Amongst These Fevered Steps [M] [Goblin]

[Juno]

"Tiraris, please. I'm really alright," Caden pleaded even as he brought his injured arm more closely against himself and kept his front angled away from her to try and keep her from seeing anything, especially the blood he still felt seeping down his shirt as it begun to stick uncomfortably to his skin. Seeing her reach for him, though, another twinge of pain tugged at his chest at the reminder of how this had just happened. He wasn't going to turn her away, though. He never wanted to do that to her.

"I promise I'm okay, you're not useless. I shouldn't have-" He was cut off by the presence he saw just beyond up the hill.

The mage stood there with crossed arms for a moment, just watching them before he stormed down to the injured pair. "What do you think you're doing?! Making her waste it on you! How am I supposed to work with her if you're constantly coming by?!"

Caden narrowed his eyes and just shook his head before turning with an apologetic frown to Tiraris. "I'm sorry, love. I... Don't worry about me, just focus on your training," he urged as he very carefully got to his feet, desperate to still keep her from seeing as he dizzily made his way back toward the road yet again, swaying just a bit as he went along. Feeling Feichin's eyes upon him still, he was just as desperate to get away now, to hide so he could actually get a good look at what had just happened without her learning the extent of the damage he already knew would be there.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris made to beg further when she was silenced by Caden's distracted gaze. Looking behind her she was infuriated to see her teacher. His chastisizing her love quickly stop the flow of her tears as fury took their place.

She nodded to Caden and rose as he did. The assassin was not as observant as usual and never caught the way the cat demon wobbled about on his return to town. She was far more focused on how angry her teacher was making her. Turning on her heel, Tiraris let an older manisfestation of her rage show through.

A coating of large red and orange flames wreathed her body as she glared the other man down. The blaze whipped out like silk on the wind towards the mage before recoiling back into Tiraris. "He is my partner in this life. If you wish to live long enough to meet your own, then I suggest you watch how you treat him," she growled out between clenched teeth.

Not waiting for a response, Tiraris stormed past him and back into the small house. Her hands burned, reminding her of the pain she had not only caused herself but, Caden too. Kicking the door shut, she settled herself down on the tiny uncomfortable cot and went about nursing not only her hands but her heart as well.

'I need to get out of here. I am far too on edge to continue on like this. I almost killed Caden several times today. That is more than usual and I fear this is only getting worse. My promise to him will stand; I will continue to learn but, I need to get out of here. Tonight, tonight I will go and see if there is any prey that needs hunting. I feel like a caged beast here. If I go at night then I can probably avoid running into Caden. After today's ordeal he will probably rest. This is so trying for both of us. If I can just calm down and stay that way I can probably advance farther in my studies. I can do this, she nodded her head decisively. "I can do this. I will do this, for Caden."

[Juno]

Every step he took was wobbly at best and once he'd gotten far enough away that he no longer cared how he might look from afar and practically dragged himself off to the woods once he was at a safe enough distance. This time, though, he wasn't strong enough to make it all the way back the round-about way to the mage's house and ended up staying pretty much along the road's edge just barely within the trees. Without his pack there was nothing he could tend to his injuries with now besides what parts of his shirt hadn't been burned already. He wasn't scared of looking at the damage, but he knew it was severe as he sat himself down among the leaves scattered upon the ground.

Peeling off his shirt elicited another wave of pain, even through what numbness had struck him by now. The whole right side of it was ruined, but not as much as his flesh. The surges crashing through him wouldn't allow him to change forms back, so he was also stuck trying not to further injure himself by way of self-impalement as tried to get a look at the already swollen sections to see how bad it really was.

Catching a flash of some bone among the raw and red wreckage all along his arm and torso, he groaned and just laid himself back, teeth gnashing every now and then as he tried to ride it out. Everything hurt right now, even his good side. Though he'd never gone into shock in his life, he was pretty sure that this had a good chance of sending him that way soon if nothing was going to get better. He was a demon, yes, but something this critical was still going to take a long time to heal on its own, he thought.

Remembering the bright anger of the mage just had his fangs grinding. Caden didn't like how he'd yelled especially seeing what had just happened, but his thoughts quickly turned to Tiraris. The tears he'd seen, all of their arguing and how horribly mortified she'd looked not that long ago. Much as things had been both of their faults, he knew he'd ignored a lot of her emotion today and cut right to the point that they weren't ready for. He could acknowledge this much, but not much else was really coherent now as he fought to keep himself as calm, still, and collected as he could be laying there with gaping holes in him. Even as the sun was setting he couldn't bring himself to alter his position but, once fully under the cloak of night, his mind had calmed enough to allow himself to retract the dagger-like claws.

[GoblinFae]

The coming of night made Tiraris calm as the promise of a return to familiar ways whispered on the wind. She heard the mage come inside not long after her but ignored him and his doings. She had no interest in him for now. Deeming it at last dark enough, she quickly shimmied her way up and out of the room's tiny, drafty window.

The moment her feet hit the ground, Tiraris was off, running along the edge of the forest like a fish through the sea. The thrill of the impending hunt, the cold wind robbing her of breath and tugging at her hair, and the snap of her muscles as they remembered old ways brought a slow unheeded smile to her lips. 'It has been too long, far too long. Sorry dearest-' Her feet faltered slightly as she tought of Caden and how this would constitute as a betrayal to the silent promise she had made him. 'No! No apologies, this night is mine.'

Aquiring a trotting pace, Tirais diverge further from the treeline and close to a familiar house on the outskirts of town. "I wondered when you would come crawling back to me," a velvety voice whispered from her right. She whipped her head in the direction and dropped into a crouch. "You're getting sloppy, Tir. Mage got you spooked?"

Tiraris recognized this man as a figure from her past. The pair had run into each other on occassion over the years but, it had been several since she had last seen him. Flowing easily back into a perfect posture that most noble's would envy, her smile turned to a smirk as she approached him.

"Roderick." The two clasped forearms and kissed each other's cheeks. "You know I cannot stay away long."

He smirked back, glancing past her shoulder to the woods behind her before looking back down at her. Leaning close, he brushed his fingers through her hair and whispered in her ear. "What brings you here little songbird? Mommy dearest has been looking for you."

"Why else do I always return? Leave mother out of this. I do not care what she has to say," she replied, cocking her head to the side to pull her crimson strands from his grasp. "What is the news on the streets?"

"That you got yourself a new pet. Did you know that your little barn cat has been skulking about?"
"What are you talking about? Have you seen him in town? Is he causing problems?"
"You mean you haven't noticed? He's been a lot closer to home Tir. Poor thing is besotted, me thinks. Although," Roderick smirked, running his hands up and down her arms, "I must say I'm impressed. Your powers have gotten stronger love. That was a most impressive light display you offered today. You didn't used to be strong enough to do one display of magic let alone the three of the magnitude I observed today."

Tiraris' nostrils flared, whether it was at his words or his actions, Roderick could not quite decide. "You have been spying on me. I thought I told you to keep away from me."

"As you have said before dearest, how can I stay away for long?" His entire expression was that of a man so in love that he was physically hurting. A long figered hand came up to cup her cheek and trace her lips with his thumb. "Do you remember?"

Swooping in Roderick tried to steal a kiss but, Tiraris was quicker. His lips grazed her cheek just as she pulled away. "I remember," she wishpered back sweetly. 'I remember the screams of your passing and I remember the horror of knowing you lived again. I remember the first time you told me you loved me and I remember how superficial it sounded. I remember thinking three times' a charm and I remember being proven wrong. Aye Roderick, I remember. Probably better than you, I remember.'

Tiraris smiled and bid her former husband goodbye. She never saw the smirk he sent into the woods or the way his eyes glowed in challenge before he disappeared inside his home. Instead she was more focused on furiously wiping the kiss off her cheek and rubbing her hand on her pants, as if doing so earsed the action from her memory. More sedately than how she left, she jogged back to the mage's house and back through the window. Her last thought as sleep claimed her was of the future she wanted to create.

[Juno]

A few hours had not been nearly enough time to even begin to ease the pain. In fact, he reckoned it'd gotten worse since the argument earlier in the day. At least he couldn't directly look at it anymore, but because he was fairly glued to his little spot in the woods he was so much more aware of things. Every little move, even breathing, hurt. His hearing was so acutely aware of his surroundings now, though he really didn't think he had much reason to worry of something attacking a him in a semi-demon form, at least not physically. Emotionally? Yes, that was another issue entirely.

Those footfalls were so familiar to him by now that Caden was willing to bet it was Tiraris he could hear coming down the path. For a moment he readied himself to call out to her, to muster up the required strength, but he didn't understand why she might come to him now when he'd just been sent away. That was just it, though. She wasn't coming this far out of her way for him. It was the footsteps that tipped him off yet again; she was going right by him. He hadn't expected that at all. Still, the whole situation seemed so odd considering how violently the mage had reacted to her being distracted before. Has she killed him? he wondered. Hearing a stranger's voice in the distance was all it took to tip him off, though.

It was male and foreign to him, yet the owner seemed so familiar with Tiraris and her situation, from the sound of things. Unendingly curious, Caden collected himself enough to drag himself closer so that the voices he was hearing might be just that much clearer.

There were greetings and a name now to place to the voice. Trying to look through the brush at the exchange in the distance, though, he was startled to hear something he hadn't at all expected. It was a tongue he did not recognize, and it frightened him to realize that it appeared to be spoken by both of them.

Most of the conversation went entirely over his head, but what words he could catch from them were not at all to his liking. Return? Wait...her mother? ... She knows him. 'Dearest'? No, there has to be something wrong... She's not saying anything against it! What are you doing, Tir?!

His face had long since fallen. There was something here he didn't understand, couldn't even begin to understand. It was a mystery to him, a total secret. Who knew how long these...meetings, whatever they were, had been going on? Thinking back, he wondered about her now; all the time she'd had mostly to herself with him just watching at the sideline: what was really going on? Were things really as uneventful as they'd seemed?

Most of what he could gather from their exchange was that they had a past of some sort, that the two had been getting together previously in some manner. Raising himself up a bit with his good arm, he looked out upon them, or at least Roderick's back that he could see. It got him wondering. How much did he truly know of her? What other important details had yet to be mentioned?

All Caden could see was this stranger leaning in closer when he was already much too close in his opinion. Then, she was leaving. What had happened? What had they really just talked about? He so desperately sought the answers to these and so much more. Of course he wasn't powerless. He could have gone over, he could have forced himself back up,  but he would have been a fool to go to them when he already wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. Something else was catching his eye now, though, even moreso than the blur of her going back down the road again he so sorely wanted to approach and demand answers from right now: the eery smile of Roderick and the way his eyes flashed bright even in the darkness. All too soon, though, he was gone.

There would be no confrontation, at least between the two of them this night. Much as he wanted to, he wasn't strong enough yet. It burned to even think about it, to merely contemplate moving any more than he already had done. His eyes followed Tir as far as he could, though, and he was disappointed to not hear any more speech from her now.

He thought it so odd, that short encounter, but right now it was not within his power to do anything about it. It would have been the bullish thing to be cocky but now he wasn't willing to take the chance of being killed right then and there for the mere thrill of provoking the stranger. He also wasn't going to chance anything when he already felt so crushed and constricted in his thoughts on their situation and what current ability he had to change anything. No, he would wait for at least his wounds to heal for a little while, get himself patched up somehow even if he would have to manage such a large undertaking on his own.

[GoblinFae]

As Tiraris slept soundly, hobbling footsteps were softly crunching their way towards Caden. "I knew I'd find ye here," a gravelly voice sounded in the night. "Ah there," the old crone groaned as she sank to her knees beside the demon. "Me old knees aren't quite what they used to be." The woman winked at Caden, giving him a bit of a toothless grin.

"She did quite the number on ye didn't she. Warned ye she would give ye trouble. But, do ye listen? No! Ye never were one to listen past ye own primal desires. Not that I mind." Winking again, she reached into a sack beside and began to pull out a various array of dried plants and small ceramic pots.

A mortar and pestle began to grind together everything together under the care of the woman's wizened, tremoring hands. "Now ye just lay still and ol' Heilwig'll fix ye in a jiff! Jus' need ta see the damage she did this time." Pulling the shirt away from the wound, she grimaced and shook her head. "Foolish child," she muttered under her breath.

Fully engrossed in her work, the woman began scooping up handfuls of the thick paste and smearing its black grit up and down Caden's injuries. When the concoction would get too thick she would spit into it to moisten it before continuing once more. "There now. Le's jus' check an' make sure tha's the last of it." Smiling once more, the crone moved quickly despite her age and slipped her hand down the front of Caden's pants.

[Juno]

Caden had been wide awake. Really, he had no other option than to be as he couldn't really find any comfortable position to sleep in as he was right now. The voice of the old woman startled him enough to have him scrambling to try and get himself up and moving, but that just wasn't going to happen right now. As the crone made herself visible, though, he realized he knew her, or rather remembered her from just a few weeks prior. Yes, the woman that had gotten him so angry with her riddles.

"What do you want?" he asked, settling himself back down for the flare of fire in his side. She talked about his injuries, but how she knew of their incident he didn't know, or perhaps she was just bluffing entirely. He could not say for sure. He did have it in him, though, to give her a look for her insinuations. "Heilwig...?" Somehow, that name sounded familiar to him. Very familiar. Where had he heard that before?

Eyeing her cautiously as she mixed her concoction, Caden visibly flinched as it was applied to his wounds, groaning as the stuff burned and irritated before any soothing came about. "Why are you helping me? I got hurt, yeah, but how would- Hey! NO! No, no, no, no, NO!" Caden's face went from grey to stark white in a matter of seconds as he flung his free arm over to wrap firmly around the woman's wrist. Eyes bugging, he continued to yell, "Don't even! She never-! I didn't-! There's absolutely no reason for you to worry about any of that!"

Caden's eyes were wide and unblinking as he snatched her away from him, namely his pants. He would have liked to think he wasn't entirely defenseless. "Don't do that! I have... I have someone, um, what was your- ... Heilwig..." Setting her hand aside, he rolled back flat onto his back in a sorry attempt at regaining some sense of comfort with his current injuries. "Ouch... You know, that name... It's really unique. I think I once knew a woman by that...or maybe it was just similar... But why are you trying to help me? Why do this?" he asked, gesturing to the mortar and whatever might have remained. "If you...acknowledge that I should have listened to you, then why come to me now, hm?"

[GoblinFae]

Heilwig pouted as her hand was caught in Caden's grasp, but she did relent. Smiling secretively, she went about putting away some of her herbs and taking out others. "Seems someone is forgettin' past conquests," she smirked. "I'll be fair though and remind ye that back in me youth I had curly waves of vermillion hair and according to ye an ass that put the moon to shame."

Standing up, the old crone turned and wiggled her rear in Caden's direction, winked over her shoulder and hobbled over to one of the pine trees. "You just try and relax dearie, I'll make something to help ye feel better. As for why I help ye, call it for ol' times sake."

It did not take her long to gather what she needed. Pulling out a waterskin and filling a jug with its contents, Heilwig added the pine needles and a small, green, serrated-edge leaf. "There now," she tutted, handing him the mixture, "drink this, it should help ye feel better."

Another toothless smiled was offered as a reassurance but, it was more likely to scare Caden than make him feel more comfortable. 'One way or another Heilwig'll get ye to relax Caden D'Andarce. I needs ye to listen and you're more likely to do so after the catnip takes affect. Oh yes, ye always did enjoy that a great deal.' She sat, observing him and waiting for him to drink so she could begin discussing more pertinent topics such as Tiraris.

[Juno]

For a moment, Caden's face was entirely blanking for her words. A past conquest? He was usually very careful about clearly severing past connections, but he had no idea she even still lived and it had been...well, a very, very long time since he'd last seen her if she really was who she said she was and he was remembering correctly. Though, he wasn't going to count on the latter entirely in his current state.

"Relax? How is a man supposed to relax when this" -he gestured to his damaged half with his good hand- "just happened?" The prospect of something to make him feel better, though, got his attention; even if it was just empty words, he didn't think it could get much worse for him at this point.

"Fine," he called over, resting his head back down in the grass again before continuing on snidely, "So long as you can keep your hands to yourself." Caden kept his eyes on her anyway as she added things, though. He couldn't be too careful at this point, but unbeknownst to him he was about to get hit with something he hadn't experienced in years: catnip.

When she returned he took the jug cautiously and leaned his head up to sniff at it just to make sure that there wasn't any more obvious poisons in the concoction.  Glancing over to her once more after she sat by him and nodded before taking a swig from the skin. It had a familiar taste, but he had yet to recognize it and kept on drinking. It was going to hit in just a few minutes, but he'd already had plenty to get milder versions of the reactions it always triggered in him. Thinking back to their first meeting as of late, though, he found he was getting curious all over again. "So, how do you know about...us? Or, how do you know her? Tiraris? You said some things, and most were not all that nice. You said... You said that I'm going to die. Why? If you are...her you know well enough how long I have lived."

[GoblinFae]

The old woman sat patiently, waiting for the drink to take proper affect. Until then she was more than willing to give a bit of background that would later lead into exactly what she wanted to discuss, Tiraris' magic. "I know many things, as many as ye has forgotten it seems. Tirry is well known 'bout these parts, caused quite the series of scandals in her youth, she did. She nearly puts ye to shame in that department for creatin' a name of oneself. Knew her mother and father personally, her real father that is, knew him quite well, since he was a babe in fact."

She paused eyeing Caden up before shaking her head. "Finish the tea dearie, you'll get no betters without it." Deeming him capable of following her instructions she continued. "It is not ye's life expectancy that concerns me but rather the potency of thy lovely's magic. She'll kill ye. She proved herself quite capable of that tonight. Look at yeself Caden!" A gnarled finger pointed at the injured side. "Imagine what she will be capable of in a month, a few weeks, a day. Her temper is legendary here. I'll bet me teeth this ain't the first blow she's dealt ye, nor will it be the last. Ye wants to live, ye needs to listen to me! Can ye do that?"

[Juno]

The demon narrowed his eyes as he couldn't really do much else at this point, stuck as he was. He didn't like hearing about how dangerous Tiraris was; he already knew and just chose to ignore it for the most part. Still, he couldn't fault the woman in her accuracy, especially since she claimed to know her, or at least about her. Finishing his tea, he flopped a tired arm down into the grass as the mixture began to work its way into his system; it was already too late for him to change the outcome.

 "I don't care if she hurts me if that's what has to happen. It isn't her fault that she has to deal with these things. Say..., how do you know her, though? Her famil-" That was when he felt the familiar warm, bubbly feeling in his chest. All in a rush he lifted the jug to his face again, pressing his cheek against it as he took a few big whiffs. Then, he turned wide, wild eyes on Heilwig. He couldn't bring himself to speak further at first, too shocked that she'd done what she just had to him.

Internally, he was very conflicted. His throat trembled with the onset of his purring, the slight movements tickling the sensitive parts of his side in a mildly uncomfortable way. This was really more for his hypersensitivity, though; he was so aware now of all the things around them. Caden felt every heartbeat, felt the slight rushing of blood through his body as it was moved along. He felt every light prickling of grass against his back and every gust of wind along his skin. Looking up at Heilwig, his eyes were already extremely dilated and his purring picked up in volume at the sight of a potential attention-giver. Even the light pulling at his hair as he turned his head was causing a pleasant tingling along his skalp. At the same time, though, having ingested most of it was getting him feeling all mellow, but the former effects were definitely overpowering any of that at this point.

"You... Give me more," he begged, holding out the jug to her as he pleaded, "I haven't had- in...years- I want more!" With his good elbow he tried to turn himself, desperately trying to inch his way closer to her, pathetically tilting his head towards her in a sorry attempt at getting pet.

[GoblinFae]

A smile broke out on her face as the catnip began to take stronger effect on Caden. "Oh there, there dearie," she cooed patting him on the head and taking the jug from him. "Just give me a minute and you can have more, I promise."

Moving with a speed and grace that only came from years of working her craft, Heilwig had a new mixture ready for the purring demon in no time. Unbeknownst to him, she had substituted a rare purple flower in place of the catnip, ensuring that within the hour he would be forced into a healing sleep. 'He won't heal on his own, poor dear is always too worried 'bout her. But, he's good for her, that's what counts.'

Slowly and carefully the old woman picked her way back to Caden's head. Sitting down, she commanded him to lay back so that his head rested in her lap. Fingers, warped with age gently began to comb through violet locks and scrape pleasantly against his scalp. "Now, if ye wants the drink, ye needs to listen to me good and well. If ye sips it slowly and pays extra attention to me warnings, ye can have it now."

Not intending to keep it from him, she firmly pressed the jug into his hand. "Now listen and listen well Caden D'Andarce, this will save both of ye's lives. her magic is strong, stronger than even that of her teacher. He is of no benefit to her and only destroys what control she has. Ye must convince her to leave. Ye understand? She must not continue! Her bearer knows where to find the teacher. She keeps asking for ye to lead, now is yer chance boy! Tell her what to do, tell her to go to the real song-weaver. Ye must do it! Ye must promise! If she is to live, if ye loves her, ye must save her and guide her to her true teacher. Only then may there be a chance for peace for ye both. No other way is there but this. Doth ye understand? Doth ye accept?"

[Juno]

Caden could only nod enthusiastically, his eyes trained on her as she went about preparing more for him. He had not a thought that he was being tricked into something else entirely, well-meaning as it would be. He listened to her, though. He didn't even care that she was touching his hair and, in fact, it felt amazing as he settled himself down for the attention.

For every request he just replied with short "mhm"s and "uh-huh"s. It was mindless, his eyes continually wandering to the jug he wanted back until she gave it to him. When she did, he went right back to drinking what he thought would be something to prolong his current state, as inappropriate as that probably was with how injured he was at present.

As much as he tried to pay close attention to her, though, Caden was much more focused on how good it felt to feel all warm and fuzzy again. "Convince her...okay. Yeah, I understand. Peace... This is my chance, huh? Okay. Alright. Yeah, I'll do it," he agreed, no longer caring much for the details of how she fit into their lives now.

"Will I get any more?" he asked hesitantly, looking forlornly at the small amount remaining of his drink.

[GoblinFae]

"Aye ye greedy thing. Ye can have more. But, this is it! Any more and ye'll be hurtin' yeself. Can'ts be having that now can we?" Heilwig ran a soothing hand over Caden's good shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. Thankfully she had had the foresight to take her pack with her when she had got up and would not have to deal with the cat demon having a fit at being moved.

Halfway through making the tea she found herself unsure of her next move. 'Do I add more of the passion flower? What quantity is needed to knock out of his kind? He isn't out yet. Could too much kill 'im? It's addictive but me doubts he'll have to worry 'bout that.' Her decision was made for her when her shaking hands accidentally released the entire flower into the jug. Wrinkled, pockmarked features paled as ancient eyes watched the flower dissolve. 'That answers that question.'

Heilwig leaned down and gave Caden the jug. Her lips came to rest beside a delicate ear. "Heed mine words demon. They mean ye life," she warned, already knowing that his attention was elsewhere. Sighing she placed a parting kiss to his brow, reminding him to rest and that she would be back soon. In truth the crone had no intention of returning. She knew better to be here when he woke, he would be far, far beyond unhappy. 'Next time me see her, Heilwig'll give her lots of catnip. She deserves a break and he needs a good cuddle.' A faint cackle muffled itself behind the healer's hand as she made her way back home. "They're in for quite the surprise!"

[Juno]

He wasn't going to deny that he was greedy, but he also wasn't about to admit to it when he couldn't hope to settle his thoughts on any one thing for more than a moment now. Even with the second mixture already getting into his system, he wasn't feeling it yet. What comfort he could have gotten from how careful she was being with him, he hardly noticed. He was fixated upon the jug, though, until it was returned to him. As soon as it was, he was back to drinking again.

"Mhm," he hummed for her warning, not much caring anymore that everything was beginning to blend together. Nothing bothered him now: the pain, the attention, nothing; He was drowning, yet floating. To her parting words, he just hummed more acknowledgement, refusing to bring the sweet poison from his lips. He didn't care when he was moved, just went along with things, but he found that once she was gone and he kept on drinking something was changing.

He slowed his pace, for once but far too late, and breathed in a big gulp of air that practically split his side. Yet, it wasn't hurting. Alarmed, he lifted his head and looked down at himself. Even with the salve coating his skin he felt nothing. In fact, everything was slowly beginning to feel dulled. His heightened senses from the catnip? Disappearing. What increased sensitivity he'd gained before was rapidly dropping away now to an almost numbness.

It didn't help that he'd gulped down everything far too quickly. A whopping dose of the flower was hitting him now and he didn't even know it. As he threw back the rest of the stuff, he found he couldn't even feel the cool liquid upon his tongue now.

Setting down the little jug in the grass was more like flopping his arm down and hoping he didn't smash the thing to bits. Everything felt heavy. He couldn't keep his eyes open no matter how hard he tried. And, finally, just there in the grass, Caden was forcefully thrust into sleep. It was deep and the more the flower was taken in the deeper it pushed him down. His mind was locking him in, refusing to let him surface. And he wouldn't surface. Not for a long time yet.

[GoblinFae]

As she promised, Tiraris kept up with her studies under the mage and worked hard to learn control over her magic. It was trying work and often left her feeling more and more drained and less in control. But, she was starting to see progress, her outbursts were less and less. The fact that when they did occur they were several tens of times more powerful was lost on her.

The first week that Caden did not show just served to remind her that she needed to work harder. 'He is probably letting me have some space so that I can get through this quicker. I did tell him that he is a distraction.'

Week two came and still no violet-eyed cat demon. 'Really Caden? I give you a little shock and this is how you shun me? Jump off a cliff!' It was more worry and concern mixed with irritation and not anger that drove her to believe such biting thoughts.

However, there was no excuse for his not showing by the third week. The weak, hard-earned control she had acquired over the past two months was lost. Her hurt and rage roared out of her literally. As she screamed a wave of fire spat out, consuming the clearing around her. By the time it settled the entire swatch of land was scorched.

Grabbing up her sword and armor, Tiraris stormed past the mage and did not return for the next week. Instead she visited Roderick during the night again. Their pleasantries were exchanged in a much more biting manner. What playfulness she had felt on their last visit was currently being drowned in the desire to spill blood.

Roderick was quick to give the assassin what she wanted, a handful of different challenging jobs that were sure to keep her busy for a time. Much blood was spilled that week as Tiraris took her anger out on anyone who got in her way.

By the time a red sun rose on week four, she was feeling much calmer but no less filled with rage. Week four was spent meditating and waiting. This would be Caden's last chance. If he did not show this week then she was leaving and never returning to him again. But, if he did return, he was in for a world of hurt. The woman with eyes and hair the color of blood was seething beneath the surface, waiting to explode.

[Juno]

It certainly wasn't a normal sleep, but it felt like one to Caden. He hadn't had any dreams. He hadn't awoken for anyone passing on the road just beyond or the rains coming in that had washed away the salve in the later weeks. Yet, the moment he finally coming to he was distinctly aware of something wet pressing against his face and a raspy tongue against his neck. His nose was filled with a terribly musky smell as well.

Groaning, narrowed his brows and swatted at the thing only to find his hand dully thumping against thick fur. Wet, thick fur. Sopping wet. Pulling a face, his eyes shot open as he heard the snuffling whines and felt the rooting of the nose still pressed against him. "...dog?" Yes, a dog. A wet dog that didn't seem to want to take up any space other than the one directly adjacent to his face. To top it all off, it was still raining.

What clothes remained on him were soaked but oddly enough he felt very warm even as icy droplets fell from the leaves above. His hair was soaked as well, well and truly plastered to him. Everything was sore, though. Every movement took something out of what little reserves he still had, and he felt horrible. He wanted to scream. He wanted to tear into something, bust down a few trees...among other things.

Pushing himself up to force the dog away, though, Caden looked up to what sky he could see through the branches. "I don't remember it being so...cloudy. They're so dark." He wasn't even aware of how long he'd been out for. It felt like just another day, or night, he wasn't sure by what he could see of the sky just yet.

What details he remembered right now were fuzzy at best. The words of Heilwig were mostly lost upon him right now and he'd be lucky if he could later recall more later. One thing he could remember, though, was her silent promise to return to him and he couldn't help but notice she wasn't there, unless she'd somehow turned into a dog in his sleep. The jug was still there, though, and it triggered something in him enough to remember how wonderful he'd felt before he was out.

There wasn't pain, though, not outright at least. Everything within him was sore now from going from minimal use to finally up-and-running again, and as he worked his way up to stand he found his joint were terribly stiff as well. Looking down at himself, though, he was stunned to see that the bloody mess of before was gone. Instead, a mess of haphazard scars streaked across his skin visible even in what dim light there was. He noticed his arm first, a well-defined dimple was set at the heart where there had once been exposed bone. His gaze flickering over to his chest and side, too, where a mess of jagged streaks blazed across and down to his waist on the right side.

Caden's chest felt tight as the sight of it forced him into manual breathing mode and, in panic, he looked accusingly at the dog. "How did this happen?! She was just here! Did she...did she use some kind of healing magic or something, mutt? Huh?! Did she?!" Of course the dog didn't answer, though, just wagged its tail to flick even more water on him. "Eugh... Go back to your master, I need to get inside," the demon complained, turning toward what buildings he could see on the outskirts of town. Problem was, he pack was still back near the mage's home. By now most of its contents were probably ruined or soaking wet, but he didn't realize just how long they'd sat there yet.

Heading into town, he returned to the tavern they'd stayed at before, being the only place he remembered being familiar with, and snuck his way up the stairs. Picking a random door, he cautiously went into a room that, luckily for him, was currently unoccupied. On the dresser was a dagger and slung across the back of a chair was a cloak with water still dripping off the back and hood. Sucking in a breath, he waited for a moment, just listening to the silence before he was certain he was safe to be stealing from here. He hoped whoever's stuff this was they were downstairs and preferably drinking.

He took it upon himself to finish what he'd come for. Rummaging through the knapsack by the bed he found a roll of clothes tucked away that he all too hastily changed into. He tucked the dagger into the belt and then shook out what water he could before pulling on the cloak as well. Though it wouldn't do to keep his hair dry from the rain outside, he still brought the hood up as he exited the room, if only to hide those distinctive violet locks, and quickly made his way back downstairs. Without a moment's pause as he hit the landing, he was out the door and right back into the cloudy darkness again.

He was back on the road again, back down the path he knew by now would take him to the mage, to Tiraris. He wasn't sure how he was going to explain this, how he'd managed to heal in just a day or so, or so he thought for now. Something felt off, though, and wrong as he finally rounded the last bend and could see the hut up the hill. Things felt so distant and unfamiliar even in the rain and he couldn't explain it. Approaching the door felt off and as he stood at the entry he hesitated to look behind him at all the way he'd come before reaching up to firmly knock against it a few times. "Tir? Love, are you there?" he called.

[GoblinFae]

The footsteps approaching the door had been enough for Tiraris to recognize them as Caden's and to move away from the house's shadows to approach him from behind. "Love?" she hissed. A dagger firmly embedded itself in the door to the left of the demon's head.

"You have been gone five weeks and that is the first thing you can think to say to me? Do not think for a minute," another dagger flung into the soft wood on the opposite side of his head, "that I will let you come crawling back here like nothing has happened! You are despicable. I hate you! I do not know why I listened to you. You do not give a damn about me! Promise to support me, then abandon me. How stupid do you think I am? How long did you think you could get away with it before I would figure it out?"

Her nostrils were flaring and her chest was heaving as the anger bubbled within her. "Sure pull the wool over her eyes, Tiraris will never notice. She is far too in love to care. Well not this time!" She raced towards him, clapping her hands down hard on his collar bones, thumbs moving to press on his adam's apple. "Who is she Caden? Who is the little tavern whore that has kept you locked away all this time? Hmm? You could not get it from me so you went somewhere else. Tell me!" Tiraris was screeching now as she drove her clenched fists into his shoulders.

[Juno]

As soon as he'd turned his back on the road, she was there. No, he hadn't expected that. The singing of the metal was dulled by the humid air, but his eyes went directly to the dagger beside his head before he turned slowly to look over his shoulder again before turning around completely to press his head against the door. The screaming was startling and very confusing; Caden just didn't understand why she was so upset, but what was this all about? Five weeks? Abandon her? Figure it out? Yes, the demon was drawing a huge blank on all of this, entirely unaware of how long he'd been gone.

"Tir? Hey, calm down," he pleaded, his eyes flickering to all the signs of her bubbling rage as he held out a hand to her. "Wait, what are you talking about?!" But she already had him, though, the bite of her fingers digging in reached him even through the clothes and his
brows narrowed dangerously as her yelling rose to full-on screeching as she continued to find ways to punish him.

Eyes widening, his hands finally flew up to push her back and out into the rain before giving her a heavy shove. "What is wrong with you?!" he demanded. "It hasn't been 'five weeks' and I have no idea what you're talking about! Nothing! Stop trying to hurt me!

"...And I haven't had anything since we met!" he growled, shaking his head again for how, he felt, she was digging at his sore spot.

[GoblinFae]

Tiraris stumbled back and slipped, landing flat on her back in the mud. The squelch her body made as she sat up only served to infuriate her further. "Calm down? Calm down! You idiot! It has too been five weeks. Five weeks without you and you just show up like it has only been a day or even a few hours! Where in the gods' names have you been if you do not know how much time has passed? You reek of dog and filth. Perhaps you have not been bedding women but that does not mean you have not been hanging around them."

Incensed and weaponless, she had taken to throwing chunks of mud at him. "Is this what I drive you to, drinking? If you cannot face it then tell me about it, do not just go wallow in your self-pity and make me worry needlessly for you! I cannot believe I wasted even a single moment of thought on you!"

The rain was pouring harder, further flooding the supersaturated clearing that Tiraris had managed to burn on week three. It took her a few tries but she finally struggled to a standing position, her bare feet sliding in the giving earth as she continued to hurl mud with perfect aim. "I hate you! You are worse than a barn cat with the way you grovel for affection and then crap on the person who dares care."