Hot Chaos (M)

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She frowned and studied him.
"But it wouldn't be right to have you suffer," she told him, studying his face before realizing it and turning away. "Especially under my account," tucking her hair aside, she moved towards him. It might have been foolish but..
she felt strong enough to at least try as she approached him, slowly..
reaching a hand out and touching him, wincing as she sensed the pain..
then a golden light emitted from the palm of her hand and glittering through her fingers.
He'd feel a swell of warmth within him, gathering in a swirl, then outwardly it went, lapping through his body and numbing away the pain.

She gasped lightly, smiling even at the use of her magics. It was always a tickling, thrilling sensation to see it at work. A marvel.
"There.."she said, stepping back. "All better by magic."She smiled at him before suddenly collapsing towards the ground.

[Doc]

OOC: woops! Cauwyn isn't affected by magic really..

IC:

Cauwyn had been busy brushing rock off his gear and only was half-listening to the princess. Or duchess, whatever. So he hardly noticed when she approached him. At that range though, he felt the familiar tingle along his skin that caused the short hairs of his arms and neck to stand on his. An almost involuntary twitch ran through his system. He stood upright and turned quickly, but he knew he was too late. If he could sense the magic, he knew it was almost a matter of time until she hit him with it.

Cauwyn wasn't completely immune to magic, but he was very damn resistant. The feeling of it coursing through his body, targeting his ribs to draw away the pain, could almost have been pleasant had he been able to feel it better. What he did feel though was the inky crawl of magic over his body and it twisted his stomach slightly. As the girl stepped back to admire her work, cawing prepared a sneer and a scathing remark about her using magic on him without asking. It didn't come though as Kalahnia fell weakly toward the ground.

"Gah!" Cauwyn lunged for her, which hurt like hell by the way, just barely getting a hold of her upper arms before she landed in the rubble. With the throbbing in his side though and the sudden movement, he couldn't hold her so he lowered her as gently as he could before letting go. He snapped back his arm and hand curling protectively around his rib as he struggled to breathe, "Idiot girl!" He hissed between sharp angry breaths.

He hadn't exactly calmed, but he managed to take most of the heat and edge out of his voice as he turned his attention down to Kalahnia, speaking between short controlled breaths, "Magic... doesn't work... on me.." He sighed with the effort, but took another deep breath before continuing, "Thank you...though, for... trying. Are you... alright?"

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She laughed, and laughed sad as she came to realize she had wasted her strength.
"Well, this is interesting.."s he said weakly, staring up at him with a tired smile. "To think I was rescued by a mordecai."
She furrowed his brows at his claims.
"I'll.. I'll be fine," she began, hesitantly.  She slowly, drew in a breath and raised her head.
"Well, how much longer until you turn me in?" she asked him, her smile, this time, even more sad than the last.  "Last time I knew it, there was a hefty price on all of our heads. From the Duke of ALlar himself." She gave another smug, tired grin, trying to push herself to her feet, and hating herself for wasting her strength, but still, she found the will and the way to stand proudly.

[Doc]

"Rest your fears witch.." Cauwyn said with a pained expression and not a little amount of anger. He regretted his words instantly however, and through the pain he managed a weak smirk as he knelt down before her, "I'm no mordecai... princess." It was a much better moniker than witch, though he could think of a similar word to use at times.

He offered out his hand to her once again, his weak smirk turning into a stronger smile, "Though I suppose a bounty would be nice.. Lucky for you I don't know this Allar fella, or much care for dealing with royalty. They all seem a bit uppity to me.." The grin grew stronger still and this time was accompanied by small laugh that he paid for with a painful bout of coughs.

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Katahnia only stared at him, and in the end, when he began to cough, she frowned.
"Perhaps if hadn't thrown yourself so recklessly towards me, you wouldn't be in so much pain." she added, almost in a huff, then examined his face with a sigh.
"So I suppose it's true then.."S he looked away, towards all of the ruins.
"This place has probably been long forgotten, even erased."

And here it was, in all of it's glory.  Or, rather, just the faded wreckage there of.

Sighing, she turned to him.
"So if you're no mordecai, why can't my magic heal you?" she asked, her face twisting with a concerned expression.

[Doc]

When she huffed at him about throwing himself recklessly at her he stared at her with a rather flat look, "Maybe if'n you weren't fallin' all over th' place or gettin' into trouble every ten minutes I wouldn't have to?" He tried to end the question with an arch of his brow, but Cauwyn wasn't very good at arching his brow so it sort of just became a peculiar look.

He looked around the ruins with her, but said nothing. There was nothing too say really and certainly nothing comforting. At least, nothing Cauwyn could think of. He did give her a small, sad, apologetic smile though. It was the best he could offer, he had no answers for her.

"Don't know," He said rather matter-o-factly with a firm shrug of his shoulders. It was a bit of a sore subject with him, but then what wasn't when it came to this girl? "Never knew my parents, so I couldn't ask them.. When I was younger, and my so called 'gift' got recognized, Alderius took me a few different places t' get tested. We never got much answers, though Alderius received plenty of offers to buy me. An' one of your kind even tried t' cut me open while I was alive, tryin' to see what made me tick.." Cauwyn shuddered slightly at that memory.

"In any case, nears we could figure I'm just some kind of freak.. We caught an Adharan a year or so back, put her t' questionin' about it. Said she didn't know nothin', just that I was some kinda 'bomination.." He shrugged again, casually this time though he couldn't keep the disgust our of his voice. Or the slight quiver of embarrassment. He cleared his throat though, hardening his tone, "But we did figure out that I don't stop magic, like the mordecai or adhara. It just sort of, I don't know, don't affect me as much..." Cauwyn rapped gently against the hard dark leather plate on his thigh, "It can still hurt me, if'n it's strong enough... But I've yet t' kill a mage who could do more than give me a few blisters.."

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Katahnia stared at him with interest. She didn't mean to seem to want to pry so deep, but he was the one doing the talking...
"I'm sorry to hear that," she commented, truthfully. "No one should ever have to suffer that way. Or be treated so cruelly." She lowered her head shamefully a moment, as if inwardly praying for him before returning her gaze.

"But I suppose that's a good explanation as to why you negated any of my chances to play the heroine." She smiled wistfully towards him, feeling a bit more at home with him around as she sighed.  "But I do seem to have found myself in a predicament." She glanced around again and sighed and found herself merely walking away from him, fingers brushing against the crumbling stone walls as she walked, poising beside the wide open mouth of the stair case that would lead up to the remains of her family's castle.
She hesitated there, staring up at the place in longing.

[Doc]

"Yeah, well, it's a cruel world out there princess an' we all gotta take our licks as they come.." Cauwyn commented with a slight grunt and roll of his shoulders. He wasn't one to take to brooding often, but when he did it he brooded pretty damn well. Now wouldn't be the time though and he shook away the dark thoughts and memories swirling in her head. She had been trying to be nice to him, for once..

And when she mentioned her failed attempt at becoming the heroin, he couldn't help but smile. He watched as she walked away from him and the smile faded slowly as she moved about the walls. He had been too young to remember when he lost his family. After that, loss and death just seemed to become a way of life for him, so maybe he was a bit more used to it than her. Even still, while he couldn't really relate to HOW she felt, he could at least understand that she was probably feeling bad and not in the mood for smartassed remarks.

"Let me gather my things," Cauwyn said as he stomped out the coals of the fire and then set about gathering up the rest of his equipment. He frowned at the clothes he had offered, looking up at the girl as she stood at the entry way. She was looking the other way so he snuck a peak in, admiring her... assets...before clearing his throat and holding up his clothes with a much too innocent smile, "An' ya sure ya don't want t' put these on before we go up? I know they're not quite fit for a princess, or duchess... but it may be a bit chilly an' your dress.. Well, it could raise a lotta... questions. Yeah.."

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Katahnia turned around suddenly, startled by Cauwyn's sudden closeness before she gazed down at the offered clothes.
She stared at them  moment before lifting her head to his.
"I should be just alright with.." though when she glanced down at her clothes, she frowned.
"Well, " she smiled up at him. "Perhaps if I can acquire a needle and some thread, I could just repair my dress."S he said simply, bowing her head. "But thank you, though."
She... well, her pride would not allow her to take the poor gent's clothing, even if..
well, perhaps it might make a little sense..

She took a few steps and paused.. frowning, and sighed, turning around with a smile.
"Perhaps after I've had a look around." she told him, smiling warmly.
"I'd.. like to see what's left of my family's castle."

[Doc]

He frowned slightly when she turned down his offer of clothing, but quickly shrugged it off. It was her loss, as far as he was concerned. When she mentioned needle and thread Cauwyn considered his little suture kit that he had, but he was too low on catgut to be using it on simple things like dress repair.

He finished rolling the rest of his things back into his bed roll and securing that in the concave of his shield to make a easy carrying pack. Being already in his armor, for what amounted to know reason now, Cauwyn simply strapped on his heavy weapons belt and baldric so that his bastard sword would hang at one hip and a rather vicious axe hung at the other. Picking up his spear in his right hand he started toward her while throwing his shield and pack onto his back, secured together by the binding strap.

"If'n you wanna look around princess, be my guest.." He gestured up the stairs with his spear, but his voice held a sad tone that matched the look on his face, "But, uh... just don't go gettin' your hopes up, yeah?"

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SHe turned around to him and simply smiled, tough it was small almost sad as her hand rested at the width of the open door.
"Before I sealed myself away inside crystal, I had to witness my people being brutally murdered and my castle, being ransacked to the ground." Turning away, she began to slowly walk up the stairs with careful, tired and delicate steps. "I just want to see it, that's all." She stated simply, and soon found herself stepping into a whole other world.....


The sun fluttered through the gaping holes in the ceiling above, vines began to twist their way inside and moss growing on the floors and wall.  Even patches of high weeds had taken hold and a few animals scattered away at her presence.

It was a surreal sigh to behold, to find herself standing across the decaying old velvet carpet that lead to the throne room of the main hall, and there she found herself staring before an empty spot, with empty stains...
her mind falling back away to some of the memories and what was long past.


Smiling, in-spite of herself, she brushed t her eyes, coaxing back the tears but they didn't listen.

[Doc]

He had been to quite a few sackings in his time, though admittedly from the other side. It was odd to think about as he followed quietly behind her aside from the soft clack of his spear on exposed stone. He had always felt justified, or at least he had told himself he did, when they sacked or razed a village or castle. They had won, they were the victors. It was their right to take what they had earned, paid for with blood. Whether it was jewels, gold, women or slaves they were all spoils that to the victor went. It had made sense.

But then if that was true, why was he here? Why wasn't he still with the Crows? Sure, they hadn't much liked the changes his tenure as leader had brought, but they sure enough had enjoyed the money. He almost stumbled over a jagged stone, but he caught himself and looked down at the rusted steel ball which had caused the break in the stone. His attention wandered from his own thoughts to what he saw around him, the story painted on the walls with destruction and ruin.

As he stepped up close to Katahnia his attention was more focused on the structure around them than her or the feelings she may have been having as she stared at what Cauwyn assumed had once been a throne room. There was a question forming however, one that nagged him enough to break the silence he'd been maintaining for her.

"Princess, you're a witch right?" His tone was light and curious, but also held a hint of caution as though he considered not speaking at all. He gestured about he room with the point of his spear, "But I don't see any marks of magic 'ere. None of the stones look melted, no deep gouges from lightnin' or nothin'.. Were you the only witch in this place? Is that why they locked ya up downstairs?"

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She sighed.  Not needing to turn towards him, her eyes still lingering over a broken chandelier, she replied, "A witch, I am not.  But a mage, yes. My family used magic. We were..." her voice went delicate here. "Let's say my mother did not approve of all of the travesties held against mages, and believed there is a reason magic was born; so long as it was used to help people... I suppose not many people liked that idea." Sighing, she didn't want to get into it and simply walked away.  Her blood was hot enough and she had more of the castle ruins to see.

STepping into the hall, she moved with caution, a bird's nest being startled and leaving feathers in it's wake. She stepped over then around a large boulder, moving herself down a great hall until pausing before a room, before, she pushed the door open-
staring into the skeletal remains of a bedroom she used to call hers.

[Doc]

Cauwyn was understandably surprised by Katahnias story. While he may have claimed ignorance of nobility he had plenty of dealings with them, along with other, less yet well to do families. He'd never been invited to any of their fancy parties or anything of that sort, but the rich always had need of mercenaries. They could do the dirty work their armies couldn't be seen doing. So the idea that a noble family, of Connolath no less, had been full of mages? It was shocking to say the least, probably even one of the most scandalous things he'd ever been privy to.

He wanted to question her more about it, but while he had been trying to recover from wrapping his mind around such a thing she had abandoned him for further exploration. He had to hurry along behind her giving him the feeling, even in the dilapidated state of her castle, like some common servant. He wasn't pleased at the thought as he came to a halt behind her at an empty room..

He blew a short, impressed whistle. Cauwyn could guess who's room they were at and he almost felt bad for the girl. He didn't know much about how royalty worked, but he figured her days of fancy living like that was over.

"So..." He said in the awkward silence, still unwilling to drop it, "your family harbored wit...mages? In Connolath?" He was also smart enough to leave unsaid how foolish that sounded.

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Katahnia only sighed.
"You could say that." She frowned. "My mother's second husband was a mage who saved her life.."s he began to cross the room as she added. "With his magics." Turning her eyes over her shoulder, she paused to look at him. "It's funny how one can change their mind about things when they realize the potential, the good something can do." Though she frowned and looked around them.
"THough this type of wreckage.." She placed a hand against a broken wall. "Most Connlaothians associate this sort of slaughter with the wickeness of the mage."
She frowned again and moved away, finding herself moving past the ripped remains of her dressing screens, back to a corner where a door lay fallen and some fragments of charred clothing remained.
Her fingers traipsed across them as she walked past, her mind drifting towards another day....

[Doc]

"Yeah, I've seen what magic can do.." Cauwyn said in what he hoped was a casual voice. He didn't necessarily hate magic and he didn't exactly fear it, but his feeling towards it incorporated both of those feelings. He started to step into her room but stopped himself, for what reason he didn't know. It wasn't like it was really her room anymore and reminding himself of this he came in through the door, though he stopped just on the other side of it, "An' for all you mages talk 'bout how good an' noble it can be, I ain't yet seen it used for more than killin' an' hurtin'.."

There was no malice in his voice however, because in the end his view on magic was a fairly simple one. He leaned his weight on his staff, taking some of the pressure off his still sore ribs as he watched her walk down memory lane. He didn't even know if she was listening to him, but then from what he heard most witches had pretty good hearing, "An' I get that ya'll say it ain't evil, I get that. It's like a sword right? A sword ain't evil, it just is.. It's the person, right?"

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Katahnia let her fingers drop away from the clothing remains and turned back to him.
"Yes, like a sword,"s he said simply, frowning. "Then I suppose we must be on the same page." Her tone sounded sour. Walking pass him,s he paused at the door and sighed.
"I suppose I've seen enough.." though paused when she caught sight of her reflection in the broken mirror beside her, and found herself entranced at the hollowed woman she had become. Her eyes appeared sunken and dark, though perhaps the shadows were making them appear as if dark circles remained beneath..
but her hair was a mess.. her clothing, destroyed...


She hardly appeared anything like the regal woman she had once been.
She appeared every bit as disheveled and displaced as the wreckage all around them.
Then, when she noted Cauwyn in the mirror as well, her face fell, eyes averting his, even in the reflection as she sighed.

Approaching the vanity, where the mirror was perched, she ran her fingers along the top of it, creating lines int he dust.
Then, moving to open the drawer, she was shocked to find all was plucked clean and spiderwebbed.
except a single, rusted, silver toned brush.

Raising it up, she smiled at it weakly.

[Doc]

"Yeah, a sword.." Cauwyn said quietly as he stood behind her, watching. To him it was just like a sword, and just like anyone else who had a sword when those around him didn't the temptation was just too much. But, as he watched her in the mirror and her eyes fell away defeated and saddened he didn't much feel like continuing the argument.. Even if he figured his analogy was about as clever as he was going to be with Katahnia.

When she lifted the tarnished silver brush from the drawer Cauwyns eyes lit up. It wasn't much, but if that was real silver it would catch a hell of a price. Cauwyns spear made a soft thump on the hard stone as he walked up behind her, though not quiet close enough for her to hit him if she decided to start swinging that thing.

"Ah, what's that?" He asked innocently enough as he tried to peer over her shoulder, "Find somethin'?"

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Her gaze went to his in the mirror.  It was almost as if he looked hungry for the brush.
Sighing, and keeping her nose well to the air, she decided no to oblige him for a moment as she went about, brushing out her messy locks of hair.

"Nothing of interest to a gentleman, I'm afraid," she replied, coolly. "Unless you're suddenly feel the urge to brush your hair. Hrm.."s he paused and appeared to ponder something as she patted the brush against her palm. "I wonder how your hair might look if I found any of my royal ribbons?"

[Doc]

"Bah!" Cauwyn snorted when she got all uppity, again, and started brushing her hair. She was going to be in for a rude awakening when they got into town and she realized just staring down your nose at people didn't get you a free meal. As Cauwyn started to wander about the room, impressed at it's size while trying not to show it, he considered why was even here at all. The storm had passed and he could hit the road at any time. Why wait around on this stuck up duchess when he could just...

"Huh, wha..?" Cauwyn only vaguely heard what she said, but as it sunk in he spun around to see her pondering face in front of the mirror. His eyes narrowed to a scowl as he moved closer to her, "Hey! I'll have you know princess, my hair's just fine without ribbons! In fact, all manor of ladies love my hair" In demonstration he ran his hand back through the tangled shag. Though the rain had at least cleaned some of the dirt and grime off of it, when he pulled his hand away most of the hair stayed standing. He saw it in the reflection and only scowled more, brushing the hair down with the palm of his hand.