Hanging from an Ice-Cold Chandelier

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OOC: Dates are for LOSERS lol

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Katahnia gave a lame smile in reply.
"Do not worry about it. It is what it is," she told him, placing a hand gently upon his shoulder. "For now, we can only try to survive. I don't know why I'm telling you all of this. Perhaps I'm afraid we'll be dead before morning." She gave another sad smile and shake of her head before drawing in a careful breath "Come, if you'd like to rest, now would be a good time to do it. It would also be a god time to talk to our other cell mates, to see if we can't get any information out of them in regards to this place, the guard shifts and what sort of fate is instore for all of us."


The night proved uneventful, if not, bitter cold and difficult to sleep in. Katahnia found herself watching Conall slip in and out of consciousness before Lana approached her again.

"So, if I might inquire, where are the two of you from?"

Katahnia looked up and pressed her lips together before sighing.
"We're both from Connlaoth."

Lana nodded, "That much I knew, but I meant before they brought you in here. They seemed to be making a lot of fuss since the pair of you two arrived..." and she her thoughts drift off as she stared down at Conall's sleeping form.  "Are either of you even mages?" Katahnia's brows raised at the question. "I.. do not mean to offend, it's just that.. neither of you seem to bare the mark and well, I couldn't help but over here a thing or two about some sort of prison escape." she sighed, "Not that we mind sharing a prison with criminals I just.. oh, do forgive me! I do not meant to be rude!"

Katahnia smiled warmly at Lana, placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"Do not apologize. I should be the one apologizing to you, Lana, considering we've been here for nearly half a day and neither myself or Conall have really properly spoken with any of you."

"It's alright," Lana said with a smile. "It's nice to have a pair so vibrant join us. Things have become rather grey in it's complacency."

Katahnia nodded. Yes, in a place like this, it would be difficult to find much to smile about, she wagered.
"Well, if you must know, I'm the only mage out of the pair of us. Not that it would do any of us good out here."

Lana nodded while Katahnia shrugged.

"Yes, the majority of us are mages, but some came, claiming to be a mage but was not just to stay witht heir children. It's a pity. The weather is so harsh up here and they treat us like animals, normally the children and elderly die within the first year. It's horrible. And they just dump the bodies out back."

Katahnia felt her stomach grow cold.
"That's terrible!"

Lana nodded, before sighing and staring down at her lap.
"BUt there's not much we can do..."

"Has anyone tried to escape?" she whispered. Lana looked up.

"It's always ended in death."

Katahnia's stomach grew colder, her expression more solemn. That's when Lana smiled.

"Do not worry. I'm sure this war can't last forever." Though it was evident there was uncertainty in her voice.

"I'm sure you're right. The country is in just a big scare over a mage being able to kill someone. As if men killing men with weapons isn't scary enough, the fact a mage somehow did it to a prominent political figure.." it was here Katahnia bit her tongue, then drew in a careful breath before releasing it. "I'm sorry.."

"Don't be...." and Lana studied Kathania curiously for a long time. "Just so you know... I know who you are." And Lana afforded a small smile to Katahnia as her lip's fell open. "I saw you speak at the capital that one day they tried to run you off. I was always hoping your voice would reacht he masses." And there was a sadness to her tone as she stared at Katahnia, her 'hero' that was now trapped inside the camps. It seemed the one beacon of light within the darkness was so close to being snuffed out. But then after a time, Lana asked, "Do the guards know?"
And Katahnia simply answered in a whisper, "No."

It was confirmed a handful of others knew Katahnia's identity, but even those that knew kept it to themselves. Katahnia asked they keep it that way, it meant less of a reason to give the guards to hang her. Lana agreed,a nd left Katahnia to rest for the night, though it was difficult for her to find a comfortable spot on the cold, hard ground, ad eventually nestled in behind Conall, shivering as she tried to sleep.

[Paradox]

Conall nodded at her words and replied softly, "I understand. " His eye closed again when she mentioned resting. His mind was restless, his thoughts a desperate blur.He wanted to be of more use in this situation right now,  but his body was to weak from exhaustion that he had little choice, but to surrender to sleep.

As Katahnia had observed, Conall slept lightly. Nearly every little sound woke him up and ,if he could move, he'd probably have tossed and turned in his sleep. However, by the time Lana approached, Conall was snoring loudly. It hardly complemented a man of his refinement.

He heard not a bit of the conversation that had transpired between the women.

He woke up feeling rather warm. He opened his eye and sat up stiffly, regretting the action as soon as he'd moved. Though less painful than yesterday, his whole body remained in dreadful shape.

"Morning," he heard the large man, Drake, say. He turned his vision in the direction of the man's voice and saw Drake was sitting across the holding cell and looking directly at him, "You sleep okay?"

Conall had felt something warm pressed up against him and curiously had to look down to see Katahnia snuggled close-by. He had grown accustomed to this by now though since they'd met again in Hyoite. He had to forget his propriety and accept many things that would have once made him die a seriously mortified death. He had to stop thinking like a noble in order to survive out here.

"Indeed." Conall replied , turning his gaze back to the man. Then he thought better of his words, realizing that in order to fit in with the common people he would need to make a better effort to sound like one of them. "I did, thank you."

Drake grinned broadly, "I'll bet you did."

Conall cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Drake, correct?"
The other man nodded.

"This is rather embarrassing for me to admit, but I'm feeling quite famished. I don't suppose you might have any of that Allarian Sludge left?"
"Sorry, friend. The guards took everything away. They don't give us long to eat. We got a few more hours before breakfast though. "

Conall nodded, accepting the answer. He had a feeling that might have been the case. "Do you have any water?"

"That I have, " he got up and brought a small wooden bowl over to the man. He sat down next to Conall and watched the younger man drink,  "You... look kind of familiar."

Conall lowered the half-drained bowl from his lips and shook his head, " I get that a lot."

Drake studied his face long and hard, " You kind of look like Ainmire Shanley."

Conall made a face. He loathed the idea of looking like his father though there was a lot of truth in those claims and never had they been more true than now. He changed the subject, "You're from Ardal?"

Duke shook his head, "Nah. I'm from Orchy, but I've been to Ardal lots of  times. Used to trade there."

"Merchant?"

Drake grinned and puffed out his chest proudly, " You're looking at the finest cooper in Connlaoth."

Conall smirked, pondering the legitimacy of such a claim but dared not to  challenge it. For he didn't personally know any of the coopers in Ardal. "A barrel maker? That's a fine profession.  "

"Damn right it is. "

"And are you...a mage?"

"Me? Nah. "

Conall blinked , "Then why are you...?"

"Here?" Drake shook his head, " I got family here, you know? My mom's a mage. I couldn't let her be taken here alone. "

"That's noble of you."

"And what about you? Are you ...?"

"Me? No, no. "

"But your woman is. How do you feel about that?"

Conall blinked, "My...woman?"

"Yeah. Kat."

"I- well, she's...Kat." Conall replied awkwardly.

Drake grinned, "That's a good way of looking at it. "

"I suppose it is. "

Lana stirred from her sleep and went over to join them now, " Conall, you're looking better. I'm surprised to see you up this early though, in all honesty." She sat down next to the two men.

Conall shrugged and offered a weak smile, " That makes two of us then.  I was sure they'd kill me. "

"We never really had the opportunity to speak before, Conall. What brings you to our humble little prison?"

Conall shook his head, "It's a long story and I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you." 

Lana smirked, "Try me."

"I think it's better for everyone that the entirety of my story waits for a better time. For now, suffice it to say that yes. It is true that I am indeed from the Kilanthros Mines and yes...I have committed some...necessary evils that make me a wanted man. I just – I cannot die. There are people at home who depend on me. If I were to settle for what the will of the law had for me...those people will suffer. " He looked directly, meaningfully at the pair now. "I intend to fight these men to the death because either way I will die. I apologize if my actions cause you any grief but...I have no choice. "

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The pair grew quiet, Drake nodding sagely after a time.

"A revolt is what your aim is, is it?" Drake questioned with a rub to his beard. He looked to Lana, who said nothing, only smiled.

"Seems like Kat has rubbed off on ya with that kind of spark," she remarked, her eyes glittering at the comment. "But do not take it the wrong way," she added, lowering her voice. "Not many know her true identity." And then even lower, she added, "But don't worry, we'll keep it that way. So not many will."

[Paradox]

"I suppose that you could call it that, " Conall said with a nod. Lana said Katahnia was rubbing off on him. Perhaps she was just a little, but not in the manner that these two may have suspected. Conall had always been a fighter. It was a prominent trait in the blood of nearly every Shanley.

Conall gave the pair of them a strange look, " I'm sorry. I don't follow you."

Drake looked at Lana and then back at Conall, " You know who she is, don't you?"

"Of course," Conall partially lied. He knew some things, of course, but he couldn't honestly say that he KNEW her anymore than she knew him. "You two know her? "

Drake nodded, "Yeah. She's the voice of the oppressed." He said quietly.

"Ah. I see. Thank you. I would appreciate it if you kept that to yourselves."

"Rise and shine, scum!" A quartet of Mordecai arrived at the cell bearing trays of the same old sludge that had been served the night before. While one of the soldiers fumbled with the keys, another man marched up to the bars with his eyes glued on Conall . He smiled nastily at the man and pointed at him, "This meal will be your last, O'Reilley. Enjoy!"

Conall stood up.

"Conall! " Lana gasped in alarm, worried that the man would do something rash that would get him killed. Instantly.

Ignoring Lana, Conall walked over to the bars slowly and stood just an inch out of the man's reach, his demeanor icy as he'd been taught to behave not only at court but as a prisoner of war. The antagonizer made a gesture across his throat to indicate beheading and Conall merely raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Afraid to come in here, are you?"

The soldier's face tightened with rage,"I'm not afraid of you, scum."

Conall smirked and leaned forward, " I think you are. I did give you quite a thrashing before you cried for your friends to pull me off of you. "

"You fu-" He started for the door , but one of his comrades held him back and shook his head.

The other two soldiers stepped into the cell now and began distributing the food.

Conall turned his back on the angered Mordecai and went over to wake the sleeping Katahnia. He knelt down next to her and put a hand lightly on her shoulder, " You're not going to sleep all day, are you? Food's here and I know you've been so looking forward to it. I know I have. "

One of the soldiers handed Conall a bowl and then walked away. The cell door slammed closed and the prisoners were left alone to enjoy their sludge.

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Katahnia made a noise, just a mere breath as she stretched out against the cold, stone floor. She noticed Conall over her, and as his words sunk in, she smirked. Sitting up, she must have looked a charming mess, for her blonde hair was a askew and cast all about her face. With wild ends, catching the faint light of the sun that came in through the window so far above them, she seemed just about as bad off as Conall and his epically untamed beard.

Stifling a yawn, she moved her back, which was sore from sleeping before rising to join him to collect her own bowl of sludge. Peering up at Conall through a layer of her hair that veiled over one green eye, she smirked and clicked her wooden bowl against his.
"Bon apetite."

The pair had taken a seat int he corner, though this time a bit more closer to Lana, Drake and company as she tried out her sludge. She was famished, but even this time around she was making a face as she looked over at Conall, forcing herself to swallow some down.
"If I thought yesterday's gruel was bad, today's seems even better," she said in a sarcastic tease, a light laughter evident in her eyes, but she remained quiet, tired as she was and went to eat of her soupy sludge. Studying Conall for a moment, she caught a look upon his face and asked, "So did you sleep alright?" THen inquired, with another blink, "What?"

Was something on her face? Cause a spiddle blotch of gruel had collected just at the edge of her chin, and she hadn't noticed (or felt it) at all.

[Paradox]

Conall offered her a lopsided grin and then went on to say teasingly, " Good morning , sunshine! My, aren't we looking dressed for success today?" He chuckled and moved away just a bit to give her some space as she sat up. For all his tease, he thought she appeared quite beautiful. Though , really, her hair was a disaster. And she had the audacity to insult his beard!

Their wooden bowls clacked together , "Haha! Indeed." He ate his food quickly not simply because he was famished but also because he was convinced this swill was worse than whatever rats scourged up from the city's trash.

He looked up when Katahnia when she inquired about how he slept. He nodded, "Oh yes. You were rather ...er...warm." 

And soft, and smelled nice -well, nicer than most things here, but he figured that he probably should keep THAT to himself. 

He watched Kat eat for a few moments and considered asking her how she'd slept , but as she set her bowl down he found himself staring at the glob of pasty goop stuck to her chin like a messy little soulpatch. Conall's eyes widened a bit and a smile lit up his weary features. He was trying hard to contain his laughter , but it spilled out of him like a flood of uncontrollable merriment. It only took the guards three times to tell him to shut up before he controlled himself and pointed to her chin, " That's not quite how you grow a beard, Kat. "  He dipped his hand in his bowl and then flicked some more food at her face. A few flecks splattered on her cheeks ,"There we go. That looking much better. Got some sideburns. Now we just need to work on the moustache. "

ooc: So mature.

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Katahnia touched the gruel on her chin and gasped, then when he splattered her with more, she gasped again and looked at him with wide eyes.
"C-Conall!" and without hesitation, she took a handful of the sludge, and smeared it all up in his beard.

OOC: ALL UP IN IT, ALL OF IT

BIC:

And giving him a triumphant smile and laugh, she slid her fingers down it.
"There, now your beard ought to be soft from it's gruel-slime bath." And her grin widened as she lifted a single finger to her lips, and then another, slowly and provocatively, licking the slimy goop off.

MOAR OOC:
Yeah, this thread can get so special XD
TAKE THAT, CONALL'S BEARD

[Paradox]

Ooc: And somehow there ends up being a pinecone in all of this....kidding.

Ic:   

"No ! Not the source of my power!" Conall gasped as his beard was defiled, slicked in the wicked and repulsive muck.

It was that ridiculous outburst from Conall that drew quite a few eyes their way. More than half of those glances looked incredulously at the pair whom were acting more like children instead of adults.

And how odd, Drake though, that a man who knew he was condemned to death this day could still find it so easy to laugh. Did he take his situation seriously at all? He thought back to the conversation he had shared with Conall and Lana not so very long ago and he had seen a very different side of this man, this 'Conall O'Reilley' . There was no doubt in his mind that Conall meant everything he'd said. There had been such a raw honesty and passion in his eyes that wasn't common in most people. Drake grinned.

Conall wasn't at all surprised that Katahnia had retaliated. He just never knew what manner she'd choose to do so. He liked her unpredictable cheekiness. It was amusing and somewhat thrilling. However, he wasn't quite anticipating her to finish her gloating with such a provocative gesture. Like any typically young and inexperienced male would, he stared at her like a brain-dead imbecile and dropped his bowl into his lap, spilling the remaining contents over himself.

"Blast!"  He looked down. What a mess! Then he looked up at her , "I see your wickedness knows no limits," he informed her quite earnestly, "shame on you for picking on poor , injured man and his innocent beard."

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Katahnia giggled.
"I'm sorry, your beard does look rather poor..." she said, tucking back a smile as a wicked sparkle was cast against her eyes. Then she did the unthinkable, and was quick to empty some of the food in her bowl before placing it ontop of his head, like a hat.
"There, now your hair is matching," she said, her giggles growing worse and worse.

[Paradox]

"Pray tell , how am I going to get this out ? I do not suspect that I'll be given a bath before the noose goes around my neck," Conall gasped as she put the bowl of mostly eaten sludge atop his head. It stuck to his hair and rolled down. It was a slimy , cold sensation that made his skin crawl. "Gross! " His eyes shot towards her uncontrollable giggling. "So that's how it's going to be? Very well. Two can play at that game. I crown thee..."

And Katahnia probably would have figured out what was going to happen next as he took his bowl of partially eaten Allarian stew, scooped some of the contents from his lap back into the bowl and then dumped it over her head as he planted the bowl atop her dumb blond head.

"The High Queen of Muck! Supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Slime! Bow to your grimy sovereign, peasants! " He called out to the rest of the cell with an almost crazed hilarity in his inflection. 

ooc: They both have gone insane. That's the only logical conclusion I could reach.

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Katahnia gasped, laughing so hard as the gruel ran down her hair, that her entire stomach hurt.
"C-Conall!"s he shouted, then laughe and dragged her fingers through it, bfore smashing her slime covered hands upon his face, then smearing it down and down, ensuring his face was well covered.

"And you shall be my high king!"s he stated proudly, jutting out her chin as she grinned, then made a motion to tap each shoulder as if knighting him with her gruel-laced hands.

[Paradox]

Conall gasped and wiped the stew clean from underneath his eyes. He shot her what could only be described as a "fiendish glare" and tackled her ,thrusting his muck covered hands in her face and smearing the as much of it on her face as he could. On her lips, her throat , and even on her eyelids. "Look at you. You're looking particularly ravishing , your highness! Would like some complimentary , muck brows to go with that magnificent beard of yours?" He gave her some anyways. "Oh...I do believe we're missing something here though! Maybe a mustache. I think that'd look rather regal." He painted her one right under her nose or tried to. He MIGHT have accidentally covered her nose with the stuff too. 

"Uh...maybe we should stop them." Drake looked at Lana , seeming not sure what to make of this.

"Get him Kat! !"

"Lana! Haha! Don't encourage them!"

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Kathania gasped, hardly believing what Conall just did. And with her jaw still open,s he stared at him in raw disbelief. Then at Lana's words, a grin tugged at her lips as she laughed and lunged herself against him.
"Oh yeah? How about we share your greul beard with my own?" And just to out do him, she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and yanked him forward, smashing her muck covered lips against his.

[Paradox]

So mean, so mean.

ic:

Conall was looking rather pleased with himself, " I don't like to gloat, but I win this time. I think that makes the score now Conall 3, Kat 0. " Of course, he was pulling numbers out of his ass, but he liked to rub his 'victory' in her face. It made it that much sweeter. Sweet revenge for his beard! Besides, those other times she'd won, he'd let her. Because, you know, he was a gentleman. Nevermind that gloating was not a very gentlemanly thing to do!

"Just give up, Kat.  You can't win against me. I always get the better-"

"Get him, Kat!"

He was tackled! "What are you doing!? You should be ashamed of yourself! " He cried dramatically, "Unhand me, this instant! This is SO undignified! We are farm-folk , not tawdry nobles! Gah!"

He wrestled with her a little, but he was laughing so hard that his resistance was ,really, quite pathetic, " Someone's a sore loser!"

In the end though she broke through his defenses and , quite unexpectedly for him, their lips met. What in the name of Ansgar's Holy Beard was she doing!? His eyes were wide , confused and he felt his skin burn with what he presumed was his embarrassment. Normally, Conall was the contemplative sort. Had his brain been functioning properly right now he might have assumed that this was just an act they were putting on for everyone else to make them believe that they were something.

Trouble was Conall really couldn't think of anything except for two things. The first of those things being that he really disliked this Allarian stew and in the extremely unlikely event that he were Grand Duke, he'd ban it from EVER being served in the country (yes, even to criminals) again. FOREVER. And the second thing being that he liked the sensations that thrilled through him whenever she touched him.

So , he kissed her. If he was going to die in a few hours anyway, why the hell not?

[visualspice]

So they shared a kiss!
A first kiss, probably to be their only kiss, one laced and tasted of disgusting gruel. But much to her surprise, her troll-worthy kiss turned into something more, and the heat to her cheeks and flutter to her heart surprised her as well when she found Conall kissing back.

Lana's hand went over her lips to hide her smile, and blush, while Drake only stared, his own cheeks heating as well. Then Lana realized the pair were smiling as she pinched Drake's arm.

"Come on, seems they need a minute," Lana said, grinning much like Katahnia had been when she was epically trolling the man she was now epically kissing back.

And why the hell not? They both could very well die in that moment, and it had been... only Angsar knew how long since she had shared a kiss with a man...
so when he kissed back, so did she, as she breathed hotly through her nose and clung to his clothing-

Though the kiss was powerful, it did not deter Katahnia from her initial intentions. So she could enjoy a kiss AND seek more revenge...
as she purposely (though also inadvertently) dropped the remaining gruel right onto his lap- the bowl landing face down on his crotch.

[Paradox]

Her reciprocation surprised him more, but he wasn't about to reject it. Even if in the back of his mind, a tiny voice in his head was telling him that what he was doing was wrong. It wasn't simply because she was a magic-user, but she promised. Not that such a promise could be honored if both of them wound up dead here which could very well happen.

He blocked the voice out and savored the moment. He really hadn't kissed a woman with this much passion since, well, Aislin. And that had been....far too long ago.

And as he closed one good eye and his strong arms slipped around her...
Something dropped into his lap. He gasped against her lips and opened his eye, narrowing it at her. There was a challenging glint in his green gaze. She thought she'd won, did she? Well, she'd better think again! His arms closed around her and he pulled her right sitting on his lap. So she'd get that nasty slop on her clothes too!

Hah! Take that!

[visualspice]

Katahnia's eyes went as wide as saucers as she was suddenly drawn into his gruel coated lap.
"C-Conall!" she shouted, and that was loud enough to draw the attention of the guards. And their approached and reaction made Katahnia swear.

"What the fuck are you two doing in there!?" the one guard shouted.

"Pull the two of them out. They've been causing a ruckus for too long."
And soon the door was thrown open and the men advancing upon them. And before Katahnia could protest, one man grabbed her roughly by the arms and yanked her away from Conall, while three others were working on subduing him.

"Come on, girly," the man said as he fought against her to drag her away. "If you wanted a good time,t here's plenty of good soldiers here you could please."
And it was at that comment Katahnia's eyes turned to the man dragging her away, and she slappe dhim- hard, right across the face.

"How dare you!"

But her reactions were not without repercussions as the man back handed her hard across the face.
"Shut up. You're our prisoner, girl. Now get to walking. Perhaps we ought to hang you, too!" he said, shaking her before dragging her back to her feet.

[Paradox]

WARNING! Language and violence! Read at your own discretion.

"Kat! Get your damned hands off her , you bastards!" Conall fought as hard as he could, but he was no match for the strength of three trained Mordecai in his condition. Even had he been in prime shape , he probably wouldn't have been able to break free. It would have been one hell of a fight though! "Don't hurt her, please. We weren't causing any trouble , but if you have to punish someone , then punish me. She doesn't des-"

"Oh we'll take GOOD care of her, " One of the soldiers restraining him smirked and licked his lips lewdly, "Real good care of her. Won't we boys?"

Bluff or not , Conall hardly cared. With a scream of rage, he threw the soldiers off of him and lunged at the vulgar Mordecai. He managed to knock the man down and pin him to the ground. Straddling him, he wrapped his fingers around the man's throat and proceeded to choke him.

It took a good ten seconds to tear the man off. Had he been given a bit longer, with the force that his hands were crushing the other's windpipe, he probably would have killed the bastard.

A punch to the face sent him falling over onto his back. Then a steel-toed boot smashed into his ribs, blowing the breath out of him and causing him to double over and grunt in .

"Foolish churl, stand up."

He was kicked again, this time in the shoulder.

"I SAID STAND UP!"

Another kick to the face, bloodying the nose. It hurt like hell. He would be lucky if it wasn't broken.

Someone seized him by the hair and drug him out of the cell. It slammed shut behind him and as one soldier locked the door the other two took turns kicking Conall. In the back, in the groin, in the face- wherever they could score a hit in. Conall couldn't even curl his body defensively to protect himself.

In the background , someone, a child, was crying.

"That's enough!" A new voice commanded. The Captain's. "Thought I taught you fools better than this. Bring this sack of pig-feed to the interrogation room on the double or I'll cut your rations in half and give it to the prisoners! Clock's ticking, ladies. Get moving!"

Conall was hauled up to his feet and led away.

A few minutes later he was back in the same dark room with the same Captain again. "You really should reign your men in , Captain. I've never in my life seen such lack of respect for human life or discipline in soldiers. Hardly befitting of God's soldiers, wouldn't you say?"

"You have a very bold tongue, Conall O'Reilley. You're a farmer. What the hell do you know about Mordecai?"

"I know enough to know that they're supposed to protect innocent people rather than terrorize and murder them. The prisoners told me something interesting, Captain. I hear you like to kill children. "

"I did not !"

"Liar! I could smell the death that permeates in this shit hole from the moment that I arrived! I could see how thin your prisoners are and how poorly you treat them. You're starving them! Women, elderly, children. God, children! You monster! Mage camp? This is more like the gallows! Allarick sends people here to rot and die! And you know something , I used to think he was the lowest, cruelest son of a bitch in Connlaoth , but you...You're even WORSE than that because where Allarick is a fucking psychopath , you KNOW it's wrong. I can see the guilt reflecting in your eyes as you look at me right now. Your words are caught on your stuttering tongue because , deep down you KNOW that I'm right. But you just follow orders like a good little dog, don't you? Don't you Captain? Too cowardly to do the right thing. You sit here and you watch them  die. Mages, not mages. Doesn't matter. You don't even think about it because it's easier that way for you. The blood of hundreds of innocents is on your hands all to keep Connlaoth safe. Yes, we must keep our people safe from those evil little children, musn't we? You are not Mordecai. You just masquerade as one. You're a fucking disgrace- "

The Captain's fist smashing into his face knocked him tumbling out of his chair to the floor and silenced him.   

[visualspice]

Katahnia didn't fair much better than the others, but the only female on duty took over- and dragged Katahnia to the bathing house to wash her down and provide her with new clothes. Though the clothing smelled rotten, it was better than nothing nad she was thankful to be dressed against after remaining naked, cold and wet when she was scrubbed down and bathed.
But even in a time like this, Katahnia still had her manners, so when a new pair of gloves were offered to her from the woman, and boots, she hung her head.
"Thank you."

The woman snorted and at the sounds coming fromt he next room,Katahnia's gaze rose-
Conall was giving a mouthful, and she couldn't help but smile-
but the sudden cut of his words made her lips tremble..
and when the door creaked open, she turned around just as the woman vanished, with three male guards looming outside the door.


It didn't matter what Conall was spitting at the Captain, his men were dogs, and he knew it. But they had to be, and having been cooped up in these god-awful arctic prisons made them itch. And Katahnia was their method to scratch. Though they hadn't made it through the door, and Katahnia only took a few steps before suddenly- the entire world exploded.


Fire.. smoke, it was everywhere; and her ears were ringing, and she was seeing double. Coughing, she was choking on smoke, and the rubble from the building weighed her down, nearly crushing her beneath it's weight. What had just happened!? What was going on!?
And in a rush, she saw a blur, some movements, and the screaming of men and steel knocking to steel....

[Paradox]

His words had the desired affect , of course. The Captain lost his temper and took it out on a man whom had done nothing wrong except being right. His kicks were merciless and much more ruthless than the ones Conall had received from his men. These were kicks filled with passion. Guilt, anger, denial. "I don't have a choice, damn you!" Why was he justifying himself to a criminal? Some lowly farmer from the south who knew nothing. Why did he even believe this bastard's story anyway? It stank! This man was just a damned heathen trying to get under his skin.

"I'll silence you for good, " he drew his sword, "hold still. One clean strike and it'll be over. Count yourself fortunate , churl. " He raised the sword and readie for the killing blow then...

What could only be counted as an explosion rocked the building, throwing the armored Mordecai off-balance and stumbling back into a wall. "Shit! What the hell was that?"

He glanced over at O'Reilley's lifeless body and then snarled , leaving the room to rush outside.  The moment he left the door, a man in a dark robe met him there , a sword in hand with a blade that seemed to be forged in ever-burning flames. Magical enchantments. Shit! The Captain readied his own blade.

After waiting a couple minutes, Conall slowly, painfully forced himself to his feet. Every little movement he made hurt. A lot, but the smell of smoke and the sounds of screams...and death. A lot of death. It served as great motivator for finding the strength to rise and , well, escape.

He staggered over to the door where the Captain had left through moments before. He stumbled outside and the first thing he noticed were the fires consuming anything that could be burned. Buildings, supplies, people...

Conall was careful not to trip over the Captain's corpse which he found a few steps just outside the door.

This isn't good. I should find Katahnia. He knelt down stiffly and found the keyring attactched to the man's belt. He claimed the man's sword as well and hurried along his way. Most of the people running about were Mordecai and he didn't bother with them , moving as quickly as he could and weaving his way through the chaos , searching for Katahnia.

Maybe Lana and the others will know where she was taken.

He decided to make his way to the holding cells first. Upon arriving he was met by a single guard. "What are you doing here? You're-"

Conall surged forward and brought the blade of the Captain's sword to his throat, "I suggest you get out of my way if you value your life. Quickly."

The guard nodded and fled, probably to get some friends who probably wouldn't come because something or someone was keeping them quite preoccupied. With keys in hand, he began unlocking the cells.

"What's going on out there?"

"Are we under attack? "

"Who the hell would attack Mordecai?"

"Do you think it's radicals?"

"Conall, you're alive! " Lana was the first prisoner out. She hugged him.

"Lana, we don't have a lot of time. This place is under attack."

"By who?"

"I don't know. There's a lot of fire and an explosion. I need to find Katahnia. I was taken to the interrogation room .Do you know of any places a guard might take a woman... to..."

Lana nodded, "Follow me!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

"Wait for me!" Drake called after them and ran behind to catch up.