Lore: Behind Stone Walls

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis's head was starting to spin when Laya suggested that he transform. He had a feeling that his human form would end up getting them in even more trouble than they were in now...at least he could run as a unicorn...but then again, what good was running when trapped on a vessel? And if he didn't do something, at this rate the girl was going to drown with him.

"I'll try," he thought to her, having to focus to make the words clear. He focused as much strength as he could find, feeling the magic suck at his consciousness. His eyes drifted heavily shut as both he and Laya's forms were suddenly engulfed in a fantastic light that made the pirates peering down at them from the surface shield their eyes. His formed changed shape right in Laya's arms, melding into the lithe male figure of his human form. His head sank down against the crook of Laya's shoulder, the front of his body hanging flat against hers in the water. Some of the ropes that had tangled around him drifted off of him, while others just hung on him like cobwebs.

[Emora Deen]

Laya lifted her arms and worked them around his shoulders, her hands still tied. She kicked and managed to get there heads to breach the surface. "Grab him," she sputtered. They all stood a little dumbfounded. "Grab him, I said!" she spat as she tried to keep his head above the water, as well as her own.

Two men grabbed him and she held onto the side of the boat. "Give me your coat." she ordered one of the pirates. "Give it to me now! Are you people dumb or are you deaf?" The man shook his head, looking a bit aggrivated but did so as his leader nodded. Laya wrapped it around Telanis's waist to covered his nude lower half. The men pulled him into the boat.

Laya was pulled into the boat with the leader. Soaking wet, freezing, and her clothes stuck to her curved form.

[Soran Nightblade]

A flurry of whistles from the male crew members drew their captain over to Laya's side quickly. "Enough! Off with you, row us to the ship of you're all sleeping on deck tongiht," she ordered, removing her long overcoat and throwing it around Laya's shoulders.

"Captain Amarra!" one of the men called from the other side of the boat, "It's not breathing." The man speaking was standing over Telanis, the only person who seemed to be doing anything while the rest of the men stared at the barely-covered nude form of the anthropomorphed unicorn.

[Emora Deen]

Laya jumped up. "Bring the boat closer to theirs!" She said and when it was close enough, she jumped in, rocking the boat dangerously. However, she didn't notice or care. She immediatly was hovering over Telanis's form. She tilted his head back, held his nose close gently and pressed her soft lips to his. She breathed air into his lungs forcefully at first. Then gently... She turned his head to the side. "Roll his body over onto its side... The water should drain from his lungs a bit...." She patted his back lightly. He only had a little bit... He would be alright, right?

[Soran Nightblade]

The men stared at Laya in consternation, uncertain what to do about her suddenly taking charge of the situation.

"It's a magical beast...it can't...drown," muttered one of the men in confusion. Another moved to hold Laya back, but Captain Amarra stopped him.

"Follow her direction on this," she said. "Unless YOU'd like to give air to the creature." That shut the men up quite well; trophy hunters though they might be, the concept of going mouth to mouth with an equiine animal in the form of a nude man didn't seem to entice any of them. She'd been a woman at sea for well over 15 years, and she'd seen enough drownings to realize that this girl knew her stuff.

The men cooperated with Laya's request and rolled Telanis onto his side. His body rocked limply sideways, completely unconscious. A thin stream of water trickled from his mouth, and then suddenly his eyes burst open in alarm. He curled in on himself and choked uncontrollably, gasping for breath as he slowly reclaimed the space in his lungs for air instead of water. After a minute or so the strength seemed to die out of his coughing, and he grew a bit stiller, still not uncurling enough to look at the humans surrounding him.

[Emora Deen]

Laya rubbed Telanis's bare shoulder gently, smiling down at him. "Feel better now that your breathing again?" she asked with a smile. It was easy to tell that she had feelings for him, else she would not be so protective of him. She loved him, though she doubted he could return her love. It was alright, she could settle with the relationship they had. Or, for now she could.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis stilled at the touch of Laya's hand on her shoulder, as if his whole body calmed at once. He slowly turned his face up and his slightly bloodshot brown eyes met hers carefully. His cornsilk hair clung soggily to his face and aroundhis shoulders. She...was the most wonderful thing he'd seen in a long time, although at the moment she was just a blurry spot in his vision. "La-" he whispered, choking on his speech, but a relieved grin pulled at his pale features. For the moment, he seemed completely unaware of his surroundings except for her. He pushed himself up on one arm, leaned forward against her stomach and threw his other arm around her waist. He coughed again and breathed against her side like he might never be allowed to breathe again.

[Emora Deen]

Laya smiled softly, hugging his head to her with her hands that were still tied, though with all the commotion and worry and wiggling they had been rubbed raw. She ran her fingers through his hair, holding him gently.

She didn't notice that the men had started rowing again and that they were almost to the ship now. She just stared down at Telanis with a soft expression. "I'm glad your alright," she said softly to him, brushing the hair from his face.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis sighed against Laya, suddenly feeling exhausted as his senses began returning to him. He could feel his own muscles already getting sore, as well as the faint aura of pain coming from Laya. But before he could do anything about that, he also remembered the situation they were in.

"Alright, you two. I don't know what the hell is going on here, but I'm cutting in," Amarra said, taking up the bulk of Telanis's hair and tugging him backward off of Laya. Telanis let go of Laya before he hurt her, but it occured to him to be angry about this turn of events. He rolled backward, pushed up with his hands behind his head, and kicked Amarra full-on in the chest from upside down.

Telanis immediately regretted this, however, as he felt her pain effect him in turn and his lungs protested the movement, making him start choking again. The strength went out of his technique and he rolled back flat on his back in the boat. Amarra, who had barely avoided falling overboard, looked at him with an interested smile, rubbing her chest absently. "Tie him up," she said with a smile. He'd come uncovered again in his spurt of motion, and the look she gave him was not just appreciative of his magical nature. Men stepped forward to bind Telanis's hands and feet, and he didn't bother stopping them this time.

[Emora Deen]

"Telanis!" she said, moving suddenly to help him, however a man wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her back. His cheek was pressed close to the side of her head. He smelled her, chuckling lightly to himself as his hands decided they would wonder.

Laya's heart pounded harder in her chest and her face to ghost white as his hands decided to slip inside her kimono. However, they never quite made it. She drug her nails across his hands, scraping a deep trail across the back of his hand.

"Bitch!" he growled, whirling her around and raising his hand to punish her.

[Soran Nightblade]

"Fletcher!" Amarra's stern voice made the man abusing Laya's hand stop in midair. "You will behave yourself with our guest, or I will use you as a rudder!" He lowered his hands on her body, but didn't quite take them off of her sensitive area. Trying to prove something.

Telanis gathered his two legs under him and stood unsteadily as the men pulled him upward. A slatted plank was lowered by two roped from the ship, and several men boarded it with Telanis in tow. Men on the ship above them cranked the pulled upward until they were able to climb onto the deck. Telanis was escorted (dragged) to the center of the deck where he could cause the least trouble, and then the plank went back down for laya and the others on the second boat.

[Emora Deen]

Laya stumbled up the plank and onto the deck, Fletcher right behind her. Laya felt sick because of that man, pure sick. She looked it too, still a little pale in the face, her eyes down-cast. Most, she thought, would just think of it as sea sickness.

She glanced up and found Telanis, moving to walk to him but was held back by that vile man.

[Soran Nightblade]

Telanis tried not to look as tired as he felt, standing there and looking at Amarra with warm, accusing eyes. His expression simply didn't have the capacity for hatred, but he was offended and angry, and that much showed through his gentle face.

"Well, now, isn't this the most interesting thing I've ever seen?" murmured Amarra with a dash of respectful fascination in her voice as she stroked Telanis's bangs away to reveal the red star that marked his foreheaed. "This was not in the legends." She turned her gaze lower, a playful smirk stretching her mouth. "Nor was that. Though perhaps it should have been. Tell me, how DO unicorns reproduce?"

"Make him let go of her," Telanis said steadily, though his voice tempted to choke a few times.

"I beg your immortal pardon?" blinked Amarra innocently.

"Him," Telanis said, throwing his head fiercely in the direction of the man behind Laya. Whoever he was, Telanis knew this feeling that was emanating from Laya. It was the same as when he'd first met her, that time by the stream. "I will tell you anything you wish, if she receives freedom of movement and immunity to the advances of your crew."

Amarra rubbed her chin, seeming to consider the idea. "I never expected to be negotiating with a horse," she smirked, stepping closer to him so that they were only a few feet apart.

"And I doubt you ever will," Telanis said firmly, holding her gaze. He did not find this funny. "In three seconds, or I will never speak again," he commanded.

Amarra blinked, and then lowered her gaze. Telanis stared at her oddly; he almost thought he'd seen her blush. She looked over at Fletcher slowly. "Fletcher, unhand her. You will not touch her again, in any way, for any reason. Renee, you will show her to my quarters and there unbind her hands.

Fletcher's greasy palms reluctantly released Laya's body, but the snarl he made under his breath cast doubt on his ability to follow directions.

[Emora Deen]

"Telanis, I don't want to leave you...." She said as Renee pulled her away, cutting away the ropes around her wrists. Laya jerked away and turned to look back at Telanis, feeling the eyes of the crew. She new if anything happened to her it would distract Telanis, and hurt him as well.

She glared at the woman, the leader... Laya narrowed her eyes. "If you touch him... if you corrupt him or hurt him in any way I swear by the Gods I'll kill you." Her words rang true. Laya would kill to protect Telanis. Or be killed trying.

[Mizuki]

"Oh...right..." Neko responded half-heartedly and performed the same liberal task to herself. Once she place makeshift bandages on both Kratos and herself, Neko watched the horse Adonis trying to figure him out, and where they go next.

She sighed after awhile then said, "Thank you."