Crystal Island

[Wolfe Garm]

Red Gypsy

Dameon Black Alt

Jenny nodded and replied “well the unit commander was by me when you snatched me, wearing the black clothes and armor, with the scarlet stripe down the center of his armor, and the Barret on his head. He would have direct access to the field commander as well as his last known location” Khajhan looked at Bane a moment before he spoke up “so this man would know how to get the codes we need to call Cyrus in?” Jenny nodded “and then some, one thing to point out, Cyrus isn’t alone when that code is used, he tends to bring along a rather large force to escort him in, I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man alone except when he’s at the office and around town. The man’s skittish at times when I’ve interacted with him” Jenny admittedly couldn’t understand that one but then again the man looked like a coward than not.

Khajhan considered that a moment before he responded, “a force is of little concern, as long as he is here on the island snatching him up shouldn’t be a problem, I’ll return to the others and see what they say, stay here with Bane for the time being” Jenny nodded it more distraught over everything that’s happened so far and watched as Khajhan faded into shadow leaving them alone. Jenny sat there a moment her mind was racing before she simply stood up and simply stepped outside a moment to catch some fresh air. Once outside she wasn’t anywhere near relaxed but as she walked off to the side of the cave entrance, and once away her emotions seemingly poured out of her as everything seemed to come crashing down and stood there looking out into the water her arms crossed as she watched the waves come in, and tears seemed to just start running down her cheek seemingly without realizing that she was crying, and unaware when Bane showed up behind her.

Pose watched Jenny leave and looked at Bane when she left the cave “go on I’ve got him” was all he said as he stood there keeping an eye on Indra making sure that nothing serious happened as a result of the mark being removed in such a manner. Admittedly this wasn’t safe of a thing to do by any stretch of the imagination, but neither was there really any other options, thankfully having Bane there allowed for the two of them to do what would be difficult to do by himself.  

[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Dameon Black Alt

Bane stepped outside, leaving Pose and Indra alone with the revelation that neither had paid attention to just yet.

Instead, he concentrated on the other one...

He moved up behind her and noted that she was crying, "Jenny..." he said softly as he turned her around and put his other arm around her waist to pull her into him, his free hand going to the back of her head as he simply moved in and kissed her.

Okay, he didn't just kiss her, he took over her mouth and short-circuited her brain. Then again, he didn't do anything by halves... He didn't notice when her arms went around him but he did notice when she started kissing him back with a growl of her own.

He finally let her up for air and made sure that she was steady on her own feet before he let her go and stepped back, "What do you want, Jenny? What do you really want?" he asked her simply, his handsome face serious as he watched her. And he was considering giving her whatever it was that she wanted, no matter what it was...1  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Indra
Indra allowed Pose to get close to examine the Mating Mark, shifting a bit so that he could get a better look at it. He was silent while Pose examined it, waiting to see if it was actually possible for the Mark to be removed. He was surprised when he heard Pose ask for Bane to come assist, stunned to realize that they should actually be able to remove it. He spun around a bit as he heard the splash from Cassius running off and let out a frustrated sigh. "He really doesn't know when to stop," he said.

He took a deep breath when he heard Bane speak to Pose and did what he could to brace for what was about to happen. He managed to remain completely silent as they burned away the Mark that bound his soul to Sera's, gritting his teeth and even biting his tongue to keep from crying out. He took a few deep breaths as they finished, doing his best to ignore the pain. He hadn't expected it to feel good when they removed a mark that was literally placed onto his soul to bind it to someone else's, but the pain had exceeded his expectations.

He accepted Bane's help over to the couch and gave him a simple nod. "I know. I can feel it now. She was so deeply engrained. There's no way we would've ever gotten her to let go. This was the only way to pull it off." He sighed. "I probably could have caught up to Cass if she hadn't been holding so tightly. I'm one of the few who can keep up with him, but she wouldn't have let me."

He tried to relax as Bane moved outside to help Jenny. He started to shake a bit as he suddenly felt a massive burst of power surge through him. He looked down at his hands to see electricity surging around him. He focused and was able to get his power back under control but found that he suddenly felt so much lighter and more powerful than he had before. It only took him a moment to understand the cause. "I don't really understand how she did it without me knowing, but it looks like she was suppressing my powers somehow. And it looks like she was doing it for a long time, long before she died. I wonder what else she was doing that I didn't know about." It was starting to dawn on Indra that his relationship with Sera likely hadn't ever been what he'd believed it to be.

 

[Wolfe Garm]

Red Gypsy

Dameon black Alt

Pose shook his head and spoke up as he placed a hand on his shoulder “well I wouldn’t worry to much about that, what little I can provide on the how is simply at some point she included a sap to your mark, which drains you of your strength slowly, if I had to wager a guess, I would say that was likely how she was still holding on after death, and why the bond wouldn’t fade. For now, just focus on recovering from that you will likely feel much different now that is removed, and will likely discover things unknown because of what the mark was doing to you” Pose had a way of seeing the potential in people more so when it was clear that they weren’t living at their peak.

Jenny was lost in the moment when he kissed her but when it was over she rested her head on his chest as he spoke and couldn’t help but have a strong urge to leave, but knowing that wasn’t possible with everything going on, she would likely be hunted unless Cyrus and RRT was dealt with now, and simply looked up into his eyes finding them mesmerizing and simply spoke up “let’s go back to your place…” was all she said as she placed a hand on his chest where his heart was and simply watched him, her head was swimming and if anything she needed to find some way of distracting her thoughts before they went rampant, but also needed to find a solution to a problem presently on the island.  

[Red Gypsy]

Wolfe Garm

Dameon black Alt

Bane simply gave her a nod, "Wait here a moment. I'll let them know we're leaving so that Sasha doesn't panic when she wakes up," he said softly, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head before letting her go to head inside.

"Hey Pose... I'm taking Jenny back to my place to get some rest. She's had a mental concussion today and needs to let that settle. I'll come back to check on Sasha later. If you guys could let her know?" he explained simply, knowing that Pose wouldn't misunderstand him.

Once the deity nodded in return, Bane simply headed back outside and simply shifted form then lowered himself so that Jenny could get on his back for the trip back to his cave. Thankfully, he had an access from the cliffs that was cleverly hidden. He could simply fly into his cave and avoid talking to anyone unless he wanted something from the kitchen.



Sasha rested, curled up on her bed. As she slept, she slowly recovered from trying to heal Cassius. What she never told anyone about was the fact that she felt phantom pain from her 'patients'. Every time. She was usually able to let one set pass before having to heal someone else. The crystal cave helped alot more than she ever admitted to and helped minimize the phantom pains.

Since Indra had come, she'd healed two other dragons. So he knew her basic routine by now. She'd rest, then get up and drink a cup of coffee, then check on her patients if she had any, if not then she'd make something simple to eat, then she'd either work on shifting things in the back of the cave or read a book. She usually had simple sandwiches prepared for lunch, then something more hearty for dinner.

But she was also expecting the ferry to come with supplies she'd requested, including a new bed for Indra's room. There were foodstuffs, a few books, new linens and towels, some other healing supplies, maybe a few other things if Rex got himself involved in her delivery. She was expecting the ferry any time in the next few days and Indra knew that and knew she'd want to be awake and clearheaded for it when it arrived.

Sasha didn't like for anyone to see her when she wasn't her usual calm and composed. She maintained that image to the rest of the world and was a different person in private. Indra had caught glimpses of her at those times, but nothing more than those fleeting glimpses....  

[Wolfe Garm]

Red Gypsy

Dameon black Alt

For a time Pose watched Indra for some time making sure everything was alright before he felt his presence was needed elsewhere and spoke up “Indra continue to rest as much as you can, and when you see Sasha let her know that if she ever has need of me to call and I’ll do what I can to help, also keep an eye on her, I don’t know what all is going on but whether she knows it or not, I can tell doing what she does leaves her drained and weakened, she’s vulnerable during these times so be vigilant” at that he simply bowed slightly and took off outside and into the water without hesitation, leaving the isle with haste to attend to matters that likely are happening elsewhere.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Indra
Indra took a deep breath and nodded when he heard Pose speaking. "That part makes sense," he said. "It's just hard to come to terms with the fact that she was sapping strength from me like that. And it's hard to believe that I never noticed it before now. It seems that there was so much going on with her that I just never noticed before."

Indra went quiet as Bane returned and said that he was taking Jenny back to his place to rest and mentioned that he'd be back to check on Sasha later. He gave a quick nod when asked if they would let her know and then watched Bane head back outside. He sat back for a bit and tried to sort out his confused and conflicted feelings, barely even noticing as time passed.

He snapped back to attention when Pose spoke up and told him to rest before asking him to let Sasha know that she could call on him if she ever needed his help. "I'll let her know. And I'll be vigilant." He watched as Pose started to head out and spoke up one more time. "Thank you for the help you gave me. It wasn't pleasant, but it was what I needed." He watched as the deity left, leaving him alone in the cave as Sasha rested. He took a few deep breaths and sat back up, deciding to be more attentive and ready in case a threat appeared. While he wasn't expecting anything right now, shifting his focus to protecting Sasha was the best way he could find to take his mind off of the topic of just how little he had actually known his Mate.

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

After a few hours, Sasha started to wake up, giving a soft groan as she turned on the bed and finally sat up with a hand to her head. She knew instantly that Cassius had left. There was nothing she could have done to get him to stay. His mind was in too much turmoil right now.

She finally got up and put a hand to the bedpost to keep steady until her head steadied again. When she was ready to move again, she was back into her serene appearance that kept so many from seeing the truth of the toll of her healing.

She moved out, easily noting that Indra's Mark had been taken care of. She guessed Pose and Bane working together were able to do it. That made sense to her and answered a few of the riddles she'd read about in the past.

She paused in the hallway and looked at the main entrance to the cave system and tilted her head a bit, "We have company coming... Unexpected company, but not unwelcome..." she said softly, able to feel Dancer coming on the Ferry. After she'd healed him the last time, it had become easier to sense him when he was close, "They're coming in on the Ferry," she added then moved to the doorway to watch the ferry boat move in.

She watched the boat get unloaded and watched Dancer get off of the boat with someone with him. She watched and waited, knowing that Dancer had to come to her this time. She didn't know how she knew it, she just knew.


Outside on the beach, Dancer looked at the cave entrance but hesitated to move just yet. The breeze moved over them both and he turned to give him a small smile when Amir simply took his hand. He finally gave a nod as they picked up their bags and led the way towards the cave.

He stopped at the entrance where Sasha was waiting then waited on her. She looked at Dancer for a long moment then simply gestured for him to go on into the healing cave, "You can put your bags here for now. I need to see exactly where you're at first," she said softly then looked at Amir for a moment before giving him a nod, "You can watch from the entrance to the cave over here. Just don't interfere," she told him, easily recognizing another healer, but knowing that she would need Amir involved at some point.

Dancer put his bag just inside the entrance to the living area of the cave system then headed into the healing cave to sit on the small island while Sasha followed him and moved around him, gently touching a few of the crystals on the way. They helped show Dancer's aura and helped reveal the truth of the injuries he had, but especially the injury to his ability to heal...

She finally paused in front of him as he got to his feet. She looked at him in silence for a long moment then had to pull him in for a tight hug, unable to stop her tears for what he was going through...  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Indra
Indra remained vigilant as Sasha slept, only relaxing a bit when she returned and paused in the hallway. He listened to what she said and gave a quick nod. "Understood," he said. "I'll remain vigilant and make sure that you and your guests remain safe."

He moved to stand next to her in the main entrance as she watched the ferry boat coming in. He watched the ferry carefully as Dancer and Amir got off of the boat, finding himself curious about the pair and their relationship to Sasha. He remained silent as the males reached the cave and remained close as Sasha took Dancer to the healing cave, pausing outside so that he could remain vigilant without interfering with her work.

Amir
Amir stood with Dancer on the beach and noticed the other male hesitating to move. He reached out to tale Dancer's hand in a show of support that he hoped would help to reassure him. He returned the other male's smile and then followed Dancer as they started to move towards the cave.

Amir stopped next to Dancer at the cave entrance and examined Sasha when he noticed her waiting on them. He followed them inside and placed their bags where she indicated. He paused when Sasha looked over to him and then gave a quick nod when she told him that he could watch but not interfere. "Of course," he said. "I can't do much to help the way he needs. I would only get in the way."

He followed them towards the healing cave and paused at the entrance as Sasha had instructed. He watched carefully as Sasha got started by touching the crystals to read Dancer's aura. He had to stop himself from approaching as he noticed Sasha hugging Dancer with tears falling, just barely able to control the feelings he'd developed for the other male and his own natural reaction to seeing another healer in such a state. He forced himself to wait and see if he may be needed, trusting Sasha to help Dancer in the ways he clearly needed.

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

Dancer finally got her to pull away from the hug, "Sebastet sent me. She won't let me heal again until I let you work on me. Amir has been healing me physically," he started but had to pause, knowing that she'd understand what he wasn't saying.

Sasha shook her head and considered how to heal him, "It's alot more this time, Dancer... But I'll do my best..." she said softly then looked over at Amir and motioned him over, "Amir... You've done well with healing him. What's left won't take much. Pay attention to the crystals and how they help channel the energy. But Dancer will have to be laying in here for a couple of days," she explained then motioned for Dancer to lay down.

Dancer offered Amir an encouraging smile as he laid down and closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, Sasha moved to each crystal, channelling healing energy through them until they gave off a gentle glow. After another moment, Sasha stepped back and shifted to her dragon form then moved her head forward until she gently touched Dancer's arm. Then the glow from the crystals moved to surround Dancer.

That done, she shifted back to her human form and moved to the doorway, "He'll sleep for now. The energy needs to work through him. I'll come back periodically to renew it. I don't now how much you'll be able to see. When he leaves here, he'll be fully healed again. He'll still need you, though... There are things he hasn't spoken of yet that still need to be said," she told him softly then moved past him to get into the living quarters and stopped with Indra.

"Indra... We need to get the supplies in. You can bed down with me while they're here," she told him simply then headed outside to start moving the supplies inside.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Amir
Amir watched Dancer and Sasha as they pulled away from the hug and Dancer started to explain the situation. He listened to Sasha as she addressed Dancer and then immediately moved over when she motioned him over. He straightened up a bit as she said that he'd done well and gave a quick nod when she told him to pay attention to the crystals and the way they helped to channel the energy.

He returned Dancer's encouraging smile and then watched carefully as Sasha got started. He paid close attention to the way the energy moved through the crystals, a bit amazed at the way they were able to assist with the healing. He was a but surprised when Sasha suddenly shifted to her dragon form, but he continued to watch the process to try to learn.

He watched Dancer for a moment as the glow enveloped him and then followed Sasha toward the doorway after she changed back to human form. "Thank you for your help in healing him, Sasha," he said. "I'm glad that you can help him in the ways that I couldn't."

He paused for a moment when she said that Dancer would still need him and that there were things that he hadn't spoken of yet that needed to be said. "Truthfully, I need him, too. I've only known him for a little while, but he makes me feel things I hadn't expected. He's encouraged me to take my own path as a healer, even if it isn't what's expected of me. And for the first time, I feel like I could do it."

Indra
Indra watched silently as Sasha got to work on Dancer. He remained close but made sure not to do anything that could possibly interfere with her work. He didn't know Dancer or Amir, but he could easily see just how Amir felt for the other male. Seeing budding love was enough to make him smile again after the way things had turned out with Sera.

He followed Sasha as she left the healing cave and paused in the living quarters when she did. "That's fine," he said. "It just means that I'll be close if you need me." He followed her again as she moved outside and started to help her with getting the supplies inside. "Your guests seem interesting. They're quite a pair."

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

Sasha gave a simple nod as she worked to move the stuff from the beach into the living area and kitchen. Once they had everything inside, she started unpacking it all so that it could get put up, "They are interesting... I've known Dancer a long time. He's a good male. Amir will be good for him. But they will need each other when this is over," she said softly as she put up some of the food items in the kitchen then directed him to put the bedding up in the rooms.

"While you're back there, you can move your things over to my room. I'll show you where is good," she offered then moved into her room to show him where he could put his things.

Her room held a king-sized poster bed, hand-carved night stands, a dresser with a large ornate mirror above it, and a large walk-in closet.

Most of the room had been a gift from Lao, Ebony's mate. When Bane left, Lao had taken Sasha on as a second daughter. So when she moved here, Lao had helped her carve out the caves and set up her home.

She walked over to the closet and revealed that she only used a small portion of it, "You can put your things in here. And the night stand on this side is empty as well," she told him then paused briefly then headed out of the room to put up the rest of the supplies.

She was still uncomfortable with the fact that she was alone again. Cedric may have had his flaws, but he was hers and now she was alone again...

Dancer stayed asleep as the crystals kept moving the healing energy through him, slowly healing everything bit by bit.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Amir
Amir lingered near the entrance to the healing cave, occasionally looking in to look at Dancer. Truthfully, he was uncertain of what he should do now. He didn't want to just wander around since he didn't really know Sasha or Indra, but he didn't want to risk interfering with the healing by staying in the healing cave.

He eventually decided to go head back into the main cave to see if Sasha needed any help with anything. He staggered a bit as a sudden wave of crippling pain shot through his head as a mental wall finally started to break down. He blinked and found himself standing on a beach with his former lover and Ra standing nearby. Everything was hazy, but he could make out feelings of pain and hatred flowing through himself. He caught a glimpse of a silver knife in his hand and felt agony flow his body as the knife suddenly plunged into his throat. He felt himself hit the ground as the world started to grow dark. The final thing that he saw before everything went dark was his former lover hitting the ground as well.

He returned to reality with a pained gasp, his hand clutching his throat as he struggled to piece together what he'd seen. He was sweating and panting as he picked himself back up and continued moving through the cave again, his body still shaking a bit.

Indra
Indra listened carefully to what Sasha was saying as they moved the supplies inside. "Then I guess that it's a good thing Amir is head over heels for Dancer," he noted simply. "I doubt that he'll be straying very far from him anytime soon."

He followed Sasha as she led the way to her room to show him where he could put his things. He looked around a bit, watching Sasha closely as she showed him the closet when her could put his things and then mentioned that the night stand was also empty. He was silent for a moment as she started to leave the room, but followed her and caught her before she could get too far. When he spoke up, his voice was calm and gentle. "I can see that you're hurting, Sasha. Your faded Mark makes it pretty obvious what's causing it. What was his name?"

 

[Red Gypsy]

Dameon Black Alt

Wolfe Garm

As Amir started to walk out of the healing cave, some of the healing energy moved over and through him as well, helping to stabilize him and heal him from previous trauma. It moved through him with a soothing and pleasant warmth that was inescapable and relaxing. It would allow him to rest as well as process what he was remembering.


Sasha paused when Indra stopped her but didn't look at him for a moment before she spoke softly, "Cedric..." she half whispered it then looked up at Indra and spoke again, "And Raid before him..." she was telling him that she'd lost a Mate twice...

"I lost Cedric before you came... I woke up in the healing cave... It's just a little difficult at times... I'll be alright, Indra," she explained and assured him in that soft and confident voice of hers then she gave him a small smile and headed for the other room to make up the bed for Amir to rest.

Unfortunately, it wasn't likely that Sasha would say much more than she had. She rarely spoke about herself. Especially these days. And she almost never spoke of any pain she was experiencing.  

[Dameon Black Alt]

Red Gypsy

Wolfe Garm

Amir
Amir continued to move through the cave, still struggling to deal with everything starting to leak through the mental wall that he hadn't even been aware of before. The things leaking through weren't really full memories, instead just being vague glimpses packed with suffering and despair. The healing energy that moved through him did help a bit, but there was only so much that it could do against the flood of painful memories that were trying to break free.

He eventually stumbled into the living area and collapsed onto the couch. He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as more pain flowed through him. He did everything he could to will the pain to stop, letting out a relieved sigh as the pain finally started to lessen. He took a few more deep breaths as he worked to recover, eventually slipping into unconsciousness as he passed out.

Indra
Indra listened to Sasha as she talked about the Mate she had lost, letting out a soft sigh as she revealed that she had actually lost two Mates in her life. He followed her out of the room, thinking about what he should say to Sasha in this situation. He had caught glimpses of her in the moments when she wasn't putting on the mask of calm composure. He knew that she was hurting and that she wasn't fine, even if she wouldn't speak about herself. He knew that holding in her feelings of pain and loss and refusing to work through them fully wouldn't end well. He thought about what to say or do as they moved through the cave.

He eventually came up with an idea and started to plan out a few of the details. He placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her again. "Why don't you tell me a little bit about them?" he asked. "I know that you said you're fine, but it could be nice to talk about them and share some of your memories."