Lore: Behind Stone Walls

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 6:41 pm

Adonis tilted his ears toward the back of his head and looked away from Neko, not much thrilled by her thanks. She was growing curious, and he still hadn't decided how he would deal with the issue. She'd suspected his real identity once, but if he proceeded without identifying himself, that idea would probably sink from her mind. But what was he supposed to do with these two, now that he'd saved them?

Certainly not travel with them - he was not like his brother. Abandon them to their chances in the woods. In their current condition, they'd probably be tracked and captured in a matter of hours. They'd already been in the same location for longer than he preferred. Kill them both here, and get back to his real goal? Tempting.

He looked back at Neko, his ears unintentionally drifting forward again. "Perhaps you should be resting, rather than staring at me like that. We can not remain here long," he said almost tenderly, lowering himself to the ground beside Kratos with a graceful swoop. He was tired anyway; he could afford to stay with them, for now. Beside him, Kratos lay looking more dead than alive. Adonis blew a cool breath across the boy's feverish skin. He looked back at Neko stiffly. "I will watch him. You rest."

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:27 pm

Neko smiled softly, albeit sadly though. Rest sounded well and good, but she worried over her brother.

"Will he live?" she asked believing that the horse would have they answer. As much as she had at first wanted to believe he was Adonis, it did not seem possible. He had died on the ship, and he wasn't a unicorn... Whoever, whatever, this creature was, it only meant to help them. Afterwards it would probably just leave.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:33 pm

"I believe he will survive. Frankly, your wounds concern me more," Adonis said, and it was the truth. The pain he felt from Neko was an entirely different, much more personal pain than Kratos's. It was pain he had both endured and inflicted on others. He thought for a moment. If she lay close to him, his nature would soothe her thoughts somewhat, but there didn't seem to be any good way to broach the subject with her. Unfortunately, he understood human sexuality so well that it was part of him despite his race, and he could not shake the inappropriateness of the suggestion to sleep against him.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:39 pm

Neko grimaced and touched her wrists. "They'll be fine," she said dismissively. Looking down at her brother she saw that his breathing was normal, but he was sleeping. 'Good,' she thought, 'That will help him heal faster.' She stroked her brother's head and thought about the soldier's.

"Wont they come for us?"

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:42 pm

"I will hear them if they do," Adonis said, and knew that wasn't a real answer. "Yes." They would come. It was a matter of time.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:44 pm

"Then...shouldn't we move?" Neko said quite morosely, hugging herself gently. She had no idea if they could even get away quick enough with Kratos so wounded and sleeping.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:50 pm

Adonis stared at her for a moment. He couldn't tell her that his body was weak from being exposed to their blood so long, or she'd know immediately what he was. He couldn't carry them far at this rate; riding double was strenuous even on a good day. His head suddenly flew up in alarm. Oh, crap. "I forgot something. Wait here," he told her and suddenly heaved to his feet and took off at a swift trot into the woods, scanning the ground for something.

When he returned a few minutes later, he was carrying a strange red mushroom with the edge of his teeth. He dropped it at the stream bank and immediately rinsed his mouth in the water as if he'd just swallowed poison.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 7:52 pm

Watching with confusion, Neko found she recognized the mushroom but could not remember it's properties.

"What are you doing....?"

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:09 pm

Adonis raised his nose from the water and gave her a steady look. "It's Broonswart. A...spermicide," he tripped on the uncomfortable human word. He stepped over toward Kratos, looking away from her and the water. "I thought you may wish to wash." His voice was so quiet and solemn now, as if he were the one who did this to her.

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:20 pm

Neko's eyes widen and her pupils shrunk into pinpricks of remembering that fear. That ripped apart feeling, the weight of a cruel man and his warm yet scarring seed on her flesh and...

Hesitating for only a moment, Neko practically submerged herself entirely in the water and mashed the mushroom between her palms, rubbing its paste all over herself as if she couldn't get clean. Through it all, she cried silently, ignoring the slight chill in the water. She wanted it off of her, wanted it out of her, wanted to erase all that they had done to her.

When she was done she huddled herself at the bank, hugging her naked knees to her chest and hiding her face from the world. She used to love having a man's attention, now she had no idea if she could tolerate anyone besides her brother's eyes even given her a slight glance. Her tattered clothes lay damp on a rock; she had washed them too just to get rid of the man's reek.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:28 pm

After a long time, Adonis slowly arched his neck back to look at Neko at the riverbank. He'd intended to sleep while she cleaned herself, but instead he'd wound up stuck there, eyes glued to the forest floor in anxious awareness of what she was experiencing. When he did look at her, his eyes went to her wet clothes with a soft breath. Traveling would be difficult until they dried. He turned his eyes back to the ground to avoid making her more upset and asked, quietly, "Now, will you rest?"

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:30 pm

After a moment of silence, Neko lifted her head from her knees and gave the horse a feeble "Yes."

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:39 pm

Adonis bit down his apprehension and spoke calmly. "With me, please. You will get sick there," he managed to suggest, his ears pressing back. Thanks to his cursed instincts, it was all he could do not to run to her side and try to soothe her. But what business had he doing that?

Mizuki · Post by **Mizuki** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 8:43 pm

Her heart skipped a beat because this...horse had a man's voice. For a moment it had sounded like... No, it's a horse. Neko stood up gently, covering herself the best she could as she made her way to the horse's side. She already felt his warmth by just standing near him, and it was a nice and comforting warmth.

"You're so warm..." she commented, her eyes drooping already as she found exhaustion.

Post by **Soran Nightblade** » Wed Sep 12, 2007 9:14 pm

Adonis slowly relaxed as Neko's emotions seemed to stabilize. He could sense her sitting beside him and finally felt like the situation was under control. He rested his neck against the tree beside him, holding in a groan.

* * *

"Well?" Amarra demanded of Telanis. The unicorn jerked his head toward her, forgetting what they were talking about. He'd been frozen watching Laya be led below deck.

Amarra smiled and caught his chin so that he looked straight at her. Telanis did not remove her hand. "How do you reproduce?" she smiled innocently.

"We are created. Not reproduced. Probably." Telanis sounded both annoyed and confused, as if he saw no reason why this should have anything to do with anything.

"Then what is this for?" she smirked, stroking a slender finger down his abdomen to the very base of his bareness. Adonis shivered and stepped back, confused and uncomfortable. He recognized what was happening only in that the sensation radiating from Amarra was reminiscent of that tent in the village.

"Perhaps your men should bring me human clothes, before you forget who I am," he challenged, pride glaring in his eyes. He made no move to cover himself.

The woman drew back at his request, but didn't look particularly embarrassed. "I will tell you something, Unicorn. Right now, you look like a man, and a particularly good one. But I will grant you clothing. Just do not forget on whose ship you are floating, and how poor your demonstration so far has been of your ability to float without it.

Telanis allowed himself to be brougth below deck by several of Amarra's men, where he was provided with clothing. Oddly, the men seemed unwilling to touch him or manhandle him in any way. It was as if he were marked.

A few minutes after Tenele had been untied in Amarra's room, the Captain herself came down to join her, entering casually and locking the door behind her. "Well, my dear, I believe we should have a talk," she smiled as she entered the room.