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 Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:28 pm
Aurick awoke to the sensation of stones pressed against his cheek. He tried rolling into another position when a wave of nausea overcame him and halted all progress. For a moment he stayed where he was, content to just get his bearings and do anything other than what his rebelling stomach called for. Occasionally Aurick would open one of his eyes, take in the scenery around him and close them with a groan. Why was he outside? Where was he? And why was he on the ground?
Finally, when he felt brave enough, Aurick tentatively pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. The movement was enough to attract attention from his left and even though he couldn’t see the figure just yet, there was a similar groan and it was familiar. “Selim?” Was that his voice? He sounded awful…
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:30 pm
Unlike Aurick, Selim’s first act when he came to consciousness was to expel everything in his stomach. Just the act of getting up and shuffling away from the path was enough to make his nausea worse, so while his friend was coming too Selim was coughing up bile. His hair pins were gone, his shirt unbuttoned, and strands of filthy, sweat soaked hair fell around his face. He hadn’t felt this bad since he and Cyril had snuck out with their first bottle of gin. Was that it? Was it the liquor making him feel this way or-?
No time to think when he was too focused on being sick.
“Yeah…yeah it’s me…” He threw a handout and very nearly missed the tree he’d slumped up against. Selim chanced a look behind him to find Aurick in much the same position, albeit in the middle of the road. “…Where are we?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:31 pm
“…You don’t know?” Aurick tentatively sat back on his calves before adjusting himself back onto his rump. Selim looked awful and he knew he couldn’t look any better. As much as he wanted to help his friend Aurick was afraid that if he got up he’d lose consciousness completely. So, instead, he settled on looking at the area around them to see if anything jogged his memory.
They were in the countryside, which…wasn’t right. They’d started out drinking in a wagon near the back of the troupes camp outside of Zenner. Aurick couldn’t even see the outline of a city. “What was in that wine?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:34 pm
Selim’s body gave a half turn so that he could slide down against the tree. He settled in amongst the brush, little prickles scratching at his skin, but if the hybrid cared he didn’t show it. “It was just regular wine.” He knew that Aurick didn’t normally drink, which is why he’d gone for something lighter. Just an evening of talking, airing out their worries and coming together…that’s all he wanted. He had worries about this trip to Yael, Aurick had concerns over his family…It was supposed to be fun. “I’ve had it a hundred times before, but now…We’re on a road and we can’t be that far. It was just one night.” Right?
Too bad they had no way to check.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:35 pm
The pair stayed where they were long enough for Aurick to grow antsy. Even if they’d only been gone one night – because, honestly, he was panicking over that part – his family would grow worried. The sun was high enough now that the bakery should have already opened, and he hadn’t missed an opening in years. “Alright, alright…c’mon, up we go…” Whether he was convincing Selim or himself Aurick wasn’t sure.
He did manage to get to his feet, albeit shakily, before hustling over to Selim. Aurick braced himself against the tree with one hand and reached down for Selim with the other. When the hybrid fussed at him, he groaned, “Selim, come on, don’t fight me on this.”
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:38 pm
“Just go on then.” Selim twisted his head away from Aurick and cursed when his friends hand smacked against his face instead of his shoulder. “Get off it, Aurick, leave me alone…I can’t even look at the road without it spinning. And you want me to walk?” Selim clucked his tongue.
As much as he'd rather be curled up on a nice, warm cot back in the tent or even in the back of a wagon Selim was settled just where he was. Whatever this was would pass in a few hours and it wasn't as if his family wasn't used to him disappearing from time to time. Everyone in the troupe did it at some point; they'd go off chasing a dream, a skirt, some coin...Whatever called the loudest.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:38 pm
“I can’t carry you.” The larger of the two was starting to lose what little steam he had and begrudgingly found himself slumping down. Before he gave in completely Aurick took a deep breath, reached down for Selim’s boney shoulder, and gave it a tug. “You gotta walk and I’m not sleeping in the road again…we’re lucky we didn’t end up dead so move it.” Pausing, Aurick’s brow furrowed and he looked at the hybrid as Selim gingerly picked himself up. “Were with…with someone else?” Yeah…he remembered someone coming by to drive the wagon…then getting upset when they were found out. She’d told them to get out and…”You kissed the wagon driver.” Even at a half-slurred whisper, Aurick’s tone held a strong accusation.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:40 pm
Selim took a shaky, hiss of a breath and held Aurick’s clammy hand like it was a lifeline. He closed his eyes because he knew that if he looked at anything right now it was going to be all over. “Y-y-yeah, I did. Terrible kiss…she bit my tongue and punched me in the gut.” He remembered falling over into the same shrubbery he’d woken up in, but spirits the fall didn’t hurt nearly as much as waking up. After a few seconds Selim started to pat his side, then his leg, his shoulders….”She took everything…Do you have any gold?” If they had any hope of catching a ride back to the city they were going to need something.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 4:54 pm
Aurick pawed through his pockets and while he didn’t find gold he found-, “…I have a chunk of blue hair, a yellow ribbon and a…stone?” He didn’t know if he should be disgusted by the hair or intrigued. Why did he even have something like that? Tossing it into the brush, he lifted the stone instead and saw the way the sun glinted off it. “I think it’s a rune? Is it yours?” Aurick certainly had no taste for magic, but maybe Selim did?
He held it out for the other to inspect.
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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2023 5:02 pm
“Umm…Yeah, I think it’s hers.” When Selim opened his eyes it was to an area of the woods they hadn’t yet seen. The first thing that caught his attention was the overturned cart, the horses that were freely meandering about, and the unconscious driver.
The very same driver with light blue hair, one pigtail and presumably the owner of the second pigtail that Aurick had found in his pocket. “I remember falling…you got mad…there was a shuffle and she hit her head…What if she’s dead?” Now he moved with a little more urgency. Both men made it to the side of the carriage, Aurick using his weight to steady the carriage while Selim climbed up to where she was to check for a pulse. “She’s got a bump on her head and she’s out cold, but her colors good…pulse is steady too.”
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:02 am
That was something positive in their favor. "Brace yourself." Aurick waited until Selim had a hold on not only the wagon but the driver before hefting it into an upright position. For the most part it looked alright, save for the back right wheel. Thankfully even if he didn't know how best to handle it he knew that Selim would have an idea. Time on the road must have taught him a few tricks.
Now all that was left were the horses...."Think you can handle the wheel while I go after them?"
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:13 am
"Got it." He adjusted the driver until she was in a semi-comfortable position across the front seat before climbing over it into the back, then hopping down onto the ground. Selim took a minute to regain his balance and clung onto the edge of the cart while the world spun. Seriously, what was in that wine?
Looking the wheel over he determined that if they pushed it too hard the entire thing would crack. As it stood he could fashion a brace of sorts with scraps of fabric tied around some extra bits of wood he found. The fabric wasn't hard to find; he just ripped it off the driver's outfit.
While he was doing so, however, he caught a good look at Aurick from behind and what he saw made him nearly choke. Scrambling for the rune stone, Selim held it up in his line of sight.
The backside of Aurick's pants looked to have been burnt off completely. How the man hadn't noticed yet Selim had no idea, but there, in the middle of his left cheek, was the very same rune that was on the stone. Giving the stone one last look over he wisely tucked it into the driver's pocket and scurried back to the wheel.
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:25 am
Thankfully the horses weren't too far away. At first he'd only thought there were two, but after finding a third Aurick wondered if there hadn't been four. One's reigns were stuck on some nearby branches making it an easy catch while another seemed content to avoid him by inches and the third straight up wanted nothing to do with him. For a while the frustrated, exhausted baker thought about just leaving it to wander, but then thought better of it. The poor thing still had it's equipment on so it wouldn't be fair.
Occasionally he would stop to look back at Selim just to make sure the man hadn't fallen again, but he seemed focused on something in his hands. Maybe he was hurt? Or there could have been a bug-
A noise from overhead caught his attention and Aurick looked up. A skyship, one that was starting to descend, was passing. "Y'see that? If we go that way it'll take us to Zenner."
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:35 am
Should he say something? He had to, right? Especially if they ended up meeting others on the road..."Hey, Aurick, you might want to...Hang on." Selim reached back for the driver once more, pausing only when she made a groan before falling back asleep, and maneuvered the cloak off her shoulders. "Here, put this on or tie it around your waist. I don't mind the show, but everyone else might have an issue."
If it had been his brother Selim would have gladly let the man strut about in the buff, but doing anything bad to Aurick just made his heart hurt. The man was painfully kind.
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2023 7:43 am
"What?" Was he adjusting the reigns wrong? He only had basic knowledge when it came to this kind of thing because of his Aunt's farm so if something needed adjusted-
"Oh." Aurick's facial cheeks immediately darkened to a dusky orange and he tentatively turned his hip to look. Sure enough it was as bare as the day he'd been born and...charred? From his angle he couldn't see the rune mark, just the burnt edges around the fabric. Evidently the attack hadn't been strong enough to hurt or he was still really out of it because other than an ache he was fine.
Opting to tie it around his waist, Aurick gladly took the cloak and covered himself. "Do you think we should keep her up front with us or move her to the back? I'm kind of worried if she's sitting up she might fall out or if we're seen they'll think we did this."
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