|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:51 am
Rajani messed up.
She'd agreed with Hargitt on splitting up to handle different things so that everything could be taken care of faster. It was common routine at that point. But she'd seen, or thought she'd seen, Elsif in a town not too long ago. She should have mentioned it to her friend but since it had been out of the corner of her eye she thought it was her mind playing tricks on her. Joke was on her since it wasn't a trick.
The shifter had been so focused on ignoring the warning, claiming she was just being paranoid, that she failed to notice Elsif coming at her from behind. Even though she'd heard the noises she told herself it was fine, it had to be Hargitt. Wrong!
So that left her with a hit to the back of the head with.. she wasn't even sure what, that sent her sprawling to the ground. In that moment her jerk of a brother had managed to disarm her and toss her hammer out of reach. Raja grunted as she blinked away the pain and tried to clear her vision. All movement from her stopped when she felt something cold touch the side of her neck. There was already a scar there from a blade so it wasn't like she didn't know what it was. Moving only her eyes she looked to the side, first at her weapon that was well out of reach then at what she could see of Elsif. "Wow, attacking someone when their back is turned.. still a coward I see."
-------
Elsif had to wait for his sister to be separated from the larger wind male before he could approach her. He wasn't sure if the guy was her guard or what but he didn't exactly want to deal with him. So when the two split ways he knew he had to act fast. The fact that Rajani ended up at their camp while the wind guy did the hunting was just pure luck for him.
So he'd picked up the biggest stick he could find and when Raja's back was turned he took advantage. He also knew to get her weapon away from her quickly. Putting his sword to her neck wasn't planned either but he wanted her to stay still and not go for the hammer. He'd seen the damage she could do with it. "Come on Jani, you've played enough now its time to come home. I've told Henu about you and she really wants to meet her big sister." He was trying to guilt trip her into agreeing to go with him since it would make things easier. If he got her to agree before her friend came back then that was even better.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:13 pm
Hargitt wasn't an idiot.
Something was bothering Rajani and regardless of whether she wanted to she was queuing Hargitt into it. Subtleties in her behavior let him know she was more paranoid than usual, but at the end of the day he'd assumed it was because of a nightmare or something that reminded her of bad times. He tried to do little things to help that wouldn't bring attention to it; polishing her hammer, not fussing when her cold toes touched him at night and refilling her stein without asking.
In his mind it would pass. They had their moments, but eventually some sort of peace was found and an equilibrium could pick back up. It's what he kept telling himself all day while hew as out on the hunt. Eventually Hargitt had packed up, was on his way back to the campsite sweaty and exhausted, when he heard it. Quizzically, he raised his brow and kept trying to listen. That was definitely something hitting the ground, but what....? He could make out the faint murmur of voices but the details were foggy....
Still, it didn't stop him from picking up his pace. Hargitt abandoned his prey in an instant and ran, prepping an arrow as he went. When he was close enough to see a man pinning Rajani to the ground with a sword at her throat Hargitt reacted. He popped an arrow off at the man's arm and bellowed, "MOVE. NOW."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 1:40 pm
Being called 'Jani' caused her jaw to tighten as she bit down. It bothered her. Raja had even requested that Hargitt not use that as a nickname for her if he ever decided to shorten her name. Actually, she was pretty sure she gave him permission to call her anything but 'Jani' so that he'd understand. The nickname was strictly something Elsif and her birth parents had used and it made her skin crawl now. "I believe I told you not to call me that anymore. Also.. I don't care about Henu." Harsh but true. She'd never met her little sister and therefore had no attachments to her. As far as Raj was concerned the girl was her replacement so that her birth parents didn't feel bad for losing her. Sounds of footsteps caught her attention and she shifted so that she was looking back down at the ground. She ignored whatever it was that came out of Elsif's mouth, because honestly she didn't care too much. What she did pay attention to was the twang of a bowstring and then the words that sounded off from a familiar voice. The shifter stayed frozen for about a half second more but once the cold metal moved from her neck she was moving. First, away! Rajani didn't care which direction as long as she was out of reach of the sword. She had enough scars from blades and didn't need anymore. Not to mention she didn't want to listen to Hargitt b***h at her if he had to do first aid. Second, flip over! Having her back exposed like that just made every hair on her body stand on end! She felt too vulnerable that way. Rajani ended up doing a backwards crab crawl but it brought Elsif into her line of sight at least. When she was far enough she moved her eyes toward her friend, her grey gaze frantically searching for where he was for a full two seconds before she found him. "Shoot him in the le--!" ----------- Being told once again that her childhood nickname was banned made him frown. He still didn't understand that one. It had always made her smile. Hearing that she didn't care about their younger sister truly made him sad. The younger girl had done nothing wrong and all she wanted was to meet Rajani. (Ok, Henu actually wanted a sister relationship but meeting first!) "I don't understand you. I've apologized for the past, so why are you so stubborn?" He wouldn't get an answer from her as pain exploded into his arm and a shout followed. No, no no no. He thought he'd have more time! Elsif Turned to look in Hargitt's direction, a slightly confused look on his face as he wasn't too sure what to do about him, but then returned his gaze to his sister. She'd moved but he didn't want her to get to her hammer so he moved with her to make sure she didn't go that way. But she flipped over and stopped so that she could yell something at the wind guy. His own eyes flew wide as he got where this was going and with his good arm, the one not holding the sword ironically, he reached down to snatch her up by her hair and pull her to her feet. He was not getting shot again. Surely the guy wouldn't risk hitting Raja. "No you don't. Tell him to back off and we can talk about this. Stop making it difficult Jani."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:43 pm
It didn't take Hargitt long to piece together who the assailant might be. There weren't many shifters in this part of Sauti; even less who would hold a sword to Rajani's throat. She'd gotten into her fair share of arguments in their travels, but never to this degree and if it really was who he suspected then Hargitt should have aimed for his head. Still, the risk of missing and causing him to finish the task was just too high.
Almost as soon as the first arrow was shot Hargitt was knocking his second. If he rushed the scene then it would the attacker the advantage. As apt as Hargitt was at hand to hand combat he couldn't do much against a sword. It would only put not only himself, but Rajani in further risk. So, he stayed planted, chest pounding as he watched Rajani back pedaling.
The closer he got the more Hargitt's anxiety grew, but he hadn't jumped on it fast enough. Or maybe the other man was faster? Either way, Hargitt let out an unsavory curse as Rajani was snatched up again.
Did that stop him from firing another arrow at his leg? No. If it hit Rajani then so be it. Hargitt knew damn well she'd rather be shot and dropped by surprise than to be held like a damsel. "That's not her name."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:11 pm
Normally, having her hair pulled in such a way wouldn't be that much of a bother. It was a danger to anyone with long hair - the threat of having it used against them. However, Elsif had snatched her up in the same spot she'd previously been whacked and so pain exploded into her head for a second time and caused her to wince and move to wherever he was directing her to ease some of it. The thought of cutting her hair off did cross her mind as she bit out a loud curse. On her feet she felt another kind of pain slide past her thigh as the second arrow missed getting stuck in it's intended target. Rajani peeked her eyes open to look at Hargitt. Unfortunately she and Elsif were about the same height so there wasn't much for her friend to shoot at if she was in the way. Instantly she was trying to think of a way to move herself out of his line of fire. An idea struck her and she tried to figure out exactly where the other shifter was positioned as she listened to him tell Hargitt off. While Elsif was busy focusing on her friend she decided to reach up and grab onto the arrow in his arm and use it as leverage. Rajani twisted and yanked on it to cause more harm and get him to let go of her hair. Once that was done she moved to the side and viciously pulled the arrow out with a harsh tug that was meant to cause a bigger wound than the entry was. ------------- Elsif had somehow managed to get Rajani to her feet before the arrow hit him and while it skimmed past her leg it also caught his. Both would have a graze wound on their thigh for later. He leveled a glare at the wind male. "Its her childhood nickname. As her older brother I can call her that if I wish. Now put your weapon down you giant idiot." He wasn't paying attention to his sister at the moment since she had no weapon. "She's been gone for long enough its time she came home. Our parents have suffered enough heartache and our younger sister wants to meet her. Since this is a family issue, you need to leave." Elsif just hoped that the guy wasn't a paid guard. If he already received payment then he'd be loyal until the job was done. Unless he could pay him more. There was the possibility that he was a client she was escorting. His sister did odd jobs like that from what he'd learned. Then there was also the possibility... He went oddly quiet as he stared at Hargitt. They had shared rooms at Inns, worked fairly well together, his sister let the male touch/be near her.... "I'm not sure I approve of you being with Jani. She's been through enough without having to also carry hybrid children." It looked like he wanted to say more but just as he opened his mouth Raj had grabbed hold of the arrow still in his arm. He yelled out a curse and let go of her hair in favor of trying to get her hand off the offending object. "Eclipse sake Jani!!" When it was ripped from his arm he yelled out again and raised his fist toward her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:04 pm
Hargitt's grit on his teeth intensified when his second arrow skimmed Rajani instead. It was a risk he'd taken knowingly, but the end result still made his gut curl.
"Not happening." If they really did have a younger sister then Hargitt could only hope that she could get out one day. In all honesty he couldn't be bothered with her; the only sister he was worried about was the one in front of him. Instead of keeping his distance, Hargitt started taking slow and measured steps to close the gap. His pace may have been cautious, but the way he carried himself was anything but. The windling used his size to his advantage and his eyes cut like molten sapphire. "The only brother she's mentioned doesn't deserve the title. If you really are that sack of roati s**t then you were an idiot for coming here."
Hybrid chil...? It wasn't the first time Hargitt had been accused of being intimate with Rajani, but this time it rubbed him raw. Any other time he would brush it off, maybe even make a snide comment if the situation was right, but Elsif didn't deserve an explanation.
When she reached for the arrow Hargitt felt a rush of pride. Some women would have crumpled given their history, but not Rajani. As Elsif's hold on her was released Hargitt rushed forward and before he could hit her the windling was full on tackling him to the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:42 pm
It wasn't until she was holding the arrow in her hand and saw Hargitt tackle Elsif that she registered the words that had come out of his mouth. Children? Rajani moved her grey gaze down to look at the two on the ground before her lip curled back in a snarl. "What I do or do not carry in my womb is of no concern to you, Elsif." Rajani had no intention of having children any time soon anyways. She was down right horrible with them. Fairly certain she'd made more than one cry. She had put her foot in one's face; that had gone over well. "Hargitt has more say about that than you do!" Anger makes people say the damnedest things. But it was true, as her best friend Hargitt had more say than her estranged brother did about anything in her life. With her friend keeping the shifter busy she dropped the arrow to the ground and moved over to collect her hammer. She felt weak without it right now. Plus she needed to break something. It took less than a minute and she had her weapon in her hands and was making her way back over to the pair on the ground. "Hargitt, sweetheart..." Raja made sure her tone was purred out sweetly just to annoy Elsif, but then it dropped into something dangerous as she continued. "Move." Her hammer was raised up with both hands holding onto the grip. --------- He hadn't been expecting the wind male to tackle him when he changed his attention to Rajani. So the wind left him quickly as he felt the impact of Hargitt and then the ground. His sword was easily dropped and forgotten in favor of attempting to wrestle the large wind male off him. Hearing his sister say the windling - Hargitt was his name apparently - had say over certain things made him really question if the two had a thing going. He shot her a glare before sending his good fist flying for the wind male's head. If he could knock him out then he could handle Raja a bit better, of course stunning him would be good too. He just needed to get him off him so that he could move. But then he heard the sweet tone of his sister and had to spare her a glance to figure out what she was doing. Instantly his gaze landed on her weapon and he tenses some. This wasn't going to be good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2021 1:18 pm
Hargitt used his immense size to his advantage. Any exhaustion that lingered in his bones after a full day's hunt was gone in the way of pure adrenaline. For every struggle that Elsif attempted Hargitt fought back with twice the vigor and held nothing back. Anytime he had to slam the other man's shoulder, arm, torso back onto the ground he used generous force. Even when the shifter's fist connected with his head Hargitt barely grunted. He closed his eyes unconsciously, but when he opened them once more it was to snarl at the man beneath him. Rajani hit harder in her sleep! Still, Hargitt's head was throbbing and the pain just made him angrier. He raised a fist of his own and slammed it against the side of Elsif's head just to see how he liked it! With his grip still firm on the shifter, Hargitt turned to look up at Rajani as if he needed anymore of a hint than the tone of her voice. Seeing that hammer, though... He very nearly tried to dislocate the man's arm out of spite, but let him just try to defend himself. With a hardened smirk, Hargitt shoved the shifter back and rose to his feet. The act itself left him a little dazed, but he was good about not showing it, at least to Elsif. It may have taken him a moment longer than usual to step back, but when he did there was condescension in his steps. If Rajani's hammer didn't break his bones then Hargitt would.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2021 2:41 pm
Rajani waited for the time needed for Hargitt to move out of the way since she'd never hurt him on purpose. (Sleep fighting was different, he knew the risks of sharing a bed with her.) Once he was safely out of her way the hammer was brought down with prejudice. The shifter aimed for the knees. If he couldn't walk then he couldn't follow her around from place to place! The downward swing hand the strength of both arms behind it and the momentum of her whole body as she leaned and crouched into it. So when it hit she got the satisfying crunch of a bone snapping beneath it and the wail of pain that followed. With Elsif suitably down for a moment she turned her head to look at Hargitt and make sure he wasn't hurt. The grip on her hammer went down to one hand as she turned her attention to her best friend. She noticed the slight dazed look on him and frowned. "Hargitt?" The worry in her tone was genuine. If he got seriously hurt because she couldn't even defend herself properly then she'd be upset. If she was too weak then what good was she? Her grey eyes watered a little bit at the thought of her friend being injured due to her incompetence. That thought had her turning back toward Elsif with a whole new angry look before she started to kick him repeatedly in the side. "Don't touch him! Ever again! I will kill you if you do!" And unless someone stopped her now she was going to keep kicking Elsif until his ribs were broken. ------------ The punch to the head dazed him a bit. A few slow blinks had him trying to focus but by then the windling was off him and he was left with the sight of an angry Rajani swinging her hammer down at him. He did try to use his hands to block the path, even though he knew that would be a bad idea too. His whole body tensed at the impending injury and that made it worse. With his knee bent the strike hit harder. He felt the bone give under the weapon and howled in pain. Instantly he grabbed for the now shattered knee cap, cradling it as best as he could in his hands without actually touching it due to the pain. He didn't have much of a reprieve though. His sister turned back toward him after doing something and when he heard her speak again she was threatening death as she kicked him repeatedly. Each blow hit hard in his ribs and he felt the air leave him. He couldn't reply to her in words and focused more on shielding his ribs as much as he could.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 11:08 am
It never failed to bring a wince out of Hargitt when the initial strike of Rajani's hammer met flesh. As soon as he heard the 'crunch' of that mighty weapon on his knees Hargitt's bit his teeth, but his heart was already locked. There was no sympathy in him for the man; Elsif deserved every strike he got. It may have been horrible to think of, but maybe, just maybe if Rajani did enough damage to his legs then he wouldn't be able to get around as easily. His wailing, however, had Hargitt reaching up to hold his head. It ached, but the pain wasn't so horrible that he was about to suggest she stop. At first he wasn't even for sure that Rajani was even speaking to him, but he opened his eye he 'hmmed'. "It's fine." It certainly wasn't the first time he'd been hit in the head and likely wouldn't be the last so no need to - - completely lose her s**t."Rajani, stop." Hargitt stepped forward and loathe as he was to do it while she was in this state, slipped his arm around her waist to pull her back. "I said it was fine. Anymore and you'll kill him."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2021 12:23 pm
She barely heard him say he was fine, not that she would have believed him if she heard it clearly. Then there was the command to stop. She heard that but she didn't want to. If she could just stress enough to Elsif that her best friend was off limits then maybe- Nevermind. Rajani felt the arm around her waist and her hands went to it automatically. Not to retaliate but to grab hold and gain some balance as she was pulled back. And if she made a startled yelp then it was her own business thank you. The shifter was breathing heavily as she stared down at Elsif's vulnerable form. He wasn't moving too much but he was groaning with pain. Good. She hoped it hurt. Raja stared for a long while, not letting go of Hargitt's arm since it was helping to ground her, before she turned her head to look back at her best friend. Her expression was a cross between concern and panic. "You okay?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:51 am
Hargitt didn't let up his hold in the least. While he wasn't forcefully crushing her ribs the windling held Rajani close enough that if she wanted to break free she was going to have to fight for it. Adrenaline made his own breathing steady and though the quick movements might have caused his vision to blur his grip never wavered. He couldn't let her go through what was inevitably going to happen if she kept hitting Elsif like that. She had enough nightmares without a murder on top of things. It might have been something she dwelled on, it might not have been, but Hargitt wasn't willing to take that chance. "Nauseous." He answered honestly. "Dizzy, but that's all."Looking down at Elsif's groaning, miserable body only caused Hargitt to run over the possibilities. He wouldn't be chasing after them anytime soon and with the damage she'd done to his legs it wasn't likely he would come after them ever. Still... "We need to leave. I doubt we're the only hunters in this area and voices carry in the valley." The rangers, specifically, were what Hargitt worried about the most. While he'd already had a run in with Jhin about a supposed crime he knew they wouldn't be able to talk their way out of this one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 7:34 am
She focused her attention onto her friend, though she didn't seem to be struggling to get out of his hold. Rajani had almost no fight left in her anyways. Her energy was spent. And her own injuries were catching up to her. She had a headache from the hit to her head but she could work through that. Especially when she heard that Hargitt was dizzy and nauseous. Wasn't that a concussion? The hands she hand on his arm tightened a bit with worry. As he said they should leave she looked back toward Elsif then nodded slowly. She didn't want to be near the other shifter at all. She also didn't want to be in the area if someone came to see what all the noise was about. "Okay.." Raja stood there still, waiting for Hargitt to let go. Mainly she was worried if she moved too fast it would knock him off balance since he'd claimed he was dizzy. "We should find a healer for you." Briefly she thought about sending a healer out for Elsif as well but she didn't want to give him false hope that she cared enough to have him follow again. It was just that, as rough as Rajani came off and as aggressive as she seemed she wasn't a murderer. Turning her head away from the injured shifter on the ground she focused on other things.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:10 pm
[7/10] Once he was sure she had control of herself Hargitt released Rajani. Looking around, he tried to make note of everything they could pack up and what they could afford to leave behind if need be. There would be no hiding that this was a campsite; broken limbs, a firepit, and tracks would make sure of that. What they could do was make it so there was nothing directly linking it to them... It was hard to make a mental list of everything when his stomach kept flipping, but Hargitt place a hand to the side of his head and closed one eye to steady himself. It helped, but it was only a balm. "Grab what you can and we'll leave. We could start up a small controlled fire to bring attention to...him." That way at least someone would find him, but they wouldn't have to be the ones to bring attention to the area. "We can find a healer on the road."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:31 pm
When she was let go Rajani turned so that she could face her friend fully. Her eyes took in everything about him. The way he put his hand to his head and the way he spoke. It made her frown. But she heard his words and nodded. This mess was because of her and she needed to get him out of it. "Grab your bow but don't move too quick. I'll get the rest." Whether or not he listened was something else. The shifter moved quickly after that. She put things back in bags, less tidy that usual, and made sure to secure things tightly so that when the left nothing fell out. Eventually she'd need to repack things to fit better but she didn't have time to worry about that right now. When she'd snagged everything that she could, and most of it was stuff that could lead back to her or Hargitt, she grabbed the bags and made her way over to the windling. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you with me. You wouldn't be hurt then." She mumbled under her breath as she looked at the ground by his feet. The shifter moved uncomfortably before turning her head to the side to think. Raja just knew she needed to fix it. She had to find a healer for Hargitt, and soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
