In which a short girl and tall boy make easy targets for a ragtag group of thieves-- at first.
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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]
While Trips treated Leigo, Aehra moved her arms around a bit, testing the wrap around her middle. When she was satisfied with the gauze's stability, she rolled her stiff shoulders and noticed that the room had taken on an immensely uncomfortable quality. She wrinkled her nose in mild disgust at the smell of the medic's ointments while she wracked her mind for the source of the stifling awkwardness that had filled the room in such a short amount of time. It was only when Leigo's instructions reached her, hardly more than a whisper, that she took the uncomfortable air for what it was: silence. Where Aehra had whimpered and groaned through the pain that her brief treatment brought on, the boy was unbearably quiet throughout his own (briefer still) examination.
Quite suddenly, Leigo was leaving the room, his words hanging in the air in his absence. Trips and Aehra exchanged a glance. Aehra shook her head and grinned at the medic.
"Thanks, Trips. Always lookin' out for me." She made her way towards the hallway outside their little room, only to be stopped by Trips's voice.
"Aehra," he inquired, "how exactly did you get your wounds this time?"
She glanced over her shoulder at the medic, who bore an uncharacteristically soft expression of concern. "Same's always, Trips. Thievin' shykes taking wha's not theirs."
Trips blushed at her words and patted some dirt from his breeches. "Well-- I--" He cleared his throat and righted himself. "I don't want to see you back in here again, Aehra. We've got enough people hurting themselves by accident, and we can't use up all of our time tending to those who go looking for trouble."
She shrugged. "We'll see. Good job keepin' your balance, Trips." With that, she left, and headed in the direction Leigo had gone. As she nearly got to the end of the hall, a loud crash came from their room, accompanied by a very faint curse. Aehra laughed and silently amended her last words to the medic.
She stepped out of the Infirmary and into the afternoon sun, grinning before she had the thought to do so. The sun's warmth tended to have that effect on her; she'd never liked the dark, and while the Infirmary was well-lit, it seemed to her that the air about the sick was always ten degrees colder than it had any right to be. She glanced about, looking for Leigo, and her smile slid quickly from her lips when she found him.
It wasn’t a long wait Leigo had in front of the building. The girl came round quickly, and as expected still unnerved by his presence. Good – that ought to keep her from acting childishly for the moment. Cutting the distance between them easily, Leigo wondered should he make it clear to the girl that it wouldn’t be nice to talk about their fortunes earlier in the day. Deciding such action would be over the top, the blond slowly began to accept that Aehra might very well never speak a word of this to anyone. And if she did – well who cared if some guy Sparks Abanax did something that one time? He knew should the girl ever speak up that there was indeed no chance of ever getting his names mixed up like that. Still, giving her the benefit of the doubt for not running away all this time, he remained calm.
“You look better” more a question than an observation, but Leigo simply did not want to keep asking her if she was feeling alright. A strange realization gripping at the bottom of his stomach – he knew he still owed something. Somewhere along the way he learned to trust the girl if only for a bit. And that solemn bit urged him to go that extra mile to make sure she was safe. Trust was scarce these days, especially for the boy.
“Do you have anywhere to go?” finally something with more thought behind it. There was no way he would ever let her stay with him, but perhaps he could help her find some other accommodations?
Aehra didn't respond to the boy at first, more out of shock than anything else. Her lips twisted in a wry grin.
"Course I do. 'M smart, but not near smart 'nough to manage homelessness. Not here; not in this city." She hadn't intended it, but her words came across as uncharacteristically sharp and cold. It was a tone she hadn't used often, and it left a sour taste in her mouth. She'd never liked the way her voice sounded when she was veering towards cruelty. She reached for her pin, which she'd secured to the hem of her shirt when they'd gone to the Old Quarter, and rubbed her thumb across it. Where its warmth had always soothed her before, it now served only as a reminder that she very likely owed her life to this boy.
Aehra'd never had a problem with being indebted to people before. Being in as many fights as she had, she was bound to have her hide saved by near-strangers on more than a few instances. Before now, though, her company had never put this terrifying mix of fear, confusion, and curiosity in her blood. She hadn't come any closer to understanding how she felt about the whole thing than she had been when she first saw the flash of fire from Leigo's fingertips in the alleyway.
Still...
"Thank you." She mumbled. It sounded to quiet, and it didn't hold any of the sincerity that she felt. No matter how confused she was, she honestly was grateful for the boy's actions, and her father never would have--
You're happy he saved you, entcha?
'Course I am.
Well, how'd you like it if every time you brought me some stew or somethin' from out there that I just brushed it off? Tha's what I thought. Go on, old girl.
Aehra looked up to meet Leigo's eyes. "Thank you. You saved my hide back there." Her lips tightened into a thin line. "M'not sayin' I think he shoulda died. Not at all. But I might be lyin' in that same alleyway f'not for your..." She wiggled her fingers. "Whatever."
Last edited by Aehra on July 11th, 2012, 2:17 am, edited 1 time in total.
Nodding at her words he repeated in unmistakably soft tones. “And thank you” and then after giving her a better look, he knew there was so much more to say. More than he ever could. There were things however that even he could explain.
“Perhaps he didn’t have to die, but I’m not sorry he’s dead.” Then after giving himself time to change his mind, he went ahead “Had you not been there I would’ve likely killed them all” then after a deep breath “Would’ve been considerably more wounded too…” it was enough. She didn’t need to hear how he planned to kill them all later regardless. Aehra didn’t need to know anything. She instilled some sense of mercy in him, some long lost sliver of his former, and more humane self. He liked that, not that he would ever admit it to her or any.
“If you ever need any help, you’ll need to go the docks. Then take the first left street. Second inn on the left is where I’ll sleep.” Shrugging his shoulders, he added “And if I’m not there – wait. Don’t do anything, just wait!” last words perhaps a bit more worried than planned, Leigo locked her gaze. “I do believe you understand that there shouldn’t be any word of this to anyone...” nodding his head, he was certain she understood better than he could ever hope for.
Turning around, he tried to leave. He would stop himself soon. That was no proper goodbye.
“Farewell, Aehra, and thank you… once more” the boy needed to get away. Not feeling himself wasn’t the best time to be spending around strange girls with even stranger habits of interrupting brawls.
Aehra narrowed her eyes at the retreating figure. It wasn't until he was nearly out of her sight that she remembered herself. She cupped her hands around her mouth.
"Take care a' yourself, Sparks!" She shouted, and was pleased when a small group of birds was startled into the air by her sudden cry. It certainly added a bit of drama. She stood there for a minute afterwards, repeating the directions to Leigo's room over and over until she was sure that she wouldn't forget it. At least, not for another few days. Her memory was quite a fickle thing. Still, he had been the first magic-user she'd met.
She roused herself from her brief reverie and made her way home. The long, stretched shadows of the Old Quarter's tall granite buildings slowly gave way to the short, dark expanses cast by the city's more recent homes and shops. She reached her home, eventually, and as she shut the door behind her, the place she'd lived in all of her life seemed changed by her encounter that day. She unclasped her pin from its perch at the hem of her shirt and clutched it tightly, desperately trying to avoid the memories that suddenly pressed to the forefront of her mind.
Your mother, she could do remarkable things.
What sorta things?
All sorts. She could summon fire and earth in her hand, and she could read a person just by looking at them.
You mean she used magic?
She did, old girl.
Every image her father had implanted in her head had morphed and distorted. What little memories Aehra had of her mother shifted as though they were of smoke or sand.
Her mother's hands, tucking her in at night, were now burnt and peeling, bright red.
Trembling, Aehra dragged herself to her bed and fell into it gracelessly. The sharp up-and-down throughout the day, not to mention the ever present ache in her neck and ribs, had drained her to the point of exhaustion. Gripping her pin tightly enough that it cut into her palm, she soon drifted into unconsciousness, and when she fully succumbed to sleep, the copper wing dropped to the ground with a hollow thud.
Lores Being Stolen From Leigo the Fire Reimancer Leigo the Murderer Leigo's Familiar An Abranox Pays His Debts Honey is Good for Burns Leigo's Code Regarding Women Treatment at the Infirmary Trips the Student Medic
Miscellaneous Physical Injury: Elbow Scrapes - Full Recovery 5 days Physical Injury: Upper Torso Bruises - Full Recovery 30 days
Comments I noticed you had some skill points in Unarmed as well. I acknowledge that some parts were obviously brawling, but some parts I interpreted it as more for Unarmed. Nevertheless, let me know if you prefer to have points in just Brawling, just Unarmed, or a mixture of the two.
Lores Being Stolen From Chided by Familiar for Being Unobservant The First Murder First Combat Teamwork With Onuo Aehra Tiorson Honey is Good for Burns Treatment at the Infirmary Trips the Student Medic
Miscellaneous Physical Injury: Hairline Rib Fracture - Full Recovery 49 days Physical Injury: Multiple Cuts/Bruises on Face - Full Recovery 25 days Physical Injury: 2nd Degree Burns on Hands - Blisters will clear up in 7 days, Full Recovery 18 days. Some scarring upon healing. Mild Overgiving: Coldness in the arms, magic efficiency at 50% for 3 days, full recovery afterwhich.
Comments Despite Leigo being all badass and all, I liked how you play to your skill level and kept it realistic with wounds and overgiving and stuff. For that awareness (that few people have actually), I approve of your injuries and did not add any.
In Conclusion Wow this took a long time to grade. Fortunately, it's interesting enough with a nice mix of action and social interaction. Leigo I applaud your badassery Just a note, the Zeltivan Guardians have discovered the body and - through inspection and analysis - concluded that the work of magic is present. This case is classified as a Homicide. They will be on the lookout for suspicious fire mages.
by Aehra on July 10th, 2012, 10:59 pm 
Just a note, the Zeltivan Guardians have discovered the body and - through inspection and analysis - concluded that the work of magic is present. This case is classified as a Homicide. They will be on the lookout for suspicious fire mages.