OOC:
I was listening to this song and it inspired the thread idea~ so listen to it, it is preeettties
Jar of Hearts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v_4O44sfjM)- Christina Perri
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As she clutched onto her jar of hearts, she felt the faint fragments of his life burning within. She could still feel his heat, still feel his eyes, his lips, seeing his face seeking her out, full of hope and love. She tried to warn him, but he persisted, moving in, giving chase and letting himself open up to her. She, begrudgingly did the same. Their first kiss was shared beneath the blossoms of a weeping cherry, pink petals scattering like snow. And that was all it took. Their time had been short, their time had been sweet, his face soft and inviting. And she could feel it, the breath coming out, the soul sucking within, gathering inside her lips, then collecting back to her jar. And as his green eyes opened to her, she watched as he smiled, his life spiriting away. He couldn't draw back, he couldn't run away, but he appeared unphased, only smiling as his hand held onto hers. He gently squeezed it, as if telling her it would be ok. And the last thing he would see would be her face, the tears beginning to form before the cold grip of death had become him.
And Samrin, the guardian of the rivers, child of the lesser Gods, died; having fallen prey to a foolish game that had started long before his birth. And there he lay, golden hair splayed around his head as she held him, sobbing against his lifeless form, his soul never to return. And from the shadows came a dark wind that passed, one carrying and cutting through the end of the summer sun. Autumn would come, the grasses already turning to the color of ash upon his death, and the snows would fall early that year, the crops would die, the mice would feed, and the lice would thrive.
It was how it was to be, it was her destiny. She let herself fall too easily. He had been warm, soft and sweet. He had loved her. And now she felt worthless and empty, once again incomplete. Picking up his body she clutched him close, giving him one last kiss goodbye, before resting his corpse in the stream. The river would carry him far away, to a place where his real body could rest, while his soul was in her jar of hearts.
Turning around, she paused at the sight of the mutated figure of the witch, Mahtaht. The woman was tall, but her body was immortal, though not ageless as she was twisted over, body so wrinkled and leathered from age, her skin and smell putrid and dark. Even her hair was nearly falling out, and the patches that remained poking out from beneath the hood of her tattered cloak were ratty, and gnarled with thick, untamable knots. Her body was shaking as she grinned and moved forward, her old bare feet scraping against the dirt beside the dying river reeds.
"Well done my child, well done." And her eyes lit up at the sight of the glowing jar. For even she could feel the powerful life force within, so young, so pure, so innocent- it had been so full of love.
Megrin turned away, shame faced and empty. She hugged one arm around herself, letting her gaze follow back over to the stream, to where Samrin had once been, now he was just an empty dream.
"Come, pick the jar up and we can go home. Master will be pleased."
Megrin grit her teeth. The witch couldn't touch the souls, only Megrin could. She was the vessel, the controller, the handler of the jar. She flinched, recalling what she had done, tears still burning on the inside, but she refused to cry in front of the witch. More tears would come later. Her own heart was dying. So as she turned around to lift up the jar, the river world around them, which had been dying and fading away, turning into autumn waste, suddenly began to perk up, as if hope was coming from the faint humming of a silent song. Even she could feel it, a warmth rekindling inside her heart, tickling her and making her flinch, dropping the jar as the lid spilled open and she fell against a tree, a tree of which groaned beneath her touch and began to glow gold under her finger tips. It was too late in the season for apples, but as she peered up, she was surprised to see the apples all began to grow.
Mahtaht had watched the exchange with wonder, before something registered within. She snatched onto Megrin's arm sharply. "You kept some of his soul!"s he hissed, baring the remains of her rotting teeth. "The master will hate you, punish you. It is to all be his!" she shook Megrin's arm, but Megrin didn't care, didn't listen, all Megrin could do was stare up at the apples and their blooms. Samrin.. somehow he was still alive, she could almost feel it, and smiled sadly at the notion before picking up her jar of hearts.
Though despite the warnings from Mahtaht, the Lord of Souls was pleased. Ahk-meht had acquired a great power, one that would help open a gateway to the world of the gods. Since the beginning of time, the Lords in waiting, the lords of time, the lords of darkness, all of them felt scorned. To have the Gods sit so righteously, while their demon brethren fell. Ahk-meht held a deep sense of loathing, even since then, and that had been eons ago. Now with a woman, his tool, his vessel, he was nearing a time to champion over them; opening a gateway, to a war, to the blood shed and fall of the Gods.
Megrin cared little for this. Her own soul was already damned, even as her Lord held a magnificent ball in the underworld, inviting all those of the dark to play. He was relishing the moment, to have a young god's soul! The ball was held in his lair, a twisting cavernous world beneath the ground, as if in the very bowels of Hell itself. And as everyone was there at the party, laughing and carrying on, sucking souls and sucking blood, Megrin found herself in her tattered violet dress all alone, walking away, her eyes sad and distant, her body wilting as if in defeat. She had no more strength left to want to go on. With each soul she stole, a part of her was broken away, and now she felt completely empty.
None of it mattered anyway. She was a toy, a woman only fit to play. What was another love? What was another dream? She pushed aside a black gossamer clothe, one that separated the main manor in the cavern from something quieter and more dark. And bare foot she walked, hand slipping across the rocks. Her legs felt weak and she felt tired, but still, she pressed onward, fingers clutching onto her dress.
Her shadows danced and stretched, growing tall against a far wall, while gold serpentile pyres held fires between their teeth, and cages aligned the ceiling with bones and decaying meat. But none of that seemed to matter, as she walked on, walked alone, pausing just beside another gossamer clothe door, wishing she had a chance to dream.
[Pffft! That's nothing compared to this (http://youtu.be/Te11UaHOHMQ). This is beautiful.]
Nothing in life was free. Or so said the given fact. There were unnamed rules in this univers, that all things must come to their respective ends, change was the only constant and for every life taken, another would soon take it's place. And so went the apparent cycle of the natural world. To an innocent eye, it would seem that such things were free. This apparent status would not be entirely incorrect. But cost was measured in more ways than material value, and the Universe seldom settled for anything less than it's required debt.
Cai stood alone in the valley, long grass brushing to his leg, softly almost childlike in it's play. He leaned his head back to the wind, closing his eyes and remember the sensation. The coming evening would prove cool and midnight would bring a chill, but he was unperturbed. Such sensations had little effect on the internal workings of his body. But for the people that laid around him, to suffer rain and wind was nothing compared to what they'd already endured.
The scene was old, near ancient but he could still hear the cries of the long dead and the clanging steel that fought here so many centuries ago. This part of the Plains remained largely free from the raiding Horsemen that called his land home. It was shrouded in legend, said to be filled with the wandering souls of warriors that were still fighting for kings and countries that no longer existed.
The bones and skulls lingered deep in the dirt and time had transformed the field with poppies and low-hanging grass that brushed against him as he moved through it. The worn leather of his boots touched the ground like a ghost, lightly and leaving no trace of his passing. Behind him trailed Baal, the large pads of his paws stepping softly in the same places as Caius did. Weapons still protruded from the ground amid places where men had made their last stand. And the silence was broken only by the creaking of crickets that gave pause at their passing.
Rad bled through the sky as the sun began to fade. Cai shielded his eyes at its poignant glare, watching how the gods had painted the world. Never was the sky more beautiful than when the sun began to set. And the corners of his mouth pulled into a faint smile. Baal seemed to feel it too as the wolf-dog watched the vivid horizon.
Caius' eyes twitched when they caught the low-laying movement of something nearly as bright as the sun, like a piece of it had fallen off and fluttered away amongst the grass in the distance. Cai nodded to Baal and began to walk in that direction. He closed the distance quickly and the spirit orb spooked at his approach, trying to flutter away as quickly as possible.
"Wait," he called out, holding out a hand. "Don't be afraid. Everything will be all right." And walked closer to the orb, his steps gentle. But it wasn't long before the spirit bounded away yet again, fluttering out deeper into the ancient battlefield.
It was probably foolish for her to try it. But what did she have to lose? Grabbing up her skirts, she realized no one was at this end of the underground cavern, so while the Lords of Souls were partying, she was moving deeper down the hallways of the cave, scheming her great escape. She didn't expect to actually make it, but the deeper she went, the more she felt the tingling thrill inside her veins, forcing her onward, pumping her legs against the ground as she rounded this bend than that, and suddenly she found herself at the mouth of an open cave, the light of the world spilling in through cavernous teeth. She shielded a hand to her face, blinded temporarily by the light as she stepped outside...
And her breath was taken away by the freshness of the air, and the warmth of the sun.
However, Megrin was barely a few feet out when a soul whisp whisked past her. Blinking, she was familiar with what they looked like, but had never seen one move about so freely before. Her eyes followed it as it moved away, not realizing she was in a great field scattered with the remains of battle.
"Stop!" Caius called but to no avail. He hadn't seen the pile of boulders that concealed the mouth of a cave nor the elegantly dressed woman that emerged from it's mouth. He was running, the wolf-dog not far behind him. But he soul suddenly vanished into the ground and he was left kneeling in the grass. He suddenly heard Baals' deep growl as he stood beside Cai's back, his tail swishing him to look back the way he came.
Cai looked over his shoulder and his hand immediately flew to the hilt of his sword. "Who goes there?" he called out, still kneeling in the grass. Baal was crouched in a pouncing position the hackles on his neck rose in alarm.
The voice startled Megrin as she jumped clean out of her skin. Whirling around, she noticed the man and dog rush after the soul spirit. Her eyes furrowed, realizing, with a slight wilt, the man was chasing the spirit and not her. Phew. She must not have been spotted. But then again, those Lord of Souls knew how to party (well, at least for their kind). Blinking, she crept forward, staying behind the boulders that lined near the mouth of the cave. It was then she heard the growling, then the man's commanding voice for her to show herself.
She grit her teeth and swore.
Shit! She was caught. Her lips twitched a moment before she realized it would do no good to simply hide or run back the way she came, so she stepped out from behind the boulders and gave a nonchalant flip of her hair.
"Who else would go there in a place like this?"s he said, hands to her hips and her lips ready with sure fire sarcasm. She gave a look over of the dog and of the man. She didn't have much to lose, so she didn't see either of them as much of a threat. Even her little rendez-vous here she knew would be short lived, and her temper was short and she got to the point. "Can't a girl just go out for a stroll?" She shook her head and turned away from him, no sense in remaining there any longer to oblige him as she moved her way out into the field. She might as well enjoy her time outside without her master while she could.
And a soul thief without a mission was less of a threat to those who could,... well, lose their souls.
[Don't be afraid to remain consistent, Spice. Pay attention to details, even the minute ones. Baal is a wolf-dog.]
"I don't know," Caius answered honestly. He was at a loss for words when at last the girl came into view. He frankly hadn't been expecting anyone to be around them, but Baal was able to detect things that he was not. Particularly when looking for souls to transfer, but at least this woman wasn't much a threat. He watched her in silence for a long time, she was defensive, quick to anger and he only furrowed his brows in curiosity.
"I suppose a girl could go out for a stroll if she pleased," he said softly. "A curious walk for a curious girl, in a field of the dead." And that was that as he watched her walk away. He turned his own way and back toward the spirit or that peeked up from the ground again and opened up began to flutter through the grass once more thinking Cai was gone.
He approached the spirit softly, quietly, much like the ghost that he was and grabbed hold of it when the soul orb was startled again. "It's all right," he muttered, hugging it close to his chest. He could feel all the remaining memories of this lost warrior soul, afraid of changing, afraid of the strange world it found itself in. He hugged it closer until the soul seemed to relax and was absorbed into his chest.
OOC: Phsh. I know it was a wolf dog, but FIIIIIIINE XP I'll be more obvious next time that I actually read your post XP I just wante dto be lazy, and to be honest, I was thinking from Megrin's perspective so she'd just see 'dog', and wouldn't think much to label it as a 'wolf-dog' unless she were to examine it's features more closely (considering she is the narrator). Or something. But meh *shrugs* My quality of posting also starts going down hill the more active ones I collect, so sorry about that >.> Just feel free to smack my hand when I start doing anything inconsistent XP
and sadly, she'll be seeing it as a dog until she actually cares to get a better look at it >.> (or cares to make the internal correction XP )
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Megrin rolled her eyes at his comment and paused to examine the world around her. Folding her arms across her chest she sighed.
"I'll be damned, this is a field of the dead." She gave a sneer. "Figures." And continued to move about her way when something caught her attention. SHe notice the flicker of light from earlier and when the strange man scooped it up, cooing to it and let it float into his chest, her face twisted at the motion.
"Great... another man who toys with souls," she muttered, more to herself than to the man and his dog(OOC: see what I did there? XP ) as she strolled away, an extra sway to her hips, though sadly, that was never intentional. It was just the way she walked, and as she moved away, she began to pick at the bindings in her hair, letting the flowers out and flutter into broken petals in her wake. She didn't feel much like remaining all dolled up like her master had wanted. She wasn't in much of a celebrating mood.
[You can kiss my dog's butt! HOW BOUT THAT!? Just kidding.
LOL, I know, I'm just teasing. But still. I think even from an outward perspective, a wolf dog wouldn't be that hard to spot. They are large dogs, but look like wolves. I think if you wanted an accurate third-person observation it would lean more toward wolf than dog. It's okay though, I get it.]
Caius made a pained face as if his chest were about to burst open from the amount of souls that lurked inside of him, he held onto it, trying not to breath so hard when at last he doubled over and collapsed into the dirt, his vision blurred and wavering. Baal whined softly before nuzzling his master's face with his wet nose and nudged him until Caius' eyes closed. But when he didn't move, Baal whined louder and gave a bark, nudging Caius.
OOC: Yeah, and naturally the reader would think she's stupid, or really that belligerent or something XD (Something I need to keep in mind when writing my own stuff so the reader doens't interpret it wrong |8* )
AND NO YOU DX YOU KISS YOUR OWN DOG'S POOPY BUM XP
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She was just trying to mind her own damn business when she heard the dog wining. Ugh. She wasn't fond of animals, though at least the man didn't have a dragon as a pet, so when it began to bark, she turned around and glared at the thing, but took in a moment to realize it wasn't really much of a dog, though wasn't as twisted as a hell-hound. She almost looked more wolf than dog. Which made her curious as to the whimpering and it's attachment to the human who was..
Blinking, she was taken back. Was the man now lying on the ground? She couldn't believe this rotten luck. Glancing around,s he tried to see if anyone else was around (or knowing her luck, her damn master) before she turned her attentions back to him and called over.
"Hey! What are you doing with your face in the dirt?" She quirked a brow and swiped some of the loose hanging hair out of her face. "And here the man calls me crazy for walking among the dead but here he lays with them." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.
[Nah, I just clean it when it's bathtime |8 She ate hair one time and had a poop attached to it and she was running around until it fell off. Damn dog.]
Baal looked over to the woman who intended to insult his master in his misery, well, that was her schtick, the bitch. He grit his teeth and began to saunter over to her, running through the grass, barking as he went and snarling, but stopped just by her feet and began to tug on her dress to get her to move in the direction of Caius who did not respond to her questioning. "C'mon, you whelp," Baal growled at her. "I can't very well pick him up on my own!"
OOC: OH god...
there was this one time (ok.. two times..) my 20lb cat ate some of that plastic easter straw...
and I... had to pull it out of his butt.. it was SO GROSS ;_; and I think I had to bath him after that, hwihc was horrible in itself cuase that cat could tear me to pieces if he wanted to T_T
then the same thing happened to my dog with felt (from the tennis balls) so I can't give him tennis balls anymore or he gets constipated over it and poops out colored felt :T
why animals eat these things, I will never know >.>
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Megrin was taken back when the dog approached her, and actually flinched at the barking.
"What are you doing over here? Go see to your master. Go on.. get!" she said, trying to wave it away, but when it began to speak to her, her eyes widened.
"Oh great, a talking dog," She replied with a sigh, but then gave a gasp as Baal started to tug on her skirts. "hey- what's the big idea!?" And when the wolf-dog pressed to help, her eyes widened even more as she yanked the dress out of Baal's mouth, (which only helped to rip the dress) as she sighed in disgust.
"Help him!? You expect me to help him?" She wrinkled her nose. "How on earth am I to pick him up? It's not like I'm some sort of Hercules," she retorted, but truthfully, she didn't want involved in any one like herself and this dog couldn't make her! "And besides, it's not like it's my fault he's out here messing with the dead. He should have left that spirit alone."
ANd her alone for that matter!
[LOL! It's gross but funny at the same time, my dog gets so freaked out xD. I was taking out the trash once and the bag was leaking with some old food I'd put in there and it smelled REALLY bad, like vomit. It was really strong so much that it spread through the whole kitchen and it left a small liquid trail from the trashcan to the door. And then my dog, the Einstein she is, smelled the trail and no doubt I figured if it smelled so bad to me, no doubt, it probably smelled really bad for her. But she has the nerve to lick it and seconds later she's gagging. And I'm just thinking: It didn't smell good! What made you think it was gonna taste good!? I just couldn't stop laughing]
Baal didn't have time for this bullshit and growled at her. "I don't need you to pick him up. I just need you to help him onto my back. I'll take it from there. It's bad enough you're an empty shell... I can smell it on you. Just put the poor sod on my back and you'll never see the pair of us again you pathetic worm." He snapped his jaws at her and continued to tug on her dress, pulling harder until more fabric was tearing, his grip stronger than before and would drag her all the way if he had to.
Megrin's legs were getting crossed as Baal pulled her along, throwing her off balance and sending her to the ground. She was able to catch herself, but not before more of her dress took on damage. Lifting up her head, she narrowed her gaze angrily at the dog.
"For an animal that wants my help you're not being very nice," she said, huffing and tucking back some of her hair from her face. "But maybe manners can't be taught to animals?" She sneered. But as she was dragged along even further she yelped. "Ok, ok!" and sighing, she managed to get to her feet as she dusted herself off, approaching the man with a scowl. She eyed him over with some skepticism before getting to her knees beside him. She folded her arms.
"You know I'm not really good in the department of helping men. In fact, I'd rather not deal with them, dead or alive. So what is he anyway?" she figured she might as well ask considering that strange wolf-dog knew something was wrong with HER.
"And how am I to get him onto your back? I'm not exactly the strongest woman, though I suppose I could manage." As she leaned over to reach for him, she wrinkled his nose. "Man does he reek of souls. Don't tell me this happened to him because he was too stupid and took too many in or something."
That would be her luck, helping another soul thief... and apparently a stupid one, who was naive or something.
"That is none of your concern," Baal growled at her when they got back to Caius' still form. It wasn't because he was worried the man would die, that part had already been done with. Sometimes if he didn't deliver the souls inside of him, there would be one unruly one that thought they could escape and try to tear out of his chest, but he wouldn't tell her that. He knew something was off about her, but she didn't to know more than she had to.
Once the wolf-dog was beside him, laying down on the ground, he lifted his head and instructed Megrin from there. "Just roll him over onto my back. He'll be fine. You don't know nearly as much as you think you do, wench. And perhaps there are things you'd be better off no knowing." Once Caius was rolled over, balanced properly onto Baal's back, only then did the wolf-dog start to grow, his legs growing longer, body growing stronger until he was just under the size of a large horse. His fur grew blacker and hid threw thicker even his brow grew deeper that made his eyes bore out at Megrin with a defensive glow, before bounding off across the battle field.
Megrin rolled her eyes, but helped the wolf-dog out by rolling hte man over onto it's back. It was here she took a moment to admire Cai's face.
Figures, he was handsome. They always were, and when the large dog grew... even larger, she took a few flinching steps back and grit her teeth.
"That's something you don't see everyday," she stated sarcastically before watching the dog bound off across the field. She watched the pair go, shaking her head before her eyes traced across the field.
"Now all I need to make this day any better is for my master to show up in a fury," and as if on cue, she could hear his screams of anger from deep inside the cave. Rolling her eyes, she simply sat on a nearby fallen log with her arms folded across her chest. There was no sense in running away. He'd be there soon to drag her back to the under world.
It was the feeling of being rolled and rocked on Baal's back as the wolf-dog bounded into the rising mist off the land and out to the portal that lay just ahead. He groaned and sat up further on his mount fibgers grabbing into fur as he ran. "What happened?" he said, rubbing his head.
"A troublesome soul, the one you captured. Probably still believes he's fighting for his life. Poor sod," Baal answered.
"Ah... Valgin wonNt like that. She always fears they'll break free." And no sooner did he say that did he cough hard, the pain in his chest too hard to bear and the unrulyy spirit did spew out odd his mouth nnd began to fly back the way they came. "Shit!" And he turned him back.
Megrin had been minding her own business, keeping to her foul mood when the damn pesky loose soul slammed against her back. Stunned, she let out a cry and whirled around, just in time to watch the stupid soul flitter away an the man on wolf-back come charging her way. Glaring at them, she rose from her log and clenched her hands into fists.
"What sort of soul being are you to let one just run amok like that?" she shouted. But then another growl from inside the cave reminded her of her other plight, as it was another force to be reckoned with and was so powerful, it shook the very grounds she stood upon. Gasping, she lost her footing and fell over from the force. Great, right into a pile of bones and scrapped armor, cutting her hand as she did so. She winced. She never understood why she still bled without a soul, but the damn cut hurt like hell. She'd give her master a tongue lashing later for it. How reckless of him to harm his precious soul thief.
"God damn Lord of Souls,"s he growled, attempting to stand up, only to find her dress caught on a fallen warrior's sword as she gasped, toppled over and half of her dress was cut off, exposing her legs. Turning around, her eyes widened, then narrowed in frustration.
"Great. Can things get any better than this?"s he muttered and just let herself lay there, not really caring she was laying beside a half decomposing corpse, fresh with maggots.
Baal was bounding straight for the soul when he felt Cai tugging on his fur to stop and the wold-dog did, stopping in his tracks and letting Caius off as he ran off to where he saw the spirit vanish, disappearing into another pile of bones again. He looked over and saw Megrin on the ground. "Are you all right? Did you see where it went?"
"I'm just peachy, "she said with a roll of her eyes. "You don't know me but I tend to like to lay in the dirt with maggots and dead soldiers all the time." If that wasn't sarcasm, she didn't know what was. THough she made a soured expression through her sarcasm when one of the maggots started to crawl onto her arm. She picked it off with a wrinkle of her nose. Then she rose a sharp brow at him. "See where it went?" She laughed, brushing her disheveled hair away from her face "You better start checking all of those corpses. I think he might have sunk into that fat one over there." And although she smiled, her lips quickly flattened into a most incredulous look. Was this guy for real? She wasn't here to help him out, and apparently he wasn't there to help her, so just him being there grated on her nerves. "And don't mind me, I can get up on my own,"s he stated bitterly, rising up and brushing off the dirt from her arms and dress. And ugh, was that a maggot or two that got inher hair?
"Ugh, this is all I need,"s he muttered as she shook out her long braid, hoping any of the dirt or bugs crawling in it had come out.
Caius knew a cold shoulder when he felt one and it was obvious this girl didn't want him around. Good thing too. He wasn't inclined to stick around, nor for hers or his health either. So he just nodded to her, seeing she was all right and went back to the field and found the spirit orb hiding in a rusted sword. He took the blade and sucked the soul out by force, in no mood to coo it into relaxing. It would only escape again.
He kept it down, steeling himself as he approached Baal once more and climbed onto the wolf-dog's back. He looked down at Megrin once more. "Are you sure you're all right? You don't need to go anywhere?"
Megrin quirked a sharp brow at him.
"Not unless you know how to free a girl from her soulless prison." she said with a clean cut of sarcasm. "But I didn't think so." She forced a smile, one that was obviously fake before giving him a wave. "But it's ok, blondey. I'll be fine on my own." She planted a hand to her hips. "I always have. And besides, my master has got me on a pretty tight leash. He could sniff me out miles away."S he demonstarted with with a quick snap of her fingers the a shake of her head. "But don't you worry, he'll be here soon to get me anyways." She bat her eyes at him sourly before turning away and giving an indignant fluff of her hair. Really, what did he care anyways?
So as she walked away, she grumbled as she stumbled over a few corpses as she tried to walk to any place that might be more solid and clear of debris, but as she looked around with a sigh, she noticed there were dead bodies everywhere.
"Figures I attempt to run away to a meadow full of dead people," she muttered, Sighing, she dragged herself forward, not knowing much else to do with herself except bide her time. She knew Ahk-meht would be there soon. If anything, he was hardly fashionably late for circumstances unless it suited him, and right now, he was probably beyond pissed off she just up and left. But then her dress caught on something and she heard a rip. Her eyes went wide as she whirled around, noticing her already tattered skirts stuck on a sword protruding from a corpses chest. Her face went soured as she breathed out a curse.
"Just terrific,"s he said, grunting and pulling at the dress, and growing irritated as it simply became more and more tangled the more and more she tried to get it free. She probably looked quite a sight, with a decadent gown and her hair all done and fancy, even frilly jewels and earrings to match. Too bad her short romp in the valley of dead men had tattered it. ANd she liked the color purple. Too bad she got the dress by killing someone she loved, which only made her all the more bitter towards the beautiful dress she wore and situation she was in.
"Soulless?" Cai mimicked curiously. He didn't understand what she meant by it. She looked fairlly normaal to him by all standards. But it was Baal that grumbled beneath him. And Cai knew that he knew what separated this woman from them and would rather be free of her and anyone associated with her. But Cai was not so deterred.
He just watched her wander away, not inclined to go after he when she got her dress tangled once again. She wasn't having a very pleasant day obviously so Caius waited, uncertain he should intervene and just watched her as she tried to pull her dress free. So he turned Baal toward her and began to run by her. As soon as she was in range, Cai reached out and pulled her up on the wolf-dog's back in one fell swoop.
"This is no place for the likes of you. You'll dishonor and desecrate this place by falling all over these bodies. They have had enough trouble as it is. They don't need to be disturbed by you so I'm taking you out of here, whether you like it or not. I'm sure your master won't give a damn where he finds you."
Megrin was still bent over, trying to get the damn dress untangled when she noticed the dog and rider heading her way. "What on earth are they-" and then she gasped as they rushed past her, plucking her up and tearing her dress the rest of the way. "Well, looks like I'll only be able to wear half a skirt," she muttered, but soon shook her head of it as she squirmed within his grasp and glared up at him.
"Hey- what's the big idea? Let ... me... GO!" she said, fists and legs kicking wildly. "You have no idea what you're messing with. He WILL care and was probably already going to take my head and serve it on a silver platter before you came along!"s he grunted and wriggled, but damn, the stupid blonde boy was strong. And not to mention she was beginning to feel ill from the moving wolf-dog beneath her as she groaned. This was so not her day.
Caius hardened his expression and rolled his eyes. "Then perhaps I'm doing you a favor by pulling you from his clutches. You're a fool if you'd willingly stay behind just to suffer punishment. And if the leash is as tight as you claim, consider this moment to prepare yourself for his wrath," Cai said and readjusted her as they ran toward the edge of the battlefield.
[Short]
"What!?" Megrin stared at him. Was he insane? "As if you could actually pull me from anything." She glared daggers at him and continued to struggle. "Is your aim to get me killed? What did I ever do to you or your dog? It seems you've both got it out for me the second I stepped out from the underworld."
It figures, she left one psycho to find another!
"Silence would serve you better than your empty tongue," Caius said with mild irritation. He held her tightly and once she was righted in front of him, he changed arms and held her against him with his left instead of his right. "What's the big deal anyway. If you wanted to avoid 'big trouble' why did you step outside in the first place, that wasn't very smart. You should have just stayed in that cave of yours. And in place of your sarcasm, you may speak now."
Megrin folded her arms over her chest, glaring. She didn't like this situation one bit, but she supposed it didn't matter.
"Well, if you must know, I never claimed at being smart. So it really doesn't matter what happens to me. Cave or not, I'll be back in that life style the second my master isn't distracted by his little party. Too bad my brief stroll on my own only landed me with just another psycho." She avoided his eyes. Really, she had the most rotten of luck. Couldn't her master just let her die or something? Then again, she had never really died as far as could remember. Having her soul stolen when she was alive... she shivered at the thought. She'd rather not relive that again, but she figured death had to be at least a little better. Then again, she doubted Ahk-meht would just let her 'go' if it were to ever happen. He'd probably follow her into death.
Caius furrowed his brows at her. Did she always have such a bad attitude? He couldn't help his frown from curling up a little at all the thought of what someone like her would say about a lot of things, she certainly had her opinions. "Is that so? Then perhaps you should be thanking me. If he's going to drag you back anyway, why not enjoy the ride. To the edge of the field and then I'll let you go. You should appreciate what time you have to enjoy the beauty of the blood red sky. The way the sun is falling just beneath the trees."
Cai pulled on Baal's fur just a little as they crested a hill and motioned for him to pause at the view that came out before them. They were close to the edge of the battlefield and he pointed out to the horizon. The copse of trees were particularly thick here in the plains and the beauty of the colors that were displayed before them were one of the things Caius particularly enjoyed about being outdoors. And perhaps all it took was a little sharing and maybe she would smile too.
Too bad Cai's hopes would be dashed. All she saw was a beautiful sky she could never be free under.
"Great, I have a crazy philosopher who thinks I might care if only I were to look at the sky. But I guess I'll just hold my tongue until we get out of this valley. Beautiful sky or not, it doesn't making a difference to me. The sky is just a sky, and this day would be no different, even if it were raining. You can't pretend you're free, so why even bother?" she muttered, and just let herself stare around the world in a sour pussed fashion, a hand resting to her cheek as she glared off glumly at the world. Besides, she was still mourning on the inside and hadn't had a moment to herself to properly cry over Samrin. And now her only chance to be alone was dashed by this crazy soul snatching kidnapper. Ugh.
Caius did frown at her words and threw a leg over Baal's back and motioned for her to slide down as well. "I'm sorry you lack the heart available to appreciate what small wonders there are in this world. I'm sorry I wasted your time. You may leave now. It was nice talking to you." Cai bowed his head at her before climbing on Baal again and walking off.
Megrin rolled her eyes.
"It's not heart I lack, but a soul," she muttered, then waved off to him. "Bye, bye blondey. Let's hope for both of our sakes we never meet again." and she folded her arms across her chest and watched him be off.
Then with a sniff, she turned around and waved the idea off. "Men, thinking they can always fix things." And she went about, staring at the land. To her, it looked like anything but beautiful. Even at the edge of death, death was.. well, death- a cold, grey matter she had to deal with everyday. But she was thankful to be along as she approached a tree and leaned against it, pressing her forehead int her arm with a sagging frown. She couldn't feel her master, which was peculiar, but perhaps the party distracted him for the moment enough to halt his pursuit? And it was then she began to realize, perhaps she should have taken the man up on his offer to take her far away from here. But she knew it wouldn't matter. Akh-meht would find her. He always did.
And as if on cue, the wrinkled old witch stepped out from the shadows, a lantern in hand as she gave an eerie chuckle.
"Ah, there you are, Megrin, my sweet. The master was worried about you, that he was."
Megrin rolled her eyes and stepped away.
"Can't I eve have one minute alone?" she griped, folding her arms against her chest.
The witch turned to her, adjusting her eyes that rested loosely in their sockets.
"Oh, but you've had plenty of that time now, deary. Come along then, don't make me get the hounds."
Irritated, Megrin whirled around.
"Then why don't you summon your hounds? I refuse to go with you!" she barked.
The witched reared back, not expecting Megrin to be so non-compliant.
"Well, Akh-meht will surely hear about this," the witch cackled and reached out an old withered hand and snatched onto Megrins wrist. "Now come along, you know how I hate the dogs. Hell hounds and their fleas and all. And that fire- inducing bark!" She shook her head disapprovingly
Megrin curled her lips and fought back.
"NO! LET GO!" Megrin shouted, and yanked her hand free of the witch, only for hte old woman to cackle out angrily as shadows whipped out from her arms and clung onto Megrin's wrist, like a chain.
"Are you forgetting your place?" the old wench reminded the girl as she gave a jerk and Megrin fell forward, clean into the dirt. "And what's this? It seems you've messed up your dress. Tsk, tsk. Ahk-meht will be most displeased. How are you to be on the dance floor like that?"
"I want no more part of this! Let me go, you old, ugly witch!" Megrin shouted, grabbing a nearby fallen branch and swung it at the old witch's face, only for her to caw like a bird as the witch dodged it, but not without it knocking out one of her loose eyes and making it drop away intot he grasses.
"That's it!"t he witch shouted. "I'm calling in the hell hounds!"
Caius had made it at least a hundred yards away and Baal grumbled to him all along the way. "You don't know anything about that woman, Caius, and it would do you well to forget about her. She's attached to something that would bring you nothing but misfortune."
"And just how much fortune have I suffered so far?" Cai wondered with a frown. "I'm not fascinated with her. I don't even know her. Don't begrudge me if i seek company other than your own, Baal."
"I am here to protect you, Caius. Whether you know it or not, you have another chance to live again, a fortune which most others would be grateful for. But all you can do is complain. You have been given clear purpose again." Baal scowled and shook his head.
Caius had nothing more to say. The hound was right but if only it were that simple. Baal could not fully understand because the wolf-dog had been given to him to serve him. His purpose was not as clear as Baal would think, for what more was there to live for than to spend the rest of eternity searching for sous? And what was more, why did he care so much about the woman with perpetual unhappiness. But he supposed it didn't really matter, nor did it concern him. The woman was right, they weren't going to meet again. And if there was something more in her condition that rendered her soulless, maybe it was best that Caius didn't know the nature of it.
But when he heard the cry so many miles away, the screams and words demanding release, Cai stopped and pulled Baal to turn around. "No," the wolf-dog refused, but Cai wouldn't have it and dug his heels into the animal's side to turn around by force and kicked him to start running back the way they came and as it would have it the woman was in confrontation with a crone with a missing eye, who had a league of three large hell-hounds pouring in from the the field behind her.
Baal snarled as he ran faster. Though the hound himself was too from the underworld, he had a special dislike for summoned hell-hounds and these dogs would find themselves in a world of hurt. Caius bounded for Megrin held Baal firmly underneath him, stilling his urge to go after the hell hounds. He pulled out his sword and dashed beside the witch, extending the broken blade close enough to take off her head.
"Ahh!" the witch cried like a crow, blood sputtering out her, black as ink and parts of it even flying off like birds. Her head tumbled to the ground, landing near to her fallen eye as she rotated what eye was left and grimaced at the man.
"You! What business is this to cut off my head?" cawed the witch.
Megrin reared back, startled over t fact it was so easy to just lob off the witch's head, but she couldn't help but let her lips twitch into a smile.
"I suppose I would ask the same but I don't care, I've wanted to do that for months!" Megrin cried, unable to contain her smile.
The old witch cawed again.
"Megrin, you and your friend here will regret this. I will alert Ahk-meht immediately-"
PUNT.
With a hefty kick, Megrin kicked the old witch's head, and with a cry, the witches head went tumbling away, leaving the body to blindly grope about.
Whirling around Megrin shouted, "Hey blondie! You should probably chop the rest of that witch up, lest she find her head and put herself back together. Though I doubt that will stop her, it could at least slow her down!"
And part of her secretly wished to see that old hag get what was comign to her. Yes.. chop her to bits, blondie, she thought. That would be my kind of hero.
Caius wasn't much for revenge but the grumpy soulless woman had quite a point. And he wasnNt the king to issue warning wheere it wasn't needed. So while still riding on the wolf-dog, Cai promptly followed her advice and cut the witch's torso in half, the head still screaming a dozen or so yards away. and for good measure he slashed the broken sword down on to her pelvis slashing her legs apart. It was as thorough as it was going to get while he remained mounted. He turnedBaal around and glared down at her with iron eyes. The wolf-dog was hungry for the flesh of the hell-hounds that were barrowing this way, paws antsy. "Are you coming or staying?" Cai said.
The hell hounds were nearly upon them by now as Megrin whirled around.
"What?" she said through a pant. "Are you offering an escort?" her voice still held that saucy flare, but this time it was a bit more playful as she tossed her hair aside, away from her eyes and looked at him. She smirked and waited for his answer, but it was obvious she was eager to jump on board with him again if he were to offer. And why the hell not? It was better than getting dragged back by a pack of hell hound dogs.
Caius had a little patience for her games and grit his teeth when she smirked at him. He simply sheathed his sword and offered his hand out to her. He didn't have the breath to answer her either as Baal was getting all the more answer, saliva dripping from his maw, his fangs. The hell-hounds were bounding nearer, close enough that Caius could feel the heat of their burning breath as one of them spat out a fireball.
Taking his hand, she was pulled onto the back of the beast-dog and clung on tightly to Caius.
"Come on, let's get out of here before those hell hounds try to turn us into ash!"
She didn't have to tell him twice! Caius kicked Baal into motion as the fireball came hurtling toward them and missed it just in time, all they could smell was just a hint of burning fur. Baal ran faster than the wind with the hell hounds on their tail, barking fire at them as they bounded through the battlefield.
Megrin clung fiercely to Caius, afraid she might be bounced off the wolf-dog's back. Peering over her shoulder, she grimaced at the hell hounds.
"Gods are they persistent." Then turning to Caius, she leaned up against him and asked, "Is there anything we can do to distract them? I saw you handle that soul back there," she reminded him, leaning in even more so her lips were near to his ears. "Got any more tricks up your sleeve?" Then with a smirk, she added. "Or unless your wolf-dog friend here has something, I'd love to hear your bright ideas."
"Gods be damned," Caius cursed when no matter how they turned, the hounds were starting to gain on them. Three against one wasn't exactly fair and even with Baal's large size, even such small numbers could overwhelm. He didn't know how his sword could fair against the hide of a hellhound. The sword had already been broken once and he wasn't going to risk breaking it even more. It was the only thing he'd had of his former life, the one thing he could hold onto.
"I think there might be something I can do," he muttered, gritting his teeth. He felt the souls linger inside of him, some trying to escape, confused, terrified. He would do one favor to the soul that wanted it's freedom. He forced the soul out and let the spirit orb run out of him and to the hell hounds. It flew at them in a fury, and manifested long enough to form into the warrior it was and snatched a weapon from the ground, tearing through the hounds as they yelped fire.
Megrin was surprised as she stared over her shoulder at the display the warrior spirit was unleashing against the hell hounds. A small smile tugged upon her lips as she murmured, "Well I'll be damned." And clung to blondie even tighter as her smile turned into a smirk.
"With those mutts distracted, hopefully it can buy us some time to get away." And after a moment, she paused to realize how rude she had been and how this man had decided to help, despite all that. She grit her teeth, realizing it was only appropriate before she muttered, "Er, and thanks." Gods, it sounded weird to say that. But she knew in her gut it was only right to say, and before she knew what she was doing, she was sputtering out her name. "And by the way." She lifted her head, feeling the wind catch into her dark hair.
"The name's Megrin. And if you're wondering what I am, I'm a soul thief. Those hounds back there were simply coming to collect me for my master," she said with a jerk of her thumb. "A man I had been tricked into to serve. And although I appreciate the help, after you get me the hell away from this place, it might be best if we part ways, seeing as I doubt you want any more trouble with hell hounds. I ought to be fine. Just having a nice break from all of this is nice." She admitted as she blushed a little at the thought.
"So yeah... thanks again." she stated, trying to hide the damn smile on her lips as she lowered her head. Ugh. Smiles could be so contagious. Damn him for his good deed! And damn herself for commending him! She knew she should be avoiding men like him but... well.. why the hell not? She hadn't much else to lose.
Indeed after all she'd put him through, the cold-shoulders, the apathetic glances, the nonchalant words, Cai should have left her there to be pulled apart by those hell hounds, but despite what she'd done to him, he was above that - that and he saw no need to stoop to her level. Even if he didn't plan on sticking around for long, at least he'd saved one life from needless slaughter. And if her master really was going to come for her - at least there was time to enjoy her freedom, however brief.
He kept riding forth as she introduced herself to him, not even looking at her. He kept his eyes on the horizon and the sun finally fell, the last dregs of it leaving purple traces of light spilling through the evening sky. Clouds brewed overhead, dark and unscrupulous, heavy with rain. A few droplets began to spill on them and Cai relished in the sensation of such against his skin.
"Hm," Cai said with a shrug. "I wasn't wondering. I was only doing the right thing." He didn't want to introduce himself, this was the only time they would come into contact with one another after all, and he took into mind Baal's warning to stay away from her. If she was a soul thief then perhaps she might try to take the spirits that lurked inside of him. That wouldn't do at all. So when they reached the edge of the field, he stopped and sat up, looking behind him. "I suppose you'd want to get off now."
The sound and smell of rain was wonderful, and having the warm scent of a man against her didn't help either. Too bad she knew better than to try and enjoy it, so when they stopped at the edge of the field, she shrugged.
"Here is as good a place as any, blondie." she supposed she wouldn't get a name. Not that it mattered. "I'm in your debt right now." Not that she'd owe him anything. "At least the hell hounds will only take minutes, instead of seconds in tearing my limbs apart." She smirked and slipped off the back of the wolf-dog, moving away as she smoothed down her skirts. "Good luck with those souls, though if you're looking for that one from earlier.." She jerked a thumb towards the trees. It seemed the warrior spirit was done wiht the hounds and was whizzing about desperately through the trees. "He went that away." She forced a smile. "Good luck," then she turned and walked away with a flip of her hair. There was really no where for a girl to go at this hour, alone, and against a dark set of woods, though she supposed she might as well enjoy a moonlight stroll until the damn witch put herself back together and dragged her back to hell.
Baal was still antsy underneath Caius when the girl who called herself Megrin slid off the beasts back and began to wander away. He wasn't a hero, he wasn't a knight sworn to chivalry, he was just a wanderer, no different than she was. Cai lowered his head, tired and knowing he needed to transfer the souls soon lest another one break free.
He shook his head. "No...that one can roam a little while longer. Let him wander these fields. This is the only home he'll ever know. When he is ready to rest at last, I'll come for him," he said with a nod and trotted off.
"That sounds responsible," she muttered with a shrug, then went about strolling against the forest on her own. The forest looked beautiful this hour, and she kept glancing over to the soul that was dancing about from time to time. Eventually, the warrior's soul had found her after she had taken perch on a fallen rock, and even she was surprised that it came to rest at her feet, much like a dog.
"Well, aren't you the adventurous one. Don't you know what I am, little one?" the light flickered brightly a moment, as if in response, then settled into the grasses, as if just a single bit of twilight that had fallen from the sky. Smirking, she stared up at the skies, studying the stars before something caught her sight. There was a tree, dieing, grey and lonely perched nearby. Something about it called out to her, and rising, she was slow to approach.
The little soul followed her, but she paid no real mind, her eyes glued upon the tree. It was as if it was talking to her, begging her for help. It was almost as if....
and then her hand sealed agaisnt the side of it and a gold light emitted from her hand, gluing it temporarily inplace as some of the remenants from Samrin's soul fluttered out from her finger tips and goaded the tree back into life.
The tree twitched and groaned, stretched out and the leaves rustled as tehy blossomed, returning the once dying tree back to life. Megrin's eyes widened, surprised by what had happened as she jerked her hand free, nearly stumbling over her feet.
"Well I'll be.." she smirked, albeit sadly. It was as if Samrin had become a part of her.
The soul made a twinkling noise, fascinated by what had happened as Megrin studied her hand.
She wondered how much of the soul left it's trace within her, then frowned and lowered her head once she realized a pair of eyes were watching her from the dark. She should have known any freedom would be short lived.
Caius was long gone since then, Baal taking him away posthaste. The wolf-dog didn't need some alleged soul thief to poison the likes of a Herald of Valgrin, the mistress would not be happy to even hear about an encounter between her servant and one such creature. She was foul, serving another who did not intend to put spirits to rest, and had no business being around Caius. And that was the last thing a Soul Keeper needed.
But the eyes that lurked out at Megrin were of one of the hounds that had survived the assault of the soul orb and when Megrin had realized them, they lunged out at her, clawing her severely and sinking their teeth into her body, claws and fangs hot and hungry for her flesh.
It wasn't like it was the first time she had been attacked by hell hounds, it was that it hurt every damn time. So when the dog howled and leaped upon her, her screams echoed out into the night. Though it attacked with direct intentions to do her harm, a heavy paw smashing to her forehead, Megrin spilled onto the ground unconscious as the dog snatched her by the neck and began to carry her away.
The soul, however, grew angered again, unclear as to what was going on. And so in it's fear, it became irrational, and it's light exploded in a fury as it twisted after the beast, entangling with it into battle until it yelped off in defeat, leaving Megrin to lay unconsciously against the stars while the soul warrior hoovered over her in a protective manner. He had served and worshipped Samrin in his life, after all, and could sense his power within her. He would protect the remnants of his patron God, even in death. Or, what he believed was the remains of his once noble God.
Caius did not see when the light exploded, nor did he respond when he heard a strange cry pierce the air. It must have been nothing more than the call of a night bird. When the night passed away and Caius returned the next morning walking beside the wolf-dog, certain the woman was gone and the spirit was still wandering the battlefield. He'd given it all the time it would need to come to terms with what he was now, what had happened to him and Caius already delivered what souls he needed to Valgrin in the passing evening.
He walked back to where he'd seen the spirit and saw something coiled around a tree. It was the spirit and he approached it, not seeing Megrin's unconscious form on the ground.
The spirit had been 'sleeping' and when it awoke and sensed Caius, it flared into life and tore away, dashing madly about, zig-zagging up trees and whirling around about in the air. Then it zoomed across the grasses, hissing around Megrin's fallen form before realizing it could use her as a vessel as it suddenly plunged inside her chest. The action was enough to wake her as Megrin sat up with a scream, clutching her chest in pain as her eyes filled up with tears.
Her sudden scream brought Caius to life. He fell back in alarm, clutching the hilt of his broken blade and crouched down defensively. He saw her peer up from the grasses only moments ago, the faint residue of the spirit orb's passing lingering on her chest. Shit! He should have known the orb would try to escape that way. And he stalked over to her, mindful of her crying and sudden pain, and knelt down beside her. "Never seems to fail with you. Stay still," he said. He forced her down, or if he could and put both hands on her chest, focusing on that one spirit and felt the tendrils of it. He yanked up hard and pulled out what seemed to be an ethereal thread and yanked hard again, pulling out the spirit and sucking it into himself again. He sat there on the ground for a while, peering across the grass at her. "Are you all right?"
Megrin wasn't sure what was going on as she clutched to her chest, heart beating rapidly, her heart feeling squeezed, as if in a vice. She only obeyed, not knowing what else to do, and when the soul was taken from her, she let out a noise, a gasp of breath and then shivered. It was only after the thing was gone did she realize she had been crying and looked away, brushing away the tears.
"I'm as alright as I could ever be. What just happened?" she rubbed at her temple. Her head was throbbing.
"I don't know. You scared me in fact. I saw the spirit jump in you and before it could escape permanently, I sucked it out of you. It was mine after all, just in case you were trying to steal it. You look like you've been trampled by a bull. What happened to you? What do you remember?" Cai said, sitting beside her.
"We must go, now," Baal pressed, nudging Cai to move on and away from her.
Caius only gave him daggers and motioned him to wait a little longer. "Don't be rude, Baal. It's obvious she needs help. Whether it's from us or someone else, she needs it. Who else sleeps in a field of five-hundred year old bones?" He turned back to her. "I thought your master was coming for you. It takes this long?"
"No..." she looked at him cautiously. "It normally doesn't."s he rubbed at her neck. "Normally the witch would have gotten me by now. And I should have been dragged off with that hellhound.. but that's all I remember." She furrowed her brow. "Then I woke up in immense pain." she furrowed her brow, looking at Caius's chest. "I.. I think that wandering soul must've done something. I.. I don't know." Then, growing irritated due to Baal's impatience, she glared at the dog and looked angrily away. "What's it to you anyway? I thought neither of you liked hanging around me, yet I walk in circles and we seem to keep meeting. Did you lose your way? Or did you need more souls in this valley of the dead?"
"No I believe I am done here. I came for the soul that I sought and now he's locked inside of me. He'll find real rest now, even if he doesn't want too. Valgrin doesn't let go of spirits easily, even unruly ones like him. From the carcass, i see he dealt with one more hound. But don't misunderstand. It's not that we don't like you, we are just wandering our seperate ways and just so happened to intersect at points. But I suppose the same couldn't be said of you. You're the one who's a grump, and I suppose that's your only real companion. Why do you wait for your master to return to you? Why don't you just run away?"
Baal paced back and forth behind them and huffed impatiently, ready to sit on Megrin if need be.
"Well, aren't you the nosy charmer," Megrin said with a roll of her eyes. She shook her head. "And I wait for him because I have little choice. He wouldn't have the title master if he didn't own me." Really, this was infuriating to explain. Hadn't he already see enough from what her master was doing to try to get her back. And ugh, to top it off, her neck was so sore and achy. "What does it matter if i run away if he'll just find me when he decides to get off of his lazy throne?"
"If he's as big and bad as you say, why would he need all these other ...things to bring you back? Not much of a master if he can't even do it himself. It seems to me like you're just finding excuses to sit here and be helpless when you can roam where you want. If all you have to worry about it some witch that'll fall apart at the edge of a blade and lame hellhounds. I think you want to be captured by him, to be stuck where you are. Whether it's by your will or his, nothing will change. And you'll have only yourself to blame."
Caius stood up and dusted his hands off. He looked at her with a glance and reached out a hand to her. "I can at least dress those wounds. They look nasty."
Megrin only stared at him for his bluntness, then narrowed her eyes at him.
"It's not like I never tried,"s he growled, becoming quickly infuriated by the man as she held a hot breath, hands clenching into fists. Oh, how she wanted to slap him, but something told her if she did, the damn dog he was ontop of would eat her alive. "You have no idea anything about me. And I can see to my own wounds." she forced a sweet smile a nd a bat of her eyes. "I'll just go to the next town over and ask for help." Her expression went back to being sour as she turned around in a whirl, keeping her back to him as she simply walked away. She didn't need this, nor him, nor his berating words. They hurt more than he knew, and she still hadn't the time to properly mourn over Samrin. If she were to stick around blondie for much longer, she might find herself sporting water works at random, and the last thing she wanted to appear was weak.
[He's on the ground!]
Caius watched her walk away, wounded as she was and bit his lip, knowing he'd regret it later. He kept pace with her, his legs longer and stronger than hers. "I can take you there. You won't get far on your own, even with those hell hounds after you. We'll part then and you'll never have to see me again. At least agree to that."
OOC: Right, whoops XD half asleep posting will do that @_@
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Megrin grew irritated quickly as she grit her teeth, keeping her back towards him. And as he pressed on helping her, acting as if it were some sort of duty to himself, that was about all she could take. Whirling around, she growled right into his face.
"Can't you get the hint blondie?" she said, her voice trembling. Gods, if she were to start crying now.... She shook her head. "I don't want help. I don't like help, and all I want is to be left alone!" The pesky tears she had feared were coming out, hot and stinging in her eyes. "You're not my hero, you never will be, so just leave me alone!" ad she turned around and continued to walk away, but with no more rush than before as she angrily (and attempting to appear nonchalantly..) was working at brushing her tears away but it was to no avail. The grief she felt for Samrin was too much, and soon she was choking on her sobs as she stumbled over a corpse and caught herself against a tree, finding herself becoming completely over taken by her sorrow.
[No worries.]
It was Caius' turn to grow irritated and he bit his lip to keep from rushing at her and pummeling her into the ground. But maybe it was his own pity that kept him from doing so. Death had since made him bitter and there were few things that made him happy. Even if helping Megrin certainly was not one of those things, there was some consolation in at least getting her to proper care. It was more for his sake than hers.
"I'd left you alone once and look what happened to you. Look what's happening to you now," he said, watching her stalk away. He didn't need to go after her. She was too busy feeling sorry for herself to listen to him, this much was apparent. As she leaned against her tree to continue her crying, he finally did walk after her, walking as quietly as the ghost he was.
"Don't cry. I'll leave you alone. I'm sorry," he muttered.
'Great. He probably thinks I'm crying over him,' Megrin thought with a roll of her eyes and brush of her tears.
"Listen blondie,"s he said, turning around angrily before she froze, not realizing he was so close behind her before she composed herself and gave a shake of her head. "I didn't ask for your help or sympathy. You got your damn soul now, aren't you happy?"
Really, why else would he have actually returned.
'Don't tell me blonde-boy is trying to grow a heart,' she thought bitterly.
Caius raised a brow and shrugged. "I guess that remains to be seen. People like us don't just become 'happy' I can tell that by your face. I know you shouldn't cry for yourself like that. I stopped doing it a long time ago and you dont seem like the person to keep on doing it. But....that's not it isn't it? It's something else that weighs heavy on whatever's left of your heart."
Was this guy for real? Why was he bothering to press this issue. Her lips curled at his words as she turned away, arms folded over her chest.
"I'm a soul thief," she corrected. "Not heartless." That was why her master used her, after all.
With a roll of her eyes, she tried to brush away her tears. "And how is it a concern to you? It's not like it matters to our kind."
And there she was, lumping him into the same category as herself. Ugh.
"Inadvertently...you almost are," Cai said softly. He sat down beside her and just looked her over, the way her long hair billowed out around her head. It was softer than the wind, and was covered in dirt and brambles. "But that's not what I meant anyhow. You don't want my explanations I'm sure. I guess I'll go now. Are you sure you don't want to talk? Hm...I guess, I really am just a nuisance. Sorry, again."
Megrin shook her head at his first set of words, but then turned to him suddenly at his last.
And despite herself, she actually cracked a smile. Looking away, she simply shook her head and tried brushing back her tears.
"Look, don't worry about it, blondie." she brushed yet another tear away, still smiling. "Your not the one who made me cry anyway."
Caius nodded to her. "I know. It must be somebody who hurt your, or you hurt. People don't cry like that unless it's something deeply personal. And we are not personal." He smiled a little, a crooked grin that touched just the corner of his mouth as he reached out a hand and brushed a hair out of her face. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you town?"
And there was her darn smile again, despite her not wanting to. She gave husked laugh through barely opened lips as she turned away, shaking her head.
"Maybe just years of being forced with this job just gets to a person." Though she froze at his question. Was he really STILL trying to help her. She sighed. "What does it matter if I walk or you take me to town. Besides.. I think you keep forgetting your dog-beast hates me." she said, gesturing to Baal.
"Baal hates everyone. Sometimes I'm sure he would hate me if he could. But he is sworn into my service as it is. It's not all bad, though. Besides walking sure is slower than riding. You don't look like you slept very well at all. I'm not here to harm you, why do you keep refusing me? What could it hurt if I brought you to town?"
Megrin slowly closed her mouth, thinking over his question as she sighed and looked sourly away with a shrug.
"When does helping someone not hurt me. Are you forgetting I'm a soul thief?" then she paused and observed him. "What are you anyway? And I don't think I ever caught your name."
"I don't know what you imply with soul thief other than the obvious. But whatever your powers are, you can't hurt me. Nothing really can. I'm already dead, can't you tell? Well, if you want a ride, I suggest you get on. Can't stand around all day crying." Caius stood up and stalked over to the wolf-dog and climbed onto his back, reaching down to take her hand if she wanted to climb up.
"You made it pretty clear you don't want to know me, but the least I can do is give you a ride."
Megrin smirked and took his hand. So he wished to remain anonymous?
"Ok, I'll just keep calling you blondie." And her grin grew.
OOC: A MORNING OF SHORT POSTS
"I have a feeling, even if I told you my name, you'd still call me blondie. It makes no difference," Cai said with a shrug and nudged Baal to go off in the direction they intended.
"Well, it's much shorter than my original thoughts of you, which were tall, blonde and stupid." she smirked at her joke, but who knew if it was too early for that. But really, did she care? Megrin let people know what she was thinking, her tongue sharper than a knife at times. But she had a lot of shit to cut through, and now being forced into servitude as a soul thief, she had even more reasons to be miserable, untrusting, and short of tongue. But for now, she might as well enjoy this. Blondie had a point, so maybe this time she would listen.
"It doesn't bother me," Cai shrugged. "I've gotten worse names than that from those far worse than you. Your opinions will always be you own. And I can respect that." Cai kept on in siilence wondering just what about her that made her so damn bitter. But what did he know? Unlike her he had the freedom to roam as he pleased as long as he kept returning souls to the Underworld. "What exactly is a soul thief?"
Megrin rolled her eyes.
"Maybe you're not aware of my kind. Do you really want enlightened?"s he had a feeling he would, so she just went on. Shrugging, she said, "Well, really a soul thief is the adorable little nickname my master calls what I do." she said sarcastically. "He's taken my soul, using it against me in order to have me capture a certain type of soul for him. He made my body like some sort of soul vessel, since mine is technically not apart of my body, and it's more or less in soem cage somewhere, or probably in Akh-meht's stomach." She made a face at the idea. "He realized the potential to steal souls from those of hte living by using a soulless, living human being. So in a sense, I steal living souls." Then the more she thought it over, she began to realize... did he collect dead souls? And the more she thought about her job, the more she hated herself.
"And it's a horrible job, if you must know. And my master finds me quite valuable. THough I must say, even I'm surprised he has not come to get me yet."
Little did she realize he didn't want himself exposed quite yet to the likes of Caius, yet he was still watching their every waking move.
"Oh," Caius muttered with a bit of a shudder. But it wasn't the thought of it that gave him chills. It was the fact that there were such creatures that would capture people to do that. So did that make her living or dead? Or was she caught somewhere in that halfway place? "That does put you in a bit of a bind doesn't it. Well I guess we aren't too far apart But we are not the same. So how do you go about stealing these living souls? They can't come to you willingly."
As Caius asked more questions about her, inquiring about her method, any smile she might have been wearing faded away. Her method.. it required heart, love.. and deception. And it was breaking her down from the inside out.
"You don't want to know," she muttered. And she didn't want to say it, cause she felt so guillty for it that it made her wish that hell hound would have torn her apart.
"Well if I didn't want to know I wouldnNt have asked," Caius admitted. "But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Baal said there were things about you that I shouldn't know. I guess that's it then." He shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess that is why you were crying then."
Megrin frowned. How was it this man's dog seemed to know a lot about her? Or, at least that's what was implied. It didn't sit well with her, nor the fact if it was obedient to the man, that it didn't share the facts it knew. Sighing, she rested her chin against Cai's shoulder, but she said nothing to deny or agree with his statement.
"If you want, you can just drop me off here. I can see the next town just up ahead." Though in all honesty, it was still a ways off, just barely becoming a dot on the horizon. But she was in no mood to humor Caius any longer.
"No, I think I'll keep riding. We don't have to talk about you anymore. My name is Caius. But I've been called Cai most of my lofe by people who knew me best. I was a paladin before dying. Something strange happened to me. I'm not sure why but it's all I really remember. I was reborn to serve Valgrin as her Soul Keeper. Now that's what I do. That's all I do."
"Valgrin?" Megrin tried to recall the name. She thought she might have heard it somewhere, then when it clicked she gasped. "You mean one of the death Lords?" Well this could get ugly..
but then as she listened to his story, and got his name, she smirked.
"Cai, huh?" her mind rolled over his name. It wasn't a bad name. but he was right, she probably would keep calling him blondie. But as she listened to what he did, she had to question, "Did you even have a choice? I mean to work for that lady." Was he some sort of prisoner as well? Though he was dead, she supposed there was a difference. Though he looked alive enough to her.
"Yes one of those Guardians of the Underworld. Valgrin was her chosen name and a woman her chosen form but that's all another matter," Cai said with a shrug. "She's all right I suppose."
"No, I didn't really have much of a choice. This is the part that's exceedingly blurry. I don't work for her. I serve her. We have a particular bond that goes without saying. I died so my soul has passed on. By body had to be empty in order to achieve it's renewed purpose, to collect souls - living or dead. She gave my body life and allowed me another chance, or so she says. But you see there wasn't really a choice to be had."
Megrin thought it over and smirked as she gave a quirky response, "So.. does that make you her zombie then?"
OOC: so.. short u.u
Caius gave a snicker. "I guess so. I never thought about it that way. I'm just a little more hollow on the inside, and I do a lot less moaning and groaning." He laughed. "Well, I see the town in site. We'll make it before sunset."
Megrin could sense something, as if eyes were watching her. Peering over her shoulder, she saw nothing, and frowned. Was her master watching? She knew he had such abilities but...
For now, she ignored it and leaned into Cai.
"Sounds good to be. The faster we get there the better."
Though the closer they got, the more intense the feeling became. It gave her the creeps.
Baal could feel it too and Cai grew alarmed when he felt the hackles on the wolf-dog's neck rise and the beast took to growling at nothing that he could see. Something sinister lingered near. For a moment, Caius thought it could be Valgrin, but Baal would not be reacting that way if it were. Instead he turned his head over to Megrin and frowned. "What have you got following us? Baal! Faster!" And the beast moved with even more power than before.
Megrin frowned. She thought she might have been the only one sensing it, but through a mutter she informed him, "It feels like my master is coming." Then she paused, still frowning to consider.. "Though I can sense him, I can't see him. It's like he's watching us." She wondered if her master was being cautious and if he knew what Cai was.
Caius' expression hardened as Baal ran faster racing shadows. "We'll escape him. Don't worry. I'll keep you safe. Just hold tight." Cai nodded to her and reached a hand down to tighten her grip on his waist, feeling as if all eyes were on them.
Megrin frowned, but held on tighter, not exactly feeling so confident at his words.
"And just how do you expect to hide me from a Lord of Souls?" She shook her head. "Despite what you may think of him, he's a powerful demon, and when he has to be called in to find one of his lowly minions... well, let's just say the mess that'll need to be cleaned up won't be pretty." Considering either herself or this fellow Cai might very well get killed.. well, if Caius couldn't even GET killed... but she had been told there are things far much worse than death. And her current life as a soul thief was proving that.
"You make a good point. But how can you just think that I would willingly hand you over, after what you just told me? Contrary to what you might believe, I'm not trying to save you. But I won't let some demonhand just reach out and take what's theirs or so they would believe. Demons like him shouldn't be allowed to just get what they want. It is not the way of things, and if it is, then it shouldn't be." Caius grew bitter with his own words and kept a hand on hers as Baal ran. But even so, already he could feel shadows creeping at his back.
Ahk-meht was no fool. He wasn't about to show himself, even if they could feel him in the winds. No, he'd mask himself and do the next best thing, so he reached into the shadows, called them to do his bidding as a big, black snake began to slither and hiss, unseen to the naked eye as it melted and became one with the shadows. As the pair rushed onward, the longer the shadows stretched, until suddenly, the shadows lurched at them, striking, like a snake.
"Caius, look out!" she shouted, clinging to him as fear gripped her form and the shadows were ready to gobble them whole.
Baal's muscles grew increasingly springy and tense at the same time. He too felt the shadows stretching out at them and snarled in response. He grew larger, making his strides all the wider and longer until he was springing across the Plains like a cheetah. Though Cai couldn't see the serpent, he felt something lurking behind them and even the hackles on his neck began to rise. And Baal could see the serpent as they curved around a hillock and began to rise up from the side, the serpent coiling around it.
Megrin grit her teeth. This didn't look good.
"Ahk-meht's working with the shadows. We'll never be able to out run him like this." Frowning, she knew it was her fault the man might be in trouble now, and if her master got a hold of both of them, the pair might as well be damned. It wasn't right to drag this stranger down with her own problems... but she might not have to. Ahk-meht was a clever sort, his shadows rippling upwards as thin pieces stretched outwards towards her, ensnaring into her hair, which was floating behind them as they ran in a thick and heavy braid. THe shadows snatched onto it, gripping on hard and gave a yank.
Megrin let out a cry, the force ripping her arms off of the grip she had on Caius and dragged her into the air. It was that second he needed as the entire shadow banded together, gobbling around her in an instant, and the soul thief vanished from sight. ALl that remained was the deep throated growl from the shadow that remained.
"Stay away from the shadows," it warned before it too, retreated back into the natural shadows of the trees, the world seeming to return back to normal, as if nothing strange had even happened, or that the woman had ever existed.
Caius knew they wouldn't be able to outrun him but that didn't stop him from trying and he'd be damned if he was going to let them get caught just because he didn't bother to run faster than the serpent that pursued them. But when he felt Megrin's grip suddenly snatched from him, Cai let out a pained cry, and slumped forward hugging against Baal's thick fur as he suddenly fell from the beast's back. He clung to his neck, sobbing, feeling cold and angry but altogether alive nonetheless.
"What!? What was that!?" he cried out, still clutching onto the wolf-dog.
Baal watched in silence for the moment as the shadow disappeared and the beast only momentarily relaxed. "We shouldn't stay here," Baal said. "We should have left the day before. But no! You refused to give up that soul! Don't you understand the gravity of what you've done...? He'll tear her soul apart."
"WHO!?"
"Her master, Ahk-meht. A self-proclaimed Lord of Souls. He is a demon, and a damned powerful one and one the likes of you should have never provoked by staying with that woman!"
Caius was still for a moment, finally finding his legs and standing on his own, letting go of Baal's neck. "I've never heard of him."
"Because I was trying to spare you. Don't get involved any further Caius! Valgrin will not like this. She'll punish you! She'll punish me! There are some things you must never know. And the likes of which you will never understand!"
"Don't tell me what I won't understand! I saw a woman being snatched away by shadows! By a demon's hand! When I was alive I slayed demons. I stuck their heads on pikes and now you're telling me to stay away. You're telling me I should let someone - innocent or not - be tortured and tormented like that..."
"You cannot save her...if that is your intention. And Ahk-meht would destroy you before you'd even had a chance to set foot in his realm." Baal shrunk back to his normal size and nuzzled against Cai's leg, whining a little. "We should rest. There is still a town that way."
And they walked in that direction, Cai's head no higher than it was before.
"So you're just going to keep me hung up here like some piece of dirty laundry?" Megrin asked. When Ahk-meht ignored her, she sighed, muttering between her breath as she continued to be held upside down, dangling from the cold hands of cursed souls of the damned mixed with the vice grip of the shadows. She sighed. He had been helping piece back together his stupid witch and had kept his hell hounds close all day. She supposed even demons reverted to the silent treatment at times. But it was then he finally moved, standing up and dragging away a tormented soul, one who had been captured and was still half alive before he hung the man over the hell hounds heads before tossing him at them like a rag doll.
Megrin flinched and turned away, gritting her teeth as she recognized the noise of the death scream and crunching bones. The man had been torn apart, and the hell hounds had enjoyed every last bite.
"Oh, Megrin, Megrin, of course I can not keep you here," her master said, finally approaching her as he gave a patronizing pat to her cheek. She curled her lips angrily at him. "You know perfectly well what I need you to do. I'll just have to be more careful next time. Perhaps keep better tabs on you while you're on the surface."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, her temper hardly deterred by the fact Ahk-meht could easily have tossed her to the hell-hounds as well. But even she knew he needed her.
"Don't worry about it. Tomorrow is a new day. You just get your rest here." he said, and gave a jerk to the souls holding her, caressing them back to life as a few dead hands gripped uneasily to her body. She grit her teeth. It was one of the worst feelings int he world, but then again, she supposed an ounce of freedom was worth it. And as her master left, a smile grew across her lips as she recalled the handsome face of Caius and was curious as to what he might be up to now.
Caius wandered farther out to the small town off to the side. Night seemed to take it's time in coming down, but when it did, it seemed a little thicker than before, seemed as if there were hidden eyes in every corner, hidden hands that could reach out and snatch him apart. But Caius didn't fear them, he only looked at them with solemn, completely prepared eyes if they did lunge out at him.
While most settlements required animals to stay outside of the respective space of buildings, anyone trying to tell Caius otherwise to keep Baal out, only received an eye-roll and didn't even bother to acknowledge it as he paid for his room and the wolf-dog followed him upstairs in the small building. And when the lights came down, he say in an armchair by the window, eye the shadows. He wouldn't even sleep.
Caius had every right to be paranoid. Eyes were watching him, shadows lurking; but that's all they did. For several nights they'd keep track of him, all the while elsewhere, Ahk-meht had already repaired his witch Mahtaht, and had sent her and Megrin out to capture more souls. It had been a gruesome three days in the dark, with the corpses.. with the shadows, but that sort of torment hardly broke Megrin. She finally had the time to collect herself, to mourn a little in solitude, but now it was back tot he grind stone. So as Mahtaht was reminding Megrin of her part, the girl rolled her eyes and continued walking.
"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture. Amarick needs another strong soul." She rolled her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "So what sort of soul are we talking about this time? He's already gotten that of a young god.." Though by the look at Mahtaht's face, Megrin got a sick feeling in her stomach.
"It will.. be revealed to you in time. For now, the master wants to see what you come up with." And the old withered witch gave a cackle while Megrin made a soured face.
"Me? You know I refuse to pick my victims," Megrin argued, but it seemed the witch wasn't listening.
"Just enjoy the day deary, I'll be back for you by night fall." And she patted Megrin on the shoulder and began to saunter off.
"Wait, what!?" MEgrin was furious. "What do you mean I have to choose? And what's with all of this new freedom? Huh?" But the witch only laughed as she stepped into the shadows, her body already beginning to fade.
"Who knows who you might meet this time around, Megrin. Just keep your chin up and a sharp eye." And with that being said, the witch vanished from sight, the last thing to disappear being her one good eye. And boy was Megrin PISSED.
This was the last thing she wanted, and gave an angry walk towards the river. She smacked her hands across it, only to hear a sinister laughter coming from the mouth of a nearby cave. Raising up her head, she swore beneath her breath.
"Gods.. does he really want me to.." But before Megrin could finish her thought, a rather ugly looking centaur stepped out from the mouth of the nearby cave, and the way his eyes roamed over Megrin sent a chill across her skin and a cold ball knotting within her belly.
"Well, well, well.. what have we got here?"
Oh, she was going to kill Ahk-meht later for this.
Forcing herself into a obviously forced cheerful disposition, Megrin only grinned at the centaur and smoothed her hands down her skirts. "What does it look like you've got here? You've got a damsel by herself near your river. But it seems as if I'm lost.."
But the conversation only went south from there. It seemed the centuar knew exactly what he had on his land, and Megrin was cringing as the beast began to circle around her and size her up like a sack of meat.
"Do you know what I do to females within my territory?" the man said with a chuff, raising up his head and shaking out his wild mane of dark hair. Megrin only stared coldly back at him and folded her arms across her chest.
"Not exactly, but I'm sure I could figure it out by the way you're drooling," she said, giving him some attitude. The centaur's grin widened.
"Oh, I like them fiery. Why don't you come here and we can have a bit of fun down by the river." And when the man-animal reached for her, she cringed and dodged out of his way, only to find herself being chased around and eventually cornered as the centaur pressed her up against a nearby cliff side near his cave.
"Ah, it seems I've finally got you," he said, his foul breath rolling off her in putrid, hot waves as his tongue began to explore her cheek and neck.
"Ugh!" Megrin tried to push him away. "How disgusting." But the centaur only laughed.
"Tell me, girly, have you ever bred before with a centaur?" he asked, holding her tightly against him. Megrin made another face, one that showed she was anything but pleased.
"No! But I have a feeling you might try it on me anyways," she growled and began to struggle. "Now Let me go!"
He knew thet were watching him but he saw that as no reason for concern. Days had passed since he'd met the girl and if he didn't know any better he had already forgotten about her. Baal was right. It was how it should be and he didn't need to get into trouble with both Valgrin and the strange girl's master. Perhaps he was better off not knowing certain things. So Caius kept to his wandering with nothing more than his wolf-dog for company and left the inn with fewer coins in his pocket and the soul of the innkeep in his belly.
He was an old man who'd taken to fits of coughing up bits of blood and had collapsed on the last day of Caius' stay. Could he say that he died because of his mere presence? No that was rarely the case, but Caius could feel death lingering so close at hand and when he was barely conscious on his bed, he sat beside him and held his hand. The old man was grateful for company. Said his wife had died long ago, his only son had been killed in a raid, he was utterly alone. Caius felt his soul pass into him and he was cold and at peace on the bed. That was the extent on his stay and he travelled away from the town and out into a field of copses near the path of a river. It was beautiful and Caius smiled at the smell of water so clean and crisp. But there were noises nearby that alarmed him and Caius perked up. That voice...he'd heard it before... Megrin. Caius ran toward the cry and unsheathed his broken sword and it was there through the brush that he saw tha centaur pin her and overpower her. And without thinking despite cries of protest by Baal, he leapt forth and lunged up, vaulting onto the beast and stabbing the broken sword into his back.
Megrin's eyes widened as the centaur tore away, a sword now jutting out from his back.
Well that wasn't expected. But as the beast turned away from her, snarling, he blindly charged at Caius, aiming to maul.
Megrin gasped, "You!" but it seemed as if her words came too late as the centaur was already upon him.
There was no time for warning when the cenraur abruptly whirled around and knocked Caius off his back and into the trunk of a tree. But he had little time to defend himself when the centaur stood on his hindlegs and began to thrash him with his front hooves. Suddenly a black blur rushed through the underbrush, heralded only by a viicious growl as Baal grew powerfully in size and strength and lunged at the centaur, fighting him literally tooth and nail. Cais had no time to nurse his wounds as he scrambled for the fallen blade that had been plucked from the beast's back and then shuffled toward Megrin and reached a hand out to her.
When Caius reached out for her she reared back, shaking her head as she pressed herself against the wall. She could sense her master was nearby.
"N-no, Caius, you can't!" she pressed. "You shouldn't be here." And she glanced worriedly about, believing she saw the witch Mahtaht standing just over them, but when she did a double take, nothing was there. Paranoia getting the better of her, she took Caius by the hand and rushed away, dragging him along with her.
"Call your wolf-dog and go!" she pressed, pointing towards the river side road and still glancing around as if someone might come out of the shadows. "Look, I'm glad you're here to try to help, but my master warned me not to go near you and-"
but before she could finish her sentence, the Centaur, bloodied and enraged, came tearing towards them, pushing the group apart and snatching up Megrin within his arms.
"This wench is mine!" he said defensively, glaring at the pair as he was backed up against a cliff side wall. Megrin struggled within his gasp, having a hard time breathing.
"Look, I've got this handled.. just.. just leave before you and your dog get hurt!"
Caius again was caught off guard when the centaur returned to snatch up Megrin and held her defensively. He nearly worried for what happened to Baal when the wolfdog suddenly appeared at his side again, snarling and growling. "No!" Cai shouted back. "No. You'll let her go before I I kill you and you won't even have a chance to regret it. This is your only warning." He unsheathed his broken sword, not knowing what good it could do, but he wasn't going to wait to find out and rushed at the centaur. All he needed to do was get close enough, touch him.
The centaur was in a rage. Throwing Megrin aside like a rag doll, he bull-rushed Caius, fully aiming to bash the poor blonde man into the river.
Caius screamed in a primal rage and jumped up just as the centaur came rushing at him. He held his sword high above his head as if to stab the centaur but instead he let go of the blade and landed on his torso, and held his the beasts face. And where there was once rage it was replaced by a sudden desolation and the beast's eyes went blank as he grasped hold of Caius, trying to tear him off but finding his strength gone weaker and weaker. The centau collapsed as Caius opened his mouth and began to suck out his soul, snatching it away despite all resistance.
Megrin groaned. She'd get several bruises all over her for this one. But then at the noise, the commotion, she lifted her head, watching in horror when the centaur finally slumped over, dead and struggling, his legs kicking lighter, then lighter still, until finally he moved no more and lay still within the grasses. Her hair was a mess, having fallen over her face, but she still caught half of the act. It sent a chill to her bones. Had Caius.. had Caius just...
but then she felt something nearby.. something stirred, and she jumped, yelping at the sound of a black bird cawing over head as it took flight, disappearing from sight.
Caius lessened his hold on the beast and trembled for a moment as the soul settled into him trying to escape but to no avail. He turned his head up just in time to see the bird overheard and scowled at the clouds. "Gods," he muttered. Alas he turned to Megrin and plucked his fallen sword until he was near enough toward her.
Megrin sat up, leaning away from Caius as he approached. Her teeth were bared, her eyes wide and fearful.
"What.. what did you do to him?" she asked, angry at herself her damn voice was trembling when she wanted to sound strong. "You know you didn't have to do that. My master.. he sent me here.." then she added in a mutter. "For only gods' know why.." And then she blinked, noting all of the blood on him as she sighed. "You're going to get yourself killed if you keep coming around here trying to play the damn hero." And it was the truth. Despite him claiming he was 'dead'; there were ways her master could torment Caius that was far worse than death.
"He would let you be raped and you would let him do it because your master says so," Caius said, slowing his advance and pausing just inches from her. "What makes you think I'm a hero?"
Megrin glared back at him.
"I already told you I don't have a choice." Then her eyes narrowed at his last question. "Because you're too stupid to realize when to let things go. Just because you've stopped that disgusting centaur this time, won't stop what's in store for me in the future. So while we had a fun run through a field, that was it. And it lead to nothing. You've seen what my master can do." She said with a sigh and turned away from him, arms folding over her chest. She flicked an annoying piece of hair out of her eyes.
"As soon as he's done toying with me he'll just drag me back down to his place. I told you. Cut the crap about caring and just go back to shepherding souls, or whatever it is you do."
"I think it is you who is most mistaken," Cai said calmly, brushing off his clothing. "I don't care. I don't know you. I don't even know who your master really is. But maybe it's best I don't know and you're most of all about one more thing: I'm not too stupid to walk away." And he did just that, motioning Baal to follow him. But he was suprised when the wolf-dog didn't budge and just sniffed at the centaur corpse.
Megrin stared at Caius lamely.
"Seems even your dog doens't listen to you," she quipped. With a roll of her eyes she waved him away. "Whatever, I'll be the one to leave anyways. Apparently there's nothing left for me here since you-" an dit was there she halted, staring down at the river as she noticed the water reflected her master, and Ahk-meht was wearing a wicked grin. Her eyes widened, and she stared back to Caius to see if blondie had seen it, but as soon as hse looked back, Ahk-meht's reflection was gone. Growling, she angrily hit the water, which of course, inadvertently splashed blondie in the face. Well, he probably deserved it.
Caius brushed the water out of his hair. He peered down at her with a frown then back at Baal. "What is the matter?" he asked the beast. Baal whined and turned over to him.
"This isn't good, Caius. Do you know who you just killed?"
"No... who is it?"
"The Prince of the River... His mother the queen is Not going to be very happy with this. Anthea. This is her son Anthiel."
Megrin over heard them and gave a shrug. It wasn't her problem now, that was, until she rounded the bend and another, much more fiercer looking centaur just so happened to be there.
"You.. what are you doing on our lands?" the man asked, and Megrin quickly realized they were in for a bumpy ride as three more centaur warriors appeared behind him. And it didn't take them long to see that their prince was dead. Shit.
"Anthiel!?" HIs eyes went wide, before anger quickly ignited within them. He was quick to draw his sword, as were the other men. "Explain yourselves!" he bellowed, his words fierce and his sword sharp.
It wass too late for them to escape when the centaur party was suddenly upon them and caius was at her side, standing beside her. He looked at them defiantly and held his tongue for a moment until they advanced upon Megrin. "Anthiel attacked us," Caius explained. "We were only defending ourselves. I killed him..."
"You?" the centaur eyed up Caius and gave a snort. "I hardly believe that. Unless you posess some sort of witch craft." he pointed his blade directly at Caius. "My brother is no fool. He's a strong warrior and would not have fallen so easily to a human." He looked from Caius, then to the girl who seemed much more wary and leery than him. He narrowed his gaze upon her.
"You.." he said, now pointing the sword at her. "I see you are also covered in his blood."
The sneer on the man's face grated on Megrin's nerves. She couldn't take much more of his bravado and jut her chin out.
"So what?"s he said, hands to her hips. "Who's to say it wasn't the pair of us that killed that bastard? He had a horrible personality anyway."
And Anthiel's brother could not believe this. His eyes flared up, as did his cheeks as he let out a scream and swung his sword clean at the pair of them, startling Megrin (though it was expected) as she leaped out of the way, but soon the other warriors were advancing.
"Got any bright ideas, blondie?" he sure seemed to be full of them today!
Even with his power to suck the soul right out of a body it took a toll on him to repeat the same the again with these beasts. And the half-bladed sword in his hand would not defend against them. Their only option was to flee and flee quickly. "Run," he whispered harshly to her. But he didn't give her a chance to complain before he grabbed her hand and yanked her off into the trees crossing the river with a violent splash. Baal running after them.
OOC: Yeah, they're screwed XD
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At his words Megrin turned to him, her face twisting with irritation.
"What!?" and before she had a chance to protest, he was dragging her along into the river. Gasping, she clung onto his arm, her legs, being much shorter than his, were having trouble keeping up- that, and you ever tried to run in a wet skirt? It didn't work so hot!
"I hope you have a plan better than this because the centaurs are right behind us!"
[I know it's great!]
Did they really have any other options!? None that Caius could immediately see and though he ran in desperation, he knew it wouldn't do now to panic. It was too bad that Megrin had a point and what a valid point it was, that was until he remembered Baal. "Baal!" he cried out as the wolf knew then what to do and immediately began to transform. Despite his monstrous wounds, the wolf-dog was undisturbed by his own pain and moved just behind Megrin as he lunged his head beneath her legs and thrust her up onto his back and running off away from Caius as he led them off down the river. But they were gaining on him fast.
OOC: EDITING.. EDITING XT
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The group of centaurs rushed after Caius, only Anthiel's brother seemed to have momentarily halted his pursuit as he watched the dog transform, but then realizing their enemy was getting away. Raising his sword arm, he let out a sharp cry. "Arm yourselves with arrows!"
Megrin, hearing the cry, looked up from where she had been pressing her face in against the wolf-dog's fur.
"Shit, it looks like they're about to make pin cushions of us. Hey, dog, can you go any faster?" but before they'd get a chance to out run them- the arrows were already flying at them from the sky- and although the majority of them missed their mark, sinking into the river bank or the waters, one struck into Megrin's side as she let out a cry of pain. However, Caius wasn't without reprieve as the bows and arrows were dropped and the centaurs were quickly gaining him, swords at the ready.
OOC: Omg.. my brain today. I hope this correction works. if not, .. I'm totally going back to bed :T
Caius didn't have time to worry about whether or not Baal would get them away. He knew the wolf-dog could outrun anything on two legs or four. They might be centaurs but they would soon tire whereas Baal was a beats of otherworldly nature and could run for eternity if need be. Well he hoped he could.
Caius saw the other three group of centaurs advancing on him and just he thought they would they soon caught up to him and surrounded him to a halt. He stopped in his tracks and held his swor defiantly. But he knew that look in their eyes. No, they wouldn't kill him. Not now at least. No, they would capture him and take them abck to their village, torture him or sacrifice him. And that was just what they did when they cast a net over him.
Megrin clutched at her wound, groaning as the blood seeped out of her. But as Baal continued to run, she realized the centaur's had stopped their pursuit. Peering over her shoulder, she gasped as she watched them throw a net over top of blondie.
"Hey! Dog thing, they're capturing your master!" and she pulled at his fur. "Aren't you going to go back for him?"
Baal stopped upon hearing his master's cry and perked up, watching his master be dragged away and looked back to Megrin. "He did that for you in a way. There is nothing we can do for him now."
Megrin grit her teeth, digging her fingers more deeply into Baal's fur.
"I didn't ask him to. That fool."S he narrowed her eyes over towards the direction the centaurs were taking him. "Shouldn't we go back for him? This is useless, my master could have just saved me if it got that bad." Then again- maybe this was the plan all along.
"I doubt your master cares very much about you at all or you wouldn't even be in this situation. But demons like Ahk-meht rarely have better plans for their slaves," Baal said calmly and no small degree of bitterness. "We will follow him." And he did, softly trailing behind the war party as they dragged Caius along.
"You don't need to tell me that," Megrin bitterly responded as she clutched onto her wound. "But I do know he cares more for me alive than dead. I think it helps cultivate the souls better, or something." She frowned,a nd leaned in close to Baal as the wolf-dog hopped along, her eyes keeping to Caius and the horse-men.
"What can we do?" she asked, noting how they were drawing closer to a camp that was crawling with raw, muscled centaur warriors- and not one of them looked too kindly.
"We wait," Baal said. He paused just at the edge of the camp, blending in with the darkened brush, even for a creature of his size. He watched as the centaurs dragged Caius into camp with the net, spilling him out into a cage made of wood and reeds, but no doubt fashioned to be capable of taking large amounts of abuse. As they did so, Anthiel's brother approached the mouth of a cave nearby and raised his forehooves to slam against the stone, signaling his arrival.
At the sound of his approach, another centaur appeared, a woman, long lean and beautiful with breasts covered only by the thick blackness of her silken hair. Though she was much older than Anthiel and his brother, it was evident that time had treated her well and she wore the lilac-petalled crown of her status.
"Queen Anthea!" the centaur said, bowing, the others following suit as he did so. "We have brought a prisoner... A self-confessed murderer. The slayer of the Prince of the River."
"What?" Anthea breathed, bow-like lips looking at him in disbelief. "Just what are you trying to say Anoriel? "
"Anthiel...is dead. And this is the man who killed him."
In the deep brush, Baal growled ever so slightly. "This is bad...much worse than I anticipated." But something suddenly struck him and he turned over to look at Megrin. "Why are you still here? I thought he wasn't your problem."
Megrin sighed, disgustedly as she rolled her eyes.
"Blondie made it my problem. This wasn't his river beast to fight." her eyes narrowed on the horse-men. "He was mine. And although I don't have any real powers, I'm sure I could figure something out to try to help him." She gave a flick of her fingers towards some of the loose strands of her dark brown hair. "Besides, if I've got anything going for me it's bad choices, so like i told the rest of you before, if things get bad, I know my master at least wants to keep me alive."
And as she studied the men, she got an idea.
"Say, I wonder if Anthiel's brother would take another sort of sacrifice." And then she turned towards Baal, giving the wolf-dog a wicked grin. "How good are you at playing dead?"
Baal scowled at her as much as wolf-dog could, but said nothing at her response. He didn't understand why she would care much at all. She was the flighty type, got what she wanted then skedaddled, cared about nothing but herself, and he doubted she was trying to return some favor toward Caius, if anything perhaps this was just a ploy to earn his trust. And Baal had every reason to solidify his belief on that. Her master knew what Cai was no doubt already.
"Wait, you're not proposing -" Baal said after a moment, eyes narrowing at the thought. "...What do I have to do?"
"Men are stupid and believe damsel's in distress. Your blondie is no exception. If we can get ourselves near the camp when they're not expecting us, and they think you're dead, or mostly dead so they can sate their bravado by finishing you off, who's to say we can't make some sort of stupid, heroric get away? You can change into a giant beast, can't you? Just change after we're near enough to his cagea nd just carry him away. You can leave me behind for all I care. Just get your stupid friend the hell out of here. Got it?"
Baal frowned at her description. No, Caius was not like other men. He wasn't one to save others in distress. He was just a wanderer who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And this damsel in distress business was not something he'd like to attribute to the soul-thief beside him. She could certainly take care of herself or so she claimed, and he wanted to make sure of it. This would be the last time Caius ever got mixed up with her again, he'd make sure of that!
"Refrain from calling him such derogatory names in the future, please," Baal expressed coldly. "He's a good man, with a good heart, he sacrificed himself to get you out of immediate danger, and still you have no respect for such actions. Why did he do it? Only he can explain himself, but I doubt it was because he considers himself a hero. He was just trying to do the right thing, against my better judgment. You can take your selfish sentiments and cruel thoughts with you, he doesn't need them. Go back to your master, it's all your good for. I'll save him."
Megrin was taken back by the dog's words.
"Last time I checked, doing the right thing, even though it might be stupid, was considered being a hero." she said with a flick of her hair from her face. "And I think you're already stuck with me for the long haul, seems the centaurs are heading our way." And she leaned in lower within the tall grasses, listening in to what the men had to say, and not liking the outcome one bit.
"He'll hang for sure, but not after we flog and whip him good. Then our river queen can drink of his blood!" one of the men said in the group, and soon they were all laughing. Megrin glared daggers at them, finding a rock nearby and launching it at one of their heads. It smacked off the side of his head and he turned, angrily and scouted the area.
"What the hell was that?"
Megrin, who was now pressed down deep within the grasses, kept a hand covered over her lips. Sometime she had to keep her own temper in check. It ran about as fast as her lips.
Baal moved on when Megrin became distracted, unable to afford more precious seconds that someone of her tiny brain would just waste with useless conversation. It was pointless after all. Caius would no longer be around her after this. He moved silently through the grass, making himself smaller and walking around the camp when he too heard the noise of the rock striking one of the beast-men's head and drawing their attention away from where he was. Good.
But it seemed too late all ready when at the same time, he heard Caius being dragged out of his cage and strapped to a wooden cross-fashioned structure, facing the wood and leather straps binding his wrists, his clothing was stripped from him and a leather whip, three pronged and barbed was produced. Baal put his ears back in sorrow at the sound of his master's screams, his face red from trying to keep it contained. But every crack of the whip only made his cries louder than the last.
The whip cracking wasn't just bothering Baal. With each crack, she flinched, gritting her teeth and feeling the solid knot of guilt tighten within her. It had only taken about four strikes in before she broke, armed herself with another rock and tore out from the grasses. She threw it at the assailants head, and it knicked off the side of his brow, causing him to halt in mid-swing, turning around just in time for Megrin to pick up more ammunition and tossed more rocks at his head. The rest of them seemed to miss their mark, but one smacked the centaur in the middle of his face.
"Stop this at once! You're hurting him!" she shouted, a command that had all of the centaurs turning onto her. "He didn't do anything. He lied to you. It was I who killed the river guardian. Well before this blonde adventurer appeared. I had poisoned him, and I asked him to hide the corpse. We decided to make it look like a battle, so it could appear as if he died with honor. But he did not! Now release him before I use the same spell of poison on the whole camp!"
She knew it was a bluff, but what did she had to lose?
Oh, right. Everything. She was a mortal, after all. But what did she care? Blondie was at least doing something good. The least she could do was pay him back and try to get him out of this mess. Hopefully, she wasn't making it worse.
But unfortunately she was and another leather strap was placed around his neck by another beastman as the other centaurs surrounded her. Caius grit his teeth, not understanding what she was doing or why she'd bothered to come at all and when the whip cracked again, he choked out a final cry. By then the Queen appeared behind them and held her spear defiantly. "If you speak the truth," she said. "Then let us see of this poison spell, human."
Shit. She was hoping they wouldn't call her out on her bluff. But she continue to go with it, planting her hands on her hips.
"Do you really want to risk the life of on of your men so I can show you this power? The effects are irreversible." She was trying to bide some time, hoping maybe.. Baal had a better plan, because well, she herself, never EVER had any good ideas, and she was only reminded of this now as she was staring down the entire river clan of centaurs. Gods... she was totally going to get hung for this.
That wasn't all she was going to get. Caius stirred from his stupor of pain and looked up at her, curious eyes furrowing at her interference. But it was too late for him to say or do anything when the River Queen just laughed, tossing her head back, and saying, "As if I'd be afraid of anything a mere mortal possesses. Anoriel, we will punish her too for her contempt. She will make a nice addition to the collection as will the man."
The centaurs closed in on Megrin and threw a net around her to drag her deeper into camp and to linger beside Caius. They untied him and pulled him along despite his protests to let her go, and dragged them both into the mouth of the cave.
"Damn," Baal thought. He was hoping he could avoid the cave.
"Well apparently centaurs aren't as stupid as they look," Megrin grumbled after she was dragged away into the cave. She clutched onto the rope netting and peered around. "Gods, I wonder what they have planned for us." Then turning over to where Caius was, she frowned. "Er, and sorry about all of this." but then she looked away angrily. "But you really should have kept your nose out of my business. Then you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this mess too."
Really, what was wrong wtih him!? She had no choice in the matter. If her master wanted her here with the centaurs.... this was where she went. But him!?
he had a different master all together, and his wolf-dog didn't even like her. It made no sense!
"I-hate-you." Caius managed in perfectly weakened breaths. His back was broken and bleeding as the centaurs dragged them further into the cave. He had no energy to argue with this insufferable woman.
Despite their predicament and his tone, his words actually made her laugh.
"I tried to warn you," she said with a sad shake of her head. SHe turned away from him, peering into the darkness of the cave as they were dragged along. Her eyes went distant and sad as she recalled the death of Samrin. "They never listen." but her voice came out in barely a muttered whisper. And she was hardly a woman fit to comfort, but Caius had already stated his opinion. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about somehow accidently stealing his soul if he were in love with her. Then again, what sort of fool helped a woman he loathed? Apparently this blonde haired fool.
Once they were deep enough inside the cave, the centaur's denetted Megrin first, figuring Caius was too weak in his bloodied state as they dragged her out. "Hey, unhand me! Watch it!"s he called out, struggling underneath their rough pulling, but she had little choice as she tripped over her boots but was dragged away anyways, heading straight towards a rather terrifying series of barbed ropes, shackles and chains. They latched only a single chain around her ankle as they studied her, prodding at the arrow that was still jutting out from her side.
"Looks like the archers failed to hit their mark,"t he River queen quipped as she walked around Megrin, studying her. "Perhaps this time you won't be so lucky."
"What?" Megrin looked up at the river queen in confusion, that was, until she saw her gesture towards a group of centaur men who were readying their bows and arrows against a line, all of them facing towards her.
Megrin clutched onto her wound.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she griped, and looked around frantically for something, anything she could use as a shield.
Caius was miserable, true, but who wouldn't be after being whipped by barbed leather, tied to a wooden stake, and now dragged into a cave. He didn't know why he'd been so foolish, didn't know why he bothered to save a woman who obviously didn't care about anything but herself. To temper that thought, he knew then this was the last he'd see of her, the last he'd see of his foolishness.
Ha! Nope!
"No! D-don't! Shoot me. You goddamned beasts. I'm the one that killed him. This stupid bitch is trying to spare me the punishment I rightly deserve. If you're going to shoot someone, shoot me!"
OOC:.. just.. lulz
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Megrin glared back at Caius.
"Oh, as if! If I hadn't have been sent there to seduce him," cause well, that's what she assumed her damn master wanted her to do, ugh. "And you wouldn't have come along when things were seeming messy, this wouldn't have happened! Besides, your river prince, or whatever the hell you all want to call him, was as good as dead anyways. The stupid blonde boy here just couldn't keep his herorics to himself." She glared over at him, jerking her thumb to make her point. "I told you I had it covered!" and now look at him, ugh! ANd why couldn't he just keep his damn mouth quiet? It wasn't like he had anything to gain!
OOC: They're going to be best friends soon, I just know it <3 lol
"Don't listen to the foolish whore...she's obviously out of her mind. I'm the one you want,it was my blade that tore into him!" Caius cough up some blood and spat off to the side. "Don't listen to her...she's...just an innocent victim of circimstance."
Queen Anthea grinned and laughed at the bickering pair. "How cute. A lover's quarrel. No matter. We shall kill you both equally."
Megrin shot Caius a look. If she could clobber him she would. Didn't he even realize he was coughing out blood? He really needed to drop the damn hero act and get over himself or he was going to die here. Then again, could his kind really die? She didn't even know.
But then at the Queen's comment, she glared.
"Oh, hardly! I barely know the man and he's been the bane of my existence ever since!"
But the river queen only laughed and waved down the archers.
"No, no, for your two deaths, we're going to have a lot more fun than this."
And that idea actually scared Megrin.
"Remove her arrow, then bind them together and drag them to the river! If they both are to blame, they can drown together for their consequences!"
Megrin paled,a dn quickly the men were upon her, grabbing onto the arrow and yanking it out, and her scream tore across the air, blood soaking down her dress (and it was her purple dress, her favorite color- the only thing her master ever gave her that was nice- then again, he DID like her looking good..)
And she was bond up in limp clothe over her wound before she was dragged over towards Caius. Gods did that wound hurt!
Of course his treatment was no less severe. They cut him loose of his bonds and dragged him over to a series of weighted chains and strapped him down tightly, Anoriel offering one more crack of the whip just for good measure. He didn't scream them. Just turned redfaced and made the centaur prince frown as they were dragged away toward the river via an underground path where the river ran through. The chains were bolted to heavy stones, weighing at least ten to fifteen pounds each for him, each dangling from one brace and making his limbs feel like noodles.
The centaurs hardly seemed to play around with this game. They were prepared for everything it seemed, and soon the pair were chained and bound, and weighted chains none the less. Great, just meant they'd sink all the faster. She hoped Ahk-meht's shadows could reach her under water. But then again.. maybe if she died, she'd finally be free.
Though she wasnt' about to die so easily. As the pair were dragged through the cavern trail, she kept looking around for something, anything, but there wasn't even a sign. Was her master really just going to let her die. Well fine then! Perhaps it was finally time for her to pay her dues. She deserved to die anyways. For Samrin... and for all of the other poor souls she had to dupe into stealing, for all of those people that had to love her before she could steal away the vibrant, living souls and feed them unwillingly to her master...
She was broken from her trace the moment the cave opened to a marsh way, and soon the pair were just at the edge of the river.
"God, that didn't take anytime at all!" she spat impatiently, feeling herself begin to sweat an her heart pounding within her ears, and as the pair of them were lined up against hte river side, she cringed and grit her teeth.
"Look blondie.. since we're probably going to die like this I might as well tell ya something.." and she turned to him with a sigh. "You make a horrible hero, but," She paused, studying hsi face and giving him a half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry I somehow managed to drag you into this mess. It seems getting people into predicaments is what I do best. Though I did try to warn you I was trouble. And so did your dog." then she looked away with a frown, staring at her warped reflecting i the deep moving river water.
"And though it's probably hard to believe, I truly am sorry. Getting you involved with all of this was never my intent." Then she heard the centaurs moving closer as he drew in a breath. "Hope you know how to breath under water blondie, cause this swim's going to be our last."
Caius paid no heed to her words. They were mute to his wars and they were nothing he wanted to hear in this moment. Already he was underwater, it filled his lungs and he closed his eyes to waited to hear the sound of the splash. All ready he was weightless. And cold completely enveloped him, sinking him deeper into the river. He relaxed himself completely, holding his breath. A shadow lurked at the edge of the river. He didn't see it but it felt cold, yet comforting and something was pulling him out of the water by his chains. Teeth to steel. There was a growl and a snarl. And soon another body was played beside him, dripping on the bank.
Where as Caius seemed to be more relaxed, Megrin was not. As the rocks pulled her down beneath the water's surface, she barely had the chance to even get in a bit of air. And the chill and rush of the river knocked the rest of it out of her. So she was frantic, panicking as she jerked this way and that, her hair also weighing her down and making her dizzy as she choked and swallowed the waters hole. And soon she was beyond a panic, shouting through the waters, which exhausted whatever energies she had left...
And soon, her world went to black, the cold river waters filling the insides of her mouth as she hung motionless and still at the river's depth. So she hadn't noticed whens he was dragged out and onto the surface, and was laying limply, soggy and motionless at Caius's side.
Caius opened his eyes faintly, Sunlight blaring down on him as he realized he was still alive and slowly he sat up and noticed he was still chained, but at least he was alive. Suddenly his mind shot too Megrin. What happened to her? Gods...why did he care. He looked over to his side and noticed she was still out cold and shuffled the weights toward her and moved his ear over her chest. There was still a heartbeat, however faint and soon. He thought for a moment, but it was the only moment of hesitation before he tilted her head back and carefully pressed his mouth against hers, breathing air into her lungs.
The moment their lips touched, something stirred within her. Though she didn't come around to the first breath, a tingling stung inside her mind, and at the tips of her fingers and toes. But there she remained, still logged with water, her heart beat still fading with each passing moment.
OOC: lol, of course she wouldn't come around on the first breath >>
<<
Caius frowned when she didn't stir and moved over her more as he shifted the weights closer to give him more freedom of movement and took in one large deep breath as deep as he could before going down to her mouth once more. He pressed on her chest just a little with his other hand and blew in deeply afterwards.
As the air filled into her lungs, she felt the force of it eject the water out... right onto Caius's face. She was gasping, and sputtering, more and more of the river water spilling out in sputtering breaths before she wilted back into the river reeds and sighed, shivering from being so wet before her eyes slowly fluttered open.
"I... what... what happened?" she asked, her voice raspy, hair a mess, half plastered across her face and shoulders while her dress clung to her body, seeming not to leave very much to the imagination as it clung to each and every intimate curve. It was only then she noticed Caius. She raised her brows at him tiredly. "Blondie?"
Did he really just save her.... again?
Caius looked her over with solemn eyes. He didn't smile, he didn't even frown. He just looked at her for a long time in silence, studying her as if she were some ancient scroll that he could not decipher. After that time, he dropped his head and nodded to her. "We almost drowned," he said nochalantly. "Now we're alive. At least I still have my sword." He reached down at his side and unsheathed the broken blade! studying it in silence before raising his sword arm as high as he could and slamming it down on the chain at his left wrist, beaking it off with a spark.
Megrin blinked, her face twisting at his words before visibly flinching away as he smacked his sword hard at his chain.
"Geeze, what kind of sword is that that can just break about those iron chains?"
"My sword," he said simply and raised it again with his free hand to break the rest of his bindings. He frowned deeply when he was free. He didn't cry though his back was shredded and he wondered why he even botheered in the first place. He just stood up then and dusted himself off.
Megrin watched him, flinching again at the next breaking of steal. She rolled her eyes at his comment. "Well that's obvious." Of course she shouldn't have expected to get real answers from him. It seemed the pair of them went out of their way to make things more difficult for one another. Sighing, she rake a hand through her hair, keeping it monetarily out of her face before she caught sight of the wounds on his back.
She frowned. "Say, those look awful. Mind if I take a look at them?" She was no healer, but the least she could do was assess them for him- maybe even bind them if necessary. He had saved her life, after all.
"Why do you care?" he said with a frown. "I'm not your problem you said. So I won't go around being your problem anymore. You can't appreciate anything or anyone that does a good thing for you so why bother returning the favor? All you can do is bemoan your station. Well, I'll leave you to it then."
Megrin sighed. His words cut deep, but he was right.
"Look... I think you've saved me enough times to at least get an explanation, though I doubt it will make you see me as any different. Not that it matters," she siad, flicking her hair away as she turned just slightly away from him and drew in a breath and began to fuss over her hair, workign a braid back into the mess.
"You see, I know I've told you I'm a soul thief, but... what that entails is a whole other story. My master keeps my soul, but keeps me alive, so that I can affect living beings, let them warm up to me.. and because I'm soulless.. if the person actually falls in love with me, no matter the level of that love, be it friendship or.. well, you get the picture," she said with a sad shrug and a light tucking away of her hair. She lowered her eyes down to her feet. "Well, if that happens, I simply have to touch them in one heart felt moment then like that-" she snapped her fingers. "Their soul is mine."
She smiled, albeit sadly, at the memories of all of those people's souls she damned.
"It's a horrible, rotten thing. It's why I avoid getting close to anybody. And the last person I hurt.." she found herself choking over her wrods, but took a moment to blink back any tears. Thankfully, her back was to Caius.
"Well the last person was a guy. We were .. sort of close. And he was a fool. He wouldn't listen to me and-" she sighed, but let her shoulders drp away in a wilt. "Well, let's just say he dind't listen and it got him killed." She wrung her hands, fingers twisting around her wrists in a nervous habbit as hse looked down at the grasses.
"And I'll never be able to forgive myself for it. Cause it was me who took his soul. It's.. why I naturally try to keep myself distant. I don't want to have any one like me... cause the moment someone does, someone always dies or gets hurt. I've seen families torn apart, children being taken from their mothers. It's a horrible, cursed life and I can't even do anything about it. I can't even run away."
She smiled again, feeling rotten before she sighed and looked down at the chains still around her ankles and arms.
"It's for that reason I was mad at you for helping." She sighed again, disgusted at herself. "And i'm sorry for that and not telling you earlier. So I'll understand if you want to just keep these chains on me. My master is probably waiting for the centaurs to catch up to me anyhow." She rolled her eyes as she sat down in the tall grasses, arms over her lap and hands resting into her cheeks. She looked out at the river, a sad and tired expression upon her face, and just the faint traces of the tears she still continued to fight, even after all of this time.
Caius said nothing during all of her explanation and didn't know what to think, what to feel. He'd felt sorry for her long enough, and that was the only emotion that remained, but it was not enough. It was obvious there was nothing he could do for her. He didn't even know why he'd done it himself. Just some foolish thought of trying to grasp onto the life he once had; to make a difference. But they were just pawns in someone else's game.
"That's a sad story," he remarked. "You should write it down some day and give it to those foolish enough to help you. Then you don't have to say it out loud all the time. And you don't have to cry like a little fool. Well, you don't have to worry about me anymore. I'm going to listen. It doesn't matter anyway."
His remark was enough to deflate any gumption she had left. So she smiled in spite of herself and gave a simply shrug of her shoulders.
"Well, I suppose it was nice knowing ya, Blondie." she forced a smile his way and gave a saluting wave goodbye before turning her head back around so she didn't have to look at him.
She didn't want to watch him leave her anyways. She was stuck in a rats nest, to suffer her fate over and over again, like a living Hell. Moments like this...
they didn't matter. At least not to her. Or at least she didn't think they mattered to her.
In truth, it was these moments that made her all the more powerful to her master, and because of the hope she clung on so desperately within, so desperately seeking acceptance by those so loving and pure. Too bad each time she broke down her defenses and reached out... somebody winds up dead.
He wasn't afraid of her, wasn't afraid of her master, wasn't afraid of her gifts, or her story. He believed them, sure. That didn't sound like something somebody would deliberately lie about, but it didn't matter anyway. She didn't need him. She could take care of herself and that was that. There was no incentive to stay around her, no need for him to remain. So he about faced and left in silence, walking up the mudding bank with the remains of his tunic torn and ripped, blood dripping down his backside and the chains waving at his limbs. She couldn't hurt him even if she tried. He didn't have a soul.
[Shortest thread ever.]
A wicked laughter came from a gnarled, bent over creature as the haggard old witch peered up at Caius with her one good eye, and a hand crooked over a knotted walking stick.
"That was a lovely show,"s he told him, her eye shinning at his deed. "Not many who know whom we serve would help the cause." She cooed, scuttling nearer to him as he was walking away from the river bank. "So tell me, if you don't like Megrin, do like your women older?" And she smiled, exposing her rotting gums, and the few, puss filled crevices where teeth had once been. The upon noticing Baal, her grin widened even more. "Ah, there's a good dog," she began, reaching out a hand to pet the good doggy upon the nose.
"Away from me you hag!" Caius snarled at her and stepped away from the old witch. He gripped the edge of his sword and simply turned and kept walking. Baal followed him, bouncing away from the touch of the rotted witch. "She's on the bank if you want her. Take her for all I care," he said as he stalked away.
"Oh, who said I was interested in her?" the old crow of a woman cooed. "What when I can have a lovely conversation with a pretty blonde haired boy?" She hobbled after them, leaving Megrin easily behind. She only waved off the mention of her. "The master's got a good hold on her. She's not much of my concern now. It's you I'm currently interested in. Got a spare minute?" the witch asked, giving him another rotted smile.
Caius stopped and turned around, looking at her with a furrowed brow. "What? What could you possibly want with me? Try anything and I'll cleave you in two." He pulled his sword from his sheathe and stood with Baal between himself and her. But the wolf-dog was uneasy and pressed closer to his master, bristling and snarling.
The old witch smiled as she looked up at him.
"You, you worship one of the death gods?" she asked, tilting her head curiously, even leaning in closer to him to wait for him to explain, a complacent and curious smile gracing her sagging lips.
Caius looked down at Baal and gradually straightened as he peered over curiously. "I am in the service of Valgrin...what of it? I know you work for Ahk-meht and that no good can come from you! Megrin told me what she's been forced into. Your master is a monster."
"Ah, yes, Valgrin," the old woman cawed, giving a chicken like cluck of her tongue and a gnarled fingered scratch at the hanging, thistle haired skin about her throat. She cocked her head, giving him a shrewd look over wtih her bad eye. "And yes, you are right, Ahk-meht,"S he repeated the words, using extra emphasis on the 'h' ni the name. "But she is not the only one in his employment, for he employs many." she said, gesturing a hand towards herself in a bow.
"I am Mahtaht, mother of night, keeper of his treasures, that I is." And the last word was hissed out through a puckering of her lips. "But we ain't here to discuss her. My master is more interested .." ad here she prodded his legs with her walking stick. "You. A soul keeper." she replied, her one hazy, dead eye looking back at them, while the other glistened with glee.
"Valgrin is a shrewd death lord, that she is, but what sort of work does she really have you doing? And is it really at your will? You see, not all connections to Ahk-meht are so.." and here, she glanced back to Megrin, who's back was still to them as she wrinkled her old mean face in digust. "Terrible. Only those who are fools or those who owe a debt are his prisoners. But I doubt Megrin told you everything about her. You see, she's a tricky one, trying to find any which way into a man, or woman's, or even a child's heart. Its why she's so valuable. Despite all that she knows she is, she still is able to steal the living's souls." And here, the woman gave a toothy grin, her eyes shimmering even more.
"And it is by no mere coincidence that you should meet. You both hold souls int he same type of vessel, considering she, if she were to die, would go off in a flutter ot he after life, like oyurself, probably chosen to be a soul keeper, such as you, but since she was damned, and owed her soul while alive, she has been transformed into the serpent you have been dealing with.Now, with that wretched harlot aside, shall we keep the peace and well.. hrm.. talk?"
Caius frowned at the shrewish old woman, knowing she was trying to ensare him in her weaving web of manipulation. She was connected to Ahk-meht and no matter what her intent, one thing was for sure - no good could come of it.
"No, he does not employ from my understanding. That would imply Megrin is getting something in return, and from my understanding, all that is is slavery. She serves no one by her own choice and must do what she is told because she is his prisoner. And I know you're his dog who obeys his every beck and call and you've come here to try and trick me into some kind of manipulative agreement. Well, if all you want to do is talk, then that is what you've done. I'm a man of action, not words. Spit it out."
"Ah, but it can be as simple as that," the witch began, a sparkle to her eye. "You see, I haven't lied to you about Megrin. Naturally, that is a form of slavery, not her choice, but her fault all the same. One must choose their friend's wisely." And the old witch gave a cackle, an old black bird cawing and landing nearby. It turned to Caius and cocked it's head, then it cawed again.
"But never mind, you are a wordman of actions," the woman mocked, the grinned so wide it nearly reached her ears. "How would you like to choose where your soul ends up in the after life? Or even be on the top, up there in the ranks along with your mistress, Valgrin?"
OOC: I edited the epic typo, but kept it in strike out :P
[He's a word of actions! 8D]
Caius let his eyes wander for a moment before keeping them glued on the old witch's good eye. He kept his face solemn, expressionless beyond the motion of his eyes. But they did not give away his thoughts for they were seamless as one passed well into the other. "What are you saying? Just get to the point old woman. I might have the time, but I don't have the patience."
The old woman cackled. "I'm asking if you want to be free, free of the restrictions and goals of your master. And not having to succumb to what the fool Megrin has already succumb to. I'm talking about an opportunity, something that, if you don't catch the boat now, you might miss it forever, and will forever bow to your master, Valgrin." She smirked. "Making you not much better than mopey Megrin by the shore." She leaned in closer as she explained it further, pressing, "Do you want to chose your own destiny? Even after death? Or.. even be given a second chance at life? To do as you wish, in this life, or the next? To become a master, not a slave? Think of it. Instead of chasing souls, you could be saving them. Or better yet, just enjoying your time in a place.. like the Elysian fields..."
Caius backed away and scowled furiously at the hag. "No!," he said, his deep voice resonant and angry. "No. What you're asking me is if I want to exchange one master for another. No promise of freedom or power or offer of choice could sway me from my service. It may not have been my choice, but I am loyal only to Valgrin and there's nothing you can do to chance my mind. I am saving souls whether you know it not. Where as you only offer false promises and chain them to do Ahk-meht's bidding. Now get out of my way and collect your dog. I won't be one of them! Baal!" He shoved the old woman out of the way and kept stalking, Baal following at his heels.
The witch grinned like a chesire cat as her eyes followed after him.
"What if I offer you another soul? A soul that's damned? One that you can set free?"
At that Caius did pause and turned over to look at the witch, not sure if he heard her right. "What other soul? Whose?"
"Oh?" The witch hobbled closer. "Does it matter whose soul it is?" she pressed, her grin growing wider indeed. "What if I said you could choose? I'm sure a lad like yourself has seen a few poor souls needing saving in his time. So what's a bit of work for the salvation of another?" ANd the black bird on her shoulder gave Caius a sharp stare. "Perhaps a fallen friend, or someone fallen on bad times that made the wrong choice? I'm sure a man in your position knows the value and honor behind salvation, especially for someone who is ... damned." And by then, she had already approached him and placed a boney hand upon his shoulder, her grin reaching her ears.
"So what do you say? Does it sound interesting? Would you think about it, hrm?"
Him offer salvation? Was he that sort of man? He never set it upon himself to determine the judgment of another when it came to the soul. He was a Paladin in life, but his mission was to fight and kill the demons that wanted to claim and destroy the soft flesh of humanity, to tear through the fabric between worlds and dominate the earth with blood and fear. But what had changed in him then, to bring about his place in life, that he accepted it so easily? Was it because there was no other choice presented to him? No, that was far too simple.
"It's not possible," Cai breathed, trying not to seem irked at her close proximity. "To save a soul from damnation. Once they're caught...they're caught for good. You can't pull a soul from the darkest places of the underworld...to bring it to light. What you're suggesting, it's not true. It can't be. Nobody has that kind of power."
The witch tossed her head back in a laugh.
"Work for a demon, and the demon does it for you. Demons prowl that territory, so it's not completely off limits, you see. He only asks for a few things in return, no strings attached, if you oblige him to help with just one small task." And her grinned widened. "Though if you believe no one is worth saving, that if a soul is damned it stays damned, well then, perhaps I shall move on then." and she turned to move away. "I'm sure Megrin is done waiting by now. That is, if the centaurs haven't gotten to her." And she laughed cruelly over the thought.
She made the offer quite tempting, but even Caius knew better than to trust anything that came out of her mouth. Her connections alone gave her no points toward her favor in his mind, he wanted only to be free of her sour company, or behead her once more. But he stayed his hand and thought about what she said. Of course a demon would find it possible to pull a soul from the stream of the underworld, to do with it as he pleased, but he was no demon, nor did he trust being in the service of one would bring him anything in the progress of fortune.
But as he thought about it, he remembered the pity he felt for Megrin, her sorry state bringing him nothing but misery, true, but of the string of circumstances he wondered if it was even worth the shot of bringing her soul to light, to give her the freedom she deserved. Fate worked against men, most of the time, pawns in a greater game beyond good and evil.
"There's always a price," Caius muttered to the old witch. "Don't try to trick me. Nothing in life - or death - is free. What would he want though, what could a demon possibly want with someone like me?"
The witch simply smiled.
"Did you ever wish to pass judgement? To those who barely scrape by the gates of hell, but should have been damned? My master asks but for only one soul." And within her hand she produced a black stone, cold as ice. She held it out, the black bird flapping upon her shoulder.
"You do not need to answer now. A soul for a soul is all he asks. And if you wish to hear more, you and find me by using this rock." Her eyes glistened. "And you'll know how to use it when the time is right. Go. Go back to your master, back to your fate. Heard the souls for her while I heard the soul thief for my master." And she bowed to him, placing the black rock at his feet before turning around and hobbling off into the tall grass.
The answer was no, he wouldn't want to pass judgment on anyone. Yet in a way he had when he'd turned away from Megrin in her time of need, he'd done the very thing he'd never want to do against anyone. Was he really so prideful? So vain? What made him any better than her? Wasn't he too just a slave, chained to the service of another against his own will? He looked over to the old crone for the longest time, his eyes widening and didn't take the rock, but knew he didn't have to as she dropped it to his feet.
He said nothing then and simply ran past the crone, out back to the river banks. But he slid into the dirt, looked out toward the water, a little ways away from where he remembered where she was. "No," he murmured. She was nowhere in sight!
The faint laughter of the witch hung like an echoing haze around him, but she too, had disappeared. Megrin was no where to be seen. Not up the river, nor down, and even the centaurs seemed to have halt pursuit, that was, if they had even pursued at all...
OOC: now I have to figure out where she's gone 8D
B| maybe in my next post, or I'll edit/ add to this tomorrow~
[I wonder why the centaurs would bother pursuing when they sentenced them to death anyway. They couldn't know that they survived.]
Caius moved over to the place where he'd last seen Megrin and ignored the chill the crone's laughter left on his skin, as if it wanted to jump off his bones and run far away. He saw that the stones that entrapped her remained where they were, as if something somehow pulled her out of them - her master he deduced at least.
Baal sat down beside him and said nothing, merely frowned and sniffed the ground as if in a show of confusion, but even he knew where she'd been taken off to. He looked back to his master and stared at him with narrow eyes.
Caius didn't understand and instead reached into his pocket, finding the black stone he didn't pick up inside it. He pulled it out and examined it's glossy beauty, obsidian in color and texture. There were no answers. None that came easy.
OOC: Yeah, you're right. They wouldn't.
All that was left was the faint traces of flowers, a few small plants with buds, a single, white flower having bloomed against the remains of the chains and rocks that had been meant to weigh the pair down, securing their death. But it was evident that was not to be- and the centaurs had failed.. and the woman, quite obviously, gone. THough it was strange, she was only gone for perhaps the past few minutes while he spoke to the witch, and even then, the flowers growing there had somehow twisted themselves through the chain, appearing healthy, beautiful and strong.
But where Megrin was was not a surprise to anyone.
Finding herself back inside Hell was to be expected. Though she wasn't entirely sure what to make of this now. Her master sent her out on an unknown mission, without real purpose, and she hadn't even gotten a soul. So as her master declined to inform her of the plan, she grew irritable and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Is that really all?" she stated sourly, but Ahk-meht merely smiled. Rolling her eyes, she turned away from him. "If you sent me up there to be killed by those centaurs, you might have wanted to place me farther away from that meddling Soul Keeper you seemed so angered with. I mean it's not like he'll just ignore me when he can play the role of a hero." She gave a roll of her eyes. "Though he might now."S he gave a flick of her hair. "I'm pretty sure I've finally got him frustrated enough with me to leave me alone," she raked a hand through her hair, frownign when she noticed a spider within the length of it and she worked at shaking it out. "So again, I guess I can stress that he'll be leaving me alone." But then upon seeing her master's face, her eyes narrowed. He was still smiling.
Folding her arms once again over her chest, she pressed with some more force, "What?"
"Megrin, Megrin, ah, you delicate flower. You seem not to realize your potential with men."
She stared at him lamely. "I wouldn't know, each man I normally deal with on a day to day basis is rotten. Even the fool who tricked me into working here." She eyed him up, then narrowed her eyes as his smile grew. "You are not thinking about using me to get to Caius, are you? Wait.. " then she thought it over with a laugh. "What am I worried about?" She smiled, shaking her head. "He's already dead and works for one of the death lords. He's totally out of her territory," and she turned away from him, flicking her hair into his face. "Really now, Ahk-meht, even I thought you'd be smarter than that to try to mess with the death Gods." Though his smile never left his lips, which made her feel uneasy.
"How much does the Soul Keeper like to play hero.. and how many times do I have to throw you at danger before it makes him break? A man can only take so much, be he alive or dead, especially for a pretty face," Ahk-meht reminded her, turning into smoke and reforming beside her as he used a pointed finger to lift up her chin. She grit her teeth at him, scowling.
"Stop it, Ahk-meht! Don't treat me like I'm some sort of tantalizing meal you can just throw to the wolves," she growled, hands clenching into fists. "I know I'm worth more to you than that. I'm a soul thief, remember? You just used me against that one man... who..." though her sentence slowly trailed off, her argument fading as she stared back at Ahk-meht, who was still giving her the most sinister of grins. She blanched. "Stop looking at me like that, ok? It makes you appear even more of a creeper, if you can believe it." She then turned her head away, nose pointing to the air.
"Megrin, Megrin!" Ahk-meht said with a clicking of his tongue as she tore off, attempting to get away from him, storming thruogh his cavernous home and tearing one of the hanging clothe doors that separated one cavern hall t the next, and 'slamming' it down in his face, before she turned and glared at him through the clothe. "Ah, don't be like that. Surely you must realize the way you look can make men do quite a number of things under the labor of love."
Megrin rolled her eyes. "Stop pressing this issue, Ahk-meht,"s he hissed, hands still in fists. "And stop throwing me at that soul keeper. If you're trying to annoy me by doing it, well, it's working, but I can't see really what you're trying to gain.... Its not like you can win his sympathy."
And slowly the curtain parted, and she gasped, Ahk-meht's sinister expression appearing darker.
"Megrin,"his voice came out, along with some trails of smoke that escaped through his teeth. "I think you under estimate yourself."He gave a dark chuckle, his fingers tracing against the outline of her curves. "Try being more cheerful and bubbly, like all of the other girls who would swoon over his pretty face, and I'm sure the soul keeper will come around. Either way, I rather like your idea about turning you into food. Hrm.. though I wonder if he'd save you this time from the mouth of a hungry lion... wolves just really aren't my style." And he grinned at her, exposing rows of his pointed teeth, which appeared all the more sinister as the depths of his eyes seemed to burn, while the walls behind him (and all of hte walls in his home infact) were held together by layers of skulls and bones..
Megrin's eyes widened.
"You wouldn't dare-"
"The game's already ready, Meg. Let's see if your friend is willing to play." And before she had a chance to protest, she was gone in a puff of smoke, and found herself right int he middle of a lion's den. And as she turned around, she gasped, pressing herself up against the wall as a rather angry looking lion flicked his tail at her and turned around, letting out a deep throated growl that shook the floor.
"Shit!" she grit her teeth. "Ahk-meht, I'm going to kill you."
Though at her comment, his voice somehow drifted into her mind, "Oh, and don't forget Megrin. To get a hero to come to you, the damsel in distress has to yell." And his hand appeared from a drift of shadowy smoke, as he took a piece of her hair, yanking it as she gave a yelp, which was enough of a commotion to draw the lion towards her, fangs and claws ready as it moved to pounce. Her eyes widened as she let out a scream, one that echoed through the cave and out into the open valley of grass...
Caius hadn't touched the black stone since the day the old witch gave it to him. He tried not to think about it either. Instead he kept it in a leather pouch, wrapped in another layer of soft leather. He didn't know what to make of it and went on as he usually did without incident to keep his mind from the witch's proposal. Though it grudged him to think about it, she had a prominent point that kept prodding into his mind.
Thoughts that he didn't share with Baal. One soul for another. Deals with devils, no matter the intent, the reason, the means, ever went unpunished. But he couldn't help himself and he was reminded of the pity he felt for the lost soul thief, with no alternative in sight. They were hardly different, he knew, though he did have a significant amount of freedom in comparison to her. He could roam wherever he pleased and only met with Valgrin when he had to transfer souls to the Underworld.
"You met with a cohort of Ahk-meht?" he remembered Valgrin asking. "Do you realize the danger she has put you in by mere association? Her kind only live to serve her masters. She will be your undoing, Caius. I forbid you to have anything to do with her any further. Unless you wish to incur my wrath as well." He remembered the warning well and after being lashed by his mistress, he said little even to his hound. She'd relased him once more into the world, emerging free into the grasslands and soon taking rest by a nearby oak tree. He heard the screams as they pierced the coming night and he stared out into the twilight.
Dresses were so stupid. It was the one thing she thought about as she tried to run for help. She had no idea HOW she had gotten away from the lion, but slow and steady sometimes won the race, and after shuffling, scurrying, and scrambling around and behind random tall rocks and stones inside the cave for cover, she somehow slipped by the angry beast and rushed out of the mouth of the cave, skirts gripping tightly in her hands.
Though the lion was right behind her.
Ok, so she had screamed once, she refused to scream again. Ahk-meht wanted to draw out the Soul Keeper. WELL HA. She did not. And if anything, perhaps if she did die, she'd at least spare Caius whatever wicked plan he had in store for the man. Though damn the lion for not being terrifying as it stepped out of his cave, heavy paws to the ground as it tossed it's head back with a shake of it's mane and roared.
Shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Getting chased by a lion was definitely not on her list of things she ever wanted to encounter in her life, so as she rushed across the grass lands, she realized how futile her efforts were. The lion only took a few bounding leaps before he was upon her, crashing down ontop of her and pinning her roughly to the ground. Gasping, she peered up at the lion just in time as the beast roared again, exposing his rows of sharp teeth. She grimaced, braced herself for the end, though when the lion let out a yelp, then sunk it's teeth into her angerily. SHe felt herself shaken beneath him before being tossed into a crumpled heap away, then the lion let out another noise, angry at her as she peered down at her hand, and to the jagged rock she had carried nad pierced into the beast, whcih was now covered inblood.
The lion was now pissed, blood seeping out from a wound on it's chest as it's eyes cast angrily upon her as it gave a few angry thumps of it's tail. Megrin was breathing heavy, her own blood seeping out down her shoulder from the bite wound as she clung onto it, and clung to the jagged, knife shaped rock in her other hand as she slowly rose to her feet, eyes narrowing upon the lion as she grit her teeth challengingly, and in an act of defiance and bravery.
"Come on kitty, I thought you wanted to play?" she chided over the lion's angry purrs. She grabbed onto her skirts now and gave them a rustled shake. "Come on now, come and get me."
At her words, the beast let out another ferocious noise before leaping towards her and Megrin closed her eyes, knowing this was the end.
He felt the ground quake underneath him, making him cling to the tree for support as if something powerful was crawling from underneath the small mound he was on. There was the sound of tumbling rocks, the scream echoing out from somewhere nearby. If Caius had been paying attention, he would have noticed the small cave opening just at the base of the tree, where the roots crookedly bend outward, gnarled by erosion, wind, weather and the incline of the hill on which it sat, discreetly concealed by a bend in the ground and the way the round stones were piled around it.
Caius and Baal, just waited, listening for what the hell was making all that noise when out of the blue the cause revealed itself and Cai's eyes widened - as did Baal's - when he saw Megrin crawling out of the cave with a lion in her wake, growling angrily and ready to devour her. But Caius remained by his tree, locked in horror, unsure what to do as he watched the beast ready to snap her head off.
He remembered Valgrin's warning, the Death Lord's cold beauty reflecting in his mind's eye, not to intervene. So he remained still by the tree, clasping the trunk, feeling tears fill his eyes.
SHe always knew she had rotten luck. Thought despite herself, she was somewhat glad. For in the mess of things, the sharp rock had pierced well into the Lion's chest from it's heavy attack, a direct blow to it's heart. Though as death gripped it's tense body, Megrin had not gone unscathed, for it's claws had done a number on her, not to mention the weight of the thing might have broken a bone or two-
but there she lay, staring up in disbelief, as the lion's wound oozed hot blood all over her, making it appear as if both were dead.
And just like that it was over. Caius stood there for several minutes in a strange combination of horror and disbelief, unsure what to make of the whole thing. He could tell the creature was dead by its sheer silence but he wasn't sure what to make of Megrin. So he stepped down a little from the base of tree and picked up one of the small stones in the palm of his hand and skirted around to see if he could catch a glimpse of her.
When he was in range, he threw the rock at her, or what he hoped was her. "Are you dead?" he shouted, not daring to get any closer.
When the rock struck her limb she visibly flinched. But at the recognition of the voice, she froze.
And despite her better judgement (and wanting him to just leave her the hell alone), she groaned out a reply several minutes later.
"If I said, 'Yes', would you even believe me?" She winced. She should have kept her mouth closed, but as she attempting to move the lion off of her, she was surprised at how muhc it weighed. Though it made sense. It's own body weight was it's undoing, which gave enough force for the rock to pierce it's flesh. She frowned after she realized she couldn't get up and sighed and contemplated getting out from underneath this. Maybe if she bided her time long enough,t he stupid witch would come back.
"I believe you," Caius said simply. He didn't know what else she wanted him to do. But past experience served him well and he kept his distance as he sat on a rather large root, with his feet dangling. "I don't suppose you want me to help you out from under there do you?" Though he wasn't sure he wanted to, it was worth asking.
Megrin rolled her eyes, but even she couldn't help but smirk.
"Figures you get a sense of humor when I'm smashed underneath the dead body of a lion." Her voice was strained, as the damn dead beast was squashing her, squeezing the air out of her lungs as she gave a few grunts, trying to move the thing. Panting, she stopped, and just let herself wilt beneath it. Gods.. did she really HAVE to ask for help? Sighing, she turned her head in his direction, though it as hard to see anything from where she was pinned withint he grass.
"Well, a little help couldn't hurt, but I know better." she sighed. "Though at this point, I assumed I would have been the lion's dinner by now, finding myself trapped under it's dead body wasn't exactly on my list of things to do for today." And she began grunting again, trying to get out, but she only put more strain on the arm that she twisted. Sighing, she gave up. "I guess I can check this off under 'embarrassing predicaments'." So for now, she lay there on te ground, staring up at the clouds.
OOC: Just... lol.
Caius chewed on his lip, staring between her and the grass and just licking his legs back and firth like a little kid. He looked over to Baal who just rolled his eyes as if to say, "Don't even think about asking me." The wolf-dog just turned and padded the soft ground under him and laid down in the grass, placing his head on his master's lap. Caius pattd his head as he too looked up at the sky. "It's beautiful," he said with a faint grin. "It never gets old."
For a long while, Megrin grew sour over his comment, then after a time, she finally smiled.
"I suppose your right." The clouds were pretty. Then she added, "But you're not the one stuck underneath the corpse of a dead lion." She wriggled her legs, still not able to move them before sighing. "Guess it could be worse. He could have added centaurs to the mix."
"Don't tempt him!" Caius laughed. "He just might." He was quiet and just kept looking at the sky before turning his gaze back to her. "Are you sure you don't need help?"
Sighing, she swallowed down her humility at his question.
"Well, I suppose this is less heroic than actually killing the lion for me, so yeah, sure, if you're offering might as well." And she grunted. "Considering I don't think I can feel my legs anymore." And she winced at the thought.
"Well, the difference is that you're asking me too, rather than be doing something out of the kindness of my heart. Since you don't care for selfless actions anyway, consider this a favor. You'll owe me one some day. I'll say when and where," Caius said matter-of-factly. He dropped down from the root of the tree, much to the chagrin of the wolf-dog, who only glared at Megrin.
Caius reached down and rolled the corpse off her with small difficulty and stood over her. "There."
Megrin groaned, relieved to finally be able to breath again. But by the Gods did her ribs hurt. Wincing, she doubled over, and while she was there, she prodded at her legs. Trying to move them seemed painful, so for now, she remained on the ground, breathing raggedly as she looked over at the dead lion. Smoothing her hair out of her face in one fluid motion, she turned to Caius and smirked.
"Thanks again, blondie." Though when she noticed the glare on Baal, her smile slowly faded as she looked away. Right..s he wasn't supposed to warm up to him. She knew Ahk-meht was up to something, clearly involving Caius.. but she didn't know what. "And I'll take any of the help I can get." Did she really just say that? Ugh. "I mean.. to say.. er.. sorry. You know, for the way I've been acting."
No.. this ws definitely NOT what she had planned to say. Infact, she had planned to say nothing, but damn herself or being lonely and actually liking decent company. Maybe since he didn't have a soul she would't have to..
NO! NO MEGRIN! she scolded herself internally. He is definitely OFF limits for everything, including friendship. It would do neither of them any good if she actually warmed up to his decent heart.
"So what brings you two out here? More soul hunting?" God, that sounded like a terrible pick up line. She really needed to stop talking.
He noted herr smile and honestly felt unnerved by it. "Oh that...don't worry, it's in the past," Caius said with a softened smile. "I was just passing through... Valgrin...warned me about you...Maybe I should just leave."
At the mention of Valgrin, her face visibly fell, souring that his mistress would get all of the credit.
"And apparently you don't seem to listen to women well," she smiled only a little, but it was forced as she turned around to nurse at her legs. Gods, it felt like she'd never walk again. Thankfully she had her back to Caius. She didn't want to seem to vulnerable to him. Damsel in distress.. right. It was a sad and pathetic card to play. She just wished she were human again. Well, she was still human, but what she meant was free.
"But you should really listen to her, you know," she began, but as she turned around her eyes widened to the size of the moon, for right behind Caius was the LARGEST snake she had EVER seen in her ENTIRE life.
"B-blondie!"s he stammered, shaking her in disbelief. "Run!" And she pointed up at the thing. "Giant.. GIANT SNAKE!"
Luckily for her though he could see she couldn't walk, he wasn't going to move her, or have any more contact with her than he should. At the mention of the snake, he whirled around and stared into the beady eyes of the basilisk that seemed to emerge from the mouth of the cave when he wasn't looking. Baal too bristled and moved from where he was at the base of the tree. He just stared at the creature, even as fangs flared and the serpent hissed.
Baal bounded down from the hill, shapeshifting into a powerful creature, but not enough to contend with the serpent.
Megrin grit her teeth.
"Get out of here Cai, before the thing eats you!" she shouted, not sure why the fool was still just looking at the beast, all the while his wolf-dog was bounding after it, making charge. Though it seemed the serpent cared little for Baal as it simply darted past him in one quick motion, and that's all the time it needed, opening it's massive jaws to gobble Caius whole.
Her heart was in her throat. By the Gods, was Ahk-meht's plan to kill Caius!? Fear struck through her,a nd despite her legs being a useless mess, adrenaline kicked in and propelled her off the ground and into the air, knocking Caius out of the way while she, on the other hand, landed right in the serpent's mouth.
With a snap, she was en-caged within his massive jaw, and disappeared completely from sight.
Though the serpent was hardly sated, and merely slipped away, only to curl back and narrow it's sharp eyes upon Caius, as if eyeing him up to become his next snack.
OOC: Super Megrin to the rescue XD
oh wait.. |8*
Caius was completely stock-still and stared as the serpent ate Megrin whole. He didn't know how to react, but in that moment, he found his legs and moved toward Baal. He couldn't be bothered with any concern for Megrin as she'd already sacificies herself for reasons he couldn't comprehend. He leapt onto Baal's back and bounded off. The wolf-dog moved quickly over land and Caius buried his face into his fur, hoping he could just give away.
Too bad for Caius the serpent was dogged, and hungry, and prodded by forces unseen. Akh-meht was having too much fun observing the show from the shadows, especially once he conjured up another beast well down the tracks. Another slither,.. another hiss, and a second massive serpent rose up out of the grasses, hissing towards Caius and keeping him from his retreat.
'So the hero wants to turn coward does he?' Ahk-meht thought with a wicked grin. 'What if he hasn't got a choice?' And with a roll of his fingers, the newest serpent's eyes began to glow orange, as if with the burn of fire, and soon it was shooting fire from it's jaw, aiming to burn Caius alive.
With two in his way, Caius turned Baal all of a sudden and the wolf-dog bounded around the serpent, dodging fire and pursuit. The beast was fast though the serpents were faster and swirled behind him. Caius was not afraid, and even the desperation that drove him was honed and focused, driving him to press the pusuit. The plains weren't flat all the time. And ran for the great chasm that ran for miles in his direction.
The chasm came up quickly and Caius only hoped Baal could make the jump in time. Before he knew it, he was weightless and felt the groiund move out from underneath him.
And just like that, a massive hand came out of the great chasm he headed for, slamming down into the tall grasses and shaking the earth. The large, beefy hand pushed the great giant up so tht he was towering over the land, his shadow casting even over the great serpents who halted into a pair of hisses below.
Ahk-meht's lips twisted into an even greater smile. So Caius got past the lion, no big deal (ignoring the fact Megrin did that on her own SOMEHOW), but now he had to compete with two hungry serpents (one now cleverly a fire breather) and a giant. How long can Mr. Blondie put up with that!?
And to top it off, he figured, maybe the giant has a thing for the snake that ate Megrin? And he laughed as the giant reached for it, snatching it by it's 'neck' and causing it's mouth to snap open- and as the giant shook it like a rag doll, Megrin came flying out, nicely covered in a layer of snake saliva. Ick. Oh, and just as Ahk-meht had planned it, her falling form was flying straight for the blonde man on the wolf-dog.
OOC: Ahk-meht's plans should totally get thwarted and he'll be so pissed off and Megrin would be so happy (you know, if she lives) lol. Or Caius could catch her but yeah...
Ahk-meht is like .. I dunno, it's making me lol how out of the way he is going for this thing XD
They'd somehow made it across the blasted chasm just as the giant's hand came up to smash their path and pushed itself up out of the ground. Now Caius was in a panic. Not frightened but enough to know that Ahk-meht would stop at nothing to catch him. Somehow, some way Caius managed to dodge yet another fireball flying his way. But he certrainly felt the heat of it and Baal's fur was mildly singed. He dug his heels in harder into his ribs and the wolf-dog ran even faster. Caius could see something flying through mid-air -Megrin it would seem. By instinct Baal moved under her position to catch her, but instead Cai grabbed his hair and forced his mount in the other way, leaving her to the mercy of the ground.
OOC: *snickers*
----
Ahk-meth was fuming mad. Not only was Caius able to out run the snakes, dodge the fire, doge the fists of the giant, but he even IGNORED Megrin's form as she fell to the ground in a heap. He was so pissed off, the shadows seemed to spark fire, his eyes glaring over at Caius's retreating form.
"Maybe I had that man wrong all along.." he growled, and then the old witch seemed to hobble out of no where.
"Temper, temper there my lord of souls. He still has the rock. I know he's kept it in his pocket." she said, grinning from ear to ear as she stood at the edge of the shade, watching as the giant turned around to run after Caius, while the fire snake and the other began to surround Megrin. She looked up, shocked to find herslf in such a predicament, and there was no means to escape.
"I wanted her rescued, not killed," Ahk-meht growled. "How come Megrin's charms aren't working on that man? Has she lost her heart?"
The witch only smirked.
"No, but it seems she's finally met someone who was actually smart."
Growling, Ah-meht threw his fists down into the dirt, contemplating going over there himself and just tearing hte damn soul keeper to pieces. He didn't need him, but oh how it would be something to actually trick one onto his side...
and it was then a miracle happened- something strange, something new- and something that made Ahk-meht's mouth drop open- for as both the snakes moved down to gobble Megrin up-
a tree sprouted out of nowhere, it's branches piercing into both of the snake's bodies as it grew in a massive explosion. Blood rained upon the land, as both serpents remained, skewered over the tree and Megrin's cowering form.
It was only afte r atime that she realzied she was not dead, but now resided under the shade of a flowering cherry tree. ANd as she stared up, her eyes stung with tears.
Samrin.. she knew somehow, Samrin's power had saved her.
[It might have something to do with him being a paladin]
Caius was in the middle of the swarm as Baal swirled around a bend that the giant had trouble skirting over and nearly tripped as a result. abut it was enough time for Caius to whip out his broken sword and gave Baal the signal. On a dime the beast rounded about and rode close enough for Cai to lean in and swipe ferociously at the giant's exposed ankle. The creature cried out as it tried to turn around and snatch Cai but he was too fast as he skirted around his ankles and slashed his other leg as hard as he could. The motiion was repeated time and again until the giant's ankles were shredded and bleeding and the tendon on its leg was torn and made it tume to the ground.
The earth shattered and Caius climbed off his mount, striding over to the fallen giant who was too tired to fight back. Cai stepeed close to his eye and jammed his sword deep into it's socket. The creature cried out. After three more stabs, the giant lay dead in the field and Cai moved back to Baal, climbing onto his back and riding away.
OOC: figures he would't look to see what's become of the snakes I so magnificently killed using a tree DX
------------
SHe hesitated. The carcasses of the snakes were still raining blood. Though after a time, she pushed through the branches and stood beside the chaos, watching as Caius rode off into the sun. She smirked.
"That's right. Get out of here blondie while you still can." Though she didn't know why a part of her hurt that he left, but it didn't stop her lips from itching into a smile and the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Impressive Meg, keep this up and I'll have to promote you as our new hero," Ahk-meht said as he slipped on over to her side. Megrin only sighed and turned to him, moving past him. "Hey, hey, ouch. Is that any way to treat your master whose come to applaud you in your efforts? Seriously, if I knew you had that sort of power in you.. I would have thrown you tot he snakes long ago."
Megrin glared daggers over at Ahk-meht, but said nothing, realizing she had no snappy come back.
"Just leave me alone."
Ahk-meht smirked.
"You know you could get that wish." he told her, slipping closer. "All you have to do is woo the little soul keeper onto our side and voila, I'll give you back your soula nd you can go back to living your ordinary mortal life."
Megrin turned around, surprised to see Ahk-meht just over her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed.
"Stop trying to torment me, Ahk-meht. Nothing you say could make me want to do harm to that man. Just stop trying. You've already lost."
Though the dark smile on Akh-meht's lips made her stomach grow cold and before she knew it, she was gone from this plane, and back in the underworld.
[Want some cheese with that whine, ya big baby? *kicks*]
Caius finally slid off Baal's back in pure exhaustion. He cringed at the thought of coming across Megrin that way. But it was inevitable. Her master wanted him for reasons he didn't understand and whatever that was he kept tossing the damned woman at him. Well he wouldn't fold, and he wouldn't kneel and he'd be damned before he'd give himm what he wanted. As he recalled that stone, coming to that conclusion he found the pouch he'd hid it in and took it out, staring at its glassy surface fore throwing it as far and as hard as he could. No more, he couldn't let himself be tempted.
Ahk-meth was a persistant man (or rather, demon); and attempted several times to (litereally) throw Megrin at the soul keeper. A towering, venom spitting hydra, a lava spewing pack of vulcan lizards, a giant crow, a wind monster..
and the list went on. But each animal was thwarted, and most of the time, it wasn't even because Caius had done anything. Infact, most of the time, some sort of stupid tree would sprout out, saving the day. (Not that he wanted Megrin dead anyways)
So boredly, Megrin found herself being dragged away from another sinister scene that Caius had simply evaded. And Ahk-meht was pissed.
"Dont' you get it? He's smarter than you," Megrin said, with a roll of her eyes and folded her arms over her chest. "Besides, he knows what you want of him and he's not going to oblige. Blondies no fool. But hey, if you need to throw me at any more monsters, I'll be in the next town over. Just send the old hag to get me." And with a fluff of her hair, she left.
Ahk-meht, who was fuming mad, simply let the woman go before he disappeared back into the underworld, growling in frustration on how he could have possibly messed up. Megrin was glad for the reprieve. If anything, Blondie had scored her another chance to be alone, and she walked against the setting sun upon an uknown trail against the valley, where dead monster guts littered the ground. She smirked, admiring Caius's handwork,a dn that of her own. SHe paused at the tree that had formed, staring up at it and the white flowers at the tips of the branches. It was Samrin's tree...
It had been over a month since the kill...
but it still hurt as if it had been yesterday. She frowned, lowering her head down in shame, and sat beneath it. Ever since she had ran into the soul keeper, hoping to score a moment alone to mourn- she had done anything but. It was only then she was able to really cry, to finally accept the death as she took a small gathering of flowers from the trees and let them go into a nearby creek, paying another tribute to him for his death.
And she felt a swell within her heart. And felt at peace, as if Samrin was there, trying to tell her things would be ok. She smiled, brushing away some tears, but more simply fell.
"You know I'll miss you, Samrin," she whispered, the let a few of the white flowered petals drop from her fingers and take to the winds.
So she ha moments before, each moment had never been full realized, fully resolved. A heart was a hard thing to mend, and it seemed that moment to herself was all she needed. She felt a lot freer, a lot happier in that moment and soon her mind was drifting to other things. Like what monster would be thrown at her next, and how long it would take Caius to ignore them all. Then again, they both knew she was hardly in trouble.
Ahk-meht was so ridiculous. But then again, they both probably already knew that.
[*punts]
He was done with the Plains. Time to move on to a different part of the world that didn't have beasts from the underworld spewing out every five minutes in an attempt to catch him at last, away from the would be soul thief that kept getting tossed his way, and away from the lectures of Valgrin who thus far had been satisfied with his attempts to evade any interaction with the soul thief and her liege.
Caius no longer had the pleasure of observing sunsets, though that was one thing he would miss from about the Plains the most. There was a beauty here in the open expanse that was incomparable anywhere else, about the way the sun fell beneath the horizon, bleeding light everywhere. There were no trees to disrupt the view, no mountains accented by it, no water to glitter back diamond rays. But there was so much more to see and he didn't see why he should dawdle any longer.
So he did and mounted Baal, walking through the edges of the Plains, scouting the area. But he turned his eyes to the front of him, all the while out of the corner of his eye appeared a large tree, one where he could have sworn there wasn't one before. And beside it poured a small, thin but powerful stream that cut through the long grass. He could have sworn he saw Megrin beside it. He paused a moment, watching her in silence before nudging Baal to continue on, pressing onward in his own mournful silence.
After a time, Megrin realized she had this moment to herself, all to herself, and that no one could take it from her. (Ok, granted Ahk-meht would, but he would not doubt be wallowing in self pity for a while). And wasn't it Caius that reminded her to learn to enjoy the little moments? She had had no reprieve since she had met the Soul Keeper, her master wishing to do something vile to him, she was sure. But after the petty attempts were thwarted time and again, Megrin began to feel invisible rather than afraid, realizing her importance to her master.
So if she wanted to go for a swim- well, why the heck not? Not wasting another moment, she ran out into the waters and let her splash down where they were deeper, her body sinking down into their cool depths and enjoying the feeling of the cool pull of the current. It was exhilarating, it was fun, and it was by her own choosing. She could get used to this. It was almost as if she were free again.
As Caius eventually vanished in the distanced, out of sight of the soul thief, there was the sound of distant thunder rolling nearby. He looked up and frowned, there were no clouds in the sky, none that would anticipate the coming of a storm. Still the thunder grew, rolling here and there until he could feel it crawling up his neck. Caius turned around and stared wide eyes at the horizon behind him, sure that the sound was coming from Ahk-meht as a half-hearted attempt to capture him once more.
But...something was different, even Baal whined and could feel it in the air. No, it wasn't a storm. The harder he listened the more he could tell the sound was much like that or horses hooves, hundreds of them pounding the grasses, coming down the way he'd come. This couldn't have been Ahk-meht's doing for Raiders were always a threat in the Plains and now they were closing in on Megrin's position.
Megrin gasped for breath, resurfacing afte ra time from laying beneath the waters surface. It felt so good to just let herself go for a change, and she felt all tense and took a moment to stretch out her limbs. Though all things come to an end, and the moment she felt the waters trembling, she blinked. Staring up at the skies, it didn't appear as if there was a storm. Was it an earth quake?
Though as she was working at wringing out her hair, something appeared upon the horizon...
and her mouth fell open as she stared at the massive group of horseman heading her way.
Ducking behind a nearby tree, she crouched down low, and hoped the stupid men would be too focued on whatever task they were doing to notice her, and part of her wanted to curse Ahk-meht's name, blaming him for another attempt to thwart the Soul Keeper.
'Gods, doesn't he ever give up?'
If only it had been Ahk-meht, Caius's decision would have already been made for him. He was completely torn, unsure what to do. Baal too looked troubled and turned around to face the coming thunder before looking up at his rider. Cai looked out at the horizon before nodding to Baal. He only hoped he could make it in time.
Soon the Raiders had stopped by the stream, the party slowing to a halt, men most of them, surrounding the area and coming closer to Megrin's position.
Gods..
She was surrounded by pigs. For the raiders weren't even men, but some sort of orc, pig faced and tusked. Their faces were ugly and their scent, most foul. She wrinkled her nose disapprovingly, and remained crouched nearby the tree, her eyes fixated upon them, breath held and waiting, hoping they wouldn't see her there...
Of course they stopped at last by the tree and one dismounted, the largest of them all, nearly seven feet in height when he stalked toward the stream, a strange half-orc with fanged teeth peeking out from underneath his lip. Another joined him as they neared the stream, ducking low into the water to taste of it. When the large one was satisfied with the cool sustenance he called out for the others to water the horses before they calling for a hunting parting to get fresh game. As he leaned near the tree, he saw something peek back behind it. He grinned and his lieutenant followed him.
"Well, well, well," he said in a gruff voice. "What do we got here?"
Damn it. Her cover was blown.
Lips sagging into a frown, she merely stepped back away from the approaching men, giving them both a mean stare.
"You've got a woman with a quick tongue and a short fuse, so I wouldn't step any closer if I were you."
Probably not the best idea to threaten them, but she wasn't about to let her only moment of reverie be soured and squandered away by piggish men. Ugh..
and the way they looked at her....
Why couldn't Ahk-meht sent the prettier ones? At least Caius was..
but still...
These pigs...
She had a distinct feeling in her gut Ahk-meht wasn't behind this. And if not... did he really just drop his connections on her at such a wrong moment?
Or perhaps he was just htat horrible with her luck.
Yep, definitely that as she found herself flinching and baring her teeth, hands clenching into fists as the men came nearer.
Baal beat the ground with powerful strides, almost stronger than a horses, and the soft pads underneath his paws were much quieter as well. And neither did Caius make a noise when he came rushing across the grasslands. The raiders were occupied with their find, their tasks, their horses. And the only noise that came from them was of the grunted choking of a blade coming across one of their heads and that head tumbling down into the grass.
Caius said nothing, not even a battle cry, when he turned around the raiders, as they were trying to figure out what was going on and headed for Megrin as the orcs closed in on her.
Slobbering, stupid and horny pigs. Yep, that's exactly what those raiders were, and they knew a prize when they saw one.
"Definitely a just reward after that pillaging, wouldn't you say, Reck?"
Another piggish orc snorted in agreement, laughing through his tusks and let out a squeal to the man beside him. The one next to him belched.
"Yeah, tis a pretty thing. Too bad she don't have tusks."
"It's ok. Long as she got the right parts we might as well use her."
Megrin grit her teeth, staring angrily as they approached. One from behind, another from the front.
"Stay away,"s he snapped, slapping one man's hand away that tried to slip off the strap of her dress,a nd kneed another one between the legs who tried hefting up her skirts.
"A fiery one! That means she ought to be tight!" the leader squealed, and the three were upon her, blocking her view from the carnage Caius was reeking to the other piggish men, as they kept dropping one at a time, heads rolling into the dirt.
Baal vaulted over the heads of three raiders as he landed softly in the parted pair, the confusion gradually stemming and the pigs and men vaulting on their horses as they saw one amongst them that didn't belong. Caius trampled through the crowd, parting it by force as he rushed through. "MEGRIN!" he cried out as he neared her at last. He lashed his blade through the first orc upon her, making the limp body fall upon her. The other two back away in surprise, landing on their haunches as they scrambled for their horses, calling for their men to kill the intruder.
Caius stood on the opposite side of the tree, the tree shielding him as he held out a hand beside Megrin, momentarily sheathing his sword. "Well, are you going to wait all day?" he snapped impatiently.
Megrin's eyes were wide and wild with fright, and she didn't hesitate when the hand was offered to her. Ahk-meht be damned if he were up to this, even though she still had that sensation that well... he wasn't. And there was still the thrill of being rescued after well...
so many times of just not.
Though this danger was real, and her heart was hammering within her chest. Clinging onto Caius she said, "Thanks, Blondie. Now let's get the hell out of here."
Caius set his sights on the stream watching where the water grew wilder and wider, thrashing into a raging river. The pig-men and their cohorts were already mounted by the time Cai began to leapt over the smaller section, heading straight for the river. Their horses splashed across the water in his wake crying out savagely. Caius focused ahead and pressed Baal to run faster. "You always make such lovely friends," Caius cursed at Megrin with bitter irritation. He hadn't known it before, but as he ran toward the widening river, he could now make out where steam billowed up from a more powerful course - gravity. They were heading straight toward a waterfall.
Megrin only clung to Caius tighter.
"Yeah, good thing I know of a man who is willing to ride a wolf-dog into rapids." She smirked up at him."But you might want to think about this again, Blondie, cause er.. I think we're heading straight for a water fall. You know.. unless your dog can fly!"
"No, I can't fly and neither can Baal. And there's no time to think," Cai said before they suddenly came at the rapids. He didn't think twice. He just jumped and down they went into the waters.
"What?" Megrin's eyes snapped wide open. "Oh you can't be serious."
But he was.
And then they went over, and she.. was screaming as the group dropped off the water's edge, freefalling into the air against the rush of falling waters. The winds whipped wildly about, entangling her long hair around the group, all the while she found herself groping for something, anything, before her hands found and took hold of one of his and she held on tight before closing her eyes and braced herself. And in a splash, they all crashed in the steaming waters below.
Well he'd thought he'd been gripping on Baal's fur, when something else slipped into his hand. Whatever it was, Cai gripped hard on it as they plummeted down toward the water. He didn't scream, only fel the air in his lungs torn out from the force of the impact and he gasped for breath inadvertently taking water into him as he thrashed at the bottom of the waterfall.
The waters funneled around her, the noises muffled and harsh. She felt he crushing weight,a nd was drawn downwards, but after a moment, she opened her eyes to the blue depths of the river, and noticed she was holding Caius's hand. Thinking quickly, since her lungs were burning for air, she gave a jerk to his arm, and began to kick her way to the surface of the water, dragging him up wiht her as best as she could.
Once she resurface, she gasped for air and turned to him. "You ok, blondie?"
He wasn't okay, he was still and dormant, and if it weren't for her, he would have remained stagnant in the water while Baal himself swam to shore, shrinking back to normal size and looked back where he saw Megrin dragging Caius with her.
OOC: I has random weird idea SO I GOES WITH IT
|8*
--------
At his lack of response, fear gripped her heart.
"Blondie?" she pulled him nearer to her while she was in the water, and his still body simply lurched forward in the water. And that's when panic set in.
"Caius!?" she shook him again, but still no response. Shit. It wasn't like she had some super power to magically heal the man, or strength to really help pound the waters out of his chest, but she could at least try. Grabbing onto him, with a few grunts, she dragged the man onto shore, laid him down and moved quickly over him, smacking him lightly upon the cheek.
"Come on, Caius. Get up, get up." and she hit as his face again and sighed when it was to no avail. "Come on, why do you got to do this to a girl, huh? Come on, just wake up and spit out that water. You couldn't have swallowed much" But she said that mostly to herself, she knew he probably swallowed a whole waterfall's worth. So she moved to hit at his chest.
"Come on now, breath blondie breath!" and as she moved to shake him again something shot out of the ground, an unseen force coming out from her skin, through her heart nad touching into the ground-
and seconds later vines were threading around him, fast and with urgecy, wrapping around his torso and suddenly giving a powerful squeeze.
Megrin flinched back, uncertain what to make of this- was.. was there a plant creature trying to kill him!? Little did she know the power was trying ot help keep him alive...
and as Caius was squeezed , his mouth was forced open and the vines shot down deep into his throat-
"N- no!" she shouted, reaching forward to rip the vines out of him. But they had already collected the water inside him that had cause dhim harm, so that when she went to grab for them- they were yanked away as quickly as they had formed, and turned into a small, gnarled piece of shrubbery btween them, leaving Megrin, who was in mid grab to spill out ove rtop of it and onto Caius the same moment he would be able to breath.
Caius gave a cough as soon as he was dropped to the ground and breathed in sharply, even as Megrin came crashing on top of him. He coughed, his cheek to stone and dirt and clawed his hands into it, spewing out any water that was left and eventually collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. He was just happy to be alive, and conscious, pushing himself up when he found the strength.
As soon as Megrin heard him coughing, she gasped ad rolled away from him, but kept nearby, down on one knee as she placed a hand upon his shoulder.
"Hey... you're alright," she said, genuinely smiling, but then realized. "Well, as alright as you can be after nearly drowning." She peered over at the water falling. Damn it was steep. She was surprised the pair of them even survived the fall. Turning back to Caius, she rested a hand upon him.
"Hey.. how are you feeling? You took in a lot of water there."
"It was just a little water," Caius said, uncomfortably shrugging her hand off of his shoulder. It took him a while to find his legs, still exhausted from lack of air and stood up eventually, clinging to the cliff side wall. "I'll be fine. Baal!" he called out the wolf-dog's name and the beast came bounding after him.
"We can't linger here too long," Baal said, shaking off the excess water and peering over his shoulder to see that though the waterfall was indeed a steep drop, the raiders would eventually find their way down and seek out revenge on the one that took their prize and killed their men. "They'll find their way down soon. Look, behind you."
Caius turned around and spotted the small hole in the wall between rocks and he stepped closer to it, moving some smaller rubble out of the way and lingering outside it. "We can hide in here until they pass by. I'm sure they'll think we either died or are already on the run from here." And he crawled inside of the hole until he vanished into the caverns on the other side. But as Baal followed him, he too stopped in awe at the sight his master was taking in before him, large crystals protruding from the wall, glowing, glittering brightly for them to see and alighting the cavern. The roof went up for miles and the some water trickled in at their feet, pooling around the room in a thin layer that swooshed gently as Caius stepped in.
"Have you ever seen something so beautiful?"
Megrin flinched as the dog shook water off onto her. She knew the dog hated her, so she made a face, then turned to Caius, brushing her soggy hair out of her face. She watched as Caius found a place for them to hide and sighed.
"Seems as good a plan as any. Let's go." And she followed after the dog... ugh. Dog butt in her face. But when she got to th eother side, she was mesmerized, truly, by the beauty of all the crystals glittering around them.
"Oh wow.."s he placed a hand to her chest. "It is beautiful."
She almost looked as ifs he were about to cry, taking it all in, the shimmer, the reflection, the echoing chimed sound of the falling waters...
"I can't say that I have. It's been a long time since I ever got a chance to appreciate anything." And she turned, a hand trailing across the air above one large crystal, keeping her back to Caius as a few tears stung at her eyes.
Caius pursed his lips in thought as his eyes drifted to her momentarily as she studied the crystal cave. He almost gave a small grin and instead walked on further into the cave, taking a seat on one of the stones and studying the crystals. He pulled out his sword, etched in the filthy blood of the orcs and proceeded to clean it off.
He said nothing, but occasionally he would look up at her and saw something glittering in her eyes. Was she crying?
Megrin walked along, studying all of the crystals and the varying colors. Some even had neon colors of salt like crystal remains at the bases. It was definitely something to behold.
"To think, something like this woulda been passed by if it were not for a leap over a waterfall after being chased by piggish men." Brushing her hair (adn discretely her tears) she peered over curiously to Caius as he worked at cleaning off his sword.
"So what's with the broken blade?" she asked, finding a seat herself beside a soft set of pink crystals.
He remained uncomfortable under her scrutiny and looked up at her when she spoke at last. He turned the blade over and cleaned the other side of it in long silence. "I've had this blade since the my induction. It's broken because it clashed with a stronger metal, or at least maybe it was forged better. It holds my memories," he said. "I only a few other shards from it. It is the only thing that has any value to me. Why do you ask?"
Megrin blinked.
"It just seems weird. The blade is broken and you carry it around still... though I suppose it still works well as a weapon." Then staring at it, she looked up at him. "Your memories? Does that mean you've lost things that happened to you when you were alive?"
"I remember most things," Cai answered. "Most of my memories are contained within the base of the blade. I know I was raised in a church. I don't remember having any parents. I was taken care of by the clergy I think. And then there was a time when I was taken into being a Paladin when I came of age. This was my sword, blessed by the goddess I worshipped, set to vanquish any demon or evil it came across. I don't remember who broke it, or how, only that I died and I'm given new purpose again as a Soul Keeper."
Megrin thought over his answer carefully. Even in her predicament, it was hard for her to visualize having some memories just seem... missing.
"Are the only missing memories the one's surrounding your death?" she asked.
He peered up at her, eye to eye and shrugged. "I wouldn't know, I can't remember, rememeber?" he replied. He actually smiled at her, and gave a small laugh. The cave seemed less gloomy because of it and the crystals seemed to glow brighter. "Valgrin gave my sword to me infused with my memories and the few shards that remained because she said it gave me something to search for. Though I will always search for souls, she said there was still hope that not all of my memories were lost. That if I found them all, I would be able to reforge my blade anew. It is something, no matter how tangible. It is hope regardless. And I cling to it."
"Hope.." her lips twitched at the question, her smile seeming to fade when she looked away.
"Hope seems like something for those who have a choice on their fate." Though she hadn't meant it as a punch to his ego. She had almost forgotten they were almost on par as far as their fates.
"I think if I had to choose, I guess I'd search for my lost memories, too. Well, that's to say, if I had any." She shrugged. "I guess I should feel happy Ahk-meth let me keep myself more or less intact." She gave a roll of her eyes. "He just.." but hten she stopped herself with a scowl. "No.. no way. I'm not about to start rambling about that bastard." She sighed and looked away, looking souredly at the ground. Well, what had been turning out into a nice moment had gone sour, and of course, her pathetic ramblings were to blame.
But then as she thought it over, she peered over curiously to him.
"Say, blondie, what happens when all the pieces are found?"
Caius nodded but took no offense at her mentioning his lack od choice in his fate. He didn't know he was going to die, didn't know this was to be his fate, but he knew second chances were rarely given to those that didn't deserve it. Did he deserve it? He couldn't be sure of that and didn't want to think about what requirments were called for such.
"I...I don't know," He admitted with a downcast gaze. "Perhaps I'll wake up and then I'll truly die. I cannot say that I've asked either. But at least I can say that doing this...does make me feel like I've still something left to accomplish and I guess that's all I could really ask for. That and the fact I can still roam as I please. What about you? If you had a choice what would you do?"
Megrin blinked. She wasn't entire sure she knew the answer to that.
"I don't know, to be honest. I ... never made very good choices back in my old life. And I was always poor. So I'd probably just be in some other sort of trouble, or working hard." She said, smiling sadly over it before frowning and looking away.
"Though I suppose even being poor is better than being a soul thief." She sighed and looked away, leaning forwarda d resting her cheeks into her hands and peering down at the ground and frowning at her distorted reflection in the crystals. "I think this is the worst fate for anyone. But... well, I suppose what's done is done. ANd who's to say I wouldn't make the same stupid mistake again if given the choice to try to fix it? I mean, who am I kidding, I make the dumbest choices imaginable. ANd I think that's why Ahk-meht keeps me."
Caius didn't know it then, but he found himself standing after she began to speak once more. His sword had been cleaned and resheathed and he was walking toward her, standing at her side when at last he paused at her shoulder. "I know we can't mend the choices of what we've done in the past. I can't say I would have wanted to live any differently either. I think I was pretty devoted to what I believed. I probably would have never married, or had children. I would have died for my faith. In fact, I think I did." He looked at her for a long time and put a hand on her shoulder.
"That's not why Ahk-meht keeps you," he said. "He keeps you because he knows there's still something left inside of you that he can't yet control. And that's your mind. Because you can still make better choices for yourself about...most things. You chose to get away from me didn't you. Well, not now, but when he was deliberately throwing you in my path - sometimes literally."
Megrin smiled a bit,but the smile never reached her eyes, no did she bother to look up at blondie.
"I suppose you're right. Yet here we are anyways." she laughed at that despite herself and shook her head, finally looking up at him, but seeing him so close actually made her eyes prickle with tears again, and she grit her teeth and look away.
"Look.. about all that. I'm sorry. My master wants you something fierce. Though he hasn't explained to me why." She rolled her eyes. "I'm assuming he just wants another soul thief. He can never be happy with just one. After he made such a big deal how special I was to his demon friends." And she rolled her eyes again.
"I wasn't aware demon's had friends," Cai said, shaking his head and pursing his lips. He smiled again, and again the room lit up with light amidst the dimness. He looked over her, eyes inspecting the side of her face, or at least the parts exposed to him. Which wasn't much, but what he could see, he approved of the pallor of her skin, it had a softness to it that seemed almost porcelain, precious, easily broken.
Caius looked down, long lashes veiling over his eyes. "I know he wants me, Valgrin warned me something like this would happen. That's why it took all my willpower to fight my instinct to save you. But Valgrin also said that even if I did become entrapped by him, he could never really have me. I would always be in her service. So long as I didn't...sever our bond. Maybe there aren't worse things than being a soul thief. At least you're not a tortured soul, set to forever suffer at the hands of whips and chains. There's something in being able to stand and breathe and though you're not truly free, you're at least able to wander in some part on your own. Always count your blessings, no matter how few they may be."
Megrin stared over at him, then looked away, her face becoming crestfallen.
"I'd rather be tortured." she admitted glumly, and with a sigh, stood up from where she had been seated and began to pace about within the cave.
"There's too much guilt on my conscience," she began, raking a hand through her long hair. "I don't even feel I deserve freedom." She shook her head. "It's like I have a choice, but no matter what I do, the choice turns back on me, someone gets hurt, they get close, their soul is stolen the moment they let me into their heart and I-"
Tears began to prickle over her eyes, making it harder to see. She was far enough away that she pauesd, her back to Caius as she kept a hand planted to her hip and gave a shake of her head. Sighing,s he looked down at the floor. "I don't know. Maybe it sounds too dramatic, but I feel this fate is far worse than death, or even any tortures hell could toss at me. Heck, I'd take a lifetime of whip lashings over being forced to kill those who ever become my friend."
And she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself a moment to rub at her arms. It was a bit chilly in here... so she moved her weight about, just keeping herself moving, but she felt so uneasy, so restless.
Caius leaned back against a crystal and watched he pace, feeling his own heart drop into his stomach from the pity she inspired in him. But that was the extent of his sympathy, he knew he couldn't allow himself to feel anything more for her lest he too fall prey to Ahk-meht's game. Yet something was telling him that this wasn't a trap and he frowned as she went on.
Friends, lovers, any who made any sort of intimate relationship with her went on to be victims of their foolishness and he sunk his head at the thought of it. Yes, it was a sorry plight, to be cursed at causing such a fate. Caius uncrossed his arms from his chest and looked over at the leather coat Valgrin had given him and pried it from his shoulders before moving closer from behind Megrin once more, place the coat gently over her shoulders from the spark of cold.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not your friend," Caius said, smiling at her.
Megrin was surprised when Caius had come foward, draping his leather jacket over her shoulders, and had spun around with a gasp, then glanced down, keepin gher teary eyes away from him, so he couldn't see as she let a smirk twitch across her lips as her fingers curled aginst the edge of the jacket.
"Thanks.. and yeah.." she laughed a little, blinked back some of her tears before she smiled towards him. Though it was one of those sorts of smiles that never reached her eyes, and her eyes were looking past him, rather than at him. "But you wouldn't have to worry." She turned to look away frm him with a shrug. "You've got no soul, remember? My devilish magic only works on the poor saps who do. Yours belongs to Valgrin. And I guess that's nice to know that..." and here, she sighed, smiling inspite of herself. "That even if I wanted to befriend you, I could. A silly kiss or touch wouldn't suck the soul right out of you." And as she turned to him, trying to smile, tears began to fall hotly down her face as she trembled beneath the weight of the jacket, and the burden she had been carrying by herself for far too long.
Caius hadn't expected the jacket to fall on her shoulders so well. And he felt the corner of his lip crook into half a smile when she turned away from him, but he wasn't sure what to feel. He'd never had a woman wear his clothing before. As she turned to him he saw her trembling and bit his lip a little to survey her a little more. Cai reached down and adjusted the lapels of the jacket more solidly over her shoulders and pulled it tighter around her.
"A silly kiss?" he asked, a little amused. "I wouldn't know. I've never been kissed."
At his reply, Megrin's eyes shot up to him and went wide.
"Wait, what?"
It was here she remembered she had been crying and looked away, brushing back the tears that were there. "It seems my eyes might be sensitive to these crystals," she lied, but then, after she thought enough of them were brushed away, she peered back over at him curiously again.
"So are you telling me the truth? Some girl hasn't swept you away yet? With those eyes and hair?" She chuckled and gave a shake of her head. "Though I guess it doesn't matter now." She adjusted the weight of the jacket on her shoulders. "I bet it would be hard to score a date after you tell a girl you're a soul keeper." And here, she gave a genuine smile to him.
He furrowed his brows at her and shook his head. "I'm not sure I understand," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "I've never...um dated, was it? At least I'm pretty sure if I haven't, I mean that kind of thing is pretty hard to forget I'd imagine. I've never been swept away as you put it." Caius felt his skin blush and he reached a hand back to brush his head and brushed at his long stringy hair, straight as it was and brushed it out of his face. "I was a Paladin, remember? I lived a life of celibacy, devoting it to my faith. My purity gave strength to my powers, that was my strength."
Megrin still stared at him, her mouth hanging open.
And she didn't meant to, but she laughed.
"Oh, sorry, I erm.. I guess I never realized how devoted you were to your faith." then she shook her head, glancing away and hugging the jacket around her tighter as she stared at the floor. "Maybe I should have joined something like that." She sighed. "Then I would have never been in this mess." And turning from him, she flicked her fingers throw a small puddle of water resting on a crystal shelf. "Love only hurts you in the end. It's probably better that way you ever had it."
Caius blushed again but he wasn't offended by her laughter. In fact he half expected it. It wasn't like he didn't know the expecaations of a man his age to have done and not done, but that was the lot he'd been given and who was he to question it. "Well you say that now but look where I ended up," Cai said chuckling. "I was devoted only because I didn't know anything else, I deduce. I was given the choice of course, but I couldn't imagine my life any different that to fight for the light. This was the price of that devotion I guess. But love...don't say that. You only know that because of where you are now but love can be good...love can be precious."
"Yeah.. exactly," Megrin agreed glumly as she looked at the ground. "So it hurts twice as hard when you kill them."
Caius' eyes became hard in that moment and he moved over to her and spun her around to face him. "You would still let yourself wallow in your own misery. You've learned nothing since last we met. But I don't know what I should have expected," he snapped, pulling away from her. "I wish I could be your friend but there is nothing more to you. I don't know why I keep saving you, when you can't even save yourself. I-I...I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm just trying to understand why people like us were chosen for this kind of existence beyond our lives. I understand there is nothing you can do, but do you have any idea how frustrating it is to hear you speak of nothing but your sorry state...the world no longer has any beauty for you. And that...detracts from the beauty I see in you."
Megrin was stunned by his words. Well... none of that was what she had expected. For some reason, she just assumed the soul keeper found her frustrating, if anything. A nuisance. But in response to his claims, she turned away from him, eyes to the floor.
"You say that as if there is anything to see." she sighed. "Though I suppose it does sounds dramatic.. but. I can't help it. I'ts how I feel, and each time smethign happens, it's a fresh wound, breakign open the scars I keep trying to recover from." She shook her head.
"You.. you wouldn't understand. You hadn't killed someone you were in love with and I.." she found hot tears bubbling from her eyes as she turned away from him and marched off into the crystal cave. She didn't need to hear this. Didn't want to.
Samrin.. Gods..
It still hurt so much. He had no idea. Maybe he would never understand. Perhaps that's why he had been chosen for his job, as she had been chosen for hers.
He wasn't going to let her off that easily and marched after her, skirting around her to stand in front of her and grabbed her hard by the shoulders. "I think I understand more than you give me credit for," he said with burning eyes, eyes that only looked at her imploringly. "You must have loved him something awful to be in the ppain your in, but I can't believe that he would want you to be like this. Maybe I don't understand all the vagaries of that love... but I know to always look for tomorrow. And I wish you could too. Because...I believe in you."
"Ha!" She laughed at him, even through her tears. "You ask me to believe in something I'm chained to. I've been like this for the past.. oh I dunno, probably only a few years now, and it's already broken me, time and time again. I can't.. I just... I can't keep doing this. I don't want to." And she looked away, tears streaming down her face. "And I don't even have a choice. Ahk-meht owns my soul." And then lower, she replied in barely a whisper. "And I have to do everything my master says." And she pushed away from him. "PLease.. leave me alone. This... it still hurts. And yes.. yes I loved him. ANd the man wouldn't listen he just.. I tried to fight it, tried not to let Ahk-meht win, but Samrin kept seeing some good in me, kept reaching for my heart..a nd he died.. He DIED.. For what?"
She looked over at Caius as she shook her head.
"To die over a kiss?" She smiled, her lips trembling before she looked away. "That's all he wanted. I told him not to..a nd it just.. and I.. Gods.."
She lowered her head defeatedly. "Do you have any idea what it's like to feel someone's life pull out of them? To actually be responsible for their death? FOr the damnation of their soul?"
She shook her head.
"Gods... if there was even a way out of this.."
and she shook her head, turning away from Caius again and tried to hide up against a crystalized wall. "But I know there isn't.. I need to stop fooling myself. Hoping only gets me hurt."
He dropped his arms, taking half a step back and peering at her through his eye lashes. His head felt heavy, as did his shoulders and he chewed on his lip. "I do actually," he said. "I do know what it's like to be responsible for someone's death. I don't remember how long I've been doing this... All the years blend together. But I do remember on of the very first souls I ever took... Gods, even now I could still see her face. A young mother, not older than maybe 19 in her years. She was having such a hard time delivering her baby, her hips were too narrow the midwife said, chances were slim for the baby at best...and for her, she didn't need to say. I...I" Caius swallowed his tears. "I felt the call of death and was drawn to the woman's house. The door was unlocked I stepped inside, curious that no one questioned my presence, a complete stranger." Caius leaned against the wall, feeling a tear run down his face. " She was in so much pain! I eased what I could, held her hand and told her that everything would be all right. She cried and begged me not to take her, begged that her baby needed her. The child came unwillingly, screaming into this world, and the mother lay exhausted in her bed. She was so scared, so fearful of dying, no matter what I said. She begged for her life but there was nothing I could do, it was her time. I-I...yanked the soul right out of her, saw the light fade from her eyes. She was so still..." Caius wiped his eyes and looked at her. "You're not the only one that gets hurt. Maybe...I want to help you because I don't want to see the light fading from another person's eyes. But I guess it's already faded for you."
It was only then Megrin felt a kinship towards him. So they did share a same fate. Internally, she shivered. But at his last claims, she laughed. She supposed it was rude, especially after having told her such a sad story, but his comment about her fading..
She tunred away, brushing back tears and gave a shake of her head.
"Well, I certainly feel as good as dead. At least damned, anyways."S he sighed. "So even when I die.. if I die.. I'm pretty sure my soul is going straight to hell. And I can't see that place being much different than my life now." She shrugged, smiled weakly then stared down at her feet.
"I'm sorry." She said after a time. "I didn't realize we were so much alike." And she peered over at him through a curtain of her dark hair.
"I feel every soul that passes through me," Cai said distantly, looking through the crystal caverns. "I feel what they feel at the moment of their passing. If you think I don't understand what it's like then you're wrong, that it doesn't hurt me, you're blind. It is useless of me to speak to you of such things because you won't really listen. The world will never change for you. And maybe it never will for me either, but I like to believe in that fantasy because it's the last thing I have left to hold onto. It's better than nothing at all. And your lost in a forest of despair because to you all the trees look the same. But if you pay attention, you will notice the differences."
Megrin listened to him carefully, and kept her lips closed tight. She reached a hand out, placing it on his shoulder.
"Hey.. look I..." and her eyes wavered. "Perhaps I'm just no good at that sort of thing.. Or this, really. I feel awful. This subject.. it's obviously sensitive to us both." she sighed and looked away. "And right now, you're asking me to change the way I think and it's... I.... just can't get myself to do that. There are just too many scars, and Ahk-meht.... he woudl never let me go... Not until I'm broken."
She stared down at her feet. "I'm sorry I can't be like you, blondie." she tried to smile. "Heck, you should know by now I'm not that strong. Maybe when you met me you wanted me to be another woman.I don't know... things just aren't that easy. A forest you call it?" she laughed. "But you're right... and right now in my life, I'm having a hard time getting past any tree.."
For trees reminded her of Samrin.
"Though being miserable is awful, I'll give you that... it's when I do show that hope to others that gets them to connect to me." She shook her head. "I keep... trying to turn the other cheek, I'd like to.. I want to forget, I want it all t be over... but I can't. I guess i'm just stuck to my fate like rocks at the bottom of the stream, going no where and the world is just passing them by."
She sighed.
"Gods, now I'm not even making any sense." she shook her head. "Sorry, I'm not any help to you blondie." And this time, she genuinely smiled at him. "You're a good guy. It's why I tell you to stay away from me. If not... you'll just get hurt."
LIke all the rest.
Caius stepped closer and placed a hand on her cheek, letting his thumb linger there. "I'm not asking you to change, goodness knows I'm no better than you, nor you I. I was just trying to knock some sense into you. But I get it, I can't do anything about your plight, and neither can you and we're both just wallowing in our own misery. I didn't think you were just any other woman. In fact, if you were, I wouldn't even have given you the time of day."
He smiled but it never touched his eyes. "And you couldn't hurt me even if you tried. Ahk-meht can gripe and whine all he wants, but I'll never be his."
Megrin laughed and looked away, shaking her head.
"Gods...y ou remind me of Samrin."s he bit into her lip, chewing on it before shrugging hte htought away. "Well, except he wasn't so... well.... " she looked Caius over. "You." She chuckled. "Well, that is to say, he's a fighter in his own style. More of the 'kill you with kindness' sort of guy... Gods.." she let her voice trail off and looked down, hugging her arms around herself. "I miss him." And she paused. "And he'll never be back becuase of me."
At that Caius said nothing and did what he thought anyone would do in a situation like that. He flung his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace, pressing her face against his chest and just held her tightly. He was certain that whatever bad thing was going to happen it would have happened already, but when it didn't, he slowly peered down at her with curious eyes.
She choked on a tear, and then another, unable to contain them anymore being so close to someone so warm and comforting. She pressed her fac einto him, saying nothing for the longest time before a soft breath came out of her as she sighed.
"Thank you.."
Perhaps it was the little things in life to look forward to, but it was funny. In that moment, she was almost looking forward to what Ahk-meht would throw at them next.
He didn't know what to say. Was there anything too say? Caius smirked at her a little, and finding comfort in the warmth of having someone else so near, from all the time he'd never held another in his life. He nodded to her and leaned in to kiss her cheek, a soft peck and he released her at last, stepping away and back into the main room of the crystal caverns.
"Baal, go and scout outside, see if the raiders have gone."
At the kiss to the cheek, she felt herself warming, her heart fluttering, ever so slight. It felt good to be able to confide in someone that wasn't a witch, or a wretched friend of a demon. With a sigh, she steeled herself and looked up into his eyes, brushing away the fragments of tears.
"So what are your plans from here? I mean, outside of possibly out running more of Ahk-meht's antics?" she said with a smile, and bashfully looked away.
Baal gave a wolfish nod and proceeded back through the cave entrance to scout out the area. Cai sat down beside Megrin and crossed his hands together. "Plan? Well I dunno. I never linger too long in one spot... I was thinking of leaving the plains, see the lands beyond once more. Collect more souls. Can't help that part."
"Yeah, maybe next time I'm out stealing souls, maybe Ahk-meht will send me to the coast one time. I've never been to a beach, though I've seen paintings. It looks..." she squinted her eyes in reflection. "Nice." She gave a shrug and peered over at him. "Have you ever been to the beach, Blondie?"
Caius shook his head. "No I don't believe I have," Cai smiled at her. "But it does sound nice. We should go someday. How about today?"
Megrin blinked and stared up at him before playfully hitting his arm as she smiled.
"As if you could really get us there in a day. Don't toy with me Caius, or else I'll assume you're as rotten as Ahk-meht," she teased.
"I didn't say anything about toying with you," Caius said, not understanding. "I think we should go. I think we'd have fun. Let's go now. All you have to do is follow the water! We'll be there by nightfall. What do you say?"
Megrin's smile slowly faded as she looked him dead in the eye. ANd then she smiled again, shrugging her shoulders as she shook her head.
"I guess. Why the hell not?"
It was silly and stupid, but hey, Ahk-meht was out of her hair (for now..) why not?
Caius smiled genuinely and walked around to the entrance. "It's settled then," he said to her and poked his head out as he saw Baal. The wolf-dog scurried to him. "It's clear," Cai said as the beast nodded to him. He motioned for Megrin to follow him and stepped through the cave exit following his beast and when he changed back, he leapt on and waited for Megrin to follow.
Megrin felt silly for grinning like she was. But heck, why the hell not? And after giving up trying to tuck it away, she simply shook her head, smiling even broader as she took his hand a moved to mount the back of Baal. Wrapping her arms around him, she leaned in against his back.
"Let's get the hell out of here and find us a way to the ocean."
[I think they were already out of the cave]
Caius nodded to her and held onto Baal's scruff as the wolf-dog set down the path, skirting around the waterfall and the pool, following the trail of water to the east, as far as they could run. He was a beast of the underworld, and would not tire as easily. And the day waned on much in the same way, Caius watchful of their surroundings, of the shadows, of every sound and sight and relied on Baal to get them to their destination. And by nightfall, the moon rising higher, a crescent shape appearing between the clouds, as they stood on the cliff's edge with the shore just beneath them, waves washing up against gleaming sand. Caius paused and nudged her with his elbow, pointed to the water below. He then motioned Baal to find a safe path below.
Megrin's lips parted at the sight.
"That's so beautiful." The foam on the beach looked like silver, glistening in the moonlight. Tucking back a smile and holding a breath, she kept her arms around Caius as they began to descend down the cliff side path. The smell of sea salt and the crashing of waves were new and welcoming to her senses, and she felt herself squirm a little excitedly from behind Caius from where she was perched.
"The ocean is so massive,"s he commented after a time, her eyes straining to see all of it, but there was just no way that she could. "It's as if it goes on forever. I've.. I've never seen so much water." Even the lakes she had seen were nothing compared to this.
The ocean was indeed beautiful this time of night and Caius had never seen it either. It was a lot to take in, but not an unwelcome sight and by the time they reached the bottom of the cliff and down to the shore, Cai too was brimming with excitement. Now this dwarfed all sunrises by a longshot, over trees over mountains and he reached down and patted her hand that she could let go of him as he dismounted.
"I haven't either," he said, grinning ear to ear. "I bet it's ice cold. Let's go for a swim!"
Megrin let go of him, but at his words, blinked and looked over at him with a twisted face.
"What?" She shook her head and clung to the fur on Baal's back. "I don't think so. Not if it's like ice I'm not. I'll just stay here with your dog. Where's it's warm, dry and safe." And she patted Baal lightly upon the back. "Pretty sure he wouldn't want to get wet either, right doggy?"
Baal gave narrow eyes to her and promptly got up to head into thee water first, but not before scraping his back paws against the sand and kicking it in Megrin's face. Cai laughed and watched the wolf-dog prance around in the cold water. He looked over at her and took off his sword belt before pulling his tunic over his head which had since been repaired from the stint with the centaurs.
"Gonna be awful lonely on the beach. It could be fun, come on," he motioned for her to follow him as he dropped his pants and lefts his boots behind on the shore beside her and ran butt naked into the waves.
Megrin made a face when the dog kicked sand on her. Ugh, animals. But when Caius began to strip, she wasn't about to deny she liked the view. It had been a while since she'd been with a man anyways, well, at least a nice one, and found herself blushing, lips falling open into a small smile as Caius dropped his pants and rushed towards the ocean.
"You have to think I'm crazy if I'm going in there naked!" she called after him, cupping her hands around her lips and giving him a shake of her head and stubbornly stood there, arms crossed over her chest.
"No I think you're crazy for hanging around centaur!" he blurted out. "If you come in the water I'll think you're spontaneous! Oh come on!" Caius said, motioning for her to follow him. He splashed in the water, whooping at the coldness of it but grinning nonetheless. "It feels great!"
Megrin put her hands on her hips.
"What's wrong with not being spontaneous? I could just stay here and be a stick in the sand." And she smirked at him, before she glanced down at the wet sands, wriggling her toes into it. "I can still enjoy the ocean from over here!"
Lest she mention she was slightly afraid of the beach, he could use it to his advantage.. somehow. So for now, she was content to just smile and watch him, all the while bending over and observing the seahells that were collecting at the beach, shimmering like pearls in the moonlight.
Caius couldn't believe it and after five extra minutes of the exhilarating water, he stalked back on land and ran after Megrin. "You're coming in this water, whether I have to drag you by your feet to do so," Cai laughed and stood beside her, but there was a slight frown in his eyes. "What's the matter? You're the one that wanted to come to the beach."
Megrin was taken back when Caius rushed after him, her eyes going down to...
"C-Caius!" her face reddened as she laughed and rushed away, shaking her head and keeping her distance. But at his frown, she blinked, then looked away, gritting her teeth.
"Well, yeah... I've just.. I've never been so I er..." did she really have to admit to him she was slightly afraid of the waters? Not water in general.. just.. the idea of the ocean was terrifying. It was HUGE. She didn't think she'd ever be afraid of suhc a thing.. and Ahk-meht had been tossing all sortso f creatures at her the week before. What if one was in that water..
She really didn't want to drown! But maybe she was thinking to much.
She looked out at the water with a frown.
"It's just... well.. I've never seen THAT much water before in all of my life.. I.. I Just, I don't know.I feel weird and small against it, as if it might gobble me up, even if it is pretty. I mean.. the water looks nearly black at this time of night. As if it's a bed of moving shadows. I mean.. how do you know where the bottom is anyway?"
The Soul Keeper chuckled a little at her inhibition and gestured to the water. "There's nothing to be afraid of. I'm right here anyway, I wouldn't let you drown. And we'll just stay by the shore anyway, we don't have to go too much deeper than that. It feels great...you don't know what you're missing. C'mon, take that frumpy stuff off, no one else is looking and I don't mind." He turned around to give her privacy.
"Wait.. what?" Megrin's face fell, and a blush heated to her ears. She clutched a hand to her dress. "Hey, if I'm going in that water, my dress is coming with me." She eyed him over. "I'm not about to just drop it cause you like running naked in the waters, Blondie. I'm not that kind of girl." THough she was serious, her tone was still being playful, albeit defensive. ANd she timidly took a step near to the water, touching a sandal into the foaming waves that were receding back out to sea.
"It seems a bit cold.."
"I don't mean it like that," Cai said honestly. "Clothes will make you heavier in the water, they'll make you sink and easier to drown. I would never...er, have designs on you. Like that." He frowned at her and was a little hurt that she would think of such things about him. "Your clothes will only make the water feel colder anyway, clinging to your body. Your better off without them, it's true."
Megrin raised her brows up at Caius.
"What?" She looked shocked, for she was. She shook her head. "No,no, I didn't mean it like that, either, Blondie. It's just that.. sorry, I.. it.. yeah, my clothes are staying right here." she said, pointing to her chest. "Besides.. I er.. didn't.. really... I....... I'm not wearing under garments." she added, turning away and blushing as she grit her teeth. Thank God it was night time.
"And I doubt you could force me to do it anyway. Swimming in the ocean would be wella nd good and all I just.." but the look he was giving her, she sighed and planted her face into her palm.
"Gods... someone is totally going to see me doing this.. FINE." and she turned around. "But you have to unlace me, then relace me when this is over." And she held up her hair, expecting him to get to work at the damn laces of her dress.
"Great," he exclaimed and immediately moved behind her and peered at her laces for a good long moment. He was a little daunted by how many there were and intricately tied they were. "Hm, I've never unlaced a woman before," he admitted with a grim expression before proceeded into unknown territory. He was careful and took his time as he pulled at the ties until they came loose enough for her to shimmy out of.
"I think that'll do, there," he said and turned around to give her privacy.
Megrin laughed at his comment about never unlacing a woman.
"Well, then I guess you haven't seen one naked either." And she turned around, stairng at his back side after her dress had fallen to a pile at her feet. Then, with a wicked smirk, she gave his rear a quick smack before sauntering out into the ocean, her back side capped in a silver glow from the mood.
"Come on, Blondie," she said with a smirk over her shoulder. She put her arm out for him to take. "You said you'd help me get into the ocean... Now start helping."
Caius yelped and blushed a rosy red when her hand came colliding with his ass. He held his rear for a good long moment in disbelief before brushing it off and running after her. He didn't say he'd never seen a woman naked before, but he wouldn't tell her that. Certain representations of his goddess were when she was nude and he saw such beauty even in Megrin's. He wondered if other men were able to appreciate her without more 'blinding' thoughts on their mind.
Caius took her hand and guided her out into the ocean, taking careful steps and staying close to shore, gasping a little when the surf splashed up against the hair of his leg. Baal was too busy biting at the water and shaking it off only to go splash some more. "How is it so far?"
THe first few steps in were cold, and Megrin found herself leaning in towards Caius for warmth as she squirmed against a large wave that came in and sprayed water against her front.
"Well.. it's a bit cold and salty tasty," she began with a laugh, shivering beneath the moonlight. "Though I can't say I've ever experienced something like it!" And then she braced herself for another wave, drawing even closer to Caius with a laugh and yelp.
He laughed with her, almost childlike as he helped her step even closer into the larger, deeper waves that sprayed them. The sand was soft beneath his feet and he switched his grip on her. Exchanging his right hand for his left and using his right place around her shoulders as he held her closer to him and nearly slipped on top of her until he used her weight to regain his footing.
"Whoa!" he laughed. "Can I let go of you now? It gets a little easier being on your own now." He smiled and loosed his grip on her as he took his left hand away and splashed her a bit.
Megrin gasped when he let go of her hand, and immediately latched back onto it.
"Hey! You said you'd help me!" she said, freezing up and then winced as he splashed at her, getting some water in her eye. "Hey!" and she gripped his hand even tighter, and used her other hand to angrily splash water as his face, and in doing so, found herself barking out a laugh.
"Caius, come on! Stop that! I thought we were trying to enjoy the ocean! Did you just drag me out here so you could-" but then a large, unexpected wave rose outof the ocean behind her and came crashing down over top, breaking her grip on Caius as she went under, coming up a minute later in a gasp, her long dark hair plastered all over her face and body.
They were about waist-deep in the water now and Caius was having to much fun now to stop and turned his head away, laughing wholeheartedly when Megrin splashed him back. He half-expected her to actually concede to letting to of his hand. He backed away however when a great wave came and thrashed over her. It unbalanced him, knocking him to his ass when he saw her come up again. He laughed at her state, pointing and grinned and standing once again to help her up.
"Are you okay? That wave really took you out," he chuckled. "We are enjoying the ocean! Don't give me that look."
"Am I ok?" she glared. "Am I having fun?" She gave an annoying flick of her hair and before Caius could stop her, she came charging towards him, but then let out a squeal as another wave came their way. It wasn't as large as the last, but it halted her pursuit as she stumbled in her run, falling into Caius's arms.
He yelped like a kicked dog - kicked by the water this time - and fell back when Megrin landed on top of him. He coughed, his head having sunk below the water, and pulled himself up immediately, glaring at her. "Hey! I didn't drop you in the water!" he growled. But it was plain to see in the bright moonlight the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile. "You are having fun!'
Megrin stared back at him as he was sputtering out water.
"Wh-what!?" she said, sounding appalled by the idea, but she too, was smiling, and the moonlight gave it away. She smacked her hands at the waters between them. "I am not!" ANd she splashed a bigger one at his face. "Eat waves, Soul Keeper!"
"HEY! I THOUGHT YOU WANTED ME TO HELP YOU UP!" Caius howled when a wave came at him, giggles escaping him childishly. He splashed back at her, climbing to his knees and grabbing small clumps of muddy sand and tossing them at her. He got up and promptly ran a few yards from her. "You know I just realized something. You called me Caius ...for the first time."
"Ack!' the sand hit her square on the chest. "Caius!"
And as he was running from her, she glared, digging her hands into the sands and about ready to toss them at his face, but she paused at his question. "What?" Her eyes narrowed. "Cool it Blondie, I can call you whatever I want." And she then finally unleashed the two hands of soft, sand clumps towards his face, but they fell apart, splattering towards him along the way.
Caius raised his hands to block the sand coming his way , partly shielding his face as the sand struck him on his arms and chest. "You would revert back to that old nickname. What if I told you my real hair color was black, what would you say then?" he laughed at her, skirting around her and tossing up more waves. "You have terrible aim!"
"What does it matter if your real hair color is black? ACK!" she shielded her face from the on coming splash. "Your hair is blonde now, so you'll always be Blondie to me!" and she splashed back an attack, laughing all the while until she tripped over another on coming wave with a laugh.
Caius paused and backed away from her for a moment, stepping deeper into the water, now up to his chest. "It didn't. And it wasn't black, ever. I was only kidding," he smiled at her. "Look, you're feeling more comfortable all ready. Why don't you come closer to me? Deeper into the water. We'll go for a real swim this time, you can swim can't you? I won't let go this time, I promise."
Megrin stared over at Caius, her body shifting against a wave that was rising and passing, through not crashing on them as it made it's way towards the shore. SHe stare at him hesitantly.
"The thing is.. I'm only ok, at swimming. I'm no, pro, ok? So long as your holding my hand, I might survive." She said with a smirk.
"You'll be all right," Caius nodded to her. He stepped closer and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it before leading her slowly in the water until it was deep enough to become buoyant. He treaded water with his arms and legs, still just a few inches from the sloping sandy bottom. "Got it? Just take it easy, all right? And don't push me under!"
Megrin took his hand, and kicked her legs lightly, following him out into the deeper waters as she floated up and down along with the gentler waves out where it was deeper. Her hair was treading behind her like dark ribbons, while the seas glistened around them as she smiled and gave a laugh.
"Gods.. I can't believe this. I'm swimming in the ocean." she said, and began to feel a bit more confident as she let one of his hands go, but not the other, letting herself float away from him for a while as she floated out against the sea. "Mm.. it feels nice." she said, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back into the water and seemed to just float. And in that instant, that single moment, none of her worries or cares existed, and briefly.. she felt free.
It was a bit strange for him to be swimming with a naked woman in the middle of the ocean, but Caius wasn't feeling perturbed nor was he uncomfortable. She looked beautiful, with her hair blanketing out behind her, like a long tapestry of brown now turned black from the water. His own hair was plastered to his face and he couldn't help but smile at her.
"Excuse me for staring but...you really are a sight to behold," he said, admiring her and squeezing her hand even tighter. "And...hopefully you don't take this the wrong way, but I can see why Ahk-meht keeps you. You're...well, I'm having trouble finding the words to describe you." He blushed and swished around her, pulling her along with them.
"Do still need my hand?"
As he began to speak, her eyes opened as she turned to him, still smiling. Though as he spoke, her smile slowly began to fad. She looked down at the water's surface, another wave moving between them, but never cresting, as it crashed elsewhere into the sands. She felt her own cheeks flush at the comment, having her mind completely blank on what to say.
but at his last question, she actually pulled her hand away from his.
"N-no, I... " and she turned her back to him. Gods, why was she feeling so guilty all of a sudden? She always felt this way when...
"Caius... we should head back. Before Ahk-meht realizes I'm with you."
He'd been smiling all that time, but it slowly faded when she pulled away from him and began to swim to shore. He stayed behind for a moment before nodding. "You're right, we should." How disappointing that one mention of her master and the entire rendezvous was ruined. It was his fault of course. He should have just kept his big mouth shut.
As he began to swim after her, he promptly felt something entangle itself around his ankle and gave a soft tug. He gave a yelp and looked at Megrin with wide eyes, seconds before being yanked under water and dragged along the bottom.
At the noise, Megrin turned around, just in time to see Caius get pulled under the water.
"Caius?" she blinked, and when he did not come back, she began to panic. "CAIUS!?"
Whirling around she called out, "BAAL! BAAL! Come quick, your master is drowning! THe ocean just yanked him down into it!" Shit! What was she to do? Rakin ga hand through her hair, she drew in a deep breath and attempted to dive in after him, but when she tried to open her eyes under the water, all she could see was black while the salty waters burned at her eyes.
Moonlight danced on the dark water, glittering on the surface and only a few minute rays puncturing through. By the time Megrin had called for Baal, the wolf-dog was already bounding from the sand with Cai's sword belt in his mouth, having seen his master be sunk underneath the waves. He got close enough without going underneath and tossed the sword in Megrin's direction, hoping she'd see it, barking loudly to follow.
Underneath, just faintly, she might be able to make out Cai's form being pulled underneath, bubbles flowing up from his mouth, from the faint moonlight. But despite the surprise, Cai managed to reach out and grab onto a piece of coral growing underneath, hard and scraping against his skin, the tentacle creature still obscure in the darkness.
The sword hit off of her as she caught it with a noise, stumbling to keep it in her arms.
"Baal! something's got him!"
But she was no sword wielder, so she had no idea how to use the sword she now held, and continued to panic. She had seen Caius and where he was beneath the waters, and clung to the sword, running through to that location with some difficulty before diving back under and swimming towards him. And as she got nearer to him, she tried to hand him the sword, only ofr another dark tentacle to move forward, slapping the waters between them and trying to take a stronger hold of Caius.
His lungs were burning being sucked underneath so quickly with no preparation for it. Baal had since dove underneath, swimming as quickly as he could, going around the opposite direction as Megrin. Caius still held onto the coral vine, his hands bleeding out as another tentacle came to wrap around his waist. He motioned for Megrin to cut the tentacle, his ankle first and the second one wrapping around him.
Still panicked, Megrin realzied she had little choice. Breaking out of the water, she gasped for breath and clutched onto the sword tightly before swinging it forward, cutting mulitple times into the black tentacle that held him as she screamed out. Blood flowed into the waters like ink, but it seemed the other arm still had a hold on him. Gritting her teeth and swinging the sword again, she hacked off the second limb that held him.
"C-Caius!" she shouted, scrambling to get closer to him as she tripped and splashed under water, trying to see him through the blood and sea foam.
OOC: sorry this typed lamely XD
I'm so tired *heads off to bed*
There was a muffle screech that came out from the deep and it shook Caius to the bone. He was just about ready to let go when at last Megrin hacked the last limb free and he was loose. He swam for the surface and found Megrin in a panic. He gasped for breath, lungs aching and burning and scrambled for the shore. Baal came bounding along with his belt and sheath along the beach and when they at last reached the sand, he was splayed out on the shore on his back and breathing hard.
"You-you saved me!" he croaked.
[It was fine! Have a good night. (:]
Megrin found herself on her knees within the sands, faint remnants of the bloodied waters staining her skin as she shook. Did she really do that? Did she really manage to use a sword to cut something? Though her arms still ached from the effort, she found herself eventually drawn out of her shock to stare over at Caius.
"Y-yeah," she said, giving a disbelieving blink. "I guess I did."
Caius slowly sat up and just stared over at her with wide eyes, still breathing hard and his head still spinning. It must have been, he couldn't make sense with what he was doing. He couldn't make sense of himself just suddenly throwing his arms around her and holding her tightly to him. "Thank you," he whispered.
When his arms came around her, she found herself falling to her knees, still wide eyed as he held her. Then at his words, she found herself cringing. It was....
butt hen she hadn't a moment to think as she winced as a man holding a lantern was making his way down the beach. He called from the other side.
"Are you two alright?"
Megrin grit her teeth.
"Come on, Blondie. Stop hugging me before we get arrested. And help me find my dress." and she reluctantly pushed away from him, raking a hand through her hair before rushing over to her dress, quickly slipping it on, but not before peering once over at Caius, her midn still trying to comprehend just what had happened.
Caius didn't know why he'd done what he'd done, but he only realized its implications too late when Megrin pulled away from him and he nodded to her. He quickly redressed as he found his clothes and his sword and belt, strapping those on last. He knew she still needed to be laced up but with the rate the man was walking down the beach, calling to them, there was no time. "Come on," Caius called to her, still dripping wet as he climbed onto Baal's back. He waited for her to mount behind him before bounding the opposite way down the beach.
Hell with the laces, with her dress still loose, she jumped on back of Baal and clung onto Caius.
"Let's ride, Blondie." And it sure felt good to have the wind agaist her, even if a bit chilly from the waters still soaked through her skin and hair. Even still, at least being behind Caius, she could enjoy holding him, where as before, well..
It was just too strange. (naked part aside)
But as they continued onward, she gave a smile over her shoulder.
"I don't think that person would have tattled on us too badly, but explaining the blood on us to a completely stranger would be something. Let's just find some other place to wash up, alright? Maybe a more private part of the beach?" Though she didn't know why she suggested it like that, it kidn of came out sounding dirty, though the very idea excited her this time than being awkard, even if it were.. er... well, was.
Any implications or innuendo went completely over Caius' head as he simply took her at her words and within moments, Baal was finding his way through the rocks with them carefully on his back. Caius's hands were shaking, the wounds on his palms still evident from the coral and holding onto Baal's fur was only a small comfort. The wolf-dog wouldn't mind the blood nearly as much and would wash it off later.
As they woved their way through the boulders, they found a section of the beach that was naturally cornered off by rocks and the wind here was much calmer and still as opposed to the breeze that whipped at his hair and clothes and chilled him to the bone. Once on shore, Caius dismounted and shifted uncomfortably in his clothes. "I've got sand in places, I didn't even think you could get sand," he muttered with a frown before looking at his hands again. He approached the shore and bent over to run his hands through the salty water, letting it cure his wounds before looking back to Megrin. "I can help you with your dress now if you want."
Bending over the waters, Megrin pressed her palms into the waters, letting the shallow waves lap the blood off as she rubbed. Most of it she had gotten off before she raked a hand through her hair, and at his comment about the sand, she gave a knowing grin.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, Blondie," she said, sticking a hand down her loose shirt front and trying to brush off the sands between her chest. "At least men have less parts." But then she paused to consider, before looking down at his pants and cupped a hand over her lips. "Er.. maybe not." Then her eyes shined a bit with mirth as she looked up at him, turning away and moving her hair over her shoulder so eh could get at the laces. "Here," and she paused, staring down at her ocean soaked hair that was also stcky with sands. She smiled at that and lowered her gaze, staring through her long lashes. "And thanks." She didn't know for what- just a part of her.. wanted to thank him, and her cheeks dimpled as she bit back a smile.
The thank you had gone on deaf ears and he turned to her with a nod when she allowed him to fix her dress.
Caius cleaned his hands off before returning behind her and somberly looking at her laces again. He didn't know how he was going to rework the laces together again but he'd have to try. "This might take a few attempts," he said with a half-hearted frown before working his hands at the ties again and counting the holes to make sure he had the right ones and tugging them gently.
"How do you even get in a dress like this?" he said with a grunt as he pulled the ones half-way through. "Much less get out of one by yourself. Or do you just stay in the same dress all day and all night until somebody comes along to peel you out of it?"
Megrin gave a soft laugh, still holding her hair up. "Pretty much." And she peered back at him with a smile. This was nice..
To think, she had somewhat a friend out here; someone that understood her pain, and suffering. ANd someone who's soul she could't steal. It was enough to bring out some tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away and stared down at the sands.
"Just tie the laces as best you can. I bet it's near impossible since the dress is wet."
"I think I'll do all right," Cai replied with a laugh as he looped the last few holes and pulled it snug enough, but no constricting as he thought. "Is that all right?" He looked over her shoulder and patted her back. He lingered near just for a moment and brushed a hair out of her face, pushing it behind her ear and gave a somber smile. "I should thank you, really. That was nice. I've never gone swimming like that in the night before." He awkwardly ducked his head and scratched his own hair. "Well, I guess we should be going now."
Megrin turned to him with a smile, blushing but it was mostly hidden in the moonlight, overshadows by her hair.
"Yeah,"s he replied, a somber smile of her own. "I guess we should."
Castor paused before her, looking at the shadows displayed across her face, eyes sharp enough to notice the contrast and he leaned down slowly, unsure why he wanted to, but perhaps just to see what it felt like and kissed her gently on the cheek much like he had back in the crystal cave.
In that moment, her eyes read into his, not sure what she was seeing, or wanting or needing or even feeling until she felt a flutter within her heart as he leaned in for a soft kiss against her cheek. The winds flowed warmly against them from the ocean, but chilled her skin as she felt it heat up. He was so close, she was paralyzed with emotion, that was, until she leaned in, daring for another, something more, and met her lips to his.
He was unprepared for the feeling of her lips on his and the sensation that darted from his lips and filled his belly with fire. With such close proximity, his cheeks flushed and he was sure she could feel the very heat that emanated from him as he leaned in gently, unsure how to return the kiss. His lips felt tingly when at last he pulled away, eyes searching her face, unsure what he was looking for.
"I.." Megrin began, her voice a bit croaky as her cheeks heated to a terrible blush, one that not even the moonlight could hide. As his eyes searched hers, he would have seen her all starry eyed and dreamy, but after a moment, she found herself looking away, staring at the sands. It was then she grit her teeth. "I.. er.."
But then she lifted her head, laughing. "Consider that just a thanks." And she paused, pushing her dark hair out from her face. "I had a nice time with you in the ocean."
And then as hse was blushing, she realized.. "Er.. you know, some monster trying to kill you aside." ANd she looked up at him with an awkward grin and shrug.
Caius couldn't help his own smile despite the awkwardness between them and he lifted a hand to scratch at his head and brush his stringy hair out of his face. "It's okay," he said with a laugh and reached for her hand, taking her back to Baal. He mounted the wolf-dog again and motioned for her to get on again. "It was nice. We should do this again sometime." He blushed at the thought and adjusted his grip on the wolf-dog's fur to hold one of her hands around his waist. Without another word, he bounded up the narrow path up toward the cliff's again.
It shouldn't have felt this awkward. It was Blondie, after all. Though she couldn't help it, and her heart fluttered when she felt his hand upon hers as they took off, and after a time, she simply melted against his backside, remaining silently and just enjoying his scent mingled with that of the ocean as the winds whipped by her, her eyes staring back to the fading sea.
It felt nice to feel the warmth of her body against his backside and he brushed her hand with his while the other clutched onto Baal's fur as they ran back across the valley and soon when dawn alas came, they were deep in the heart of the Plains once more, with only a small trace of sand to show for it. They paused back at the breath of the waterfall, no trace of the raiders in sight and Cai looked over his shoulder to look at her. "Here we are," he muttered. He chewed on his lip peered at her again. "You don't have to go you know..."
Megrin was about ready to dismount from the wolf-dog's back when she tensed at his words. She bit into her lower lip, frowning before she sighed.
"Blondie.. you know I have to. If Ahk-meht knew where I was or who I was with all night..."
Oh Gods... she could only imagine the drill she'd get once his witch came back to collect.
"No, we should probably say goodbye." Even if she dind't want to.
Caius's jaw hardened at the answer. But hww nodded nonetheless. "I understand," Caius said. "I think there are sides to you that even Ahk-meht doesn't know about." He smiled and dismounted his beast and helped Megrin down after him. He lowered his head just a little. "Before you got though," he whispered. "Could you show me how you did that kiss from before?"
Megrin was just stepping off the beast as he posed his question, and found her eyes going wide at his question. Moving to place her second sandaled foot upon the ground, she mis-stepped and tripped, stumbling into him, being caught within his arms. Finding herself so close, after such a question, she blushed.
"Er.. I.."
And fear shot through her, even as she looked at his eyes, her heart going in loops.
She needed to look away, so she did, regret already filling her eyes.
"I can't.. I..." Though it had been innocent in the moment, it felt as if it had meant more. ANd that was what she feared. "Caius I.. we... I... probably.. shouldn't.. shouldn't hve done that before." She kept her back to him, stepping away. "It sort of happened in the heat of the moment." A lie- well, partially. She had wanted to and now.. now she feared Ahk-meht's eye might be upon her, and if he knew how she felt, and what was going on... by the Gods.. no no no no no!
Caius's smile faded and when she turned her back to him, he dropped his head to the ground. But at her stammering he did look at her and nodded. "I understand," he said. "It's okay. Hey listen, it'll be all right. Thank you again..." He smiled at her and brushed a hand against her cheek tarcing down to her chin and pinching it gently. "I had a good time. Have a good night Soul Thief."
Megrin felt shivers from his touch, even as innocent as they were, before turning her gaze to his from over her shoulder. She gave him a smile, it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Yeah, good night, Soul Keeper." And as she moved to leave, she paused in mid-stride, thinking back to what fate she was returning to and what had all transpired that evening. And with morning sun behind her, she stated, "Ah, screw it."
Who would it harm if she gave in to one little kiss, and found herself turning around and running back to him, throwing her arms around him as she leaped at him and pressed her lips roughly agianst his.
And she grinned at him wickedly as she did so.
"That's for saving me all of those times in the beginning when I was cold to you." and her eyes danced before she found herself kissing him again. "And that's for showing me a good time." ANd hse leaned in, kissing even softer, a hand smoothing down his chest. "And that's for..." Well, she didn't know what, and well, the kisses kept on going, electrifying her and making her breath softly between each one. Gods.. it had been far too long since she had enjoyed a real man's kiss. Even Samrin's had been so brief and cruel. But this... this was a whole other world, and he was so sweet, unlike most boys who wanted only one thing from her. No, this was a whole other game, and she was falling hopelessly for it. And it was only after all of those kisses she paused, smiled and turned away.
"Oh.. er.. and I guess all of those were to say.." and she kept her arms held lightly around him, staring back into his face, into his eyes and saying, "Well, just to say goodnight." ANd her entire face by now was a blush.
He was just about to leave when she came flying back into his arms and he caught her unexpectedly, alarmed and completely off guard when she smashed her lips into his. He instinctively caught her and held her close, but his mouth had no idea what it was doing and instead stayed motionless as she kissed him roughly then gradually gentler as she spoke.
He set her down, his lips tingling and fire setting ablaze all over, one he didn't really understand, but accepted nonetheless as she kissed him. They electrified him and made him smile softly and pressed his lips back with some pressure, though he wasn't sure which way to move his head before.
"Even the times I didn't save you?" Caius said. He laughed nonetheless and blushed furiously. "Good night then, Miss Megrin. Maybe we'll see each other again."
"Yeah, maybe," she said, still smiling before she turned away from him, peering once over her shoulder as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "See ya around."
And just like that, she began to walk away, her heart and mind on everything else, except the eyes that watched her like a hawk from the shadows...
Caius turned and was about to walk back to Baal when the wolf-dog stiffened and glowered at something in his direction. Cai turned and peered out to the early morning gloom and felt something staring at them that shouldn't have been. "Ahk-meht?" he whispered.
"Valgrin..." Baal answered back. "I mean...we should get back to Valgrin. She'll know about this either way...it's best we tell her ourselves."
"No...nobody has to know about this. That's why we both suffer so because our masters have their mutual disagreements and this is definitely one of those disagreements. Valgrin would never let me see her again."
"Cai...I gave you all the warnings I could, and you didn't listen. If you continue to see you, then do not be surprised with what befalls either of you. There are some things you cannot save her from." The wolf-dog shook his head before turning around and motioning for Cai to follow him. "I will not tell Valgrin, but she when she finds out, she'll have your head...and mine too."
As she kept walking, her steps feeling lighter, her spirit, to the clouds, she didn't see the eyes watching her, nor the shadows that crept out, reaching for her form, and the sinister laughing going unheard. And she had barely made it two more steps when the shadows struck her, spinning her around and gobbling up.
And then she was no more, having been transported back to Hell.
And as she stumbled in her twirl, her eyes blinked, becoming focused on the skull-encrusted walls all around her, and slowly the smile upon her lips began to fade as she noticed the figure at the end of the hall.
"Ahk-meht..." she growled.
ANd she marched clean up to him, determination, anger and fear coursing through her veins. And as she approached she struck him hard across the cheek, and all Ahk-meht could do, was laugh.
Caius since eturned to the old battlefield that he'd first met her in and sat upon a stone cairn and pulled out the sword she'd used to cut him loose. "She's different than I thought she would be," Caius mused as he cleaned and sharpened the blade witch a whetstone.
Baal laid beside him, tired and whined a little. "Would you stop talking about her?" he groaned.
Caius laughed and instead he just kept smiling. "I can't help it. I've never met anyone like her before. But I guesss you're right, I should move on. We were gonna leave soon. Like I said we would."
"Oh Caius...you need to get laid," Baal said and slumped over on his side with a grunt. Caius just squinted his eyes at him.
OOC: RANDOM MUSIC LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HSpXBTuPoM (psst- it's korean- and ignore the bad pictures iwht it >>; )
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"Have fun on your date, Meggy poos?"
Megrin growled at his face. "Quiet, Ahk-meth. I was just enjoying the evening, away from you." ANd she turned away, folding her arms across her chest. Ahk-meht laughed, and as he did so, he dissolved into wisps of smoke, reappearing before her. Megrin blinked, then narrowed her eye at him, waving her hand through him before he solidified and forcing him to reappear again.
"Oh, come on, my Mega-licious," he said, drawing his hands around her figure. "It was quite obvious the pair of you had.. quite the chemistry going. Naked moon-light swimming ont he beach..."
Megrin swung at him, but he dissolved so that her her punch merely stumbled through smoke and laughter.
"It's of no consequence to you! It doens't matter what I feel about him because for once, you cna't touch a man I love!"s eh said, laughing about it as it echoed around his form, that loomed behind her like a shadow. Whirling around with a gasp, she glared a thim as he reformed yet again, stalking towards her with a deviously dark grin, all the wile she backed away.
"Oh, you don't think so, Meg?"
And he jutted out a finger, that turned into a sharp razor like claw as he grabbed her arm. She gasped.
"What- what are you doing?" She glared a thim again. "Let me go!"
"Did you forget something Meg?" he said, then plunged a hand into her chest, and pulled out her beating heart. She felt herself gasping, wheezing, her entire body going cold as e held it, beating within his hand, a ghostly, violet aura glowing around it as it pulsated in his palm. "I own you."
Then he shoved the heart back inside her and let her drop to hte ground.
"But keep up the good work, sugar, because I'll have that soul keeper boy faster than your can bat your eyes at him."
Angered, Megrin lunged at him but again, he disappeared into a puff of laughter and smoke, leaving her impotent in her rage as she slammed her fists hard into the ground and knocked all of the candles over inside the room until she was in darkness, then threw herself to the ground and sobbed.
Caius had been enjoying the early morning sun when somebody came out from the darkness. The voice, the dress, and the sudden fear the seeped into his heart when he whirled around coming face to face with none other than Valgrin herself and Caius was frozen as he looked at her with nothing short of surprise.
"I see you've been enjoying yourself," she commented with a delicate grin. Her porcelain face was calm, eyes sensual and seductive as she peered down at her sitting Soul Keeper. "And where's the little she-devil?"
Caius looked at her with wide eyes. "She's not here. What are you doing here Valgrin? I thought you couldn't leave your realm."
Valgrin laughed and stood imposingly over Caius, making him feel small and shy away from the sunlight. "I may leave to where I please. And something tells me you've been to where you shouldn't have," she growled. "Don't worry it wasn't Baal. He I can trust! But you, Caius, have been neglecting your duties. You have not been collecting souls and for that I should flail the skin from your back... But that will teach you nothing. Remember the terms of our agreement, Cai, and nothing else. I can feel the strings the she-devil has placed on you. Sever them while they're still fresh."
For days, Megrin remained inside the underworld, but Ahk-meht hadn't come back. So hesitating, she checked around his underground Fortress, but there wasn't even a sign of the witch. THe only thing different was the silence, even the moaning groan of the souls she had collected over the years still clung to the air. So, in due time, she eventually found her way outside the mouth of the cave as she had before, and perched herself out withint he field, lookign around at the fallen soldiers, and reflecting back to whens he had first met the man who was going to steal her heart, a symbol of hope during a time when everything had fallen to pieces. She wasn't sure how to feel now, except mildly comforted by the breeze that swept through the valley.
There were dark clouds rolling in, and she shivered. Lighting struck across the air,a nd thunder rumbled the ground. But even as the rain's came, she simply sat beneath a tree, and let the rains fall down upon her as it poured.
He'd taken heed to Valgrin's words, knowing he'd been slacking on his collecting and transferred more souls into the Underworld in those few days than he could remember in months. Valgrin was right, he couldn't let himself grow attached, bad things happened when you lost that part of yourself, whenyou were no longer in control of your emotions. And what was more was what would happen if Ahk-meht intervened one day...and that solidified his decision further.
But his wandering would lead him back to that field one day. That he couldn't have known. And as he approached the tree to escape the soft drizzle, he hadn't seen the small slumped form sitting at the bottom of it until he nearly tripped over her.
Megrin let out a yelp, and went wide eyed as Caius suddenly tripped over her and was laying in her lap. Her eyes went even larger.
"C-Caius!?" She couldn't believe this, but of course, part of her had to chime in, "Falling for me already?" Then she sat up with a wince, "As flattering as this might be, would you mind getting off? You're crushing me."
OOC: lol hopes it's ok I assumed he actually DID trip cause.. lol
IF NOT I CAN CHANGE IT
|8*
[It's cool, no worries mon.]
Caius looked up at her when he got a face full of her lap and visibly blushed at the insinuation. "I-I'm sorry!" he was quick to say, crawling to his knees and off of her. "I just didn't see you, I didn't know-"
Megrin couldn't help herself. She laughed at the situation and shook her head. "The rain is coming down pretty hard,"s he said, shivering from where she sat, hands rubbing against her arms as she looked up at the grey clouds with a smile- a damn smile she couldn't get rid of, even as she tried to tuck back her lips. She glanced over at Caius.
"So what brings you out in the rain? Hunting more souls?"
Once he'd collected himself, Caius took it upon himself to stand beside the tree, leaning against the trunk. The blush still had yet to leace his face. "Uh...well, yes," he muttered, flustered. "Valgrin was pretty adamant that I keep collecting even if I have you to distract me from my task..." His voice was dark and almost sad, but looked at her again and gave a grin nonetheless. "I see you still have my jacket."
At the comment about the jacket (that she hand't realized she had clung to for days), she looke dodwn and blushed.
"Yeah I er.." she shrunk down into it, wishing she could hide. ANd the funny thing iwas.. it still smelled like him. "It sort of grew on me."
His smile grew and the world was made brighter for it. But the rain was no less coming down in sheets when at last Caius sat down beside her, eying the jacket. "It suits you I think. And the rain doesn't bother me," he replied. "What did Ahk-meht think of it?"
At the mention of Ahk-meht, her face fella nd she looked away, frowning as she stared down at the rain soaked grasses.
"He..er... approved of it," she said with a sigh. "Caius I..." she turned to look at him, pain in her eyes. "I really like that I got to see you again, you have no idea.. but... I know Ahk-meht is up to something. He was more than elated to find out we.. er.. we spent that evening together. And after.. after we spoke he.. he sort of vanished." She went quiet and stared down at the grasses, shifting uneasily.
"I think he's planning some sort of trap. I.. I think we shouldn't see each other ever again, do what we were doing before. Before one of us gets hurt." And she couldn't even look at him, her eyes fillin gup with tears. ANd she felt so ashamed.
He nodded to her words and didn't need to look at her. His face was completely passive as he looked out to the rain. "And is that what you want?" he couldn't help but ask, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her.
As he thought about it, Valgrin indeed had been more frantic as of late and and seeed under high stress to collect as many souls as possible. It was a rare moment for him to be able to sit for even a moment. But wherever her master had gone off to he had no doubt it was on Valgrin's mind.
Megrin grew quiet for the longest moment, just listening to the rain. And when she did not answer him, he might have heard her being to sob.
Cai turned to her suddenly at the whisper of her tears and furrowed his brows. "Hey, hey, hey," he said as he scooted closer to her nudging her shoulder with his. "You know water and tears make for less supple leather," he remarked in half jest. He put an arm around her as it seemed to be the right thing to do.
At his words, she sobbed even louder, and at his touched, she found herself flinching back.
She tunred to him, hot tears streaming down her face.
"Don't you get it, Caius? It's not about what we want." she shook her head. "We do not own ourselves. Our fate is not ours to make, and if we continue this, do I have to remind you... Akh-meht wants you. And if my master wants something," she began bitterly. "He will get it."
Brushing her tears angrily away, she got to her feet.
"I'm going to leave now and it won't be what I want, but I've seen too many I care for suffer. So please, go back to Valgrin, maybe ask her to keep you from me, I don't know, but this can't continue.. I can't just.." and she found herself choking on her tears again as she looked away, still stnading now in the rain.
It was only after a time she shrugged the jacket of fnad held it out towards him.
"Please.. take this back so I can't remember. I'd rather forget the one night I had of freedom. I'll think of it as a pleasant dream and nothing more." then she smiled, sadly through her tears.
"And well.. it was fun while it lasted, Blondie."
His expression remained impassive and he peered down at the jacket when she offered it to him. He took it and flung it back over his shoulders. "You know, I'm glad you brought this up," he said quietly. "I wouldn't have known how to pose it to you otherwise. But I was thinking the same thing, it's for the best and I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Valgrin, believe it or not, wouldn't want you to get hurt either. It was nice, but I'd rather not forget. If you forget it goes away. And I'm just not that kind of man," he said. "Thanks for taking care of my jacket. I guess I'll be seeing you."
At his words she winced, and felt herself panic before her hand shot out, grabbing onto his wrist.
"Wait.."
ad she hesitated, felt herself trembling before she asked, not even able to look at him.
There was a sad smile gracing her lips.
"Don't I even get a kiss goodbye?"
He honestly wasn't expecting that. And he found himself smiling and couldn't contain his laughter. "Do you always have this hard enough time making up your mind?" he countered as he walked back to her side and reached down to wipe her tears. "Why?" he wondered. "This isn't goodbye. Maybe in some other lifetime. But this isn't goodbye."
Megrin smiled through her tears.
"Well..." She laughed inspite of herself. "We both know it should be." And she stood there, staring at him with glossy eyes. "And are you going to just ask me questions or are you going to kiss me?" And part of her wished he was strong enough to say no....
The other part hope he said 'yes'.
Caius gave a blushed grin. "I'm afraid I'm not a very good kisser," Cai admitted. "I'd hate to disappoint you. Maybe it's best that we don't." He frowned at her and moved to turn away from her.
"Bad kisser?" she laughed and took his hand, moving to stand near to him, but paused at his side, staring down at the grasses through long lashes.
"Hey, you can't be so bad when you haven't had enough practice." And she looked up at him. "Though maybe it's I who isn't the good kisser? I mean, you don't even look like you'd want to. Or... Maybe I'm just not pretty enough."
That ought to be enough to goad out a response, a response she really, REALLY shouldn't be trying to get, but hey- he was just going to leave her without her requested goodbye kiss just casue he thought he was bad at it? Talk about a deflated moment and one that was anti-climatic!
At that Caius grew irritated and he turned on her. "Lack of practice? I'm sure I'm bad compared to someone who's had lots of practice," he snapped and furrowed his brows at her. "And don't sell yourself short, your nearly a goddess. How can beauty relate to one's desire to kiss you?" His expression was clear that he wasn't connecting the dots and he chewed on his lip as he held her hand tightly.
Megrin drew back.
"Hey, easy there, tiger." And she swiped some hair out of her face. "I was joking. Either way," she smiled a little. "Are you're saying I look like a goddess?" And she leered him, leaning in and giving a playful bat of her eyes.
Cai drew his head back a little as she leered at him and he frowned a little. "I thought that was what I just said? Did I say you looked like the bottom of my boot?"
Megrin stopped her eye batting and stared at him, her own smile fading to a more soured frown as she sighed.
"No, not exactly," and she sighed and turned away from him. Maybe it was silly to press the kiss. He obviously wasn't interested. Maybe the night before was just some fluke.
Her fluke. Ugh, she was always so stupid when her heart began to feel a little flutter, making her more susceptible to mistakes.
"Look, don't worry about it, Blondie. It was just nice to see ya." and she smiled at him, though it didnt' reach her eyes as she moved to turn away.
Yeah, best to leave now, like she had planned. Though it was painful to think..
did he honestly not realize they should never see each other again? And that she had no choice for 'some other life'- 'some other chance'? Ugh, she wasn't about to spell that out for him. The last thing she needed was more pity.
He nodded to her and before she pried her hand from his he pulled it close and kissed the top of it before letting her go. He smiled sweetly at her and stepped from the roots of the tree down towards Baal. "There's a kiss," he called to her. "If that's good enough."
Megrin was surprised by the kiss, even if it was to her hand, and stared at it for a time after Caius stepped away. She smiled over at him, leaning against the tree.
"Where you guys heading now?" she found herself asking, though she supposed it was hardly of any consequence to her, she was still curious and a light was still dancing in her eyes.
[Of course she would get all ditzy because he kissed her hand *eye roll*]
Cai turned to her with some confusion. "I thought this was goodbye!?" he called back to her, standing beside the wolf-dog that just glared at her. He pet his companion's head and just smiled. "I'm going soul hunting, want to come?"
OOC: You have no idea! She had to make all of her dumb mistakes SOMEHOW
plus I feels her pain, man. I FEELS IT |8*
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Megrin blinked.
"Well, it er.." she was going to say it was. She was just going to watch him ride off into the sunset and be done with it before she blinked and eyed him skeptically.
"Is that even a good idea?" then she looked down at Baal. "ANd you're dog doesn't seem to happy, either."
[xD LOL! How? ]
"I'm never happy," Baal growled and began to walk off in the direction they headed. Cai walked backwards and looked out to Megrin with a motioning hands toward him.
"Are you coming or not?" he said, grinning.
"I thought you said I was trouble, and I thought we agreed on goodbye?" she said, smiling back at him and taking a few hesitant steps forward.
OOC: How do you think she got cursed? lol
Fell for a guy that charmed her, not realizing he was a rat XD
Cai kept walking backwards, laughing at her words. "You are trouble, but that didn't stop us before! What's changed? If you're coming now is your chance!" He stopped and held his hand out expectantly, even as Baal kept walking away.
[Obviously, I thought you meant something else. xD So nevermind. But this isn't necessarily the same thing. She's falling for a guy who's NOT a rat. Or maybe it is, she obviously as a thing for nice guys. Or semi-nice guys who know how to play the sheep well.]
"And you don't think I'd just get in the way?" she asked, her questions helping her drag her feet. She shook her head, but then found herself moving forward, but still not close enough to take his hand.
"What good is a soul thief to you when you're after dead souls and I can only take in alive ones?"
"All souls find their final peace eventually, or their hell," Caius admitted. "You could just...observe, bring back some useless intel I'm sure Ahk-meht doesn't already know. Quick slacking and come on!"
"Who's slacking?" she teased, walking with an extra sway to her hips. "I'm just enjoyin ga nice stroll," and she paused as she realized she had to step over a dead corpse, and gave Caius a shrug.
"Alright, you've got me. I want to come but.."s he hesitated, biting into her lip. "What the hell, might as well at least enjoy the ride." and she rushed forward, taking his hand and grinned right up into his face.
"But if your dog bites me becasue he's in a foul mood now and I die of rabies, I'll be sure to see if Ahk-meht will grant my ghost permission to come back and haunt you." And she smiled more smuggly, almost challengingly. "Becuase I will." And she flicked a piece of hair out of her face. "Haunt you, that is."
Once he took her hand, Caius let out a boyish laugh and he burned at the cheeks again. It seemed a constant curse in any sort of contact with her that he would blush furiously. "Why would you haunt me? Because my hair is more beautiful than yours. I've heard it said that blondes do have more fun," he quipped and squeezed her hand closer to him. After that he broke out into a run after Baal, pulling her along with him.
Megrin only smiled as she was pulled along with him, her long dark hair trailing behind her.
"I thought you said I looked like a Goddess? So what does it matter what color hair I have, Cai?" she called over the winds that whipped past them as they ran. She shook her head. "And is that why you won't kiss me?" And she grinned. "Since I'm not blonde?"
Caius furrowed his brow at her confused, not understanding her implication. "Why would your hair color matter? You're beautiful. Don't you know that? You don't need me to tell you that. Why do you want me to kiss you so badly anyway?"
Megrin's grin widened and shrugged.
"No reason. It's just been a while since I could kiss a man I liked without, you know, stealing his soul." she sighed and looked away, off intot he sunset. "Though I suppose if you don't want to." She rolled her eyes at him and kept on walking, well past him in fact as they pressed onward through the field of the dead.
"You like me?" Caius said, clearly confused by everything she said. He hated how debilitated he was from having never experienced such words thrown at him in his life. and it certainly felt even stranger in death. "I've just...never felt the need to kiss anyone. What does it prove?"
Megrin gave him a playful grin,but one that was also sympathetic.
"Well, to us humans," she teased, "It's a sign of affections, showing that you like someone, and if the kiss is deep enough, it also shows that you love them, well at least that's what I believe." But then with a shrug, she turned away from him. "Though I suppose perhaps it's too early to tell what we ought to prove in this friendship,"s he siad, drawing ina breath.
Right.. since even that was awkward.
Friends..
Yes, it was awkward and Caius didn't know what to make even of that. He walked by Baal as the wolf-dog slowed down and looked over the misty battlefield, looking for wandering souls. Cai looked to the horizon, collar up against the rain. "To me you don't need affection to prove you love someone. Love is something you carry with you for all things, or none at all," he said in vague wonderment. "But I wouldn't know. I've never known love. I probably never will."
Megrin tilted her head to one side.
"Are all stuffy paladins that way? You know, with that weird philosophy on love?"
Cai laughed at her words. "I guess you could say that," he replied. "When you devote your entire life to your faith, love takes on a different meaning. You love your brother because he is your friend, because he is good and true. You love yourself with pride, and you love the earth because it is beautiful and the source of all life. Love is present in all things, each in a different way."
Megrin smiled at his logic.
"Yes, but what about passion? The love that makes you want to hurt for it, in a good way, I mean.... the love that makes you want to smile when you can't help it? A love wars are fought over, a love that you pine for, even when it is not there? A love of someone who connects with you so closely, you are never the same once you meet them, and when they are gone, you are always lonely, always waiting for your other, better half to return." She sighed, smiling and looked away. "That's.. sort of what love is I guess. Though I suppose it just sounds crazy."
He couldn't understand quite what she meant, not in the way she described it. "Why would you want yourself to suffer in such a way?" he inquired. "What does passion provide but more pain and weakness to that pain? To know that should you never be with your other again...that that part of you is gone. It must be unbearable."
Megrin laughed.
" I guess I described that one wrong, but,"s he sighed, laughin a bit at herself for her poor choice of words.
She even blushed.
"Sorry.. it's just, every time I'm involved in any sort of love, it always results in pain. In hurting, and it's hard for me to recall a time without it. But even still... if you know a love exists and you want it so badly, you know you'd endure pain for it. It's like, a woman having a child, you know? They say that child birth is one fo the worst things she'll ever feel in all of her life. But for hte love of her husband, and for that child to be, they say it's worth it." She smiled and looekd away from him.
"It's like those romanticized stories, about knights fighting battles soley to be with that woman they love, to be with her, to fight anything just to rescue her from her tower in which she is suffering. And they alwas have it where the lover, that knight, he always almost dies, and well, int he end, it's love that drives him all, to help him conquer all thigns to be with her. And family's too, a mother's love will have her do great things.. but the most epic of all is always found around.." Ad she twilred around, poking him in the chest. "Love."
She smiled then shrugged it away. "Perhaps if we ever get to a library I'll find a scroll of one of those ancient stories for ya. Perhaps that's why I'm so silly though in my views. My mother had me growing up reading all that garbage." She sighed, finding herself (where she was once all smile and bubbly hearted) now wilting a bit and her lips sagging witha frown.
"I always had a thing for knight's in shining armor. Though I've just about given up thinking they're real, or that that sort of love actually exists. At least not for me. No one can fall inlove with a girl who can't even kiss them without sucking out hteir life force. What sort of love is that? Then their souls are damned forever," she sighed, down casting her gaze. "As is my soul, too..." she looked down at the grasses fo ra very long time, and added quietly, "I'm damned."
"You're right," Cai said agreeing wth her. "That kind of love exists in fairy tales because it doesn't really exist. Those stories are things someone made a lot of money on because they make people feel good. And it's why a lot of young people get hurt, because they buy the fantasy in the hopes that it will come true! But there are no knights in shining armor and love cannot really save you from death. There is no escaping that, I should know." Caius could tell the mood had grown somber but that didn't stop him from looking out to the horizon and looked for the sun that was somewhere underneath the gloom of stormclouds.
"Real love is devotion pure and true, and sacrifice without expectation," he mused. "That's my take on it. To love because you give of yourself freely whether or not it'll catch you."
"Well, you said it better than me, Blondie, though then again, you should know about devotion." She studied his face. "Did you really end up giving it all up for your church?" she inquired. "I mean.. do you think that's how you died? I don't mean to pry but, it seems like you're that sort of warrior, one who would fall for a cause. Something right,"s he smiled towards him. "Mkaing you a knight in shining armor," she teased, bumping her hip agianst his befre moving infront of him and drawing in a breath.
"But for me, it seems if I love, which I do too freely,"s he added with another sigh and frown. "It seems others suffer, an din turn,.." she looked at the ground. "I suffer. It's what Ahk-meht says makes me so powerful. I have a way to kindle a soul, to make it realize love, and that in doing so, it makes it hone a sort of power within it, and if it blossoms into the truth of love- then it can be mine- and I steal it.. and then.. it becomes his."
Then realizing she was ramblig, she sighed.
"There I go agian, sorry, Blondie. I didn't mean to soil th mood."A nd she laughed at herself, arms folding over her chest.
" It's a hard thign to kick when it's all I've been forced to do these past few years. In fact, I can't even recall how long it's been... and Gods,.. I've befriended so many.. taken so many souls.." She shivered, finding a nearby fallen log and sitting on it, casting her head down towards the ground.
"You should go on without me.." she brought it up again, her words careful.
"I know Ahk-meht doesn't have me on his leash right now, and I don't exactly know his plan, but it just can't be good." she looked up at him, tears filling her eyes.
"The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Cai." then she smiled sadly, laughing even. "Because you know, it's been nice to actually talk to someone, someone who understands me, but it's making me to vulnerable to the emotions I'm so afraid of. The emotions I use to hurt others nad I..." she lowered her gaze.
"I just wish there was a way out."
"I wish I could remember enough to tell you that's how I died. Those shards I haven't found yet. But for someone so 'woe is me' you have a much better sense of humor than I do," Caius admitted. "But I think the truth is that Ahk-meht is afraid of you, afraid of what would happen if he lost you. Ther're got to be a loophole, there always is. Maybe you should try making Ahk-meht fall in love with you...You know your witch gave me a stone once. I-" He paused and reached into the puch at his side, feeling a weight form that wasn't there before. "It came back... I..think you can use it to trap a soul..."
Megrin furrowed her brows.
"What sort of stone? Let me see it!" she demanded, and once she saw it, she gasped.
"That bastard!" She clutched her hands into fists. "When did he give this to you?"
"After our run in with the centaurs," Caius said, with a frown and narrow eyes. "I don't understand. What kind of stone is it?"
Megrin took the stone and held it up to her nose, giving a sniff.
"Ugh, did Mahtaht give you this? It reeks of her magic." She shivered and dropped the thing into the grass before kicking it away. "It's best you just leave it alone. Probably some sort of trap Ahk-meht is up to in order to get you into his possession. He's been all about stealing souls since as long as I could remember him, and now that he's found out I befriended you, he thinks he's clever, scheming something to get you onto his side. Something to help him fight against the higher Gods or something. Id unno, its beyond me." She sighed. "But don't ever listen to either of them. Ever. ok? Please.."s he siad, taking his hand and squeezing it, her eyes pleadign with his. "Promise me you won't take any deals with them, no matter what they say or do or try."
"That's the thing...I had thrown it away," he breathed, casting his eyes out to where she'd thrown the stone. "And it appeared again just when I spoke of it." His eyes wavered, confused before locking eyes with her. "I-I understand. I won't make any deals....promise. But what power does that stone have? Why did she give it to me?"
"To be honest, the stone itself is probably harmless. But it's more of a nuisance than anything. She probably cursed it so it stays with you, more of a reminder of whatever it was she wanted from you." She sighed and turned away, glancing down to where she had placed it in the grasses.
"I'm not sure how we can get rid of it unless we destroyed it somehow, and even then.. how do you destroy a rock?"
Caius shrugged and looked down at the rock, expression obviously troubled by all of this. "Heat," he murmured. "Lots of heat could destroy a rock like that. The texture seems almost volcanic, glassy. But in any case, it's not something I'm going to touch anymore than I have to." He frowned and squeezed her hand. "You have my word though," he nodded, and removed his hand from her grip. "Let's get back to the field."
"Volcanic.." she though it over, then her eye's lit up. "What if we were to destroy it? To take it and throw it into some volcano? Then at least that cursed rock would be gotten rid of. It's a worth a shot, ain't it?"
"What like we're just gonna have a volcano pop up outta nowhere?" Cai said. "One does not simply walk up to a volcano...But I think I might know a place where we can destroy it. The Thunderblacks. Dragonfire might do the trick."
"Dragon fire?" Megrin shrunk back, gritting her teeth. SHe hated dragon's, and infact, had a great fear of them.
"Er.. you sure we couldn't just er, find that volcano, Blondie?"
How was she to admit to him her fear. She rarely ever interacted with dragons, but when she did, it .. was definitely embarrassing.
"I can't think of anything else," Caius admitted with a shrug. "But maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe we don't have to destroy it. I know, I'll take it Valgrin and she'll take care of it. She doesn't know about it after all... I don't imagine she'd be very happy, but it's a possibility."
He stood up and motioned for her to stand with hm. "C'mon, maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe I should take you back. That rock obviously got us all riled up. I can carry on from here."
Megrin looked away, gritting her teeth.
"It's not exactly that," she admitted. "I'm.. sort of afraid of dragons." And she flinched, bracing herself for him to simply make fun of her. But she couldn't help it. Those things could swallow her whole! Or burn her to death.. and only the GOds knew what else!
"Well, yes. Anybody with half the sense of a mule would be afraid of dragons," Cai sympathize. "I've never actually seen a dragon face to face myself. And I'm not saying I'd do it if I didn't have an alternative. It was just a suggestion. It's okay to be afraid. I was afraid of spiders myself when I was a little boy. They still give me the willies sometimes, but I do okay." He tried to smile at her, at least to make her feel better.
Megrin gave him a half smile, feeling better about her fear.
"A paladin afraid of dragons?" her smile grew a little more. "And spiders are pretty scary. Though me? I just deal with them by smashing them with a broom."
"Well, don't laugh," Caius said hotly. "I mean, we're all afraid of something. I never said I was afraid of dragons. But they sound awfully fearsome. You are the one that said she was terrified of dragons. Or are you just trying to emasculate me?"
Megrin rolled her eyes at him. "Calm down, tiger. I'm sorry I assumed." And she folded her arms across her chest. "Why would I try to do that anyway?" and she gave him a playful grin before simply turning away from him.
"Because I wouldn't kiss you," Caius laughed before nudging her side and bounding off through the field after Baal as the wolf-dog honed in on a wandering spirit orb. The soul keeper dropped down by his side and hid in the tall grass, watching the spirit as it wavered around.
Megrin genuinely grinned at that, then watched as man and dog stalked their pray. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head and sauntered over towards the pair, not caring to get down on her hands and knees and simply began to approach the spirit as it moved.
At first, it dashed away from her, leaping all over the place as if it wanted to leap over the moon, then it paused, whizzed past her, then playfully moved past her again.
"Oh.. another playful spirit I see,"s he said, grinning at it. "I think this one wants to play." she said, folding her arms over her chest and peering over at the soul keeper in the tall grasses. "So do you think stalking souls like a beast after it's meal works as a good tactic in securing human souls?" and as she stood there, appearing harmless, the soul came curiously over to her side, floating just above her shoulder. She turned to it, smirked, and then looked back at Cai.
Caius frowned and watched the soul playfully dance around her before he gave up trying to be sneaky and stood up in the grass. "Well, not with you blowing my cover. I can't always count on just being able to approach souls. Even the playful ones like to run away," he said as he lingered over toward the spirit. But the closer he got, the closer it lingered to Megrin.
"Am I that scary?" he asked as he paused and watched the spirit. "I think ...it's the spirit of a child. It's small and more frightened than an adult spirit. Wonder what it's doing out here in the middle of a battlefield."
Megrin turned to the child's spirit ,t hen back to Caius.
"You've got a point. Maybe it was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
Caius tried to get closer but the spirit kept skirting away, lingering at the feet of Megrin's dress and laughed playfully at him. He smiled at the spirit and crouched down. "Hello there," he said and held out his hand. "I'll play if you want me to play. How does hide and seek sound?"
"Hide and seek?" Megrin raised a skeptical brow. "I don't know if that's such a good-" and then the little spirit moved in a glint of light, a noise similar to a charm tinkled as it disappeared beneath Megrin's skirts.
Caius visibly paled when the spirit ducked beneath he skirts. He scowled and promptly stood up. "That's no fair! I'm not going in there!"
Megrin stifled a laugh, blushing at Cai's comment then looked down at her feet.
"Well, you started the game.." she began,a nd slowly began to lift up her skirts, revealing the little glittering spirit by her ankles. "See? There he is." And then it flew up further int her skirts. So she lifte di tup higher, revealing her knees, and the little spirit there. "Come now, I don't have much more skirts to offer you to hide in-"
but oh it went there anyways, and disappeared up the rest of the way. Megrin blushed.
"Well, looks like you lost that one."S he said with a laugh. "I ain't pulling these up any more."
"Goddammit!" Cai cursed as he smacked the ground and looked up at her with an unamused frown. "Well, I knew if I'd known you'd be this much trouble, I'd have left you by the tree. But I guess, that's just a small consolation for us to spend more time together. You can have that soul. I'll get the next one." He peeked out to the space in her skirts and just gave up, unwilling to go further than that.
Megrin rolled her eyes.
"Don't blame me for your lack of.." and she began to walk away, letting her skirts fall back down around her legs as she paused, gritting her teeth as she grinned back at him. "Style. Perhaps you need to change your tactic for catching souls, Soul Keeper." And she smirked over her shoulder, brushing dark hair from her eyes before strolling away, only to find herself unearthing another soul that came flying out from beneaht another fallen body. She was startled at first, but then smirked and glanced back at Cai.
"Hey, Blondie, there's another one. Why don't you try your hand at this again?"
He didn't need any help from her. He'd been doing this for far longer than he could remember and he walked over to her and watched as the other soul drifted from underneath the skeletal remains of a warrior's body. It flowed up and out, fluttering in the rains and he moved passed her, stepping quietly, solemnly, stepping exactly where the spirit trailed until he was in it's wake.
When it noticed him, it fluttered away just a little but he held out his hand without menace and gently coaxed the orb closer to him. "It's all right," he whispered, crouching before it again. "It's time to go back to where you belong." His eyes were filled with a passive, bluish glow as he summoned the orb inside of him, and the spirit slowly flowed into him, passing into his chest and the faint glow slowly faded from his eyes like smoke, until the soul was completely absorbed.
Megrin watched, entranced in the way Caius worked. Something about it seemed.. a lot different than the way she worked. And as she stood gaping, the soul between her skirts snuck out.. lingering nearer towards Caius, curious as to what he just did. It took, saw this as a chance to 'go home'; but remained hesitant in the grasses between the two.
He felt the presence of the child spirit emerge out from underneath Megrin's skirts and he could hear the chiming and whistling from it. He stood and emerged a little closer, it lingered still, uncertain of him. Caius didn't move threateningly and instead he moved closer to Megrin. The spirit moved close to her as he neared and chimed a little again.
"It must think you're it's mother," he said with a smile. "There must be something motherly about you."
"Motherly?" Megrin visibly frowned at the sentiment, feeling her ears heat up. "No.."s he turned away, shaking her head. "It probably sees me more like a big sister than that. I wouldn't even know what to do if I were a mother." Her frowned deepened as she looked away. "Not that that would ever happen."
The little soul seemed to feel sympathy towards her, almost sounding to coo as it nestled against Megrin's arm. she peered down at it curiously, then smiled.
"I bet you were a cute child," she stated, giving it a small smile. "Perhaps a little timid."
"Such attitudes rarely change even in death," Caius said, moving closer to the orb and offering its hand out to the orb and feeling it's energy tickle at his hands. He laughed and invited it closer. "It's okay, little one. You're going to a much better place than this rotten old battlefield," he soothed. The orb gently fluttered over to him until it felt brave enough to enter into his body, gliding into his chest and making him frown all of a sudden.
A tear formed in his left eye. "She misses her mother. But she's finally going to be reunited with her. To where she belongs."
Megrin looked up at Cai, smiling and approaching him, and moving a hand forward to wipe his tear.
"At least you can take solace in that when you take your souls,"s he told him with a sad smile.
"A short-lived solace," he admitted to her with a sad smile of his own. But her hand was unexpected and his own came up to brace it softly, pressing it against his cheek. He looked at her for a moment before leaning in and kissing her as she'd asked him to do so many times before. It was brief and soft, innocent in it's action when he pulled away. "There."
Megrin's breath caught within her throat, her heart tickling, thrilling at hte simple, chaste notion of the kiss, and her cheeks heated fast. SHe looked up into his eyes, a smile on her lips, but one that was more in her eyes than her cheeks as she tried to read his eyes, but then glanced down, laughing softly but once through a breath. She was probably reading into this too much, so she just said, in as much of a light hearted tone as she could, "Thanks."
"Thanks?" Cai said with a frown. "I'm not sure I understand. But...um, okay, I guess." He felt even more awkward at that and he stepped away. "Sorry. I told you it wouldn't be what you expected. I don't know what I'm doing. I...I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I did it, I knew it would be bad." He tried to laugh it off and walked back toward Baal.
Megrin was laughing. SHe moved after Caius, grabbing onto his arms and once she had him turned around, placed a finger to his lips. Then, without so much as a word, she leaned in and kissed him softly in return.
"Shh.. just kiss me," she said. "Talking will ruin the steam." and she leaned forward, lips soft as she turned her head, leaning into it, leaning into him as she closed her eyes, tipping up a single foot at the sensation. "Just... like... this..." she spoke between light as air kisses.
[SHE WOULD TIP HER FOOT UP! Stinky cheese girl.]
His lips just tingled at the sensation and he was breathless just at the chaste kisses she placed on his lips. He was at a loss, completely frozen until he set his mind to try and mimic what she was doing. He tilted head just a little, feeling his nose press into her cheek awkwardly.
"What's steam?" he whispered, confused, even as he pressed his lips a little harder into hers.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up and just kiss me?" she said, growling through a smile against his lips as she held onto his face, pressing in harder, to let him feel the kiss, long and deep.
OOC: And you're the stinky cheese lion!
Electricity spread from his lips out through the rest of his body, though the kiss was still largely mild than what he'd imagined, unsure what he should have imagined and just leaned in a little further, tilting his head. He didn't know it, but he felt his arms wrap around her and squeeze her tightly. "Is that any better?" he breathed, pulling away slightly to turn his head the other way.
[That was a great children's book by the way.]
OOC: PFFFT.
and it's called "THE STINKY CHEESE MAN" by the way
u_u
and YOU would XD
---------------
Her hands had since moved from his face, wrapping around his shoulders as she leaned in even more, gasping through the transition of their kisses.
"Yes," she laughed, though it was snuffed out by another kiss. "Just keep kissing me. Keep kissing me all night."
[I know. It's an awesome book.]
"Okay, then I must be doing something right," Caius laughed and pressed his lips deeper into hers, opening his mouth a little, and letting her feel the heat of his mouth and saliva pressing into hers, holding her tighter, feeling flushed and heated as he kissed her deeper. "Goddess above," he whispered against her. "Good thing I didn't kiss you before. I would have missed out on this."
Megrin smiled, giving an appreciative moan through their last kiss after his words.
"I guess you're right,"s he growled playfully against him, kissing him again and breathing through it, one that deepened and pressed more lip and mouth warmly to his than before. A hand found it's way behind his head, holding it there, fingers in his hair as she turned her face again, then gently pulled away, but kept her lips still against his, but just the lower one as they trembled. Even in her hesitation, she itched and yearned for another kiss, but only gave him a few soft ones before she spoke, "Caius.." she stilled, her breathing coming out hotly against his mouth. Then she smiled, leaned in to press another long, deep, hard kiss to his lips before pulling away, hands to his cheeks as she held his face. "Oh, never mind. Let's just keep kissing." and she dove back in for some more.
He was completely taken with the force of her mouth on his in a way he'd never imagined it would, in a way that set his mind ablaze and his heart racing and feeling like for a moment, nothing else mattered in the world. His breath became hot and he sweat underneath his clothes in a way he didn't quite understand.
His hands threaded through her hair and he took it upon himself to lick her lips, kissing her much softer than before, becoming adjusted to it. He pulled away just slightly to catch his breath. "What - what were you going to say?" he whispered against hers, lips lingering there, feeling her breath and what words would come.
Megrin felt all tingly, as if floating on cloud nine. She could have been shooting through the stars for all she knew, for she hardly felt grounded, except grounded into him. When he spoke, she stared at him through hazy eyes but blushed.
"Don't worry about it." she tried a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. And her cheeks were still flushed. "I would have just ruined everything." She gave another dreamy, lop sided grin. "I just wat to enjoy this moment." She added in a whisper. "Where nothing will break the chain."
Caius laughed against her lips and breathed with small hitches. "It's okay... I'm just wondering, is this what you do with all of your friends? Kiss them relentlessly, I mean? I-I don't have a lot of experience in this...I told you, so don't expect me to just know, y'know? But I've been told I'm a very fast learner."
Megrin laughed.
"Friends.." she seemed to almost cringe at that, but there was still that sparkle t her eyes as she looked into his eyes, then moved away. "Perhaps we should stop now." She forced herself to smile, the glow inside her from the moment beginning to cool. "Friends.. don't really kiss like that." She informed him, looking away with a blush.
He wasn't so eager to let her go and pressed his lips softly to her cheek, then to her lips, turning his head here and there, giving lighter kisses between breaths, feeling his skin cool as well, but still feeling the glow she inspired in him. "Then what does that make us? Just curious," he said between more kisses.
She felt herself tingle and thrill all over as he continued. What did it make them? The question echoed inside her mind and she felt dizzy.
And the only thing she could reply was a laugh. Then she kissed him, arms around his shoulders again in a gentle hold. SHe leaned her forehead, pressing it against his.
"Something more than friends.."s he whispered, her eyes, whcih were once down cast, now looked up into his, and he'd be able to see a sadness there, and a longing, because she wasn't sure if this really was something besides just a one time thing, or something real.
"That works for me," Cai murmured against her, looking at her too, eyes focusing his vision on her, seeing the sadness and a hand reaching up to rub against her cheek. "We...shouldn't tell anyone about this. Between us," he said, pursing his lips just a little. "He'll probably find out anyway, but we can't advertise what is going on between us because of the consequences that would entail. Potential or not. I don't want you to get hurt, Megrin. I think...I might..." He wasn't sure if he should utter the word, fearing it's consequence and leaned in to whisper it as close in her ear as possible so as to keep it between them in case of nearby eavesdroppers.
"I care about you," he whispered as lightly as possible.
At his words, her heart stopped, and she felt a mountain of pride and emotion growing within her. It wasn't love, (but perhaps the beginnings of it)...but to hear such things come frm such lips...
But in the same breath, the same feeling, she found herself turning away, not sure if she could be fooled by such an idea as she stared down at the ground.
"That's the problem though, Caius. Don't you see?" and she turned to him, tears breaking from her eyes. "Because I care for you, too. And I can't see this working out without us getting hurt." And she paused, eyes wavering. "And I'm afraid."
He understood her plight and it felt as if a thousand eyes were watching them in this moment, watching her with solemn eyes as she turned to him with tear eyes. "I do get it. I wish I could stay that everything would be okay," he said. "I wish I could just fix everything to how it should be. But we are both where we are without help. This I understand, Megrin. That's why...we cannot utter a word. We both have much at stake here. We might get hurt...we might cry ourselves to sleep, we might not even end up where...wherever this leads us. But at least we have how we feel about each other. That's a start. If you can keep a secret, so can I."
Her eyes flashed with some hope at the prospect.
"You know.."S he began to say, a smile growing across her lips. "That idea doesn't sound half bad." and she leaned into him, closing her eyes as her fore head rested agianst his. "If anything, I feel like we're both damned. But if we can steal moments like this.." she bit into her lower lip, but then released it. "It will make charging through hell like child's play." And she finally looked up at him, dark hair hanging jus over her eyes. "Then let's do this."S he felt a thrill rush through her. "Whatever this is, let's find a way. Let's make it worse. Let's see where it can lead."
Caius laughed against her. "You know...I haven't smiled this much since I met you," he admitted with a sigh. "The world always made me smile. Sunsets and sunrises. Mountains and valleys. Rivers. Just life itself. It still does. But you...you make me smile for a different reason, I don't quite understand. But I look forward to starting to understand it. And I hope I can count on you to help me."
He leaned in then and kissed her fully on the lips, his round lips sensually pressing against hers, a little unskilled but much better than the chaste kiss with which he began.
His lips were fuller than hers, and it felt nice to have them consume her own; his advancing kisses becoming more and more impassioned and she, loving the idea of becoming so over whelmed. Her heart fluttered as his words, and she found herself kissing back, keeping close.
"I guess the least I can do is try," she muttered softly between kisses, smiling all the while as she sighed and leaned in closer to deepen a kiss. "Though I was never good at love."
If they wanted to admit that this thing growing, was some sort of love.
"If that's what this is then so be it," he murmured, massaging her lips with his own. He tilted his head in a little more, pressing in hard enough to smell the rain upon her skin, his nose to her cheek. "Though don't feel bad if we mess up sometimes. You still have more experience than I do. So far so good. No soul sucking."
Megrin blushed and felt giddy at his words. He too, smelled sweet, like musk and rain, and she enjoyed just being near to him, being able to remain sweet in his arms.
"I look forward to it," she said through a smile, and as she moved to change positions of her head, she bumped noses with him accidentally, smiling all the while before leaning in for another kiss.
He could get used to this, this kind of sensation, as strange as it was swirling in his body and mind. Perhaps he was dead and no longer had a soul in his body. But that didn't stop him from feeling the heat that was starting to swell inside of him. It came up so fast like lava from a volcano that it frightened him and he momentarily plucked his lips from Megrin's to catch a breath. "So-so," he stammered. "What happens...after the kissing?"
Megrin was in a daze, but at his word,s her eyes went wide, her cheeks, so terribly pink in a blush.
"Woah, woah, woah.. one thing at a time, Blondie." she said with a smile. "I'd hate to ruin the moment."
"Thank the gods above," Caius whispered. He blanched and laughed awkwardly. "Then forget I said anything. "
Megrin laughed and leaned forward, grabbing him by his shirt and drew him into a fiery kiss as she smiled. STill holding his shirt with her fists, her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
"The next step I tend to mess up anyways, it's best we stick to kissing for now." THen she let her smile tug more rightward on her face. "Besides, you're too sweet. I'd hate to be the one to ruin anything by assuming too much too fast." And here she sighed. "Much like I always do." There was a bit of sadness in her eyes, but then she got an idea.
"Say.. perhaps we can just go on a date." She leered him. "Something outside of soul harvesting."
Caius blushed all over when she kissed him as fiercely as she did and he found himself stuttering when she mentioned assuming too much. No coherent words came out. Just another blush and a breath until he just laughed it off.
"No it wouldn't do to assume too much," he chuckled. "But where would we go? Back to the beach? Into town?"
Megrin thought it over, but blushed as well and looked away.
"Er.. the beach .. right now, might not be a good idea." She knew what she had ALSO been feeling as they kissed. Gods..
if they were at the beach.. or some other similar situation, she might find herself becoming a fool for love all over again. She shook her head..
"I actually don't know," and she laughed. "Do.. do soul keepers even eat? I mean, most men take women out to buy them some fancy meal, though I'm assuming you wouldn't be interested in something like that." And here, she smiled.
"I don't know.. perhaps just a walk in some meadow.. I never get to just enjoy the day. And without Ahk-meht around, the skies the limit."
"I can eat and I can drink just fine," Caius laughed. "But that doesn't seem like something you want to do. I know, why don't we go fishing? I know a little fisherman's shack down on the river, we passed it going to the beach. Nobody lives there last I checked. But it's got the gear and we can eat what we catch."
"Fishing?" Megrin made a face, even if she didn't mean to and blinked before shrugging it off with a laugh. "Sure, Blondie, if that's what you'd like to do, then let's fish. Can't say I've ever really tried my hand at it before."
"Oh it's not as bad as it sounds," Caius reassured her. "It's quiet, secluded, we'll have peace, food, and drink, what more could you ask for? It sure beats just a walk in the meadow." He moved away from her and called Baal and soon mounted the beast waiting for her to follow suit before bounding out of the battlefield toward the river.
Megrin sighed.
"Alright, it's a date then." And she smiled and gave a shrug, hopping onto the back of Baal and wrapping her arms around him. "Lead the way. I'll be sure to stick close." she teased.
Even as they ran across the battlefield, Caius held her hands around his waist and cast a look over his shoulder. "If you really don't want to fish we can go to town," he suggested. "Last chance decision."
"No,"s he said, snuggling in close behind him as she rested a chin onto his shoulder and spoke lightly into his ear. "Fishing sounds more cozy. And I've already seen my fair share of towns. Besides, I suppose learning to fish would be good for me."A nd she gave his body a gentle squeeze.
"Okay then," he smiled at her and tried to resist the shiver that she inspired in her embrace. As the bounded out of the field at last, Baal turned in the direction of the river and within an hour they came upon a small abandoned shack just as Caius had described. He dismounted and helped her down, leading her then to the front door. The river flowed just underneath it, with a small porck-light dock that stuck out from the river-facing side of it, another door frame leading out.
"Here we are," Caius said, opening the door for her and inside was a small place for a fire at the center and all the necessary gear to fish. "What do you think?"
As Caius opened the door, sunlight flooded inside, illuminating and enlarging hte shadows of a cobweb and hanging spider. She drew close to Caius, clinging to his side as her eyes looked away. She brushed her dark bangs from her face.
"Err.. cozy? ThougH I think I could do without the cobwebs. So this is the place, huh?" And she didn't bother to go in, well.. maybe if Caius went in first..
the spiders were giving her the willies.
He swatted them away with some trepidation. and smashed one that came under his foot. "There," he said stepping inside. "Come in! Don't be shy!"
Megrin cringed and hung back by the door way, staring down at all of the spider guts.
"Are.. are you sure you got them all?" she asked, hesitantly. Her eyes swept the area, but she only took one cautious step inside, ducking low to avoid the spider web at the top of the door.
Caius clicked his tongue before reaching out to grab her hand and yank her inside further. "Stop being such a baby," he said as he did so and led her out to the outer door where the river rushed beneath them. "Look. It's amazing. Little spiders won't bother us if we don't bother them."
Megrin let out a gasp, clinging to Caius's side, and hadn't notice the river and the sight before, but as she turned, brushing her dark hair from her face, her face went long as her mouth fell open.
"Oh wow.. it really is something," she said beneath a breath, still clinging to his arm, idly brushing away at invisible cob webs with her other hand.
Caius looked down and saw her hand and rolled his eyes, laughing out loud. "And I thought I was afraid of spiders," he chcuckled moving away from her and untying his sword belt to rest on a hook back inside the shack. "Come here," he said and motioned to a couple of fishing poles in the corner. He took them both and checked that they were adequate condition before handing one off to her and checking the line as well. "I'll get the bait."
Megrin followed close at his side, then found herself staring at the fishing round, standing near the open back door that over looked the flowing river. She was chewing on her lip, waiting for him to ge things ready.
"So .. what sort of things will we use as bait?"
"Any kind of bug or pest really. I imagine these spiders will do nicely living or dead, please avert your eyes if you're squeamish," he said. Without further delay he swatted anothe spider from the web and squashed it before carefully sticking it on the hook. "There you take that one, I'll make another. Don't worry it's dead."
Megrin cringed as she watched the dead spider dangle from her line, one leg still kicking. SHe moved it as far away from her as possible.
"So glad I'm not a fish," she muttered, then glanced over at the stream. She had an idea how this fishing thing worked, and held her skirts with one hand as she made her way nearer to it, and found a good place to sit down. Then, without waiting for Caius, she cast her rod into the water- happy to have the spider far away from her.
"See that wasn't so bad," Cai said as he emerged beside her on the porch. He's long since removed the boots from his tired feet and sat down at the edge of it as the water rushed underneath them. "You're already way ahead of me." He soon cast his line and watched it bobble out in the middle of the water. "This is nice...I wish I could do this more often."
Megrin smirked over her shoulder at him.
"Yeah, I suppose it beats soul stealing,"s he jested. "Though I'm still not a fan of the spiders, I'm sure I can get used to this sort of thing if it's with you."A nd she blushed and looked away from him, eyes upon the water.
He laughed and wiggled the fishing rod a little agitate the water. Before turning to look at her again. "With me? You know I wonder...how did you come to warm up to me so...so quick? Before you just wanted to throw me over a bridge and be done with it. Honestly I wouldn't have minded if it meant gettinga way from your insufferable attitude."
Megrin shrugged.
"If you call this quickly, alright,"s he said with a playful roll of her eyes. "It's been how many months since we've met? Ahk-meht was unrelenting with his attempts.. and I guess I felt sorry for you.. and for the way I was acting. You were the first person to actually listen to me and heed my warning."
Then she smiled smally at the thought. "Er, well, that is to say, you used to heed my warnings. Though, perhaps I was just over reacting. Id on't know.." she lowered her gaze.
"When we first met.. it was barely a day after I killed the man I was in love with." She stared at the river solemnly, avoiding any eye contact from him as she felt guilt still twist within her belly.
"I didn't want to be nice to anyone. I just... hurt."
He laughed despite the situation and looked over at her. Caius leaned in and kissed her cheek before saying anything else. "I suppose that hurts too," he muttered and cast his eyes back to the water.
Megrin turned to Caius and smacked his arm.
"I didn't mean like that." But she sighed, she couldn't be angry with him for long.
"You have.. no idea how it feels to be responsible for killing those you love." She sighed. "I don't know what I'd do if somehow, something were to happen to you on account o fme." ANd she stared glumly at the water, and she wasn't paying attention to her rod yanking, so when it suddenly gave a heavy jerk, Megrin gasped and found herself SPLASHING into the water, face first.
He frowned at her comment. Feeling devoid thathe could not relate to her on that level, that that aspect of his life would always be missing and he peered down at his own rod, watching the line. That was until Megrin was suddenly jerked into the water and he was forced to drop his line, hooking it into a steel bracket as he stood suddenly and dove into the stream after her. "Are you all right?" he gasped as he stood in the waist deep water, trying to get a proper hold on her.
"Yeah, I guess I just," she grit her teeth. "I think I lost my rod in there." ANd she blinekd, looking out into the water. "Whatever it was must've really wanted that spider." but then she noticed the dead spider floating in the water beside them. She grit her teeth agian. "Er.. or not.."
Caius laughed despite now being cold, wet, and shivering. He plucked Megrin from the stream and carried her back to the porch, setting her on it before retrieving her rod, now bare of bait and set it back on. He pushed his hair back before climbing back up beside her, sitting on the edge. "It's okay, I still have mine and I'll rebait yours. I think we scared the fish.... Are you wearing any underclothes by the way? I can make a fire so our regular clothes will dry off. I-I mean...What do I mean? I..um...well is that okay?"
Megrin just stared at him, her eyes wide as she blushed.
"C-Caius!" she said, hitting his arm. "What's with you and I taking of our clothes all of us sudden? Are you still thinking back to the beach?" she asked, leering him as she leaned in, giving a teasingly, wicked grin.
Caius blanched and huffed hotly, completely embarrassed. "GODS, NO!" he roared. "I-I-I-I-I-I was just suggesting ...'cause now we're all wet from the stream... a-a-a-a-and I thought I'd be a good idea to dry off!" He became flustered and looked away from her, burning red.
She caught his blush, her mouth falling open as she smiled.
"You are. You ARE thinking about it!"s he laughed, unable to contain it as she shook her head. "Don't worry about it,"s he told him, leaning in and kissing his cheek. "Most men like that part about a relationship." She whispered into his ear, then smirked over at him.
"But to be honest, my soggy dress is staying where it is. That's the last thing we need, for someone to find us out here in broad daylight without our clothes on." And she rolled her eyes at that, still smirking. "Though.. maybe later, if you're lucky..." and she hummed.a nd just let her sentence stop there.
"Lies! I wasn't I swear I wasn't. I wouldn't even know what to do if I was. I WAS JUST TRYING TO HELP, I SWEAR!" Caius cried out defensively. "I didn't mean anything by it! I wasn't trying to insinuate that. Now you got me all flustered." He scooted away from her and kept his trap shut as he felt a tug on his line and focused instead on reeling in his catch.
Megrin's grin reached her ears.
"You can't get away from me so easily," she teased, scooting close and leaning in real close as she hugged onto his arm, leaning her breasts into him. "Besides, what's wrong? Didn't like what you'd seen?"
His blush only deepened and the internal torment was evident in his horrified expression whens he leaned her breasts in close to his. "Who said I was looking?" he tried to play if off. "I wasn't looking. I mean I'm not looking! I didn't see anything! I swear! Hey don't you have a fishing line to check?"
Megrin leered him dangerously, leaning over his lap now as she got mere inches from his face.
"You.." she began, seeming just about to kiss him. "Forgot to give me more bait." she said, and her grin widened, a playful expression sparkling across her eyes.
Caius huffed and leaned back to get some space from her, feeling a little threatened by her lack of boundaries and frowned at her. He got up and squished back into the shack before returning with a squashed spider and throwing it at her. "Put it on your own hook!" he said before taking up his own rod again and finally pulling free his own fish.
Megrin gasped and smacked the spider off of her lap, then glared over at him.
"Hey, Blondie, can't ya take a joke?" then she took the spider and flung it at his hair, it's limp dangly legs going into wild, wobbly pinwheels before landing like a limp doll into his blonde locks. Megrin snorted at that.
It seemed like time flowed to liquid motion as Caius watched in horror as the dead spider was thrown in his hair. He screamed and ran his hands through his hair before jumping into the water once more and splashing around until he saw it floating down stream! "You're horrid!" he seethed glowering at her with hair splattered across his face and was soaking wet once more.
OOC: I'd scream like a girl, too lol
ugh *shivers* spiders ;_;
You should have seen me scream over a stink bug that flew over my head today @_@
So.. special :|
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Megrin leaned over the shore to look at him.
"Just remember, Blondie." She said, giving his shoulder a poke. "You started it." And she smiled and offered out her hand. "Come on, get out of that stream before the fish start biting you in the pants."
Caius was thankful for the coolness of the stream for he knew if it weren't for the water his entire face would have been burned off by now from the embarrassment. "I did NOT start it! I thought we were trying to have a relaxing time!" he huffed, climbing out of the water and propmptly undressing without reservations.
"Of course I was, but you're the one who dragged dead spiders into it."
She was trying to laugh,but then noticed what he ws doing and put her hands on her hips.
"Caius? What are you doing?W hy are you taking off your clothe?" she looked around, then moved towards him, pinching his arm. "What if someone were to see you?"
He wrenched his arm from hers childishly and made a face. "And just who's gonna come waltzing up to some abandoned cabin!?" he said, dropping his trousers. "I still have my under clothes on! You're the one that wants to stay all wet and soggy in that ridiculous dress! Well, I am going to have mine dry!" He stalked grumpily into the shack and set his clothes on some netting before setting down to try and start a fire in the dusted hearth.
Megrin stood there, hands on her hips, giving a roll of her eyes.
"Well if that's how you're going to play this.." she muttered to herself, and put her hands behind her back, pulled once, and let the laces come undone, dress falling to her feet. Gathering them up within her arms, she marched clean into the place and stuffed the sopping wet dress into his hands.
"There, and just so you know, I am wearing undergarbs," she said, smirking and folding her arms across her chest. Though the under garbs hid little, since they were ivory in color and sopping wet, sticking to all the contours and details of her naked body.
Just when he thought it wasn't going to get any worse, she just HAD to take her clothes off and throw them in his face. Caius coughed and tried to avert his gaze, but was having trouble with the way her underclothes clung to her form. He cleared his throat and hung them around the netting as well as he got the fire going.
"You don't play fair," he grumbled as he returned to the porch and took more bait, stringing the rods againt before handinge hers over. "You cunning shrew of a woman!"
Megrin simply grinned ear to ear.
"You asked me to get undressed earlier, remember?" and she curled a single finger into some stray hair beside her ear before sniffing nad turning around, taking her rod with her. Then, pausing at the door, she peered over at him and smiled. "You coming or what?"
Caius had nearly forgotten about fishing when she called attention to it at last having been distracted by all that nonsense. He stood up and "hmphed," his way passed her and took his seat by the porch side once more, throwing the line into the water.
Megrin rolled her eyes, the moved to take a seat RIGHT beside him, grinning as she nestled up against his arm.
"You really need to lighten up, Blondie." Then she laughed. "And to think, barely a few months ago, you were yelling at me to be the one to lighten up." And she smiled at the thought, casting her fishing rod into the waters.
"I know," he muttered with a frown. "I'm sorry. But - oh never mind," he said. And focused on his fishing, teasing the line in silence. He remembered the fish next to him and plucked it with his free hand and threw it into a bucket. "One to zero," he smirked.
Megrin raised a brow at him.
"Are we making this a competition now?" she asked, arching her brow even higher atop of her head.
OOC: Wow, short post is short XD oh well *So sleepy*
"Hm?" Caius asked with a raised brow as if he hadn't heard her. "Oh, no, not all." He wiggled the line, coaxing another fish, if he could. There was some tension on it, but it was a false alarm. "Of course if we were, I'd be winning of course. But since we're not, nope this is just a friendly, relaxing fishing excursion between two comfortable acquaintances."
Megrin smirked, then rolled her eyes at him, knocking her shoulder into his.
"Right, as if anyone would believe a soul keeper," she said, keeping her eye on the rods, her's still not feeling any bite as she let her bare feet lightly brush against the tops of the river water from where she sat at the end of the dock.
"Look, you gotta tantalize the fish a little, make them want to bite the line," he said noticing she still hadn't caught anything yet. "Watch the waters, see their little shadows under the surface? Fluttering? Okay, that one there. Just wiggle it a little, just a bit. OH, YOU GOT A BITE!"
"Tantalize the fish?" she arched a brow, smirked and gave it a shot, then gasped when she noticed the sudden drag to her line. "Oh! Oh! What do I do?" she said, turning to him, trying to give the rod, a yank, then she let out a squeal, falling against Caius as she clung to his arm and continued to pull-
and yanked the fish clean out of the water, but with a force so hard it swung out, then back, slapping the pair of them in the face with a wriggling flop.
"BLAH!" Cai spat when the fish hit him in the face and he quickly scrambled to capture it as it flopped on the dock. He held it down before unhooking it and flopping it into the bucket along with his catch. "You did it! That was amazing. You did good, I'm very impressed!"
Megrin gave a smug smirk and wiggled of her brow.
"I guess I'm good at teasing the line." Then, holding out her rod to him expectantly, she asked, "I do believe I need more bait?"
Caius laughed and blushed again. His face was sore from all the smiling when he finally stood and picked up the bucket from the ground. "Here, take my line and see what you can catch, I'm going to go and prepare these for the fire. There's plenty of supplies for that in the shack." He nodded to her before disappearing inside and preparing to clean the fish and roast it over the fire.
Blinking, she peered over her shoulder at him as he went to leave.
"What?" she brushed her hair out of her face. "So I don't get more bait?" Then she went back to idly swishing around the rod, but so far, on bite; no fish.
"If you want more bait, you'll have to kill it, squish it, and place it on the rod yourself," he called out the door from the shack. "And considering the last incident with it in my HAIR, no thank you!"
Megrin rolled her eyes.
"Hey, you asked for the spider to your hair, Blondie. I was just obliging." She teased.
OOC: A morning of the short posts 8D
"I did NOT! You vindictive gecko!" Caius emerged from the shack and stood in the door way. "You just wanted to hear me scream like a little girl... And it worked! I threw it at your lap! So you could do it yourself! Where's the big bad tough woman who could walk on dead battlefields all by herself and didn't need a man to pull her from the bodies?"
Megrin rolled her eyes, then gave a grin.
"I'm not sure who you're talking about." Then turned away from him, returning her attentions to idly swishing the rod.
"I figured as much," Caius huffed and returned to the inside of the shack, sitting down and flipping the fish over to cook on the other side, the smells wafting through the air.
"Caius, I don't think the fish are biting!" she called back after him. "How long do you expect me to wait?" She added, impatiently. The fried fish was smelling good, and was making her stomach rumble something fierce.
"Just come in you selfish prune!" Caius yelled back. "The fish can live another day. The way it ought to be. Leave the rod on the side... I guess you didn't wiggle your line right." He choked on a laugh and flipped the fish again.
Megrin obeyed, and now stood in the doorway, hand to her hip.
"I"m sure I wiggled the line just fine," she said, sarcasm dripping from her tone as she shook her head, then stepped inside, placing the rod away. She glanced around, making sure there were no more spiders out to get them as she smoothed a hand down the back of her braided hair and peered over at him, over his shoudler and down at the fish. She smiled.
"Smells good, Blondie. Looks like they're almost done cooking, too."
"Have a seat, please," Caius invited, pushing a stool over to her. "They're just about done. Sorry if I don't have any side dishes, but I think the spiders are thankful for one day." He took a cleaned platter beside him and gave her one of the fish along with a knife and fork. "I hope you're hungry."
Megrin rolled her eyes.
"When you dine with demons all the time, you take what real food you can get." She sighed through a smile and looked down at her plate. "And I'm famished. I don't know when the last time was I had fish."A nd her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him. "Or a man to cook it for me." And she moved in, moaning after she took her first bite.
"And it's as good as it looks!" she laughed. "You're quite the good cook, and we had quite the good catch."
Caius blushed at her comment and he laughed just a little. His cheeks were pink and warm from the fire already. She just enjoyed making it worse, he knew. "I told you we'd have a good time," he replied and looked back to Baal sleeping in a corner. "I guess he had his fill already. " He finally took a bite of the fish and raised his brow in suprise that the fish really was as good as she said. "I doubt demons serve food like this. What kind of things do you eat on your side of hell anyway?"
"Well, to be honest," Megrin began with a frown. "I don't, or at least I try not to." She grit her teeth at the memory. "Blood wine, human hearts, roast cockroaches..."S he wrinkled her nose. "It just doesn't do it for me. And snakes..."She rolled her eyes. "Ahk-meht loved eating those giant serpents. Claimed the meat was as sweet as a woman's...er.." she blushed. "Never mind, I'm not there, I don't want to think about it." Then after a time of staring at her fish, she peered up at him with a sheepish grin.
"But thanks for the date. The fish and fishing were fun." ANd she went back to eating hte rest of her food. "Thank goodness you don't eat spiders."
Ugh.
Caius laughed at the menu she displayed before him and he shook his head, enjoying his fish. "I'll stick to fish thank you. I enjoy cooking, it must be one of those memories I haven't found yet, but I can tell that if I wasn't a Paladin I probably would have become a chef in some lord's castle." He chuckled. "So this is what a date is like. I'm glad I have you to help me with the experience. You're a lovely person to go on a date with."
"Yeah er.." she looked away from him, her cheeks heating to pink. "Don't mention it. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to go on other dates."
And she tried not to frown, thinking.. 'And probably with other women..'
"Probably not," Cai remarked and chuckled again. "I think this is a rare opportunity. One I think I should savor while it lasts. I wouldn't be upset if I never go on another 'date' again. I'm just glad it's with you."
Megrin didn't know why, but she felt more and more guilty as he continued to speak. SHe move uneasily in her chair.
"Well, as a soul keeper, I doubt you have to eat and then relieve yourself. The food was good but er... I think I need to find a good tree to er, squat behind. I'll see you in a bit, Blondie." And with that, she excused herself, slinking off into the tall reeds.
"Gods.."S he raked a hand through her hair, feeling completely horrid. SHe should know better, she shouldn't be leading him on; and a cackle reminded her why. Turning around, she glared daggers at the witch who know peered back at her, blinking her single, good eye.
"Mahtaht," Megrin seethed, feeling her hands tighten into fists. "I should have known you'd show up here."
"Yes, you've had quite the long day, and your master misses your company," Mahtaht croaked into a purr. Megrin made a face.
"Well, I'm not going back. I'm just going to stay here," Megrin replied, folding her arms across her chest and looking away, defiantly. The old witch's eye twinkled.
"Oh, is that so?" the old witch wobbled closer. "Last time I checked, you belonged to Ahk-meht."
"Well maybe I don't want to be owned by him! OK!?" Megrin lashed back.
The witch only laughed in response. "Oh, deary, you forget you don't have a choice. And right now, your time is up."A nd she reached a hand out, latching onto Megrin's wrist. Gasping, she tried to pull away, glancing only one more time back to the shack before she was sucked back into the underworld, and far, far away from her soul keeper date.
"Oh right!" Cai muttered watching her leave. He continued to eat in peace until he saw Baal perk his head up suddenly and the wolf-dog emitted a low growl that alarmed Caius. He put his plate down and moved toward the door.
"Megrin? Megrin!' he called out. That was until saw the old witch. He instinctively rushed for his sword when he remembered it was no longer by his side and yanked the door open bursting through it. "Megrin!" he cried. But it was already too late! Even as he ran toward her she was already sucked into the underworld.
His cackles came in spirals of putrid waves of smoke, that of which caused Megrin to cough as she waved a hand through it, trying to breath.
"Ahk-meht,"s he hissed, gripping her hands into fists.
"Ah, Meggy-poos, I would have invited you over to dinner, but it seems you've already ate?" he was crunching on a plate of blood-covered maggots and spiders. "But from what I hear, you had what.. fish sticks to eat or something?" And he leaned back in his chair, picking at his teeth with a sharp bone.
Megrin narrowed her eyes upon him.
"That's none of your concern. You left me with no direction-"
"Ah, ah, but it seems I didn't have to give you direction, if you catch my drift," he said, smiling wickedly at her. Megrin's face fell.
"Yeah, it seems without our interference, you are making quite an impression on our little soul keeper friend," Mahtaht purred.
Megrin whirled around to glare at her.
"Shut up, you old cow." The witched feigned she was hurt, but her smile was still in her eye. And Ahk-meht was smiling more broadly too.
"You know, Megrin,t hey say distance makes a heart grow fonder.." Ahk-meht began, using a sharp finger to scratch at his chin. "Let's see how long lover boy lasts before he comes searching for you.." he spoke, then with a snap of his fingers, she was gone, bound and chained deep inside a cave of skulls, and the only things Megrin could hear were the echoing laughs of Mahtaht before she was cast into silence, and wilted pathetically within her chains.
"What happened?" Caius cried out, rushing out to the reeds where he last saw her vanish into, He waded through the water, searching desperately. Baal emerged behind him and whined.
"She's gone," he replied. "They took her back to where she belongs. I told you this was a bad idea! Caius don't go after her. Don't you even think about it! You can't save her!"
Caius was desperate and crawled back on the bank, red-faced and with tears in his eyes. "She's my friend, Baal," he sobbed. "There is nothing I can do...I don't even know where to find her if I could help her. Baal...what am I going to do?"
"Leave her."
"I...I can't."
How many days had it been? She was still chained tightly, hanging from the ceiling, but just a few inches off the floor, with only the dead, hollowed eyes of skulls to look back at her. She felt ill, and was beyond famished, only having eaten the fish Caius had so graciously appeared. Her only visitor was Ahk-meht, who came in to tease her from time to time, to 'give her hope' as he put it, then he'd disappear in a cackle, his laughter echoing well into the silence he had left.
But still, no one had come. And she could only pray that he wouldn't. He couldn't get here anyway, could he? And even if he did.. Gods forgive him; he'd be playing in Ahk-meht's turf, going after Ahk-meht's property. All she had to do was wait Ahk-meht out, all the while dreaming of those better days..
She could wait for Caius for an eternity but he would never come. There was nothing he could do without risking himself. And Baal could not allow that. The Soul keeper was quieter than normal and his eyes seemed listless as went about days and nights, collecing souls and neither eating nor sleeping much at all. Baal knew not what to say to his master, knew not what to do to still this damaging behavior.
Then one day Baal vanished, not a word, not a warning and Caius grew sorrowful, that his only companion had abandoned him too. But Baal knew he would regret his decision. Yet he knew he couldn't let Caius venture into the dangers of Ahk-meht's realms. Baal was a demon hound after all. And perhaps if he could find Megrin first, his master's misery would end.
Megrin felt so wretchedly weak and tired as she remained, hanging by her chains. Her throat was parched, her body, starved, and her limbs having gone completely numb and useless.
But still, this went on as usual, and Ahk-meht had already visited her for the day, gloating about how he was going to joint he other demons this night for a festival of souls.
"We will dine on a lot from the collection you had gathered. It will be exquisite. A shame you can not attend. But maybe if your blonde haired boyfriend shows up, you can bring him as a date?" And then he laughed through a puff of smoke and was gone, leaving Megrin to rot.
Baal looked like a ragged dog, looking no more than a sickly beast that his master liked to kick and took pleasure in it's whine. He wandered through the maze of Ahk-meht's domain until he was near where he suspected the dungeon was. Demons like this one loved to display their power, loved to show off for their friends. The old dog slipped through the shadows, dim lighting, passing by the dining hall as demons laughed and crunched their bugs in glee.
He slipped through the chamber door and was soon before a hanging form that looked just as sickly as he tried to appear. "Miss Megrin?" he said licking her dangling legs. "Miss Megrin are you still alive?"
Megrin stirred.
"What.. what are you doing? Get out of here dog! I don't need your fleas or for you to chew off my legs! Can't you see I've been trough enough?"
but as she was muttering out her threats against a scratchy breath, her eyes widened before her face twisted inquisitively.
"Baal?"
Baal smiled what grin he could as a wolf-dog and whined at her to be quiet. "Just be quiet, I found the key," he said as he turned around and went back through the door and emerged with a key in his mouth, reaching up to unlock the gate that held the switch that unlocked her chains. When that was open, he flipped the the switch that released her from the ceiling.
Megrin wasn't sure what to expect, but when the chains were released, she let out a gasp as she crumpled into a heap upon the floor. Her legs, being useless, did her little good as she tried to keep herself perched up, but failed since both legs and arms were tingling and numb.
Baal stepped softly toward her and grunted a little. "Can you stand? Hold onto me? I'm going to get you out of here, at least while it lasts. Master Caius is a walking shell, even more than usual. And for some rason I think it's because of you."
Megrin lifted up her head,a nd winced at the sensation of sharp pains from her back.
"I.. I don't think I can. At least not right now." She winced. "I've been hanging there since the last time I saw you..." and she closed her eyes, feeling exhausted, but after a moment, she tried to find the strength, but her body was sweating and her limbs were shaking something fierce.
"Just.. just help me get out of here.. please.. " she said, tears coming to her eyes. "I'm sick of all of Ahk-meht's games. I don't want to be his slave anymore. Please.. take me to the surface. Take me back to earth."
"I will," he nodded to her and shifted himself underneath her in order to shift her onto his back. "Hold onto me, I know a secret passage." Baal grew large enough to remain discreet and carry her at the same time. "It will be all right." The wolf-dog moved out of the dungeon, all the company now occupied with the noise in the dining hall and went at a passage around it. At the other entrance, it was little more than a small hole between rocks and a pile of bones and boulders leading up to the light of day above. "Hold on," he pressed as he began to scale the boulders, higher and higher.
By the time Baal was making his way up, Megrin was starting to feel the blood flow back into her arms. She clung onto him tightly, pressing in close as they moved. And as they neared their destination, Megrin whispered, "Thank you."
Baal paused at the words of thanks and just kept climbing after that. His paws were raw from the stone and soon the morning light was upon them and Baal crawled through the hole, spilling out on the other side.
By the time they had made it out into the sunlight of the world, Megrin's strength began to return to her and she clung to him more tightly. And now, with the light of the sun on her eyes,s he felt blinded, and shielded her eyes from the light, only to lower her hand down as she looked out at the vastness of the world.
"The earth really is beautiful,"S he commented, but at the base of the hillside they were on, she spotted a familiar form.
"Shit.." she gave a light tug on Baal's fur. "It's the witch, Mahtaht." And she shrunk back. "Quickly, let's be out of here before she sees ys."
Baal was aware of the witch's presence before Megrin spoke and was bounding off through the grass just as soon as she did so. His paws broke ground as he speedily swept though the tall grass and was soon out of sight between a copse of trees, running back to Caius. He did not think the witch aad seen them, but he wasn't taking any chances as he looked back but a moment, sniffing the air to see if she was giving chase when he was off again.
He ran for what felt like a few minutes in the short span of hours it took to find Caius back at the waterfall, in the crystal cave where his master often took refuge these days.
When Megrin found herself back at the crystal cave where Caius and she had taken refuge for what seemed ages ago, she stared at it in wonder, her eyes sweeping over the colorful and glittering crystals before something in the corner caught her attention. It was only then she gently stepped off of Baal's back (though leaned against the wolf-dog for support) as she looked over at him.
"Cai?" she could hardly believe her eyes, and raised her brows hesitantly before a small smile grew upon her lips. It was him. It really was him.
Caius sat upon one of the glowing crystals that jutted from the ground, and watched their display. He was broken inside, alone and found no drive to shepherd more sould to the Underworld. He'd lost his only friend, and now his companion had abandoned him with no reason why. His eyes were blank as they watched the crystals glow and flux in color.
But when a shape moved out of the corner of his eyes and a voice emerged out to him. Soft familiar. He looked up in sheer disbelief. And it was that disbelief that kept his ass sealed to the crystal on which he sat.
She saw his face in the reflections, a million glittering expressions that matched her own. And it was that expression that drew her too him, that made her legs run, sore or other wise, as her arms were thrown around him tightly, her body crashing into his in a tight and most needed hug, face burying into his neck, senses over whelmed by his smell and heat.
"Gods.. Caius.." and she found her eyes welling up in tears.
Caius completely whimpered at her touch, his face in so much shock, it took that hug to knock him out of his stupos as it looked like he'd just seen a ghost. He remembered his legs, his arms and wrapped them around her so tightly as if to squeeze the life out of her.
That whimper turned into a laugh, as if he still couldn't believe it, as if at any moment she would be yanked back from whence she came. He hadn't even registered Baal was there yet. Caius laughed louder and wilder when his legs lunged him up and he spun Megrin off the ground, tears welling up in his eyes.
"You're...you're really here?" his voice echoed.
"Y-yeah, I guess I am," she said, smiling at him, only her eyes echoing the laughter he made as she tried to brush away her tears, her smile, un-erasable upon her lips. She glanced over her shoulder towards the wolf-dog.
"Baal... he found me and brought me here.." though whens he looked to Caius, her face studied his, looking and reading into his eyes as she traced her fingers down his cheeks and cupped her hand there.
"I'm sorry,"s he said softly, her words fragile as glass, and her eyes speaking more volumes than even her tears that still clung to the edges of her eyes.
While hers were clinging, his were pouring down his face when at last he could face her, coming to terms that she was real, that she was here in the flesh and he dropped her for a moment to stare at her. He smiled, laughed and looked out to Baal, his faithful companion had returned and rescued his only friend.
"Thank you, Baal," he murmured, holding Megrin even closer. He turned to her and braced his hands along her back, her sides, the ragged cloth of her dress. "Don't be sorry. No...it wasn't your fault... I-I thought you were dead. I thought he'd done away with you for coming with me! I'm just glad to see you again!"
Megrin was all smiles as he was, blinking back her tears that were now falling in streams. She only shook her head at what he was saying, and turned away with a blush before just holding onto him tight.
"Gods.. Caius," she felt herself trembling as she sobbed. "This is what I'm afraid of."s he whispered against his hair, his neck.. "That we'd fall for one another and we'd get hurt. Ahk-meht owns me, and he enjoyed each passing day I was tormented without you." and she buried her face into his shoulder and cried.
"I'm sorry.." she repeated it again, although softly.
"No, no, no," Caius tried to reassure her, patting her hair. He squeezed her ever tighter to him. "Don't-don't say that. It wasn't anyone's fault. We couldn't help what happened. We can't help our circumstances. We just have to be there when it counts... Oh gods, don't say another word." He took a hand to pull her chin up and press his lips to hers, the salt of tears wetting them as he did so.
She melted into the kiss, feeling herself become light headed, even dizzy as she leaned into him, a single toe tipping up before she pulled away and breathed. Her eyes were still clouded with tears as she looked up at him, and found herself smiling, even laughing.
"I suppose it was you that told me to enjoy what we've got. So I guess I should stop floundering and just enjoy this," and her hands gently stroked his cheek, eyes studying his lips before she looked up into his eyes and smiled even brighter than before.
"Kiss me," she said, her eyes glittering more. "Kiss me and everything will be alright."
At her words Caius frowned and looked at her densely. "I-I thought that's what I was doing?" he said softly before saaking his head of it and smiling sweetly at her. He'd gotten better since their last encounter, not because he'd found something to practice of but because he'd learned from visualizing her. He leaned in slowly and kissed her again, with much less awkwardness than before and breathed against her skin, nearly whimpering with joy to have her so close to him against. He turned his head and deepened it, kissing her in a way he hadn't before, opening his mouth and slipping in just the briefest amount of tongue, until he turned his head to do the same again.
The tongue in her mouth was a welcomed sensation, making her warmed and flushed all over. Megrin found herself softly moaning, her own tongue hesitant to join at first, but as he went for another, she found herself more enthused, more eager, and slipped hers in even deeper as she held onto him tightly, kissing him hot and with need. And pulling away, only to breath, she tilted her head back the other way, and smiled, and leaned up on the tips of her toes, pressing her lips much harder against his and again, began to wrestle intoxicatedly with his tongue.
He'd done it only to try it, surprised to find his body flushed with perspiration against his own clothes, his tunic suddenly hot and cumbersome. It was a pleasant and frightening surprise all the same and his breath was ragged and panting against her mouth as he too took his chance to breath. He was surprised that he could feel so elated, so tempted from just a simple kiss, from such contact with the lips that he found his arms loosening around her and felt up her sides, around her body and down to her ass, lifting her up off the ground and into against him. But he stopped himself just then, pulling away and stumbling back a little, ashamed, flushed and looking at her wide-eyed at the desires he felt. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!"
Megrin, who had been dazed (even a little bit buzzed) from the excitement of the moment, had a newly fueled fire within her...
that was suddenly taken away just as fast as it had initially surprised her. Blinking dazily at first, she lifted her brows at him in naivety.
"S-Sorry? Sorry for what?" But when she looked down she gasped, hands going over her mouth before she began to giggle through her fingers, shaking her head. She moved forward, taking his hand, and smiled warmly at him.
"There's nothing to apologize for, you were just acting naturally.." and she laced her fingers with his, taking a step closer to him and smiled a half cocked smile, dark hair covering one of her green eyes. "Besides.. I kind of liked it." and at the admittance, she sheepishly turned away, her cheeks burning red.
Caius laughed nervously at her, looking down and his ears were burning red. "You-you did? I just thought maybe it was too much too fast. I'm...sorry for being sorry then?" He laughed again and took her hand, just happy that she didn't take it the wrong way, though he couldn't be sure how she would have taken it at all.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Come, I have something I want to show you. I found it when I was staying here a few days ago. It's beautiful. More beautiful than just this cave alone." He laughed and tugged her along with him deeper through the caverns, the passage narrow and unforgiving before turning into a larger cavern. He stopped her at the edge and showed a dark pit just beneath them and at the center of it was a massive sapphire crystal, glowing and throbbing, even brighter now that they were near.
At his kiss, her smile brightened as she turned to him, now curious by what he said. So she simply nodded and followed after, and found herself gaping at the sight, her jaw falling open, eyes going wide. The crystal's colors pulsated and cast dancing carousels of blue light into the air, that ribboned and flowed in a triumphant echo of color that dazzled off of their skin.
"Oh wow.. Caius.." she said, taking a hesitant step forward, her lips twitching into a bigger smile. "It's.." and she reached a hand out, caressing through the bright, rainbows of blue light that was fluttering through the air. "It's beautiful.."
"I was hoping you would like it," he breathed. He looked over the edge and saw large crags of crystals jutting out sharply here and there. Certainly would make for a nasty display should one fall into it, but...what if? "Here, take my hand, step carefully."
He moved over the edge and stepped down onto the first crystal and used the crags and fragments like steps as he helped her down after him. "Easy does it," he laughed until they were close enough to the base of the crystal. "Feel it! It pulsates with energy. There must be unlimited energy here. Sometimes I wonder where all the souls go when they are transferred to the Underworld. If there's a place where they swell and linger and give life to beautiful things like this. I was thinking..." he paused, not wanting to mention Ahk-meht just now, not with her so recently arrived.
"I was thinking," he said instead, "that we should see Valgrin. Perhaps she will be able to help you."
Megrin let him guide her, her eyes kept wide in awe of such a thing as they grew nearer and nearer. she reached out as if to touch it, but drew back at his words, turning to him, her smile fading as she read into his eyes.
"Valgrin?" Her frown deepened as she looked away. "Caius.. I.... I don't think she .. she would be able to help me." and she sighed. "Especially if she knew who my soul belonged to and what I've done." She turned away from Caius now, her back to him as the warm energies from the blue crystal pulsated into a glow against her form. "I know I wouldn't." She added softly, in a voice that sounded about ready to break.
"You killed a god," Caius remembered and stood closer to the crystal. He studied her for a good long while, long enough to keep her form to memory and he frowned because of it. She was right, Valgrin would not approve of trying to help someone who'd dismantled the infrastructure of the world they lived in. And he knew then that must have been the reason Valgrin had been in such an uproar in the first place.
"Ahk-meht made you take the soul of Samrin," Caius said. "It's making much more sense now. Megrin, if you can answer, please do so to the best of your knowledge. Where do the souls go after you steal them? Does Ahk-meht keep them somewhere? I think I know a way we can get that soul back, and if we get that soul back, perhaps Valgrin will help you, find a way to give your soul back to you! Isn't that what you want"
Megrin took a step back, her eyes wide as she looked at him, not sure how she could answer him as she slowly shook her head.
"There is a place he keeps them, a swirling pit, a river of souls, he keeps locked in a spiral of smoke like magic." She frowned. "I have no idea how we'd be able to get a soul out. Once they're in, he takes full claim of them." she shook her head. "Even my own," she added beneath a careful, wavering breath. "And they keep growing, his powers keep getting stronger because of it. It's why no demons seem to be able to touch him from where he rules over the lost and stolen souls, and the ones of the damned." She turned away, hugging her arms around herself as she grit her teeth.
Caius walked around her and put a hand on her shoulder. "No fortress, no matter how tightly sealed is impenetrable. I used to think the same thing of my church... We had wards, we had protection. But somehow evil found its way inside and that was the end of it. There's got to be a way. Megrin...I don't want to lose you again."
Megrin kept her back to him for a time, before turning around, avoiding his gaze and leaning into him, arms finding their way around his body as she held him close.
"Gods.. I hope so. This sort of life is a nightmare."
OOC: Short post is short >.>! Ninja post in the morning before I have to babysit XD
[Cheap post!]
Caius frowned, staring at her head stony-faced. Only one arm went partly around her while the other lingered on the hilt of his blade. "Megrin...where does he keep your soul?" he had to ask, biting his lip to keep the tears from falling again.
"I.. I don't know.." she sighed. "He keeps it far away from me.. cause.." she grit her teeth. "I had tried to steal it back once, and it didn't come without consequence. Now he keeps it from me, only revealing it to taunt me, however.." she hesitated. "The reason I keep stealing souls for him against my will it.... it was because he had promised to give it back someday." She shook her head. "And that was years ago. I'm a fool to believe him."
"Demons make deals with mortals foolish enough to believe their promises. I spent my life killing them, cleansing the earth of their foul traces," Caius whispered. "But there's no point in saying I told you so." He turned to look at her, hoping she'd look back at him. "When you said 'fall for one another' did you mean to say...that you loved me?"
Megrin looked up at him suddenly, her eyes wide at his accusation, her cheeks heating to the color pink.
"I..." and quickly her green eyes were averted to the ground. "That.. that is to say I..."
Even she wasn't sure, though she was afraid of calling, she might have, could have, still might be...
But she shook her head.
"Admitting that means I'm vulnerable to the one thing he uses me for.. my heart." She turned away from him now, sighing. "And I'm still not sure how I feel, Caius. I do like you.. I do I just.." she rake a hand through her dark hair, body still illuminating in the blue glow of the crystal. "I'm deathly afraid what will become of this."A nd she looked back to him, eyes now shining wtih tears. "becuase everytime I fall for someone, Ahk-meht takes them away. It only takes one simple gesture,... one simple notion, a kiss, a hug, an embrace... then the soul is mine... it's mine.."
and she found herself beginning to sob, as she backed away, leaning against hte wall, hunched over, burying her face into her hands.
"Gods.. I don't deserve freedom." she whispered through a broken voice.
Caius laughed and stepped forward, raking a hand through his own loose, blonde hair. He sat down on one of the crags and crossed his legs in front of him. "Don't apologize. I was just...curious," he said. "Megrin just slow down.... Think about this...we can't just sit here and do nothing all this time. We have to try. If we don't act, we'll forever be like this. Suffering. Is that what you want? Don't you even want to keep trying?"
Megrin stared over at him from her shoulder, her eyes teary and vision blurry.
"Caius.." she felt her voice break. She shook her head, blue light glittering off her tears. "I would love to keep on trying, but I don't know how much more I can endure. Ahk-meht keeps breaking me down the more he tries these things on me and I.." her voice cracked this time as hot tears slipped down her cheeks. "There might not be much left of me if he keeps this up. Gods knows all I want is my freedom, even death... anything would be better than this cursed life. BUt how? How can I try to get away from the one being who grows stronger each time he uses me?" And she turned away, feeling her blood broil and her stomach sour over the issue.
"I-I don't know," Caius amditted and dropped his head. "I know we can't. I know it was probably best that we never met after that last time. I know I can't risk myself for you. And I know it's only a matter of time before He comes back for you after this. We caan try and run, but he'll alway find you... Maybe it's for the best that we -we part ways...here and now... Maybe there really is nothing I can do for you."
Caius looked up at her after a long while and stepped over the crags carefully. He looked at her and then remembered the stone that the old one-eyed witch had given him... He reached into his pocket where he remembered removing it and there it was again. "What if..." he stammered. "What if we gave him another soul, in exchange for yours? To set yours free." He held the glossy obsidian stone in hand that gleamed like a rainbow in the dark. He kept his back to her for that time as he thought about his offer. "What if I gave him mine?"
OOC: I shouldn't be posting- I AM SO TIRED
so if this makes no sense.. I AM SORRY.
now time for me to go to bed :T
---------------------------
Megrin was beside herself, feeling defeated by this entire ordeal, and was just about ready to ask him to please stop talking about it. So she whirled around, and then he suggested giving up his own soul to free hers. Her eyes widened at his remark and she found herself doing the only thing she could- smacking him hard, right across the cheek. THe sound was so loud, it echoed inside the crystal chamber.
"I would never forgive you for such a thing!" and she rushed away from him, not even wanting to talk to him now. How could he think of such a thing!? Hadn't she already destroyed so many lives of those she loved? Why did Caius have to go and say that? And she wanted away from here, she'd rather be suffering in Hell then to know Caius had spoken such a foolish thing...
Gods..
and this was probably exactly what Ahk-meht had wanted.....
Caius' face stung as she slapped him and moved to crawl out of the pit. He clenched his jaw and the rock before slipping it back in his pocket and turning to her, watching her walk away unable to find words to speak.
Once she felt she was far enough away from Caius, and when her emotions got the better of her, she stumbled to a halt, crumpling beside a nearby gnarled tree as she threw her face into her hands, burying them there and sobbing.
Gods... Caius..
If she were to lose him to Ahk-meht, to her wretched curse as well... she didn't know what she'd do. All she knew was that he was fixing the parts in her that had been wearing away, and if he were to be gone, to become victimized like all the rest.. what was she to do then? She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to get over that hurdle, and found herself shaking with uncontrollable sobs.
"You can't!" Baal bellowed. "I won't let you! YOU ARE A MADMAN!"
Caius sat inside the crystal cave just staring at the wolf dog with irresoluteness burning in his eyes. "I have to," he muttered. "It's the only way. Can't you see that?"
"No! I told not to get involved with this girl! She'd only bring you trouble! What's wrong with you, Caius!? YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYONE! GIVE IT UP! Valgrin won't let you! Valgrin would kill you first before giving up your soul to exchange!"
Caius turned on his companion and struck out at the wolf-dog, the beast yelping as he peered at him with wide eyes. "Valgrin won't know! She won't! I'm doing this whether you like it or not. Whether Megrin likes it or not. I can't bear to see her suffer like this anymore. And if she hates me...then so be it." Caius took the stone that always seemed to find it's way back to him and held it in the palm of his hands staring at it's gleaming surface before taking it to his lips and whispering, "I'm ready."
At his words, a cackled hissed all around him, and a spiral of black winds gobbled him up. Seconds later, he would find himself in a world full of grey cavernous walls lined and cemented with skulls and bones and pyres of remains holding tall flames to light the way.
And she was there. Mah-taht, the witch with only one eye staring back at him, a smile drawn across her entire face.
"I knew you wouldn't let me go so easily," Cai breathed the foul, wretched air of burning brimstone. It smelled ashen with the heavy scent of bodies as he stood before her, him alone. "I'm ready to make a deal, but you will adhere to my terms first. And only then will we come to an agreement."
But as Caius abruptly disappeared, Baal turned and watched his master vanish and cried out. "Caius! Noooooo!" But it was already too late.
Mahtaht let out a cackle, one that came through her closed lips as she looked back at him, her single eye blinking but once before she crept forward, leaning wobbly footed into her staff.
"I never had a hold on you," she said, still chuckling as she paused but a few feet away from him and craned her neck up to have a good look at him. "Ah.. yes, I see what she sees in you. A nice pair of blue eyes and hair, yellow as the sun.." And the old witch reached out a leathery, old wrinkled hand to touch it.
Caius grabbed the hand that reached out to him and instead turned his grip around to grasp her wrist tightly, enough to induce pain if need be. But he doubted he could inflict any pain she wasn't already immune to, considering who her master was. "I want to make a trade," he said simply. "But first your master must free Megrin, free her wholly and completely before I go any further. Her soul will no longer be of any use to him. If he does this...I will give myself to him willingly. But you must free her with no more strings attached to her."
Mataht grinned as the man confessed that he'd give himself up. It seemed her plan had worked. Leaving Megrin to her own devices and she'd always bring in a good catch.
"Oh, but there always is a catch. First, you must not tell Valgrin of your plan, nor Megrin, though I suspect she knows?" the old witch purred. "Secondly, this will have to be done over the course of three moons. It's a very tedious process, since we still need your soul to remain attached to your mistress, or else you are worthless to us. We only care for powerful souls." And her eyes shined darkly. "So.. is the little harlot worth the bonds and chains then?" she asked, reaching out her other hand now to stroke Caius's pretty face.
"Don't call her that," Caius said, stepping back and releasing her hand savagely. "She's not a harlot! She's good and beatiful in ways you'll never understand. But you're right she does know in some small way. But Valgrin does not. I accept your terms if you accept mine. Free her first. I will accept nothing less."
Mahtaht's eyes shined at the way Caius spoke.
"Oh, we understand Megrin perfectly, it is why we will not give her up so easily... nor for just any old soul...... But the deal must be made first," she purred darkly. "And in blood."
She pulled out a small needled. "Just a prick of blood.." she seemed to sing, reaching for his hand. "Just a tiny prick, just a small sample of what remains of the life force that drives you. Then we can talk about releasing Megrin's soul."
Caius took another step back and set his eyes and jaw on Mahtaht. If looks could kill... "No!" he said decisively. "You will release her first! There will be no discussion or it will very well be that this discussion never even happened! I am not here to compromise. Your master knows my worth and value, and abilities, or else he would not be so eager to entrap me. There will be no discussion. I demand you release her at once. Then I give myself. I don't go back on my word."
Meanwhile back at the cave, Baal rushed from the entrance of the crystal cavern and out to the river where he hoped Megrin was still waiting and bark-whined at her, to get her attention. He was desperate and his paws skidded on water as he bit at her skirt and began to tug hard at it before letting go to explain. "Megrin! We have to save Caius! Please! He's going through with it! The stone! The stone took him away!"
At the approach of Baal, Megrin gasped and whirled around, her eyes still wet with fresh tears.
"B-Baal!?" But at his words, her eyes widened. "No!" She scrambled to her feet. "We have to stop him! Gods... Baal.. is there anyway you can get us quickly to the under world!?" She felt herself shaking, hands unable to stop. "Gods... Caius..." She'd never be able to forgive herself for this. Gods... Ahk-meht! That snake! She should have known better! She should have never taken to Caius's sweet face, his sweet disposition, his sweet smile, and ever let herself taste his sweet lips.
Baal shook his head, whining again. "The only way I can transport is to Valgrin's realm but if she knew... Goddess below and above," he said. "There are passages in her realm, that bleed out to the other side, to your side that will take us there, but the Underworld is vast, they could be anywhere! How will we know!? Where did the stone transport them? Hurry get on! You can explain on the way!"
Megrin's eyes shined with fear.
"Gods.. let's be quick then." and she got onto the beasts back, clinging to his fur. "Do you recall where you found me today? We can go there. That would be a start." And he felt herself beginning to tremble. "Gods.. I just hope we can get there before it's too late."
----------
Mahtaht grinned.
"Stubborn one you are, but you seem to forget you are dealing with rules of the underworld. We can not simply give up one without knowing we have full security of the other. Demons simply do not trust," she darkly purred and tried handing him the needle again. "Perhaps.. half a deal then? Just a simple prick of blood... then clutch it around the rock.. and simply think of that of whom you wish to free..."
Caius looked at her a little and peered at the stone in his hands. "And neither do I," he said simply, but he chewed on his lip, there was no other option if this was to be done. He took one of the shards of his sword from his belt and slit it across his finger and saw the darkened blood there seep down gently, before slipping the shard back. He took the stone and pressed it to his palm, not yet closing his hand around it.
Baal ran faster than he ever had in his life and ran to the stones and was there soon enough, finding the small hole that would lead them back down to the pit of Ahk-meht's realm. But as he approached it he found rocks barricading the entrance. "No! NO!" he howled, scratching at the rocks. "Help me move them! Quickly!"
"GODS!" Megrin shouted, practically throwing herself from Baal's backside as she began to dig and pry desperately at the rocks. Why had there been so many things getting in their way? They had to get to Caius, they just had to!
----
Mahtaht held her breath, watching as the man exposed his blood. Ah good.. he did still bleed. Her eye shined as she took a few wobbly steps forward, and poked his arm with her staff.
"Now... simply wrap your blood and hand around the rock and concentrate. Concentrate hard. Think of that whom you believe is worthy of your soul.... one soul for another.... a freedom that begets freedom," She cackled. "And think wisely.." and she gripped a gnarled hand upon his shoulder. "Is Megrin really worth it? All of your former associations with your mistress will be severed, you will belong completely to the Lord of Souls, Ahk-meht and she.." and here, she wove a puff of smoke, the image of Megrin walking past them, smiling warmly up at Ciaus before the imagery disappeared.
"The choice is yours. She can continue to be our vessel... or walk the earth...... free and without her chains, no longer a soul thief under her master, and no longer chained to a fate she had no real choice in making. You have that choice, so think about it...."
Her grin widened, curling at the ends. "Is Megrin's freedom worth your soul?"
Caius still hesitated, staring at the stone that glimmered so temptingly in his hand. He felt his eyes growing hot with tears and one spilled down his cheek. But still, his hand did not close around it. Fear kept him still, sorrow, hoping he could give Megrin something that was finally worth it, that another would willingly sacrifice themselves so that she might be free.
Caius cried as he gripped the stone at last, thinking of nothing more than Megrin's freedom, and gripped the stone so that the rock began to crumble at his touch, his blood seeping into the cracks.
Once Baal bashed through the stones that blockaded their path, he scurried down the rocks, but in his but he had a feeling it was already too late.
Mahtaht's eyes were alight with glee, watching as the man gave himself whole heartedly for the girl. Little did he know the complexities of his consent...
and as Baal was rushing past the blockade, the moment that cemented Caius's deal; Megrin felt a surge of pain surge throughout her body so painful that she screamed out and fell off of his back, smashing hard to the ground.
"A soul for a soul..." the witch cackled. "Too bad she'll be dead by the end of this deal. And you'll already be ours." ANd the red blood began to glow, as if by magic, and sucked out from his hand and into Mahtaht's clutches, and she did nothing more than disappear from his sight.
"In three days, you will be ours." her voice echoed, and then he was cast into the darkness once again.
Caius knelt on the ground feeling something seep inside of his belly like a sickness and he wretched on the ground. He clutched his stomach and looked out to the darkness of the cave. "Megrin," was all he could whisper.
Megrin clutched onto her stomach, grimacing as the pain was so intense, it was as if she were feeling the effects of all the injuries she had ever sustained while 'on duty' for her master, Ahk-meht. And she too, found herself wretching.. and wretching out blood.
And her eyes widened..
"Gods.. Caius.."s he whispered, feeling her limbs begin to shake.
They were too late. She felt it in the pit of her belly. They were too late to stop him.
Baal jumped down to her and ligered curiously at her side, whining a little and licking at her face affectionately, pitifully. "Be quiet," he murmured, and slipped his head underneath her shoulder, righting her to sit up and to climb onto him once more. "Hold on," he commanded. "Just hang on." He began to pull her out of the cave once more.
Caius felt the taint grow deeper now that it was taking a hold on him and a light emerged from his mouth. Orbs pushed themselves out of him, escaping their vessel, leaving him severely weakened and empty; hollow. Cai could feel his fingers grow, numb, whatever life was in him was seeping out and he laid prostrated on the ground unable to move.
Megrin clung onto Baal, her entire body tensing up in pain as she buried her face into his fur.
"Baal.. please.. as fast as you can. We.. we must find him... We must..."
but even she knew it was far too late for them to stop him as her tears began to burn within her eyes, easily hidden behind the fur coat she kept her face pressed into. But he might have been able to feel the hot breath of her sobs as she clung to him tight.
"Silence," Baal commanded softly. But her point and words were not lost on him as he crawled through the cave, deftly scouring every cavern as thorougly and as quickly as he could before found Caius's form still on the ground, devoid of souls and devoid of life. The wolf-dog merely plucked the soul keeper onto his back and headed back the way he came. He did not cry. Did not utter a sound. To return to Valgrin was the only resolute thing on his mind.
With Caius now collected, Megrin felt cold. So terribly wretched as she trembled, but held onto him tightly. Her own illness paled in comparison to how she felt in that moment, and she just clung to him, whispering so many apologies softly into his ear as the tears fell.
Baal moved swiftly, as nothing more than a baack shadow and slipped back through the hole which he came. If he could cry, he would, but tearss would help neither of them now when as last he was out in the open. He pleaded with Valgrin to return them to her realm. And in a stroke of mercy his request was granted and their forms slowly dissipated into her embrace.
It felt strange this time. Megrin was used to being whisked away and vanishing to places at her master's command. But this felt different, and her entire body was still tingling well after they had already appeared in Valgrin's abode. Even still, Megrin clung onto Caius, holding him fiercely as tears continued to run down her cheeks.
"Gods.. Caius, I'll find a way to help you. I will," she whispered, before gasping as she looked around, realizing where they were as fear gripped at her heart. Alls he could tell were all senses inside her were burning and her mind was reeling, warning her, 'You should not be here!'
But as it was... this was where she was, and despite the fear and warnings wailing inside her head, she found herself trembling in awe and begging, "Please!" and her voice echoed into the massive halls all around them. "Please.. PLEASE help him!" she begged, her arms shaking from where she held him into a fierce hug. "Ahk-meht's taint is on him! Please!" but a few tears let loose, slipping down her cheeks as she realized...
Could this woman even help them if he was already damned?
Valgrin stood atop the stone stairs, carved into the very brimstone of the hall of which they now resided. She took one descending step, the robes she wore flowing down beside her, barely held on by a knotted belt around her waist. She saw Baal with his tail between his legs and his ears at the back of his head, looking at the ground. Her eyes were empty, reddened, tired and sore as she looked at the three of them.
She said nothing to Megrin, not even recognizing she was there when she bent down over Caius's still form. She brushed the stringy hair from is brow and lowered her lips down onto his forehead, kissing it softly, leaving the stain of her lips there when she drew back. It was only then that she even noticed Megrin, but her expression did not change.
"He was a good man. Pure of heart. That's why I chose him. Untainted by lust or sin, or greed or wrath. He fought because it was what he believed was good and true and died because of it. Caius Siegfried Morvaine," she informed. "There's nothing more I can do for him. I'm not sure what you'd want me to do for you. He said you were worth fighting for, though he didn't know I heard him. I certainly hope he was right. Ahk-meht's magic's cannot touch you while you're in my realm. He knows better. And if he doesn't, he will find himself in more trouble than he bargained for. Megrin, your curse...is gone. I no longer sense his presence on you, but your body - it has taken its toll. You may recover here if you wish." She bowed her head to her and turned her back, motioning for Baal to follow her.
Baal crawled on his belly at Valgrin's heels before stopping short, turning his head momentarily to look at his master before following Valgrin once more.
Megrin's eyes wavered, tears pooling hotly within. She blinked, and they began to fall down her cheeks. She didn't say or do anything, only wrapped her arms around Caius and held him fierce, sobbing into his shoulder and mourning for him, for his soul, and agonizing over the fact she could do little here, and that this was all her fault, and another innocent would suffer. Another one she loved. It was her curse.
Though she wasn't aware, her body was beginning to heal in Valgrin's realm, so all of her pain, for the moment, had all but vanished, as she held onto Caius, stroking her hands through his hair and just staying near him, afraid to let go, afraid to leave, afraid that if she did... she'd never see him again.
And call she could speak was but a whisper...
"I'm sorry."
He didn't stir at neither her caresses nor her words as she murmured to him, cried over him, for him. He was cold as death, without a soul into the vessel of his body, hollow and empty, providing no light or life, or anything else that would stir a reaction from him. The taint was significantly slowed from the presence in Valgrin's realm, protecting him for what it was worth.
When Caius didn't reply, she began to choke on her sobs. And upon lifting her head to Valgrin's disappearing form, she called over to her as she held on tightly to Caius, keeping him cradled within her lap.
"P-please!" she whimpered. "Is there really nothing we can do?" Megrin could not believe this, shaking her head real slow. "He.."s he turned away, painfully gritting her teeth. "He doesn't deserve this. He has too good of a heart." Fresh tears began to well up within her eyes. "Please... I'll do anything to help. Just tell me if there is something, anything I could do!"
At the boom of her voice, Valgrin did pause and squared her shoulders, feeling a flare spark inside her. "And haven't you done enough?" Valgrin said very loudly, her voice echoing through the chamber hall and making Baal quake at her feet, crawling closer, submissively.
She abruptly turned and looked out to Megrin. "You are such a lost child, Megrin. Feeling sorry for your woes. For the impotence of your station. But you're free now! Isn't that what you wanted? Caius may not have known it but I know where my soul keeper was at every waking moment. We are connected. I could sense he was in distress because of you, moreso when you vanished from that time at the river. You're free and still all you can do is cry!" She felt her rage well into tears that burned at her eyes and flowed down her cheeks like hot lava.
"He was my son," she sobbed. "My true son... And now he's gone. Without a soul to hold inside of him, he will die. He's just a body now that you hold in your arms. But don't try to pretend like you cared. You only wanted him for this, and now you have it. Ahk-meht will take him and put a soul inside of him someway to keep him. And use him for the same slavery you tricked him into. He was good yes, foolishly so. Even when I warned him to stay away from you. But there is nothing we can do for him now. So you can peel the mask off now. You may have been able to fool a god, but you cannot fool me."
Megrin was taken back by the woman's scorn. It hurt like a thousand daggers to her heart. Didn't she understand? Why was she being this way?
Megrin shook her head.
"I never wanted this! I never wanted my freedom at the cost of his!" she shouted angrily, feeling herself being to shake. "I'd rather suffer a thousand times greater under Ahk-meht's hand then to let this be! Gods.." and where she had been strong enough to try to stand one moment, she fell back to her knees and buried her face against Caius. "Can you honestly do nothing for someone that has served you for so long? Are you just going to let Ahk-meht win like that!?" She looked up at Valgrin, eyes burning with tears before she looked back down at him
"Gods.. Caius..." and she gently nuzzled her face against his shoulder. "I'll find a way to save you.. I will.." she whispered as hot tears began to slip down from her cheeks, the subtle remains of the god soul inside her began to sparkle through her tears when they touched Caius's cheek.
Valgrin continued to scowl at her, but the fire of rage was soon snuffed out and she wiped her eyes that had leaked so furiously before. "No," she said at last. "There is nothing I can do that would not break the cycle. He would need a soul, a particulalrly powerful one that could counter balance the darkness festering in him. But I cannot just pull a soul from the well and place it in him. Disruption of the flow would be catastrophic. I cannot allow that. Unless you know of a particular place where one might find such a soul."
Megrin had no solution for this, and felt even more wretched than before.
"I could give him my own soul, but he would hate me just as much as I hate him now," she said through sniveling sobs. And it was only then she noticed, through the sparkle of her tears.. small flowers seeming to grow out from each tear drop as she gasped.
Samrin...
Was part of Samrin's soul still inside her? SHe touched a hand to her chest, and slowly raised her eyes to look at Valgrin.
"What if I could offer him a partial soul?" and she hesitated, before adding. "The God Samrin he... I..." she felt herself lacking the back bone, words fading away. But no. she had to ask.. she HAD to try something to help Caius.
"There's.. a part of him still inside me. When I stole his soul, part of it clung to me. So while Ahk-meht keeps most of it in his own cage, I... I still hold onto his heart." Or, at least the part that still felt like his heart, and recalling Samrin's sacrifice as well for her, more hot tears began to slip down her cheeks.
"Please... do you think... think it could at least help him, a little bit? Gods.."s eh smoothed a hand down her face, looking down at Caius's still form. Gods.. what could they do!?
Valgrin's eyes just locked onto her as she spoke and her expression was as stony as the cavern walls of her abode. She breathed fire and if Megrin looked closely she might see smoke emerging from her nostrils. "That was you," she said in half a breath. "You are the reason..."
She just stared at Megrin, hoping this was all an illusion ebfore bolting forth and gabbing Caius' arm, yanking him toward her. "Get away from him! I knew you were vile! You don't deserve him. You bring ruin to everything you touch! You destroyed Samrin, now you took my soul keeper from me. There is no end to your hunger!"
She dragged Caius' body up into her shoulder. "What good can you do for him now? A partial soul. I've never heard such nonsense."
Megrin's eyes widened and she nearly jumped clean out of her skin when Valgrin approached. She watched in horror as Caius was taken away, and stood there, feeling more wretched than ever before while more tears slipped down her cheeks.
"I know I don't deserve him, the Gods know this. I even tried to warn him about me. To stay away, but..."s he shook her head. It wasn't about her pity. Gods.. Caius.. why hadn't he listened? Why couldn't he have remained as he was before?
"I just want to help him. To make it right. I don't even know if I could trade my soul back, cause Gods.. I would if I could." But she had the feeling Valgrin wouldn't believe her. The way she woman looked at her... Megrin might as well have been one of Ahk-meht's true off spring.
Valgrin hadn't noticed the tear that had spilled onto Caius's cheek, rolling down his face and into his mouth. He remained sill in Valgrin's embrace as the Death Lord began to loudly reprimand for ever tempting her servant in the first place. Caius's fingers began to twitch as the soul fragment began to glow in his eyes and mouth and nose. His chest began to gently rise and fall, however subtly. A pained cry emerged from his mouth when Valgrin wa suddenly silenced, dropping Caius when he awoke suddenly, clutching a terrible pain in his chest.
Megrin felt so wretched she wished she could die. She didn't need Valgrin to lecture her to know she was a snake. She felt worse than it, and as all the times before, this time when she had killed someone that loved her, she felt herself breaking inside.
And she turned around, about ready to find some sort of means to leave this hell when she heard Valgrin drop Caius and she whirled around. Her brows raised in confusion, her breath growing short nad shallow as she watched, eyes carefully studying the body before she gasped and cupped a hand over her lips.
Caius was breathing..
Caius was alive!
Caius moaned against his lips, his hand clenching hard against the fabric of his shirt as he convulsed on the ground. Valgrin too stepped back, too shocked to do anything more than watch him as he curled up and cradled his belly, fighting against the emptiness he'd felt grow inside of him.
He opened his eyes at last and stilled, blank and wavering out to the sights around him. He recognized Valgrin's hall and her name as the first word to touch his lips. He asked her name softly, but the Death Lord had yet to respond, just staring at him quietly. "I...I cannot move... Why can't I move?"
Upon hearing his voice, Megrin's face lit up, tears rolling down her cheeks as her legs gave way beneath her. Collapsing to the ground, she found herself only able to stare back at him, too awe struck to do anything else.
At everyone else's inaction, only Baal whined happily and belly-crawled his way back to Caius, licking his face affectionately as he did so. He nuzzled against Caius and looked over at Megrin with big eyes over his shoulder, before nudging Caius to gather his strength and sit up. He did so, holding his stomach and looking over at her, somebody, anybody.
"What happened?"
It was Baal's reaction that drew Megrin back to this reality as she gasped, stuttering back sobs as she clapsed her hand even tighter around her mouth.
"Gods.." she gasped, a hand now clutching to her chest. "Caius! You're alive!" and without a second thought, she dashed his way, throwing her arms around him and hugging him fierce.
Caius cried out even louder when she clutched him so tightly, the pain in his body leading to another convulsion and he shoved her away, throwing himself to the side. He coughed violently, spewing up black blood and laid his head on the floor, exhausted from the bout. Baal just crawled to him again and nuzzled against his chest.
Megrin found herself shoved violently to the ground and remained there, stunned. She watched in horror as he spat out black blood, gritting her teeth as more tears stung at her eyes.
"Caius.. I'm so sorry," she began, hesitating, but too afraid to go anywhere near him. "I.. I thought you were dead."
"What's happening to me?" he groaned on the ground, rolling onto his back. He looked up at the ceiling and then over to Megrin. "What are you doing here?"
Megrin grit her teeth and hesitated in her response.
"Baal... Baal brought me here. I... we... we were hoping to stop you. To stop you from reaching Ahk-meht," and her voice trailed off, breaking at the ends as her eyes watered up. "But we were too late."s he added in a whisper and dropped to her knees beside him. "Gods, I am so sorry, Caius."
Caius sat up and reached a hand out toward her cheek when she was close. He saw her tears and he smiled sweetly nonetheless. His hand stopped short of her face. "It doesn't matter now," he said, holding his stomach. "This is how it has to be now. You're free. You should be happy. Don't mourn for me. I don't deserve it."
Megrin's eyes wavered.
"But it does matter!" she pressed, shaking her head. "It does! It does to me." She continued looking into his eyes, more tears spilling down her cheeks. "And I never wanted this! I never wanted you to take my place... Caius.. You don't deserve it! You don't! You're too naive! Too wonderful, too nice for such a prison."S he slowly shook her head. "I'd rather remain bound to those chains knowing you'd never have to suffer this way. To suffer what I have been through.... And now..." she turned away from him. "It seems I'm too late. I've lost another man I love to Ahk-meht." Like all of those before...
"Don't say that," he whispered, shaking his head. "You don't mean it. We were just friends, like you wanted. Don't say things that were untrue. Besides, if you did mean it, can't you see things from my side? I did this for you, because you deserved it. And I hope you use it wisely." Caius smiled anyway and tried to stand up, using Baal for support as he stood at last and looked across to Valgrin.
Megrin felt her heart fall into her belly as she shook her head real slow in disbelief.
"Caius.." she whispered, more tears falling from her eyes, but instead of finishing her thoughts, she turned away from him, keeping her mouth closed as it trembled. Gods... didn't he understand? What is freedom worth if someone had to sacrifice it for her and put her in more pain? And if anything, she wasn't free at all, but would forever carry this burden like all of the rest, and the very idea made her whimper as she looked away, burying her face into her hands as she cried.
Caius' smile faded when he saw Valgrin's face and his mistress's downcast eyes and he turned back toward Megrin when she said his name, watching her turn away and cry. Valgrin too turned her back on him and began to depart the room, calling only Baal's name to follow her. Caius stood before Megrin and peered down at her before kneeling again.
He didn't know what to say. Maybe it was best that he didn't say anything and instead he tentatively put a hand on her shoulder before wrapping his arms gently around her. "Please..." he whispered. "Please, don't be upset."
At Caius's touch, her silent tears turned auditory, and she choked on a sob, burying her face more so into her hands.
"Gods... Caius..." though once the sobbing began, it was hard to make the waterworks stop as she wrapped her arms fiercely around him. "Gods.." her entire body was shaking.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." and she shook her head, still clinging to him. "Gods... we never should have met. You'd never be in this boat, and you'd still be free."
"Oh, stop apologizing," Caius tried to laugh, and did so painfully. His arms squeezed her tightly, possessively almost. "Oh, would you stop being so selfless for a moment, and for once be selfish! I did this for you! So at last, you could realize what it's like to be free. Because you're my friend and I care about you! Megrin, I will suffer greatly, I know. But I don't care. You don't need to feel guilty because of me, this was my choice, my free will choice to do this for someone I cared about."
At his laughter, she blinked at her tears as she stared up at the ceiling of Valgrin's realm, then away, unable to look at him as more tears bubbles endlessly to the surface. And she said nothign at first as he squeezed her and tried to sooth her with his words, but she was too shocked, too scared, too frightened for him and upset that no words came to her lips as her body began to shake again as she looked away to sob.
Caius leaned into her and held her as tight as he possibly could, finding no words could soothe her sorrow. What else was he supposed to say? What else could he say that might bring her any kind of peace of mind?
"Kiss me, Meg," he murmured against her cheek. He tilted his head enough to wedge in beside hers and pressed his cheek against hers. "Please just kiss me with everything you have."
Had he not been so close, holding her so tightly, she might have fallen over, feeling her legs grow so weak, as if they could no longer support her ability to stand. And at his words, she grit her teeth, hot tears blinding her as she shook her head.
"How can you ask me to kiss you after all of this?" and she blinked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "You're a slave now because of me."
Mwould you stop asking questions about things I've already explained. It's not your fault. It was my choice. Haven't you ever had someone do something good for you for once in your life? Will you really squander this gift?" He rubbed at her back and nursed his lips at her cheek, feeling her tears pour onto his.
Megrin turned around to face him, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"Gods... Caius. It isn't a gift, but a curse!" she told him with a shake of her head. "If I knew gaining my freedom meant you lost yours, I would never have told you anything to warrant this reason, this sense of nobility you've taken up to free me... Gods... I... I shouldn't have spoke. What gift is this? To be free but to know the man who freed me will become nothing more than a pawn inside a game? To be tormented by my former master? Caius... you have no idea what Ahk-meht will do to you now that he owns you." And she shook her head, and asked again," Why?" then more angrily, she asked through tears, "Why, why, why!? I'm not worth it!" she sobbed, hitting her hands angrily against her legs.
"I don't even have anywhere to go, any family or nothing to fall back on now that I'm free. But you...? Gods.."s he cupped a hand over her lips, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "I'm just glad you're alive..." and she tried to smile, but found herself needing to look away as tears rolled off her chin.
"Caius.... you have too good of a heart," she whispered, before finally turning to look up at him. "And for that, I fear for you. Ahk-meht will eat you alive."
"Don't be afraid for me," Caius pressed, holding her by her shoulders. "I understand, I do! But I'm not afraid for me, Megrin. I never have been. I don't care what I would suffer underneath Ahk-meht because I know that you're free from his clutches. And I've always been a pawn in a greater game, Megrin, nothing chances in that regard... But for you! I did this for you, why can't you see how I ached and wallowed in misery knowing no matter how often we saw one another, you'd always be yanked back into oblivion. But at least now, you can move on from this dreadful place! You are worth it, and you will find someone real and true who will value your worth like I did, more so." Caius let her go at last let his hands fall away to his sides.
"Please.." her words came out softly, cracking beneath a whisper. "Please do not speak about yourself as if you are dead. I know..." she began, pressing her lips together as a few fresh tears rolled over them. "I know you are no longer among the living. But you had a duty, a purpose... and now, because of me, you're just going to resign yourself to a living hell." She slowly shook her head, staring up into his eyes as her tears still sparkled.
"I know this should be every girl's dream, to have herself rescued from her own Hell, but Caius, you're expecting me to just go on and forget about you? What about me? Did you ever stop to consider if I ever wanted this? I know you sacrificed yourself with good intentions but I... I... " she shook her head. "I am not worthy of this and never was, Caius. IF I was, I would have never been so foolish as to have gotten myself in this mess to begin with... Gods.." she tried to swallow back more sobs, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult.
"And now I will be the one to lament when you are taken from me. When Ahk-meht comes calling..."
"What do you want me to do then?" Caius asked softly. "I was thinking of you. I thought this was what you wanted... Megrin, what do you want from me...? Tell me."
Megrin's heart fell.
"I.. I don't know.." and she turned away again, shaking her head.
"I don't think there is anything we can do. Not anymore." She shook her head again. "The second we leave this domain, Ahk-meht will stake his claim on you. For what? I don't know, but I can bet you it won't be pretty, and if my job was so wretched and he was hoping you'd trade yourself in for me.... I... I just fear what he might do to you, Caius." She turned back to him, looking up into his eyes. "I never wanted you to change. Not for me. Not to give up what you had. And now... now Ahk-meht has you and... Gods.." And before she knew what she was doing, she clung onto him desperately, burying her face into his shoulder as she cried.
[What a crybaby.]
Caius was still and silent, holding onto her in that heavy silence. "Megrin," he said. "I know...I know... I have three days before I am completely his. In that time, be mine, please. Just hold me. "
OOC: She is XD
---------------
At his words, she knew she had little choice, and tried to stifle back her tears.
"Gods, Caius," and she hugged him tighter. "You're such an idiot." And she held him even fiercer. "But I think that's why I had begun to love you..."
He laughed again despite their situation and rubbed at her back. "Oh don't be so silly, don't say things you don't mean. I'm not a knight in shining armor. I'm just trying to do right by you. But love, it's only in fairy tales."
She found herself smiling at his laugh, but at his words, more hot tears streamed down her face.
"You have no idea, Caius." she spoke, leaning her face into his chest as she simply held onto him. "You have no idea how right you are."
And this was no fairy tale, but some horrible nightmare neither would ever be free from for the rest of their days. For now she'd have to live with all of the guilt of the lives she had taken, along with the guilt knowing he had just taken her spot as a slave vessel for Ahk-meht.
And they had three days before he was torn from her...
Three days...
but for what?
for all she could do was mourn for him, a death into a new breed of slavery for him that was yet to come.
Caius hugged her tightly, all the muscles in his body tightening in response to his hold and just stood up then, lifting her clear off the ground. "Is it still too much to ask for you to just kiss me?"
Megrin laughed in spite of the situation and looked down at him through tears. She shook her head, not uttering a sound before she leaned in real close and pressed her lips against his.
"Gods.. I never should have kissed you that time on the beach.." and despite her better judgement, she kissed him again, drinking in his love as if it were the last, and the passion behind it was raw and powerful, a force that could be used to move mountains.
He audibly moaned against her lips, the sensation electrifying and awakening all of his senses. "Gods above," he breathed as he turned his head the other way and opened his mouth to hers, slipping his tongue inside. "So this is what passion feels like," he breathed when he turned away enough to catch a breath.
"Yes," she breathed through a pant, arms still clinging around his neck. "And we only have three days," and before he had a chance to stop her, she leaned forward, wrapping both her arms and legs now around him as she kissed him long, hard and fiercely upon the lips. And she leaned in so far that one of her sandals fell off, which clattered to the floor. But that was the least of her worries, for now, a mountain of emotions was racing through her, scorching into her tongue that now shoved inside his mouth, wrestling hotly with his as he gripped a hand into his hair, the other one, clutching on desperately to his shirt as she moaned causing her tongue and lips to vibrate sensually agianst his.
He turned his head into a deep tilt as he continued to carry her and moved her across the hall. His arms were growing weak as all the blood rushed to his face and made him severely flushed. "Megrin," he breathed, pulling away for just a moment. "Your sandal fell off."
She laughed but continued to kiss him, clinging onto him tight.
"Yes. I know."
"Do you, hmmm, want me to, hmmmmmmmmmm, get it, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, for you? Hmmmmmmmmmm!" His lips became trapped in hers as he readjusted her on his hips and stopped his legs just underneath a table within the main hall and paused, pulling his lips from hers. "We...should stop."
At his words, she whimpered against his lips.
"Why?" And her kisses became lighter as she trailed them softly against his cheek. "We only have three days.." she reminded him, breathing the words into his ear. But she paused, holding onto him tightly as she buried her face into his neck, where he'd feel more tears spilling down her cheeks.
Caius whimpered against her words when they tickled his ear. "It's just that here there are eyes everywhere," Caius explained. "And I-I don't know what to do afterward..." He laughed nervously and turned hIs face against hers. "There's my old bedchamber in the lower levels. We'll have privacy there."
Megrin felt her cheeks burn at his words, but said nothing, simply nodding her head as she kept her face buried against him, arms around him tight.
Caius readjusted her legs from around his hips to cradling them with an arm underneath her knees and walking away from the table down to the chamber below the hall. A winding staircase brought them to the door and he opened it with his other hand, pushing the heavy door open with his foot and stepped into the darkness of the room.
He set her down and alit the few candles in the room, brightening the atmosphere to reveal a rather large chamber with a bearskin rug spread out across the floor and a double bed and two armchais before a fireplace.
Megrin kept silent, her tears finally drying by the time they had entered his room, and as he began t light candles, she was taken back by how quaint, yet extravagant his room was.
"Well, Blondie, seems you've got quite the nice place here..."s he said, moving over towards one of the candles that rested upon a tall candle stick that was nearly as tall as she was. She smiled, but kept her back to Caius, still unsure what to make of their situation. She felt so confused and vulnerable, but in the same breath... should she waste these precious few days feeling sorry for herself? He had given up what little freedom he had (if one could call it that) to give her, HER chance at freedom. But all she could think about was him. How she'd rather be suffering than him and that she didn't deserve this...
and the cycle was never ending inside her head.
"Caius I.." but her words fell short, for she knew not what to say. Everything had already been said, and she knew there was nothing she could do to change their circumstances now.
Caius chewed on his lips and walked in to sit closely beside her. He said nothing when he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her close to him. "I know," he murmured. "I know. But let's not think about it anymore. It's no use."
Megrin turned around to face him. There were remnants of tears within her eyes, but for now, no more fell as she reached a hand out and gently touched his face. She was still at a loss of words, unable to smile, unable to look into his eyes as she stared down at his cheeks, his lips, then away as she released a held breath.
He was right.
It was no use. But she couldn't help but feel as if she had just condemned him to death. But this sort of damnation was... different..
For usually she DID kill those she loved by Ahk-meht's power, and here.. instead, she gained her freedom by it and she had no idea how to digest it as she lowered her head, folding her hands onto her lap.
"I wish thing had been different. I wish.. I wish we both could be free."
Caius leaned his head against hers and kissed her cheek. He rubbed her arms and nodded at her words. "If we were free together," he said softly, "where would we go? What would we do? We could travel and see the beauty of the world."
Megrin smiled slightly.
"When I was free, I was too poor for such things," she admitted, staring down at where her hands rested in her lap and his hands now touched her arms. "I wouldn't know the first thing to do with myself. Perhaps.." and here she smiled and blushed, turning away from him. "Perhaps I'd just run away with you to where ever the road would take us."
"That's something," he said with a chuckle. "I've never run away before, I don't think. I've lived in a church all my worthless life. You're in love with a goddamned choirboy." He laughed and took his hand and entwined it with hers, threading his fingers within hers. "Would you decide to have a family if you could?"
Megrin grinned over at him at his comment about being inside a church all of his life.
"I wouldn't know how that sort of life would be like. I was never really religious." But then as his fingers threaded with hers, she blushed and looked down at them, and then froze at his question.
"I.."s he began, realizing it was a topic she had never given much thought. "I never considered it. I was always too poor. Why bring a child into such a terrible life? I.. never saw life as all that grand. So... no, I never considered it. I... doubt I'd be much of a mother." She grit her teeth and turned her gaze from his, looking at the floor, feeling embarrassed by it.
"Poor people bring lots of children into this world all the time, even ifitis beyond their means to take care of them. But that's all right," he murmured and removed his arm from her shoulders. "Some people just aren't meant to be parents."
"With the way I'm feeling right now, I don't even feel I could be that good of a lover,"s he admitted, peering up at him through a curtain of her dark hair.
Caius gave a shrug. "Probably," he said with a laugh. "Sour moods make for less enjoyment of anything. And it's not like I would know."
Megrin gave a small smile in reply to his statement, then averted his gaze.
"And it makes me wonder why you still put up with me. Even after all of this," she said, still smiling and still not looking at him as she tucked her hair away from her face, pinning it behind her ear.
"I'm not sure I understand," Caius said as he peered over at her curiously. "Why would I be tired of you?" He laughed and patted her hand, nudging her shoulder.
"Well, for starters, I have the most miserable of attitudes," she said through a sigh as she blew her hair out of her face, though it wasn't so effective.
"I think I've gotten used to that since we first met. And I think of it as part of your charm," he laughed. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Besides like you said, I'm too stupid for my own good. Why would run away with an idiot?"
Megrin laughed and turned towards him, her eyes sparkling as she smiled and shook her head.
"Maybe it's part of your charm?" she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and stared into his face, still smiling as she sighed.
"But truthfully, I wish you were smarter." she said, leaning forward so that her forehead was resting against his. "Then I wouldn't be so fearful of what Ahk-meht has in store for you. Three days..." she grit her teeth. "It doesn't seem like a long time. Or enough time for anything." she said and lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Caius. I know you did this for me but... I guess I don't understand it. Gods..."And she buried her face into his shoulder. "Gods, please just... stay yourself, no matter what he does to you? Ok? Please.." And she found herself hugging him tighter.
Caius clutched her tightly to him and rubbed at her back. "I'm not afraid of him no matter what he might do to me," he said. "I will endure, Megrin." He squeezed her tighter and kissed her cheek as tears spilled out his own eyes. "Gods I'm such a fool. I think I love you too....Gods..."
OOC: Such cry babies!
But it's so sad ;o;~`
---------
At his words, she found herself laughing through chokes of her sobs. She clung to him tightly, breathing hotly against his neck and hair.
"Gods.. we're a pair of idiots." But then her hug slackened and she buried her face into his shoulder.
"But maybe that's why we're so perfect for one another." she siad, slowly lifting her gaze and peered into his eyes. "A pair of fools in love." And she smiled at him, her eyes shining with pools of tears.
"I think we're just gluttons for misery," he said through a smile of his own. "Just a sad fairy tale of misery and tragedy. Kids would never look at life the same way again." He laughed and just kissed at her crying eyes.
[Yeah. Makes me sick.]
OOC: As if XD
You aught naught to post spree unless ye, yourself, be a glutton for punishment. bwahaha
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She laughed softly at his words and whimpered when he kissed at her eyes.
"Gods.." she took his hands and squeezed them lightly before leaning forward and softly kissing his lips.
"But I love you. I think I really do."
"So what happens next then?" Caius chuckled, pecking at her lips. He touched his forehead to hers and gave a humble shrug. "We're just going to sit here and cry and complain and cry and kiss a little?"
[All humans are. It's a fact.]
OOC: Yeah. Pain is a part of life 8D
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Her green eyes wavered as she looked back into his eye at his question. Her eye lods hung close slightly at his short kiss, before they opened more to look at him again as their foreheads touched. She smiled smally, averting his gaze a moment and staring through long lashes down to the floor.
"I don't know, but it sure seems like that's all we can do," and she laughed through her nose before looking up into his eyes again.
"But if we got three days..."s he began, her hands finding his again as she squeezed them. "We should make the most of it." And her smile grew. "Perhaps we might even be able to go to the beach again?"
Caius laughed loudly at her suggestion and nodded despite himself. "Certainly. Let's go right now," he said, standing up and holding out a hand to her. "We might have to walk though. I doubt Baal would be able to take us without Valgrin giving him another lashing."
OOC: THEN THEY'D BEST GET THEM WALKIN' SHOES AND START THE WALKIN!
B|
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Megrin smiled, excited to be 'free' and getting a chance to spend time with Caius, only at hte mention of Baal reminded her of another plight.
"but... wait.. if we leave.. do you think it would be wise? Here, in Valgrin's realm.. are we not protected from Ahk-meht? What if he come for you sooner?"
"Let the bastard come," Caius growled. He frowned at her and moved toward the door. "What more could he do to me that he won't already do? I'm not afraid of him. If he comes, he comes!"
Megrin was stunned by his words, but couldn't help but let her lips quirk up into a leftward smile.
She shook her head.
"That's my choir boy,"s he teased, walking on up to him and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Then let's run before he can find us." and she squeezed his hand before she took off down the hall, her laughter echoing around them.
He blushed furiously after the kiss and stumbled after her. "Wait," he hissed. "You don't know the way out of here!" He paused by her side and motioned for her to follow him out toward a paneled room with now clear exit. He took her hand in his and held a hand over her eyes while he held his tightly shut. The panels began to glow and soon they were transferred toward the outside plain once more with the beach just in sight.
Megrin could have ran in circles for all she cared. She felt the need to release the repressed energies building up inside her. She wanted to run, she wanted to scream.. but the moment the world melted away, she gasped, her eyes going wide at the sight of the beach, which left her lips smiling and half hanging open.
Caius didn't waste any time and ran out toward the water, heading down the sloping path down the cliff, slipping and sliding down rocks and trying to hold his footing until he suddenly went tumbling down and scraping his back when he hit the sand. He didn't care however and kept running out toward the cool water, kneeling before it, as the waters washed up along the shore.
When Caius began to tumble down the hill side, she was glad she wasn't holding his hand any more. That looked painful. She smiled and shook her head at him, and took her time down the rocky path before stepping out onto the soft sands where the waves crashed into foam at her feet. She sunk her one bare foot into the sands, the other one, still in her sandal before she reached down to pull that off and discarded it aside.
Swiping her long hair away from her face, she peered over at Caius.
"The ocean breeze feels nice,"s he commented as it fluttered wildly through her long hair.
"How's your back feeling?" she asked, turning towards him as she grinned. "That was quite the impressive fall."
"it's fine," Caius replied with a nervous laugh. He swept his hair out of his face and quickly began to undress as best he could, leaving his clothes in a neat pile before rushing toward the water once more. The chill of it made him gasp out, but it felt glorious.
OOC: Caius reminds me of my nephew the first time we took him to the beach.He took one look at it and dropped his clothes and ran naked XD
I think he was like 3 years old or something
-------
Megrin shook her head as the man undressed. Apparently they didn't teach modesty to choir boys. But who was she to complain? She got a nice view of his ass,a nd well, he had a nice body, too.
More shyly, she discarded her own clothing as she looked around.
"Thankfully nobody is around to see us,"s he said with a laugh, kicking off the rest of her dress before running out wiht him into the ocean and just as she reached his side, a wave crashed between them as she cried out playfully, sea foam lapping into the air.
[That's cute. I hope he got swallowed by an orca. Orcas a freakin' awesome.]
Caius ran along the shoreline and glanced at Megrin with a huge grin. "You've gotten a lot braver since last time. You didn't even want to undress. Why the suddenly change of heart? Oh, nevermind what does it matter!" Caius took off into the water and dove for the first large wave that came at his legs.
OOC: PFff
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Megrin blushed. But did she honestly need to remind him they only had just a few days of this sort of thing... if EVER they could share a moment like this again? But she smiled anyways, shaking her head at him and followed after, wasting no time in tackling herself over top of Caius as she laughed before a huge wave came crashing down ontop of them.
[So he did or didn't get eaten by the orca?]
Caius gasped in some salt water as the wave crashed over them. He looked at her a little cross-eyed until she came further into focus when she fell atop him. He laughe boyishly and held onto her tightly even as he said, "You trying to drown me?"
WHen the wave safely passed over them she simply laughed and shook her head, clinging onto him with a "NO!" before the next wave surged over head.
"Then what are your intentions toward me, Miss Megrin?" Caius asked when the last wave washed away. He sat up and held her more firmly against him. His large hands felt sand and salt cling to her skin where the water had washed against her. Though the water was cool, the flesh of his cheeks were quickly growing warm.
At his question, Megrin's smile began to fade as her eyes studied his. Another wave rolled by, but this one more tame. She needed only one hand to hold around his neck while the other traced lightly against his cheek.
"I don't know.." she said, before smiling and leaning in, kissing him just as another wave crashed over head.
Caius kissed her softly and sensually, growing hotter under the intense chill of the ocean foam. It washed over them like a storm wind and clouded into his senses. Caius pulled away from her salty lips and just smiled at her. "You know," he said. "C'mon, I thought we were enjoying these waves."
Megrin smiled and blushed beneath his playful scrutiny.
"I'd like to think we are," she said as her eye lashes lowered, eyes staring back into his before closing real tight as she kissed him long and hard, arms clinging around him tight.
He moaned and shivered under the passion of her kiss and his entire body was set ablaze because of it. He kissed her just as powerfully, leaning back against the waves and propping himself up on his elbows as his mouth did most of the work.
She moaned back,a nd smiled, almost giggling through his lips as she was delighted he enjoyed this so. She had kissed many boys before, most of them were silly and drunken kisses; other times, kisses not so sweet...
but this?
This was perfect, this was heavenly, and she wished he had been her first, and most certainly, she ought to vow he be her last; as she leaned in more closely, kissing him deeper and deeper.
She was taking his very breath away and it made him dizzy from both the kiss and the lack of oxygen. Caius leaned back on one arm as water spayed over them and used his other arm to wrap around her waist, feeling along her skin as he did so.
He felt intrigue and yet nervous at all the sensations she inspired within. A painful reminder on how he'd been so deprived in his youth, that he was still indeed a man. He blush furiously more and more beneath every moan and his lips grew hungrier and hungrier.
As he held onto her, his hands smoothing across her skin she whimpered. With kisses becoming heated, she soon found herself flushed all over as she began to breath hotly between each deepened kiss.
"Gods... Caius.." she said, her fingers raking through his hair as the two now lay within the sands while more frothy waves crashed beside them. "I wish we could do this forever."
He was thankful for every wave that washed over them, as he could now feel the added heat of her body contributing to his own. He felt like he was on fire, a sensation so foreign and yet so mesmerizing as he whimpered underneath her.
"Megrin!" Caius gasped suddenly as he paused and looked at her with wide eyes. He blushed furiously at the tension in his groin, feeling himself rise up against her. "Oh, gods, I'm so embarrassed," he muttered and buried his face against her shoulder.
At his gasp, Megrin's eyes widened. Was something wrong?! But then at his response, she blinked and looked down, and well, felt his embarrassment against her. She only smiled and continued to hold him, raking a hand through his hair.
"Hey, choir boy, it's only natural,"she whispered softly, a noticeable but gentle mirth in her tone. "Every man gets one in their life time. And well, normally situations like these, er.. make those sorts of things stand out."
Was she really having this conversation? She felt like a teenager again, learning all the basics. But if only that were true with her, and her cheeks turned red this time, but in embarrassment for another reason.
While he was obviously new to everything involving love, she on the other hand, had enough silly rendez-vous that it scarred her internally, and made her more hesitant to act on her own reaction to his. Instead, she did the only thing she could do, and loved on him, holding him tight.
"Don't be embarrassed, really.. besides, what did you think would happen with a naked woman all over you while we played at the beach?" she said, laughing softly as she peered down at his face now, half o fher hair now suctioned to her face from the waters of the waves.
And another wave surged over them, and the coolness felt heavenly, as did the sand and foam that came with it. ANd she found herself smiling and reaching down, hands gently placed upon his cheeks as she kissed him soft and chastely upon the lips.
His cheels burned with the fury of a thousand suns. And if he didn't know any better, he would have thought he was going to be burned alive by it. "I wouldn't have known what to expect from experience. You're my first after all," he said with a meek grin. But he was glad at least that she didn't press his shame and made him feel comfortable in his reaction.
He sat up and wrapped his hands around her side, feeling along her skin, allowing them to explore her skin, and the softness therein.
Megrin opened her eyes at his statement, her cheeks burning beet red. But still, she smiled so broadly by it that dimples were cut into her cheeks.
"I wish you had been my first," she whispered, her eyes fluttering closed at the sensation of his hands against her skin, which froze her in that moment of time; so that it only felt as though just he and her existed in all of that moment, that was, until a large wave crashed over head, spilling them nearly apart, and as it fanned out and thinned over the beach; she laughed lightly as she found herself now laying at his side, her arms and legs partially sunken into the velvet sands.
Caius leaned over her, propped up on his elbow and looking over her in the evening light with sparkling eyes. "Who was your first?" he asked softly. "Where did you grow up?" He smiled at her and brushed his fingers up along her side until he reached her face and traced his thumb along her lower lip.
Megrin stared back at him, her own eyes sparkling. But at his question, her expression faltered, but she tried to hide it behind a smile.
"His name was Tyus," she said, closing her lips now as she smiled, eyes wandering away, towards the memory. "We were young, maybe thirteen at the time when I had my first kiss out in the meadows. Though... he wasn't my first real love." No, she gave her all to an older man, a drunk. And it wasn't pleasant. She was foolish then and.. still was. but he didn't have to know that part.. did he?
But she felt as if she'd wrong him if she held back, considering he was a virgin in many things, and she... a virgin of none. She had been so young and foolish, seeking any escape...
and had taken various lovers to various beds along the way; and none of them were as pleasant as the stories. But this with Caius.. it seemed so surreal, so beautiful, and she felt as awkward as he, as if it was her first real time in anything...
even kissing.
Her lashes hung low now as she stared away from him, past his bare chest to the beach.
"I grew up in a small farm in Adela, near the small city of Arnali. We were dirt poor and the soil was rotten. It wasn't rare when I'd go weeks with only stale bread as a meal, if even that." Her eyes told the truth of the sadness there in. "And my mother was never happy. Nor my father." She turned away. "No one was."
Caius softened at her words and his hand ran its course along her lip and chin, holding her delicately as if she were made of china or glass. "I guess we can't all be happy all the time," he muttered, but kept his smile. He traced along her face. "How did you get away from all that?"
Megrin laughed sadly.
"When my soul was stolen from me and given to Ahk-meht."
"The I guess sometimes bad things can lead to better things in a way. You never would have met me," Caius said with a grin and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "What's your favorite color? What's your favorite food? What do you like to read? What are your favorite things in all the world?"
Megrin blushed at his words, shaking her head before his lips met to her forehead. Then she looked up int his eyes, and found herself silently laughing as she turned away at all o fhis questions, shaking her head again.
"My favorite color?" she looked down at her dress, oh wait, she wasn't dressed, and peered over at her discarded purple dress upon the beach. "Violet." She turned to him, brushing her dark hair from her face. "And food? Gods.. I don't even know, but yennick potatoes were always really good. But I rarely had a chance to eat them. The seasoning was expensive, as was the pork that was cooked with it." Then at his reading question, she shook her head. "I... I can't.. er... really read,"s he admitted, lowering her gaze, an then at his last question she simply laughed.
"You have so many questions about me.."s he said, taking his hands now within her own and squeezed them. Her eyes looked back into his. "Why? Why are you so curious about me?"
Caius laughed at her responses, but all in good humor, not with any intention to ridicule her. "I'm not sure I understand the question," Caius said with a grin, leaning into her. His hand brushed along her side, and he just chuckled. "Shouldn't I get to know you? I mean we spent a lot of time together, but we've never really spoke. For a girl who says she loves me, I don't know anything about you."
Megrin blushed at what he said,a nd lowered her gaze sheepishly.
"Well, I never said I was ever good at the whole love thing," she admitted with a nervous laugh. Then she tucked back a smile and looked up at him, a smile returning to her face. "What about you, Blondie? What should I know about you?" she asked, eyeing him over appreciatively. "What do you want to tell me? What would you want to share?"
"You know most about me, but I can only share what I remember," Caius breathed honestly. He gave a thoughtful chew on his lips before meeting her gaze. "I like dogs, big dogs, wolves too. As you know from Baal. My favorite color is midnight blue... My favorite food is a hot, steamy lasagna with turkey inside it. I remember eating that quite fondly. And...my favorite girl is Megrin. Even if you're technically my only girl."
OOC: Lasagna with BEEF is BETTER XP
-----------
Megrin smiled at him, nodding as he spoke, and when he got to the part about being his girl, she blushed and turned away,t hen looked back at him, her eyes sparkling like stars.
She leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly
"Gods... Caius, don't you ever change. I love you for what you are, sweet and unyielding.." and she wrapped her arms around him and leaned against him, her eyes drifting out in the ocean.
[I like them both. They're delicious either way.]
Caius wrapped his arms around her in turned and used his free hand to brush through her long bound hair, the very weight of it, easily ten pounds or more. He chuckled at the thought and kissed her cheek in return. "You know Megrin, before I met you, I could only see brightness in the world when the sun came up, when it came down. When the birds sang...but with you I think I can finally see light in people. Does that make any sense? I mean real people, not spirits and demons. "
OOC: To be fair, I never had turkey lasagna, so I bet it's AMAZING
but I LOVE lasagna, so long as it's STUFFED full of cheese <3<3<3<3
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Megrin looked into his eyes, scrunching her nose as him and turned sheepishly away, before glancing back at him as she smiled.
"I... I think I get what you mean."s he sighed. "But that's sweet." And her smile grew. "And you're sweet." and she leaned in closer to him. "So sweet that I managed to fall for you harder than I ought to have." and she leaned in, kissing him softly. "I... I'm sorry." she found herself saying again, not able to help it that she found her eyes welling up with tears again. Gods, she felt like such a monster right now. She didn't deserve this..
but he only had 3 days....
[Megrin the eternally Selfless. Because of couse SHE doesn't deserve it. Cue eye roll.]
Caius pinched her chin a little to look up at him at last. "Hey...I see those tears...no tears tonight," he murmured. "No tears for me or for you...We're together where we belong. Just kiss me right...Kiss me good, dammit."
OOC: Hey! To be fair, it would be AWFUL to have to come to terms with the fact she screws over ANYONE she has EVER cared for. ANd now she'll have her freedom, at the cost of it yet AGAIN, to lose someone she cares for. SUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks
--------------------
She tried to laugh, but she found herself crying as she looked at him. And at his words, she pressed her lips together, looking right into his eyes before holding him by his face and moving forward, her lips crashing agianst his.
Caius moaned loudly in response to the fire of her kiss and reached a hand up to wipe away the stray tear that spilled from her eyes. He turned his head and held her so strongly to him, it was is the the very earth too hold of her. He groaned a little when at last he broke the kiss to breath, his lips sore and pulsating with the fire in his blood.
[Who said you were ever fair? Nobody.]
OOC: But it's been said I have VERY fair skin 8D
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She didn't want to think about his fate, about what a terrible mess she had caused him when she made him care for her. It was his choice, his choice... but Gods...
To ignore it, she simply began to kiss him again; kissing quick and long and hot and breathless.
"Gods... Caius.." and her entire body was heated by the flame, so she wasn't aware someone was watching them from the cliff sides.
Caius melted into her kiss as if she were the heart of a roaring blaze. He was falling prey to his own emotions, to his own desires that he'd long since put away. It didn't matter anymore though... He wasn't a Paladin anymore.
He whimpered at her touch, drinking her lips brreathlessly and without sense. And the figure from the cliffside vanished, moving away from the ledge.
How long had it been since she had known love? How long since she had ever felt the caressing, soft touch of a man and felt a fire this hot? Even with Samrin, the love was chaste and sweet.. yes it had been real, but only went as far as the first kiss before he died.
For so long, any means of love had been taken from her, each time there was a simple notion; a hug, a kiss, a gift... and Ahk-meht owned it all.
Now that she was released and realized the power behind the kisses and hugs and touch... she was falling into it endlessly as her hands found the strength to move forward, smoothing over his body, lips gracing over his, smashing against his fiercely as she moaned.
"Gods, just keep kissing me," she begged, her voice in her throat and achy, her eyes hanging in half-lidded bliss. "Kiss me forever."
His hands roamed over her, the water contrasting to the liquid fire that melted over Megrin's form as he felt her. He moaned louder than she, so was he taken by the sheer force of her passion. He was completely at her mercy and whimpered underneath her. His body responded in kind to her touches, heating in a blaze where she touched him. Never had he been lost in such bliss.
Despite the heat below, the skies began to darken, the winds chilling as the sky grumbled with the threats of rain. The weather was hardly of consequence to her now, so much was she consumed by their passion that as the sky broke open, pouring buckets of rain upon them, she only laughed as the cool waters joined the crashign of waves that foamed around their bodies. She held onto his face, kissing him this way, and that, and leaning her lips more forward into his, before backing off, kissing softer, lighter and sweet, before her lips butterflied their way towards his ears, and her breath hung there, as if about to beg him something but she with held.
As much as she wanted to, she could not bring herself to beg Caius to make love to her. He was sitllt he sweet man she always knew, and instead, she whimpered over the idea they only had but three days of freedom together. Three days of love. So instead of begging him for more, she found herself stating the obvious.
"It's raining."
He was completely overwhelmed by the force of her love, and each kiss made him shiver and whimper as he kissed her back with just as much force. He was breathless and wanted her more and more.
When she stopped he made a noise of disappointment and looked up at the rain pouring down on them. A giggle escaped him and he hugged her tightly. "Let's get our stuff and get out of here," he whispered in her ear. "There's a sea cave not far from the beach, hidden in the rocks."
"And you think a sea cave will be any warmer than the rain?" she asked, her eyes shining. "We're already wet." Though a flash of lightning reminded her it wasn't safe, but even still, it served to send another thrill through her.
Three days... Gods.. only three days.
She sat up beside him in the sands now. They were on the beach still, and here, the sand were warm and velvet, covered in sea foam and salted waters, her feet were almost completely buried, as was her one hand that now supported her as her other hand cupped his face.
"But if you wish to get out of the storm to show me more sights, I guess I can oblige." And she leaned forward to kiss him as a crack of thunder shook the ground. Another round of lighting hissed across the sky, reflecting across the waters, appearing as if two large, claw-like strikes of lightining moved at once, and by the time it's thunder roared out, she was already deeply kissing him, pulling him over top of her while she lay within the sands.
Her dark hair was a mess, several pounds worth full of salt watera nd sands,a nd it layed splayed around her body as her legs opened naturally around his.
"Gods.. Caius.."
and her fingers moved through his hair, fingers searching his body, smoothing against his muscles as she kissed him, their bodies aligning in such a fashion he'd be able to feel every crevice of her, every detail.
He moaned softly beneath her kisses and let his lips massage against her, letting her hands caress his body in places he'd never been touched and pull himm over her until her was delicately between her legs.
He pulled away and looked down at her and at her body, seeing where he was now. He couldn't bring himself to continue and smiled shyly at her for a moment. "I meant we should get out of the storm," he murmured, kissing her again with need.
At last he pulled up from her and pulled her up with him, walking towards his clothes to pluck them from the sands.
Megrin felt dizzy after all their kisses, and blushed embrassingly as they got to their feet. She was still naked, and looked around, half hiding her body with her hair before hse too, leaned down to pick up her clothing. She slipped her dress back on quickly, following quietly at his side as the rains came pouring down all around them.
Caius looked around through the sheets of rain, trying to pinpint exactly where he remembered the location of the cave. Soon he found the slit in the rock where some water spayed up by the entrance but once he crawled further inside, the cave went higher up on a ridge with a slope that went down into the glowing part of the ocean crept underneath.
Caius helped her along the sharp, jagged rocks at their feet and winced only momentarily to help her along the path once they were up on the ridge. "Isn't it beautiful?" he said with glee.
It was quite a climb, and Megrin was panting by the time they reached the top, slipping a bit along the way since the footing was slick by the rain. Thankfully Caius's was there to help her ascend. But once she was there and steadied herself at his side, her eyes widened as she looked down to the world below them.
"Oh wow..." she took a hesitant step forward, completely mesmerized. "It's beautiful."
OOC: lame post is lame, couldn't sleep so yeah. blargh! a post after only 3 hours of sleep >_>
[YEAH YEAH! EXCUSES!]
Caius smiled at her statement and pulled her in close with his other arm and kissed her temple. "I just wanted a place for us to be alone without the storm intruding on our moment," he smiled. Pulling away he set his clothing down on a stone to dry and sat down on a rock. The water gently illuminated the cave and glittered upon Megrin's curves and silhouette. She was gorgeous, radiant, glimmering in start light.
Megrin caught him staring at her, her dress suctioning against her form. She was considering slipping out of it to let it dry, but now with the way he was looking, her face heated up and she questioned, "What?"
Caius just smiled up at her, blushing just a little. "I was just thinking how beautiful you are," he breathed. "You look even more radiant in this lighting. I don't think I could let myself forget such beauty..." But he blushed and covered a hand over his groin, still nude and cold from the ocean and rain.
If she wasn't already blushing, she would be now. SHe stared at him for a moment before looking embarassingly away. But also, was trying to stifle a laugh when he tried to hide his groin. She shook her head, turned towards him and stepped near. Her eyes sought his, a hand gently stroking across his cheek before she cupped in, then, without so much as a word, she leaned in to kiss him soft.
"I could say the same thing about you," she said, huskily. She stared up at him with a small smile, her cheeks dimpling.
His face turned beet red and he gave a shy chuckle. He smiled up at her and searched her face. "If only I'd known sooner that being in love could be this wonderful," he murmured before leaning in against her lips, kissing her softly at first then with growing hunger. "I wish this night would never end."
Megrin whimpered at his kiss, finding her arms wrapping around him as she held him tight, kissing him back.
"As do I. Gods, as do I."
He moaned against her lips, but at least this time, he was more incontrol of himself and he aad no distraction of rain or sea to make him doubt where his shivers really came from. Caius let his hands roam against the coarse cloth of her dress that was soaked with rain, sand and saltwater.
"Let's not let it end," he breathed against her, even dragging his teeth against her lips.
Megrin wasn't sure how much of this she could endure. Three days... why did she always have to remidn herself Caius only had three days? Three days they both wished to turn into an eternity.
"Ok," she spoke softly, delicately as if afraid to speak any louder for fear the air itself might break. She was hot all over, shivering even when she felt his teeth against her lips and silently began to peel away the soaked dress she still wore, lips meeting softly, chastely to his until it was nothing but a pool of clothe at her feet.
And her eyes met his, not daring to look away as she stepped towards him, her body moving in, pressing up aginst his body before her lips met to lips, and her fingers cupped his face as she drank from him deep. Leaning in, her hands began to move, smoothing across his bare back as she moaned.
"Gods.. Caius," she whispered hotly through kisses, though her lips remained open, she spoke no more, only continuning to kiss him unyiledingly.
Though he kissed her, Caius's eyes still peered down momentarily as he watched her take the dress off her wet form. They were still soaked from the rains and ocean, and smelled of the sea, sand and wind. Oh, how it made him shiver to watch her undress. He trembled again, losing all control when she at last pressed her form up clear against his. He whimpered audibly and falling victim to her touch as she kissed him yet again. He returned her fire, sinking his lips into her, biting her lips here and there as he turned his head in different angles.
Fire simmered in his belly, his hands drifted down her sides, feeling along the coolness of her flesh, but feeling the rushing of blood that lingered just below the surface. He grabbed her thighs, gripping his palms flush against them. "I want you," he whispered, turning his head down to her neck, sucking on her skin.
OOC: Mature content in this post D:
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Her eyes widened, a thrill rushing through her at his words.
'I want you' the words echoed within her, and she was to stunned to speak. But then she returned to him, her eyes fluttering closed as he nursed at her neck.
"Gods.. Caius. I... I want you, too," she whispered, gasping softly as she felt his hands upon her skin, his lips upon her neck, and his swollen groin against her front, as she hesitantly opened her legs to let it slip in between, where there, he'd be able to feel the heat of her sex.
[Yes, mature-ness afoots.]
Caius gasped just a little, struck and pausing for a just a moment when he felt her sex so exposed to him. For they were both so vulnerable and though he wanted her, there was some hesitancy when he thought about. But he knew there was no room for thought and he prodded her sex lightly, feeling the opening and moaned lightly, his heart pounding in his ears.
He slid inside, feeling tense at first, before just moving the rest of the way. He grunted in pleasure, gasping against her lips. He moved her down, holding himself over her, before kissing her hotly.
OOC: Still mature B|
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For a moment,t hey were both paused, sex against sex. She wasn't sure if he would have taken the next move, and felt a little guilty, as if she were pressuring him into it, even though this was something he wanted, he had asked for. But was it right to give herself away so willingly when they would be torn away so fast?
But the answer was simple.
The answer was Yes.
And when she felt him move against her, she gasped lightly, her mouth falling open as she felt his sex prod her ever so slightly, parting open the lips of her sex. She felt herself become heated all over at the sensaton, to feel, even this little piece of him, just the tip, sent a thrill through her body.
And still, she doubted it, feared she might only be hurting him to allow this to continue...
but there it was.. she felt it..
every inch as it slowly moved into her body, one slow inch at a time.
And once he was sealed all the way deep inside her, her eyes fluttered closed, her lips hung open ad she hadn't even realized they were on the ground until his lips met hotly to hers.
Instantly, her legs swept around him, clinging around his hips as her arms clung around his neck. And she kissed him deeply and hot with need, her sex gripping to his so tight.
'Gods.. Caius.." she whispered hotly. "You feel like heaven."
His body shivered with such pleasure, quivering at the tightness of having her sex around him, squeezing him. He laughed just a little at her words and kissed at her cheek. "I-I hope so...I hope I'm good enough for you," he confessed, blushing against her cheek. But he shifted his hips over hers, turning them to angle deeper, as far as he could go, only knowing what pleasure came from such a motion.
He began to move slowly at first, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, feeling along her skin, before thrusting faster in growing confidence, kissing her and hoping he could give her everything she wanted. There was no longer doubt, only heat and love and the passion therein.
OOC: Still teh mature D: *slaps up a warning sticker*
theys be making babies or something :T
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His hesitation only egged on her own moans as he moved within her. She felt him, and let her own self melt as his insecurities began to fade and he was moving more naturally into her, more freely.
It was exhilarating, to think this was his first time, and to allow herself to just enjoy his natural reaction of his body being inside a woman's for the first time. Naturally, he was driven by the pleasure, and so was she, groaning as it hurt; for it had been so long since she had made love; but it hurt in a good way that burned and made her cling more tightly to him.
When he was slower, she had slowly traced her fingers up nd down his body, feeling his muscles, his skin, feeling just about every inch of him delicately, but now that he was moving in faster, she clung onto him, her own hips moving along his as she gasped, breath splaying against his ears as she spoke.
"Gods, you're perfect, Caius. You're perfect. I could make love with you like this..." and she drew in a breath, arching her back beneath him and sighed out the last words, "forever"
Caius could only follow what his instincts told him, that it felt wonderful to move inside her, to piston as he went and love on her, to feel his lips splay hotly against her neck, her collarbone and chest. He'd never felt such sensations before. It was heaven, truly heaven to be wrapped up in her limbs in such a manner.
"I love you, Megrin," he murmured into her ear with such surety. "I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone." He nursed at her cheek, before moving his lips to meet hers, pulling on her lips a little, hungering truly hungering for her, knowing that he could please her, and love her and make her feel loved.
OOC: MOre mature baby making warning labels B|
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THe words were a surprise to hear, and at first, she almost feared them had they not shot off a series of emotions much like a display of fireworks within her heart. It fluttered and warmed her, washign through her from head to toe as she moved beneath him, curling her toes and holding him tight as her lips smashed to his.
"Gods, and I love you," she breathed, tossing her head back, the sensation, the force of the moment far too magical, far too sensational to even describe. "Gods.." and she began to scream, feeling him hit all the right places like a match striking through her, and soon she was screaming not just to the Gods, but screaming his name, over and over again.
Caius groaned softly at her, moving faster, harder and as deep as he could go with every stroke. He moaned louder and louder until both of their voices echoed in a culmination of ecstasy. He felt his body spasm over her, bursting inside of her.
He murmured her name, and buried his head against her chest, kissing her breast softly with weak lips, sweating heavily and holding onto her, cradling her so close lest she float away from him. "So....that's what's that feels like," he chuckled, biting his lip.
Megrin now lay there, content and laying on the cold, cavern floor beneath him. She was breathing heavy, and curled her fingers into his hair. SHe blushed at his words and smiled, trying to tuck it back, but she found herself laughing softly, it echoing around them in a whisper.
"Yes.." and she blushed, before adding. "My only regret is I wish you had been my first."
Caius looked up at her from his spot on her chest and laughed with her. "Think of it this way... With your new lease on life, I am your first," he said. "As you're mine." He pressed his face against her chest before turning his lips against it and kissing it softly. His hair fell over his eyes and he laughed again, moving over her and pressing his hands on either side of her head.
"Don't have any regrets. Not after this," he said, leaning down to kiss her softly.
Megrin whimpered at his words, and melted at his kiss.
"Ok,"she spoke softly, kissing him back. "I will have no regrets with you."
Even as in the back of her mind, she was still feeling the rising guilt of the sacrifice he had made. A tear met to her eyes as she smiled, whispering the words "Thank you." before kissing him again.
Caius kissed her back and moaned again. "If I didn't know any better," he said. "I'd say you were trying to eat me alive." He laughed and pulled softly out of her, her sex so slick from their pleasure, and laid down beside her. He wrapped a hand around her side and kissed softly at her neck.
Megrin laughed softly at his words, then when he moved off of her, she could breath a bit better and sighed contentedly into the rocks. As he kissed her when he nestled into her sides, she closed her eyes and just let herself lay there, humming softly at the sensation of his lips to her neck.
He pecked her softly along her neck, tasting her sweat and the sea water there. He hummed softly against her skin before wrapping his arm underneath her head and pulling her into his chest. He hugged her to him and closed his eyes, tucking her head underneath his chin.
Megrin sighed contentedly. This was truly heaven, and as she reflected back to how they first met, she chuckled.
"So when you first met me.. what did you honestly think about me?" she asked, turning her head to glance up at him, a smile stretched happily across her lips.
At the question, Caius visibly blanched and muttered, an "uhh" that went on for a while. Finally he looked meekly away and blushed. "I thought you were pretty...and you were meaner than a damn snake. I almost wanted you to get caught by those hell hounds. I'm sure your thoughts of me weren't any better."
Megrin smirked.
"I'm glad." she said, smoothing a hand down her sides. "That's how I wanted to appear, so I wouldn't attract the wrong kind of attention."
But she grinned up at him now, her eyes shining.
"But now I'm glad I did.." she traced her fingers against his cheek. "Gods... I owe you so much, Caius. You saved me." she paused, her eyes sparkling brightly. "You're my hero." And she blushed, her cheeks dimpling as she added, turning away as she tucked back her grin. "And to be honest.. when I first saw you, I had thought you were very handsome." She tucked a piec eof hair behind her ears before looking to him again. "But that's how I knew you'd be dangerous. I always fall for the cute ones." she said, turningback towards him and kissing him on the tip of his nose.
"But you're not like any of the others guys I've fallen for you're... so sweet... you.. you remind me of Samirn." she siad, leaning against him with a frown. She averted his gaze now.
"Gods.. he was so beautiful, in mind and soul. He wanted nothing more than to love me and rescue me from the Hell Ahk-meht bestowed upon me."
And she slowly shook her head.
"And now he's dead."
At her story, Caius frowned and he tried to give her a small smile. He leaned in and kissed her forehead before trailing his lips down to her cheek. "I guess it's kind of like in those fairy tales you liked so much. The knight coming to save his damsel in distress, fighting for his lady fair," he chuckled at the recollection of that conversation. "I'm not much of a knight though, even my steed didn't respect me."
Megrin lifted her gaze to his, her fingers tracing down the sides of his face before she sighed.
"But I thought I told you knights weren't real.." she said, taking his hand and threading her fingers between his. "Though I should have known you wouldn't listen.." she teased and leaned against him, nestled beside him before she found herself sighing again.
"What are we going to do after these three days are up? I don't want to lose you, Caius. Not after how far we've come..."
Caius frowned a little, hoping she wouldn't bring it up. But she did and he gave a sigh, puliing his arms tighter around her and breathing in her hair. "I suppose things won't really change," Caius murmured. "After Ahk-meht takes me, I assume he'll probably curse me the same way he did you. We'll not even be able to kiss or touch each other anymore, not without putting you at greater risk."
"Gods.. Caius.." she leaned into him, burying her face into his chest. And she found herself sobbing again.
Caius would have cried too, but something solemn in him solidified and instead he leaned forward and kissed her cheek softly. He rubbed at the softened skin of her back. "We'll just have to make the most of our time together. I don't want to lose you either."
Megrin tried brushing back her tears, but it was almost too much to bear. Especially now, after having cemented their relationship, she felt all the more connected to him, all the closer.
"Yes.." she spoke, drawing her fingers against his lips. Her eyes took his in, her own still sparkling with tears. "And I'm sorry I can't help but crying.. it's as if..." he was dying, and in a way, he was, which was ironic considering that Caius was dead...
But little did she know, the little bits of Samrin's energy that curdled inside him, keeping him awake as he was now and helping this other man to love on her like she deserved.
Cupping his cheek, she now leaned forward and kissed him soft.
"I love you,"s he whispered, feeling hot tears slip down her cheeks. "Who knows.. maybe this is all a bad dream. And when we wake up, we'll realize we're both really free."
Caius smiled at her wishful thought and he kissed her back, laughing as well. "I love you," he whsipered. "I want you all the more... But even if we don't have forever together, I'll always cherish this moment. "
For a good long while, she stared deeply into his eyes until the tears began to fade.
"Caius, I'd like to share something with you. Would you mind walking with me? It's.. a place I used to go to be by myself.I Know Ahk-meht can find you anywhere but this place... I don't know, it made me feel like I could actually be by myself, feel... free for once."
He looked at her for a moment before a smile grew. "I'd love to," he answered softly before crawling up and standing. He collected his clothes and slipped into them with ease. "Where was this place of solace?"
"It's back, past the valley where we first met," she said. She took his hand and squeezed it. "There was a little stream, and I used to lay out in the marsh lands, in the tall grasses there and just stared up at the skies. It was far away from any city, and it just felt other worldly.."
Little did she realize that had been Samrin's home,a nd for a long time, the young God had watched over the woman when she was in his turf. It was a private sanctuary, so before she had even met Samrin, he had been in love with her. And she always felt safe there, a place she could watch the clouds and dream of another, better life that could never be.
Caius smiled at Megrin and stood as she explained. "Let's go there," he replied. "It sounds divine. I only wish Baal were here to take us more quickly."
[Short D:]
OOC: Short posts happen 8D
And are you posting from work again? XP
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Megrin nodded, and took his hand within her own. The walk would be long, and part of it was in silence. She couldn't stop thinking towards their future- which was to be torn from them in less than three day's time. It ate away at her insides, gnawing at her subconscious as they walked. But one thing was for certain, the hand she held was hers, and the man following after her she was in love with. It seemed fate would always be so cruel to her. But as he wanted, as he requested, she was going to try to enjoy this to the very last drop, and once they made it to the river side, she drew in a careful breath and gestured towards an old tree.
"Just over there. I used to call it my sanctuary," she said, giving him a bashful smirk. "Come on.." and she squeezed his hand and guided him towards the tall grasses before dropping to her kneesa nd looking around. The grasses were so tall here she was all but consumed within them, and it was here she avoided his gaze, her eyes staring around in an entrapped wonder as she was still mulling over the fear of losing him forever.
He didn't want to think about it, at the gnawing fact that in just a few days he would be sentenced to an eternity of torment and suffering without Megrin. Was it worth it? He wondered then if trading himself had ever been worth the sacrifice of knowing he'd lose the very woman he'd come to love, still on the very cusp of his emotions.
As they lingered in the long grass, Caius sat down at the base of the tree and and played with it for a moment. Threading it betwen his fingers he glanced up at Megrin. "Is this where you met Samrin?" he said.
Megrin was surprised by his question,a nd lifted her gaze to his with a flush.
"Yes. He... he had come out from over there, just walking through the grasses the first time I saw him. I had been crying, a lot f the times I come here I did... but this time was different, and I felt the comforting presence before I saw him."
She let the thoughts trail off before she glanced away. Did it make him uncomfortable knowing one of her lovers had met her here? Then again, Samrin was dead, and she had no idea some of the fragments he had left inside her were drawn into Caius, and that it would soon spark a series of reactions hat not even she would be able to understand. For Caius was dead as well, but through the remnants of Samrin's power... he was helping the soul keeper to live; if just at least for those two days until Ahk-meht got his hands upon him.
OOC: I hope this makes sense XD
I'm working on some of my novel stuff for once (yay!) so my mind is elsewhere- thinking on ancient eeeeeeeeeeeegypt and all that 8D
[It works]
Caius turned up to her and smiled. "He must have been a nice guy, if a little creepy," he commented with a lazy smile. He laughed despite himself and motiioned for to sit beside him. "Tell me more about him. What was he like? I want to listen.
OOC: Samrin was a stupid head and a stalker
lol
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"Well, Samrin was a shy God," Megrin explained, smiling over at Caius as she took a seat beside him int he tall, sweet grass. Her knees were bent, her arms resting behind her as she looked up at the clouds. "He was... sweet.. you remind me of him a little. He had a nativity, a curiosity about life like you. And well... he was blonde like you."s he chuckled. "I must have a thing for blondes and those who are naively sweet."
"But I'm not him," Caius said. Still his smile grew and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I bet her would have been very good to you. And you deserve a good man. I doubt there would be few that would even want to put in the effort to try. But you are worth every laboring breath."
Megrin felt her heart fluttering within her chest at his words.
"Gods.. Caius.." she cupped his cheek and leaned in, kissing his lips. "As are you, Gods, as are you."
OOC: I CAN MAKE SHORT POSTS TOO
B|
Caius moaned against her lips and even bit at her bottom lip at her words. He felt his face grow flush and he felt a tear fall down his cheek, the pressure getting to him. "Gods," he sobbed. "Three days."
Megrin kept her hands cupped onto his face, her eyes burning with tears.
"No, do not cry, Caius, then I won't be able to stop." Ad she kissed him softly, once, twice, then again.
"But I went so long without crying, without thinking about it and I don't know if I can!" Caius sobbed. He felt himself melting underneath her kisses and his tears flowed into his mouth and fell on his tongue as he kissed her with a slight open mouth. He leaned in against her head, pressing his forehead to her shoulder and tried to calm himself down.
For the longest time, Megrin just held him close, keeping her arms tightly around him as she buried her own face against the top of his head. And her hands moved to stroke through his hair, but she kept quiet, letting him have this moment for himself before she finally spoke.
"Maybe we won't have only three days... maybe we can beat this," she suggested, though her voice came out meek and husky, what else could they do but hope and dream?
Caius sobbed, his heart breaking with every breath. Her touch soothed him however and his trembling subsided long enough for him to meet her eyes.
"What do you mean?" he said, his eyes searching her face.
Megrin looked up into his face, her hand cupping his cheek, eyes wavering with tears.
"I always thought there was no hope for me, but you saved me, Caius. You found a way. That means there has got to be a way we can save you, too. Even if it takes me all of my life time, I swear to you, I'll find a way."
Cauus blinked at her and the tears still trailed down his cheeks. He aave a shuddering breath annd cupped her cheek. "But I sacrificed myself for you. If you tried the same for me, we'd be back where we started. And if you think I'd let you I'd sooner kill you...I mean it!"
Megrin smiled, her lips trembling as her hands traced down his face.
"Let's not speak... didn't you just want to enjoy the moment? We have three days to try to be happy before it's taken away...." but her voice was cut off by a choked sob.
"Gods... Caius..." and she held him fiercely, burying her burning eyes into his shoulder. "Gods, if there ever was a time for a miracle, I'll pray for one now."
"I'm not sure I believe in miracles," he murmured. Caius was shaking too, holding her as if she were merely an extension of his body. He sucked in his sobs and then moved his head up to face hers. "Megrin, how did Ahk-meht take you into his possession, that made you do his bidding?"
"Because I was an idiot," she spoke, a few hot tears rolling down her cheek. Shaking her head, she held him tighter. "Gods... I was in love with a fool at the time, a man who I thought loved me, but the second he was in a bind, he used me to free himself, and I found my soul taken because he was a lousy cheat and lost a game of cards." She found herself laughing in spite of herself, more tears bubbling to the surface. "I agreed to help before I knew what he was to ask of me.." she brushed at her tears. "I was such a fool."
Caius's eyes widened and he gasped a little. He leaned back from her and searched her face. "No, no! Megrin you're not a fool," he breathed. "You're not... He had your soul but now it's free. We have less than three days to be truly free... but how can he truly own me without my soul? It's passed on."
Megrin looked up at his statement.
"That might be true, but he might try to find a way to take it anyway. Ahk-meht is ruthless, and since you agreed... is there really any way to protect it, even if it's not in his realm? He claims to be a master of souls."
Caius looked doubtful, but his jaw remained firm. "He might try to get," he replied. "That much we can be certain of. But maybe there's a way to free it. Maybe to get it before he does!"
"Are you suggesting we steal your soul?" Megrin asked as she peered up at him. "You know... That sounds crazy enough it just might work."
Caius smiled at her words. But it was a smile that quickly faded. "The question now is where do we look? And how do we get it," Caius said in a soft shakey voice. "I don't think Valgrin will help us...we would break every natural law known to this world... But I can only assume more will be broken if we don't try. We have to find a way to get into the Well of Souls. I know that's where Valgrin transfers souls of the dead. Maybe we can find mine there."
"That sounds like a risk we ought to take," Megrin began. She slowly shook her head.
"But Caius.. I'm afraid if this won't work... what if we do get it back and because of the pact you made with Ahk-meht... what if he simply just steals it anyway? Gods.." she turned away, finding herself beginning to pace. She shook he rhead, raking a hand through her hair. "I don't know what we should do.... I feel as if every which way we turn, we're trapped."
"I don't know," Caius said, nowing there was so much at stake already. "I think I could try to get Valgrin to help us. She won't want to, it would be too much for her. Gods I don't know what we can do."
There was a soft chuff from out of the corner and Caius immediately grew alarmed when he saw the shadow rising up. Then it was followed by a whine. "I will help you."
"Baal?" Cai said soflty.
"I know where the Well of Souls resides," he said again. "But it won't be easy."
Startled by the voice, Megrin leaned in against Caius's side, but upon recognizing the wolf-dog, she released a breath.
"You would help us?" her eyes sparkled, though a smile hesitated on her lips. She thought the dog hated her.
"I swore my loyalty to Caius as his companion and mount. Though his pact with Ahk-meht effectively breaks our bond, I don't care. Valgrin will beat me until there is no more hair on my back, but I think she will understand. And in her own way, she would want me to help too," Baal said as he leapt closer. He peered over to Megrin with solemn eyes. "And I suppose I should apologize to you too. You have earned my respect for your concern for my master. And I can see plainly he feels strongly for you."
"I do," Caius said as he exchanged looks with the beast. "So how can you help us? How do we even get into the Well?"
"I won't be easy. But I fear now that you're in Ahk-meht's service, leading you to the Well and getting inside will only give your new master information he does not deserve. I'm afraid Megrin will be the only one I may show and may enter without risking yourself or the pillars on which such a delicate matter rests."
Megrin remained near to Caius's said as the animal spoke, but once it was revealed she'd be the one going into The Well, her eyes widened.
"You want me to go into The Well of Souls?"
Baal nodded his large head and stared at her with grave intensity. "I fear also that Valgrin would detect Caius and be forced to exact drastic measures. It is forbidden to enter. Only Death Lords may enter the Well without fear of their own souls being caught in the force of the currents. No living thing may exist within for longer than a few minutes."
It was still hard for Megrin to digest what he was suggesting.
"So.. you're saying once I enter, I only have a few minutes to find what I am seeking?" She turned from the animal then up to Caius, fear clearly evident as it sparkled across her eyes. But then she looked to the dog again. "I wouldn't know what to look for."
"I will be teere to guide you," Baal said, hoping to keep some fear at bay. "I have seen parts of Caius's soul and can smell its essence. It wouldn't be long before we find it."
Caius frowned. "No, Megrin! I won't let you go!"
Megrin drew in a careful breath before releasing it.
" Caius I have to. If there's even a slim chance we can both be free of Ahk meht we should take it."
He couldn't argue with her as much a he wanted to. He reached out and grabbed her arm and gently held it close to him. A tear fell from his eye and he peered back at her. "Thank you. I couldn't ask this of you...But I am glad you care enough about me to put yourself at risk."
Megrin looked up into his eyes as he held onto her hand.
"Caius..." her eyes sparkled as she tried to read him. "You've done so much for me already." ANd she moved a hand to brush his hair away from his face. "This is the least I can do."
Least?
"Least?" he asked. "Megrin! This is the most anyone has ever done for me. It is no smlll matter. Just please. Promise you'll be careful! Baal you protect her with your life."
The wolf-dog whined and took his teeth to Megrin's skirts, tugging at her gently. "The few minutes between dusk and dawn is the only time we have to safely pass into the well. Climb onto my back. We should go now."
Megrin looked down at the dog, then up into Caius's eyes for a fleeting moment before taking a step closer to him and pressing her lips over his. THe moment didn't last long enough and when she pulled away, she was staring at him through her long lashes.
"I'll be careful," she said, cupping his cheek. "I promise." Then she moved away to the wolf-dog, stroking a hand down his back before giving one final look to Caius after she climbed on the dog's back and gripped at his fur.
"I'm ready."
But was she really?
Without another word, Baal was off, kicking up dirt in his wake and leaving Caius far behind by the base of Samrin's tree. It was a long distance and they didn't have much time. But the wolf-dog was determined to make the most of what little time they did have. Caius's very existence depended on it.
The wolf-dog ran faster and harder across the land than he'd ever done before, clawing his way into whatever semblance of hope remained in the distance.
Megrin's hands dug into the dog's fur, clinging for dear life in fear she might fall off, while her body pressed low against his. With the wind whipping through her hair, she kept her eyes focused forward, and as the world around them soon became swallowed with the same presence of the underworld, she felt herself visibly shiver. It felt other worldly, and there was the ever creeping presence beneath her skin that she ought not to be there. ANd it felt as if eyes were watching her... too familiar of eyes as she leaned in closer towards Baal's face.
"I think someone is watching us..."s he whispered, her eyes darting out into the haunting, catacombic caves, hoping she was wrong.
But Baal felt it too and his hair stiffened underneath her touch at the mention of it. But one wouldn't be able to tell just by looking at him. Baal soon slowed to a saunter and he could feel the eyes growing stronger, as if there would be no escaping it. And unlike the soothing warmth of Valgrin, these eyes felt as if they wished nothing more than malicious intent.
"Dismount," he said softly as he cut his eyes to the shadows. Suddenly a gnarled shadow emerged from them and a cackle echoed out toward them.
Mahtaht appeared before them laughin and fixing her eyeball back in place.
OOC: Hey... I was thinking it'd be Mahtaht 8D
We're like.. twins DX
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Megrin nodded, and slipped off the wolf-dog's back, and once the shadow emerged, she gasped.
"Mahtaht!" Her eyes widened before narrowing as she grit her teeth. "What are you doing here?"
"Do you really think I'd let my master's favorite girl out of his sight?" she cackled. Megrin narrowed her gaze.
"I don't belong to him anymore. Leave us, now!"
Mahtaht only laughed. "Simple human. Things can not be that easy," the old woman crowed.
"Well, maybe I'll make it easy," Megrin said, and hefted up a near by, small, palm sized rock and hurled it at the old woman's head. She cawed like a bird as the sharp rock hit her.
"A snake you are, young child, but do you honestly think it would be so easy to run away from your master?" she barked, reaching out a gnarled hand to snatch at Megrin's wrist.
Baal stood aside to watch Mahtaht become too bold for her own good. The old gnarled witch had turned her back to him and he suddenly crouched low to pounce on her. He lunged and his jaws sank into her arm, mouth large enough to eat her whole. And he considered he just might.
Mahtaht let out a cry as the wolf-dog bit her, and with her other hand, struck out with her gnarled cane.
"Back down, beast!" she said, and wailed on his head again, aiming to crack the beast hard across the skull and with each strike came a blistering spray of tiny, black spiders.
Baal growled at Mahtaht evenaas spiders were flung in his face. He stepped back and yanked the witch off to the side, flinging her like a ragdoll before he pounced on her again, sailing through the air.
The dog was unrelenting, and with a hiss, the witch melted away, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke that too, eventually vanished. Panting, Megrin looked around.
"Gods.. where did she go?"
she nervously wrung her hands, and backed away nearer to the wolf-dog.
If Caius had been here, he would have thought little more of it than the fact that they were now rid of the meddling witch-woman that had stalked them so long and so far from where they'd come from. But Baal's senses were keener and he could smell the last wisps of smoke lingering nearby. "Get back and away," he growled to Megrin. He moved forward into the darkness and paused, the fur around his neck rising in anticipation.
Suddenly, he growled and lunged for a figure that had been hiding in the darkness, the old witch attempting to use her escape as a ruse and the great wolf-dog took her head into his mouth. He altered his size, becoming larger as he tossed his head back and devoured her whole.
Megrin gasped as the witch disappeared down Baal's throat.
"You ate her!" And her eyes were so large, and her body so frozen in shock, she could not blink.
"There is no time for discussion!" Baal growled at her and ran over to her, pulling her along her arm to get running again. Their window of opportunity was already narrow as it was. The witch's interruption didn't help either.
The nudge was all she needed as she stumbled back into a run.
"Yeah, but... you ate her!" Megrin repeated, finding herself quickly breathy from her run.
"So where do we go now?" she said, her eyes desperate as she looked around for any sort of clues.
Baal's mouth burned from the after taste of a witch. It'd been so long since he'd last eaten a person, but in that moment it was an exception he had to make. So they out into the darkness of the cavernous underworld. The very atmosphere seemed to waver as if a desert mirage, and various sounds echoed through that made the wolf-dog's hackles rise on end. He couldn't allow his nerves to get the better of them however and nudged for Megrin to climb back onto him once again as he pawed carefully through the tunnels, turning right when it diverted. Every step felt heavy, as if he was weighted with lead and he was moving through water.
Megrin kept her body pressed low against the wolf-dog, her eyes sharp on the road before them.
"Which way? And how much longer?" she felt herself itching to get there. There wasn't a lot of time!
Baal couldn't say that he didn't know. But they'd already gone too far to turn back now and once he crawled through the darkness, he began to feel a deep, underground vibration underneath his paws. The ground became colder, like ice and nearly as slippery as the air blended between heat and frost and though his eyes felt as if they wanted to sweat, his breath came in a cold pocketed cloud.
"Silence," he whispered to Megrin. And when he felt as if the very weight of her was nearly too heavy, he knew they were there. The Well was opened before them, the air shifting like a weighted curtain and as he turned a corner along his right, a massive pit opened up in the earth and out of was a blinding array of blue and green light. They walked through the wavering ground like water and the air was putrid, heavy and foul. And specters light coursed through it like blood through veins.
Like Baal, Megrin felt the weight of this world, an the souls, pull upon her, making her feel both heavy and light at the same time. The sight was beautiful, if not terrifying all at once, and Megrin stared in wonder as they approached, the pool sparkling with spectral light as the souls swamp through like nothing more than limp clothe being flushed through at the whims of the airborne waters.
"It's beautiful.." she whispered, completely entranced by it as she closed her once gaping jaw. "But it's so large..." And peering down tot he wolf-dog, she inquired, "Where do we even begin?"
Baal felt his heart beating in his chest, faster and slower at the same time. And her question carried itself in an extended echo. It fluxed and reverberated through his body as if it were little more than an empty chamber. The wolf-dog shivered at the sensation, terrified by it, as if his soul were gone and taken by the stream.
But he forced his mind back to the situation at hand and shook his head. "We must follow a sigil. A sign...he could be anywhere," Baal said in a troubled voice, the same extended echo reverberating through him. "Stay close to me, we will go left. It is as good a place to start as any. Every spirit stored here is unique in energy in aura. Some may collide with you, they may feel foreign, they may feel familiar. Think of him...what he inspires in you. Perhaps that may draw out his soul."
Nodding her head, Megrin took hold of the beast's fur and held on tightly. Yes, it seemed so simple. Just think of Caius and it should open the way. Swallowing back a lump of fear held swollen in her throat, Megrin steeled herself as best she could, but she was still stiff and internally writhing with worry.
"How much time will we have?"
And how many more questions can she ask to stall the inevitable?
"Do not speak!" Baal commanded. "Concentrate! It's our only hope! It won't be easy finding him, let alone capturing it. And not much time. Focus." The wolf dog kept his eyes open for any glimmer of Caius' soul. The sounds shrieked and echoed and bounced back at them and Baal scurried through the darkness, trying to sniff the brimstone air.
Fearful was only a mild way to explain what emotions were rocking Megrin's mind and body. She was afraid, fearful, determined, hopeful.. and hopeless. And as they journied into the well of souls, she found herself trembling quite fiercely as her eyes darted into the madness of the shrieking souls as some wailed past them more lethargically than others, while some were wailing in complete madness.
She cringed and found herself leaning into Baal to avoid one gruesome pair of hands from touching her.
"I .. I don't think he's near the surface. We'll have to go deeper." And she drew in a calming breath and clung onto the wolf-dog and leaned forward, her eyes ever alert for any sign of Caius's soul.
It had to be here, it just had to. Caius saved her soul... and she was now determined to save his.
Baal could feel her trembling through his fur, and he huffed in the brimstone air, wheezing a little even. The solid ground began to feel like soft soil beneath his heavy round paws as they dug through it. But to know that she trembled, in both fear and worry, made Baal finally understand the urgency with which she wanted to save his master.
He nodded to her and began to run deeper into the darkened tunnels. He was suddenly confronted by an intense heat that made him stop in his tracks. He paused and whined a little as he saw smoke billow up from the tunnel, forming in the shape of a fanged mouth ready to devour them. Backing away he knew this was the place they must go. As the jaws came down on them, he winced but found they were little more than smoke, and he coughed all the more. His paws singed on the hot ground and as he stepped forward, lifting it up, fire seemed to steam up from it. But onward he went.
The images of smoke and fire were terrifying, yet the wolf-dog plowed on through. Her heart was frozen in her chest as they ran through it, and barely did she get any relief to catch her breath as the dog ran.
"This place feels so unworldly.."s he said, hoping her voice didn't sound as shaky as she felt. And then after another moment, she asked, "Do you really think his soul migh tbe this way?"
But then she saw something, a fleck- a single sparkle off in the distance.
"There!" she said, her heart going to her throat. "I thought I saw something!" And just as quickly as she pointed it out, the flash of light zoomed away. Her heart fell, her lips trembled and soon she was gripping on tightly to his fur. "After it! That has got to be it! That has got to be Caius's soul!"
Baal trembled with fear, but still he pressed on. And he caught the glint of a soul that had zipped passed them, alighting vaguely the darkness of these fluxing tunnels. The air caught in his lungs and he coughed violently, shuddering until Megrin's hands gripped onto his fur tightly. He gave a shudder and began to move more toward corridor where he too saw the spirit zip by.
The soul seemed lost and desperately searching for a way out, flowing away from the pillar of souls contained within the well. Ball sniffed and he too could smell the desperation and fear the lingered from the small spirit orb. It was his master, he knew it too. Baal redoubled his speed and rounded the corner, but couldn't see it anywhere amidst the smoke. "Where did it go?" he growled.
Megrin couldnt see anything at all, though she clung as.fiercely to hope as she did to Baal's fur. A sharp turn here and a dash down there meant little to her as.far.as.directions were concerned, and then after making a.sharp left, she noted the spark just off in the distance again.
"Baal!!! Over there! Quick!"
She didn't need to tell him twice as Baal dug his nails into the soil and braved the darkness and fire as he dashed forth after the glowing orb. It ducked and zipped between shadows and Baal forced his tired, aching body moving quickly, though it seemed no matter how fast he ran, it seemed the orb fluttered further and further away.
The fires intensified, turning red to purple, then blue. It cast this world into a peculiar glow, and the deeper they went, the heavier the world was pushing upon them and reaching out for the.living amongst the dead.
"Gods... It's moving too fast!" She called out in frustration. "What can we do? We.can't even get close!"And she felt as if she could cry.
Baal could feel it too and he grit his teeth and dug his claws into the soil further, as if resisting the intense force of the ceiling as if it were trying to crush them. There was still so much farther to go and even as he pushed forward through the congealing brimstone air, every step was getting harder and hard to take. But when he thought his final breath would be crushed out of him, there was a sudden brightening light and there was Caius, in a ghostly form, standing over his companion and Megrin just as the Underworld was going to eat them alive.
He was intangible and all that was truly visible was his face, in a way that it blended between light and shadow. He was meager and large at the same time, for the mortal senses could not differentiate between the two within the caverns. As he wrapped his arms around them, both of them, lifting them from the burden of Death, Baal felt his body grow light - and Megrin might too - and soon he passed out.
Megrin could not believe it. The sight was so beautiful and other worldly she felt captivated by it's gaze. Though each breath was labored, and she felt as if the world was a about to.crush her flat, she somehow managed to utter his name, and let one tear slip away before her own vision began to swim and she felt both heavy and light at the same time. But she.wanted to touch him... To see him, to know...
So with unseen strength she lifted a hand out towards his glittering form, even as her own vision was threatening to cease.
Soon they were both captured and enveloped within the warmth of white, lifted from the smothering caverns as the wall between them and the underworld came to a close. Baal could not say what happened next, or where they were or why, for though darkness surrounded them in another separate cavern, filled with the same glowing crystals that Caius had lingered in so often when Megrin had vanished. There they emerged in calm with only the glow of crystals to hold them. There the incorporeal form of Caius resided, blurry and vague as Baal came too. He stood up and leaned over Megrin who was lain beside him and he licked her face and cheeks to wake her up.
But the soul seemed momentarily lost and threatened to fade away.
Groaning, Megrin slowly opened her eyes to a world full of twinkles and lights. At first, she didn't know what to make of things as her vision remained blurry, that was, until a familiar face began to form before her and slowly her eyes opened wider as she sat up. Her long hair had come undone nad was in a mess about her shoulders, slicked back from the sweat of their journey as she stared up at Caius, completely and utterly mesmerized at his form.
And for the life of her, all she could breath out was his name.
"Caius..."
The soul did not respond to her name. It seemed lost and confused as it turned around and round and finally turned as if to look at Megrin, but it looked through her. Baal quickly got to his feet and whined for Megrin to be careful. "Don't scare him away," he muttered. "Try calling him again."
Megrin's eyes were swimming with emotions. The fear kept her hair standing on end, and her stomach was tangling into knots. She kept one hand gripped against her chest, the other, clutching to her skirt as she hesitantly took a step near to him, seeking his eyes.
"Caius?" and when he didn't respond again, her lips trembled as she found herself smiling and speaking the words.. "Blondie?" Who knows.. maybe he'd react better to his pet name?
The soul of Caius was swirling with confusion and the strange words that Megrin spoke rolled off it with out response on its part. Its form wavered and rippled like waves on a pond. But when she came closer, it perked up, looking at her with what could be construed as eyes. It spoke, in words unknown in a tongue lost to time, but its voice was an echo carried away on the wind. "Meeeeeggggriii-n?"
When the soul began to waver, Megrin feared the worst. It seemed as if he might disappear, or run..
But then his 'eyes' looked at her, and Megrin froze in place, her mouth falling open at his words-
and she was too surprised to reply.
And as she found herself gaping, and saw his form waver again,s he snapped her lips shut with a smile, tears sparkling in her eyes.
"Yeah.. Blondie," she said, smiling, her words soft. "It's me." And slowly, ever so slowly, she reached a hand out for him.
At the confirmation of her persona, the spirit wavered again, only momentarily placated from its confusion. As she reached out for it, however, he retreated and suddenly shot at her, moving with lightning speed before leaping headfirst into her body.
Megrin's face fell when the spirit moved away from her. She thought for sure in that instance she had lost him-
when suddenly he came back, the light of his spirit intensifying when suddenly, he sunk clean into her form- the shock jolting her back as her eyes widened as the light of his form faded, a fate tinkling fading along with it too-
and the sensation of his soul moving inside her felt..
different.. warm..a nd it tickled a little before she began to see white, and passed out, face first ontot he ground.
Baal reacted quickly and caught her before she could hit the floor, pulling her up and over his back before making exit of the cave. They'd wasted enough time as it was and they'd have to make it back to Caius' body before it became vacant forever.
As the wolf-hound continued to run, Megrin groaned as she regained consciousness. It was hard to say what she was feeling, but her entire body felt tight, repressed, trapped, and everywhere all at once. The world around her.. it was hard to see it, hard to focus, and she did all she could to keep a firm grip on the dog.
"H.. hurry, Baal," came her hoarse voice. "I can only keep this soul inside me for so long... and we only have so much time to try to get it back to his body."
Though the wolf-dog's paws hurt and burned with all the running, Baal doubled his efforts and ran as fast as he could possibly muster. He could feel the soul shifting within Megrin's form, trying to keep itself contained but feeling itself flutter away with every passing second. When they finally reached Valgrin's domain, Baal slithered inside, quickly trying to find where they'd last left Caius' body.
Megrin was beginning to come around now that they were outside of hell's realm, and in another. It felt different here- though other worldly, but a flavor in it's own right. Now that she was more alert, she sat up on Baal's back when she sensed something- as if eyes were watching them in the shadows and grit her teeth... knowing that feeling all too well.
"B-Baal.... do you feel that?" And she grit her teeth, fearing the worst. "Ahk-meht... he's coming." She clutched a hand to her chest, the other grippig tight to the dog. "Hurry, Baal! Hurry! He's coming quick!"
Baal felt it, and it spurred him as fast as he could go. But sadly it was no more faster than he was all ready going. With the soul encased within Megrin's body, they could only go so fast without knocking it out of her. But as they rounded a familiar corner, Baal paused, "There!" he yelped, dashing toward Caius form, placed somehow on a tablet in a circular room.
"Touch him! Quickly! Press his soul from you!"
Megrin was quick to throw herself off of Baal and towards Caius, when suddenly a poof of shadow appeared before her and she gasped and cowered away, looking up in awe and fear as the Lord of Souls, Ahk-Meht, appeared before her.
Slowly backing away, her gaping lips began to quiver and after a moment, she felt Caius's soul writh within her as she doubled over in pain.
"Hello, Megrin," the dark man purred. "So good to see you after so long.."
When Megrin was too late, Baal too seemed to cower before the massive, intimidating form of the self proclaimed Lord of Souls. But it was a short-lived fear as he bared his teeth at the demon lord and raised the fur around him. "Leave this place!" he growled. "You cannot be here! This is Valgrin's domain! You are violating all the laws of the Underworld by being here!"
Ahk-meht's laughter echoed around them with enough force it shook the walls and floor.
"Oh, but I am here because you are trying to tamper with something that is mine."
His eyes flashed dangerously.
"I know you house two souls, Megrin. ANd that goes against all laws of the living! Give yourself back to me, or give me that extra soul. The choice is yours, Meg. So you'd better choose fast, and you'd better choose wise. The clock is ticking. ANd the longer you keep him in there, the faster you'll tear one another apart."
"NO!" Baal growled, stepping between them. But even he could sense the power that emanated from the powerful figure before him. But he would not cower, he would not buckle or allow Ahk-meht to lay a hand on the woman that housed the soul of his master. He knew, however, that the soul within he would either fight for her body or fade away. He bared his teeth once more and nearly leapt for Ahk-meht, when his eyes widened at a zombie like figure that moved behind the Lord of souls.
The flash of rusted steel, ancient and blessed, slammed down through Ahk-meht's back, Caius' dormant body moving with some hidden will, with nothing within it, as if possessed by little more than the sword that had come down in bloody gore.
Ahk-meht let out a cry as the sword tore through him. Megrin's eyes went wide at the sight, not believing what she had saw.
"Caius!"
She then felt the pull of immense energy from inside her, as she gasped and collapsed to her knees. His soul was swirling within her, begging to get out, but her legs had given way, and she found no strenght left to stand.
Turning to Baal, she held onto him and shouted, "Get me over to Caius! Hurry!"
Who knew how long that sword in Ahk-meht's back would keep him back.
With the distraction of the blessed blade burning in Ahk-meht's tangible flesh, Baal wasted no time in lunging around the Lord of Souls and neared Caius enough as his body lurched closer to them. But he yelped when he felt an iron hand clasp tightly to his tail and his head reared back, taking Megrin's body into his massive jaws and threw her forward toward Caius as Ahk-meht yanked him back.
Unceremoniously she landed at his feet. Her body glowing in golden, ethereallic colors. Pushing herself up from the ground, she peered up at Caiusin wonder. He looked... strange in this state. Posessed, almost frightening, except the real scary thing right now was losing Caius's soul forever.
"Caius!" she spoke, reaching out for him. Then recalling what she had to say to gain his attention in the river of souls, she whispered, "Blondie..." and she grinned, tears sparkling inside her eyes as she felt her body shake and tremble with his soul, with his heart.
Her hand still trembled as she held it out for him.
"Looks like I managed to get your soul after all."
She just hoped he'd have enough strength to take it. This was one thing she hoped not to mess up.
The body responded to her, the name, the words, the intonation and most unceremoniously, the soul within her trembled and shuddered with a powerful energy and leapt out of her, sinking into it's body like a moth to a flame. The body shuddered and writhed and jerked as it sought to adjust the fit.
Meanwhile, Baal yelped and snarled and snapped where Ahk-meht clawed him and tore at him, the sword burning all the more, sinking into him like butter.
Eventually Ahk-meht had had enough and tore the sword from his belly and growled, then hurled the thing at the pair as it sunk int he ground between them.
Megrin, who had been staring in teary eyed wander at her Blonde wonder boy, had her face fall as she gasped and looked down at the blade now between them. Whirling around, she watched in horror as Ahk-meht smacked Baal away as if he were nothing more than a heap of papers. And it didn't take long for Ahk-meht to go after her, to take her by the wrist and drag her back to him.
"You tried to deceive me Megrin! And for that, our contract will NOT remain unbroken, you little witch! Your little soul keeper won't be able to rescue you this time! No... no. I want you."
And Megrin let out a cry of pain as she felt Ahk-meht begin to drain out her soul, moving swiftly in hopes to claim it once again for himself.
[HOW DARE HE THROW THE BIG DOGGIE!]
As Caius's soul began to settle into his form, he took his first breath, at long last and he peered up at those that surrounded him. He saw his mount easily get thrown aside like a ragdoll, yelping as he went. Caius felt something in him open up, a boiling pot that set his vision to red as he saw Megrin's master handle her possessively.
Suddenly everything came back to him and left him all at once. The pact, the black stone, Valgrin, the crystal cavern and as if he was watching from outside of his body, he suddenly stepped forth and grabbed onto Ahk-meht's arm and pulled him away from Megrin. He slammed two hands on either side of his face and took in a great breath. The power to siphon souls began to pull an unknown color from Ahk-meht's eyes and mouth as they were being sucked out of him, pulling into Caius.
Caius was almost too late-
half her soul was taken, and when he interrupted, Megrin fell lifeless to the ground. Though as Caius worked his power on Ahk-meht- even the Lord of Souls was surprised when he slurped out te remains of Megrin's souls
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" he roared, slamming a clawed fist across Caius's face the moment the partial soul was taken from him. "You little whelp! I'll cut you down right here, little soul keeper. You're as good as dead!" And he drew out a boned dagger, laced with a poisonous darkness,a nd moved to slash at Caius's chest.
Caius stepped back and grabbed Ahk-meht's wrist,pulling the blade away from him. He launched a knee up into his gut and sent him reeling away. Everytime Caius touched him, he drained the Lord of Souls of another soul. "Baal, my sword!" Caius called out when there was some distance between them. And the wolf-dog wasted no time getting the broken blade which had been tossed in a corner. He threw it back to him, and Caius barely gripped it in hand.
Growling, Ahk-meht's body erupted into dark flames.
"Do you really think you can beat me boy?" The demon howled as he churned in on himself and then reappeared in a puff of smoke behind him. Smacking him across the face, he sent the soul keeper to the ground.
"And who said you were allowed to steal my souls?" the demon growled, and snatched the soul keeper by the wrists before his own hand slammed clean inside of Caius, to where he felt around with a maniacal laugh as he felt around inside of Caius.
"I see you've got Megrin's soul in here for me! Good!" And then as he felt around keeping Ciaus pinned down beneath him by a knee, he blinked as he felt... something else.
"What's this?"
And he pulled out a soft, barely formed ball of light. Realizing what it was, he growled darkly at it. "Megrin's with child..." ANd his sharp fingers incased his new prize.
Now his body shot up into a tall wall of flames as he tore away from Caius and over towards Megrin's limp form. He cowered over her menacingly, like a shadow come alive as his very eyes churned with flame.
"Wake up, my pretty pet, we have alot fo discuss!" he hissed, and threw her soul back into her, but held onto the child's. So when Megrin woke up, she gripped onto her belly painfully and doubled over. But Ahk-meht left her no reprieve as he jerked her off the floor and shook her by the wrist.
"Megrin, you've been a naughty, naughty girl. And here I didn't think it'd ever be able to happen.." he hissed infront of her face.
"What? What are you.. you talking about?" Megrin said, her entire body shaking in pain as she winced. Then the dull light was shoved before her, and she felt her body yearn for it as she gasped, only then realizing what it was.
At her expression, Ahk-meht's lips curled.
"That'sright Megrin... you've made me another soul."
ANd glaring back over at Caius, he threw his arm out and a hiss of power smacked into him, keeping the soul keeper at bay.
"Stay back boy, or your woman and child are toast!" and before he could stop him, Ahk-meht hefted up Megrin and dragged her into the shadow world.
But the gate would not close entirely without him. Caius had leapt forth,diving head first into the portal before it sealed behind his feet. As he felt his body tearing up and being pushed together all at once. He cried out in agony, all of his thoughts compounding together. Megrin, her "child", and what Ahk-meht would do to them if he didn't get them in time.
Ahk-meht's realm was a cold and dark place, and the magic that brought Caius there dragged him along, all the way into Ahk-meht's chambers. There, the Lord of Souls drew up his hands, and commanded the bones beneath him before giving a jerk and they smashed into some semblance of a cage. Tossing Megrin inside, the woman fell to her knees, feeling all the pain in the world coursing through her as Ahk-meht held onto the fragile, small life force of her forming child.
"Ahk.. Ahk-meht.. please.." she croaked, but the Lord of Souls simply turned from her, turning into wisps of dark vapor before appearing on the other side of the room, examinign the faint soul in his hand curiously.
Caius had fallen into shadows as he watched the Lord of Souls examine the tiny soul of their would be child. But he soon came forth and flashed the honed edge of his broken sword. "Release it Ahk-meht. You can't always get what you want. One day you're going to bite off more than you can chew, and that day, it seems, has come sooner than you think. You break every natural law that keeps our worlds in balance. You want more for yourself. But you don't have the stomach to fill it. But I will show you only one ounce of mercy. Release Megrin, and we will leave here and free from you forever. And Valgrin may spare you from punishment." He drew closer with every word and held his sword out toward the demon lord, completely and utterly fearless.
Turning around, Ahk-meht's grin stretched across his face to the point where even the ends seemed to curl. His brows furrowed, his eyes became half lidded, as if amused.
"Why now, coming to play the hero? And what are these threats? As if I truly fear Valgrin!" he said wiht a laugh, clutching his fist more tightly around the child's unborn soul, which made Megrin yelp in pain. "Seems the poor soul is still attached to his mother.." he cooed, stroking the souli n his hand as if it were a baby bird. "And it just so happens, little one, your mother is mine." And his eyes met then dakrly to Cai's as he bared his teeth to him,. "So you see, little soul hunter, little soul keeper, little soul thief... you can't possibly win against me. But if you want Megrin," and he tossed his head bacl in a laugh. "You already know what I want!"
"Sadly, I'm afraid I don't. But you refused to heed my warning. Then if you cannot accept mercy, then you will only understand, pain." Caius wasted no time and lunged forth. Though his blade was broken, it still possessed the blessings it bore from his life as a paladin and Caius looked at Ahk-meht without an ounce of fear, even as he hurt Megrin, and the tiny soul in his hands. Nothing could distract him and nothing could break his resolve. His blade would sting what flesh he manifested and he cut his arm off, severing it as the soul rolled and bounced away from his grasp.
Ahk-meht let out a howl, reeling back as he gripped onto the spurting stump that had once been his arm.
"CAIUS! YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!!!!" he roared with enough force to shake the room.
The arm that was severed fell to the ground with a few bounces before going still. The fingers had slacked, and the small soul incased inside tinkled out in a soft series of little bounces. And where it lay, Megrin held her breath and gripped onto the bars of her boned cage.
"Oh Caius!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Hurry! Grab the soul!" For she couldn't bear thinking of allowing Ahk-meht to claim their child. Though while the little white soul was still free...
the severed hand beside it began to twitch, and as it twitched, it suddenly raised itself up ad began walking on all of it's fingers, crawling it's way over towards the soul.
"Yes.." Ahk-meht hissed, his eyes wild with fire. "Bring the soul to me!"
But Megin's voice had fallen on deaf ears. While Ahk-meht was focus on trying to reach the small soul of their unborn child, Caius stepped forth and smashed the edge of his blade into his other arm.
Ahk-meht let out a blood curdling scream as his other arm was torn off. Black blood splattered everywhere, and Megrin only watched in horror as her lover tore into him, her entire body frozen in shock at the display, all the while the little soul flickered, it's light wavering, so delicate and threatening to be snuffed out.
Caius had hot blood splatter across his face and with both of his hands severed only then did he remember the tiny soul. Caius turned back and slammed his blade into Ahk-meht's skull, the blessed steel scorching at his flesh. He turned back to the tiny soul of his unborn child and snatched it before either hand could take it. He stomped on the moving hands, smashing one beneath his boot, but the other snatched around his ankle. Caius slashed at it, hacking at fingers, severing them from the appendage.
The moment the blade cracked into his skull, Ahk-meht released a tremendous roar of pain that shook the very caverns they resided. Agony wasn't even a word that could desperate the harrowing passion that made the world tremble. Though one the small soul was taken up, Megrin wilted a bit in relief from her cage, but found herself becoming so tired as Caius was racing her way that she could barely keep herself together.
"Hurry up.. blondie.." she whispered, finding her own world shaking as the outside one trembled from the wrath of the blinde Ahk-meht, who- if only he had his warms, would have thrashed out violently. But instead, he was still waiting for his chopped arms to come back to him.
Even though Caius had hacked at his hand, pieces of his fingers and hand were piecing themselves back together, and were trying to organize his appendages just as Caius ran off with the soul toward Megrin. He slammed the edge of his sword down on the lock and cracked it, opening the gate. "Come on!" But it probably wouldn't last long as Caius turned his head and could see Ahk-meht's body reassembling. And the cavern shook, nearly making the soul keeper lose his balance. But the cavern shook with more than just the Lord of Souls' anguish, and Caius could feel the call of his own master, the very anger of the Underworld itself. "Megrin! We have to get out of here!"
Megrin gladly accepted his hand and allowed Caius to help pull her free, and in that moment, she found herself suddenly engulfed in white light as their child's soul sunk back into her. Her eyes fluttered a moment, but briefly, before she looked up into Caius's face with a tired sigh.
"Thank the Gods.." And then as she looked around, she too, feared that this entire world might be torn apart by the powers that were raging.
"Where's Baal? He might be our best bet to get out of here. Come on. Let's make our way over to him!"
But Baal was not with them, and could not get to them in time. Caius took Megrin by the hand and led her through the first set of tunnels, but he had no idea where he was going and it seemed the entire realm was going to collapse down on top of them. His heart was pounding in his chest and he felt tears sting his eyes from the rancid air. "No...no, we're going to be too late."
Megrin squeezed his hand as she simply ran along his side.
"No! We're not done in yet, Caius! Just keep running!" she shouted, her legs feeling the strain as her adrenaline kicked in and kept her running- even though the fear was so very real and large pieces of the world began to snap and fall around them. A large piece of cave collapsed before them, makign Megrin scream as she clutched onto Caius's arm.
"The way is blocked!" And she looked around desperately. "Let's go back the way we came. We can go left instead of right." And she pulled on his arm, hoping he'd follow.
Caius did not know where the exit was and could only hope Megrin knew where she was going. He had no reason to believe she would lead him astray as he turned back to follow her again. But the time lost in wandering through the blocked passage could not be made up for. "Hurry Megrin! Please!"
Megrin hardly knew this place, she just knew they had to get out f there. And as rocks came down and slammed into the ground all around them, she found herself nearly losing her grip on his arm. But as the tunnel they now followed seemed endless, eventually daylight glittered at the end.
"Oh, Caius! Look! I can see it! I can see the end!"
Caius thought he was going to have a heart attack and anxiety of Ahk-meht becoming reformed. He cried out desperately, rushing toward the exit, feeling the cavern falling down around them. He squeezed Megrin's hand possessively and when at last the light grew bright enough, almost blindingly, Caius threw her forth and himself after her, falling through the light, and feeling taken away to another world altogether.
And to another world they had been taken- for the light was ethereal, and holy and divine as the pair of them had just found themselves in the fields of heaven.
There was no sun, only brightness in a garden of eternal beauty and length. Megrin could only find herself staring in wonder at such beauty, her hand instinctively squeezing Caius's, to whom she had forgotten she had taken a hold of.
"Oh Caius... this place is beautiful..."
And it even felt light and warm- but nothing like how the sensation of sunlight was- it was something different, something all encompassing- and she found that here- she didn't even need to breath.
But the joy that Megrin was feeling was completely different than what Caius was seeing, for here was nothing more than desolation and darkness and he felt despair grow within him, to be without his master, and mistress. He could very well die and no one would care.
"Megrin," he found himself muttering. "Why have you left me alone?"
It was only at the faintness of his voice that drew Megrin's attention away from.the fields before her as she turned back towards Caius but could not see.him, for where he stood was a.blurred shadow in the world and the longer she looked at it, the more dizzy she became."Caius?"
But even as she spoke his name, she felt her.grip on his fading and she panicked.
"Caius?!" She called again, desperately trying to clutch onto whatever was left of him in her reality.
It was too late however and he faded away back to Ahk-meht's realm, falling back and feeling as if he was trapped beneath fallen boulders. He felt as if he were suffocating, crushed and soon he was left nearly unconscious at the Lord of Souls' feet. He felt a clawed hand, covered in blood and missing two fingers and pulling him up face to face. "I have you now," his voice growled and everything in Caius' sight went black.
Ahk-meht's face was an ugly one, and the teeth shown through bleeding gums were terrifying to behold.
"You think you can get away from me so easily? Not after you've tried to take what's rightfully mine? YOU FOOL!" he said, and slammed Caius back down unto the ground, so where the soul keeper might have thought he was for sure to pass out earlier, the Lord of Souls dragged him back to reality with pain.
"It will be my pleasure to tear you apart," the lord growled. "Piece by piece.." and as he spoke, his clawed fingers dug mercilessly into Cai's chest.
"What's this? A heart I hear? Pumping inside you?" and his hand moved towards his heart, grabbing onto it as it beat and he growled viciously into the other man's face before moving to tear it out.
"Your fate is mine!" the man howled, and a possessive string of dark lights cast out from him, and shot deep inside the soul keeper's body, aiming to strangle, aiming to hold.
"Do not forget you gave yourself unto me for the girl! And now you both shall pay!"
It was a shame nothing Ahk-meht did had the effect he desired as Caius was completely unconscious through all his acts of violence and his threats had fallen on deaf ears. His body flung like a rag doll and his consciousness felt no pain, nor fear, nor sorrow, nor death, even as he tried to claw at his body.
He almost seemed asleep, at peace. And there was nothing Ahk-meht could do to pull him from that.
Just as Ahk-meht was reeling back from the effects not settling in, Megrin suddenly appeared from the other plane and found herself thrown between Ahk-meht, her former master, and Caius.
"Don't you touch him!" she screamed, clutching onto him fervently as the Lord of Souls eyed the pair over.
"It seems I tried but something is protecting him," he growled, wondering if Caius's 'former' mistress would dare interfere as his eyes scorched the area, trying to seek out the reason Caius turned limp, all the while Megrin clung onto her lover, sobbing as she did so.
"Caius... please... please say something. Gods..." and she cupped a hand over her lips as tears ran down her face. Was he dead!? After all of this, was he truly gone? "Please.... say something..." she begged, feeling herself trembling with sobs.
Caius remained limp even in Megrin's arms, his body bruised and cut and bleeding where Ahk-meht had tormented him, savagely thrown him, and much more. He was intern and at peace somewhere deep in his mind. Though he consciously could not feel pain, did not mean that his body hadn't endured it. His broken blade laid uselessly beside him on the floor. There was no response from him, nor would there be.
"AHK-MEHT!" a voice roared from without, echoing within. "YOU HAVE DEFILED THE NATURAL LAWS OF OUR WORLDS! YOU HAVE ATTEMPTED TO ENSLAVE A KEEPER OF SOULS! AND YOU WILL ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!" The voice was undoubtedly Valgrin's and suddenly Ahk-meht would feel his body, pieces of it being pulled and yanked from his realm, being sucked in through his own chair as if it were a portal, and taking everything vulnerable with it.
Terrified for both Caius and from the sudden surge of power entering the room from Valgrin, Megrin clutched onto the soul keeper as his mistress suddenly tore at Ahk-meht, and all Megrin could see and feel was a whirl wind of despair as Ahk-meht cried out while the woman seemed to tear and gobble him to pieces. And around the room in a tornado of pain he was swept, up upa nd away, and then sucke dout through an unseen void - where only his pained echos remained, and even that was fading as Megrin shivered from it, and sobbed ove rher lovers bleeding form.
"Oh, Caius, I'm so sorry,"s he wept, holding onto his still body, firmly believing he had died for a scond and final time.
Perhaps he was dead, so still was his form. But could death truly come for those that were already dead. Caius did not feel the similar darkness that he had when his life first left him, nor did he feel his consciousness completely slip from him as he had before.
But the force that sucked Ahk-meht away was now tugging on Caius' form, pulling him toward it, stronger and stronger each second.
Caius wasn't the only one that felt the pull from Valgrin as she felt the small life force within her being strained as she grit her teeth and clung to Caius, as if that might be able to save him, or herself, from whatever might be happening all around them, for the awesome powers of Valgrin were all en-composing, and the shock wave seemed to touch everything.
They were both sucked into the portal, with little they could do about it. CIaius felt as if he were being carried by air when then at last materialized in Valgrin's realm in what almost appeared to be a cross between catacombs and an infirmary. Arms were still clasped around him, tightly possesively, but they seemed a dream amidst the darkness.
When she opened her eyes she was surprised to.find they were transported somewhere else entirely, and had she felt.the strength or known better, she would have called out to Valgrin, but perhaps it.was best.she did not, for her place was not among them, and she grew quiet and simply clutched onto Cai, for she was.too scared and stunned to do anything else.
Caius still would not awaken. It was uncertain as to why or how or if he ever would, but if death had truly claimed him, it could have always been in worse ways.
OOC: Not sure if he's dead or not but yeah XD
*no idea what to post but tries something!*
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"V-valgrin," she heard her voice speak, but she felt so weak and pathetic in the woman's presence. ANd also undeserving. She knew it was her fault Caius had been lost to his mistress. But even still, that could not deter her from speaking out.
"Please... if you are able to, please, please... please help Caius. Ahk-meht he... I..." and she felt hot tears slip down her cheeks. "I'll do anything, please. If there's a way to save him, or any way I can help. Just say the word." And she tried to steel her emotions, but it was so hard to do, what with her lover possibly dead within her arms. Bt either way, she had to show face, and show Valgrin she was earnest as she held up her chin, even as her lips quivered over what the answer might be.
[8D I dunno either! The tension is killing me!]
Her voice did nothing to summon Valgrin to her. She was busy dealing with the matter of Megrin's master. But it would seemaall was lost. Caius was still,nnd his heart no longer beat, not that it ever did.
A hand, however, slowly crept up and reached for her hand and his chest began to slowly rise and fall. He began to breathe more rapidly and suddenly a soft moan emerged from Caius's lips.
Tears continued to fall down her cheeks as her words fell on deaf ears. But she had no idea what more there was to say or do, yet she was half tempted to storm clean over there and beg for help. It was then she felt something on her face and she gasped, growing alarmed, thinking it was the witch she had come to know as her master's 'dog', but then found herself peering down at Caius, breathing, groaning- but alive!
"Oh, Gods, Caius!" she wept, her head hanging low as she clung to him, her hand, threading with his, but as gently as she could before she squeezed it affectionately. "Are you hurt? Are you in any pain? Can you speak?" And her voice was coming out so quickly, it all seemed to turn into one long sentence through a hurried breath.
[She WOULD speak a thousand things to him at once! D<]
Caius stirred too slowly to respond to anything she said to him and his eyes had yet to flutter open. His breathing, however, calmed somewhat and he could feel a hand on his. He applied what gentle pressure he could and tried to find strength to open his eyes. "Valgrin...?" he called out softly in a voice barely above a whisper.
Perhaps he felt her presence, or perhaps it was Valgrin he had thought it would be, but Megrin only smiled despite her tears and tried to brush some away.
"No, Cai. It's me. Megrin."
Caius smiled inwardly at the voice and when her face came into view. "Megrin?" he stammered. "Is it really you? I-I thought....you were dead."
Megrin found herself laughing in spite of her tears.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No." And she placed a hand tenderly upon his cheek, seeking his gaze. "But I could say the same to you."
"I-I don't know what happened," Caius coughed and sputtered a little, feeling his strength returning to his extremities. "I blacked out...I couldn't feel anything, I didn't see anything, or hear anyone. And I didn't want to.. I was okay with that. But...what happened? Where's Ahk-meht?" He didn't recognize his surroundings, his eyes were affixed on Megrin and he could barely make out the blur of her face.
"Shh.. calm down, Cai. Just remain still. You nee to rest. I don't know what happened either but... Valgrin she... she showed up." And she had to wince a little as she peered over towards her. "It looks as if she's taking care of him." And at that idea, she could not help herself but grin a little.
"Taking care of him?" Caius asked her, frowning and furrowing his brow. "Valgrin..." His eyes went somber and he frowned deeper. Slowly strength returned to his limbs and he was able to sit up. He looked at Megrin and peered down toward her belly. "Is it...do you still feel it...the...the baby?"
Megrin's gaze had gone down cast, but when she heard him speak of the baby, her eyes shot to his as she blushed.
"I... er, I think it's too early to really feel it but yeah.. I think he'll be alright." She said with a smirk, hoping to reassure him. Truthfully, she was worried about it, but it seemed, at least for now, the child still resided inside her body.
"He?" Caius asked with an even deeper frown. "That's a shame." He sat up and felt woozy, falling onto Megrin with a thud.
Megrin gave a sheepish blush.
"Well, I'm not sure if it's a she or he, but with all of this trouble it's causing us.. I just likely assumed it'd be a boy." And she gave a lop-sided grin and shrug, her eyes sparkling before she watched him get up and before she could warn him not to, he fell back onto her lap.
"Careful, Caius. Really, you shouldn't be moving so fast. You could have died!"
"Boys give trouble? You must not have a lot to say for yourself, at the mess you've gotten me into," Caius grinned as he laid within her arms. He was tired and hurt, but at least he was in a good mood about it.
Megrin gasped.
"As if you're one to talk! After all, you're the one laying in my arms. You scared me half to death!"
Caius laughed and it pained him to do so. "And it all started when I met you," he added with a smile. He leaned up weakly and kissed her.
It might have started out weak, but the kiss was anything but in the end. Her lips pressed into his needfully, and in the end, she parted sweetfully as her eyes met to his while a hand cupped his cheek.
"Caius.." she said, eyes wavering. "I'm glad we met."
"Me too in a tired and wounded kind of way," Caius smiled at Megrin. He kissed her again and found the strength to stand again, using her as support.
"How do you feel?" she asked when they were finally standing. "If you're well enough to walk we... we still need to find a way out of here." And the floors were trembling and parts of the ceiling threatening to crack. Megrin cringed at the sight before looking up into Caius's eyes. "Do you know of any short cuts to get us out of here?"
"Why? Why do you want to leave? Do not worry about me," Caius said with a grunt. He held his side where it would be significantly discolored with bruises. "I need a healing room. There is one down that corridor. Mind the darkness...souls linger here that have not yet found their way to the stream where it belongs."
"Why do I wish to leave?" Megrin repeated, appalled. "This place is becoming dangerous, Caius. Are you sure you wish to find a healer here?" Though in truth,s he knew not where else they might find one so she simply nodded and moved to help him to his feet. "Here, just lean on me, Blondie. We'll find a way over there. Just take your time and watch your step."
[Aren't they in Valgrin's realm? I thought they were taken back there.]
Caius leaned on Megrin, his arm around her waist and he limped alongside her.
OOC: lol I think I forgot a lot of detail n this thread in it's 'current' events :T
like,everything after the Ahk-meht fight is fuzzy XD suppose I should go back and re-read it x.x
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Using his words to guide her, she took Caius over to the healing room he had suggested, and was surprised the room felt a lot warmer than the rest of the realm. It felt like a hot spring, and as she adjusted Caius's weight against her hip, she peered around.
"Here, let's get you settled over here." ANd she rested his body down in a comfortable spot a few paces from the door.
Caius felt completely drained by the time they made it to the healing room. She sat him down and he gave a sigh of relief, peering at her with thankful eyes. "Thank you, Megrin," he said with a solemn smile. He had a bit of a struggle as he pulled his tunic from his form and unbuckled his sword belt, the remnants of that broken blade clattering to the floor. He hurt all over and his body was covered in savage cuts and bruises that had only just now stopped bleeding.
"The spring. Take me to the water, please." he begged, finding the strength to pull himself to his feet but not enough to walk.
"Gods, Caius, you look awful," she said, cupping a hand over her lips. And at his request, she hooked her arms around his shoulder and helped guide him that way.
"Here, the water's just in front of you," and she kept herself leaned against him for support.
With his balance maintained, Caius shuffled toward the pool of healing waters and he could feel the glow of it emanating from it and as soon as he stepped in, he gasped at the combined sensation of heat and frost as it snaked up his leg. He gripped her arms until he was ready to sit in the waters with his own. But he didn't let go entirely and held her hand. "Come in with me," he offered. "The waters will heal you as well. There is no other spring like it in all the world or the next."
Megrin stared at him, her cheeks blushing softly.
"Are... are you sure? This place seems.. holy. I...." she cringed at the idea. "I don't feel I deserve to be in such a place."
Caius peered at her with a frown. "What do you mean?" he said. "You saved me... What could make you more worthy than that?"
"I... I still feel tainted from Ahk-meht," she informed him with a frown. "I... I'm pretty sure I'm damned for all I've done. I'd hate to taint this place by using it's powers."
Caius held out a hand to her. "This place will cleanse you... These waters will heal you until you are renewed. Can't you feel the purity just by standing here with me? Just step inside. You will feel it."
"That's the problem," she said with a sad smile. "I feel it but I don't believe I deserve it. But Gods, I'm just glad you're ok. But if you think it will help.." and here she hesitated. "I just... I know it feels silly, but I just don't feel worthy."
Caius had had enough of this run around and without a moment of further hesitation, he reached forward and yanked Megrin into the pool with him. The waters glowed and turned red to her presence but before long the suds settled down and the warmth began to course its way through her limbs. Caius said nothing and just smiled to her, holding her hand in his.
Megrin gasped and fell into his lap, tensing as the waters turned angry, but then soon,s he felt a wash of soothing come over her as she blinked and looked up at him. Swiping some dark hair from her face, seh raised her brows questionable at him.
"This water... truly is holy,"s he whispered. "I can feel it almost wanting to tear me apart, ubt keeping cool all the while." She smile da thim and feeling his hand in hers, she gave it a squeeze. "Do you feel better now?"
"I'm just happy to see that you are boiled alive," Caius said with a small smile. He leaned into her and held her close to him. "But yes. Having you here beside me certainly feels better... " He peered down to her belly once the waters calmed and turned warm around them.
"Why didn't you tell me you were with child? Or did you not know?"
Embarassed, Megrin dropped her gaze and looked at her belly as well. She was too early on to show any signs she was pregnant as she shook her head.
"No... I didn't." And she raised her eyes, frowning at him. "Are you angry?"
Caius turned to her abashedly and shook his head. His smile was sweet, if a little shy and he reached down to her belly, not quite touching the skin there but at least letting his hand graze over it. "No, not at all. But I didn't think we could make a life...are we both not...beyond that?" he asked, looking confused.
Megrin smiled, blushing over the thought as she tucked back some of her dark hair from her face.
"I know... I wouldn't think so either. A soulless woman and an soul keeper man.." She shook her head.
"But I don't know what else to say. How else could it have happened? You are the only one I've laid with... and Ahk-meht can smell souls. He claimed it was yours. I... I don't think he was lying, either."
"I don't know. It is some kind of turning of fate here between the worlds of living and the dead. Perhaps there is no logic to be found in it," Caius reasoned. "It simply is. I never thought that I would wake up after death, to find myself a container of souls. I never thought that I would find someone to share that afterlife with where in life I was alone... Perhaps it is the turning of the seasons."
"Yes... perhaps so,"s he said, keeping one hand on her belly, her eyes on Caius.
"But what do we do now? I mean.. besides the obvious." She chuckled, her eyes dancing as she moved to lean in closer to him.
Caius blushed a little and pulled her into his arms. Though he was sore and stiff all over, he welcomed her embrace and the healing waters slowly restored him to his normal strength. "I love you Megrin... You saved me more than you can know."
Smiling, she kissed him softly and leaned into it.
"You know, I've never thought myself a mother, but having a child.. with you... It's kind of making me giddy." And she smiled, showing some teeth, as she blushed.
Caius blushed depply at the kiss and nodded sheepishly. "I never thought I'd love anybody as much as I loved you. Rememeber that day by the tree when we were going to part and you begged me for a kiss? That thought always makes me smile."
Megrin smirked and peered up bashfully into his face.
"I had almost forgot about that. But you wouldn't kiss me. You were afraid."
Caius ducked his head a little. "I was afraid of you then. Afraid of what you'd do to me. What it would mean if I did kiss you," he confessed. "I thought you were so beautiful...you didn't need me to kiss you. You didn't need anyone to confirm that you were beautiful and lovely just as you are now."
Megrin smiled.
"I know that, Caius. But I wanted someone to find me beautiful on the inside."
"That's I meant. I knew you weren't all bad... You were just trapped that way," he smirked at her and leaned back against the edge of the swirling waters. "How do you feel?"
Megrin blushed.
"Oh." She cast her gaze down a moment before peering back to him.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that? You almost died today, Caius."
"I am feeling better. But you suffered too you know..." Caius turned to her and inspected her with his hands until he felt something out of place. "Do you feel anything that feels sprained or broken so I may set it?"
"Well, my ankle got twisted a little, but I'm sure I'll live. I've been through worse." And here, she took him in, eyes shining as they admired him. "But you know something? You were really heroic back there. Not many men could stand up to a being like Ahk-meht, yet you tore him to pieces without even a second thought." Her hand smoothed down his cheek, her eyes wavering with bubbles of emotion. "You've rescued me," she told him softly, delicately. "And for that, I will forever owe you the world."
Caiu's eyes warmed and he reached his hands up to cup her face. He smiled and leaned his forehead in against hers. "I love you, Megrin. You owe me nothing," he nodded. "And you're going to be stubborn about it, let's jut say we're even." And kissed her forehead.
Megrin's eyes sparkled as she closed her eyes at the kiss.
"Well, we're even until I have to carry this child. Then I might be saying you owe me," she jested and leaned forward, kissing him softly on the lips. "Oh how I love you, Caius." And she took a hand and brushed his blonde hair affectionately away from his face.
Caius blushed and his smile softened. "Oh you would tease me in my anguish and pain," he whispered teasingly to her. He closed his eyes for a moment to meditate on what had happened and what was to come. And there were no words he could use to describe the peace he as in.
"Of course. Do you think because you love me now I'd let you get away without me torturing you?" she said, a toothy grin flashing his way. She saw him resting, and smiled and leaned in, kissing softly his cheek.
"I love you."
"Mmhmm," Caius murmured, turning his head away a little as she kissed him, deliberately ignoring the fact. A playful smirk curled on his lips, but he otherwise kept his eyes closed and began to fall asleep.
Just because he was going to 'ignore her' didn't mean she wasn't going to kiss him again. SO she did, before nestling in close to him wtih a contented sigh.
Caius snored loudly and obnoxiously as she kissed him and when she nestled in beside him, he wrapped his arms around her and blew raspberries into her neck .
Megrin gave a gasp at the sudden rumbling attack against her neck.
"C-Caius!" she sputtered, but laughed all the same and smashed her own lips against his neck, and did the same!
He giggled furiously like a child and threw his head back to cackle. "Megrin!" he howled and started to jab his fingers up and down her sides furiously, tickling her with fervor and leaning over her. His face dug into her neck one more and blew loudly.
Megrin squealed and squirmed, water splashing everywhere.
"C-CAIUS!"
SHe was laughing so hard, it hurt.
"Ok, you win! you win!"
Caius paused his assault and leaned back against the side of the pool. "I accept your submission," he beamed, grinning ear to ear.
"How can you be so cruel to me after all that we've just been through?" she asked with a playful pout. "Besides, you don't have to tickle me to know I'll submit," she teased, and smoothed a hand up his arm before she nestled in beside him.
"Because I must fend of your womanly wiles, you wicked seductress," he said, smirking at her and sticking his tongue out.
SHe caught his tongue with a fist and smirked.
"Seductress? Last time I checked, I was originally trying to deter you from making any advances," she told him playfully.
Caius gave a shrug. "I wouldn't make advances," he said with a blush. "I wouldn't dare tarnish your loveliness." He tucked his arms around his legs and laid a head on his knees, peering at her sheepishly.
"This is true,"she said, leaning over him as she tucked some blonde hair back from his face.
"Though I suppose we must have accidentally had sex on the beach then, to?" And she gave him a playful smirk about that.
"Yes, that was an accident!" Caius murmured, blushing further, and smiling sheepishly. He grew shy and turned his eyes away. "A very lovely accident."
"And apparently a very potent one, too," she said, a hand resting over her belly.
"So if we have this child.. I mean.. what do we do with it? I've never had to raise a child before," she said, hesitantly tucking some of her dark hair away from her face.
Caius shook his head, frowning in a crook of his mouth. "I wouldn't know either. I never thought I'd ever make love to anyone. I guess we'll just have to take it as it comes."
"Yeah, given we have little choose," she said, smiling and taking his hand and squeezing it lightly.
"So where do we go from here? I'd like to believe Ahk-meht is dead, and we can live as we please, but i'm no fool. I know you still belong to Valgrin..." ANd Ahk-meht...
she had a feeling that demon would be back.
"I don't know. Valgrin summoned Ahk-meht for judgment. I don't know what will happen to him, or if we are truly safe. I know we are safe here in Valgrin's realm. As for my service, I know she cannot release me. I would be nothing more than a wandering soul, much like those I capture." He felt well enough to stand and he stood out of the water, the water slipping back into the pool and off his form.
"So... you are to stay here then?" she inquired, staring up at him as the waters gushed down his form.
She wondered if it was even possible for her to stay, but she already knew the answer. Keeping a hand on her belly, she stared down at it in wonder- and imagined what it would be like to have a child. The concept was just so strange- but if anything, she was glad it was Caius's.
"Until I am rested yes," Caius said, peering down at her. He then reached a hand down to pull her up and out of the waters, letting her stand beside him. "But I will talk to Valgrin about letting you stay. She knows you mean well... She knows also that I will not stay without you."
"And... err.. do you think.. she knows about our child?" she asked, sheepishly peering up into his face. "Would.. would it make her.. angry?"
"Valgrin becomes aware of all souls in existence on way or another. I do not think she will protest, or she already would have," Caius said, smiling at Megrib. He pulled her arms around him and he kissed her head.
Megrin released a held breath as she smiled.
"So.. it would seem, in a sense, we're safe now." ANd her cheeks flushed at the idea as she released a breathy laugh. "Who would have thought."
Caius shook his head, shrugging. "Not I," he murmured. His arms found their way around Megrin's waist and he held her close to him. He said nothing more, for there was nothing to say that wouldn't break the peace of their moment. He just wanted to be with her. There was nothing more he could ask for.
OOC: I Hope it's ok to presume a few things in this scene transition XD if not I can fix it
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Sometime had passed, and Caius and Megrin were granted time to remain on earth. Though it seemed Valgrin hinted at keeping a close watch on them- she reminded Caius where he truly belonged, so while he was to keep serving her, he was allowed time to see his wife- for Valgrin had insisted their union be official before the eyes of the Gods.
And so in the field of the dead, against the tree that had met before- Megrin found herself veiled in white, with a ruffling layer of violets that strung through the layers of her skirts and through her dark hair, now left untamed from her braid in long, thick waves down her shoulders. And she approached their tree, staring up adoringly into Caius's eyes as a priest read them their vows thrugh the war after glow of an evening.
And though the world was beautiful, she had only eyes for him.
It was not a decision that came lightly, for Caius could not fathom the thought of marriage after so long of not being alone, of remaining pure for the goddess he had fought for long ago. But his life after death had been something unplanned, unexpected, but not unwelcome.
And on this day, he stood before Megrin with her hands clasped in his and he squeezed them tightly. He knew Valgrin would have taken care of both of them, but that she ushered their union was completely unexpected. Caius squeezed her hands tigher and his smile wavered a little, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.
Valgrin, naturally, would not have come to such a conclusion were there not a few subtle (and not so subtle) hints from Megrin. And the girl, once started, could not stop gushing over her idea of a perfect life she never had. Marriage somehow ended up on the table, though through a longing look, she had never pressed it. But somehow Valgrin took the hint and well...
Perhaps somehow she knew the child wasn't just Megrin and Caisus's, but also a union blessed by the faint remnants of Samrin. And Samrin, being a pure spirited God, was an entity truly worth mourning over.
But as it were, Megrin was only a few months in, barely beginning to show when the idea was made and Megrin's heart was in the clouds, fluttering uncontrollably within her chest as she peered up into his eyes, a blush heating her cheeks. Not expecting this to ever happen, let alone to two 'dead beats', she sheepishly tucked back some hair as their vows were exchanged, and when asked the question, her eye lashes became lowered, framing her eyes as she peered back into his and said soft, "I do."
When the questions were done and the chance to embrace his companion came to him, Caius wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her and he pulled her to him, pressing his lips to hers possessively, yet with no small amount of sweetness.
The thrill of the kiss, and their vows of marriage sent a rush through her like she never felt before. And his kiss, though sweet- was powerful enough to move mountains as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. She hadn't realized she was crying, and by the time she opened her gaze, those green eyes were shimmering with tears.
"You know, Blondie, I never thought I'd ever get married.."
Especially, considering, her groom was technically dead!
"Me neither," he admitted through a breathy laugh. "But what do we do now? Where do we go?"
Megrin's green eyes shined as she took her husband into her hands and dipped him in her grasp.
"I can think of a few things, handsome." And she leaned in to kiss him deeply.
It was a little awkward for the clergymen to stand there and kiss, but he knew when it was time to bow out and departed them. Caius smiled against her lips and his arms insticntively around her and lifted her sheer off the ground and into his arms.
Megrin giggled, stealing a kiss before leaping out of his hands with a dancer's like grace. She only spared him one starry eyed look before racing off, fully aiming to have her new husband make chase as she dove behind their tree.
Caius yelped, thinking he'd dropped her but when she ran off, he stayed there and watched her depart. Then promptly turned and began to walk away,..smirking as he did so.
Peering back from the other side of the tree, she gasped as she watched Caius ignore her.
"Hey, Blondie! Your bride is over here!" she shouted, sticking her tongue out at the back of his head.
"I know!" Caius shouted back to her and ignored chasing her still. "It's been a very trying day! My ride is over here," he said, gesturing to Baal who perked his head up and trotted across to him. "Thanks for inviting me to the wedding Megrin, but I really must be going now."
Then after a minute, Caius whirled around and shouted back to her. "Well, you dolt, are you coming along or not?"
Playfully, Megrin climbed into the tree and peered down at him. "Maybe after you come up here and give your new bride a kiss." And playfully, she tossed an apple from a tree his way.
Caius rode Baal to the base of the tree and peered up at Megrin in the tree. "I know that if I go up there, you're going to run away from me," he laughed.
Her face brightened as she smiled.
"Run?" she looked up and over the tree through it's branches before looking down to him as she shook her head. "Where wold I run to? Up higher in the tree?"
Caius smirked at Megrin and dismounted from the wolf-dog's back and promptly began to scale the tree. "Be careful Megrin, You're with child remember."
Megrin smirked.
"Yeah, you're child!" she said with a laugh. "I'm sure a little tree climbing could hardly hurt him."
Caius climbed higher up until he could look under her skirts. "Quite a show there," he snickered.
Gasping, she pressed the white fluff of her wedding gown down.
"And why were you looking? Excited to see what your bride has to offer?" she teased, and moved to playfully flick a piece of his blonde hair from his face
"I already know what she has to offer, why do you think I married her," he quipped and immediatelt leaned in to steal a kiss and promptly threw himself from the tree, landing on Baal's back.
Megrin's heart fluttered at such a kiss and she gave a dopey grin. But then she was feeling the breeze of his exiting form as she peered down at him and shook her head.
"What? You expect your pregnant bride to do that?" She smirked and shook her head. "Aren't you going to help your wife down, Blondie?"
Caius stood at the base of the tree and grinned up at her. "Jump."
"Jump?" Her eyes lit up as she gave a shake of her head. "In my condition?"
Was he crazy? Even still, she smiled anyway.
"You're not even that high up. Jump I'll catch you," he said gently and held out his arms.
"Caius.." She still shook her head, and tucked back some hair as she moved to sit up straighter in the tree. Though now that she was sitting up, her legs were dangling free, and her shoe fell off her foot and landed ontop of his head. She slapped a hand ove rher lips to try to repress the giggling, but it was evident in her eyes.
"Tell that to my shoes," she said, still too uncertain to simply jump into his arms- even if she wanted to.
Caius stepped up to the base of the tree and climbed just below her feet. "All right here I got you. Slide down."
Megrin gave a sheepish, leftward grin before slipping into his arms, her own arms wrapping instinctively around him as she was free of the tree- minus her bustle getting caught in the branch. Gasping, she heard the dress rip and spun around.
"Oh no! My dress is caught!"
Great going!
"Who cares? It's going to come off one way or another," Cai murmured with a great deal of amusement and carried her down the tree, ripping the dress the rest of the way and leaving it flowing like a flag in the wind. He mounted Ball once more and set her across his lap before walking down the hill.
Megrin gaped through a smile at such words coming from him, but closed her lips and shook her head and simply leaned in to nestle into his arms. She peered up at him affectionately.
"Ok, but if anyone starts oogling me because my legs are showing, you mght have to beat them up," she said and curled her toes up beneath her as her legs were exposed through her shredded skirts.
"Now if someone has the good sense to look at you, why would I want to beat them up?" he asked with genuine confusion.
Megrin smirked and hugged him tightly as she kissed his cheek and peered up at him through her veil and hair.
"Because, in a sense, I only belong to you. You know, most men traditionally get angered if someone looks at their woman."
And now, well, she was his woman.
"You don't belong to anyone," Caius said confidently. "Just because we're married doesn't make you my property. Or solely mine to look at. Any man in his right mind would look at you and appreciate your beauty."
Megrin smirked at him, her cheeks blushing softly.
"Well ain't you something else." And she kissed his cheek. "Come on, let's get out of this field of dead people and go someplace we can celebrate more appropriately. It is our wedding day. We should do something fun."
"And what, pray tell, did you have in mind for us to go? It's not like there are many towns in the plains or villages or settlements that aren't raiding parties," Caius said with a raised brow.
"You and I were always fond of the beach," she told him through a smile, eyes sparkling. "We could make a week of it. Or a very long trip. Just you... me.. the warm sands, the sound of the ocean.." And the words were practically purred out from her lips as she drew a hungered finger down his chest.
He warmed at her touch and Caius looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "Aye. The beach sounds pleasant," he smiled and kissed her brow. "Baal! Make for the shore!"
The wolf-dog under them smiled to himself as he bounded across the fields with no small amount of speed, tearing up grass as they went.
Megrin grinned broadly and held onto her groom as the dog rushed off. It was a freeing feeling, to think-t hey were both finally free, both able to start a real life together-
and it all started with a moment by the ocean, and now...
to the ocean they went again. And she didn't bother to turn her gaze from him, finding herself kissing Cai passionately along the way until she was able to smell the ocean breeze. Only then did she peer over to look at the welcoming sight of the waves crashing onto sands.
Her lips charged his with energy when she kissed him and he found himself meeting it with forced until breaking waves roared in his ears. He smiled at the horizon, the burning sun hanging at the edge of the ocean as they were perched up on the bluffs.
"Race you to the ocean?" she said, a playful dance to her eyes before she slipped out from his arms and off of Baal and began to take off down the side of the hill- the train of her dress and veil dancing behind her in the winds.
Caius laughed and jumped off of Baal's back and the wolf-dog too ran after them, down the slope toward the beach. "You're not gonna beat me!" Caius shouted, laughing as he went after her.
Megrin's laughter fell behind her in a trail of tinkling noise.
"Oh yea?" she called back to him through a laugh. She kept her skirts held firmly as her legs burned as she ran. "Watch me win!" And soon her feet were leaving heavy foot prints in the sands.
"Never!" Caius howled in a laugh of his own as he barreled after her. Soon they were near the beach and the sands were to heavy to properly run through. He persisted nonetheless. "I'm doing it!" he howled. "I'll beat you!"
And that's when she stepped clean in front of him, throwing her arms out and using her body to stop him in mid-run. And with a laugh, she captured him like that, but found herself nearly falling over as she clung to him.
It was too bad his momentum was too strong to be stopped by here mere body, and Caius fell over her, throwing them both into the sand. He rolled off her of her, having trampled her with his body enough to toss him over to the side. "Be careful!" he panted. "I could've hurt you!"
With both of them now laying in the sands, she laughed, despite the obvious danger as she turned to him and threw some sludgy sand at his chest.
"Be careful of what? Having too much fun?" And just as she sat up, she gave a gasp as a wave suddenly came after them, it's chilling froth washing over them ad making her shiver. She gave a laugh again and scrambled to her feet,a nd began to run out into the ocean, uncaring tha ther dress was dirty and suctioning to her form like a second skin.
"Megrin!" Caius called after her and ran through the waters. Soon he caught up to her and swept her up from the waters, spinning around until he held her securely in his arms. He kissed her deeply passionately.
As they kissed, he'd feel her tremble- though it wasn't from fear, but laughter that broke out when their lips finally parted, but only briefly for she threw herself at him again and kissed him fiercely, lovingly, adoringly as she held him close as another wave crashed at their legs.
"Husband.." she siad, trailing her fingers down his cheek. "Who would have ever thought I'd ever call a man that?"
Caius chuckled, his faced in a heated blush that only widened at her touch. Her kiss had set his lips on fire and his eyelids were half-shut and half peering at her through them. "Not me, that's for sure. Honestly I thought you were a nuisance. A very prettty nuisance. But a nuisance all the same. But you were so damned persistent in getting me to kiss you, I didn't know you were head over heels in love with me even then!"
Megrin blushed.
"Well you don't have to make that big of a deal about it." And she gave him a sheepish stare. "But yeah.. I guess I kind of was."A nd she paused to take a moment to admire his eyes, their soft color,a nd his hair,which she swiped away from his face before leaning in to kiss him sweetly again.
Waves splashed up and around their knees and he held her close to him enough to feel the bump in her belly. "Admit it. You're just a hopeless romantic at heart," Caius breathed when he pulled slightly away. "Let's get out of this cold water."
"But whatever for? I'd adore a swim in the ocean with you," she told him in earnest, green eyes sparkling with playful love and affection as she stole a soft kiss to his cheek. "Beside, if you're with me, I can hardly feel the cold temperature of the waters."
"But I can feel it. And it's positively frigid. I don't fancy a swim really... But if you can't resist, I can observe from the shore," he smiled at her, and let her go. "Go take a dip."
Megrin gasped. "You're going to come all the way to the beach with me and not swim?" She gave the man a pout as she kept her arms draped around him and leaned into his warm shoulder.
Caius smiled a little and leaned into her. "Fine. If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask," he muttered and began to undress.
Megrin gasped but laughed through it.
"I never said anything about undressing! What if someone were to see us?" But like their last, moon lit rendez-vous.. not a soul was in sight.
"Are you suggesting we swim in our clothes?" he asked.
Megrin blushed.
"I suppose you have a point. My dress is rather cumbersome."
"Right. You'll drown and nobody will save you. It'd be smarter to undress."
"Oh, is that so?" she said with a laugh. "You wouldn't come to my rescue?"
"Why? I'm your husband, not your knight in dented armor," Caius said with flashing teeth.
Megrin made a face and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
"I should hope you're not wearing armor in the ocean," she told him, teasingly. "You'd sink clean tot he bottom!"
"Exactly my point. I'd already be dead and there'd be no one to save you."
Megrin gave a small smile.
"I suppose you're right. Let's get undressed and have some fun."
Caius' smile only grew and he pulled his tunic up and over his head and stepped out from the water where his feet now sloshed in his boots. He undressed carefully and lay everything off to the side, folding it neatly before turning to help Megrin with the ties of her dress.
Once the binds were set loose, she felt her dress drop around and pool about her feet in a puddle of soft fabrics. Turning shyly, she peered at Caius from over her shoulder, flowers still adorning her hair.
"There, now neither of us shalls ink."
"Well, we'll still sink, but at least we have less of a chance of drowning," he murmured with a nod and put his arms around her waist. His lips met to her cheek before gesturing to the water and grabbing her hand, pulling out to the waves.
Megrin blushed at the kiss. Despite them already having joined bodies and had officially become man and wife, she still could not help herself from flushing every time he was tender to her, or showed her affections. She had known she was lucky, for her trail of bad luck before him almost made her ruin such a chance. But now, out here in the waters, she let herself laugh as the two ran into the evening waves.
The water was cold and he was little prepared for it a second time around as he howled with laughter and shock. He ran forward and through himself headlong into the waves, briely letting go of Megrin's hand as he did so.
Finding her hands now free, she rushed after him, and gasped as a wave crashed into them, but laughed still the same as she danced around him, body sparkling in the evening moon light.
A strong wave suddenly knocked Caius off his feet and he splashed the soil hard with a giddy laugh. He sat up amidst another wave and he nearly fell over once again. "Just dance around me!" he laughed, his belly aching. "Don't bother helping me out."
Megrin continued to laugh and did just that.
"Well, if you insist!"
Caius pulled himself to his feet and moved in to her side, pulling his arms around her waist. "You would leave me to suffer," he laughed.
"Well, I'm trying!" she laughed. "But you're holding onto me! Come on, Cai! Let go! I'm trying to have fun!" But she was still laughing, still evidently enjoying it all and when a cold wave washed over them, she laughed and tumbled overtop of him, and found herself sitll laughing as the another wave roared passed them in a chaotic and enchanting rush.
Caius grabbed a handful of mud and slapped it into her hair as he scrambled upaand away from her. "You got to help yourself up."
Megrin laughed when he did that, and before she had a chance to retort, a wave washed over her as she yelped. Seconds later, she was leaping out of the salty waters and clinging onto Cai in attempts to tackle him with her into the sea.
Her momentum combined with her newfound weight was enough to make Caius Morvaine's knees buckle and he fell hard into the shore and mud line. "Hey!" he howled, his belly sore from laughter, as he rolled over and grabbed more mud to slap along her backside.
Megrin let out a yelp as he threw more mud on her.
"Caius! You're like a child!"A nd she wrinkled her nose at him through a smile. "What are you going to do next? Eat the mud and worms as well?" ANd she moved forward in attempts to tackle him and pin him into the wet sands.
Caius wiggled from underneath her and he giggled uncontrollably, rolling around onto his belly and using his arms to pull away from her. You'll never catch me.
Grabbing onto his foot, she smirked back at him.
"But I already have."
Caius giggled and turned around againg, using his free foot to wiggle his toes into her neck. "Take that."
Megrin yelped.
"Caius! Keep your stinky toes to yourself!"
Caius finally relented and lay still in the mud and water, holding his stomach as it was sore from laughter. "I yield! I yield!"
"Of course you'll yield!" she said, and sat firmly upon his belly. "Besides, would you really keep this up with your wife as pregnant as she is?" Though she was barely showing, she had gained more weight than she had before. It still did not mean she would not use this to her advantage as she gave Blondie a smug smirk.
Caius grunted under the weight she set on him and he still battled with the occasional laughter that coughed out of him. "Oh don't pretend you're some fragile crystalline figure to be handled with care. Sitting on me as you are."
Megrin gave a smug grin, swiping some of her dark hair from her face.
"And why shouldn't I? Men are supposed to treat their wives as delicate flowers anyway,"s he teased.
"Well I most certainly wish you were as light as a flower, so I wouldn't be crushed under you!" he barked.
Megrin only grinned and slowly crossed one leg infront of the other.
"I'm sure you've had worse, Blondie."
"I suppose the brute that killed me, was certainly heavier than you are," Caius smirked and reached upt to touch her legs, gently and exploratively.
Megrin smirked, but slowly, that grin faded, even as his hands were finding her legs. She tucked back some of her hair and peered down at him.
"Sometimes I've forgotten you're dead... which is so strange on how this has all come to be." And she placed a hand delicately upon her belly, her eyes going distant in thought.
"No more stranger for you than for me," He admitted and let his hands drag along her knees. "But it's a pleasant surprise yes?"
Megrin smiled and breathed softly through her nose. She leaned over and admired him from where she sat, and enjoyed his touch.
"Yes." She told him, shifting her weight slightly. "Very pleasant."
"Good, I'm glad you feel that way," Caius smiled at her. "Can I sit up now?"
"Nope," she said, giving him a grin. "Not when I'm this comfortable." And she reclined back on him, still grinning broadly.
"But I can't breathe!" Caius complained, exaggerating his lack of air.
Megrin took this time to turn around so her side was laying on his belly, before moving ot turn fully flush to him. "Oh? What do you need to breath for? I thought you were dead," she mused.
"Point taken," Caius laughed and put his arms around her back. "Damn you and your logic. Though you are showing a little bit."
Megrin smirked and took a finger and placed it under his chin, forcing him to look up and into her eyes.
"Are you calling me fat?"
"Not at all my darling dear," he smirked at her. "Just...deliciously plump. And the weight is mostly in the front anyway."
Megrin rolled her eyes and gave Cai's chest a poke.
"Plump.. fat.. it's all the same thing."
"Okay then. Does 'round' sound any better?" he asked with a widening grin.
"I'll round you!" she said, and leaned down to kiss him fiercely upon the lips. "Such a trouble maker.." she murmured before leaning down to kiss him hungrily again. "A trouble maker.." she went on, finger's tip toeing up his shoulder, "Without any clothes on." And her cheeks dimpled in a smile.
Cai trembled a little when she kissed him. His hands traveled up her back, holding her face to him. It was easier now, the act of holding her, kissing her, being so close to her where he would have been shy before. He kissed her deeply, smiling between them. "You looking to get into some trouble? You're no saint yourself," he murmured.
"Well.." she smirked and kissed him back. "Removing our clothing was not my suggestion." She said, wrinkling her nose. "Not that I'm complaining... but... what sort of trouble did you have in mind?"
"I assure you I want no trouble. I think we've gotten in more than enough in the last few months," he said with a sigh and shivered once again as another waver washed over them.
"Here, you're shivering,"s he said, leaning in closer. "Let me keep you warm." And she kissed him softly, deeply upon the lips.
Caius shivered again, this time for an entirely diferent reason and he leaned in all that much closer to Megrin. His lips massaged lightly against her before he deepened it and moaned lightly underneath her. "Oh Megrin," he murmured. "How did you learn to kiss so well?"
Megrin smiled and blushed as she replied honestly, "Just a bunch of good kissers, but bad lovers."
"Who were your better lovers?" Caius asked, between kisses to her cheeks and chin, light explorative kisses, curious and interested in what she had to divulge.
"Those.that actually loved me..." She said softly, closing her eyes to delve into the sensations he spurned within her.
[D: Spurned means to reject!]
"I knew you had a few lovers on the side. Well, that's just too bad. You're all mine now," Caius murmured against her neck.
OOC: o_O I wonder if that was my mistake or my phone correcting me lol
I think I wanted to type churned or spawned- no idea
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Megrin breathed through a smile and peered down at him through half lids.
"Y-yeah. I guess I am." And she let her hands gently smooth down the sides of his arms and body as his kisses remained curious.
His head could only explore so much as he lay beneath her, kissing her neck and cheeks and throat and finally kissing beside her temple, where his breathe played hotly against her ear. His arms roved down her back, feeling what muscles resided there, and commiting to memory the contours of her body, her back and hips.
Megrin shivered at his touch, small breaths releasing from her as she moved to kiss back and touch him; gently, softly.
Caius still didn't have much in the way of experience when it came to this kind of thing, but he learned remarkably fast for someone who didn't. And he had fewer trepidations than he did before. He let his body do most of the talking for him and to see that Megrin was responding to him in kind sent all sorts of shivers through him. His lips returned their attention to hers and he deepened that soft kiss.
Everything that came from Caius was so soft, so simple, so affectionate that she returned the kiss in kind. Lips met to his, soft and yielding, but pressing firmly back when it was her turn to lead. Her lips only parted to breath, soft noises being made as she continued to smooth her hands up and down his back, feeling every ripple of his muscles, and then moving down his chest, where her hands could seek his skin out more readily.
"Megrin. If we have sex again, would that disturb the baby?" Caius asked curiously as he pulled away from her kiss to look at her for a moment.
Megrin blushed over such a question.
"I... I don't know. But.. I couldn't see the harm.." she said, after the tension eased out as she smiled. And it was then she noticed.. something between her legs and her eyes sparkled at the revelation.
"Why Caius Morvaine... what is that between my legs?" And she adjusted herself so that it didn't help the situation, but made it worse.
Caius blushed a little at the realization of his own excitement. She couldn't really blame him, he thought. And he was glad to see that she didn't. "Well. That depends on what you make of the ...presentation yourself, Miss Megrin?" he said with a small smile.
Megrin's smile turned smug.
"I think my husband is a little more than excited, that's what." And she leaned over to steal his lips in a kiss. "But don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you won't." And her eyes danced as she peered down at him. "But I'm all yours if you want it.." And she flushed at such scandalous words...
But this wouldn't be their first time of having sex on the beach.
"I might be tempted to be overzealous," Caius said chidingly. "I want you... Do you want me?" he murmured, leaning up against her and he kissed her cheeks softly.
Megrin smiled and felt her heart flutter.
"Of course," she told him, lips meeting to his. "I'm all yours."
"Good, that's comforting to know," Caius laughed lightly and pecked her lips with his.
She kissed him again.
"So are we going to do it?"
Then again.
"I mean... have sex on the beach. We're both already naked. And this time.. well.." Here she blushed. "We are married. It would not be improper." At least not completely. It was a public location, after all. Thankfully, no one was around.
"Go for it," Caius murmured, laughing again. "I mean do I have to all the work?"
Megrin blushed.
"Sex is an act of two partners, not one over the other. " ANd at such a notion, she smirked. "Though I am in... quite the delicate condition."
"Being rotund is NOT a delicate position," Caius snapped and stretched out in the sand.
"Pfft.." and with a playful kiss to his cheek,s he rolled off of him and into the sands beside him. "Then perhaps I ought not to lay over you then. I wouldn't want to hurt my husband on our wedding night." She said, giving a broader grin while digging her toes into the sand.
"Yes. Perhaps it's for the best," Caius said with a weary sigh, as if he'd just been relieved of a crushing weight. He turned over on his side, propping his head up on his hand and balancing on his elbow. "Besides you look tired already."
"Tired?" She turned to him, making a questionable face before smirking. "Whatever gave you that idea?" And she asked him while further digging her toes into the sand.
"Nothing, nothing," he said furtively and shrugged his shoulders. He leaned his head back against his arms now, folding them underneath his head and gave a relaxed sigh. "But even if you're not tired, I am." He yawned and closed his eyes.
And that's when he got a bunch of wet sand tossed all over his chest. Giggling, Megrin's eyes danced as she observed her work. He had sand ALL Over his torso, and with another giggle, her smile broadened.
Caius didn't pay any attention to her or her childish antics however and simply turned his back to her and proceeded to go to sleep.
And that's when he got sand on his butt. Giggling some more, Megrin crawled nearer to him.
"Really now, Blondie, you expect me to believe you just want to sleep through our honey moon?"
He had been so eager to try something else more... exciting before.
Cai snored lightly, if a little loudly before burying his head against his hands and curling his legs up against his belly.
"Caius.. nobody is going to buy that you fell asleep in seconds. Now come on. A dead man doesn't even have to sleep," she prodded.
Caius took a handful of dirt and launched it at her face from over his shoulder and snored even louder.
And that's when she smeared off the gritty sands and found a shell in the mix, whch she promptly tried to put up Caisus's nose.
Caius suddenly sputtered and turned over on his back, grabbing her and rolling her over him on the other side. "What are you doing huh?!" he roared in laughter. "Trying to disrupt my sleep eh!" And tickled her furiously.
Megrin let out a shout.
"C-Caius! Don't! You'll make me pee!" But for the life of her she could not stop laughing as his hands tickled all over her sides.
"Good!" Caius barked. His hands stopped momentarily to grab more handfuls of sand slammed them into her face.
OOC: Man, he's so abusive! Slamming stuff into her face D:
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Megrin let out a shriek, feeling the sands goop off her face.
"Oh, that it!" And she began to grab fists fulls of sand, hurling them his way.
Caius lunged at her, spitting out the sand and burrying her face into the sand, throwing on piles of dirt on top of her head.
"C-Caius! I give up! I give up! You win! You win!" she said, fighting against him as she tried to shake the sands out of her long hair like a dog.
Caius howled in triumph as he sat up and flexed his arms in a mock-heroic pose.
Megrin shook her head at him.
"You look ridiculous."
"You married me," Caius smirked at her.
"Yep. But that's because I'm am idiot," she told him, smiling.
Caius laughed and laid beside her. "I guess that makes me an idiot too. I always knew you were trouble," he smiled and leaned down to kiss her sandy forehead.
Megrin gave him a lopsided smile.
"Yeah, I guess that would make sense," she said, capturing his cheeks in her hands and kissing him softly on the lips.
Caius smirked against her lips. "Ah down to business eh?" he said between them and kissed her again, deeper this time.
"Yeah," she said huskily, and kissed him again. "I guess so."
Their kisses grew more and more fevered as Caius gently laid his body down onto hers, sliding his arms underneath her shoulders, running his hands along her arms and moaning into a hotter, deeper, kiss.
The heat was enough to excite, to entice, and to light the woman's body on fire. A flush covered her body, lips moving across his as the natural order of things that followed a wedding began to happen. Her hips met to his hips, lips still meeting to his, and after a few audible moans and hot breaths splaying across him, their bodies suddenly became united and Megrin's lips fell open as she gasped softly at the sensation and feeling of him slipping deep within the hot, soft skin of her sex.
Caius pushed his hips flush to hers, uniting with her at last. It was just the two of them in all the world in that moment. He held her too him as they moved in unison, making love again at last after all they had been through.
"Gods, Caius.." she moaned, fingers gently raking down his arms. "You feel heavenly," she said, breathing the words lightly across his chest.
Caius was breathless. "What does heaven feel like?" he murmured, curious, as he worked slowly through her.
"Like whatever it is you're doing to me. Gods...Cai," she moaned, writhing above him as her hips continued to roll gently, sensually against his.
"Oh so it's a sex thing then," he said with complete innocence. He continued to work within her warmth, favoring one wall, then shifting along to the other and biting his lips hard at all the sensations she inspired within him. "Yeah this does feel like heaven."
Megrin laughed, a soft, breathy laugh before it turned into a moan.
"Just keep that pace, Caius... Yeah, and just.. there! That angle!" And her eyes fluttered tightly closed as she clung to him with need.
Caius grinned, growing wiser to the way his motions incited certain reactions from her and he twisted his hips the other way instead of the one she asked for. "But I like this angle better," he breathed, trembling ever so slightly.
Megrin pouted.
"But the other angle was so much better for me."
"Oh this angle?" he said and turned his hips sharply, thrusting in that direction.
Megrin's breath hitched at the thrust.
"Gods!" She screamed out, clinging to him tight, her sex doing the same. "Gods... Yes, Caius! Right there!"
Caiusn' breath grew haggard at the sensation of the nursing of her sex and he shivered where he felt her favored angle. "That...gods...is a very good spot," he groaned. But just as quickly as he gave it, he took it away, grinning wickedly at her and turning his hips back the other way.
Megrin was becoming flushed, her breaths becoming low and her moans, deep from in her throat. But the second he moved, she gasped.
"Caius!" But her eyes became half lidded as she still moaned beneath his ministrations.
He was not so selfish a lover and he nursed her favored spot in light of her complaint, moving to her need.
Megrin's eyes fluttered closed as she moaned, and gripped onto Caius tightly again as she did so, forehead pressing to his shoulder.
"Gods..." she breathed, the sensation indescribable as she felt his dick move into her, in and out, the slickness of her sex audible, even over the ocean waves that crashed and rolled like purring thunder behind them while the pair simply made love in the wet sands.
Caius worked slowly, savoring each generous sensual motion of his hips. He covered her with his body, wrapping her body in his arms as his lips found themselves at her neck, nursing here. "Meg," he panted, turning his head the other way. "Gods...!" Caius reached down and pulled her hips up higher onto his as he steadily moved faster.
"Caius! Caius! Oh..." she moaned, writhing beneath him as he continued to penetrate her as he hefted up her hips higher against him. Feeling his body crash into her made her melt, made her moan and made her near her peak as she clung onto him.
"Ohhh, Caius, please!" she begged, finger nails digging lightly into his skin as her sex tensed around his member as he continued to fuck her, again and again.
"Gods, Meg," he murmured, feeling her cling to him all the tighter. The pressure was intense and only urged him to go faster, to persist in pleasure, to make her feel all that she desired and more. He may not have been very experienced, but he was a quick study, and committed to memory the ways that made her writhe, bend, and twist in reaction. Caius rolled his hips, steadily, sensually against hers until he felt her quiver in release.
Clinging to him tight, Megrin called out in ecstasy. She was seeing white, she was breathing heat, and she was writhing from so many sensations that, when it was all said and done, she collapsed onto a heap and melted onto him with a moan.
Caius collapsed atop her and breathed heavily. He leaned in, kissing her brow weakly but otherwise too tired to move. "Gods above... Now THAT was heavenly."
Megrin chuckled before releasing a breathy sigh. Stealing a kiss to his cheek, she released a second sigh and nestled in beside him.
"I wonder how many months we have..." she mused, a hand now resting over top of her belly. "Well, before all of this will change."
Cai laid off to the side of her, breathing heavily and his eyes lingered along her belly. "I don't know. I've never had a child before," he said with a small smile. "My thoughts are is that we should play it by ear and see what happens and how it happens. Your belly will grow and inside it will be a beautiful miracle...all its own."
"I'm going to get fat and you're calling it a miracle?" she said, her lips curled playfully at the idea. She glanced back down to her belly. "Though I'm not showing much now. Thankfully I don't get so ill in the morning anymore." And she laughed breathily at that.
"Yes it is a miracle for you to be fat. I can't imagine you any bigger than you are," he snickered.
"Yes, I'm sure I appear like a whale to you," she told him, giving a playful flick to his shoulder before laying her head across it and sighing. "You know I'm going to have to go back into the ocean again. Men are... quite messy when they make love. I think I can feel your mess trickling down my leg now," she said, squirming a bit at the sensation.
"Nonsense!" Caius said, laughing, his face turning red. "You're not...a...whale!" His belly hurt so hard, he buried his face in sand to muffle his unstoppable laughter.
"Well, maybe you are!" She teased. "I can say you've definitely spouted.." she informed with a smirk.
Caius huffed and sat up in the sand. "Let's find someplace dry to go off to," he smiled to her. And he sat up moved over to her, helping her to her feet.
Megrin took his hand and allowed him.to pull her to her feet.
"But first thing's first..." And she kissed his cheek before pulling away and rushing off.to clean herself in the ocean."returning, she gave him a hug with her soaking wet body and laughed as she held on tight. "You've got sand all over you!" She said, making a face and helping him brush off.
"And hugging me, made sand cling back to you!" he chuckled and squeezed her waist. "That's all right. It'll come off."
Megrin shook her head. "I suppose you're right, but it does make it a bit difficult to hug you. The sands are rubbing at my skin!"
"You're the one that thought it wise to soak yourself in ocean water and then hug me tight," Cai said pointed. "Fine I'll take a quick dip. Care to help me?" And wandered slowly toward the water.
"But of course!" she told him playfully, but the second they got closer to the water, she suddenly pushed him into an on coming wave with a laugh.
And thus was Caius's second death. By drowning.
The End.
Just kiddin, of course, he fell quite ungainly into the water and floundered as he did so, throwing his arms up, trying to maintain balance. "Meg!" he howled.
Megrin laughed and tackled him, just as a second wave crashed over top of their heads as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and kissed him just as salt water splashed between them.
"Why do you like to hurt me?" he asked with a frown, rubbing his head and sitting up in the water. "What if I cracked my skull? Who's going to heal me?"
Megrin wiped the salty waters from her face.
"I wasn't try to hurt you," she told him with a sheepish smile. "Haven't you ever done this before with some one? Just wrestle around for fun?"
"Er, no. Honestly." Caius shook his head, but immediately relaxed at the realization. "I didn't have many friends... I don't think. And I'm not...prone to 'wrestling for fun.'"
OOC: Poor Cai D:
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"Really?" she couldn't help the lop sided smile that consumed her lips. "Perhaps I should have realized that. You weren't that all familiar with love and relationships either. Yet somehow... here we are."
"It's your fault clearly. I was innocent and pure and you came along and corrupted me," Caius said with an offended pout.
"Yes, and I'm sure you enjoyed every minute of it!" she teased, and leaned forward, stealing a kiss to his cheek.
And with that Caius took a handful of sand mud and threw it at her face, laughing so hard his belly hurt.
"Ugh, yuck, Caius!" Megrin griped, wiping off the gritty, muddy sand he had thrown onto her face. "I think you got some in my eyes!" but even as it burned her a little, she still laughed and tried to throw some at him.
Caius got a mouthful of it and promptly spat it out or tried to at any rate. He swallowed a mouthful of sea water to rinse it out and nearly choked on it from laughter. "Meg!" he howled, race red and belly aching. "Meg. Let's get out of here. I don't think I want to swallow any more sand."
Rinsing herself off, she had to agree and gave a nod his way.
"But where shall we go?" It seemed the world was their's to fully explore as two lovers should.
"Why don't we just wander and find out? Let's...let's see what's beyond this valley of souls," Caius suggested. He went back to where they had left their things scattered on the ground. "We can start with this beach! I'm sure there are lots of places we have yet to discover."
Megrin smiled at such an idea, her expression warming as she gave him a nod.
"Sounds good to me. I haven't see much of the world, or had a chance to appreciate it. It's... well, a little hard to do when your master is prodding you, forcing you to swindle and steal other's souls."
"I always wondered at that," Caius admitted gently. "How exactly did he, er, 'prod' you? I mean, forcing you to do things, how?"
Megrin gave a meek sigh.
"Oh, I suppose it wasn't difficult at all,"s he groaned, rubbing at her temples. "To place me into positions where I'd simply have to get close enough to someone to have them care enough for me- and the problem was I wasn't even trying and then- poof.. " and she used an animated expression o fher hands to show case what she meant. "There souls would just be... mine."
"I mean what incentive did he give you to obey?" Caius corrected himself.
"That's the thing of it," she replied, tears filling her eyes. "He didn't seem to have to do anything at all! Even when I tried to deny him, somehow he always got his way." And she was so upset over the statement, she began to shake with rage.
Caius put his arms around her in an effort to still her. "He can't hurt you anymore, Meg. Either of us," he said with an attempt at a comforting smile. "We got away. We made it. That has to count for something."
Megrin practically threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly as she buried her wet eyes into his shoulder.
"Gods.." she whispered against him. "I hope so."
"It is," he murmured. "It is." He rubbed her back and kissed her cheek. "I know it must have been horrible. But it's over. He's gone for good."
Megrin still sobbed against him, pressing her face into his warm neck.
"Gods, I hope so. I really do."
For she didn't know what she would do if he were to return...
and to want revenge. Because if there was one things he knew well, it was the insatiable wrath of her former master Ahk-meht, and even she had the smallest fraction of a doubt that he was truly dead- but the doubt in the moment was carried away as she buried herself into him, and just held on tight.
Caius relished her warmth, even in the embrace of the cold world around them. He nestled his head against her shoulder and squeezed her hard to him. He recalled the first time they met, in the misted grove, both searching for souls with no other reason to be. He opened his eyes and moved his head to look at her. "Where do you want to go from here?" he asked softly.
"I.. I don't know,"s he told him in earnest. "What about you? Have you ever dreamed of a place to visit?"
"No, not really. I've only ever known one place in the life that I lived, I think," Caius replied. He frowned thoughtfully and thought of the soft hills of the plains and he gazed off into no where. "Mountains. I think I'd like to see mountains."
"The mountains?" her eyes sparkled at such a reply. "Have you really never seen any mountains?"
"No. Obviously. That's why I want to see one."
Megrin's grin turned wry. "For some reason I had you pegged as an adventurer. I'm surprised your mistress never had you journey to one to collect her souls."
Caius smiled at her. He couldn't help himself. "No, she always kept a close rein on me. I didn't mind exactly. The Plains were all I knew, that and fragments of my former life. I wonder...if I could find more of those. Fragments I mean, maybe there's more to where I come from than just the bits that I remember. Maybe we'll find them in our travels."
Her attention really perked up then.
"Fragments.. of your memories?" She leaned in closer. "Do you think?"
And if so, what would such a thing look like?
"My mistress told me that when I came to her, I had fragments on me and through them she felt an energy, a pulse. Pieces of a life lived. But she also felt that they were incomplete," Caius explained. He pulled out blade shards from his belt and presented them to her. "There are more out there."
Megrin stared in awe for the longest time at the shards.
"And... these are like.... pieces of you... of who you were, what you were... in your mortal life?"
"I think so. It would explain why there are holes, or gaps, in places where memories should connect. I don't remember anything of my early life, growing up. Parents, grandparents, childhood. I think I only remember the monastery. It would be nice to be able to fill in the blanks," Caius said with a soft smile, examining a blade shard from his belt. "Would you like to look at it?"
Megrin blinked, still digesting what he proposed. Though she ignored his question about examining the weapon as she peered up into his eyes.
"But what if those memories you seek... what if they are horrible?" she asked, gently.
Caius leaned back. "I didn't think of it like that. In which case, my ignorance would seem a blessing to most, wouldn't it?" he replied. He looked down at the shards. "Would you say the same of those you loved and who loved you back, but whose souls were claimed by Ahk-meht? Do you wish you never met them?"
Megrin studied his face, but held no hesitation in replying, "Yes. If they hadn't met me... They'd still be alive. Instead, they're damned."
"So you would trade all your memories, even the good ones, just to give them a chance to live... That is very selfless of you." Caius spread his lips, smiling, but it was a saddened grin. "I don't know if they're bad or good. But I think I'd rather have them...than go on not knowing."
"It would only be fair, wouldnt it? Those people.... None of them deserved to have that done to them. No one."
"Maybe," he said, eyes distant. "Does that make me selfish? To want to know something I've never had?"
"No.." she breathed, eyes searching. "Or perhaps it is. But I'm not one to talk. Perhaps my own dreams are selfish too. I did this to myself.... perhaps it was just destiny I suffer. I don't know... but where my path has lead me.... this... This I believe is our second chance. And if you wish to find out the truth, your story, I'll be with you all the way."
What if he had family still alive? She lightly touched her belly. It might be nice for their child to grow up knowing at least one of it's grand parents.
Caius reached across and squeezed Megrin's hand, smiling at her statement. A flutter moved through his belly and he even laughed a little. "You would really do that? For me?" he found himself asking. "I mean, we're going to have a family. It's not like it's a priority. This is more important. What we're making together."
At that, Megrin smirked.
"Well, we are sort of stuck together." And before he could protest, she kissed him warmly. "And what better way to start off our story then to figure out yours?"
Caius smiled gently after she released his lips. He was blushing even that she would even think to do this with him. "It's so hard to believe that we're married," he said with a soft breath. "That a moment ago, I would spend all eternity wandering with Ba'al, never caring what happened regarding my past. If we find more pieces, I'd be grateful for your presence."
Megrin nodded.
"I suppose I could help. Should help anyway- it is in my new job description," she told him with a smirk.
"I suppose you only say that now because you're my wife?" he asked with a grin.
She gave a huff.
"Just as well for me to ask you to wash my feet... or something of equal distaste," she quipped, playfully. "But where do we begin? I mean... do you have any clues to go off of as to where these.. slivers might be?"
"No. I'm afraid not," he said. "Not right off the bat, I mean. I would have to ask Valgrin. She would be able to tell me more. Many of the images do not make sense to me. Just flashes of a life once lived. But it is my life, and I wonder if it's worthy collecting all the pieces."
She took his hand and squeezed it.
"Of course it's all worth it. It's your life, your memories," she urged. "And if it takes us all of our life time to find it, then so be it." And she kissed him softly on the cheek.
Caius blushed and smiled, looking down at the pieces of his broken sword. He set it down beside him and sat closer to Megrin. He took a hand an gently pressed it against her belly. "I think of all journeys, this is the scariest one, don't you think?" he asked.
At such a statement, her cheeks turned pink as she looked down at her belly.
"Giving life... It does seem... Strange. Though I never once figured I'd ever become a mother." Even still, she shook her head and bit back a smile.
"I don't either of us envisioned we'd end up here. But I have no regrets," he said with a small grin. He continued to feel her belly as if he could feel the life inside growing within her. His smile faded, just a little when he remembered her master had tried to take the little soul. But he did his damndest to push it aside.
"Oh Megrin...I wish this could all last forever. This happiness...this everything."
She gave a weak laugh at that, to hide her own insecurities about that statement.
"Then we shouldn't have came back to 'mortality'."
He reached forward and cupped her face. "Well there's no going back now is there?" he laughed and kissed her cheek. "I'm just happy to have you in my life. I never would've known love otherwise."
Megrin blushed and shook her head that was still cupped in his hand.
"I'm sure you would've found someone else. And perhaps someone who had a little better of an attitude." Not forgetting how rude she was to him when they first met. But hey, this was exactly what she feared from him but...
In the end, she had no idea this was what was to come. And at that, she gave a small smile.
"I don't think I would have," he said. "I think I would've wandered until maybe Valgrin sent me away or something like that. Baal would've been my only companion then. I would've been content with my loneliness. But I'm glad it turned out this way, for the better, both of us more or less free." He kissed her cheek again and moved in beside her.
"Megrin, before you became a servant, what was your life like? You never spoke of it. I think I'd like to know," he said.
"My life before?" her voice nearly cracked as she looked from his eyes and then dropped her gaze to her lap. "I ... well," she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "It's just... I don't talk about it because I'd rather forget."
"I see," Caius said. "But I feel that forgetting doesn't make it go away. If we explore our past, we can look even more to the future. I look forward to my future with you."
Megrin looked up into his eyes and eventually found herself smiling. Taking his hand, she gave it a light squeeze.
"Aside from being poor and ignored by my family, except to do chores, when I was finally able to live my life, I made so many mistakes I began to wish I had remained with my family. Even of it was empty... Because I still feel," And she paused, lips trembling as she brushed away a year. "That ignorance is better than deceit."
"I think I understand." Caius still wished she would divulge more, that a piece of her life was intentionally missing because it d shamed her so to even think of it. He knew it best to not pressure he. Of it was her wish, she would speak in time. So he squeezed her hand back and lifted it to his lips to kiss the back of it.
She gave him a small smile.
"Perhaps later we can talk on it... I'd rather keep this moment peaceful," and she raised his hand to her lips now and kissed the top of it lightly, "and light."
"Live," he said suddenly. "Have you thought about where we are going to live?"
Megrin studied his face quietly for a moment before asking, "No.. have you?"
"I'm afraid I haven't," he said with downcast eyes. He tried to smile sheepishly, but it just made him look dumb. "Only we would look forward to a new life while being completely homeless."
At that, Megrin laughed softly. And though it was short lived, it was at least genuine.
"Homeless?" She leaned in against him and smirked. "I wouldn't call what we have homeless."
"Well, we can't raise a child as wanderers can we?"
Megrin peered up at him curiously at that question. And as she thought it over, she returned her gaze to him.
"We could.. but that wouldn't exactly be easy." And she wasn't sure she'd want that, either. Perhaps if the child were not in the picture...
But then, who was to say it couldn't wokr out if that is what they desired?
"We'll find a home," he said, his smile strangely confident. "Don't worry. Why don't we go to sleep now for a bit? All this honeymoon bliss is making me tired." He took her hand in his and kissed along her palm, feeling her pulse, her life. And more than thankful of the blood that flowed inside her. She'd been through so much, and perhaps they would go through more still. In the end, at least, they'd have each other.
"Sleep? Right here... Right now?"
"Do you have a better idea?"
At that, Megrin sighed through a smile as she shook her head. Leaning in against him, that smile broadened.
"No. Anywhere is fine so long as it's with you."
"That's the most cliche thing I've ever heard," Caius snorted and leaned in to kiss her neck, leaving a wet mark behind.
And that's when she elbowed him hard in the gut.
"I'll show you cliche!" And she moved to pinch his arm and throw grass and pulled weeds at him from around where they both sat.
"I'm a warrior!" He exclaimed, laughing as she threw stuff at him. He leapt at her and began to kiss at her neck fiercely.
Megrin shrieked and began to shove him away and shove grass into his clothes.
"As if that's not cliche!"
"I rescued you, that is pretty clicked," he laughed, snorting and was pretty sure they were both still naked.
OOC: Are they? loool
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Megrin only laughed and tried to feed him the grass as she pulled it, before simply just throwing it over his head and trying to ruffling it into his hair.
[Actually, I don't know!D:]
Caius cackled and shook his head furiously, shaking out any grass she stuffed there. "I'm not a horse!"
"Oh? And who said you had to be a horse for me to throw grass clumps at you?"
"Because I'm not going to eat them!" he growled and shoved grass into her mouth. "But you do! You're eating for two now after all!"
OOC: OMg, he's so mean D: why would he shove grass into her mouth? She wasn't doing that! Just.. you know, shoving it into his hair and stuff. :|
Megrin yelped and spat out the grass. Thankfully he wasn't able to get much into her mouth. And after brushing most of it away and spitting out what still lingered, she peered over at Cai before laughing and launching more grass at his face.
"What an awful husband! Making her wife eat grass like a cow! What if I shove this grass into your ears, huh?" And playfully, she tried to do just that!
[Tough nuggets. She started the fight]
Caius shook if any excess grass and tried to stuff more in her mouth. "You need to eat plenty of greens, darling, being pregnant n all."
Megrin shrieked, laughing. She couldn't help it. The whole play fight was ridiculous and she was trying to stuff grass into his mouth before trying to get away, laughing and spitting out the grass while wiping off any excess off on the back of her hand.
Caius gagged and threw a stray rock at her butt
And she threw the rock right back!
And it hit him in the face and sent him reeling back, passed out.
Megrin huffed and crawled over top of him.
"Oh, don't pretend like that pebble actually did any harm to you!"
Caius just laid there, still. Drool dribbled out the side of his mouth a little.
Megrin smirked.
"Stop the acting or this pebble is going to be dropped inside your left nostril. Which.. as I find myself inspecting it, seems to be a lot bigger than you right nostril. Hmm, makes me wonder if our child will have such... unique features."
His body spasmed a little. But that was all the reaction she would get out of him.
Megrin sighed.
"You're not being any fun, Cai." And she moved to set the pebble on the tip of his nose.
He glared at her through one eye but quickly shut it.
And she found another pebble and set that one ontop of the other.
Do you intend to turn me into a pebble cairn?" He asked with a sniff, knocking the pebbles over. "Megrin," he asked little more seriously. "Do you want our baby to be a boy or a girl?"
Megrin blinked.
"I honestly don't know. On one hand, I know women can be really weak, and I'm not the best of examples. But men... I never had good experience with a man, but I'd like to think if we had a boy... our son would turn out well... like you."
"If you want my answer, I do not care either which way. I hope that whatever we have, that they are healthy and strong and come out as beautiful as you." Caius reached across and playfully pinched her nose.
Megrin blushed and shook her face away from him.
"And here I thought you'd have higher expectations than that," she teased.
"Nope. That's me. As low as expectations can get." He grinned and poked her side.
And if she had something to hit him with, she would! But she made do, grabbing up her thick hair and hitting him playfully against the chest.
Caius grabbed her hands. "And just why must you hit me when your the one that set yourself up to be the butt of the joke?"
She jut her chin out.
"What a lame excuse. And to think, you held such a prestigious position over the dead."
"My position was hardly prestigious. I mean I did run into you after all, and even that wasn't all that glamorous. I was basically the dragnet over the dead, just looking for soul scraps."
Megrin smirked.
"You might be a scrapper, or had been," she said, scooting to get closer to him. "But you're my scrapper," she told him, before trying to steal a kiss.
"So what does that make you?" Caius asked, leaning his head back enough to evade her kiss. "Are you the dregs at the bottom of the barrel?"
"Probably," she replied, and grabbed onto him to force him forward, so that their lips would finally lock.
Caius laughed against her lips, before falling into her kiss and pulling her hard against him. If he ever thought he would have fallen in love with a woman such as Megrin, he would have laughed and scoffed. But oh how he was glad how this came to be, to have a woman such as she.
Megrin smiled through their kiss, holding him tight, holding him close.
"I love you."
"I adore you." He murmured it back into her ear and took her line between his teeth, nibbling lightly.
Megrin smiled and moved to smooth her hands across his back. It felt so good to feel the warmth of his skin, and the power of his muscles beneath her hand.
He pulled her earlobe between his teeth, a little more courageous in his intimate exploration of her body. Caius kissed her neck. "I hope I don't disappoint, physically I mean. You are the only woman I've ever made love to."
A small smile curled across her lips.
"Trust me.." she told him, returning a kiss to his neck in kind. "Whatever you're doing... It's perfect."
His breath hitched at her attention and he wrapped his limbs around her. To feel her so close was the best thing to being alive. If he remembered what being alive felt like that was. Her lips made his pulse hitch, as if suddenly jarring to life. "I feel funny. Dizzy," he breathed against her lips, kissing her softly, sensually. "All light-headed."
At such a revelation, Megrin laughed softly before kissing him.
"As do I... strange, isn't it?" she asked, her face a glow.
"Is that normal?" he asked. "I feel almost alive again. It's the strangest thing."
Megrin chuckled.
"Well, what is normal to you and I, anyway? And perhaps it is strange. We... haven't exactly been lucky in life. And perhaps.." she went on, to think it over. "Perhaps you have a second chance? Perhaps Valgrin blessed you that way? I'm not sure, but it could explain a lot.... Either that, or maybe you're sick!" she teased.
Caius kissed her lips teasingly despite her word play. "Perhaps I am. It's the love. It's made me nauseated and trembling with fear and excitement that I can hardly stay conscious in this moment. Clearly I have some sort of plague."
And at that, she kicked him.
"I could have told you that one. Only men with great defects of morals, character and mortality, would ever succumb to my charms."
"Then why did you not spare me?" he asked, wonderingly.
She gave him a crooked grin.
"Because it was nice to finally have a man that wasn't all that, and was something more."
"And what am I to you?" Caius asked, partly serious. He was curious why she was drawn to him. The answer didn't really matter, but he wanted to know.
"You?" She looked him over before giving him a small smile, with just the hint of smugness. "You symbolized a dream. Perhaps its why I couldn't let go. Despite being so cruel to you... I wanted to be nice. I was just so afraid... afraid to break something that seemed so surreal... something that I yearned for, and I felt never could exist to a girl like me."
Her eyes remained affixed to his.
"So a dream." Her smile warmed. "You are my dream."
"If I'm a dream, aren't you afraid you're going to wake up?" Caius blinked solemnly at her, but before she might answer, he leaned in to seal her lips with a kiss, as if afraid himself that this was all just a fantasy. She was so real to him, that if this was a dream, he'd want to sleep for the rest of eternity. And maybe it was, but he was content to live with it.
Whatever words she might have had to say to him were stolen away. And she kissed back, holding him gently, but also, tight. She deepened the kiss, enjoying the soft scents of the wind mingling with the sweet musk of her lover.
He didn't wait to ask, or pause to think as he rolled over her and leaned into the hunger of her lips. They were already unclothed and cool wind danced on heated skin. He moaned soflty under her spell, for whatever magic she claimed not to wield, this was certainly a power she possessed.
This was all she ever dreamed about, all she ever hoped and wished for. To be loved. To be free. To be free in love. It felt so exhilarating, as if it was their first time, and she reciprocated in kind, hands smoothing around his body, lips tasting unto his lips.
The weather began to turn sour as they once again made love in the outdoors. It seemed to be a common pattern for them. And when the rain started to come down, Caius laughed and helped Megrin to her feet. "Let's find shelter! Back to the cave? Gods, I have no sense of direction, lead the way!"
It wasn't the cave they found themselves return to, but a cove of nearby trees. Megrin's legs felt like jelly, and she was happy for the reprieve from the rain. It had been cold.
Even still, she was all smiles and beaming at Caius, but part of her had to wonder....
How long would this moment of peace last? She had lived so long with a life full of complications, and it nagged at her, even as she tried to wish it away.
Just as Caius entered the cove, he stood beneath a tree and brushed his hair back, beaming at Meg. "Well, don't just stand there. Come here and kiss me."
"Oh yeah? Well how come your not missing kissing me?"
Missing you? How can I miss you if you won't leave?"
OOC: omg, phone typo! It was supposed to be kissing not missing >_> *goes to edit her original post*
Caius leaned in and kissed her cheek. "There. Satisfied?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Not really. You were supposed to kiss me here," she told him, pointing at her lips.
"Ew, your lips? But they're so... pink!"
"Oh? And what color do you think yours are, Blondie?"
"The color that's good for kissing."
"Shouldn't I be the judge of that?"
Caius lay prostrate across her lap. "Judge me then."
She rolled her eyes.
"But what if you're trying to trick me and they taste like fish?And not just any fish but rotting fish thats been laying out for days."
"I am your loyal lover. I would. Never. Lie. To. You "
But that response only made her laugh.
"Okay... but.. if your kisses taste like fish..." she went on, pressing in close and getting dangerously close to kissing him, eye lids hanging low.
Caius leaned back as she got closer until his back hit the ground. "Then that clearly means...I've been kissing a fish."
She laughed and stole a kiss.
"Then that means you're in love with a fish! And are going to marry a fish! And be the father to a fish's baby!" she teased.
"Only if you're the fish. Kissing doesn't automatically mean making babies," he snorted. "Unless that's what your mother used to tell you."
"I think you're forgetting," she told him between kisses. "That I am just a bit pregnant."
"Just a bit," he mumbled and kissed her back. He smiled against her lips, never feeling so elated as he did in that moment.
She laughed through the kiss before kissing him again and sighed contentedly.
"I could kiss you all day."
"You won't at all get bored?" he asked, curious.
"Not when there are so many ways to kiss," she told him playfully before planting one on his nose.
"I've come to favor the neck myself," he chuckled and let his lips drag across her throat.
"Oh? Is it because you know it makes me shiver?" she murmured, feeling goosebumps rise across her skin.
Caius snickered, laughing against her throat. "Maybe I just think you smell good," he murmured.
That made her laugh, and she couldn't help herself.
"Well, I'm sure not every part of me smells so wonderful it makes you want to hike up my skirts!"
"I never said that!" Caius blushed deeply, but kissed her neck again.
She laughed in return, but smiled warmly as he continued to kiss at her neck.
"Mmm.. I love you, Caius."
"I hope so. We just got married. We'll be spending a lot of time together."
She laughed then kissed him.
"Would it seem too presumptuous of me to ask for something more than kisses?"
He returned that request with a smile. "It would not. But I hope you're not planning anything that would scar my innocence."
Her grin turned sly.
"Don't worry about it," she went on, leaning real close to him while tip toeing a finger up his chest. "I'm pretty sure I stole that from you long ago." And at that, she stole a deep, warm kiss.
Caius smiled, capturing her lips with his in turn. A soft moan escaped him and he wrapped his arms around her. Hands drifted down her spine, caressing her hotly, body flush to his. He was heated into agony and he burned his tongue along hers, possessing her, making her his.
A thrill rushed through her as Caius took her. And no skin on his back was safe from the crescent moons her nails but in, and no air was left without the interruption of her breath, her voice. To think how far they had come...
To finally be free. To finally live.
Megrin braved herself, her body tensing.
"Gods above! Caius!" she screamed.
"No gods gave us mercy," Caius panted in her ear. He was possessed with vigor and the pain of all they had gone through only drove him onward. "We have only each other."
At such words her heat flared and soon she was screaming his name.
"Gods, Caius! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
[That's a lot of Yes-ing just for a hot makeout session]
Caius had to catch his breath, breaking away for a moment to pant off to the side.
OOC: Oh :|
For some reason I thought they were doing something else 8D
Panting herself, she leaned into him- feeling warm and tingly all over before peering up into his eyes.
"You're all flushed," she told him, giving a playful flick to his blonde hair.
"Says the woman yes-ing to some very tasty kisses," he said, licking his lips.
She smirked.
"They were just very good kisses," she went on with a nudge. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?" she asked with a bat of her long lashes.
"I dunno, just practicing on you... visualization." He smiled and let his hand play along her breast. "Thinking about you... wanting to make you feel good."
Blushing, she gingerly plucked his hand from her chest and smirked.
"And I think visualizing is all you're going to do, Blondie."
"What makes you so sure?" he said, firmly grasping her over breast when her hand flicked it away.
She placed her hands to her hips.
"Because now that I'm a free woman, I'm the master of my own body." she plucked his hand away. "That's why."
But Caius would not be easily thwarted, moving to wrap his arms around her, kissing at her neck.
She gasped and squirmed.
"C.. Caius!"
He rolled over her, kisses fervent and persistent as he left them wet and tender against fevered flesh. He trailed them to her chin, before capturing her lips with his own.
Unable to protest, all she could do was melt. Lips vibrated through a moan and soon she was kissing back, a hand brushing into a grip of his hair.
"What?" he murmured against her lips, kissing her to block any real response. "No protest?" He smiled against her lips, hand reaching in to grip her breast, massaging his hand against it. His blood boiled, burning with lust, a fire he wanted to share only with her.
Megrin whimpered, but simply kept kissing, leaning into his hand.
"I won't protest if you wont," she murmured, lips capturing his again.
He said nothing back, only showed in action all he desired. His hands pressed to hot flesh, and pulled at any obstacles that were in the way. He kissed her wholly and deeply, where her skin burned and tingled against his. He panted her name, which turned less and less distinct, but the resonance remained all the same.
To feel his hands all over her had her shivering. Nipples grew pert, her body arching at his touch as soft breaths of appreciation could be heard as lips continued to capture his.
Finger nails dug into his hair, moving down his back and scraping lightly and feeling into warm muscles. And somewhere between their kisses she whispered, "I love you."
Caius hissed at the sting of her nails, but he did not relent in his pursuit of her flesh. His touch grew bolder, hungrier as he took his mouth down to her breasts, exploring their heated flesh and the points that grew beneath his touch.
Her breath trembled as he tasted her, and her body arched further still. She closed her eyes, moaning softly and felt the heat within her grow.
"Be mine, Megrin," he found himself hissing, pleasure boiling through him. He set himself between her legs, hiking them onto his hips as he knelt before her. "Please. I'm yours. Always." And brought his mouth back up to hers to steal her breath away.
Each time he spoke of her, told her such confessions she melted. She had no idea what was even happening or if she was even control of her own body. But kisses were replied in kind, and she was hardly one to ignore such indulgences. She closed any gaps between them, kissing him hotly, hungeredly as she growled, "Of course. I'm yours. I'll always be yours." And she felt her breath tremble, knowing full well their bodies need but move but an inch closer and they'd be sealed together again.
He moaned, weakening in any resistance he might have had about them, but the fire that burned between the pair ignited his boldness, which she might feel prodding at her entrance. Her heat drew him within, and soon they were locked together, flesh to flesh. Caius wrapped arms around her tightly, pulling her in close until she was his alone. Every movement and undulation kept him hers, where their bodies slapped together in hunger.
Megrin could only hold on for the ride, arms wrapped tightly around his body as she panted after each hard, slapping thrust was made. No words could describe the blissful burn of their union as she moaned and clawed at his back and kept begging for him to keep making love.
Caius was well-spent by the end of it. He panted heavily atop her, turning his head against her temple and laying soft kisses there. "Oh, Megrin," he panted. "I love you. Always." He smiled and kissed her cheek. He rolled off, laying beside her until his heated flesh yeilded to the cool gusts around them.
She lay beside him, smiling and snuggling close to keep warm. She kissed his cheek, a hand smoothing up his back.
"And I love you." She kissed him again. "Always."
"We should find a place to properly keep warm," he murmured, although he didn't move from his spot.
She sighed and snuggled up closer to him.
"I suppose we should. After all, I am using you for your body heat," she jested, kissing at his shoulder.
The kiss sent chills down his shoulder and spine. "I don't remember where we put our clothes," he chuckled.
She looked at him, eyes sparkling before she laughed.
"Neither do I."
"I have them," Baal said, pushing the pile of their garments onto the ground with his nose. "You should dress and we should leave.here."
Caius looked at his hound.and.nodded. "You're right. We need to find proper shelter."
Megrin bushed before looking at the clothing. Then she looked down to Caius and kissed him softly, just once, upon his lips before standing up and moving to dress.
It was difficult to shimmy into clothes all wet, but he eventually succeeded and soon they were on Baal's back and riding away from the rocky coast.
Megrin leaned into Caius as they traveled. She rather liked to feel his warmth against her, and it made her smile to think of what all had come to pass. It was still so dream like....
She was free, she was able to love...
And a hand found it's way to rest on her small, swelling belly.
And she'd actually be starting a family.
Time had passed since their exchange of vows, promising each other their lives and love, and there was a small home to be had, a cabin nestled in a dense copse, with evergreens towering around it, some cypresses hanging over the rustic domain.
Caius had thought it all a dream. It certainly felt that way as he woke up, and stared at the ceiling of his unusual surroundings, only then remembering who he was and who he was with.
He wasn't the only one who awoke, jarred. Megrin sat up suddenly, a hand on her swollen belly as she winced.
"Ah... just the baby kicking," she sighed and wilted into her pillow and peered over at Caius. "I didn't wake you, did I?" she gave him a small smile and smoothed her hand over her belly.
So it wasn't a dream. To think it was real made him quickly rub the sleep away from his eyes. He sat up from the bed, finding himself draped in odd clothes he didn't remember putting on. What happened all this time?
He looked at his hand. "We're married?" he said, looking at Megrin. "I thought you hated me."
She gave a light punch to his arm.
"Who says you can't marry your arch nemesis," she teased.
"I didn't think I'd be so punished in death as I had been in life," Caius chuckled. He shifted himself over to her, wrapping his arms around her from behind and leaning in against the back of her neck. He gave her a soft kiss against the pulse there. "But I'll take my fortunes where I can get them."
She shivered at the feel of his lips to her skin.
"Fortune..." she mused over the term and smiled. "I suppose you could call this fortune," she went on, leaning in against him as a hand sought out his face where she gently smoothed it up his cheek before raking her fingers through his hair.
Caius grinned and chuckled. Every time she touched him like this, it brought shivers to his spine. Caius gripped her firmly, mindful of her belly.
"To think, I helped you make that. We're bringing real life back into this valley. That is what I would call fortune," he purred, tilting his head to steal her lips.