Rogue and El- A Chance encounter

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Mon Jun 20, 2011 6:02 pm

As Kassandra headed eagerly down the side path, Armeno smiled. He caught one of the leaves she pushed aside and examine dit briefly- the plants here were always being added to and changed around, but he thought he remembered this particular tree. In fact, the area around the plunge pool was mostly left the same. It wasn't particularly popular... Most likely because of the noise. He couldn't think of another reason.

When Kassandra suddenly drew back from the pool, Armeno frowned and took another step towards it, only to see the quivering banner and step back just as she had done. He didn't see anything to do but hide as he recognised the prince, knowing that they shouldn't be eavesdropping, but... Really, you weren't meant to use a section of the gardens that the royals were in at the time even though it was officially public. Despite his qualms about listening in on the ruler's discussion, the elf listened with interest as the two men spoke. Once the pair had vanished from sight and earshot, he waited for a few moments to make sure they were really gone before sliding out from behind the tree and raking a hand through his hair, letting out a weary breath.
'I don't suppose there's any chance of that being a different dragon...' he sighed. 'And they need somebody to take care of it.' His instinct was to run back to the stables and chase after the beast at once, but of course he wasn't alone any more. And he wasn't sure he wanted to, either; he had been enjoying himself in the gardens with Kassandra and the animal wasn't even around right now. Surely it couldn't be too bad to finish their trip round the area...? 'What do you want to do?' he murmured to his companion. 'We can stay here... We should at least let Foen know if we're going to do anything, uh, drastic.' You're making excuses, he reprimanded himself angrily. Should he just go and fight the dragon at once? There was nobody else, after all.

Ciqala gave a sigh of relief as Foen burst through the door, stepping instinctively back when the sorcerer slammed the door. Despite the statue's nature, he pulled a face and shuddered at the noise. The same thing could just happen so easily to him... All the same, seeing the mangled figure did him some definite good. He stared at it for a few seconds, then quickly dismissed his forcefield when he noticed Foen's fingers sliding along it. At the sorcerer's words, the Homunculus looked sheepishly at the shelf he stood on.
'Uh, sorry... I'll... Help clear up? Really, we were just exploring...' He trailed off, not at all sure that his words would help his case, and hurried over to Zack. Kneeling beside the dragon, he picked up the wounded paw, took one look and turned away with another shudder. He couldn't blame his new friend for fainting... He was worried for the dragon, too. Zack was just extremely likable, though Ciqala could see how being on the recieving end of his antics such as the cutlery would be irritating.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:44 pm

As soon as the prince and his consort moved off further down the path, Kassandra let out the breath she had inadvertently been holding, her gaze drifting to Armeno’s face. Once the confusion at her sudden movement had faded, she could see his determination- for something that made her quail. Did he really want to go up against that… that monster for a second time? And so soon? After what it had done? She gave a silent sigh, leaning back against the tree that she had hidden behind and slowly sliding down its length to sit in a heap at its foot, staring blankly at the undergrowth for a moment before she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face in them. It hardly sounded like the elf wanted to stay, now there was work to go rushing off after- but as lucrative as the pay might have been, Kassandra had no wish to come even a mile near to the crazy lightning storm. And she knew it was crazy, and would never happen, but she wished the same for Armeno.

==X==

“Zip it, little one.” Foen wasn’t interested in Ciqala’s excuses, and as soon as he had let down his forcefield anxiously stroked two fingers along Zack’s side, his face twisting as he saw the state of the little paper dragon’s paw. “Oh, what have you done Zack, you silly little dragon.”

He suddenly gave a decisive sigh, and, rolling his sleeves a little further up so they wouldn’t fall down, gently scooped the little dragon into his hands, tucking his tail safely into the curve of his palm when it drooped limply aside. He looked at the statue, still mangled on the floor, then reached out his other hand for the homunculus to step onto. “Come on, you better come with me. We don’t want her waking up to find you still here, do we? And,” he looked at Zack briefly, worry crossing his features, “I think I might need your help fixing Zack, that’s a fiddly join, and I can’t do it on my own.”

When Ciqala was settled (or as settled as he could be, sitting on a human and all), Foen took the two back downstairs, shutting the door of the forbidden room firmly behind them. He didn’t want anyone else deciding to investigate while he was distracted, or the statue escaping even further than her cupboard. He picked up a pillow from one of the chairs downstairs and threw it onto the table, then set Zack in the middle of it, immediately going to one of his cupboards and rummaging around for the little kit he had made up specially to fix the special dragon. It was a relatively easy find and he was soon unpacking the contents of the bag onto the spare areas of the table, setting out glue to stick him back together and tiny thin strips of paper that would serve almost as new skin.
“Can you help me? I’ll put the glue on these strips, then you need to stick them over where he’s ripped. Can you do that?”

((HELLFIRE, I just got an idea! Thank you, Stardust soundtrack!))

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:36 pm

Seeing Kassandra's expression as his own face betrayed his thoughts, Armeno stepped closer to where she sank down against the tree. He crouched beside her and dithered for a moment, unsure of what to say, before notcing that her eyes were not entriely focused on the foliage before her. He opened his mouth to say something, not that he knew what, and reached out an arm to her, but in the next second she had hidden her face. Anxiously, the elf moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to her.
'I'm not going to go anywhere right now. I promise,' he murmured to her. What else could he say? Perhaps he would know how to comfort her better if he had spent more time talking to people and getting to understand how they thought- especially women and humans, seeing as he himself was a male elf. But instead, Armeno had devoted his life of over eighty years to training and fighting. It made him a lethal enemy, an expert with a sword and competent with nearly any weapon. However, he was definitely a warrior and not a counsellor.

As the homunculus had suspected, Foen didn’t want to hear Ciqala’s feeble words. He turned back to Zack and stroked his side, fingers hardly brushing the paper. As the sorcerer picked up the unconscious dragon, he scooted hastily out of the way.
‘Um, yeah. I mean, yeah, I’ll come. I obviously don’t want to be alone with her...’ Once more, the tiny man let his words trail off, knowing that they were more useless babble. Navigating his way with care, Ciqala stepped onto Foen’s hand with caution and slowly lowered himself to a sitting position, tiny hands grasping the edges of the human’s much larger one to keep himself steady.

Despite the fact that Zack was still far from healthy, a wave of relief washed through Ciqala as he was carried out of the room in which the statue stayed and the door was firmly shut behind him. Perhaps it wasn’t the strongest barrier around, but to Ciqala a door was a pretty big obstacle and he felt a lot safer with the statue shut behind it. The homunculus stepped thankfully onto the table, a much sturdier base than Foen’s hand, and watched as the man whirled about the room finding what he needed to tend to Zack.
‘Uh, you need me to help you? Yeah, I can do that.’ He held his hands out for the first piece of paper, not sure what else to do.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:03 pm

Kassandra let out a breath as Armeno suddenly pulled her close, leaning against his chest in the protective cocoon of his arms. You don’t want to go right now, but you’ll want to later, and then what do I do? I don’t want to face up against that dragon again, but I can’t very well let you go after her on your own, when she nearly… killed you last time. She knew she shouldn’t be relying on him so much- for gods sake, they had only known each other a few days, and they were sure to part ways again in a few more days time, yet here she was worrying her stupid head all about him, and they probably wouldn’t cross paths again! When had she ever gone so soft before. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying to ignore her fingers closed tightly around the fabric of his sleeve, and tried to harden her heart, hunting for the icy coldness she had worn so well before.

Hoping she had found her former self, she opened her eyes again and pulled his arms away, rising to her feet and brushing at a lock at hair that had fallen free of her ponytail, trying to ignore the fact that he was still there and she wanted to go back to his embrace again. She strode back onto the path, taking a deep breath as she stopped and looked towards where the waterfall was, behind a curtain of foliage and hammering down into the pool just out of sight. She doubted how long they would have in the garden, now they had new information on the dragon.

==x==

“I bet you don’t want to be with her.” muttered Foen as he clumped around the room downstairs, fetching a plate so he could paste the paper with glue without Ciqala having the danger of falling in and drowning himself. The sorcerer was quite used to compensating for a small friend, and while he tended to boss the little dragon around quite a bit, he did take into consideration his size. “Dunno who would. Girls!” He rolled his eyes and returned to the table, sitting at one of the chairs and inspecting Zack’s tear through a pair of oversized goggles that magnified both what he was looking at and his own eyes, so he looked like some sort of bug-eyed monster. He tutted them pulled them off, making his hair stick up at the front.

“Just lay them over the rip and press them down a bit, they’ll stick themselves down.” He poured a little glue onto the plate, spreading it out with a paintbrush, then added strips of paper to the mix, coating them thoroughly with the sticky mixture before he started passing them across the Ciqala as he needed them on the end of the paintbrush. Good thing Zack’s not awake he thought wryly, twisting the cap back onto his pot of glue. He hates this normally.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Jul 29, 2011 4:11 pm

Thankfully, Kassandra seemed to relax somewhat in his arms. Armeno stroked her hair slowly, the feel of it far smoother than when it had been matted with dirt and blood the previous day.

She seemed to have recovered at least partially when she straightened. The elf examined her face, trying to get a feel for her thoughts, but she had pulled herself free of him and turned away in seconds. Frowning now, and slightly worried, he hurried after her as she briskly made her way to the plunge pool. What had happened? One minute she had seemingly been scared of him going back to fight the dragon, now what? She was angry with him, perhaps? Merely restless? Perplexed, and none of his guesses particularly close to the truth, Armeno came closer to Kassandra and stood silently a few steps away from her, eyes travelling over the dark green trees which hung out over the water and the moist moss which covered their branches. The quietness which hung around them was strange; somehow utterly silent while the water crashed noisily into the pool and flowed away along the stream which they stood by. Leaves rustled and the calls of birds and sounds from other animals going about their lives could be heard all around, yet still the area seemed to be soundless. ((wth did I just write...? sorry.)) After a few moments, the elf spoke.
'You can go right round to the water's edge. It's louder, of course, but I really have never seen anyone else there.' He didn't add anything more, not knowing what she wanted to do now.

Watching Foen move around the room, Ciqala asked,
‘Um, what is she actually? Does she think and stuff? Why is she in your cupboard?’ He looked up as the man sat down, blinking in slight surprise as he saw the mutated-looking eyes. In the next second Foen had mostly returned to his normal appearance, and the homunculus turned to Zack’s paw as he was handed the paper to fix his new friend. His tiny hands moved deftly, easily able to manipulate the thin strips of paper on Zack’s equally small paw to repair it. It was one of the rare times when his size was a help rather than a hindrance- human hands were too large to do the fiddly job accurately. As he worked, Ciqala wondered how Foen usually patched Zack up.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:59 pm

When Kassandra heard the bushes rustle behind her as Armeno followed her back onto the path she started down towards the waterfall, weaving her way through the foliage that hung down over the path, pushing the odd heavy leaf out of her way with her wrist. Although her hands didn’t hurt, she didn’t want to aggravate the burns she had gotten and make them hurt. She came to a stop again when she reached the edge of the pool, the water crashing down over the rock face nearby and sending up a thin film of spray into the air, making everything slightly damp to the touch. Strangely, the water didn’t make the little cove cold; instead it seemed to bring down the heat from the weak sun shining overhead and made it comfortably warm, if a little humid.

She turned as she heard Armeno stop behind her, one corner of her mouth twitching up in a faint smile before she looked back at the water, picking her way carefully down the rocky path towards the water’s edge like Armeno had suggested. The rocks were slippery and it would have been easy to fall if you didn’t look where you were going. Halfway down the path she stopped and tugged off her gloves to get a better hold on the rocks that lined one side of the path, tucking her fingers into the little gaps between rocks.

Even with all her vigilance, on the one time she glanced behind her to see if Armeno was following she managed to loose her footing and went sliding to the ground, landing with a bump and a startled yelp, clutching at her fingers as they were wrenched out of the crack she had been holding onto. Ouch! At least she had been far enough away from the water not to fall in, which was a blessing, but even still, falling over was pretty embarrassing.

==X==

“She’s a present I got from an acquaintance of mine. She was one of his attempts at trying to make a living being, a bit like you or Zack. As you unfortunately discovered, she’s not the most… friendly of creatures. Which is why I keep her in my cupboard.” said Foen, looking sternly at Ciqala for a moment, his eyes twinkling, “And also so little mischiefs can’t get in to let her out.”

The homunculus was much faster and more precise with the little strips of paper Foen used to fix the paper dragon, and he watched with a little envy at the clever way he folded the paper over Zack’s torn edge, sticking it back together again. It wasn’t his favourite job (after all, if you thought about it, it was like stitching up a gaping wound, and that wasn’t the most pleasant of work), and he secretly hoped the little homunculus would stick around for a while- that way he wouldn’t have to patch up Zack again! That, and it was good for the dragon to have some friends his own size. After all, everyone had to get bored of being called cute.

When they had finally finished and Zack’s paw had been all patched up neatly, Foen pushed him back onto the pillow he had set down for the dragon, making sure he couldn’t turn over and rip his new skin before it had dried properly. Foen dumped the plate he had been using for the gluey paste into the sink then headed for the pantry, returning to the table with a bowl of fruit. He picked out a kiwi and a banana, then looked at Ciqala.
“Kiwi’ll keep Zack out of trouble for a bit, but what’ll stop you from getting into more mischief eh?”

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Sep 04, 2011 7:04 pm

As Kassandra moved off towards the water's edge, Armeno smiled and followed her closely.
'Be careful,' he warned her. 'The water laps up over the rocks sometimes and they get very slippery.' He moved over the stones with a practiced air, placing his feet in dips between the boulders which gave him as firm a base as possible. He used one hand to steady himself as Kassandra did, and the other was poised ready to catch her if she fell.

Sure enough, when the woman turned her head back to look at Armeno, she misplaced one of her feet and fell to the ground. His hand shot out and took hold of her arm just before she landed, taking away some of the impact.
'Are you alright?' he asked her, swiftly taking another two steps to stand in front of her. His eyes fell upon the fingers that she held in her other hand, and he gently took hold of her wrist and pulled it towards him.
'I just want to check your fingers weren't hurt when they were pulled out from the rocks,' he explained. A brief examination soon revealed that her hand was undamaged, but the elf kept hold of Kassandra as he took another step forwards.
'I won't let you fall again,' he assured her.

True to his word, he guided her safely along the rest of the path to the plunge pool. The water crashed heavily down to the ground, making droplets fly up and spray the two of them with a light misting of water. Armeno drew his cloak around him to shield himself from it, and then glanced around the rest of the area. The abundant water made the place even greener than the surrounding land, with trees clustered in every spare spot and ferny plants sprung up in the gaps between them. Moss lay in thick coats over the trunks and branches of the trees, and the rocks by the edge of the water were similarly adorned. The area was strangely warm, giving it a humid air.

Armeno quickly led Kassandra to a bank of moss close to where the waterfall met the pool and sat himself on it, pulling his cloak out to the side for the woman to sit on. Glancing up at her face, he puzzled over what she was thinking.

~*~

Ciqala raised his eyebrows at Foen's words, smoothing another strip of paper across Zack's paw.
'Like me or Zack, huh?' he repeated. He was quiet for a few seconds before he asked Foen,
'Does she... Think, and stuff? What did she want?' He couldn't help but be disturbed by Foen's words-presumably something had gone wrong in the making of the statue, and it reminded the homunculus horribly of the many failed experiments his creator had made before finally getting it right with Ciqala. But he didn't particularly want to dwell on those thoughts, and so he pushed them firmly aside as he continued to work on Zack.

Once they had finished, Ciqala wiped the glue off his hands and onto his trousers before it could stick his fingers together- they wouldn't be coming apart any time soon if that happened. He stood a little awkwardly on the table as Foen moved around the house busily. When the man placed the bowl of fruit on the table, Ciqala quickly approached it and peered over it's edge at the fruit within.
'Do you have any blackberries?' he asked hopefully, glancing up at the man before returning to scanning the bowl's contents. They were his favourite fruit- the tiny spheres that they were made up of were easy for him to eat, which was a large factor.

'Uh, also... Will Zack be okay? Is he just gonna wake up and carry on?' If only it was that easy for Ciqala to heal- while he didn't envy the dragon's flimsy paper body, homunculi were created with extremely powerful and skillful magic and the materials they were originally made from was turned to flesh and blood that healed just like any other creature would.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Mon Sep 05, 2011 5:27 pm

Kassandra jerked to a halt as Armeno caught her, making sure she had properly found her feet as he checked over her hand and fingers. She didn’t flinch once, which said something about how much of an influence he already had been on her- why, she hadn’t stuck with someone for this long for… well, she didn’t quite know. She gave him a weak smile, letting him lead her further towards the plunge pool. Who thought the day would come, when she would be relying on someone else’s balance to help her? Although… that wasn’t really a bad thing, was it?

The closer they got to the plunge pool, the louder it was, until the rush of water over the falls nearby was almost deafening. She watched her footsteps carefully- the little rock on the path was as slippery as ice, and the moss and other greenery that sprung everywhere sent up little explosions of water as she stepped on them, quickly drenching the toes of her boots. More water made the air thick, and even before she had time to pull up the hood of her cloak her hair was covered with a fine misting. She pulled her hood up anyway, belatedly realising that, wet as she was now, she wouldn’t be able to use her electricity until she had dried out properly. Although, she didn’t think there would be anything more dangerous in the gardens than… well, probably them themselves.

She rubbed the back of her free hand over her face as Armeno lead her over to a soft patch of moss to one side of the plunge pool, feeling the water soak through her bandages. As he pulled out the side of his cloak for her to sit on, a surprisingly chivalrous gesture that she hadn’t had extended to her before, her eyebrows quirked downwards briefly, then she sat down too, a faint smile on her lips. It was easy to forget they were in the middle of Racksom- there was nobody else around, probably put off by the Prince who had just been at the waterfall, and the noise and the dampness of the place. She sighed and closed her eyes, tentatively leaning over and resting her head against Armeno’s shoulder. The sound of the waterfall rushing past only a few metres filled the air, cutting out any sense of time moving past- everything was just stuck like it was, until they decided to leave. Just… not yet.

==X==

Picking up a knife too, Foen went back to the table and started peeling fruit, cutting the kiwi into little chunks and dropping them into a bowl for Zack, when he eventually woke up. He shook his head at Ciqala’s question, then pulled a face.
“Well, she doesn’t think as lucidly as you two, or me, I know that much for sure. She can’t talk, and she’s not very good at anything other than trying to get what she wants,” he said. “But I think she does understand you, if you talk to her- and she definitely doesn’t like me, for shutting her up in the cupboard. But it’s better than her getting out- it seems she just wants to destroy things. She got out once… it wasn’t a pretty sight…” he grimaced, almost slicing off one of his fingers as he absentmindedly looked away from what he was doing. “She got hold of this bird…”

He was jerked out of his thoughts as the homunculus asked another question, putting down the knife he was holding and dropping the last couple of pieces of sliced banana into the bowl in front of him. “Yep, I can get you blackberries right off the bush,” he said with a grin, jumping to his feet and moving to the window over the sink. It was dark and didn’t let much light through- the reason became apparent as he undid the lock and it burst open, thick tangles of bramble spilling into the kitchen. Blackberries hung from every available space, a few of the softer ones dropping right into the sink below.

Foen picked a few off the plant then forced the window shut again, hissing as he poked the last stubborn stalks back and they tried to snag him on their long thorns. He managed to find another bowl in a cupboard and scooped the fresh load of blackberries into it, putting it down in front of Ciqala and pushing it towards him. “Help yourself. Zack’ll be fine, you’ve done a grand job.” He poked the little dragon in the side. “He should wake up sooner or later; he can’t resist the smell of food. That paw’ll be a bit sore for a couple of days, and he’s not allowed to use it as much as he normally does, but after that he’ll be right as rain.” The sorcerer grinned, stabbing a piece of kiwi on the tip of his knife and eating it. “I’d take advantage of him snoozing for now, because there’s not going to be much when he does wake up."

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Sep 07, 2011 8:00 pm

Despite the fact that Armeno had chosen to live his life on the move, he was enjoying the chance to just stop for a moment in a place so undisturbed as this. The water wasn't far off a painful volume for him, but he knew from experience that he would begin to block it out after a little while with the constant noise. It was a relief when Kassandra sat next to him, her side pressed against his so that she could fit on the cloak. As she rested her head on his shoulder, he shifted slightly so that he could wrap his arms around her and pull her a little closer to him. He smoothed back stray strands of hair which had escaped her hood, sprayed with fine droplets of water, so that they were beneath the brown fabric. He adjusted her cloak to better protect her from stray water, and then he just sat still, holding her. It was a good thing that all he had to do right now was look after her- he didn't have the slightest idea of what he would do if she were acting as she had been before she went into shock.

~*~

Ciqala shuddered as Foen explained a little more about the statue woman thing to him, watching the sorcerer's movements almost as absent-mindely as the man himself. As the knife slipped towards his fingers, however, the homunculus flinched and jerked his hand up, instinctively forming an unneeded and too-late forcefield between his hand and the knife's sharp blade. He instantly let it disappear and watched with more focus as Foen moved over to the window and flung it open, revealing an extremely fruitful blackberry bush. He licked his lips as the fruit practically fell into the man's hands- how long had it been since he last ate? Too long, at any rate. He could definitely manage a blackberry or two. As the brambles threatened to scratch the sorcerer, he deflected a few with forcefields.

'Thanks,' he said with a quick grin as the bowl was set down on the table. He quickly crossed over to it and plucked a blackberry from it, prising off one juicy segment and popping it between his teeth.
'Mm, they're good,' he commented appreciatively, eating a second piece of the fruit. 'I don't know Zack that well yet, but I don't see him being too happy about staying off his paw. Oh, and you don't need to worry about there not being enough for me... Most I've ever eaten at once is four large blackberries, and that didn't really end well.' He made a face- he'd learnt his lesson about overeating there. It was so easy when he found a bush, though... And there were a lot of blackberry bushes around.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Sep 07, 2011 9:26 pm

]The smile stayed on Kassandra’s face as Armeno wrapped his arms around her, her eyes flicking briefly open as his fingers grazed her face, pushing back the odd strands of hair that had managed to come free of her ponytail. The dampness from the waterfall started to fade as they sat together for a while, their shared heat drying their clothes out nicely. But the longer they sat there, the more sticky and humid the air seemed to get, until it was like a smothering blanket.

Then all of a sudden it started to rain, huge raindrops pelting down out of the sky to smash against the foliage and water and path. The plants nearest to Kassandra and Armeno trembled as raindrops battered them mercilessly, the sky black with heavy clouds. They must have moved in very fast, because Kassandra hadn’t seen them coming. She shrunk back inside her cloak, squinting up at the sky, then jumped to her feet, taking hold of Armeno’s hand and starting back up the winding path they had taken down to the plunge pool. If she had thought it slippery before, it was now treacherous underfoot, the stones laced with rainwater, and if she hadn’t been holding onto the elf’s hand she would have surely fallen over.

She bolted for the stables as soon as they were out of the little patch of woodland that surrounded the waterfall, picking up the front of her dress with her spare hand so she could run faster as they dashed across the open gardens, the grass already squelchy underfoot. The rain thundered down unmercifully, giving them no respite as they ran for cover.

==X==

Foen smiled as the homunculus dug into the bowl of blackberries, picking through the other pieces of fruit in the two bowls and munching on the pieces he liked the look of most.
“Mmm, he won’t be happy. But that’s the way it is, and he has to learn,” said the sorcerer through a mouthful of banana, turning his knife around and poking the little dragon with the blunt end. “Oi, wake up you lazy little thing!”

“Maybe you should try a bit of kiwi or something instead?” suggested Foen. “We don’t want you turning purple, eating too many blackberries.” He picked one out for himself- if he ate them all, then he wouldn’t have a sick Ciq. on his hands. And, they tasted pretty good too. As he reached out for another berry, his hand stopped half-way, a little movement nearby, on the cushion, catching his eye.

Merrhhhh…

Zack’s head hurt as he finally returned to consciousness, rubbing one paw over his muzzle before he groggily sat up, blinking. The world swam in front of him then zipped into view, most foremost of which was… kiwi?! He licked his lips and shuffled forwards, snaking his tail off the pillow. As he put a little weight on his front paws, padding forwards, one slipped from underneath him, making him quite literally head-desk.
“Ouch,” he told the table, then rolled onto his back, tucking his paws in pathetically like a hungry puppy. “Feed me?”

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Sep 09, 2011 6:34 pm

Armeno had been watching Kassandra's peaceful face as they sat there, and he started as the first cold drop of rain landed on him. He immediately scrambled to his feet, keeping his head down so the rain didn't land on his face as he slipped his hood up. He hadn't exactly let go of Kassandra, but he willingly took her hand as she did his and hurried to the rocky path. He had difficulty keeping himself upright, moving cautiously over the rocks and wedging his hands and feet into every available crack. It didn't help that he was holding Kassandra up as well some of the time, but he would much rather fall himself than let her slip.

Once they made it out of the trees, Armeno ran with the woman, keeping his cloak wrapped tightly around him with his free hand. A stableboy had his head stuck out of the stable door. His hair hung in bedraggled clumps and a constant stream of water ran off his chin. His face was bright red from the cold of the water. As soon as he saw Armeno and Kassandra approaching, he reached down, ready to open the door. He flung it open as they thankfully stepped inside, closing it firmly behind them. Various other sodden visitors of the garden stood around the stables, filling the building with their chatter. Armeno pushed his hood down and took off his cloak, showing an attendant the slips of paper they had been given when they dropped the horses off. He nodded and took it, gesturing towards the two stalls. Armeno made his way over to Velox's stall and leant against the wall in it, stroking his horse with the hand that wasn't holding Kassandra's.

~*~

Ciqala nodded at Foen’s words, slipping another piece of blackberry between his lips.
‘Hm, kiwi?’ he said musingly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had it.. Most fruits are too big for me to get myself.’ He gave a regretful grimace as he reached into the bowl of kiwi and withdrew a cube. He popped it into his mouth and chewed for a few seconds. ‘Mm, it’s good!’ he declared, swallowing and taking a second piece before returning to his blackberry. ‘Still not the best, though,’ he added.

As Zack moved behind him, the homunculus looked round and gave the dragon a grin.
‘Finally woke up, then?’ He gave a snort of laughter as his new friend introduced his head to the table, before looking incredulously at Zack when he made his request.
‘No way am I feeding you. Tell you what, though...’ Ciqala gave the bowl of kiwi a shove, muscles straining, and it moved a couple of inches further away from where Zack lay. ‘There,’ he said with a teasing smile.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Sep 09, 2011 8:28 pm

Water sprayed behind the pair as they dashed across the last garden, the sight of a person looking out for any last stragglers a relieving sight. Kassandra dashed through the door that was opened for them, skidding to a halt inside. The sudden change from the solitary rain to the warm, busy little room was startling, and Kassandra kept close to Armeno as he showed one of the palace stablehands the little slip he had been given for their horses, thankful when they moved away from the other people into the relatively quiet stables. Tamarisk was nodding quietly in his stall, laid on his side and peacefully munching on the odd strands of hay he pulled out of a basket hanging on the wall. Kassandra let him be, following Armeno into Velox’s stall.

The rain still hammered down on the tin roofs of the stables as they sat with the arab, Kassandra twirling pieces of hay together into an aimless pattern. It made a comforting background noise, cutting out the noise of chatter in the main room. She pulled off the brown cloak she was wearing, laying it on the floor to dry out while they waited for the rain to die down a bit, straw sticking to its underside. More straw stuck to the bottom of her dress and she impatiently brushed it off, which only succeeded in making it stick to her wet sleeves. She gave up with a huff, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and letting her waves down so they could dry properly. It looked like they might be in for a wait at the stables…

==X==

As Zack headbutted the table, Foen laughed along with Ciqala, propping his chin up with one hand as the little dragon rolled over and demanded to be fed. It seemed like the little homunculus had already gotten past the “aww, he’s so cute!” stage of his friendship with the paper dragon (if he had even had one at all to begin with), and was right on track for the dragon to be a true friend, instead of just an acquaintance that he could sponge off of for food.
“Keep your weight off that paw Zack, it’s not completely fixed yet,” he said as the dragon peered backwards, making a sad face as Ciqala shoved the bowl of fruit further away from the dragon. Perspective was so different when you were only ten inches tall.

“Aw, you meanie!” squeaked Zack, rolling back onto his stomach and half-flapping, half- slithering his way towards the half-empty bowl of fruit. He yelped pathetically every time he put any weight on his front paw, eventually drooping pitifully over the edge of the bowl, pretending he was so weak he couldn’t even stretch out to pick up a piece of fruit. Foen watched him disbelievingly, raising one eyebrow as the little dragon’s good paw darted out and scooped up the biggest piece of kiwi left, munching with relish before hooking out a few more pieces and flicking them onto the table, where he set to eating them as fast as he could.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Sep 24, 2011 3:36 pm

As Kassandra had done, Armeno laid out his cloak to let it dry. When he turned back to her and saw her trying to brush away the straw that had stuck to her clothing, he smiled and stepped closer to her. He swiftly began to pick the pieces of straw one at a time, dropping them back onto the floor of the stall. After a minute or so, he shook his head ruefully.
'It's probably best to just wait until our clothes have dried off,' he said, sitting next to her. When she let her hair down he caught a lock between his fingers and played with it, turning it this way and that so that it caught what light there was in the stable and glimmered more of a reddish colour. Releasing it, he looked over Kassandra's face. She still hadn't spoken... But she seemed mostly fine otherwise. Maybe he could coax her into a conversation? It would almost feel strange to hear her voice now, he reflected. But all the same, he would try.
'Did you enjoy the gardens?' he asked quietly, looking straight into her eyes and hoping that he could get her talking again.

~*~

Watching Zack flop his way pathetically across the table as if he were a fish, Ciqala couldn't restrain another snort of laughter. He smiled as the dragon snared the pieces of kiwi.
'Careful you don't eat too much of that, Zack. Your stomach can't be much bigger than mine.' He glanced up at Foen.
'Does he always eat like this?' Another look back at Zack showed the tiny creature wolfing down yet another chunk of kiwi. 'He must make himself sick all the time,' said the homunculus, shaking his head in bewilderment at his new friend's greed.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Sep 25, 2011 9:46 pm

A light smile flickered briefly over Kassandra’s lips as Armeno twisted a piece of her hair between his fingers, looking up into his eyes. She nodded at his question, but he didn’t get any more than that, even quieter than the rain. It pattered down onto the roof, only starting to slow after quite a while of the two just sitting and listening to it.

When they finally ventured out from the shelter of the stables, the rainclouds moving away off towards the Everplains, the gardens were dark and shiny. Every little surface sparkled gently in the weak sunlight that tried to push its way through. A light misty rain still fell, making the air feel damp and heavy, like it had been when they were near the waterfall. Many people still sheltered inside the stables, afraid to mar the bright dresses and finery they wore, but Kassandra had few qualms about such trivialities. She just tied her cloak back around her shoulders and led Tamarisk out by his reins, tilting her head for Armeno to follow. The gardens were much too wet underfoot to explore any further.

Instead, she turned away from them again, leading both her horse and Armeno back towards where they had come from. The streets were quite empty, everyone still in hiding as they sheltered from the rain, so Kassandra was able to lead the elf boldly to where she was heading. After a short walk she tied Tamarisk to a ring set into the wall of a building, gesturing for Armeno to do the same. She took his hand and led him through a small, inconspicuous archway down a nearby alley, matching her steps with his as they walked up the long flight of thin steps that lay beyond it.

==X==

Zack snorted in contempt at Ciqala’s words, still eating as many pieces of kiwi as he could snaffle in one go. “Pfft,” he said, “I’m highly trained in the kiwi-eating department. You won’t find another paper dragon around that’ll be able to eat their way through half a kiwi in one sitting, on my word.” He held up his paw solemnly, a grin on his face as his eyes flicked briefly from the homunculus to the next available piece of fruit. “I bet I can top my record…”

“Okay, I think you two have probably had enough now,” said Foen hurriedly, scooping the few pieces of fruit that had been abandoned on the table back into the bowl and quickly standing. “Now, why don’t you two go and see the plants in my conservatory, hmm?” He moved the rest of the fruit to his desk, carefully balancing it on top of a precarious pile of papers. “I would send you both to the bakery, but its raining, and Zack you can’t carry any buns back now, not with that paw of yours.”

“The conservatory’s the second door on the left, okay? Don’t get the wrong one!” he continued, leaning back against his desk and looking at the pair sternly. “Mind the bees, I have a hive in there near the open window at the furthest end. If I find the two of you covered in stings and honey, I’m not going to be very sympathetic, hear me?”

((Hopefully we can start to match up timelines again after these little adventures, then on to the big finale! (8 First you have to make Kassie talk though... Hints required? Razz

))

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Tue Oct 04, 2011 7:51 pm

The thick, dark cloak was almost completely dry by the time the rain let up, and so Armeno refastened it around his neck as Kassandra took her horse from the next stall. He willingly followed the woman when she tilted her head, taking his own stallion’s reins and leading him out after Tamarisk.

He was happy for Kassandra to choose their route as they left the gardens. Velox’s newly shod hooves clattered loudly against the stones on the path. The elf was thankful that the paving slabs had been chipped at and made rough by the many sharp hooves treading over them, making them easier to walk on when wet than the lethally slippery paths which wove through the gardens. They could almost be worse than the rocks along by the waterfall- at least those had had crevasses and notches to hold onto.

As Kassandra made her way through the city, Armeno following closely behind, he noted their path with interest. It wasn’t a route he recognised, but Kassandra clearly had a destination in mind- he wondered what it was. He swiftly bound Velox to another ring and followed the woman though the archway. As they began to climb the stairs, he almost unconsciously shadowed her movements, ready to catch her if she should slip on the wet steps.

~*~

Ciqala had to suppress his laughter at Zack’s words.
‘I’m sure... You must’ve practiced hard for that. But it doesn’t mean it’s a good thing to eat yourself sick.’ The homunculus snared one last cube of kiwi as Foen swept it away, chewing the fruit appreciatively. ‘Mm. It does taste good, though.’

As Foen directed the two of them towards the conservatory, Ciqala looked up at Zack in interest.
‘What’s in there? Have you been in there before?’ He didn’t doubt that there’d be something interesting- he was quickly learning that Foen’s house wasn’t exactly the sort of place you’d describe as boring.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Mon Oct 10, 2011 5:30 pm

The flight of steps that Kassandra led Armeno up was only short, leading between two grey walls up to a wrought iron gate at the top, the thick lock rusty and usused where the rain had got to it. It was pulled shut, but she just pushed it open, the hinges squealing indignantly from lack of use. She pushed it shut against after them once they were both inside, turning back to the front and giving a small sigh of relief.

With the dark black clouds billowing thick overhead, the rock roof in front of them was really something to see. It was empty except for themselves and a few birds lined up on one wall, huddled up in big fluffballs against the cold. The rest of the… well, it could be called a garden, but it was more like a rockery, was littered with stones of all sizes, some piled up into great big towers that hid smaller paths around the backs of them. Little air plants nestled amongst the rocks, lichens turning the odd spot a bright greeny blue or a darker brown. It wasn’t very big, but it was secluded, and as far as Kassandra knew, nobody else used it- apparently something about a ghost?

She followed the little path around the biggest pile of rocks, her shoes crunching lightly on the soil underfoot. There was a view all across the rooftops of the rest of the city- or at least, the small rooftops. The rocks formed a rugged arch over the pathway in front, an old swing tied to it hanging down. She slipped onto its familiar seat, rocking herself back and forwards slightly on her toes.

==X==

Zack had to content himself with licking off the last of the juice smeared on his paws, carefully making sure it hadn’t soaked through his paper. “Yup, I’ve been up to the conservatory before. There are plants and stuff.” He nodded, then added hurriedly, “But not ones that eat you or anything! Come on, I’ll show you.”

The little paper dragon waited until Ciqala was safely tucked between his wings on his back, then shuffled to the edge of the table and launched himself off it, flapping his wings frantically so they didn’t just plunge right into the floor. He flew straight up the staircase and into the room that Foen had told them to go to, the door slightly ajar so he could squeeze through into it.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Oct 19, 2011 6:34 pm

It didn’t look like the place Kassandra had taken him to got a lot of visitors, and Armeno had a moment of doubt over its accessibility when he saw the closed gate, but it swung open with only a little resistance from its unoiled hinges when Static pushed it. The elf wasn’t at all sure whether that was because it was unlocked or because the lock had rusted through, but he said nothing and stepped through the gate, scanning their surroundings with interest.

The place certainly wasn’t what he had expected- that is, it surprised him. He hadn’t exactly had any expectations. He brushed a finger along the crusty coating of lichen on a rock, quickly removing it when a piece flaked off under his hand. He vaguely wondered how long it had been since the rockery was in use. It was far from well-tended, but somebody had obviously gone to the effort of arranging all the stones at some point... It couldn’t have been all that long ago, seeing as Racksom hadn’t been around forever, but the garden was obviously quite old.

He paced slowly around the area, taking in all the rocks and the few other things living on them, before treading quietly up behind Kassandra and taking a seat next to her on the swing.
‘When were you last in Racksom?’ Armeno asked her a little absent-mindedly, not really expecting an answer. She obviously knew parts of the city relatively well, and he suspected that she had spent a fair amount of time in this rockery before now, but other parts of Racksom were apparently entirely unknown to her- and he knew absolutely nothing of her history. After a few moments, he realised that she also knew nothing of his, and he was once again reminded of how short a time he had known her for. Despite this, he felt more relaxed and at ease than he had for a long time with her. He wanted to break every clock... They could stay in that moment for the rest of their lives. But he knew that the dragon’s rampage wasn’t over, and he also knew that sooner or later he was going to go and kill it. But with the way Kassandra had looked when he had mentioned it back in the palace gardens... He couldn’t help but hope that somebody else would get there before him- or that it would just leave.

~*~

‘Plants. Sounds fun,’ nodded Ciqala, only slightly sarcastically. At Zack’s last words, though, his mouth curved into a smile. ‘Well, them not eating us is a definite plus.’
He climbed carefully onto the dragon’s back, still not at all used to the unnerving sensation of having nothing under his feet. Perhaps he sometimes walked on invisible forcefields, but there was still something for him to stand on then even if he couldn’t see it. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut when his new friend leapt off the table and headed for the floor, a forcefield flickering beneath them like a safety net without the homunculus realising he was creating it. But when he felt Zack’s flight level out and then tip upwards as he flew towards the conservatory, Ciqala let his eyes slide open again and watched their surrounding whiz past much faster than they should have been able to. Still not comfortable with riding the dragon, he winced as they passed through the narrow gap between the door and its frame before looking around the conservatory with interest.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:29 pm

Watching from the swing, Kassandra followed Armeno’s inspection of the rock garden before shuffling across on the seat so he could sit next to her. It was just big enough for two; it had always felt empty when she had come to the rock garden by herself, and now she realised why. The place was meant to be shared, not hidden away like some sort of forbidden secret that would die with the last person that knew about it. The clock had been ticking down, but she hadn’t noticed it until now.

“Are we on borrowed time?” she whispered, pulling her eyes away from the thick banks of cloud that hung low over the city and looking at the elf that sat next to her. Everything was so quiet, calm, nothing coming to disturb their solitarily peace, yet there were things hovering on the near horizon that they could anticipate. They just weren’t feeling the effects of them yet. It was like the weather was foreshadowing the events to come. She gulped and turned to lean her face against Armeno’s chest, wishing everything else would just go away. But that wouldn’t happen, would it? Fate was just too cruel for that.

==X==

The conservatory wasn’t the biggest room in Foen’s house, but it sure was… strange. Zack almost did a double take in the air, hovering before he landed on the doorhandle.
“Well this isn’t like what it was like in here last time I came to Foen’s house…” he said, tipping his head curiously to one side. Where the conservatory had just been full of standard plants at one stage, it was now decked with coloured cobwebs, luminous wooden spiders stuck in their centres, the plants splattered with what looked like neon paint (but it glowed, plants weren’t supposed to glow, especially when they were just standard houseplants- there was a particularly vibrant looking cheeseplant) and a row of spectacularly cut pumpkins on one window ledge.

“Someone’s been busy,” he said in awe, taking off to flutter on deeper into the conservatory. “We could have the best game of hide and seek in here.”

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:07 am

Borrowed time? The question didn’t exactly seem cheery, and Armeno puzzled over how to answer, gazing out over the city, before starting and staring down at Kassandra. She’d spoken! Admittedly, she didn’t sound entirely recovered, but it had to be better than her previous silence.
‘This time is ours,’ he replied softly. After a pause, though, he added, ‘But I don’t know how long that will last.’ He didn’t like saying it, but he liked lying to her even less. When she turned and leant against him, his arms instinctively encircled her protectively. The elf’s eyes slid back up to the horizon and he stared out at it absentmindedly, absorbed in the thoughts that whirled restlessly through his mind.

~*~

‘So it’s not normally like this?’ asked Ciqala warily, slowly taking in the garishly decorated room. He reached out and touched a glowing leaf which hung next to his head, frowning. ‘This is for Halloween, I guess... Is Foen always this keen on it, or is it just this year?’ At Zack’s last words, he let out a quick laugh. ‘That’s definitely true. I’ve never really played it before. I guess I’d have an unfair advantage on most people, because I can fit into smaller spaces, but I don’t really have anyone to play with anyway.’ He shrugged and brushed his finger against an intricate design of a bat that had been carved into a pumpkin that they passed.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Tue Oct 25, 2011 3:42 pm

Kassandra took comfort in Armeno’s arms wrapped around her, relaxing into his embrace. He was right- the time was theirs, and even though it wasn’t infinite, it only made it more precious. Everything was in its proper place now, and although it would change, she knew that nobody could take away from them what they already had.

==X==

“Uhm, not really,” replied Zack to his rider’s question, eyes still wide at all the decorations. Sure, Halloween was something exciting to be looking forward to, but Foen certainly was preparing early- it was only the start of autumn! Nevertheless, the little paper dragon couldn’t complain on the decorations, as they just made it all the more exciting. He fluttered down to a leaf, letting the little homunculus down onto the ground before swinging up into the air again.
“Alright, you go hide somewhere, I’ll come find you!” A big grin spread across his face as he put his paws over his eyes and eagerly started counting.

Part two- Return of the foe

A light wind blew the autumn winds up into the night air, making them look like night butterflies as they flew down the streets of Racksom. A couple of weeks had passed since Tabri, the dragon that had been haunting Racksom, had attacked, and tension throughout the city was mounting to breaking point. Some of the more shady sectors of the city had quite lucrative markets in taking bets on when the savage dragon would return, but so far people had only been making losses.

Others in the city had been furiously ignoring the unspoken threat, those who didn’t want to know, or didn’t want to believe in the carnage that the dragon’s return would inevitably bring. Every day ticked slowly past, wasted by some, savoured by others who knew what the days really meant. Because Tabri’s return might mean something worse for some than it did for others. Kassandra had been denying it, but she knew that when the dragon returned, Armeno would go and fight. Tonight felt like the night that the rogue lightning storm would attack the city again, and she wasn’t going to let Armeno out of her arms.

She tucked herself closer to his side as she snuggled down further under the blankets of the bed they shared, trying to stifle her yawns. Sleep was being anything but elusive. The fact was, Armeno’s chest just made too good a pillow, and she was so tense during the days waiting for Tabri to attack that she was worn out.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Tue Oct 25, 2011 5:00 pm

Unlike Kassandra, Armeno was having no problems staying awake. His arms were wrapped loosely around her, and he stared up at the ceiling, not thinking about anything in particular but content to just lie there holding her. When she moved, shifting herself closer to him, he looked down at her with a smile and brushed back the hair that so often fell across her face.
'You look tired,' he informed her softly as he studied her face, noting the shadows under her eyes and the yawns she repeatedly attempted to stifle. 'Go to sleep.' He smoothed the hair back from her face again and pulled her closer to him in a brief hug.

Suddenly, a loud crash outside disturbed them. Armeno started and sat up, staring at the window of their room.
'Stay there,' he told Kassandra firmly, sliding out of the bed and taking a few long strides over to the window. He stared out for a couple of seconds before catching sight of a purple flash in the distance and mouthing a string of violent curses against the source of the disturbance. He took a moment to compose his face before turning back to Kassandra.
'Just a stray dog knocking something over,' he lied to her. He hated doing it, but it was necessary- he knew what he had to do, and he knew that she wouldn't let him if she knew about it. He paused for a moment before turning to the door.
'I'm going to get a glass of water, I'll be back in a moment,' he told her. 'Would you like one too?'

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:10 am

Kassandra smiled gently as Armeno pushed the familiar strands of hair back out of her face, closing her eyes as he pulled her closer. “I’m not tired,” she protested, but the way she couldn’t keep her eyes open didn’t really help her case. Didn’t help her case at all, but she wasn’t going to submit to sleep, not yet.

The sudden noises outside made her blink her eyes open for a second time, freezing in place as Armeno slid upright. Was it? It couldn’t be… was it the dragon returned once more? She wrapped her arms around the edge of the bedcovers as the elf slid out of bed and went to the window, watching him anxiously. Despite her fear, she still couldn’t get rid of the overwhelming desire to just close her eyes and go to sleep, still too caught up in her dreamy state.

“A dog?” A light frown creased her face at his words- it had been quite loud- but then again, a dog knocking something over outside would have made a lot of noise. She yawned and snuggled down under the blankets again, stealing the heat from the spot where Armeno had been before.
“No, I’m okay,” she said in reply to his question. At this rate, she would be asleep by the time he was back.

==X==

It was time for some more carnage. Too many long days had passed without Tabri destroying things, and she had gotten tired and fed up of waiting to properly heal. Not that she was doing anything to help her wounds close- she had been annoying them constantly, and they weren’t in the most pleasant of shape. It ached to fly, but she ached being on the ground, being “bedridden”, having to take care.

That was all going to change now. Now it was time to destroy things again- and make as much mess of it as she could. If Racksom thought that it had been bad before, then they could think again.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Oct 28, 2011 11:44 am

Armeno nodded in confirmation as Kassandra repeated his words, before moving off towards the door again.
'Alright, I won't be long,' he murmured, slipping quietly out of their room and making his way down the corridor. He descended the stairs with care, trying not to let them creak or make any noise, and then hurried over to the cluttered shelves and tables where Foen kept all his equipment for sorcery. Guiltily, the elf rifled through the various glass bottles littered over the area, peering at the labels scrawled on each one and trying to make them out in the almost non-existant light. With a huff of irritation, he grabbed a nearby candle and lit it with a spark off his fingers before resuming his search. It didn't take him too long to find the vial of blue liquid, and he retrieved a glass of water before heading back upstairs with his find.

Once back inside their room, Armeno placed his water on the table next to the bed before sliding back under the heavy blankets. Propping himself up on one elbow, he examined Kassandra's face to see if she was sleeping yet or not.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Nov 27, 2011 10:28 pm

Kassandra fell into a light, daydreaming doze as Armeno got himself a drink from downstairs, one arm wrapped over the top of the blankets, the other drawn up to her chest. She couldn’t sleep quite yet though- despite the short time she and Armeno had been together, it didn’t feel right going to sleep without his comforting presence nearby.

A faint sigh escaped her lips as the elf slid back into bed next to her again and she shuffled closer in to his side, wrapping one arm around his middle, eyes still closed. Now she could go to sleep- and it didn’t take long, her breaths quickly lengthening as she slipped into the dreamworld.

((Lol such a crappity post. I expect you to move Armeno so he's out and on Tabri's heels in the next post Wink

))

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Dec 04, 2011 1:10 am

Feeling a wave of guilt when Kassandra trustingly wrapped one arm around his middle, Armeno watched the woman as she dropped away into sleep. When her breaths were even and her movements changed into those of sleep, he shifted very carefully and took out the vial of dark blue liquid. He leant over her unconcious body and carefully dripped the vial's contents between her parted lips. There wasn't much in the bottle, but it was obviously enough, because she stopped moving and instead lay limply on the bed. The elf slid out from between the sheets and carefully positioned her head so that she could breathe easily. After brushing the hair back from her face as was becoming habit for him,
Armeno kissed her on the forehead before turning away with some difficulty.

He quickly dressed and gathered what he would need, fastening his cloak as he padded almost silently down the hallway and stairs. He glanced warily at Foen's closed door, but there was no sound from within, and he didn't seem to be woken by his guest's quiet passage.

When he softly closed the front door behind him, he let out a sigh of relief before retrieving Velox from where he was stabled. The arab was obviously slightly surprised to be distrubed at such a late hour, but he was happy enough to go out- and he had been ridden at much stranger times before. Armeno trotted down the street, his horse's hooves on the ground loud amidst the silence which hung over the city at night. It was occasionally penetrated by a distant shout, but there was no real noise until a huge roar shook the ground beneath Velox. The horse let out a startled whinny, sidling away from the source of the noise in alarm. However, the elf soothed him until he calmed- he had faced dragons before, and his reaction had mostly been him playing up. With the horse acting sensibly once more, they cantered in the direction of the panicked shouts and cries which echoed down to them, Armeno using only one hand on the reins and keeping the other ready to grab either his sword or his bow at a moment's notice. His chainmail clinked softly as they rounded a sharp corner and the dragon's dark shape came into view.

» Rogue ]}-Shadow & Light-{[ Aero
» Rogue| These Sins of ours |Liz ~[Syn X Sin]
» Rogue X Saphire [title to come]
» [Watch yourself] Rogue X Liz [Fire or Lightning?]
» Ghost & Rogue [In for a penny, in for a pound...]