Iudrix: A dissonance. Thin fingers that curl and hesitate, hiding faces-that-aren’t and thoughts and fears that brighten and burst into a thousand shards of mirror. Wordless notes of music you know but you don’t, settling into cracks where butterflies live. Fireflies and bits of quartz strung up between sheets and blankets, reflecting a bold glow that ebbs in soft breaths of empty sleep.
Tasedyn: Structured shelves and footpaths trod a thousand times. Jars that hold unstructure things to be guided into form by measured touches that smooth and sort. A lonely minimalism, world lit only by the memory of light previously seen. Practical dreams that cage quiet yearnings and divide wishes into what is and isn’t. Friendship offered freely from a boring door that few bother to seek.
Llyiss: Walls upon walls upon walls built from bitter bricks. Warmth nibbled away to nothing by lives long lost, what remains tucked far away to be enjoyed by no one. Ruined homes that bounce back echoes of pasts lost. A ghost of mist that haunts itself held together by weary stubbornness, a resentment of what is coagulating into resentment of what was. Splinters of an old self worming their way into new scars. Life despite itself.
Rieathain: Impulses that snap with white bright teeth in dark intentions and the howl of empty static that draws to crescendos and there is nothing only teeth and tearing and biting. Disconnected feelings in high pitched tones that sting and sting and sting and sting. A starving dog that turns on anyone near it until it only has itself to devour. Bruised lips that spit awful words. Bruised hands that commit awful acts. Destroyed rooms where licking lash wounds tastes sweeter than reasoning. Fighting fire and fear with metal blades until they heat and brand themselves deep into skin. Hate for hate's sake.
Criudyn: Books and blankets that quietly gather dust untouched. Nothing matching but everything comfortable, things second hand and gathered curiosities. The smell of dried plants and the warmth of carefully chosen teas stirred with shaky fingers. The sway of a crystal as it nudges the way among motes that whisper silent suggestions. Decks of cards that cannot fix what was. Sleep that cycles not by the sun but strength, a subconscious no longer allowed to take control and the tides of lucidity that wax and wane as a result. A form pressed into acceptability by the pressure lent by thread. A pair of cracked spectacles.
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Llyiss is cleared to leave the Mender’s, but someone is squatting in his home (because he’s a sulky child).
Vos
Ceph cursed, struggling to jam a flat circular tin into the small yet swollen satchel he was gripping. The medic had relented against his better judgement and had packed his patient a sort of 'kit'. It was unwise to spend more resources on Llyiss, yet he knew the Sylvari wouldn't care enough to seek any supplies out himself. Fastening the bag, he dropped it on the bed next to Llyiss. Although he had his reservations, he wouldn't cage the Soundless here any longer. "Are you positive you want to go back to Naulshead? The Soundless settlement isn't much further to walk to," Ceph suggested, a small frown on his scarred lips.
Bromeliad
"Positive," Llyiss replied quietly, still resting a moment after struggling back on the armored top he hadn't worn in far too long. It had been a bit distressing to realize he still couldn't lift his arm properly over his head, but he didn't verbalize those concerns. Finally he pushed off the bed standing up with a half wince as the armor rubbed against his bandages. He still didn't have any boots, but that would be fine. If they stayed out of most thorns. "..Thanks." it was a gruff sort of gratitude.
Vos
Ceph responded with acknowledging grunt. He had earlier exchanged his more casual wear for a set of armor. The courtier doubted they would run into trouble but he knew it was wiser to be cautious. He escorted Llyiss down the steps, refraining from simply picking the smaller Sylvari up. Sparing a few more minutes to tidy the clinic and lock down anything valuable; Ceph finally motioned for Llyiss to follow. The clinic was tucked away in a quiet corner of Hemlock Coil and it would be at least a fifteen minute walk to the nearest egress.
Bromeliad
The soundless kept his head low and his emotions quiet as he followed Ceph through the Coil. He didn't look at his surroundings more than a glance or two, more focused on the walk ahead. How Kai had managed to drag him this far would always be a mystery. "Don't be shocked when it's a mess," Llyiss finally said after so much silence. "I didn't get a chance to completely clear that old house. It's probably back to where it was when I started." His voice was a bit strained, while the walk was not impossible anymore it was still a struggle.
Vos
"I'm sure it has more charm than Hemlock Coil," Ceph snorted. Which was mostly true. Although some areas had an alluring array of plantlife and natural lighting, a large portion was a tangle of bramble and marsh. Thankfully they made it out without any incident; only curious gazes and a few leers. The ashen Sylvari slowed but didn't halt, noticing Llyiss' struggling. He bit back a comment, knowing the Sylvari wouldn't accept any help. Instead choosing to carry on the conversation. "Do you plan to claim Naulshead as your own? Is that what this is about?" He prodded curiously.
Bromeliad
"It's already mine. I helped build it. It's not about anything," came the huffy reply. Llyiss stopped a moment to take a break, leaning forward and bracing himself with his hands against his knees. It wasn't long before he straightened back up. Determined to continue. "I wasn't looking to be bothered." He started walking again, beginning to recognize the landmarks around them.
Vos
"Right." Ceph said, although he didn't quite believe the ex-warden. He waited for Llyiss to catch his breath. They were nearing the coast and therefore Naulshead. It would be only another five minutes or so before they laid eyes upon it. He felt as if he was releasing a rehabilitated animal back into it's natural enviroment. The need to keep them under your safety but knowing it was only right to set them free. A small whisp of smoke floated up from the distance. Was Naulshead burning; No there would have been more smoke. Perhaps a campfire then? Ceph's brows furrowed.
Bromeliad
Llyiss didn't notice the fire, not seeing or smelling it as they so slowly approached the familiar thorn-filled ruins. Honestly it really wasn't MUCH more friendly than Hemlock Coil, but to Llyiss it was home and that's what mattered. He'd slowed down to practically a crawl even with the ruins now coming into sight, he wasn't going to collapse or anything but it was clearly taking all of his effort. No wonder he didn't notice. "I'm fine," the green sylvari stated, unasked.
Vos
He steadied Llyiss with a heavy hand on his shoulder. "Your fine and my fine seem to differ greatly," he grumbled, not unkindly. He relinquished his hold and took lead, not wanting the already wounded Sylvari to fall victim to an ambush. The abandoned settlement was actually charming. Especially with the smell of salt in the air and the dancing of light through the towering yet sparse canopy. However the sight of the homes in disarray, consumed by dark lichen and thorns, brought a pang of sorrow to the Doctor. None of this had been necessary.
Bromeliad
"I made it this far. As long as you lot give me a bit of a break before showing up again it'll be like nothing changed," was the reply. "They'll try to kill me, I'll kill them, thorns will keep growing. It'll be like I was never--" Llyiss stopped mid-sentence, finally noticing the campfire smell. He frowned. "It's been too long for that to be mine." The green sylvari straightened completely up, clenching his fists in preparation of a fight.
raumlet
The fire had a single occupant, once they were close enough to see: Kai, all long lanky limbs looking thin and vulnerable without his fancy clothes. By this point, his wounds were more or less healed; in his opinion they hadn't been serious enough to be worth the fuss that Ceph had kicked up over them, even with the infection. A good rinse and the poultice had taken care of what his cramped schedule had led him to neglect. His head was down, forehead propped on his crossed thumbs - he'd done nothing but berate himself since he'd set up camp in the wrecked settlement.
Vos
Ceph chuckled as he spotted who was squatting in Llyiss' home. "No need to worry. The only thing you're in danger of is a headache," the ashen Sylvari reassured him. Despite how sour he felt towards Kai, he couldn't deny it was a relief to see him supposedly well. Ceph didn't greet Kai as they entered the settlement, however he wasn't outwardly hostile.
Bromeliad
Llyiss... almost smiled. Letting his shoulders relax he just shook his head and found a clear enough spot on the ground to finally sit down. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised," he called out to the mulberry courtier, raising his deep voice so the other could hear.
raumlet
For a long moment, Kai didn't say anything - finally, he took a deep breath and straightened up, his shoulders tense under the thin shirt he was wearing. "Glad to see you're well, Llyiss," was all he said, his voice even.
Vos
Ceph stood there uncertainly before exhaling sharply from his nose. "I suppose I'll take my leave then. I trust that you'll take care of yourself and not waste those supplies ," Ceph said, almost sounding sad to be rid of Llyiss. With only a nod in farewell he turned his back on the two Sylvari.
Bromeliad
The green sylvari opened his mouth to reply to Ceph, hesitating and stopping himself. But, after a moment, he relented. "I suppose you can come back. Here." It was a rough rumble of something that might not have sounded like true gratitude but... felt like it. In a way. Llyiss looked away after saying it, turning his attention back to Kai. "I'm fine. It took too long, though."
raumlet
"Hmm," Kai said, as neutral as he could manage. He seemed subdued, his usual talkativeness gone - even the blank wall of his emotions felt muted insomuch as Llyiss could feel it. He knew that Llyiss would be back eventually, knew it wouldn't be long, but there was nowhere else for him to retreat to; this little ruined hamlet was the only place he could hide.
Bromeliad
Llyiss dragged himself to his feet, taking the bag with him as he stumbled closer to the fire and a better place to sit. He actually couldn't feel any of those emotions, back to mostly normal had brought with it the proper state of mind to block it all out again. "Have you seen my boots?"
raumlet
"Right where you left them," Kai said calmly. Looking away from Llyiss, he grabbed one of the skinny logs beside him and threw it on the fire with more ease than his frame suggested - he wasn't new to roughing it. Didn't like it, certainly, but he could do it. The area around the campsite had been swept clear - he'd found the rough broom Llyiss had fashioned - and the firepit had been cleaned of the old ashes; all in all, it looked basically as Llyiss had left it.
Bromeliad
So they were ruined then, basically. "I almost hoped someone stole them, at least then they wouldn't have gone to waste," Llyiss grumbled. "I'm guessing my hammer's the same. At least that'll still be fine." He let the comment trail off, letting his head droop. The silence was awkward, so many unsaid things that were only unsaid out of an unwillingness to say them.
raumlet
Kai shrugged his skinny shoulders. The hint of a bandage was visible under his collar. "Turn them into planters. They're certainly sturdy enough," he said. Picking up a stick by his side, he poked at the fire, turning over a few coals to reveal a blackened leaf-wrapped lump, which he fished out with a few stabs. It'd been a while since he'd done this. "The hammer is inside the hut you cleared."
Bromeliad
"I don't have to rewrap it then. The rest of my stuff still in there?" Not that it was much. A bedroll on the ground, various other camp supplies. Sturdy and simple and clean. "Glad to hear it didn't all grow back. I figured by now it would be like when I first returned." He sighed, briefly wondering how heavy that axe was going to feel. If he could actually swing it properly at all. There was that issue of that bite when he tried to raise his arm too high. It was something to test when no one else was around to see.
raumlet
"You were gone weeks, not months," Kai said. Carefully, he picked up the piping-hot leaf with the tips of his fingers and dropped it on the stone slab at his side to cool. Dusting his fingers off on his pants, he crossed his forearms over the points of his knees and laced his fingers together again. "You were right about one thing," he added. "Pointless manual labor does keep you from thinking."
Bromeliad
"That's true. I forget it took seven years to get to how it looks now." Everything had been so unreal it was hard to distinguish the time from a night of sleep at times. He didn't comment on the latter statement, it was just a truth.
raumlet
"Seven years," Kai said, in the sort of tone that implied the that it was an unreasonable amount of time that shouldn't have happened. "Honestly, you spent those years more productively than I did."
Bromeliad
"About as productive as anything I'm doing here." Which of course meant not at all. He sighed, undoing the straps of his chest armor slowly and carefully. Ceph wasn't around to see him already taking it back off, and it was heavy and rubbed too much against the bandages. "I spent a few angry. A few sad." The green sylvari winced as he pulled it off, keeping his bad arm as low as possible.
raumlet
"You were 'building character,' or something trite like that," Kai drawled, untangling his fingers to scoop up the charred bundle. With just the tips of his nails, he peeled the leaf back to reveal a steaming tuber, still too hot to eat - he set it aside again and stared down at it. "I suppose I was, too, though not in so noble or blameless a way as you."
Bromeliad
"Destroying more villages?" Llyiss looked back up, blue eyes purely tired. "I wonder what would be different if I hadn't gotten lost. This place wouldn't." There'd been a year or two of angry plans. A few more of sad regrets. "I don't know if I would have gone back to the wardens, or just... went for revenge on my own." It was probably the latter. A final run.
raumlet
"You would be determined to ruin your life." Kai sighed, his eyes fixed firmly on the tuber by his feet. All he could think of was how tired he was - sleep hadn't come easily to him, the past few days. Oddly enough, he kept wondering if he'd shut the door to his hut. Of all things to be worried about! "Can you imagine, if I hadn't joined the Court? Twenty years."
Bromeliad
"I wonder if I would have managed to kill you." He considered Kai's sentence, twenty years was long enough he might have seen him, back when he was new, maybe when he was a warden. But he certainly didn't remember the other sylvari, not beyond the sacking of this place."I wouldn't know the difference if you hadn't joined. I didn't know you before, at least not enough to have any sort of impact. And if it hadn't been you I ended up focusing on, when you burned this place, it would have been someone else."
raumlet
"Do you remember the origins of the Court?" Kai asked, his voice quiet and even, his head still lowered. "Not what it had become by the time we destroyed Naulshead - by that point... I wouldn't blame you, if you still wanted me dead." His eyes shifted to his fingers, knotted together in front of him again, and he chewed his lip for a long, tense moment. "I don't suppose you ever chafed under the Tablet, did you? You don't seem the type to feel the injustice of it. Of the blind eye Mother turned."
Bromeliad
"I.. was good. Obscenely so. If you're annoyed by me now..." Llyiss trailed off, a hint of a smile in his words. "I wasn't secondborn. Just close. The wardens were already in place, I woke up to join them. Never really felt any chafing, all I wanted to do was protect people." The smile didn't vanish, despite his words taking a darker tone. "You've felt people die. You've had to. How do you do it? Take someone innocent and just..." He clenched his fists, slowly opening his hands and looking down into his palms. "Feeling their fear and pain and then just that nothingness when they're gone. The first time it happened, I knew why I was meant to do what I did. But it was never just once. You can't- you can't save everyone. Being remembered in the dream is bullshit." he paused. "I never felt any bitterness towards Her. Just the likes of you that can feel what it means to kill someone who doesn't deserve it, and still do it anyways."
raumlet
"By believing that what you are doing is serving the greater good of your people, Llyiss," Kai said wearily, his voice a sarcastic drawl; whatever had driven him before, that had been snuffed out, had soured on him long ago. There was only the Nightmare now, and it wasn't enough. "By believing that Mother will turn her eye on us eventually if there's enough of us, as foolish as that sounds. She's blind to her children," he said softly. "Would you believe, all I ever wanted was for her to listen? Not just to the Firstborn, not just to the Tablet - the Tablet! I hated it! I hated Ventari. I hated the way the Wardens looked at me once they knew I wasn't another complacent little Dreamer, even before I joined the Court."
Finally, Kai lifted his head to look at Llyiss. "That's what drove me from the Grove, you know - the suspicion. Sometimes I wonder... What if Mother had spoken to me, rather than sending guards like you to watch me? What if she'd truly had compassion for all her children, not just the ones who fell into line under the Tablet? I was a child.. A very hurt little sapling. and I made -" He laughed, then, and dropped his head back to his hands. "I made a very regrettable decision, one I can't undo."
Bromeliad
"I don't think any end justifies those means. Not people who never wanted to be involved." He sighed, the words were accusatory but the tone was not. "If you'd waited, would you have ended up here? Maybe that's what would have happened. You'd be dead because of those who didn't." Llyiss still looked at his hands, a little dirty from bracing himself on the ground. "Even as good as I was, I never spoke to her either, you know. It's just how things are."
raumlet
"Would that be so bad? Would it be better than -" Kai waved a hand at himself, his own miserable situation. "I wanted to change that. I wanted her to see us, to talk to us. Either way - what does it matter? Clearly, I won't last much longer in the Court. You'll be rid of me soon, one way or another."
Bromeliad
"You're free to join me when the rest of you decide to show up and this place ends again." He looked up, finally, a hint of a smile. "Switch sides. Go out in a blaze of glory." There was definitely sarcasm to that, no glory here. Llyiss looked back down again. "Why did you have to go and make it all murky? I don't want that to sound like a nice idea. I just want to hate you again. All of you. That's the game, isn't it? Save me so I can feel like shit again."
raumlet
"I would consider myself luck if the worst the Court did to me was kill me should I defect," Kai said. He picked up the tuber again; it was cool enough to eat, so he pulled the leaves down far enough to tear a rough half off for himself before folding the leaf over and tossing the rest underhand at Llyiss. "Are you going to make me explain why I, regretful as I am, have an interest in saving the man who wants to waste the second chance I myself will never get? Don't, please. I've damned myself enough as it is."
Bromeliad
"I'm never going to regain what I had here, even if I went to the new village. It's not the same. You called me a ghost, before. I'd just be dragging that with me. There's no second chance with the rest of the soundless." Llyiss' motions were clumsy but he managed to catch it with both hands. "Unless you mean completely starting over. The Grove must be real noisy now." Were any of the people he fought beside even still around? He still hadn't met anyone he recognized from better times.
raumlet
"Noisier, and much larger," Kai said around a mouthful of yacon. Not the best he'd ever made, but edible at least; he could only do so much when he didn't even have salt on hand. "There's quite a few of us now. You were a Warden, weren't you? They'd welcome you back - they're short-handed these days. I would know, wouldn't I... They could give you a quiet little posting without many other Sylvari around."
Bromeliad
"Where nothing would happen and I might as well still be here?" Llyiss took a bite himself, by now not questioning it, not giving off any annoyance. Greatful, actually. "You just want Naulshead to yourself." It was a joke, sort of. Amusement in the statement instead of anger.
raumlet
"Frankly, if I had anywhere else, I'd be there," Kai said. Vitrun's warm little pod in the Grove came to mind - but intruding there after what he'd done, what had been said, felt like a violation of what their friendship had been. The tuber was suddenly tasteless mash in his mouth. Wouldn't he love to cry! He hadn't cried in years, and if he were being honest, he wasn't sure he could anymore. Instead, he swallowed his mouthful and wrapped the rest of the root in one of the clean leaves by his little rock. "Consider it. They need good Wardens now more than ever."
Bromeliad
"Got a bit more healing to do before I could call myself a good warden." He continued to eat, allowing only a hint of worry about his current range of motion. "But- I might visit. See what the Grove looks like inside now. Anyone I still know. You know it will still end up the same, right? I couldn't handle it back then. Being alone for seven years isn't going to make it hurt less."
raumlet
"Your pessimism is coloring things again." Kai dropped the root onto the slab and let himself slump forward again. "You forget - you found a community. You were happy once, you know. What the Court did doesn't negate that. There are smaller groups scattered about; it won't be another Naulshead, but all that means is that it will be safer."
Bromeliad
"Safer doesn't mean a whole lot." Finishing up the rest of his half of the yacon, Llyiss just let his head droop, shoulders sinking. "Fine. I'll go back to the Wardens." There was a pause. "It's not because I owe you for saving my life, though. It's the least you could have done for wrecking it in the first place." He huffed, stubborn.
raumlet
"I agree on that, at least," Kai said. His eyes were fixed on the flames licking over the coals of the fire - now that Llyiss was back, what was he supposed to do? He could hardly stay here and hope that he'd be left alone; no, he'd already spent too long away from the Court, and drawing it out any further would only make it worse. "I suppose I'll be leaving, then. Evil deeds to do to perpetuate the Nightmare and all that."
Bromeliad
Llyiss didn't bother looking up, just shook his head. While a lot of what he'd been told of the Court was now on shakey ground, he was still pretty sure it was true you can't leave. There was nothing to suggest for that. "I apologize in advance for inevitably having to kill you. I'm sure we'll end up in the same burning town again someday." He paused. "But while you're here I suppose I can just pretend you're just an old ghost too. No dreamers or nightmare in Naulshead."
raumlet
"Fair enough. Rest assured, my heart won't be in it next time we meet. You'll be doing me a favor." Kai's voice was weary as he pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. "There's more yacon in the hut you've cleared. Wrap it in a leaf and bake it in the coals until it's soft, and you're fed until you decide to leave." With an uninterested little wave, he turned to leave, back to the Court to face whatever was waiting for him there - nothing pleasant, of course, unless Datu had come home, but the return was inevitable. He'd known it would be.
Bromeliad
"You mean my home?" He called out, one last remark. Llyiss stayed sitting until Kai was long gone, finally picking up his armored top and the bag, shuffling to go put them away inside. A day or two of quiet, then he'd go.
Meliwirth kicks the ant’s nest because she can’t leave shit alone. No one appreciates it.
raumlet
There was nothing like a good fight to get the sap flowing, in Mel's honest opinion, although this time the flow was a bit too literal - sap bubbled up between her fingers with each step, and despite the switch of her hips, she was in a considerable amount of pain. The Warden hadn't gotten serious until it'd been too late - his mistake - but before she'd cut him down, he'd caught her in the side with that sword of his. One more scar for her collection, but first, she'd have to ensure she survived it. Drunk, bloody, and grinning, she pushed the Mender's door open and stepped into the little clinic. "Yoohoo! Patient here!"
Bromeliad
She wasn't the only one. Llyiss was still in the clinic. He mostly drifted in and out of the hazy sleep that painkillers brought, awake very little, moving around even less. He was much more noticeable on them, despite a couple stray attempts at meditation things were too foggy and soft and warm to properly keep up blocks. Not that that changed much. He still kept to himself almost entirely, avoiding talking and really doing much of anything but resting.
Right now, though, Llyiss was up and about. Testing his strength, washing his face, doing what he could while he was still awake but not in too bad pain. At the moment he rested against the table, carefully retying his 'hair' back into something more manageable after actually fingercombing it back out. Mel's loud entrance drew his attention and he looked up. Who was- the green sylvari didn't say anything out loud.
raumlet
Meliwirth stopped dead in the infirmary door, her hand tightening over the dripping gash cut into her side. There was a Dreamer in the clinic, or at least a Sylvari who was decidedly not Court, walking around free - no chains. No cage. To be sure, he didn't seem comfortable here, but his wounds had been tended to, not left to fester; there was pain, but no fear, no horror staining his face. No, he was fixing his long ferns. Her eyes darted around the clinic - there was no one else. Which didn't bode well for her, with how deep her injury was, but...
Desire warred with her caution. A Dreamer wouldn't have made it here under his own power; he was here for a reason, and she needed to find out why before she let her twitchy fingers drift to her knife. "You're definitely not the doctor," she managed with a wobbly grin, straining to keep the hunger out of her voice. As much as she wanted to take her knife and carve the Nightmare into his bark, she wasn't in any shape to do it, even if she knew it was safe to attack him. "Where is he? Any clue?"
Bromeliad
There were a few more moments of silence as Llyiss finished tying back his foliage, letting his arms fall carefully to his sides as he stood a little straighter. Tried to look a little sturdier. He missed his armor, it was still gone, bandages the only thing wrapped around his torso. His blue eyes were cold and wary when he finally answered, matching his icy tone. "No." A long pause broke the sentence in half, silent watching. "I haven't seen him in awhile."
raumlet
Her grin shifted into a grimace, partly annoyance, mostly pain. Every time she needed that goddamn Mender, he was nowhere to be found - her glove was sticky with sap, she was dripping on the floor, and her buzz was withdrawing quicker than expected as the pain made itself known, so she wasn't feeling particularly patient. And to top it all off, there was prey in front of her, tantalizingly wary of her even though she was swaying on her feet.
"F'course," she breathed. Cautiously, her eyes fixed on the Dreamer, she stepped into the clinic; she began to rifle through the drawers one-handed, the other still pressing tight to her wound, until she found what she was looking for - gauze pads. She swapped her hand for a sloppy bundle of pads and pushed it tight to the wound with both hands, then turned to stare again. Her eyes roved over him, head to toe and then back up. "He's expanding his clientele, huh?"
Bromeliad
Llyiss of course made zero motions to help, watching her hunt around from the other side of the table. He silently weighed his choices- there wouldn't be any running or fighting, but it looked like that was the same for her as well. Would one of the two that kept him here lash out if he just let her bleed all over the floor? Would it matter if they did? "I didn't ask to be here," came the simple reply, still cold.
raumlet
"Didn't figure you did. You don't seem the sort," Mel said. The other Sylvari was unarmed; her pistol hung heavily on one hip, her dagger on the other. It would be the simplest thing to draw them and jump the table - but she held back even though the desire vibrated under her skin. Dragging her eyes away from him, she looked down at her wound and resettled the pads. "Whose pet are you, then, huh? Not the Mender's. Not his style."
Bromeliad
"I'm not a pet," his flat tone gained a ripple of annoyance, even as Llyiss focused inwardly on shutting it all down. "So, nobody's." The idea pissed him off, and there was no way the sylvari was about to admit it might be a little true. Biting off any more of a reply he shifted his weight and hid a grimace. Still no offer of help, and still watching very carefully. The courtier across from him might be smaller but that really meant nothing when it came to a real fight.
raumlet
The laughter that bubbled up out of her wasn't kind, a nasty-edged bite that she immediately regretted - the stab of pain in her side was worse than the initial cut without the thrill of the fight to distract her from it. Cautiously, she eased up on her wound and leaned against the counter. "Not a pet, but you didn't choose to be here? Sure, sure. Happens all the time," she said with a weak chuckle. "Wounded Dreamers show up on our doorstep, and we treat them and let them tool around the place to see what it's like in the Court. We woo 'em. You think that's how it works? Who owns you?"
Bromeliad
Icy eyes fixed on hers as Llyiss stared Mel down. He pushed off the table to stand on his own again, crossing his arms carefully over his bandaged chest. "No one owns me. I'm leaving the moment I'm able. I don't feel like playing a stupid game right now, how about you just finish bleeding and leave me alone." His words were picking up more anger. If only he had one of his weapons, something other than blunt sentences and... a surprising unwillingness to give up who had dragged him here. It wasn't purely because it would be a confirmation of her words. It just felt wrong. Like throwing a friend under wheels. Even if Kai was not a friend.
raumlet
"So you're saying, frankly, that you're a wounded, vulnerable Dreamer trapped in the middle of the Court. And no one has a claim on you." Mel's grin was wide and unsettling despite the strain evident on her face. Oh, she wanted to draw her knife and jump him, but she knew he was probably lying - he couldn't have gotten here without a Courtier bringing him; if he'd come in under his own power, he'd be in a cell, or worse. Leaning forward, she said, "That's not very wise."
Bromeliad
Llyiss rested his elbows on the table, using the excuse to prop himself up against it as he too leaned closer. "Soundless," was all he said, a simple correction. There was no fear in his expression or tone, no matter how true her words were and how stupid and dangerous the situation. It just wasn't there. He was tired.
Vos
Ceph shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when he slid the door to the clinic open. In fact he shouldn't have been surprised at all. Leaving the ex-warden alone had been a mistake. It was a lapse in judgement on his part. However, Opiate withdrawal wasn't so easy to shrug off. He might be a good doctor, but that was the extent of the mender's positive traits.
"Meliwirth," Ceph greeted with a hint of exasperation. He slid the door shut behind him with a sharp clack. He was keenly aware of the tense atmosphere in the clinic and the smell of sap.
raumlet
"Ceph!" Meliwirth called back in greeting, throwing a sap-sticky hand in the air in genuine excitement. The movement made her wince, and she dropped her hand back to her side quickly, pressing on the gash. "Thorns, but you make your patients wait, don't you? Come stitch me up before I bleed out. And while you're at it," she added, her eyes flicking back to the Soundless Sylvari for a moment, "Tell me who's keeping their toy hidden away here, huh?"
Bromeliad
The sound of the door made Llyiss straighten back up again, but it was only Ceph. His shoulders relaxed, and he almost sighed. Taking the moment of Mel's distraction he slowly moved to one of the chairs, pulling it out and sitting down. The green sylvari just didn't trust his legs to hold out much longer and didn't want Meliwirth to see him wobbling. Yes it was pretty obvious he was weak now, but he didn't really want her to know HOW weak.
"I told you, I'm not a toy," Llyiss interrupted, blue eyes still entirely on the woman.
Vos
His eyes followed the thin trail of sap along the floor to Meliwirth. Stitches it was. Ceph indicated for her to take a seat on the table as he gathered a pair of suturing scissors and toothed forceps. "What makes you think he isn't mine?" he asked, humoring her. He pulled up a stool next to the table so he could sit eye-level with her midriff.
raumlet
Mel planted her butt on the table as directed and hitched her jacked up to give the Mender better access to the wound - unfortunately, that disturbed the fragile crust of sap, and the wound began to leak again; sap beaded on her side and rolled down to add to the mess already coating her side. "Doesn't seem your style," she said, shooting another glance at the Soundless sitting at the table. "Too much effort."
Bromeliad
Llyiss just listened, tucking what long ferns had escaped back behind his ears one at a time. He stayed silent now, letting his chin dip forward when he was done, eyes closing. It wasn't safe but what did it really matter, honestly.
Vos
The doctor clicked his tongue in annoyance as he noted the debris in the wound. Ceph leaned over to grab a bottle of saline that was sitting on the adjacent table. He sighed and picked up the forked forceps, taking a second to plan his approach before he gently grasped the wound by one side with his tool and slowly forced the crusted gash to open wider. He paused as he uncapped the saline and angled it over her wound so he could pour it through the dead space and clear it. "Really? He's pretty enough," Ceph argued with a laugh, eyes still trained on her.
raumlet
"If you like that sort of thing," she replied, her voice strained as he picked at the gash. Her knuckles were white on the edge of the table - as careful as Ceph was being, it still hurt. Her eyes flicked down to the top of Ceph's head, then back up to the man at the table. "Maybe I've got the wrong idea, but you don't seem like you'd take on extra work outside of, you know." With an airy little wave of her hand, she gestured at him as he worked. "Can't see you - ah - dragging a wounded Dreamer back here to patch him up."
Bromeliad
Said pretty sylvari just pinched the bridge of his nose, head still lowered as he just listened to them. Laying back down would be nice, just fading back into... no. Llyiss opened his eyes again, voice tired. "I'm right here. Do whatever the end result of this stupid game is already so I don't have to listen to you gossip like dawn saplings."
Vos
The medic cast a brief glance over to Llyiss as he set the saline back on the table. "What can I say? Im a bleeding heart," Ceph replied, tone thick with sarcasm. Without releasing the forcep, he leaned over and plucked a needle driver from the surgical tray. He selected the appropriate sized suture material and turned back to her. "But if you must know, He's Kai's," he finally revealed. If she knew what was good for her, she'd leave it at that.
raumlet
"Oh." Mel's voice dropped to a flat, bored tone, a little frown furrowing her brow. Maybe if it had been someone else, she might have risked it, but Kai was practically an antique. It wasn't even that odd that the Dreamer was here, then - he preferred persuasion over force, ensuring his converts were, if not loyal, at least willing to listen. "A future Courtier, then!" Her expression brightened, and she gave him a broad grin. "Guess I'll see you in the ranks soon enough."
Bromeliad
"I'll die before that happens," Llyiss replied, that anger rising in his tired tone. He almost stood up, his own weakness the only thing holding him back. "Trust me, my stubbornness doesn't end." He hunched his shoulders up, a twinge of pain cutting through the haze that kept it down. "I dare you to try."
Vos
Ceph snorted, giving the wound one more light wipe down. He grasped the suturing needle with the needle driver and held edge of the wound open withe the forceps, manipulating it so the needle pierced at an appropriate angle. He decided on a simple running suture, taking care not to put too much tension as he began to close the dead space. The area was problematic. Meliwirth would be at risk of ripping her stitches if she wasn't careful. "Don't agitate my patient, Llyiss. It's a miracle she's sitting still as it is."
raumlet
"I'm not so dumb that I'm gonna move while you have a needle in me, Mender," Mel snapped down at him, wincing as the little sliver bit into her again. As much as she wanted to squirm and kick her feet, she knew better. Her lips set in a thin line, she looked up at the Dreamer again, her eyes narrowing. "I am not going to try anything - you think I feel like sticking my nose into a Duke's business?" She laughed, the sound cutting out quickly as it pulled at the stitches Ceph had already done. " I don't want him pulling favors just to put me back in my place. You are stuck with whatever he's gonna do to you. I have better things to do."
Bromeliad
A what? The green sylvari honestly didn't care, glaring right back at Mel and ignoring Ceph's words. "I'm not stuck with anything." He dragged himself slowly to his feet, finally looking at the mender. "Where did you put my armor?" It was probably the painkillers talking, but he wanted to leave. Now.
Vos
Ceph looked up from his work with clear and plain annoyance written accross his face. "We're not doing this now. Sit down and we can discuss your departure later," he replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. The courtier was nearly done with the suture. He needed only to apply a poultice and a wrap. His tools clinked as he deposited them on the surgical tray. "Meliwirth, I trust you remember how to take care of stitches?" He questioned, sifting through jars on a shelf until he selected one filled with a gritty green substance. He opened the container with a sharp pop;The sour smell of herbs wafting from it.
raumlet
Mel didn't say anything more to the Dreamer - she just grinned at him over Ceph's head. "Haven't forgotten since the last time I was in here," she said, dropping her gaze to him as he seated himself on the stool again. "Mind giving me some of that when I leave? I'm all out, been too busy to drop by and get more."
Bromeliad
He most certainly was not going to sit down. Nope, Llyiss... stood there instead, a hand pressed to the scarred up patch under his bandages. He didn't say anything to either of them, just stood silently, defiance written into his expression and the tenseness of his arms.
Vos
Ceph dipped his fingers into the poultice and scooped out a liberal amount. He gently glided his fingers over the irritated looking suture, spreading the cold fragrant substance. "I'll fill a tin that you can take with you," Ceph muttered, concentrating as he wound gauze around her midriff . He didn't seem to notice , or perhaps didn't care, that Llyiss was attempting to be rebellious. "Try not to tear your stitches this time."
raumlet
"I'll try. Best I can do," Mel said. Now that she knew who owned him, she'd lost interest in the Dreamer; there was no sense throwing away her life just to satisfy the itch in her fingers when there were plenty of less dangerous marks within easy reach. She was jittery again; her leg swung in front of Ceph, back and forth. There was nothing else for her here. "Are you almost done?"
Bromeliad
Finally Llyiss moved, slowly working his way around the clinic looking for where his armored top might be. It was gone for awhile but maybe it was back somewhere, he hadn't really spent a whole lot of time in a state that would let him look around and pay attention to much detail. "I'm still leaving, even if you burned it." The armor of course. He rested a hand on a counter, propping himself up as he glanced around.
Vos
"Finished." He announced curtly, setting down the remaining gauze. He finally turned his attention to Llyiss. "You can't leave yet. Burns heal slowly and your wound especially has a high risk of infection," he paused, gathering his thoughts. He couldn't let the green sylvari leave yet. Ceph cast a glance over at Meliwrith. It was likely his courtier patients that were putting the soundless Sylvari on edge; feeling too exposed. "If you'd like you can stay upstairs. I can promise you won't be bothered by my patients. " He offered, trying a suprisingly kind approach. He didn't mind the idea of Llyiss using his bed, the Sylvari might even appreciate sleeping on an actual bed. Although the idea of Llyiss getting into his things was a concerning thought.
raumlet
"Thanks," Mel said, pushing off the table and landing with a bounce and a wince. Carefully, she smoothed her sap-crusted top over the dressing, letting her hand linger over the painful stitches. "Our good ol' Duke must see some potential in him if you're willing to go that far," she said, giving Ceph's shoulder a playful little pat. "Poultice, please, and then I'll be out of your branches."
Bromeliad
"It's good enough." Those blue eyes had turned cold again, Llyiss' fingers gripping the edge of the counter he leaned on. "I really. Really don't want to play these stupid games anymore. Your nice little offers aren't going to work. End the game or let me try to leave." Mel was most likely the correct one here. Her actions and words matched up to what he knew of the Court. Out of all of them, she was the most trustworthy because she was the most predictable. And she was confirming this was all a game.
Vos
Ceph stood, rolling his shoulder with a grimace. He didn't seem upset or surprised by Llyiss's response. Instead he grabbed a small tin the size of his palm and spooned out salve into it. He smoothed it over and sealed it. The doctor placed it on the the table next to Meliwirth. It was only then that he spoke; his voice calm and clear despite his natural rough tone. "I'm not going to force you to accept my help. I'm not even going to force you to acknowledge what I've done for you. But don't accuse me of playing games because I'm not living up to your stereotype." He tiredly leaned back on the table.
raumlet
"I'll live up to it for you," Mel said cheerfully. Scooping the tin into her pocket, she wiggled her fingers at the Dreamer with a lazy little grin as she headed to the door. "Good to meet you, Dreamer. I'll see you in the ranks soon enough!"
As she reached to push the door open, though, someone opened it from the other side - Kai, who gave her a mild, innocuous smile and stepped back to let her through. Over her head, he glanced between Ceph at the table and Llyiss's agitated rifling through the counters; his smile took on a sharp edge. Mel bowed her head and hurried past with a little smile.
"Hello, Ceph, Llyiss," he said as he stepped into the clinic, pulling the door closed behind him. "Have you had any trouble?"
Bromeliad
The sharp answer prepared for Ceph died on Llyiss' lips as Kai entered, the green sylvari turning his gaze on the Duke instead. "I'm leaving," he said simply, turning and starting to walk the edge of the counter, still holding it with one hand. "She's right. This is a game, and I'm going down on my own terms." The deepset pain from the stab wound and subsequent burn had started to build again, the fog clearing from his head.
Vos
The mender watched with annoyance , and masked concern. Llyiss wouldn't be able to leave hemlock coil without overtaxing himself. That much was clear. "Kai, my charge believes he's fit to return to naulshead," he explained, clearing off his surgical tray into the stone hollow in the counter that acted as a sink. "My medical opinion disagrees. I've avoided it , however, I could give him something to improve his mood while he stays here," the mender suggested.
raumlet
"If you can get him to take it, which I doubt. I don't care either way so long as he doesn't leave before he's healed. " Kai replied, his eyes fixed on Ceph; he sounded exhausted as he leaned against the table Mel had only just vacated. He hadn't been able to get to the Mender quickly after he'd had his fun with that little grunt - there had been the favor for Senwir, which had taken longer than expected; then some petty dispute needed settling, silly as it was, and that had taken all day; and all the while, the deepest of the cuts bled slowly under the bandages he'd thrown over his chest to hold him until he had a moment to spare. He shot Llyiss a look with the weight of two days of sleeplessness behind it. "Which you don't seem to be. Sit down before you fall and hurt yourself. Did that violent little woman have something to say?"
Bromeliad
He stopped walking but stayed standing, propped up on the counter. Llyiss knew he wasn't ready either, but failing now meant he chose. It tugged at his heart and pride, leaving now at least salvaged a little lost by accepting help from the ones that destroyed his home. "She said you must see some potential and she'll see me in the court later," he answered angrily. "That I'm just some toy." There was a pause. "The truth, for once."
Vos
Ceph wiped Meliwirth's sap from his hands and leaned over the sink. His broad shoulders shuddered with a heavy sigh. Fuck he was exhausted. The doctor composed himself. Now wasn't the time. The courtier turned back to Kai. "Please say something to satisfy his obnoxious accusations. Now, are you stopping by for a visit or do you need something?" Ceph asked, sounding a bit more snappish than he intended Although he didn't apologize for it.
raumlet
"Meliwirth is an idiot who will find herself rotting in a ditch sooner or later, and I won't need to lift a hand to have it happen because she has about as much caution as a particularly stupid skritt," Kai said. As he spoke, he shrugged out of his overcoat and undid the buttons on his shirt, pushing it off to reveal the bandages wrapped around his chest. Cautiously, he unpinned the end of the wrapping with gentle fingers; the fabric stuck to the gash, and he winced as he pulled it off, revealing the crisscross of scabs on his skinny torso. Most of them were healing - but the deepest had yet to start knitting together. "I need a bit of tending. Nothing too serious."
Bromeliad
"At least she makes sense," Llyiss snapped back. He sagged against the counter, inwardly promising himself it was just for a little bit, he'd still leave that night. Just until he was glowing. Yeah. "I know what you are. I know what you do." The green sylvari lifted his head enough to watch Kai undo those bandages, his eyes unreadable as he looked over the wounds and all of the older scars.
Vos
Ceph grabbed the saline and a fresh wipe as he approached Kai. He leaned over and examined the scrapes, they needed to be cleaned but only one especially nasty abrasion warranted concern. He wasn't an idiot. The mender exactly how Kai collected these types of wounds. He wisely didn't comment on it in front of Llyiss. "I'll be the one to decide if they're serious or not," he replied with a scoff.
raumlet
"I think that perhaps after all these years, I can be trusted to make that call, Ceph. None of these will kill me," Kai said wryly, leaning back on the table and bracing himself so that Ceph would have easy access to the entirety of his scarred body. He'd patched himself up decently enough; the shallow cuts would heal, leaving only another scar for his collection. Finally, he looked up at Llyiss, leaning exhausted against the counter now. "Do you really think someone like Meliwirth has any insight into why I'm doing this, Llyiss? Frankly, that's insulting."
Bromeliad
"Is it about where I went? Because it's terrible." Llyiss shook his head, slowly letting go part of his death grip on the edge of the counter to drag a hand down his face. His deep voice was slightly dampened by his palm, but still clear enough they could hear him as he continued, more words strung together at one time than he'd really been willing to give. "You talked about doing something, getting out of Naulshead. Is this it? Joining you? It's what she said, and it's what makes sense. And. It's not going to happen. It's been... Two decades. Maybe a little more, I lost track of time. I've done a lot. Enough. You should have left me there, because I'm done opening new chapters, and I'll end it myself before I start one here."
Vos
Ceph rolled his eyes and without asking took Kai's legs out from under him and scooped the courtier up . He plopped the Duke properly on the table with care. It was plain to see that Kai needed rest as badly , if not more, than himself. He flicked the cap off the saline with his thumb and dabbed some of the liquid on the rag he carried. "After all these years you can't even be trusted to avoid putting yourself in this condition." Ceph said, but his tone was colored with amusement. Although he wasn't oblivious to Llyiss' words he didn't feel it was appropriate to tag into the conversation.
raumlet
Kai hissed with pain as the Mender lifted him, making him jerk with the unexpected loss of control; he glared at Ceph. "I'm not here for a lecture, Mender, and I don't appreciate being manhandled," he said, but he eased himself back on the table and leaned back again. The cuts had to be tended to. Uneasily, he looked up at Llyiss again - he couldn't exactly speak his mind with Ceph in the room. Not here, not in the Court; and would Llyiss even believe him? It was a risk with no tangible reward. He focused on his own scarred chest again instead, fury building in him. "Yes, yes, what a hard life you've lead. Poor you. I'm in no mood to reassure you, Llyiss - clearly nothing I say will make much of an impression if a brief encounter with the likes of her is so much more persuasive, so I'll save my energy, if you don't mind."
Bromeliad
"Her and every other one I've ever come across. You were the odd one out. And she explained it." Ceph too was... weird, but he didn't say that, just dropped his hand and looked over at the mender with the words locked behind his teeth. Llyiss still leaned against the counter, wishing it hurt just a bit less, that the burn didn't sap so much of his strength. He couldn't even raise his arm on that side straight up into the air. "Let me leave or do your worst now."
Vos
"And I don't intend to lecture. Don't try to do my job and I won't tell you how to spend your free time." Ceph grumbled, patting away some of the dribbling sap from the large gash. The wound was weeping lightly, a bad sign. It seemed as if someone had dug their fingers in. He grabbed the entire bottle of saline and tipped it over the wound, irrigating the tear. Despite the Doctor's sour mood, he worked with care and attentiveness.
raumlet
"I don't care, Llyiss. Do what you like," Kai said, exhaustion winning out over his anger. Maneuvering around Ceph's deft hands, he pressed his fingers to the ridge of his brow and shut his eyes, a crease appearing in the rough bark. There was nothing for him here, but he was stuck here, trapped by his own decisions; what did it matter what one angry Soundless thought of him? Why did he even care? It wasn't as if Llyiss's happiness would redeem him. "Do whatever you like," he repeated under his breath. His hand, curled into a fist, dropped back to the table to brace himself as the salt sent stinging pain up his ribs. "I did your job before you came, Ceph, and I haven't forgotten how. Get it over with."
Bromeliad
"Where is my armor, then?" It didn't feel like a victory, and Llyiss' tone was as empty as it felt. "I still need it, even if it's got a hole." He didn't leave the edge of the counter, looking around to see if he could spot the leather and metal top. Enough of that painkiller fog had rolled away he finally got enough of a grip to just shut everything away- his own annoyance, Ceph's concern, Kai's tiredness. They were court, and didn't matter. It was all just echoes of what used to be.
Vos
The mender paused, a harsh laugh escaping him. "You couldn't do my Job, Kai," Ceph said not unkindly. He eased the mulberry Sylvari back on the table with forceful hand. Grabbing a clean towel, he rolled it up, making an impromptu pillow. He put it under Kai's head. With better lighting on the wound Ceph could confirm what he suspected. The acrid smell had grabbed his attention, however, once the light reaveled the discoloration of the wound he was left without a doubt. "You should pick better partners. This one obviously doesn't clean his knives or his nails." He sighed, his concern now palpable. "I'd like you to stay overnight. Your dressing will need to be changed often to keep this infection from further festering, " Ceph explained.
But before he dealt with that. Ceph faced Llyiss. The doctor crossed his arms, a frown marring his scarred lips. "Your armor is in the chest at the end of my bed upstairs. I had it repaired. If you can make it out of hemlock coil without collapsing then you're free to go. If not, I'll drag you back here until you're fully healed."
raumlet
Being pushed down was what did it - Kai snatched up his shirt as he pushed himself upright, shoving his arms back into it with his temper bubbling dangerously close to the surface. "What do you think I was doing while you were letting strangers fuck you, Mender?" He hissed, doing up the buttons without bothering with the bandages; they would need changing anyway. Distortion blurring along behind him, he tore through the cabinets until he found what he was looking for - needle, thread, the salve to keep it all clean - and headed towards the door, using his long legs to his advantage.
Bromeliad
The stairs. They were right over there, so close. But at the moment they seemed a forever away. Llyiss almost stopped before he started, maybe after resting again, but then Kai started thrashing through the cabinets. The anger cemented his decision and he turned away from them both to head to the stairs. All he had to do was manage to get out of Hemlock Coil. That was it. The green sylvari stayed silent, slowly picking his way over there.
Vos
Ceph wrung the sap stained rag in hands, eyes forward staring at nothing. Kai's words bit into him. He was sure the other sylvari had the satisfaction of feeling that before he made his hurried exit. He slumped over the counter, suddenly more tired than he thought he could bear. He cast a glance over to Llyiss watching the Soundless struggle through his pain in an attempt to climb the stairs and retreive his armor. He finally spoke. "If you make it upstairs and feel too tired to make it back down, my offer from earlier still stands."
Bromeliad
Ceph was, perhaps, a little too optimistic. Llyiss made it to the staircase, but with everything worn off and all the moving he'd been doing he only made it up 3, 4 steps before his knees hit the stairs and his elbows on the ones higher. It jarred through him, but he forced himself back up. And again. And again. Finally he stayed down, holding his side and silent still midway up, resting his cheek on a smooth step. His blue eyes were damp, but there was no way Llyiss was going to let anyone see just how bad it was. Much less feel. He just focused on keeping that disconnect in place.
Vos
He couldn't watch anymore. Ceph climbed the steps to the Sylvari, pausing once he finally reached him. There were no words he could say to ease the ex-Warden. So he said nothing. With care he arranged the Sylvari so he could pick him up in a cradle carry to avoid further agitation to his wound. The doctor hauled his patient up the steps leading into a small circular room. It was cool and sparsely furnished. The only lighting was the natural light that shone through the glass skylight above that was crawling with thorned vines. As for furniture? A few crowded shelves, a large bed, and an intricately carved sea chest sat in the room. The bed was truly a luxury compared to the hammocks and other simple furnishings that were common to the court. He laid Llyiss on the bed. "The door locks. I'm sure that doesn't make you feel safer. But perhaps it will keep you from crawling back to naulshead. I only ask that you stay here four more days. After that I will escort you out of Hemlock Coil myself."
Bromeliad
Exhausted, hurting, Llyiss let him without a word. The bed really was nice, he hadn't been in a real one in.... was it years now? It was too nice, all of it. "I'm not afraid. It's not about safety." He turned his head to look away from Ceph. "Why are you pretending to care? You can't. It's not how it works. If you could care, Naulshead would still be standing. It's all just games and thorns and fire."
Vos
"Kai was wrong to bring you here," Ceph spoke, exhaling deeply. "Nothing I say will ease your pain. I can mend bruises, cuts, and broken bones. But I can't erase the injustices done to to," the doctor admitted. He flipped the latches on the chest and lifted the heavy oaken lid. He sifted through the box, pulling out a thick gray blanket. "I'm not here to play Court politics, and I'm not pretending. Don't linger on it. Just rest." He spread the blanket over Llyiss.
Bromeliad
"Then why are you here?" It wasn't an accusation, just a simple question. "If you aren't one of them. You're not like me, you can still walk through that door. If you're still.... Why?" Llyiss didn't move, didn't shift around. Still wouldn't actually look at Ceph. Maybe he'd hit his head on the stairs or something, but try as he might to deny it... the green sylvari actually was starting to believe him.
Vos
Ceph fiddled with the iron lantern on the shelf. He was no longer sure how to answer that question. "I belong here. The Court gave me security and purpose." he answered solemnly. The flame sparked to life, bringing light to the doctor's scarred face. Ceph leaned tiredly in the doorway. "I don't agree with many of the court's decisions but I don't pretend to be better than the rest of them."
Bromeliad
"I don't know how anyone can belong here. Doing what, fixing up people who murder and destroy? How many people is that bitch going to go kill? How many lives just got traded for her?" Now THAT was accusatory, the Soundless sylvari pulling himself to a sit with his hand over his side, the grey blanket still on him. "If you can care, why are you here?"
Vos
"I'm here because I need the Court as much as it needs me." he answered vaguely, his hand unconsciously rubbing his forearm. "I fix what needs fixing. It's not my job to measure a life's value. You should understand that by now. You could kill any number of my comrades and I would not regret saving your life." Ceph explained with wry smile.
Bromeliad
Llyiss didn't understand. It was probably some mender thing. Some lives were definitely worth more than others, no matter what side you were on. He sighed, wincing, and lifted his good arm to undo his ferns, half of them staying tangled without the effort extended to separate them out. "You should stop caring. It's easier. For you and me."
Vos
"Caring is not a bad thing," Ceph grumbled. Caring was the only thing that kept him from turning his back on Kai. The prideful duke was often more trouble than he was worth. Ceph knew when he was being used. He snapped out of his thoughts to find himself scowling again. He scrubbed his palm across his eyes, wiping away his tiredness. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to clean up the mess Kai left."
Bromeliad
Llyiss didn't answer that statement, just sunk back down again. He just sort of stared at the ceiling instead. "I'm not going to try to understand it. Four days." If it was a game and his head was just too cloudy to keep seeing it, he'd know then, at least.
Vos
The gruff medic wouldn't admit it but he was grateful Llyiss accepted his compromise. He nodded to his patient, leaving the lit lantern in the hook by the doorway. He stepped out of the room and slid the door to. He glanced down at the now quiet clinic and allowed his shoulders to slump. Dammit Kai.
Kai makes Llyiss breakfast. Llyiss is understandably suspicious. They both snark at each other.
Warnings: Sass, injuries.
raumlet
"Good morning!" Kai's voice was obnoxiously bright in the quiet infirmary. There was no indication of exactly what hour it was - here in the depths of the Court, the sun was shaded by the tangled vines overhead - but it was very definitely early... Which was exactly how Kai liked it, being a dawn bloom to his core. Restless, he'd been up for hours now, and had time to make more food than he could ever hope to eat alone. "Time to wake up - lying about all day won't do you much good. I've brought breakfast, which you will be eating; you've lost too much sap. Hmm, Ceph is still asleep? I don't know why I'm surprised."
Kai set a plate down on the table with a clatter and dropped his hands to his hips. "Come to think of it, I don't know if the man even has his own plates..."
Brom
Llyiss couldn't help but groan as he sat up, holding a hand to his side as if he still needed to keep his insides in. He'd been awake awhile as well, but for other reasons. It hurt. So very much. Enough to wake him up out of his death like sleep and keep him up, staring silent at the ceiling. "What are you going to do? Force it down my throat?" His voice was still hoarse. "Don't answer that, I think I know the answer." The green sylvari didn't get out of the hammock, though he did finally let go of his now-closed wound to rearrange his loose foliage.
raumlet
"Well, starving to death when someone is willing to put freshly-made omelettes in front of you is difficult. You're welcome to try, but there's no reason to, unless you have something against spinach and mushrooms," Kai said, waving a hand dismissively as he went to rifle through the cabinets in search of a plate. "You can ask for something for the pain, you know. I appreciate that you enjoy your suffering, but really - you're wallowing in it at this point."
Brom
"I think you underestimate my willpower. But it can't be worse than what you've already done." He didn't actually want to test his ability to starve, as if anyone actually would. Llyiss was stubborn, but there were definitely times it wasn't worth it. Tired of the loose ferns that kept sticking to his face, the sylvari took one blanket edge, tearing a long strip of fabric while he continued to answer. It took quite of effort, which was... bothersome. "Pretty sure 'don't take anything the Nightmare Court gives you' is so ingrained you don't even need to tell saplings."
raumlet
"If I wanted to harm you, Llyiss," Kai said slowly, enunciating carefully like he was speaking to a particularly slow sapling as he continued his fruitless search, "My choice would not be through poison, not after taking the trouble to drag you to a Mender who I'd rather keep in my favor. Bullying him into treating you does me no good; killing you now, while you're in his care, would only anger him - and he knows better than to hurt you if I'm helping you for some reason. But," he sighed, "Paranoia seems to be your byword, so I'm not surprised."
Kai shut the cabinet he'd been looking in and folded his arms, admitting defeat. "I didn't even think to bring a fork."
Brom
Llyiss grimaced as he raised his arms high enough to tie back his 'hair', doing his best not to make any noise about it. He huffed out a sharp breath despite himself. "Frankly I wouldn't be asking if we were in the middle of the Grove, either. Anything strong enough for something like this always makes you lose yourself more than I'm fond of." Foliage now tied back in a very loose and looped over facsimile of a bun, he slowly dragged himself up on his feet and out on the floor. "Then again, maybe it would bring having to deal with you closer to 'pleasant'. Where's my armor?" He was still shirtless besides the bandaging, legs the only thing still encased in leather and metal.
raumlet
"You'll have to ask Ceph, whenever he decides to check in on his patient again." Kai shrugged. If Llyiss ruining Ceph's blanket bothered him, he didn't react - not that it bothered him. They weren't his blankets, after all. "I don't have any idea when that might be, unfortunately, and I don't have the faintest idea what he's done with your armor. Or where he is, which is irresponsible considering he's a Mender with a very weak patient." Again, there was a complete lack of concern in his tone, even as he complained.
Brom
Weak was in fact correct, after a long moment standing Llyiss buckled and almost fell. Luckily he was still holding on, and managed to not actually hit the ground. "He can take as long as he wants." the sylvari growled. "Can you-" the sentence started as a question, but almost immediately the tone switched to a command. "- Pull out one of those chairs for me." He tilted his head towards one of the ones at the table where Kai'd put breakfast. There were no comments on the fact that he'd have to wait for some sort of painkiller. It was honestly just an excuse to continue to not take any.
raumlet
Surprisingly, Kai did as he was told and pulled the chair out. Unsurprisingly, a little smirk twisted his lips, and he stood there holding the chair back with an air of amusement. "Can you even walk this far? I'm sure your legs are very strong, with those boots of yours, but you have lost a lot of sap," he said. "I could push the chair to you and then drag you to the table, if you like."
Brom
Despite the clear dig Llyiss actually gave him a straight answer. "I think so. But don't expect me to stand back up any time soon." Gritting his teeth and letting go, he wobbled over to the chair. It was a little difficult, and he practically fell into it with a heavy thud and a grunt. "I doubt you'd be able to drag me anyways, with those arms." He put a hand over the bandaged wound. Not wet. Literally burning it back together somehow seemed to have worked, barbaric and terrible a method as that was.
raumlet
"I managed to half-drag you here - I'm quite sure I could move a chair with you in it from the cot to the table," Kai said levelly as he watched Llyiss hobble across the room. The plate on the table was delicately covered by a little square of linen, but underneath was an impeccably made omelette; even the spinach spilling out of the carefully-folded egg had an air of precision about it. Kai's excuse was, frankly, he hadn't had the chance to cook for anyone in months, and while Vitrun didn't give a damn if the food on the plate looked nice, Kai did. "Unfortunately," he continued while Llyiss sat there with his hand pressed to his side, "I didn't think to bring a fork. I assumed he'd have some here. I was, apparently, wrong; or I am simply blind."
Brom
"Let me just go pick some up from my camp," came the reply as Llyiss let go to examine how filthy his palms were. They were pretty bad. He went to wipe them on his pants, only to stop mid-motion as he realized what a terrible idea that was. Those were worse. So instead he futily tried to clean them off on the bandages across the front of his chest, not pressing too hard as to avoid the lesser scrapes under there. "I'm sure you can find a knife."
raumlet
"That's a bit far to go for a single knife when my own little hut is a few minutes away," Kai said. For a moment, he just watched Llyiss struggle to wipe his filthy hands, but then he took pity - grabbing a clean-looking rag, he wet it at the sink and handed it to Llyiss, his smile still in place. "If you like, I'll go fetch one - I trust you won't go anywhere - and recommend a bath to Ceph when I see him."
Brom
"I'm not going to let him-- or you help me with anything that even slightly resembles a bath," Llyiss growled with his still hoarse voice. He accepted the rag, though, folding it into a smaller square so that as he cleaned off one hand he could fold it the opposite and clean the other. It took a bit but finally he was satisfied, setting the cloth on the table. He rested his forearms there as well, leaning into them to rest. "-Not going anywhere. I'll make sure not to die while you're gone."
For a moment Llyiss almost asked for something for the pain like Kai had mentioned earlier. But he didn't, remembering where he was. Who he was talking to. What they had done. No matter how... nice seeming things were starting to look.
raumlet
"I'll be back, then," Kai said, and then he was gone, leaving the infirmary quiet. It was less than fifteen minutes before he was back, plates and forks in hand; he set one of the plates before Llyiss, dropped a fork on it, and set the other aside. With a little sigh, he took one of the other seats and crossed his legs, now content to watch Llyiss. "There. Eat as much as you like. If there's none left for Ceph, he can consider it his repayment for his excellent attention to his patients."
Brom
True to his word, Llyiss didn't go anywhere. At some point he'd picked back up the rag and gave his face a few wipes to try to clean up a little bit more, but otherwise he just leaned into the table, sitting back up only when Kai returned. With a silent nod he peeled the linen napkin off the top of the food. He paused. "....I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that. Shouldn't it be uglier? Or... black? Purple?" For the first time since he got there, Llyiss let out a hoarse laugh of real amusement despite his expression remaining strained. He pulled the omelette closer so he didn't have to stretch his arms so far, awkwardly using the fork to seperate half and scrape it onto his own plate. Now that it was directly in front of his face and clearly looked delicious there was no more playing around or being tough about it, the green sylvari immediately started to eat.
raumlet
"I can dye the next one, if you prefer. Make it appropriately evil," Kai said from where he was sitting, now picking idly at his knuckles. Little thorns were growing back, and he plucked them off and flicked them aside with a practiced twitch of his fingers. "Eggs dye well. It wouldn't be too much effort to ensure your little black-and-white worldview remains unchallenged."
Brom
"Maybe I was wrong about you not being able to build anything," Llyiss replied, gesturing to the remaining omelette. He paused to grimace at a wave of pain before continuing. "But food and patching me up isn't going to erase the fact you murdered my friends and destroyed my home. It's still black and white." He finished the first half, then akwardly dragged the plate with the second over, cutting it in half again and taking another piece.
raumlet
"Take the rest of it. If Ceph is hungry, he can cook for himself," Kai said after watching Llyiss portion out more omelette. He folded his thin arms over his chest and bounced his foot idly, letting his head tip back against the chair back so that he was staring at the arched ceiling. "Then I am black to my core, Llyiss. Eat, and then I'll see if your dressing needs changing, since the Mender isn't here to do it."
Brom
For a long moment Llyiss just stopped, holding one plate over the other. Then scraped the last quarter onto his own plate as well. After a few more minutes of eating he replied. "It's not bleeding through. And it's too early for screaming." Vaguely he wondered just how bad it looked- cauterized anything was never pretty- but he pushed the thought out of his mind. However bad it looked, unwrapping it to take a peek would feel ten times worse.
raumlet
"There will be considerably less bleeding because the wound shouldn't be a gaping hole now, and the screaming was your own fault," Kai replied. "The solution is to not scream just because we've taken the bandage off to replace it. If you'd rather let it sit and see how long it can go before it festers, that's an argument you'll need to have with Ceph."
Brom
"Easier said than done. Being torn open and then burned back together isn't the most pleasant feeling. Baring it and poking around won't be either." Llyiss finished the rest of the omelette, bracing himself against the tabletop with his forearms. "Obviously I can't stop you, but I'm not going to keel over because it got left alone a little longer."
raumlet
"I wouldn't think twice about it, except you're filthy, and that isn't a state you want to be in when you have wounds worthy of that sort of bandaging," Kai said. When Llyiss pushed the plate away, he stood and gathered everything into a neat pile, the fork set gently on the stacked plates."I suppose I should find Ceph anyway. He's probably still asleep."
Brom
"Neither is sitting in the middle of one of your dens, but I'm certainly here aren't I?" Despite his hoarse voice, the retort didn't sound so harsh this time. It wasn't in any sort of angry snap, that was for sure. Llyiss didn't look up at Kai, instead just staying propped up against the table, eyes closed and brow furrowed.
raumlet
"Better than lying dead in a pool of your own sap, a victim of your own sheer pigheaded stupidity," Kai said airly as he carried the dishes to the sink in the corner and set them down with a little clatter. "Or am I wrong? Would you prefer that?"
Brom
"If I didn't have to feel it anymore, maybe." Llyiss raised his head to look at Kai again. "You said it yourself, more than once. I'm not rebuilding anything on my own. It's a terrible location anyways. So it's not as if I would be missing out on anything. Except for whatever fun game you're currently playing." Was he greatful? The sylvari didn't really know. There was definitely a part of him that was, but the question was if it was the logical part.
raumlet
Kai turned from the sink, his hands on his hips, and stared Llyiss down. "Or, just possibly, you could consider the option of moving on with your life - perhaps do something productive, even. Join the survivors in the new settlement. Join the Wardens, even. You now have more knowledge of the layout of this outpost than any non-Courtier who isn't currently in a cell within the Court itself." Anything would be less infuriating than watching him mope his second chance away, Kai didn't add, but the thought nipped at him.
Brom
"I was a Warden. And I clearly left that, so great advice." Llyiss curled his expression in a grimacey half-snarl, clearly very bitter about that whole warden thing. His voice rose in volume, still hoarse. "You wanna know what kept me going last time? I was gonna kill you. Specifically. Then I fell in a hole for seven years. And it stopped fucking mattering." Yelling was a little too much, and he doubled over in the chair.
raumlet
"For something that doesn't seem to matter, you are extraordinarily angry about it," Kai said, his voice cool. "What would you have even done, had you killed me? Not that I believe you would have been able - but let's say I did something stupid like let you, and you had your little victory. Would you have moved on with your life then?"
Brom
Llyiss was much quieter when he sat back up, hand on his side. "I would have had the chance to help rebuild. I go now and it's... different. Seven years was almost as long as I was awake. I don't see what it matters to you, anyways." His blue eyes were narrowed, but his expression was back to a pained line.
raumlet
Kai was quiet for a moment, studying Llyiss, before he smiled - not pleasantly. "Do you have any idea how much it annoys me to watch you wallow in your self-pity, as if you are utterly unique in your tragedy and all alone in the world? There were other survivors," he said cooly, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "You would be welcomed among the Soundless. Some of them would recognize you - they've moved on with their lives, though, unlike you. Some of them are even happy."
Brom
"For now. Until you and your friends finally get the upper hand again. There are more than there were, but it's still less than you." There was a long pause before he continued, tired and hoarse and sad. "I have no need to repeat the past."
raumlet
"The new settlement is directly off a trading route which is now heavily patrolled by the Wardens," Kai said. "Mabon Market warrants protection these days, which you would know if you'd bothered to poke your nose out of those crumbling ruins, and the Soundless are valued by the merchants - they bring coin and goods of their own. But I suppose if you insist on seeing things as hopeless, it does look a bit dreary, doesn't it? Odd how that works."
Brom
"I'm half dead and feel like I've been chewed on by that dragon himself. Torture me for optimism later." Llyiss' words had that hiss of anger to them again, even though he definitely wasn't making the mistake of yelling. "If it bugs you so much, just stay out of Naulshead. I wouldn't come here on my own accord."
raumlet
"I have my own reasons for visiting Naulshead, more now that you insist on laying yourself out for the Court to slaughter if I leave you without whatever protection I can provide," Kai snapped. "If you'd really like me to leave Naulshead, move on. Then you'll have the luxury of never seeing me again."
Brom
"I've killed more of them then they've killed of me. Still would've even if that one had succeeded." He huffed back. "Just because you filled a place with vines and fire and sap doesn't make it yours. I almost got one house cleaned back out." Llyiss dug his fingers into his ferns, leaning forward to prop himself against the table again. "Not that it won't fill back up while I'm trapped here." His other hand went to his wound again, anger in his voice softening to defeat. He might as well have been a dog rolling over.
raumlet
Kai didn't answer. There were so many things he could say - they jostled for position, making his shoulders a tense line - but he'd already nearly lost his composure, as far as he was concerned.
"This is a thoroughly unproductive use of my time," he said eventually, his voice calm and level once again. "I may return with lunch, if I have the time - stew in your own self pity until then if you must, Llyiss, but do let Ceph know you need a bath and fresh bandages when you see him."
With that, he brushed past the table, headed for the door.
Brom
The green sylvari made no move or sound to stop him. He just stayed propped up on one elbow, brow furrowed. Would he actually let Ceph know? Despite the melodrama, probably. Even if he did plan on going straight back to Naulshead, infection was a slow, painful, and shitty way to die.
The worn hammer was too heavy in his hand as Llyiss tugged it free from the now-corpse he'd embedded it in. Yellow gore covered the head of it, dripping off the squared end and running down the handle in meandering streams. It did not all belong to the courtier that lay on the ground, Llyiss could feel it pooling in his armor and sticky in his hand though he dared not look. With a slow laborious motion he swung and let go, the freed weapon thudding on the ground a few feet away. It was safe enough to drop it now. At least, it seemed to be. Naulshead was quiet again.
raumlet
Although he doubted the other man had done it on purpose, the hammer nearly hit Kai - as it was, the dirt it kicked up spattered his shoes. He tapped his toe on the ground to dislodge it, staring over at Llyiss. It hadn't taken very long for the Court to find the lone Sylvari, apparently, and now that he'd made it clear that he was going to defend Naulshead, more would come. Saplings trying to prove their worth, like the one Kai recognized as a smear in the grass now, and then bored, dangerous elders. "You aren't really expecting to hold this place on your own," Kai said, interrupting Llyiss's little victory.
Brom
The green sylvari swore, hissed profanities the sickly taste of sap in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make Kai out through wavering vision. He, of course, recognized that voice. "For awhile at least. Pick that back up and hand it to me if we're going to play, it will be less boring fo-" the sentence was left unfinished, the words broken by a wet and rather nasty sounding cough.
raumlet
"If you're so intent on killing yourself, why not take a faster route? I'm sure even you can figure out which end of a sword is the sharp one and fall on it," Kai said. He hefted the hammer, his stance making it clear that heavy liftng was not his preference, and underhand tossed it back to Llyiss - it landed in the dirt and skidded to a stop at his feet. "I have no interest in fighting you, no more than I did the other day."
Brom
"I seem to remember... we've been through this before." While he looked at where the hammer lay there was no motion to take a step forward to where he could pick it up. "I took care of... your friend, so at least you'll have your quiet." Llyiss started to raise his arm to cover his mouth, stopping midway with an involuntary noise. He'd been stabbed deeper than he originally thought, his strength pouring out as fast as everything else.
raumlet
"Looks a bit like he took care of you, albeit much more slowly. That's pathetic. Ailmer is - well, was, I suppose - terrible," Kai said; his hands were planted on his hips as he stared Llyiss down. Finally, he broke his stance to gesture at the other Sylvari as he turned around. "Come with me."
Brom
"That's... not happening. Even if... I could." Llyiss gestured at his boots with a grunt, big metal things that almost reached his knees. "Why would you even ask." He coughed again.
raumlet
"Does it matter? You'll either bleed out here, since you don't seem to be able to move at all in those ridiculous boots, or you follow me - if I kill you, what's the difference? Is it worse than bleeding out here?" When Llyiss still made no move to follow him, he said, not without a hint of amusement, "Do you need help out of those things?"
Brom
"I'm sure you can think of worse things... than killing." Nevertheless Llyiss tried to lean forward to remove his boots, tipping all the way onto his knees as soon as he went off-balance. Agony cut through his attempt at playing cool and he cried out loudly, panting on the ground a moment before forcing himself to undo the straps that kept those things on. "I'm already regretting." The green sylvari glared balefully at Kai from the floor.
raumlet
Kai stood there, arms crossed and a little smile on his face, until Llyiss managed to work his boots off. "Do you need an arm to lean on, or can you walk?"
Brom
Grabbing the handle of the abandoned hammer with his good hand, Llyiss used it as leverage to push himself back up. Back on his feet he balled up a fist and stuck it up under his other arm in some sort of an attempt to stop the flow of sap. "Depends on how many... times you want to stop. And wait for me to... get back up." He grimaced.
raumlet
After a moment spent eyeing the bleeding Sylvari, Kai sighed. "Not that many. Fine." Moving to Llyiss's uninjured side, he ducked under the shorter man's arm and wrapped an arm around his waist - without waiting, he set off, half-dragging Llyiss out of Naulshead and up towards the Court base just north of them. "Hold off on bleeding out for about a mile, would you?"
Brom
"Maybe I'll... do it just... to spite you." Llyiss growled, leaning heavily into the courtier as he was dragged off to what was definitely going to be his demise. Joke or not he was doing a pretty good job of it and by the time they reached their destination it was only Kai that kept him on his feet. He was still conscious, though.
raumlet
Kai answered with a small hum instead of saying anything; he lead them straight into Hemlock Coil, and although more than a few Courtiers glanced their way, none of them approached - the look on his face didn't invite curiosity, a tense, drawn stare ahead. It wasn't until they'd rounded the corner into a more private section of the outpost and Kai had drawn them close to one of the huts that he relaxed at all. "Ceph," he called, kicking the spongy door of the hut. "Let me in."
Vos
It didn't take long for Kai's call to be answered as the thick foliage door to the hut was pushed open, revealing a room comprised of an odd mixture of Sylvari architecture, a variety of shelves stocked with herbs, and instruments of surgical steel. The ashen Sylvari medic stood leaning in the doorway, a scowl on his face. Ceph's gaze flickered to the Sylvari Kai held aloft. He didn't seem surprised. “I take it, you're not my patient today?” he questioned Kai, sounding amused but stood aside allowing both Sylvari to enter.
Brom
Their main destination really wasn't a surprise to Llyiss. Of course that's where they ended up. Of course it was. What thoughts did manage to swim through the haze he kept to himself, however, saving the effort for moving. That is, until Ceph answered the door. "Whatever you're planning to do.... I probably won't survive it." His head hung forward, blue eyes staring at the ground. "And I'm... gonna make a really shitty... trophy."
raumlet
"Later, perhaps," Kai said without batting a lash. He dragged Llyiss into the hut and dropped him into the nearest chair, peeking at the fabric of his shirt for any spot of sticky sap. "Patch him up, won't you? He's been moping around Naulshead - it's unbearable, really." Satisfied that his shirt was clean, he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Vos
It took nearly all of Ceph's willpower not to roll his eyes. “Nonsense, you'll make a great trophy.” He replied, tone thick with sarcasm as his fingers sought out the straps to the wounded Sylvari's armor. With impressive timing he had the stranger's torso free of the sap-drenched apparel and began to prod roughly for any puncture wounds. He rose from his knelt position and wiped his hands on a rag. He ran his tongue over his canines and grinned, pleased by his assessment. “This is an easy fix! But you won't enjoy it. Kai, do you feel up to playing my assistant today?”
Brom
There weren't many wounds and they weren't hard to find. The most dire was that stab, deep into his right armpit. That's where most of the sap came from. The rest were superficial, a slash or two where he wasn't quite adequately protected enough. "What stupid game are you pla--- AaaaAh." Llyiss cried out when Ceph jabbed into the hole, pulling away.
raumlet
"Oh, why not." Kai pushed off from the wall and shrugged his coat off, throwing it over the back of a nearby chair, then rolled up his sleeves. His thin forearms were crisscrossed with faint scars which nearly blended in to his dark bark. "What would you like me to do?"
Vos
“Get him onto the table while I grab a few things. This will be easier with him lying flat.” Ceph ordered, clearing off the stained oak table. Despite the pained noises coming from his patient, the Courtier Medic seemed entirely unconcerned. Contrary to the rough appearance of his small clinic, Ceph kept a tight ship. It took him no time to locate a blade, some flint, thread, and a pack of sealed untampered needles.
Brom
"I think I'd prefe--"He cut off the last word to breathe, slumping forward in the chair. Stray ferns fell forward into Llyiss' face where they'd come untied, sticking to his back and shoulder where sap had been smeared. Even he was running out of snide complaints.
raumlet
Arms folded over his chest, Kai looked down at Llyiss and considered. "Up," he ordered. When Llyiss didn't move, he grabbed his arm and yanked the other man to his feet. "I said up - if you think I'm capable of lifting you, you're wrong. On the table," he said, directing Llyiss with a tug on his arm until he shambled over to the table and pushing him to sit on it. "Legs up. Go on."
Brom
Llyiss just... sort of fell onto his good side with a loud thud, groaning against the oak table with eyes clamped shut. He slowly pulled his legs up, curling into a half-ball on the smooth surface. With every shuddery breath he continued to bleed, much more slowly now that there wasn't much left. "S-stop."
Vos
By the time Kai wrangled llyiss onto the table, Ceph had produced a small contained fire lit on a nearby table, the blade of his knife embedded in the coals. He approached the curled up Sylvari and grabbed him by the jaw, forcing his head to turn. “Which sounds more appealing, a hot blade or a slow needle. Although I feel it's only fair to warn you I've been drinking today. My needlework might be a bit sloppy.” he admitted shamelessly.
Brom
Llyiss opened his eyes when his jaw was grabbed, giving his answer in a pained hiss through his teeth. "Neither. Let me bleed."
raumlet
"Whichever is quickest would be the wiser choice, Ceph," Kai said. He'd dropped into one of the chairs by the table, scooting it away to avoid any unpleasantness like flailing limbs or spilled sap. "I know you enjoy dragging these things out, but could we get on with it before he bleeds out? I'd hate to have wasted my time."
Vos
“You seem perfectly fine wasting other people's time,” Ceph remarked with a quiet scoff. He rolled his shoulder, taking time to weigh his options. With a decisive click of his tongue, he pried the sylvari out of a ball. One hand placed weight on his sternum while the other moved his wrists above his head, exposing the wound. His brows furrowed but there were no tremors in his movement as he retrieved the blade from the coals.
Brom
He was too weak to resist, limbs limp and easy to move. Llyiss groaned loudly as he was carefully posed, trying to muffle the noise behind his teeth and failing miserably. His chest rose and fell, exposed and sticky. "S-STOP," he tried again, the smell of the coals as they were disturbed breaking his attempted silence. Sap and fire. Like home.
Vos
Ceph hesitated, his eyes meeting the desperate sylvari's in an uncharacteristic show of sympathy. “Just Breathe.” And with that he firmly pressed the flat of the hot blade against the weeping puncture wound. Ceph blocked out any sounds the sylvari uttered, concentrating on the seconds before the wound would seal. Any longer and he could damage healthy tissue. Satisfied he removed the blade.
Brom
Llyiss screamed. There really was no stopping it. His body twisted under Ceph's hands and blade as the wound sealed shut and any pauses were filled with weak pleas. He'd practiced for many years to block out many things, but he couldn't this. Not in that condition.
raumlet
Kai crossed his legs and, after a few moments of watching, looked away - whether out of squeamishness or sheer boredom was unclear. Here in the depths of the Court, there was only the faintest whisper of emotion about him. "If I'd known he'd be quite this loud, I would have gagged him," he said, not unpleasantly for the content.
Vos
The pungent smell of burnt sap lingered in the small hut. Ceph discreetly admired his handiwork, running two fingers lightly across the cauterized wound. He dabbed a rag in antiseptic and began to swab the rough fabric across the numerous scrapes on the Sylvari's chest. “Your toy is fixed, Kai. You should oversee him for the next few days to insure these don't get infected. Also, be mindful of redressing his wound often."
Brom
He just lay on the table shivering now, completely limp even as the rough rag was dragged across his other wounds. There was only silence as Llyiss stared up at the ceiling, slowly trying to gather back up his hazy thoughts and lock back down. For better or worse he was still alive.
raumlet
Kai laughed, a sharp and not entirely pleasant sound, and threw his arms over the back of the chair so that he was stretched out lazily. "Ceph, that's darling," he said, sweet as sugar.
Vos
Ceph frowned, tossing the rag to the side and crossing his arms over his muscular chest. "You don't truly expect me to keep him here. He's not court."
raumlet
"Until I'm sure he won't immediately neglect himself to death, I do," Kai said. He smirked up at Ceph. "Court or no, the infirmary is where you typically expect the injured to recuperate."
Vos
"Sometimes I forget why I dislike you. Then you graciously remind me," Ceph growled. He angrily flung a roll of gauze at Kai, before turning his back on the aggravating courtier.
raumlet
"Did you join the Court for the company? Sorry to disappoint," Kai said. He caught the gauze rather than letting it hit him in the face and pushed himself to his feet; unwinding a bit of it, he shook it playfully at Ceph as he approached Llyiss's limp body on the table. "I'll remember this next time you need a favor, you know."
Leaning over Llyiss, he tapped the dazed Sylvari on the cheek. "I'll need a bit more cooperation from you. Think you can sit up?"
Brom
It took a lot of effort but Llyiss managed, slowly pushing himself up with his good arm. "I'm not staying here," he rasped, voice hoarse now. "Why are you doing this?" It really was a mystery. Staying here was as much a death sentence as the stab wound had been. It wasn't like he'd allow himself to be converted.
raumlet
"The stock answer is maniacal laughter and some trite line about how your suffering feeds the Nightmare," Kai said as he began to wrap the gauze around Llyiss's chest. "The real answer, which frankly will be much less satisfying for you, is that I don't know. Can't I do something objectively kind without my motives being called into question?"
Brom
"Fair enough... I don't much like watching people die, either." He hissed in as the gauze was tightened, but didn't even attempt to stop Kai from using it.
raumlet
"And you've clearly shown that you're waiting to waste away over in Naulshead," Kai continued, "So you'll be keeping Ceph company for a while. Luckily for you, I can't be bothered to convert you - but you'll have to die when I'm not looking."
Brom
"I'm just gonna go right back again," his voice was a weak rumble, quiet and still hoarse. "I don't know what you think I'm gonna do different with yet another chance. I'm not gonna last here anyways, one of your other lunatics is going to jump at the easy chance. That's all you animals do."
raumlet
"As you say," Kai said, bland and flat - he gave the bandage a stiffer tug than was necessary and tucked it in to keep it in place, then threw the rest of the roll at Ceph's back, still turned to them. "Let me find your corpse, not your dying body, and I'll leave you in peace."
Vos
Ceph shot a scathing look over his shoulder as the roll bounced harmlessly off his broad shoulders. He squashed the urge to choke the red courtier. Knowing him, he'd likely enjoy it. Finally he turned back to them, scrubbing sap off his hands with a damp cloth. “I'll keep him here for a few days, any longer and he can be mordrem fodder for all I care.”
Brom
Whatever remark he had was cut off when Kai pulled hard, the green sylvari crying out instead. That hurt. Finally he regained his composure enough to speak. "What's stopping me from leaving as soon as I can stand?" Other than his lack of shoes, of course.
raumlet
"Oh, nothing," Kai said. He'd dropped back into the chair as soon as his task was done and stretched his long legs out in front of him. "If you'd like to try and walk out without an escort, do so; I won't stop you from committing suicide. Bear in mind, though, that as you are not a Courtier, it is essentially suicide. Whether they kill you or drag you off to torture you or convert you, well, depends on who you encounter first."
Vos
Ceph knelt infront of llyiss to expect Kai's work. He clicked his tongue and loosened it just slightly so the bandage wouldn't iritate the wound with too much pressure. He stood and gave the sylvari a clap on the shoulder. "You really need to find better friends."
Brom
"As if converting me would change much," Llyiss rasped in retort. He pushed himself into a little better position, to carefully lift his good and and brush the ferns out of his eyes. He really needed to tie them back again. The shoulder touch made him grimace a bit. "I don't want friends."
Vos
"Yeah, and I don't want to patch boo boos all day but here I am," Ceph sighed. He dropped an armful of blankets on the grimacing Sylvari. "There are a few hammocks in the back. Try not to bleed everywhere and don't touch anything you shouldn't."
Brom
He pushed the blankets off immediately, lip curling in disgust. "Where did you put my armor?" Llyiss started to move to get off the table, grunting when his feet hit the floor. He grabbed the edge before he fell over. "Hammer's... too much to ask for."
Vos
Ceph scowled as the clean blankets were dumped on the floor. "Always have to make things difficult," he spat. Without warning he hooked his arm under llyiss' right armpit then ducked his head under his left and grabbed him by the back of his left knee, hoisting him in a fireman's carry. "Grab the blankets, Kai."
Brom
He'd just gotten stabbed there. Llyiss yelled, reflexively pulling a still-metal-covered knee towards Ceph's face.
Vos
Ceph let out a litany of curses as Llyiss knee butted into his face, barely having had time to turn his head so his nose wasn't broken. He could feel sap drip down his cheek where the metal covering had scraped him. "That's it. No armor for you," He snarled and not so gently deposited the Sylvari into a hammock.
raumlet
Kai laughed. He actually laughed, properly, not with a sneer behind it. "I don't know what you expected him to do, Ceph. You deserved that," he said, but he got up to fetch the blankets, as requested. He also snagged the bottle of antiseptic, and handed that to Ceph after dumping the blankets on Llyiss. "I apologize; I lied. Ceph will stop you from leaving, because as much as he complains, you are now his patient. Good luck." With smile, he patted Llyiss's blanket-covered knee.
Brom
The jostling had silenced Llyiss again. He didn't throw the blankets off again, just lay limp under them in the same image of disarray Ceph had thrown him in. He was mostly trying not to whimper, to be perfectly honest.
Vos
Ceph glowered at Kai but didn't disagree with him. Truth be told, Llyiss was considerably more tame than his usual patients. He took the offered antiseptic, grumbling quietly under his breath. The medic cocked an eyebrow at the disarrayed Sylvari, tangled in the hammock with blankets thrown on him. With a slightly less sour expression he straightened out his patient into a more comfortable position.
Brom
"You're lucky don't actually like killing, would... watch your back." The rasped threat was unstructured and weak, Llyiss shutting up and clamping his teeth together as he was jostled around to a more proper position.
raumlet
"Go to sleep," Kai said, his arms folded as he studied Llyiss. "Either you'll be dead come morning, or you'll be slightly less dead than you are now. Either way, you'll feel better. Ceph, I'll be leaving. If you need me, you know where to find me."
Vos
"Trust me, I won't," Ceph assured him, waving him off with a scowl. He kneed Llyiss' cot as the sylvari rasped out a threat. "Shut up and rest before I put you to work."
Brom
That... actually shut him up. Grimacing at them both Llyiss kept his mouth shut. He didn't shut his eyes though, not yet. Not while they were watching him. At least he was going to try, it was a plan that would not last long as he kept blinking for longer and longer amounts of time.
raumlet
Kai retrieved his jacket from the back of the chair and shrugged it back on. "Good night, Ceph. Llyiss. I'll be back in the morning," he said, nodding his head, and then he was gone out the door.
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What do you do when the person who killed you shows up at the place he killed you at? Mope. You mope.
Warnings: Wow they are whiny.
raumlet
The remains of Naulshead Refuge were as deserted and quiet as they always were as Kai came up the gentle slope of the overgrown path. Even though the buildings were slowly collapsing under the weight of the thorny vines which grew over them, the silence, the seclusion, was as calming as ever. Oh, there were memories of this place that he'd rather not dwell on, but it was easy enough to push those away as he settled on a half-rotten log outside of one of the houses; instead, he dropped his chin into his hand and looked back down the path, out towards the bay in the distance. He had no distractions with him today - with nothing to do and nowhere to be, he'd come here to think.
Brom
Perhaps not as deserted as he thought. Then again, the green sylvari that silently walked among the decrepit houses and tangled thorns might as well count as one of it's ghosts. He had been taking a break from clearing some of the vines in a far corner, but when he saw the dark sylvari he'd immediately got up, working his axe out of the thick greenery to follow. Only after he was sure there was no one else did he walk closer. By this point he could almost positively be heard by the scrape of metal on metal and the heavy footsteps of his armored boots. He stopped.
raumlet
Years in the Court had taught Kai the value of sharp ears; he heard the footsteps long before he bothered to turn around and see who exactly it was coming up behind him - and he was curious, definitely, because other than a few wild boar and the occasional nosy sapling who fled at the first hint of trouble, Naulshead was deserted and had been for years. And why not? The wreckage wasn't habitable. Kai still carried his weapons when he went, but that was more habit than precaution. When the footsteps stopped, he lifted his head from his chin and looked over his shoulder.
Brom
The barest twitch of recognition crossed Llyiss' face, his clear blue eyes steely. "Don't you think you've done enough?" While he had an axe, and was holding it ready, it was not particularly threatening. Not a battle axe at all, it was something you expected a farmer to hold. "Leave."
raumlet
Kai's expression didn't change as he studied the other Sylvari, his eyes sliding over him from the tip of his ferns to his feet, taking in the armor he wore and the axe held by his side. "I do apologize," he finally said, a little smirk tweaking the corners of his thin lips, "Do I know you?"
Brom
"No. You don't," was the simple reply. Llyiss' expression remained unchanged, his stance still solid. "Now, as I was saying, there's nothing here for you. It's already ruined. Leave." Though the words stated were decidedly harsh the tone was not. The sylvari's deep voice was calm, the sentences declarative but smooth.
raumlet
"You know... Perhaps I'm just out of practice, but I don't take orders very well. For better or worse, I've never particularly been a good little soldier. So with that in mind," Kai replied, his voice silky and warm, "What makes you think I'll listen to you, a stranger?" Turning away, he dropped his chin back into his hand. "I've come here to sit quietly, and I'll do just that."
Brom
Llyiss snorted. It was a crack in his demeanor, just a tiny bit of some seething hatred escaping. "Because it's my home you decided to root yourself in front of. If you feel the need to mock the dead, there are plenty of other places to do it." He hefted the axe to rest it back on his shoulder, shifting his grip. Might as well if they were going to sit there and banter.
raumlet
It was Kai's turn to scoff. "Come off it - this place has been abandoned for years. What's left isn't worth saving now, if it ever was." He sighed and brushed some invisible speck off his leg. "And the Court has only grown stronger over the years. They'd be only too delighted to have the Soundless so close again."
Brom
"Who says I'm saving it?" That moment was gone, Llyiss' face an unreadable mask once more. "You'd well know of that, wouldn't you? The abandonment, the delight. Sorry to dissapoint, they've moved on." There was almost a sneer in those words. Almost. Just seeing the courtier sitting there was testing the quiet green sylvari's resolve to the max.
raumlet
"Oh, my mistake - were you going to live in thistle-filled ruins? Don't let me stop you." Kai hadn't bothered to turn around again; he kept his eyes fixed on the distant waters of the bay, but his shoulders were set in a tense line against the other Sylvari. So much for his peace and quiet, his chance to reflect uninterrupted. It wasn't as if he'd missed what the other was implying. "You seem to know me, but I don't know you. Enlighten me."
Brom
"I already did. You're in front of my house. This isn't the first time." There was a scraping sound from his metal boots as he turned to the decrepit building, swinging the axe to plant it heavily in one of the vines where it tore through a wall. He pulled it out and swung again. Distracting.
raumlet
Kai flinched almost imperceptibly when the axe thudded into the wall, finally looking back at the other, this time with a critical eye. Nothing came to mind, though; he had no revelation, no sudden insight. "Clearly there's no point in denying my involvement," he said coolly, "But pardon me if I don't recall the face of every Sylvari who's had the misfortune of crossing my path. Or do you enjoy being vague? Perhaps you're hoping for some dramatic moment of recognition?"
Brom
"Frankly, I don't give a shit." Llyiss just continued to chop at the vine, bracing his foot against the building with a clank of his boot. It took a few more before he was able to finally break it, kicking the debris to one side. It... hadn't accomplished much, just the tip of an iceberg that filled the dwelling. But he really wasn't trying.
raumlet
Kai's only response was to roll his eyes. Turning his back to the other Sylvari again, he resumed staring out across Caledon; after a moment, he leaned forward again and dropped his chin into his hand. The message was blatant: 'I am ignoring you.' He'd had more than enough of these games in his years.
Brom
Llyiss picked another of the endless number of vines, hefting the axe again. He worked in silence for awhile before finally turning to watch Kai. His chest rose and fell and he breathed heavy from the exertion. "Your form is terrible. How are you going to get any quiet flopped over like a dead deer?"
raumlet
"Dead deer are generally quiet, actually. I'm wondering more how I'll find the peace I'm looking for with you hacking away fruitlessly at the remnants of your little village," Kai shot back. "The Soundless abandoned this place for good reason. Why not go join them, hmm? If this is your home, if you lived here, there's bound to be a few familiar faces down there."
Brom
"What makes you think I want their company any more than I want yours?" He laughed briefly, face actually twisting into a sneer. "There's something about a place you built that makes you never want to give it up, no matter how lost you get. Not that you would know anything about that. I'll bet you've never built a thing in your life." Llyiss turned away and started working again, the repetative work helping him regain his composure.
raumlet
"I can't say you're wrong about that," Kai muttered, more to himself than anything. After a few minutes of silence, he dropped his hand and glared back at the other Sylvari. "What will you do if you manage to rebuild Naulshead, all on your own? The Court is barely a five minute walk from here. You'll stand against Hemlock Coil all on your own?"
Brom
Llyiss shrugged his broad shoulders, leaving the axe embedded in the vine to take a breather. "I'm not deluding myself. There will be no rebuilding Naulshead." He looked back over his shoulder. "And when you lose your cool and inevitably start destroying everything like a rabid animal, I guess I'll just fall again."
raumlet
Kai spread his arms wide. "Then what are you hoping to accomplish here? Are you torturing yourself? Oh, sorry to intrude upon that by sitting quietly. I'd think my presence would enhance the experience for you, given the little hints you're dropping that I singlehandedly ruined your life. Would you prefer something a bit more immersive?" He stood with his arms still spread, and for the briefest moment, the town flashed to horrifying life - fire licked its way up the arching doors of the huts, screams carried through the smoke-filled air. Then Kai dropped his arms, and it was gone with a flicker of shattering shards. There was only Kai, tall and thin and terribly angry looking.
Brom
For a moment the green sylvari stood there, his eyes steely. "I see you do remember," he said quietly, grabbing the axe and tugging it free once more. "You're going to have to try harder than that." Llyiss went back to his entirely useless (but calming) work.
raumlet
"Of course I remember this," Kai said, slumping back down on the stool and staring at the other Sylvari's back. "It's you I don't rembember. Which bothers you, obviously."
Brom
"You have it wrong. It's your presence that bothers me. I don't expect you to remember one face out of... how many? What sort of tally do you have by now? It's been, oh..." Llyiss frowned. How many years had it been? He went back to chopping instead of finishing his sentence.
raumlet
"Six years? Seven, maybe? Long enough." At this point, he was just being stubborn; there was no joy to be found in staying, but he made no move to get up. "Killing isn't the point. Wasn't the point." His voice dropped to a barely audible mutter.
Brom
"Clearly it was an important point. Such a fantastic point worth all the destruction. Ah yes, clearly it struck a chord in everyone's heart as they... moved maybe a mile or two over and rebuilt again. And continued on as life does." Llyiss gestured around with his axe in a grand motion, as if displaying some work of art. "No one cares but the dead." He went back to work.
raumlet
"They moved closer to an established trading post, where Lionguard and Wardens abound," Kai said, "Which is a better idea than planting themselves out where the Wardens never go, close enough to the Courtiers to see their fires at night. I don't know what you all expected. We saw a chance for converts, and we took it." There was no taunting tone to his voice, though; Kai simply sounded tired.
Brom
Llyiss sighed. "It was naive, I'll give you that. You can't even leave it alone now, years later." He let the axehead thump to the ground, leaning on it with one elbow. "So how long do I get to prepare? 2 days? Hours? You will at least give me time to pick up my proper tools, right?"
raumlet
"I would like to point out that you approached me," Kai said. "You approached someone you knew to be a Courtier, one who is armed at that, and then you're annoyed when he doesn't walk away obligingly at your word. Courtiers are known to be violent. Shouldn't you be more grateful that I'm not at your throat? I don't care what you do here," he continued before the other could reply. "The Court will find out if you rebuild Naulshead, whether I tell them or not."
Brom
Llyiss laughed. "Rebuilding isn't what it's about. If I didn't keep myself busy I'd be as crazy as you. It doesn't have to be useful to be gratifying." His expression faded back to icy monotone. "I haven't decided if it would be more or less so to kill you."
raumlet
"What's stopping you?" Kai asked, raising a thin shoulder in a shrug. "Other than your lack of a proper weapon, that is. I mean - I obviously had a hand in destroying your life, since you remember me. And I'm a Courtier; one less in the world can only be a good thing. Am I wrong?"
Brom
"I don't like killing." The phrase was stated simply, a surprising lack of bitterness given the rest of the conversation. "That's why I haven't decided." He nudged at a severed vine with one heavy metal boot. "That doesn't mean I don't have a sword, though. I'll defend myself just fine. It would be a poetic second end, I think. The same place as the first."
raumlet
"Do you enjoy feeling like the mysterious, brooding stranger? Do you treasure your tragic backstory?" Kai's tone dripped with sarcasm now - he'd had about enough of this. If he wanted this sort of attitude, he'd go read one of his trashy novels. "Just tell me who you are, already."
Brom
"Llyiss. I helped build this place and you personally destroyed me along with it. And then I- was lost. For years, apparently." He snorted. "There's. Literally. Nothing. Left. To. Tell. And while I might have a fair bit of willpower you are testing every strand of it the longer you sit your pretty little ass in the ruins of my life." That hatred broke through again, cracks in his mask, his deep voice rising in volume.
raumlet
"Well." Surprisingly, Kai laughed; the corners of his thin lips turned up teasingly. "There was some contention as to whether Sylvari could leave ghosts, but I think you've solved that - here you are, literally haunting the place you died, and threatening someone who came to sit quietly besides. So you died. Is this what you're going to do with the rest of your new life? Sulk, until the Court comes to kill you again?”
Brom
"Ghost isn't the right word, and I don't think died is necessarily either, but it's apt enough. " he paused, considering, then picked up the axe again. "No, I think I'll clean up a little, first. And it will be a better life than whatever filth you accomplish. There we go, another word that isn't quite right. Accomplish." A second chance back with the rest of the world hadn't been what he'd asked for, just ended up with.
raumlet
"Oh, I've accomplished plenty in my life, whether you agree with my motives or not," Kai said; that little smile still curved his lips. "Good luck with whatever torture you intend to inflict on yourself here." With that, he stood and began back down the path out of the overgrown village.
Brom
Llyiss responded with a rude gesture, still struggling with that calm. He didn't give chase, instead just picked up the vines he'd cut, carrying them off to some pile somewhere. Kai's opinion mattered even less than everyone else's. Which was nothing.
