadn't had a choice. And would she really be lying? Fighting the growing panic, Nimueh tilted his head towards Isanna, feigning a look of foggy confusion, before turning to face the man who was asking for him.
His instincts sang at him to run, to grab Callum and make a break for it, just as his brain told him to snatch the spear, to get ahold of some sort of weapon. The urge to run the guard through for the very mention of Orna and Callum nearly overrode everything else.... but. Somehow, someway, Nimueh forced down the feelings, and stepped forward, a few slow steps, as if timid or uncertain. After all, his persona here was as some foolish dolt of an Alkidike, brain addled by too much sun exposure in the desert - and if it was somewhat true, then the act was all the better for it.
A few more steps and he was wholly and totally seperated from Callum and Isanna, standing infront of the guard, and in this moment the fact that he was half naked with only a ring of necklaces to his name could never have been more evident.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:25 pm
Callum didn't have to fake his fogged surprise anymore than he could hide the way his hands clawed at his ribs. The longer the moment drug on the more he wanted to run. Why weren't they attacking? Why wasn't Nim attacking? All he had to do was move himself in close, bowl the man down with his shoulder and once he was on the ground he could place his hands on either side of his head to snap his spine. It would be so easy...and if Nimueh could take out one then Callum could get the other. In an instant they could have as many flowers as they wanted-
His nails dug into his flesh. What was wrong with him? Ending a life just to feed his addiction...? Was that really the sort of man he had become? And what if he hadn't had that bit of curative in his veins? Would he have hesitated at all?
The guard crossed the space separating himself and Nimueh with ease. Confidence bled out of him, and why shouldn't it? He was a broad man with a full coating of armor and he had no reason to fear the alk in front of him.
When he reached up to take Nimueh's chin in his hand Callum's posture became rigid. As he turned the 'pet's' face to meet his own all Callum could see was red. Red like the petals on the flowers the guards separated him from.
"He seems a little too docile to me. Do you think we can lower his dosage, just to get a little bit of spark?" Even though the guard was focused on Nimueh he didn't speak to him. His words were for Isanna; an open dismissal of Nimueh as anything other than property.
"I'll have to check with Mistress Orna and Master Devos first." Isanna's voice was as clipped as ever, which served only to further irritate Callum.
"Torna, keep an eye on the other on-" The second guard caught on too late. With a great roar Callum barreled toward the other guard, and toppled him to the ground. Even though he weighed nearly twice as much as the smaller shifter the man went down easy due to sheer surprise. He dropped his sword in the process, and that was all Callum needed. Balanced as he was, with his hips straddling the larger man's chest, Callum could reach the dropped weapon far easier than his opponent. His lean body contorted so that he could snatch up the sword. In an instant he had the blade turned so that when Callum chose to strike there was no escape. He brought the blade up through the man's mouth, and out the top of his skull, using all of his strength to bury the sword up to it's hilt.
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Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2016 9:06 pm
Nimueh was an Alkidike - tall, broad, and muscled even after however long he had been here. And yet without his shield in his hand, he felt at once like the teen who had quivered before the sermal, who had watched helplessly as Callum was nearly gored. His chin was caught, and despite himself he jolted somewhat, willing himself not to think about it. How many times had he been passed to guards, to others - to guests, to friends? And hadn't even known it - had wandered about during the daytime, searching for a way out and for Callum's room, only to become fogged again after lunch?
Of the handful of times he'd woken up lucid in the middle of planned entertainment, how many times had he not? If he hadn't found Callum today, hadn't decided to escape today, would he have even known he was this guard's chosen entertainment?
The thought sickened him, and it was the first true rush of feelings he'd felt, besides anger, in what felt like a long time. The feeling froze him enough that when Callum roared, he didn't know how to react - merely jumped, wheeling around to watch as his love tackled the guard to the ground.
He had no clue what Isanna was doing - if she had run away, or if she was trying to dissolve the situation, but in this moment Callum reacted far quicker than Nimueh thought he would in his current state, and had scooped up the fallen sword without hesitation, and plunged it, headlong, up through the guards face.
Where once a man stood, now there was a rapidly paling face, blood seeping from torn lips, the sounds of dying gurgles as the guard, with the last muscle twitches of life, fruitlessly felt at his mouth, where the blade was buried - before the light faded from his eyes, and he fell limp. Nimueh didn't know whether to feel relief or horror at the death, but before he could dwell on its further, the second guard had rushed around the numerous bushes, sword held at the ready, all attention on Callum. After all, Nimueh had seemed a docile figure in all of this, and why call for support if it was one violent pet? Better to put it down, it seemed - only he wasn't able to account for Nimueh.
Maybe he should have reached for the sword, but with it buried to the hilt in a man's skull Nimueh doubted that would work. Then again, he hadn't given it much thought - all he could focus on was getting between Callum and the threat of the guard's sword. Unfortunately, this broke the facade of not being involved - and the guard came to a full stop, holding his blade up defensively, eyes darting towards the exit of the garden. If the smaller psycho could impale someone so easily... what the hell could the alkidike do?!
They had no choice but to silence him, before he called for help. And that meant Nimueh couldn't be patient, and wait for an opening. He could only charge, arms help up in front of him for defense, slamming himself bodily into the soldier. The next moment they were both on the ground, Nim's fingers clasped around the guard's neck, digging - thumbs pressing into his windpipe. The Oban was choking, scratching at him with one arm, the sword hitting him at the shoulder - nicking him with scratches, but not with enough force to do more damage.
Which didn't explain the blood quickly coating his fingers. He was choking the man, not tearing him open, so then why...? Why was there blood trickling down the back of his arm? Until now, he hadn't noticed the slice under his arm, along the ribs on his left side from pec to shoulderblade, but now the growing sting - the growing, sharp pain was stealing away his breath.
Not as much as his hands were for the guard. With his weight baring down on him, soon the man's face purpled, until finally succumbing along with a sickly crunching sound in his throat.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:00 pm
Isanna watched on from the lip of a hallway, prepped for a quick escape if need be. Her copper eyes bore witness to the desecration of a sanctioned monument within the estate; instead of celebrating a gilded sort of life it now served as a haphazard burial ground. She seemed non pulsed to it all, but if one were to look they would see her fingers digging into the folds of her dress. Whether she was scared of the guards or the pets no one could say; it was doubtful that Isanna could have placed one above the other anyway.
Instead of reacting with horror or guilt at the bloody gore clinging to his arm Callum felt nothing. There was no sense of satisfaction, no fear, or freedom; there was just silence where static noise had once resided. In his current state of mind Callum wouldn't have been able to avoid a strike by the second guard, not if Nimueh hadn't intervened. The struggle played out as if in slow motion for him, with random bursts of speed that made it hard for Callum to keep up. Leaned back as he was, casually seated atop an Oban corpse, Callum watching impassively as his lover asphyxiated another. Mentally he was torn between two screaming versions of himself; the one that cried out for it to stop, to just stop, and the other that needed this kind of release.
Callum ran his visibly twitching hand through his hair, smearing the white tresses in a swatch of red. The still warm blood helped to combat against the chills, but he didn't want to think about that. Not now. And Nimueh...he was bloodied too. But why...? Hadn't he chok- Callum clamored off the guard's still form and crawled closer to his lover. His hands rose and hung above the wound. He was no healer, much less so now, and they didn't have anything in the way of medicinal supplies.
"Stai quiet and stai close. Ai asked three théngs of you both, and zis eez what you give me?" Isanna clucked her tongue. She wasn't looking at either one; how could she when her eyes were scanning the perimeter? "Get up! We 'avé to go now befaire mairé guards show up."
"Are you...? How are you holding up?" Callum couldn't tell from the angle of the slice if the wound was superficial or something much more worrisome. Not with the mass of red blinding him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:30 pm
In the aftermath, looking down at the bloody hands, even knowing it was his own blood, Nimueh was unable to tear his eyes away from the face of the dead man below him. His pulse hammered in his ears, and drowned out only by the harsh sound of his breaths, echoing as if in an empty room. He didn't move, didn't even look up from the man he'd slaughtered until Isanna spoke - and as her words drifted through the clouds the Alkidike finally found enough focus to tear his face away, looking to Callum for a brief moment, before pushing himself to stand.
In that motion, it was clear that the cut was deep - the tug of flesh resulted in a deep, throbbing pain - a pulse of blood, and the surreal feeling of the flesh parting. He covered it with his hand, and pinched his arm down over it, applying pressure as he stood. He didn't know how bad it was... if it was an injured nerve, simply muscle, or an artery.
He could only glare at Isanna, feeling her sarcastic jab ill timed, but decided not to comment on it. She was right, and they needed to go - now. And with blood steadily dripping down the underside of his arm, he might as well be painting a sign towards where they were going. He didn't have much choice as there wasn't anything he could use to wrap it, and they didn't have the time to spare. Ducking down, Nim scooped up the sword of the man he'd killed, ignoring the fact the blood painted on it was his own, and held it out, stiffly, for Callum to take.
"We'll worry about it when we're out of here, okay?" Nimueh murmured, lip twitching in a pathetic attempt at a soothing smile.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 8:00 pm
It took more effort for Callum to stand than it did to puncture a man's skull with his own sword. He found himself actively concentrating on getting his legs to catch up with his mind, or maybe it was the other way around? Either way he seemed to stumble a bit before regaining what bit of balance he had left. Without the adrenaline Callum felt like an exhausted husk of a man...one who couldn't help catching sidelong glances at the flower bushes. They were so close...if he could just grab a few then- Shaking his head he looked away, but not happily.
He sucked in a sharp breath just watching Nimueh. That cut would need to be tended to, and soon. Callum tried to think if there were any major arteries in the area, but his mind was drawing too many blanks to be of use. The lack of information frustrated him, which was a useful tool to keep him moving. So long as Nimueh kept pressure on the wound he would be alright, but that also took him out of the running for any future skirmishes they may face. That is, if he didn't faint outright due to blood loss.
Callum took the sword into his own hands, and for once, something didn't feel awkward to him. There was a familiarity in the balanced weight that gave him enough confidence to return Nimueh's smile. He was just starting to believe that they could actually do this.
Isanna motioned for them to hurry up, which was easier said than done. Even following close behind her Callum felt on edge. She had good eyes, and a keen sense of hearing, but every little noise seemed to tick Callum off to a possible threat. Stealth hadn't been a strong point for him in the past, and now that his lover was painting a trail for more armed men time truly was of the essence. She held a hand out to block them from continuing, and peeped around the corner.
"Ai see ze doair... But ze mastair eez awaké. He's speakeng wiv tw- non, just un guard and young mastair Fairvos." The son? Callum remembered vaguely that their heir had been consumed in the fire, but had he managed to survive? Devos was sure to be armed, as was the guard, but Fervos...he would be easy to topple.
They just needed to get to the door without raising an alarm.
"Ideas?" Callum murmured, tossing looks between Isanna and Nimueh.
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Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2016 8:35 pm
The blade had been sharp - too sharp. The cut was so fine that he barely felt it, unless he shifted his hold and tugged at the flesh. The whole escape was going to hell - with Callum still half drugged, he could be useful in a clutch moment, but wouldn't do well under a sustained fight. And Isanna? She was proving shockingly loyal, if only because she was too far into it to turn back. Nim was useless in a fight, not unless he could use his size to his advantage - but only if he got close.
His steps, at first, were urged on by pure adrenaline. But as they moved through the halls, each step became more sluggish - came with more effort. When they finally came to a stop, Nim almost bumped into Isanna, but managed to stop himself, blinking somewhat blearily at her. Fervos? Devos-- hell, he didn't know any of these people, but looking at Callum he realized that at least he did.
They needed to get through that door - and to do that, they needed a distraction. Gnawing on his lip, Nimueh peeked around the corner, eyeing the small group, then pulled back, leaning his uninjured shoulder against the wall for support that he suddenly felt he desperately needed. "Hide. I'm sending them back this way." Nimueh stayed still, pinching his eyes closed to keep the swimming of his vision at bay, waiting until they obeyed - assuming Callum did. Then, after Isanna indicated she had an idea of where to hide, Nimueh edged out from around the corner, dropping his grip from his wound. Instantly the flow of blood resumed once more, and the molten trickle down his side and arm, soaking into his trousers, made his stomach flip with nausea.
"H...help! It hurts... the guard...!" Nimueh choked out, turning his back to them to point wildly back down the hallway. It was a possible story; the newly promoted guard who had requested his presence got too handsy. It was plausible, if only because Nimueh wasn't supposed to know about being requested by him. That, and surely even with the drugs in his system such a wound would rouse his mind enough to seek help?
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Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2016 7:12 pm
Were it not for Isanna's hand on his shoulder, fingers locked against his collar bone, Callum wouldn't have been able to stay put. He didn't like the idea of Nimueh walking out there on his own at all, but there were no other viable options. His love wouldn't let Callum take the fall for this, nor would Callum risk Nimueh staying here a moment longer. This had to work, or they would all suffer the consequences. Gods watch over him.
He looked so unbelievably awful. Callum's heart seized within his chest the moment Nim freed the wound and allowed it to bleed. His hand unconsciously raised towards his lover, though Isanna was quick to pull it back flush with his body. She'd hidden them behind a collection of gilded statues and tapestries; flashy visions of wealth that were meant to greet guests upon their arrival to the estate. Isanna made her way down into a crouched position, finding refuge behind a statue of a young Fervos, while Callum pressed himself behind that of his father, Devos.
For a moment his mind was tricked into believing that this was the real man. His back was outlined in just the same fashion, with the intricate swell of crystals just above his- Callum shook his head. One touch of his skin against the carved stone reminded him that this was not the immediate threat; rather, that the threat was currently engaged with his hemorrhaging lover.
Fervos was the first to notice Nimueh's approach, though he didn't react nearly as quick as his father. Devos' naturally beguiling smile died the moment it shifted from his guard to the injured pet. "Gods alive! Guren, Fervos, go! I want the area inspected; rouse the guard and put the entire estate on lock down if you have to!" His son hesitated just long enough for the guard to hurry past the three of them, his feet pounding on the tiled floor to Callum's right. It was a surreal feeling to watch the man rush past him without acknowledging him, even more so once Fervos began to follow. Fervos had never ignored him before...and despite his best efforts, Callum found himself following the retreating form of the young Oban with his eyes until the young man disappeared around the corner.
Devos striped himself of his outer robe and after wadding it in his hands the man moved to press it against Nimueh's wound. While it was sobering to see that the man was concerned enough to tend Nim's wound, Callum wondered why he had yet to call for a healer. Shouldn't that have been at the top of his list? That...was far more sobering than Callum would have liked. He kept murmuring assurances to Nim, but the man wasn't making a move to actually fix the problem. He would let Nimueh die if Callum let him; after all, why spend more money on property then you were willing to invest?
Callum moved out from behind the statue to close the distance between them. His sword dragged the ground, it's point scraping against the stone tiles, bumping up every so often when it hit a groove.
His master turned from Nimueh's wound towards him. In an instant those crimson eyes saw not only the weapon, but the blood staining Callum's hair and that which marred the right side of his face. "Callum?" He had never heard Devos' voice in that pitch before, so high and surprised, and Callum didn't like it. It didn't gratify him to be the one who made Devos look that way. He had partial memories of better times caked in sunny memories and sweet indulgences...
He turned his head down, refusing to look at Devos. For a full heart beat he came to a stop, but once he raised his head Callum knew what he had to do. It was the only way to secure his families safety; to make sure that Nimueh had a future with their children.
Callum just wished there was another way. In his eyes Devos was a good man; an honest man, one who had given homes to those without...but that wasn't right, was it? He treated those in his care like servants and disposable items. Was he good or bad?
Callum didn't have the time to wait for an answer.
In an instant Devos pulled himself away from Nimueh and tried to run away. He didn't make it five steps before Callum moved in to run his sword straight through the older Oban's heart. Callum didn't have to hear the blood gurgling up from Devos' throat to know he'd hit his mark, nor did he bother to keep hold of the sword once his body began to fall forward. He let the Oban weapon collide with the ground along with it's master.
He didn't realize that he had started crying until the salty mixture of tears and blood dribbled into his open mouth. Callum sucked in a shaky breath and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.
"We have to go now." Isanna had slithered out of her hiding place and retrieved the fallen, blood soaked robe Devos had discarded. Instead of wadding it she stretched it out to it's full length and wrapped it around Nimueh's chest. She tied it off as best she could, but it was hasty at best. The woman was just as eager to leave as they were. "Quickly, out ze door."
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Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2016 8:06 pm
Well, it was a plus in itself that the 'lord' wasn't suspecting Nimueh from the start. If he was completely honest, he was shocked that the master would care at all, would even deign to bloody his hands or offer his own robe ( no doubt worth quite a hefty sum of gold) to staunch the bleeding. Nimueh looked at him with evident surprise, but even that small amount wasn't enough to stay his hand.
Or, as the case may be, Callum's. Because as much as Nimueh wanted to be the one to inflict that blow - as much as the rage bubbling beneath his skin at the dawning realization that this was one of the men in charge of this place, in charge of taking Callum here against his will... despite all of this, he didn't have the strength. At his most healthy, such a flow of blood would be enough to make him dizzy. But with the different drugs battling in his system, nerves shot from lack of proper sleep, among other things, the resulting reaction from the blood loss was much worse than he anticipated. Whether there was some kind of blood thinning agent in the flower, or in the remedy itself, it was allowing the flow to come heavier than normal, and while he doubted it would be life threatening in the next while, it was enough to render him almost useless in this situation.
So he stood, and watched. And he should have been the one to stay Callum's hand... to tell him this wasn't right. That he shouldn't be killing him.
But he didn't. Instead, Nimueh watched, waited with growing frustration as Callum stood still, only to watch with a rush satisfaction as the blade finally slid home, slicing through the chest of the man who had torn their family apart by taking Callum prisoner, by threatening their children. Surely, Callum wanted to be the one to do it? The one who took his revenge on his treatment? All this time, Nimueh had allowed himself to float from place to place, blind and deaf to the horrors inflicted on hybrids like himself, when he could have been taking justice with his own hands?
It was more satisfying than he ever would have believed - and yet when he turned his attention back to Callum, he was floored to see those eyes (empty, so empty and devoid of the life and merriment he'd once known) filled with tears, his expression so wrecked and broken that it slammed into Nimueh's chest like a physical blow.
He stood, stunned and confused as Isanna swept up the robe and tied it around him, unsure what to do in the wake of this realization. His first instinct was to rush to Callum's side, to sweep him up in his arms and comfort him, to assure him that he had done the right thing. But the other wanted to grip his arms and shake him, yell at him until he understood that there was no reason to waste his tears on that monster!
But they were minutes from being discovered. Soon enough, guards would flock to their location, and they didn't have the time to spare to reach such heartfelt conclusions. With what strength he had, Nim reached his arm out and gently gripped Callum by the elbow, guiding him past the body on the floor and after Isanna, to the door, fighting the sway of nausea to stand upright as he took a step.
"We need to go to the nearest tradestop - where foreigners would be. My mother will be there." He told her, fingers gripping at Callum a bit tighter, urging him to follow.
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Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2016 6:23 pm
The earth shook beneath Callum's feet as he struggled to remember how to breath. Colors were too sharp now; too real and accurate to keep his mind sane. When he looked down at Devos' corpse all he wanted to do was scream until he grew hoarse. Maybe he was trying to do just that; after all, his mouth was open and Isanna was slapping him, screaming at him to shut up.
Why couldn't this be one of his hallucinations? At least they were pleasant. He could be back with his family then, wrapped up in sensations and clouds that made him feel lighter than this hellish realm. At what point during this escape had Callum begun to yearn for it to end? He had already given up on ever getting out and now he just wanted it all to stop.
A sharp, vindictive surge caused Callum to laugh. He snarled foul things, awful things, at the corpse of a man who had once looked at him so tenderly. Guilt, shame, fear, happiness, relief; what was he supposed to feel? Before he'd been stabbed Devos had tried to staunch Nimueh's bleeding, but it hadn't been enough to save the man.
Nothing was.
When Isanna reached for him again Callum slapped her hand away. He slipped his bloodied hands back around his thing chest and fought for sanity. It was easier to forget; to focus on one thing and not all the rest. Right now they needed to leave. If they left then he could get help for Nimueh. That was important. He needed to help Nimueh.
On instinct Callum jerked when touched for the second time, but once he realized Nim was the one who was touching him, gently taking him by the elbow, Callum relented. His steps quickened to get to Nim's side in an effort to support the larger man as best he could.
Isanna threw open the entry way, unaware of just how terrifying the sight of freedom was for Callum. He shrank away from it, but steeled himself for the change. "Come come, we need to hurry." Evidently she knew just where they needed to go, because once they were out into the open Isanna began hastening them to the left, down little alleys and back streets that weren't as likely to be monitored.
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Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 7:47 pm
Screaming. Callum was screaming, and it startled Nimueh so badly that he couldn't even react, more than to stare owlishly, as Isanna panicked, grasping at Callum and slapping his cheeks to try and calm him. It wasn't until the heart breaking, almost manic laugh escaped, like some sort of caged beast, from his love's chest, followed by a string of incoherently hissed things. Fragments of sentences that Nimueh didn't want to think about, or try and piece together, only forced the guilt in deeper. He had let Callum scar himself by murdering a person - deserved or no, the effect it had on the older man's psyche was obvious, in his current state, and so when Nimueh finally grasped at him his touch was desperate, fingers gripping tightly both to grab hold of Callum, but also as if he hoped he could physically wrestle his Callum back from the brink.
Finally, he calmed. Or, at least, his mouth closed and he moved to follow... and the moment he was offered that support, even in the wake of his lover's fragility, Nimueh had no choice but to lean on him, out of more dizziness than actual weakness.
Thankfully, Isanna knew the way to go... and as they followed her he fought the horrible urge to look behind him, to see if they were being followed. In their haste, they only barely remembered to shut the doors behind them, and yet he could almost imagine a sea of Obans following... could feel the shocked stares of the Oban elite as they brushed past, pale, thin, and covered in blood.
As they continued to walk, Nimueh tried to search the crowd of faces for his mother, but they were hurrying too fast... and he was terrified they had missed her, somehow, until he felt a hand grasp at his arm. He jumped, recoiling on instinct, only to cry out in relief when his mother appeared at his side, her eyes wide, but her expression carefully shuttered. "This way." She said, beckoning for them to follow her off the road. They walked for what felt like forever, darting from one road to the next, until they neared the edge of town... at what appeared to be a tavern manned by Alkidike and Shifter traders.
It wasn't until they had been pulled upstairs that Nimueh truly felt like he could breath. If only for a moment.
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