Open your soul, maybe lose control

[Anonymous]

She was right – he needed to trust her, if they were going to be companions from now on. Travelling partners, compatriots, comrades... Reks had never what it was like, to trust someone, to have someone by his side, for more than one day. But, she seemed to know more about him than anyone ever did – about the curse, about the pain he was always in, even right now as she threw the covers over them. He gripped at the sheet, rolled over on his side, so that he was facing her, wanting to keep his eyes on her – just to be sure she was still there. To make sure this wasn't all some crazy dream.

"Brethren or no, you're still the strangest person I've ever met," he admitted with a laugh, shaking his head. "But I think I'm okay with that." He could tally up how out of the ordinary this day had been, and even after he was done, it would still be the most eventful day he'd had in a while. How much easier would it be to hunt mages, he wondered, if he were not in constant pain? How would it feel, he wondered, to not have to wear his hood to hide his persistent cat ears? An unfathomable future stretched in front of him, so close that it was almost palpable, but it was too far away.

He couldn't help but grin a little as she ruffled his hair – what was he, a kid? Still, the gesture was warm, and it made him feel a little safer here, underneath her covers. "Just as a warning," he started, "I don't stay in one place for long. I'm always on the move – hunting." To please that figure back in La'marri, the one who collected his mages and smiled every time he brought a new one. Her warmth was what he strove for. "But hell, at least we won't be bored, right?"

Reks buried his face into the pillow, wondering if sleep would come. "Goodnight, Solae," he murmured, testing out her name for the first time. He decided it felt like a good name – Solae – and that meant she had to be a good person. Something told him that he could trust her, that if he could trust anyone, he definitely could trust her. And so he drifted off to sleeping, dreaming of a world without curses and witches, of a world where he was normal again. Human.

[Anonymous]

She grinned. "Well, strange or not. You still have to put up with me if you want that pain to go away..." And she leaned in to whisper into his ear. "Plus... I can give you free dances. You seemed to like them."

Solae shifted on the bed and took in a long breath. Then snuggled into the blankets. "Get some sleep kitty." She teased, finding it amusing to call someone else that-- even if she was more a cat than him. Then again, she could really mess with him. But, to be fair, she would explain all the conditions.

And, she was trying to think of a way to do the tattoos in a less permanent way that would still work. All this to think of and to sleep? Well.. she was a cat. Forgetting things in order to sleep came easy to her.

She curled up a bit, closing her eyes and dozed off quickly. Soon, her cat instincts kicked in and she moved over to the other source of heat-- him. Curling up next to him with an arm around his waist.

[Anonymous]

Cat, kitty... was he really those things? He wrinkled his nose at her nicknames, even though he barely heard them, since he was falling quickly into a serene slumber. Heck, if what she was offering him was true, if the curse could really be neutralized, then these nicknames wouldn't even apply to him anymore. He wondered if, when the curse was neutralized and the threat of going full-feline was temporarily erased, if it would erase his feline abilities – his reflexes, the retractable claws, his nine souls.... Reks doubted it, and prayed the good would stay when the bad would not, but knowing his horrible luck...

He felt her arm reach out for him, curling around his waist, and his ears stood up – alert. He wanted to say something, to speak out against this invasion of his privacy, but he felt that, even if she was semi-awake, she wouldn't care. Tense, Reks had to find his inner peace again, eventually, slowly, growing comfortable with her closeness. The minutes that passed as he tried to find sleep felt like hours, until eventually, the poor boy did close his eyes, snoozing silently under these covers. Maybe he would never admit it aloud, but this was the softest bed he'd slept in for some time. Were taverns just better here, in Hyoite? Or was there something more behind it?

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Daybreak.

The sun shone in his eyes obnoxiously, almost a little too eagerly, as if it wanted Reks to want up too early, to rouse him from his comfortable sleep. The mage hunter groaned, rubbed sleep from his eyes, and rolled over, only to be face to face with a stranger, one who he barely remembered, until he forced the information to all come back to him.

What had happened yesterday, at the tavern, at the show, and the offer she made him... Right, this was Solae. He had panicked a little there, had jumped a little, under the covers, but after remembering her, he calmed down, taking a deep breath, sighing. He wanted to wake her, since he wasn't the kind of guy who just lay awake in bed, pondering the day, but she looked really peaceful, laying there, sleeping. Plus, what kind of jerk just wakes up the stranger who let them sleep in your bed? Not this jerk.

He lay there, watching her for a while, noticing her fur, remembering how soft it had felt last night, at the tavern. She was sleeping, wasn't she? And he just wanted to feel how soft she was, just this once... He stretched a hand out to her, stroking her soft shoulder, relishing the feel of it on her fingers. He was like a little kid, childish in his delight – but after all, who didn't like petting cats? ...Damn, it was kind of hard to stop petting her, too. It was so smooth, the feel of her fur underneath his fingertips.

[Anonymous]

The feel of fingers running through her short fur soon stirred her from her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly and she looked at the man for a moment, not saying a thing about him petting her, but waiting for him to notice that she was awake before she sat up.

Once he did notice, she sat up and stretched. Then smiled to him and leaned in close. "Like petting me?" She purred. Remembering how he had held her hips when she danced. She was highly amused at his actions.

She slipped out of bed and decided it was time for a bath. With out warning she stripped of her clothes while walking to the bathroom area. Leaving the door wide open as she prepared her bath and soon slunk into the hot water.

"You can join me if you'd like~" She was teasing him now... but there was still that offer if he took it.

[Anonymous]

Reks spent a few more precious moments, petting her soft fur, before realizing that she was definitely wide awake, watching him pet her in an amused fashion. He froze as soon as he realized he'd been caught, before slowly, guilty, retracting his hand, his eyes downcast, ears flattened, embarrassed. She took it as a joke though, purring good-naturedly, but he couldn't bring himself to respond. Damnit, next time he'd have to be more careful and restrain himself from just petting her like that – even if she was asleep.

He sat up, unable to believe it was still morning. A bit of sun peaked through the curtains, but besides that, the room was dark, and cool. That was Hyoite for you – all snow and no sun, but it was something he could deal with. The mage hunter swung his legs around the bed, meaning to get up and off it, but he never managed to. There was Solae, casually stripping herself of any and all of her clothing, with no regards towards Reks, who sat there and took it all in.

Sure, he might not have been too ruffled by her scantily clad form (and even then he had been uncomfortable), but here she was, just totally naked, in a tub, acting like everything was all well and dandy. His ears stood up, alert, and his face flushed when she asked if he wanted to join her. "N-No, I think I'll pass," he muttered, trying to keep up that tough guy act, and utterly failing. It was the first time he had ever seen anyone naked before, and for it to happen so unceremoniously...

"Tell me when you're done," he called over to her without looking at her, obviously flustered despite his best attempts to hide it. He'd have to shower too, of course, but not with her. Despite them being partners from now on, she was still a stranger, wasn't she?

He lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, in an attempt not to be too distracting by Solae's casual stance at being totally naked in front of him. "You could've at least given me a warning," Reks accused, "before just, you know..." Before just stripping away all of your clothes! was what he wanted to say, but instead, he left the sentence hanging in the air.

[Anonymous]

"Oh, you're no fun~" she said and cleaned herself up. It didn't take her took long before she was done. And she got out of the water and did this neat thing where she shook a bit and all the water was shaken out of her fur. Then she dried her hair with a towel and braided it.

For his sake she wrapped the towel around her, though it was rather small and was hard to cover her chest fully-- not to mention her tail which was sticking out and holding up the towel. She left the bathroom and looked to him. "Why warn you?  It makes the situation less friendly." she pointed out. "Ahh, but you can get in there now, if you want~" she smiled. Walking to the dresser to pull out a new top, which was more like a bra, and a skirt that was all lace except for the top part which was like a pair of panties with the lace attached to it.

And, with out warning, she dropped the towel to get dressed. Seeming unworried about the winter weather outside with how she dressed-- a plus to having fur.

[Anonymous]

He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to it – her strange indifference when it came to personal space. On the Isles, everyone had been like her, he could remember – eager and willing to treat strangers like family, because there was supposedly no such thing as a stranger within the village. Reks had never been able to ascribe to their philosophy – even before the curse, he had always considered himself a loner, though not by choice. It was as if an invisible barrier was wrought up between himself in the world, one that he couldn't break down, one that he could scream in, and no one else would hear his cries.

It would lake things less friendly, she said. "Tch," he grunted, smirking, "At least someone's comfortable." He wasn't frustrated with her, really – but more at himself, for being flustered at something she obviously didn't have a problem with it. And, right as he had been thinking these things, he watched Solae unceremoniously drop her towel, and wondered – what did he expect? It seemed, at this point, that she was doing it just to watch him squirm, either that or she just did it out of habit.

He slinked into the bathroom when she said it was open, looked around a bit, and then at the door. He grasped the doorknob, decided he couldn't be so open to take a bath with the door open. "I'll be out in a sec," he informed, and turned the door. He didn't lock it, just turned it, and out of laziness left it slightly ajar.

When he had said he'd be out in a second, he really meant it. There was something Reks hated about spending too long in the bath, where he was most vulnerable. Swiftly, he filled the bath, removed his clothes, and set to work quickly, cleaning himself tidily, making sure to scrub behind the ears. Less than five minutes after he jumped in, he was out, fully dressed, good as new. Taking long baths wasn't his thing.

Reks made his way to the chair where he had draped his cloak last night, pulled it on, flipped the hood over his head, and surreptitiously tied the strings on his hood tighter, so that it'd be harder to flick off. While he tied it, he sat on the edge of the bed, thinking. "Just to make sure last night wasn't a dream," he started, "Did you really mean all you said yesterday – that you'd help neutralize the curse?" It couldn't hurt to be sure – after all, he'd have vivid dreams about solving all of his problems before, only to wake up and realize it had all been a bitter illusion. Reks, ever the paranoid, had to be sure.

[Anonymous]

It seemed like a flash and he was back out and cleaned. She turned to look at him with a flick of her tail, then grinned. "Was it true, what I said?" she repeated in a question. Then leaned down and picked up a black bag. Walking over to Reks and setting it on his lap.

"Inside.. you'll find everything needed for me to perform the ritual." she said calmly. "It will be painful. For both parties. And it will take some time. I want you to be well prepared." She thought letting him see the items would make it easier for him to foresee the events. In the bag were items like chalk and henna tattoo ink... plain things. Although, there was also a knife in there, one with a silver handle and silver blade (which was hidden in a sheath). The blade just screamed ominous things-- and radiated pain.. It was like the knife was made for one purpose-- and that was to be soaked in blood.

She smiled to him and patted his head. "You'll have to be shirtless too, kitty." She said. "But, for now.. wear what you'd like. Up until the events. And I already know the perfect spot in the woods to do it. So.. make sure you eat up and have plenty of water. It's quite the hike."

She mentioned nothing of the cold, it was something she wasn't too familiar with. And her slightly shaggy fur was to blame for that.

[Anonymous]

So it was true.

Reks peered inside the bag that she set on his lap, dim grey eyes widening at its contents. Of course, there was some plain things, some expected things... But there were some things in there that Reks would rather hope would not be needed for the ritual. "Do I want to know why there's a knife in that bag?" he asked, his eyes still wide, imagining up horrible, dreadful things.

Dear gods, this woman was going to torture him, wasn't she? He looked up at her, but could not find the eyes of a sadist. Then again, he had just met her less than twenty four hours ago – did he really want to take this gamble? But even she had said it before – if he did not neutralize the curse with her, then the witch would always know where he was. And so he would be stuck in an unwinnable wild goose chase.

Oh, and not only that, but he'd have to be shirtless during this long and supposedly painful operation. His ears, under his hood, stood at attention. "Shirtless? In this cold?" He shook his head, and laughed. "I think you just want an excuse to ogle me." He didn't think that, not really, but he had to tease her in order to make light of this situation.

Reks stared down at the bag, and closed it up, so he would no longer have to look at its contents. He looked at her, determined. "No matter what this ritual wants me to do... I'm ready for anything," he decided, his decision firm and remade, for he would not let this opportunity go to waste.

They'd need to eat up, she said, before heading out to do the ritual. He grinned, boyish in his delight. "Does that mean we get to have breakfast before this? 'Cause I'm hungry as all hell." He strode over to the door, but remembered she had locked it the night before, or he thought he had heard her lock it. "I'm guessing 'open sesame' wouldn't work on this lock..." She probably had a key or something, or maybe it wasn't even locked at all – either way, it was better to let her handle it.

[Anonymous]

She noticed his look of fear and smiled. "Don't worry.. We'll come to its use later." She said and tossed a couple rolls of bandages in the bag before he closed it. She then pulled her hair up into a  messy, and rather large, bun. Securing it in place and looking to him. "You're safe with me, don't worry."

She swayed her tail. "And the cold wont affect you much. In fact, I don't think you'll be cold in the least." She watched him walk to the door, remembering the spell and she chuckled. "not even a key.. But it's OK." she waved her hand and the spell then walked up to him. "And don't worry about food. It's on me. Eat what you want."

She needed him to have his strength. It was going to a big test of his commitment today.

[Anonymous]

He watched her open the door, and tilted his head, curious. Strange, he was sure he heard that door lock, but she just opened that door like it had been open that whole time. He furrowed his brows, but then shook his head – who gave a damn about the way she opened doors, anyway? He was hungry, goddamnit, he didn't have time to overanalyze things. Reks had already decided that he was going to have a huge breakfast today, in order to take his mind off the ritual, and off the knife she kept in that bag...

The mage hunter strode out of the door, and grinned at her when she said breakfast was on her. "Are you sure?" he asked, shoving his hand in his pockets, walking backwards down the hallway, so he could keep looking at her. "I mean, I'm no dainty eater. I might empty out your wallet, if you tell me to eat what I want." He was joking, of course – or, well, was he? The mage hunter had a huge appetite, especially in the mornings...

He strode back into the tavern – it was a lot calmer during this time of day. After all, there weren't many people who had the time to waste at a tavern during the morning, no, but hell – that meant for food for him. He waved over to the barkeep, who must've groaned at the sight of the 'city boy.' "Barkeep!" Reks called out to him, sliding into a seat near the bar, making sure there was a seat for Solae as well. "I need one of everything on your breakfast menu – don't leave out anything!" The barkeep stared at him with wide eyes, hoping he was kidding. He wasn't. Reks looked towards Solae, tilting his head. "What about you?"

[Anonymous]

"Of course I'm serious about breakfast. I need you to be strong and comfortable." She was honest, and it didn't matter to her what he ordered, so when they got to the bar and he ordered one of everything, she just smiled and leaned over the bar with her arms crossed and tail swaying as she looked at the barkeep. "I'll have every fish meal you have." she said, fully aware there were like ten. Then she tossed the barkeep the money and walked towards a large table meant for 10. Her tail wrapping around his arm and pulling him along with.

"You weren't kidding.. You do have quite the appetite. I can wait to see you eat it all." She sat down and crossed her legs. "Are you nervous about the ritual?"

[Anonymous]

He hadn't expected for her to actually have the money to pay for the whole goddamn breakfast menu – plus her own food. He had actually been kidding, and had ordered it all to see if she'd really tell him to tone it down or not, but she paid for it all like it was nothing!

His mouth went slightly agape as she casually handed the coin to the barkeep, but quickly fixed himself so he didn't look so surprised. It was true, Reks did have a huge appetite, but, by gods, the whole damn breakfast menu was soon going to be his! He wasn't sure whether he should be in raptures, or fear for his stomach, and all the food he was going to promptly consume.

She led him away, towards a large table, her tail swung around his arm. He didn't even mind it, really – her tail felt soft and warm on his arm, just like the rest of her fur. The mage hunter took a seat, and realized they were at such a large table because he had ordered so much frickin' food. He was grinning though, because the truth was that Reks never really had enough to eat, even when he made him own money hunting mages. He had always been very frugal, so he'd always order a little less than he needed. But today... he'd feast like a king.

Reks cracked his knuckles, preparing for the feast, grinning at her comment about his big appetite. "It's not every day I get treated for breakfast, so I'm making the most of it." The question was – would he be able to eat it all? Well, he damn well better.

Considering how upbeat Reks was, it made sense that she was wondering if he was worried. He nodded, biting his lip. "Of course," he agreed, his voice a notch quieter than it had been before. "I have no idea what's gonna happen, or how bad it'll hurt... But pain is the least of my enemies." He looked towards the tattoos on his wrist and clenched his wrist, taking in a deep breath. "I have to find the witch that gave me these marks. I promised someone that I would..." He unclenched his fist, eyes determined. "So for that, I'll do anything."

[Anonymous]

She smirked. "Don't worry. You will be fine, and you wont remember much." She reassured the man. Watching as they started to bring out the food. She eagerly started to eat from her many dishes of fish grinning to him. "I hope you enjoy being spoiled." She purred out.

But it was easy to tell her mind was in two places-- she was concentrating hard on everything she needed to have in place for this ritual.

((Sorry, very short. But I'm pretty sick.))

[Anonymous]

Wait, what? "I won't... remember much?" he echoed, wanting that bit clarified. Hell, what was she planning to do to him – wipe his memory with some crazy shaman-esque elixir? Or crack him over the head to induce amnesia? He sat there, staring, his brows furrowed, but his question was forgotten the minute the maids brought out his breakfast. Food, a gluttonous amount of food, was packed onto the table – covering every inch of it, laid out all in front of him, a smorgasbord of sin. She had really ordered the whole goddamn breakfast meal – she hadn't been kidding around.

His grey eyes darted here and there, from the start to the end of the table, obviously blown away by the absurdity of the situation he had somehow pulled himself into. However, only after a moment's hesitation, Reks tucked his napkin under his neck, pulled out a knife and fork, and dug in the nearest plate of food. A hamsteak, with eggs and dried potatoes, was the closest meal to him, and even by itself, it was a monstrous meal. Scarfing down more of these ridiculously filling meals seemed impossible to him, but he would do it – somehow – or he would never live it down.

"This much all cost a fortune," he grumbled, between bites. He looked up at her, curious. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd actually order it all... Either you're the most charitable person I've ever met, or the craziest." He used the word 'crazy' in an endearing fashion, though. He laughed a little, between bites of his hamsteak and potatoes. "About this ritual, though... Are you sure it'll be... you know, safe?" In other words, would he live to see another day? The though unnerved him, and made him eager to eat even faster.

[Anonymous]

"I'm not going to knock you out or anything. Rest assured. It just takes a lot of energy out of the person. You'll probably pass out. And usually you don't remember much after such an event." She nodded. Looking over all of his food and laughing. It was amusing to see so much food, and the look on his face made it better. He was so excited to see it all.

"Well, I suppose I'm both. I'm no this charitable to anyone. I guess I was just surprised to see another cat. There aren't many of us around-- not that I've seen. It is a shame you wish to hide it. It's such a good look for you." She admitted, continuing to eat her own fish meals.

"Is it safe? For you it is. It requires more of a point on my behalf. But, that's OK. It's something I'm used to. Many of these spells require a sort of payment." She nodded. "You'll be fine~"

[Anonymous]

Reks pushed aside the plate of hamsteak and potatoes, which was now empty, cleaned of its contents. He chugged a glass of water and pulled up another plate towards him – one filled with eggs, bacon, and a double stack of pancakes. His eyes went wide at the size of the portions, but eventually, the mage hunter manned up and dug into his meal heatily, making sure to listen to Solae while he chowed down. Apparently, people didn't normally remember anything, after such events, since they took a lot out of you...

"Yeah, but what if I want to remember?" he interjected, between bites of bacon. "I'd hate to forget something this important..." He stopped eating for a moment and furrowed his brows, wondering what in the hell he had gotten himself into. No, not with the food, not really, but with this – having a stranger do such a ritual for him, trusting said stranger with his life... Was this really the right way to do things? Did he really have no other choice?

Of course he didn't. If the curse wasn't neutralized, then the witch would always know where he was. He'd always be hunting for someone who would always be two steps ahead of him. At least now, if Solae could neutralize the curse, he would have a better chance at catching the witch off guard...

Such a ritual was safe, she said, but for her, there was a payment. Reks pushed away his current plate, pulling up another one – a bowl of oatmeal – and looked at her, furrowing his brows. "A payment?" he echoed, curious. "What kind of payment? It won't..." He wasn't sure how to word his question. "It won't be anything extreme, will it?"

[Anonymous]

She had already finished her meal and was quite amused with watching Reks eat. He did have a healthy appetite for such a skinny boy. But, that just made her like him more. He was amusing in her eyes.

But, wanting to remember the ritual? She shook her head. "You can try.. But you'll probably pass out anyway. It's pretty powerful." She nodded. "But, go ahead and try to remember. It's just going to keep the pain of the features retracting a memory. It's not going to feel good. Worse than the pain you feel now." She didn't feel right not having him prepared. Then again.. she really didn't know much about him to begin with. Her ears perked up and she paused. "Say... what is it that you do to have been cursed like this?"

Then he had to ask what her price was. She shook her head again and smiled. "You'll just have to see if you remember. Why would I tell you? It would probably make you rethink the whole thing."

[Anonymous]

One more plate – that's all he could handle. One more goddamn plate.

Reks pulled the nearest plate closest to him – a plate filled to the brim with hash browns, eggs, and smoked sausages. He started chowing down as quickly as he could without looking back, plunging his fork into the smoked meats and chewing voraciously – one might have assumed he hadn't eaten in years. Well, he had eaten before – but never so heartily, and never in such big portions. Never, ever in his life had he ever been treated to such a spread of food, and he was sure it would be his last. So he ate, his dim grey eyes following Solae as she spoke about the ritual, and how it would be impossible for him to remember what would happen to him.

Apparently, not remembering what would happen was a good thing. Apparently, it was going to hurt. Reks frowned, wondering just how bad the pain could possibly be, and stopped to ponder this, between bites of hash browns and sausage. He swallowed, before shaking his head and laughing. "It's hard to imagine... a pain worse than this." The curse was not just physical, the constant injection of poison in his veins – it was mental. Knowing that the curse was his punishment for not being able to save his friend... knowing that, while he sat here in relative luxury, while the fortune teller who was who knew where... It made him sick. He put down his fork, unable to eat any further, at the thought of that enigmatic fortune teller's fate – the friend he had made so many years ago.

"Say... what is it that you do to have been cursed like this?"

He looked up at her, his right ear twitching underneath his hood. "I tried to save my friend," he muttered, looking down at all the food he had wasting. "Back on the Isles, I had this one friend – a fortune teller. He was just like me, in a lot of ways – he didn't exactly fit in. He was a lot older than me, but, I guess... he actually cared about me, you know?" He bit his lip, his heart feeling heavy in his chest. "Anyway, he had a sister – I can't remember her name anymore – but one night, she ripped Kalev's eyes out, blinding him. I saw it with my own eyes..." He looked down at his own hands, which were clenched into fists. "I tried to stop her, tried to do something to get his eyes back – but she laughed, called me a nuisance – 'reckless.'"

 And that's why they call me Reks. She nicknamed me.

"When I woke up, I was so angry... That's how I first got my... you know." He gestured to his hood subtly, shaking his head. He breathed out a long sigh, shook his head. "It was three years ago, I think. Time goes by fast..."

Reks could only wonder just what her price was that she had to pay – and was feeling antsy about the whole ordeal. "...I just don't want you to get hurt helping out a total stranger like me." He looked away, scoffed, shook his head. "Good samaritans like you always end up getting the crappy end of the deal, is all."

[Anonymous]

She listened to his story, the emotion in his voice, how he looked at his hands. It was almost like those tattoos were a constant shade of red in Reks' eyes. She shook her head and looked to the food he wasn't eating any more. "That's pretty harsh." she said softly. "I've never heard of getting such a curse for a reason like that. Usually curses are reserved for special events, they take a lot out of the cursor."

But, bringing up the memory saddened her. She has brought him to tell her a dark secret-- something she was sure he never told anyone else. But, then it switched to him being worried about her? She scoffed at the thought. "No need to be worried, I'm not as 'good' as you would think. Plus, I think you deserve a good deed to be done unto you." She stood up and walked over to him. Holding out her hand. "We might as well get it over with. You deserve some relief, even if it's just physical pain."