The Aftermath [Chamaeleon]

[Vuil]

Spring, Day 27h, 512 AV Eyes blinked open as the restless sleep finally receded from her mind, leaving her laying on the hard Sunberth streets, wheezing in shaky breaths as she began to move. There was a burning in her lungs, and stabbing pains shot down her sides and across her chest. She swore to the air that she would kill that damn pet if she ever saw him again for putting her in this state. With a pained growl, she managed to stand, leaning heavily against the wall. The pain in her torso grew, nearly crumpling her to the ground again, had she not braced herself against the stones of the building beside her. "Petching Bastard.." She mumbled, slowly beginning to walk forward into the more crowded streets, sticking to the edges, avoiding the bulk of the crowds. She needed help, but she would never admit it. To admit that she needed help would mean she appeared weak, and who wanted a weak kelvic? No, she had to be the strong one to catch the eye of her would be master. A sharp stab in her ribs, and she fell to one knee, gasping. Broken, something was definitely broken. Damn, what she wouldn't give to take this pain away. There were tears collecting in the corners of her eyes, which she angrily wiped away before they could roll down her cheeks. She would not cry! Not over a bit of pain! She set herself down, not able to bring herself to stand anymore. The people of Sunberth kept walking by, most not sparing her a second glance. Such was the way of the city, she expected nothing less.

[Chamaeleon]

In a crowd of people lacking the compassion to help another in a moment of distress and weakness, a lone Ethaefal stood and watched. Her crystal blue eyes followed the wounded woman, worry deep within their sapphire depths, and her feet put her in persuit. The other stumbled, and hesitation shuddered through the Sunberthians as they detected It.

It was a murderer here, an enemy to all with a pulse and a good amoubt of money. It corrupted saints here and turned them into villainous bastards. It was weakness.

Chamaeleon swept forward before they registered the visible signs to accompany the imperceptible sense. She grasped the upper arm of the woman, fingers soft but unyielding as she helfted the girl to her feet from where she sat.

The Ethaefal had realised that it was best to attend to matters of compassion in the dark, dank alleys of the unforgiving wretch of a city. If she could make it to the Beds, or to the Camp, without being accosted by a too curious local, she would be pleased. Those of the Crimson Edge were very accepting of her practising her chosen profession, although they lacked what she needed. She turned to the direction of the camp, hauling the girl with her, offering support when and if it was needed.

"Whatever you do, don't stop if anyone asks you too," she said quietly to the girl she clutched. "You chose a nice place to sit down and grimace. Hold on to me, and I will take you somewhere safe."

Well, safe in a way. Nowhere in Sunberth was truly safe, but the closest place was among friends.

[Vuil]

Her head was spinning, the pain making it difficult to catch her breath, shallow and quick. She tried to stand, and couldn't find the strength. She was almost willing to let Sunberth throw its worst at her, almost uncaring about what would happen. The pain was blocking out everything, everything except the uneven rhythm of her breathing. A hand came down on her shoulder, and she braced herself for the rough handling that was sure to come. It was a shock to her when no beating came. Instead the hand pulled her up to her feet, wrapping an arm around her. There was a snap as her battered body was moved too fast, hissing through her teeth at the spike of pain. The pain brought clarity with it, seeing the one who was helping her move through the city. A woman, familiar in appearance, though she didn't remember the woman's name. She didn't ask questions, not having the breath to do so. Vuil just allowed the woman to lead her away, the spoken words a soft blur as her mind began to spin again. Perhaps this was a their, wanting to take her somewhere dark to rob her in peace. Or maybe she collected slaves for the slavers? It didn't truly matter anymore, seeing as she was in no shape to fight back.

[Chamaeleon]

The girl, urchin or whatnot, hissed her discomfort as Chamaeleon pulled her out of the immediate vicinity of danger, keeping her eyes forward so as not to draw more attention to them. She had to wonder if this girl was in possession of a whole set of common sense or if she had been hurt to the point she forgot the danger of Sunberth.

"Just hold on until we get somewhere quieter. I won't drag you if you pass out." The Ethaefal hissed herself. She put herself out in danger when these people were out for the blood of the magical and it would displease her to have to drag an unconscious body as payment.

Eventually, they made it to the Crimson Edge camp, with much pulling from Chamaeleon and the sounds of complained grunts from the nameless girl in her grip.

Unlike the others in the family, Chamaeleon didn't own a tent but sort of slept against the side of her pony, or just wandered the city in a sleepless prowl. She had found her kind didn't require sleep, but sleep was still a comfort. It was because of the lack of a tent or house that Chamaeleon had tue injured girl sit on the ground next to het pony. She reached for strips of cloth salvaged from those caught by the rage of the city and knelt, looking at the girl straight on now.

"I can't help you if you tell me who you are or what is wrong," the horned woman said eventually after a moment of observation.

[Vuil]

Vuil gave the golden girl a withering glare, her teeth set in a snarl to stop herself from crying out in pain as she felt her rib press painfully into a lung. At least, it felt like something had stabbed into her chest. Gods this was painful. Every step felt like somebody had taken a jagged piece of glass and was stabbing it repeatedly into her chest. It made her breath hitch in her throat, not able to take in a proper breath. The kelvic hoped the woman was taking her somewhere nearby. She wasn't going to be able to keep walking forever. The world around them blurred, the woman blinking her eyes to clear them of the tears that were starting to accumulate. "Wherever we're going, hurry the hell up.." She breathed out, gritting her teeth together again. What seemed like an eternity of agony for the kelvic, the two woman made it to the Crimson Edge camp. Familiar ground relaxed the dark haired woman, letting the shimmering blonde set her down beside the animal. "You're Crimson Edge? No wonder you look familiar.." Vuil cringed as she began to pull off her jacket, the fabric falling away from her body. A dark bruise had bloomed on her side, spreading out from her ribs to encompass almost half her torso. The claw marks on her shoulder had scabbed over, but the evidence of last night's fight were evident in the dried rivers that ran across her skin. "I think I broke something..."

[Chamaeleon]

"Yes, I am Crimson Edge, and I can see you broke something." Chamaeleon smiled brightly and began to feel along the woman's side, waiting for a sharp intake of breath to tell her exactly where the break was. As she touched, her gift from Syna worked unknown to the woman, healing the bruise a single day, so now the edges were an ugly shade of yellow even though the heart was just as dark as before.

When she had found the exact rib that had been broken, the Ethaefal considered what to do about it. She had no way of setting fractured ribs, and knew of none. She could only assume it would set itself, but until then she had to make sure it wasn't moved around to much or the woman would pierce her lung and die.

Chamaeleon focused now on the claw marks that gouged across her shoulders and reached for her always useful waterskin, filled with that liquid she never even really drank during the day. She grabbed the remains of her torn and neat useless cloak, ripping off more shreds, and wet them so she could tend to the wounds. She cleaned them patiently and then considered the damage.

The skin was torn, badly. Chamaeleon could only wonder what beast had caused these. It could have been rat, it could have been great cat, or it could have been done by a bladed weapon.

"What did you fight with to get marked like this?" The Ethaefal asked the girl. She couldn't stitch the wounds, but once again she touched them and the progress of healing skipped another day wherever her fingertips and hands brushed.

[Vuil]

The woman's hand were warm to the touch, leaving a pleasant heat as they she went about seeing to the wounds left on her body. She didn't linger long on the side, which Vuil was thankful for. Even the smallest of pressure was excruciating. Nimble fingers flitted up to her shoulder wounds. The three marks glared angrily, her touch bringing a harsh sting that caused the kelvic girl to take a sharp intake of breath. She shied away, the movement aggravating her ribs. "Gods..." She rasped, forcing herself to hold still. Her eyes flicked back to the blonde, giving her a strained smile. "I ran into a rather territorial tiger." She answered, wondering how that would sound to someone who didn't know that it had been a kelvic. It did seem a tad strange. It was at this point that Vuil became aware of the horns on the woman's head. "You.. What are you?" She asked, fingers reaching out and brushing against the strange texture.

[Chamaeleon]

Chamaeleon considered the news that there was a tiger in Sunberth. It brought a rush of shock to hear about a wild animal in the confines of the city, but when she realised she had heard no news on a wild tiger being seen or killed, she had to come to the conclusion that the beast was able to magically hide itself in some way.

"Did you get him back?" She murmured quietly. Scabs were forming on the wound wherever her fingers touched, but Chamaeleon had no way of keeping them from going septic. There was another healer in the Crimson Edge, the foreigner known as Kalila, and Chamaeleon seriously considered bringing the girl currently wincing to her for care, but the girl shouldn't move any more than she already had. It was lucky she hadn't yet ruptured her lung, but the Ethaefal couldn't be sure the luck would hold out.

Chamaeleon even considered the maniacal Petricious, but as Wrenmae had said that night they first met, no one could trust the good doctor.

No, the girl would have to deal with the hands of an Ethaefal. The only good thing about this was that Chamaeleon's touch aged what it brushed by a single day. If the girl kept coming back to be cleaned, the process of healing would be twice as fast. It never failed.

"I am an Ethaefal," Chamaeleon said, her voice soft and quiet and ending with a gentle hum. "I'm from far away, beyond here." Even she couldn't exactly explain where her home, her true home, really was. It wasn't among the stars, and she didn't come from the surface of the sun or moon. She was from here, but not here, beyond here and yet within it. She hadn't fallen from anywhere, but woken among the waves of an unfamiliar sea as though she had been born from the communion of the heavens and the water.

"Now then. Who are you, so I may address you by name?" She looked down at the girl, her eyebrows raised.