Rogue and El- A Chance encounter

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Feb 25, 2012 12:59 am

"You can't prepare for something like that dragon!" said Kassandra, her voice slightly higher pitched than normal. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but it just wasn't happening. He had promised he wouldn't, and yet here he was, having done exactly what he had said he wouldn't do. She took in another breath, but it really wasn't working. "You didn't plan... for... Velox..." she said, the words coming out all stretched, like they were painful to say. It was painful, but he had... it was almost like he had betrayed her, doing what he had said he wouldn't.

She had known it was too good to be true when she had started to trust him. Anger was bubbling up inside her, angry that the dragon had come back, angry that he had left, angry that she had slept through everything... angry at herself that she had been so stupid.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:49 am

It was obvious that she was deeply hurt by this. He could hear the shell of defense in her voice, feel her muscles tensing in his arms.
'Kassie, you have to understand,' he pleaded, stepping away again a little and taking her hands in his as he faced her. 'I couldn't let the dragon go around in the city... If it had found you again...' He shook his head, looking agonised. 'I just couldn't let that happen. Velox-' He broke off, turning his head aside slightly, and his next breath caught in his throat for a moment before he turned back to Kassandra. 'I couldn't plan for him, no.' The elf's voice was quiet and tightly controlled. 'I can't let him die, either.' He clenched his teeth, shifting in agitation. He knew that he could keep going on as he had been for plenty time more, but he didn't see how saying the same things again would help. Not for the first time since meeting Kassandra, he cursed his lack of understanding of the mind. He couldn't sort out what he was feeling, let alone the woman as well. He couldn't help but feel that he had been justified in his actions, and yet equally he felt horribly guilty for drugging and deceiving Kassandra- as well he should. But, just as he had said to her, he hadn't been able to leave things as they were; leave her to the dragon's mercy.

Not that it had any mercy.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Feb 26, 2012 12:46 am

Kassandra didn't react to Armeno's embrace round her middle, angrily avoiding his eyes and staring at the floor when he took both her hands in his. His warm hands made hers tingle, but she tried to ignore the sensation. "You could have said something. You didn't have to go off on your own and pretend you could deal with it." Her voice was cold, her voice monotone in an attempt to hide how strange emotions were fighting with each other to try and take main predominance. They were bubbling up inside her though, and she couldn't hold them.
"How could you? How could you do this? I thought you had more sense than to... you drugged me!" he voice rose in pitch, obviously angry, and there was a rapid shuffling noise from outside the door as Foen moved away, awkwardly retreating to somewhere he couldn't hear their arguing. She took in a breath, but it didn't help calm her anger against the elf. "I trusted you to not do something like this, I trusted you to tell me and let me help, I trusted you to have a little faith; and look how well that's turned out." She pulled her hands out of his grasp, turning away and folding her arms angrily across her front, eyes holding his gaze through the weak light.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Feb 26, 2012 7:27 pm

Even before the angry words from Kassandra were done, Armeno was slowly shaking his head.
'No, Kassie. I did have to go on my own. I couldn't make you face that dragon again. I couldn't let it get to you. Do you think I don't care about you? I knew you'd be angry with me for doing this, but you'd be safe and angry.' A tight swallow followed, looking pleadingly at her as he continued in an unsteady voice. 'And I'd rather lose you than let you be hurt when I could have stopped it.' He put up no resistance as she pulled her hands away, slowly letting his drop to his sides as he continued to watch her face. 'I'm so, so sorry that I damaged your trust in me. But let me tell you one thing: I never lost faith in you.' Taking in another breath which caught in his throat slightly, Armeno stepped back a tiny bit, resting his hands on a low shelf and propping up some of his weight on them. His ears were still tilted slightly towards the door, listening out for any movement Foen might make, but he never moved his eyes from Kassandra's as he blinked, causing a tear to spill out from under his eyelashes.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Feb 29, 2012 6:46 pm

Kassandra’s breaths came short and angry, her head tilted slightly upwards, as if she were disbelieving of his words. She believed him, and she wanted to as well, but something inside her just told her to not to. She couldn’t crush the thought either, as much as she wished that it wasn’t there; it wasn’t in her nature. Her instincts would win over eventually, whether she wanted them to or not.
“I don’t want to be safe… if you’re going to be more hurt,” she gulped, drawing in a deep breath through her nose. Suddenly anger exploded from within her, and she threw her hands vehemently into the air, a tide of suppressed fury obliterating the rest of her emotions.
“Don’t you see I’m not well with you broken?” she burst out, putting one wrist against her forehead and slowly drawing it across. That wasn’t exactly what she meant, but she couldn’t form what she wanted with her mind so muddled. “If you’re going to keep doing this… You say you haven’t lost faith in me, but what else does leaving me behind say? I am capable of taking care of myself!” Now she was crying too, angry tears rolling from the corners of her eyes down her cheeks. She shook her head, trying to deny them. “I used to be fine, I was FINE until you came along!” She angrily lashed out at the wood of the door with one fist, making it clunk in its hinges.

She slowly drew her other fist up onto the door too, resting her forehead and forearms against the cool wood. In a slightly quieter voice (although it still shook with unreleased anger) she said, “This isn’t working, Armeno. I need to go. We can’t do this. I can’t deal with all this see-sawing from one place to another.”

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Feb 29, 2012 9:50 pm

Through Kassandra’s outburst, Armeno stayed quiet, watching her flinging her arms around and yell at him. ‘I know you can take care of yourself, Kassandra,’ he said in an odd tone, his forehead creased with a frown. ‘I know.’ He took in another breath, staring at the floor until Static spoke again. At her words, his head jerked up and his mouth fell open to speak as he straightened.
‘I…’ Words failed him, emotions swirling inside his head to the extent that he felt dizzy and had to lean back against the shelves to keep himself from falling over. ‘I understand.’ Armeno hated himself for making things end like this, hated his stupid, overprotective actions, but he knew that he never could have done any differently. Suddenly he couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Kassandra; he couldn’t have said why, but he knew that he needed to get out. Shaking very slightly, he took a long step forwards and embraced her from behind momentarily, before gently taking hold of her waist and lifting her weight off the ground, swinging her round to the side of the pantry. He shoved the door open and left the pantry, swinging the door to behind him. Without sparing more than a glance at Foen, who was sitting in the far corner of the room probably watching the cupboard, Armeno paced restlessly back and forth across the room a few times before exhaling heavily and turning to the sorcerer.
‘I need to get out,’ he said in frustration, knowing his expression must be half-mad but unable to bring himself to care. Caring was too painful until Kassandra was well away.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Mar 02, 2012 1:15 am

More than anything, Kassandra wanted Armeno to protest. To say, no, they could make it work, it would be fine, it would all be fine… But he didn’t. All she had was quiet acceptance from him, and in that one moment, it felt like something had been torn away from her. It hit her like a blow, making her take in a startled breath that hurt to let out. Even when she did, she could still feel an ache within her, like the twist of a knife. This wasn’t supposed to hurt, this was supposed to be her freedom!

One hand slipped down over his as he gently hugged her, then she clutched more tightly at it as he lifted her away from the door, opening her eyes from when she had closed them as she had leant against the door, and twisted to look at him- but he had already put her down and turned away by the time she had. She could still feel the weight of his arms around her waist, his warm presence, but it was just the aftertaste… the door was already swinging shut, leaving her alone in the empty pantry.
And she couldn’t believe it.
All of what had been a miracle of the past weeks… just… gone.
She stared disbelievingly at the door for another minute more, then something cracked within her and she let out a pitiful wail like a cat, wrapping her arms around her middle and crouching down, close to the ground. Now she couldn’t stop her tears as they rolled down her cheeks, and she didn’t bother to brush them away, letting them soak through the sleeves of her top. He was leaving, he was going, she was alone again…

Another keening sound escaped her lips and she leant against the nearest wall, burying her head as deep into her arms as she could and curling up in the smallest ball she could manage. Everything was breaking…

==X==

Foen looked guiltily away from the pantry door as Armeno suddenly stormed out, eyes dropping to the book in his lap. It wasn’t a good cover though, it being closed. He gave up trying to pretend he was innocent and just put it to one side, watching the elf.
“Armeno, sit down. You’re going to hurt yourself more,” he said calmly, knowing trying anything more than a neutral tone was going to get his head bitten off. A door did not block the shouts of two angry people, much less a poorly-made door for a pantry. The elf looked mad, stalking up and down like someone who was at the peak of health, let alone someone who had been half-burnt to a crisp the night before. “You need to rest. You’re not thinking straight.”

((AMG I AM GOING TO CRY))

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Mar 02, 2012 6:46 pm

It felt almost as if Kassandra was trying to hold onto him, to hold onto the time together which was tumbling away from them as Armeno shut the door. It was so hard to leave as he felt her hands lingering on his; but she’d made it clear enough that she didn’t want him to be there anymore, and he wasn’t going to force his company upon her. He paid little heed to Foen’s words.
‘Hurt myself more? I’ve done plenty of that already. Of course I’m not thinking straight. Would you be thinking straight?’ His voice rose slightly as he stalked across the room, staring wildly at the sorcerer. It didn’t seem as if he was going to stop his rambling, his mouth opening to continue, but the sudden wail from inside the pantry froze him where he stood. His breaths quickening, he spun on the spot and fled back to the door, his hand moving to the handle before he caught himself and instead stood there, hands pressed against the wood as he leant his forehead on it. How could he have let everything go so wrong, get so out of control? How had he managed to turn something so good into such a disaster?
‘I’m so sorry, Kassandra,’ he whispered, to himself more than to anyone else. ‘I’m so sorry I did this to us.’ Slowly, he slid down into a seat on the floor, his head still leant forwards and pressed against the door as his ears twitched to hear the broken sobs which Kassandra was producing on the other side. Tears of his own began to roll down his face, these silent.
‘I’m sitting down, Foen, I’m sitting down,’ he informed the sorcerer needlessly and somewhat bitterly before degenerating into singing a song in Elvish under his breath.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Mar 03, 2012 12:37 am

“Armeno. Please.” Foen had to raise his voice over the elf’s frantic words and even more frantic pacing, jumping out of his chair with a lot more athleticism than he was feeling. He was about to take Armeno’s arm and lead him back to the chair to rest when there was a cry from the pantry- of course, Kassandra was still in there. He worried she might have hurt herself somehow, and he was torn between who needed his help more; Armeno, who was bound to hurt himself if he carried on the same way he was at the moment, or Kassandra; who knew what she had done. He didn’t understand what was happening between the two of them; nothing of the sort had ever happened to him, so he couldn’t quite relate.

He lingered back for a moment as the elf hurried to the pantry door again, hanging outside it, but not opening it, then sinking onto the ground. He looked… defeated. Even after Foen had seen him after the lightning storm’s attack, Armeno hadn’t acted like this. Sighing, the sorcerer dropped to his knees next to the elf, taking him by the shoulders and slowly standing him up again. “Come on,” he said quietly, leading him over to the chair he had been sitting in before. “You need to rest.” He looked at Armeno in worry for a moment, then hurried across the room to make more tea. It was a poor substitute for useful company, or good health, or the reversal of whatever had just happened, but it unfortunately, would have to do.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:03 am

As Foen propelled him over to the chair, Armeno put up no resistance, staring somewhat blankly ahead and continuing with the song. It was just easier not to think about it- don't listen to Kassandra behind the door, don't look back as he was seated and the sorcerer dashed off to make tea. Moving cautiously, trying not to aggravate the wound on his back, he lowered himself onto the table, pillowing his head under his arms and allowing himself to relax. His mouth still traced the shapes of his song, although he made no sound. He allowed only its lyrics and flowing melody to pass through his thoughts, hiding and smoothing over more painful trains of thought.
'Foen...' He lifted his head slightly to regard the man before changing his mind, shaking his head slightly as he dropped it back onto the table. 'Thank you, Foen.' He wasn't exactly sure what he was thanking him for, and he couldn't summon the motivation to, either. More than anything, he felt drained of energy, and entirely ready to rest as Foen kept insisting. In fact, he suspected the only thing which kept him awake now was the lingering anxiety over Velox, which for some reason had remained when he had been able to block out his tangle of emotions over Kassandra- block them out for now, anyway.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Mar 03, 2012 1:29 am

The room went quiet as Armeno’s song died away, the faint sounds of birdsong, people outside and Kassandra’s sobbing from the cupboard the only things that filled the air as Foen made tea, heating a saucepan full of hot water before adding leaves to the steaming mixture. He carried two cups over to the table once they were strong enough, putting one close to Armeno’s elbow and sitting down in another chair with the other in front of him. He didn’t reply to the elf’s thanks; they were before he had given him the tea, but the sorcerer understood. Sometimes a person needed to acknowledge a silent story that had passed between the two of them. He looked down into his tea as they shared their silence, listening to the sounds that were all around them, but all somehow shut off from them.

In a moment like this was, time stopped within a range, but continued elsewhere.

==X==

Kassandra heard the movement outside the pantry door, but couldn’t move to respond to it, too wrapped up in her ball of misery. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees pulling them in as far as they would go, curling her head downwards so she was in a ball, as small as she could go; and yet she could still feel the gaping hole within her.

What had Armeno done that leaving him would make her feel so raw and hurt inside?

After a few minutes her tears stopped, running out of their own accord. The fabric of her trousers and top was stained darker where her tears had run into it, and a few strands of hair stuck as she pulled her face away, looking bleakly at the ceiling. She heard the faint echoes of song coming from beyond the door, then it faded away, leaving her to the quiet of her own sorrow.

She couldn’t stay here. Even the slightest glimpse of the room she was in threatened to bring her to tears again, Armeno’s accepting words haunting her mind. I understand.
She climbed unsteadily to her feet, leaning against the shelving above her to compose herself enough to get to the door, then pulled it open, hands balled into fists at her sides. She would not show how much it hurt.

But one look at Armeno and Foen made her burst into tears again, and she fled for the stairs.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sat Mar 03, 2012 11:39 pm

The mug was almost painfully hot to touch; Armeno wrapped his hands around it thankfully, feeling suddenly cold to the bone. He didn’t bother with waiting until it had cooled to drink it, instead ignoring the scalding it left in his throat. It didn’t take long for it to cool enough to be tolerable with him blowing on it, and once it had the heat was soothing to his still-sore throat, removing a lump which he had hardly noticed was there while talking to Kassandra.

When she came out into the room, though, it took all the self-control left to him not to stand up and catch her arm, stop her from leaving. Her hands, white at the knuckles as she squeezed them closed, became a focal point for him as he compromised between looking at her face and not looking at all. Like all good compromises, it left neither side of him happy, but at least it restrained the pain of confronting whatever emotions might be showing on her face. When she suddenly put on a spurt of speed and fled, however, he couldn’t help his eyes from flicking up to look at the tears which were suddenly streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and puffy; she’d obviously been crying hard. As she vanished up the stairwell, Armeno rose, reaching out one hand after her a little- but after a few moments he dropped it and stepped back again.

‘Foen, I want to leave now,’ he quietly informed the sorcerer. ‘It’s just… better. I can come back, later… but now, I just need to get out.’ Agitated, and with the brief glimpse of Kassandra having renewed his energy- however temporarily- he resumed his pacing. ‘I need to find a healer. And I just need to…’ He squeezed his eyes closed for a few seconds, stilling and turning to face the sorcerer before he opened them to stare beseechingly at his host.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Sun Mar 04, 2012 9:35 pm

Foen half-rose to his feet as Kassandra emerged from the pantry, hoping to check that she was still alright and in one piece- at least physically. It was obvious that mentally she was a mess, from the way she both held herself, and the way she ran for the stairs as soon as she saw Armeno. Oh, this was not going to be a fun day, with any stretch of the phrase. He sunk back to his seat, taking a long draught of his tea so as to not have to talk to the elf for a moment.

"Armeno, you're not well. You keep trying to push yourself and push yourself, but it's not good for you." He stood and guided the elf back to his chair again as he stopped in his pacing to look at him, avoiding his eyes and their puppy-like pleading. "I know you want to be better now, but I can't do anything more for you, I have no magic to do that. All it does is make potions." In that moment, he was so frustrated with his limited skills; why couldn't he cast spells, why, why?! If only, and then all of this would have been fine.

Well, possibly. It may still have cracked though. And then none of this would have changed.
"I can't let you go on your own, you're too hurt," Foen said. Armeno was acting like he was fine, but he was going to crash at this rate. "And I can't take you either, not with... well, I don't want to leave Kassandra on her own either." He waited for the flinch that would probably come with the woman's name. But it was true; she might hurt herself on her own, or do any unexpected thing. He didn't want to have to come back with someone else hurt... or worse. Who knew what was going through her mind; at least Armeno was here to talk to. "I don't know what to do... Zack can come down and he'll come with you, but he's not much help if you faint. He's too small. Or, you could use my bedroom, rest there for a bit, I'll talk with Kassandra..." He left the words hanging, hoping Armeno would chose the second option.

==X==

As soon as Kassandra was upstairs, she grabbed Tamarisk's saddlebags, throwing all her belongings hapazardly into them. Who cared how they went, if they didn't fit- they would fit. It had been a mistake to take them all out anyway, she didn't need all this stuff, it took up too much space. Her things were mingled with Armeno's too, so it made it worse trying to collect them all up, rifling through his things, which made emotions bubble up inside her again...

She was soon cramming things into her pockets too, forcing the saddlebags shut so they wouldn't pop open on her way out of Racksom. She was leaving. She couldn't stand it here any longer. Being near Armeno... no, even thinking of his name hurt. Even seeing his belongings hurt. She scrubbed one hand across her cheeks roughly, making her skin tingle where it had become slick with tears, then tried to lift her saddlebags, slinging them over her shoulder with a grunt. They threatened to pop open, but she just pulled the straps down more firmly, commanding them silently to stay closed.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:53 pm

Once again, as Armeno was steered back to his chair he put up little resistance, instead splaying his fingers on the table as he sat down and digging his fingernails into the wood.
“I know you can’t, Foen, I’m extremely grateful for what you’ve done for me.” His voice was mechanical as he started to scratch at the table top, gouging out fragments of wood. “Don’t leave Kassandra. You mustn’t.” Glaring fiercely at the sorcerer, he repeated his words again with more force, in case they had been misheard. “You mustn’t leave her!” Still frowning, he lowered himself again, his finger resuming tracing along the groove he had carved in the table. “I can go with Zack. I can’t leave Velox for long. He’s too bad. He’s not going to make it if I don’t get help soon. And I can get healed, too. I’ll be fine.” His eyes still glassy, he looked up at Foen for permission. Surely he was being reasonable? He couldn’t leave Velox to die…
But he was leaving Kassandra. Leaving her alone, in who knew what state; she certainly hadn’t seemed like she was coping. And yet… hadn’t she told him to leave? Dismissed him, as if the past few weeks had meant nothing to her? All the harsh, painful emotions and thoughts which he had been blocking suddenly gushed to the front of his mind as his barriers slipped, and Armeno abruptly flopped down on the table with his face hidden in his arms, crying girlishly into the sleeves of his shirt. Kassandra… How could he leave her? How could she leave him?

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Wed Mar 07, 2012 11:45 pm

Foen frowned slightly as Armeno started to scratch his fingertips into the wood of his table, half annoyed, half very worried. In his right state of mind, the elf would never have done such a thing; now he seemed so… detached. He started to regret allowing him the option of leaving with Zack, but he had said it now, and there was nothing he could do about it.
“I won’t, I won’t leave her,” he promised, putting one hand on Armeno’s shoulder and nodding. “I’ll make sure she’s okay. But you have to be careful too.” He took a scrap of paper off his desk, folded it in two, then ripped it, writing in very small letters a name and an address on one side, before calling up the stairs to where presumably Zack would be, somewhere in the house. He turned back to Armeno again, pulling up a chair so that he could sit while explaining to Armeno. It was like talking to a child.

“Armeno, I need you to listen to me, okay? I know you’re worried about Velox, but you need to take care of yourself too.” He shuffled his chair a bit closer to where Armeno sat, trying to catch the elf’s full concentration. It didn’t seem to be working, his attention hardly on him- if he had snapped his fingers in front of Armeno’s nose, Foen doubted that he would have actually reacted, and certainly not how he usually would have.
Then he suddenly flopped onto the table, sobbing.

Foen dithered for a moment, then awkwardly patted Armeno on the shoulder and grabbed another, larger sheet of paper, scrawling on it before rolling it up and tying a knot around it. By this time Zack had blearily made his way downstairs; the two held a whispered conversation, before Zack took the scroll and zoomed off through the kitchen’s open window with it. The sorcerer went back to Armeno’s side, putting one hand on his arm.
“I’ve sent Zack to go and get my friend, a mage, instead. You’re in no state to be going anywhere. Okay? He’s going to come back here and help you, then he’ll go and find Velox.” He nodded to himself, hoping that this was the best course. Now he had to hope Zack would be fast…

==X==

The saddlebags over Kassandra’s shoulder were heavy, but that didn’t stop her from pausing in the doorway of the room she and Armeno had called home for the past few days, looking around the room one more time. She probably wouldn’t get to see it again, and, well… there had been good memories here. The sight of the room only half-full, instead of including her things too, made a lump rise in her throat again, and she swallowed painfully before dumping the bags on the floor a second time. She grabbed a pen and paper off the little desk in one corner of the room, near the window. She scribbled a note onto it, dripping the excess ink onto the page accidentally, then smearing it when she folded the paper in half. That done, she added “Armeno” to the front, then laid it on the bed, hoisting the saddlebags onto her shoulder again.
Well, this was it.

Gritting her teeth so she didn’t cry again, and before she could change her mind, she walked down the stairs, holding her chin up so she didn’t have to look at the two men as she walked past. Her fingers shook as she unlatched the front door, avoiding Foen’s questioning gaze, and Armeno’s dejected slump at the table. She gulped, trying not to shiver against the cold wind that blew in the now-open door.
This was it. There was no turning back.
She took a deep breath, then said “Goodbye.” He voice shook, making the word sound squeaky and contorted, and she had to use her utmost control not to break down there and then, instead stepping outside and shutting the door quietly behind her with a click.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Mar 09, 2012 6:38 pm

“Yes, I’ll be careful,” said Armeno dully, not looking up at Foen. As the sorcerer suspected, he was hardly listening to the words, eyes fixed on the rut he was carving in the table.
When he broke down, Foen’s words had even less purchase than they had previously. He twitched slightly at the touch on his shoulder, but gave no other reaction. He managed to take in what was being said to him after a few moments, and looked up blearily from his arms.
“He’ll help Velox? He needs to help Velox. Can he heal him?” Desperate to save Velox even if his relationship with Kassandra and the peace he had established in Racksom the last two weeks were gone, his eyes were wide and he moved slightly towards Foen. After a few seconds he gushed out a sigh and flopped back onto his arms, burying his face again until he heard Kassandra’s feet on the stairs, her normally light tread amplified by the heavy load which she carried. Whirling to his feet, he took a faltering step after her. Somehow, the quiet and quavering word made things infinitely more painful; it was so final, such a firm end to their relationship, however weak it had been. Once the door had been shut, Armeno staggered forwards another step or two, placing his hands on the door and slowly closing them into fists as if he could pull Kassandra back to him through its wood. For a moment, he started towards the window, making to look out of it at her back as she left him; but he soon flinched back, unable to bring himself to cause that much pain. Instead, he managed to move back across to Foen, and slumped back in the chair again, staring sorrowfully at the man.
“I’ll sleep, Foen,” he said wearily. “Just don’t let me dream.” Anything to get away from his agonising tangle of thoughts.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:42 pm

Foen waited quietly at the table as Kassandra left, taking over Armeno's scratching at the wooden work surface, running his finger along the groove the elf had made before digging it a little deeper. There was nothing he could say, really. All he could do was pat the man forlornly on the arm as he dropped back into the chair, nodding sadly.
"It's okay. My friend'll help, he's got magic that can help more than potions." He voice was quiet. "I'll try and help, we both will. It'll be okay."
He patted Armeno again, then got to his feet and headed for the staircase, going to fix up a place for the elf to rest properly, in peace, for a few hours.

==X==

Despite desperately trying to maintain her control, as Kassandra- no, Static, her name was Static- crossed the courtyard towards the stables, she could feel more tears trickling down her cheeks and dripping off her chin. She pulled the door of Tamarisk's stable open, the stallion looking strangely forlorn without Velox by his side. She pushed aside his inquiring muzzle as he looked for treats, pushing his saddle onto his back and buckling it as fast as she could. She had to get out of here, quickly, before she changed her mind and tried to go back to Armeno again.
She was strong.
She didn't need him.
But when he went upstairs again, and found her note on the bed, he would know. He would know, from those few short words, how much this was hurting.

I still love you.

Leading Tamarisk out of the stables, she pulled herself onto his back and took a quick look back at Foen's house, eyes drifting to the downstairs window where she half-hoped Armeno might be, but there was no shadow, nothing to suggest that he was looking, waiting for her to turn back. She stifled another barrage of tears by biting down on her lip hard, turning Tamarisk towards the city's gates and spurring him into a canter. She didn't need anybody, she was fine on her own.
Is this over now, hey, is this over now?
Yes. It was over now. There was no turning back. What she had with Armeno was gone, and the soft Kassandra he had managed to somehow find was gone. She was Static, and she didn't need anyone.

Subject: Re: Rogue and El- A Chance encounter Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:23 pm

Everything would be okay, would it? Things didn’t feel like that to Armeno; he swayed slightly in his chair, nodding mechanically to Foen. Maybe. Okay, he might be able to manage. But right now, it didn’t feel like ‘good’ would be a word which he would ever need to employ again. He turned his flat gaze upwards as the hand descended on his shoulder once more, before swivelling back to the table and staring glumly at the crevice he has gouged in its surface. Everything in life was so easy to destroy, so easily shattered irreparably. After giving a bitter snort, he forced himself to his feet once more and slogged up the stairs, leaning on the wall on his way for extra support. As he reached the landing, Foen was exiting the bedroom which he and Kassandra had been sharing. Unable to bring himself to make any acknowledgements, Armeno waited until he had passed before continuing into the room- and having to stop abruptly in the doorway.

The room screamed of her absence.

The few items which Foen had shifted around, presumably in an attempt to mask the spaces where Kassandra’s possessions had been previously, weren’t anything like enough to disguise the complete absence of her things. Where before the vibrant emerald green had shone out from random points across the floor, there was now no sign of it. Deep creases folded Armeno’s face as he screwed his eyes shut, trying to block it all out, and strode angrily across the room to the bed. When he thought it was safe to open his eyes, he did so, now sitting on the mattress and staring down at it fiercely.

The paper was directly in his line of sight, taunting him with his scrawled name across the front. There was no doubt in his mind as to who had written it; shaky as it was, of course he knew her writing. Ink blots had bled through the paper to the outside, and he stared at the obviously hastily-written note as if it might bite him should he touch it.

Eventually, he darted his hand out and snatched up the note, ripping it open and ready to read paragraphs of awkwardly worded explanations. He wouldn’t react, he promised himself. He’d just read it, take it in, and go to sleep.

The simplicity of the note threw him; the four words pierced his resolve in exactly the right place and he immediately broke down again, fists pressed to his forehead in an attempt to rid himself of the thoughts about Kassandra. When that didn’t work, he pummelled the mattress for a moment in frustration before desperately looking up, searching the room for anything which could solve his issues, however temporarily. His eyes fell on the vial which had held the sleeping potion which he had used for Kassandra, and his hopes flared for a moment before he remembered that it had all been used. That wasn’t the only thing which could make somebody unconscious, though…

Licking his lips and glancing nervously at the door lest Foen enter, he swiftly tugged off the itchy jumper which he wore, gasping at the pain as it tugged on his back. He then used his teeth to tear part of the bandage, unravelling it from the rip until his raw flesh and scorched skin were revealed once more. Gritting his teeth against the agony of the salt on his skin touching the wounds, he placed one hand lightly on his back and began to direct magic into the wound. Maybe it wouldn’t do anything much in the way of healing him, exhausted as he was, but it did have the desired effect: his vision blurred and darkened as his energy was sapped by the magic, until he tumbled into unconsciousness, the last thing he saw the shimmering green ribbon which he held tightly in his fist.

Despite his request to Foen, he dreamed- he dreamed of a mysterious woman with white-streaked hair and an emerald-green cloak blowing out behind her, laughing as she strode away from him with lightning cracking at her heels.

» 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...]