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 Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:42 pm
The mood in the room was thick. She felt eyes on her, and she couldn't look up at either of them. Every instinct inside her wanted to pull away, to suffer through it alone, to leave them out of it.
It was Malodore's words that made her finally look up, and her brows furrowed deeply. Stop that. She whispered, barely managing to look from under hooded eyes. This was my fault. I shouldn't have - I just -
The frustration that had driven her off the edge the first time now returned in force, as she remembered just why all of this had happened. She cringed, and her muscles clenched in anger. I just need to get better. Quickly. We don't have any time to waste sitting around like this.
She was lying on a blood stained rug, naked, covered in scars and cuts, and she sounded like she wanted to get up and march into battle that very moment. It was absurd.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:46 pm
"Riley... stop," Jericho said, sounding a little less uncertain. He could tell pretty easily that she was angry but having her tense wasn't going to help. She needed to relax. There was a lot he still wanted to know, but they needed to get her patched up first. From there... from there he'd speak with her.
For two weeks she left him alone in the dark only for him to find her like this.
With the initial shock wearing away, he was starting to feel an anger and frustration of his own.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:48 pm
Christof was trembling as he came forward towards the door, but Jericho had stopped him just before h could catch sight of any clue as to what was going on.
Bandages?
His brows furrowed in anxiety, but ultimately he could do nothing but obey, nodding stiffly before hurrying off. It did not delay him very long before he was back again, arms filled with scraps of fabric he had procured from who-knew-where, expression still wrought with worry.
Mistress? Mistress are you alright? Did someone attack you? He tried to call out to her desperately.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 8:50 pm
"Time is needed for healing," Malodore said quietly, leaning in to examine the ruin of her back. "I would... I would call the nurse, mia cara. This damage is beyond my capability to heal, and there is FEAR involved..." Indeed, it could feel the energy in the crystals as it leaned around them.
It wasn't sure what to think, or feel; strangely, the anger had bled away once Riley had taken responsibility, leaving it feeling a bit empty. Yet, if she had done this deliberately... it had failed in its own planning, too.
But it had had friends by it to help it. And Riley had had nothing.... nobody.
Why?
No. That wasn't important now. Later, perhaps.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:01 pm
Riley's first thought when the nurse was mentioned was a frightfully powerful NO-
But the truth was plain on Malodore's face. She had gone too far, hadn't she? She'd hurt herself beyond the limits of Malodore's capable hands, and now, if she was to heal quickly..
Her head slumped. You're right. Contact the nurse. Is there anything you can do until then? I just.. would really like to not be sitting here. A private thought entered Malodore's mind, alone. I can't walk. I can't really feel my legs, yet. It's been two weeks, after all.. I'm going to need some help moving.
She loathed being weak - but that was exactly how she looked. She was thinner, her muscles visibly less toned, and her face was gaunt from stress and lack of any nourishment - Fear or otherwise.
Christof's voice startled her, and her heart jumped. No, Christof, no one attacked me. I need you to get me some bandages, some salve, anything that could help. I just hurt myself, is all. You know me. I always go too far.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:06 pm
Jericho cringed at Riley's sudden objection. He was going to go against that, but she seemed to go the right idea soon after. Cricket was going to have to get involved into this. She was far too wounded for any of them to really do much.
Quite frankly, that pissed him off a little more.
Because he was pretty much useless right now.
Hearing some shuffling outside, he slowly got up and walked out to see Christof with the medical supplies.
"Here.. I'll pass them to Mal... I.. don't think you really want to see her right now. It's not a pretty sight," He grimaced.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:10 pm
Christof snarled at the dragon, clutching the bandages tightly to his chest before pushing his way forward. He would NOT be kept from his Mistress, even if the Dragon or her herself didn't want him there. I have them here, Mist- the thought was cut off the moment he stepped into the room, freezing at the sight of blood under foot. She... How... why...? was all he managed to think, eyes wide as the scene unfolded in front of him even in the gloom.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:32 pm
Malodore cringed, but... no. It could not afford to play patchwork-manager right now. It had to take care of her. "Jericho, ah... some brains from the freezer would be good, I think. And some water." Dehydration, malnutrition... none of those words were good. Oh, yes, it would contact Nurse Cricket at once.
"I don't know," it told Christof, simply. "Grazie - give them to me, per favore?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:40 pm
She thought she'd gotten away without Christof having to see her - but she didn't even need to look up to know she was wrong. She heard it in his voice. Her eyes refused to meet his, and she simply slumped back down onto the pillow on the floor, curling into the sheet. She was utterly exposed, and had no way to fight back. It was, for her, a worse nightmare than the one she had just been through.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:40 pm
The igor just ignored him and brushed past before he could stop him. Well it was too late now. Letting out a sigh, he glanced back into the room and nodded to Malodore.
"Right," he said before stepping out to fetch some brains and water as requested. No doubt Riley could use the FEAR boost right now. He grabbed a tray and piled on several brains onto it, as well as a large glass of water.
In a few moments, he returned, setting the tray down next to his friend.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:52 pm
Christof was quick to Malodore's side, going silent both mentally and.. well, the usual way as he hovered as though moving in a trance.
Mistress had... done this to herself?
All the blood, the wounds, the odd crystals that didn't make any sense...
She had locked herself in her own room to sit and mutilate herself.
It made no sense! WHY would she do such a thing? She was beautiful, powerful, popular, loved... she had everything, why would she hide in the darkness until she was an emaciated mess? Why had she not... not trusted him, at least? He was BUILT for secret keeping, after all! She hadn't even told her pet Dragon.
His stomach was a series of knots as he kept his eyes firmly locked on Malodore's mask, rather than the unfortunate scene below him he couldn't bring himself to comprehend.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 9:58 pm
For one crazed instant, Malodore opened its beak to tell Christof to call Nurse Cricket, until it remembered that that would be a singularly useless order. Instead, it took the bandages and began to do what it could. "Grazie," it murmured to Jericho before focusing on Riley once more. "Eat, drink, mia cara. You will need your strength."
Once she had been stabilized it would contact Cricket itself.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:18 pm
Riley stared at the food with bright, desperate eyes. She was hungry, but her stomach was so tightly closed that the thought of trying to eat it made her sick. I can't. Even the smell was starting to make her want to throw up.. she pushed the brains away, and curled tighter. Please, don't make me. I'll drink some water, just - take that away. She was cringing away from it, disregarding the skin that stretched and broke behind her, just to get away from the smell of food.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:21 pm
Jericho expected Riley to start scarfing town the brains, but she soon proved him wrong. Furrowing his brow, he took the water off the tray and set it down by her while pushing the rest back.
"You... could probably really use the extra FEAR though" he sighed. Something about it was bothering her greatly though, but he was having trouble pinpointing what it was.
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Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:30 pm
While Jericho was busy trying to feed her and Mal tended to her wounds, the hunchback backed away, still unable to bring himself to look at her. His expression was grim but unreadable as he looked around the wreckage of the room.
Without a word or a thought, he swept from the room and was gone for a short while before he returned, all three arms filled with a broom, dustpan, shallow bowl of water and several soft cloths, setting the bowl down to start brooming any wreckage from the crystals before crouching to silently scrub at the blood on the floor.
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