A Game of Cat and Mouse

[kleineklementine]

The temperature inside the shelter, thanks to Olive's influence, was steadily warming, but Olive was still shivering. She glanced over at Kentamin. He didn't look much better. A surge of hate coursed through her and she thought for a second about just shoving him outside and letting him freeze to death.

But, no. She had to remind herself: she wasn't saving him, she was saving herself. And, as things stood now, she needed him.

Olive heaved a frustrated sigh. Well, if she wasn't going to kill him, she might as well clean him up. So, using a handful of snow, she cleaned off the blood that was covering his face and head, then pulled the collar of his coat more tightly up around him. Then Olive turned to her own problems. Setting her jaw, she went about carefully removing the boot from her injured leg. She winced once it was off and she saw what was underneath; her ankle was swollen to twice its size and ranged in shades from nearly black to blue to purple. That was no good. She touched it once and winced again, then carefully set about packing snow around the broken ankle.

Once that was done, Olive leaned back against the stone of the shelter, pulling her coat tight around her and pulling her scarf over her face. Nothing to do now but wait for Kentamin to regain consciousness... and to make sure he didn't kill her once he did!

[visualspice]

It was about this time the templar began to awaken, groaning as he did so. There was a heavy, painful pounding inside his head and when he went to move his arms to swipe some hair from his face, his shoulder jerk as he grunted. Then his eyes opened wide as he realized he was bound. He began to struggle some  more before something caught his attention as he turned to regard..

"You!" he continued to struggle, the scarf seeming only to tighten. "What is this meaning of this!?"

[kleineklementine]

Olive tensed when Kentamin came around, but it quickly turned into a sneer at his outburst.

"Oh that's real nice," she shot back at him. "How about, 'Thanks, Constance, for saving my life. I'd be a frozen piss dead out in the snow without you.'"

She scoffed, her eyes flashing at him, then looked away, cursing to herself under her breath. The idea of just pushing him back out into the snow to let the elements take care of him seemed pretty appealing. But no. As much as she hated it, she needed him.

"Alright," she said, looking back at him with, her voice a bit calmer - or at least more controlled, "are you ready to be reasonable, or do you want to go back out in that blizzard?"

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Kentamin set a glare upon her. What did she mean thank her!? She was a mage! This was outrageous! And she had helped to aid the killing of soldiers! Baring his teeth at her, he let out a growl. But as his mind reeled back to what had happened- he recalled seeing the terrifying wall of snow come at them- then nothing after the fall.

He peered towards her, gaze still suspicious.
"And how am I to thank you? For all I know, you simply saved me to use me," he bit back, struggling again before realizing it was futile and he slumped over with an irritated sigh.

[kleineklementine]

Olive rolled her eyes at his growl; though she gave a sidelong glance to make sure that he was still securely bound. She gave a frustrated sigh and leaned forward as she tried to explain the situation to him, in a tone not too different than you might explain to a stubborn child.

"Listen, you twat, I don't like you or your little," she waved her hand, a look of disgust passing her face, "secret brotherhood of priest-knights or whatever, any more than you like me or any other mages. But look at the situation we're in. There's a blizzard out there with no signs of letting up, it's cold as fuck, the valley will be full of snow and debris now, your head's been bashed in, and I'm a fucking gimp."

Olive shot him another contemptuous glare, then leaned back again. "So when you're ready to stop sulking and see sense, let me know. Otherwise, you're welcome to go back out there and freeze to death. But don't kid yourself; I saved your life and I'm the one keeping us both alive right now."

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Kentamin scrunched his face, his expression turning sour at such a declaration, but as he began to study the place they were in, her leg, his throbbing head-a nd what memories he had before the fall, he simply let out a growl and looked away from her.

"Are you proposing we have to work together?" It was laughable! Yet even as his haughty pride was puffed out, he couldn't help but begin to sense....

Perhaps the woman was right, and it was that sick feeling that made him queasy and more ill at ease than before. Help from a mage?! How could it EVER come to this?

[kleineklementine]

Olive was no happier about the situation they were in than Kentamin was, and it showed on her face in response to his puffed out pride. As though she were so below him. As though his whole order weren't a bunch of... Olive checked her anger. No. She couldn't think about that now. Not if she wanted any hope of working with him. The last time she'd trusted a templar, though... Maybe she should just blow his head off and shove the bastard into the snow.

But instead, Olive pulled out her hand cannon. She gave Kentamin a meaningful look as she unloaded it and tossed it away from her (and away from Kentamin). Then she pulled out the pouch of ammunition and tossed it over to Kentamin. He couldn't catch it, of course, but it was the gesture of good will that mattered, right?

"There," she said flatly. "If you have a suggestion how we can get out of this alive without working together, I'd be delighted to hear it." The pain in Olive's ankle was increasing now as the shock was wearing off and she winced, scrunching up her face before looking back over at Kentamin. "Once we're out of this, though, if we see each other again... all bets are off."

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Seeing her unarm herself of quite a deadly weapon, and even so much as toss the ammunition his way, Kentamin furrowed his brows in confusion before lifting his blue eyed gaze over towards her. His lips flattened as he frowned.

"It seems we have no choice but to weather this..." and as he studied her, he sneered and added, "together," and gave a haughty look away, but his eyes caught sight of her leg. Even from here he could tell it was bad. Unless she were bluffing- but what reason did she have? Unless she liked torture....

Fear chilled through him as he tried to put that idea away. No, no. He couldn't lose his cool just yet- And he was just agreeing to make friends with the enemy.

He cut her a look.
"That leg looks bad. How did you manage to drag me all the way here on it?"
Little did he know, that probably made her leg worse.

[kleineklementine]

"'Weather this'," Olive repeated with a hollow laugh, "Very appropriate word choice."

Olive's eyes followed Kentamin's to her swollen, black-and-blue ankle, ignoring his sneering, jeering tone. "Difficultly," she answered honestly."You're not as scrawny as you." This was a funny remark from Olive who had always been a bit twiggy, but certainly qualified as 'scrawny' or worse after her time in the camps and surviving on the run. Pulling the Templar to shelter, through the snow, with her broken ankle had been quite the feat.

Olive leaned her head back against the stone, closing her eyes. The pain in her ankle and the energy it'd required to protect this little space from the blizzard had left her exhausted. A minute later Olive opened her eyes and gave a exasperated little sigh.

"Alright," she said grudgingly, "shuffle over here and I'll untie your arms."

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Kentamin could have snorted at her remark to call him scrawny. He knew he was young, but the comment was rather cutting. So he was no hulking mass of muscle, he was well suited for what Angsar had him destined for-
yet he bet his God was scowling at him now. To think it had come to this. He turned away from her bitterly, but when she conceded to offer in untying him, he shot a confused but haughty look her way.

"You trust me enough to untie me?" A funny statement for him to be asking, for the binds were uncomfortable- but... they were still enemies, even if there was a temporary understanding. "You know if roles were reversed I wouldn't have the luxury." Then he grew quiet, wondering why he worded it like that.

[kleineklementine]

"'Luxury?'" Olive repeated, staring at Kentamin open-mouthed. The offense registered clearly on her face. Who was this asshole to talk about luxury? "You think, between the two of us, that I am the one benefiting from luxury?"

Part of her knew that she should just shut up. This yearling little priest was an idiot, and she should write it off, but anger and disgust was rising up through her being at his words.

"You know," she said, shifting her weight so she was sitting straighter, looking intently at Kentamin now, "I was born into a life of luxury. That's true. I had..." she gave a little shrug, as though only thinking about it for the first time, "every advantage a girl in our country could have. Then I was Marked. I was a kid, what did I know? I accidentally used magic I never even realized I had. And after that, once I knew, I did everything right. Everything. I never used magic - I still don't like to, but I think neither of us want to freeze to death, do you? - I went to mass every day. Sometimes twice a day. Sincerely confessed all my transgressions. And what did it get me?" Olive gave a little scoff, looking away from Kentamin and out of the cave, her frustration no longer directed necessarily at him. "You know, when they came for me, I went willingly to the camps. Willingly. I thought it was the best choice... Maybe not for myself, but my family, my -" she almost said 'duchy', but cut herself short. "I was an idiot. Sent to be beaten, and raped, and starved, and worked to half to death - and for many, just to death. And to be treated by your lot, who always espouse understanding and compassion," she gave Kentamin a meaningful look then, "like fucking disposable tools. To be experimented on then disposed of. So don't fucking tell me who between us has the luxury of anything or not."

Her green eyes stayed venomously on Kentamin for several moments, then let out a long, pained exhale as the throbbing in her ankle overtook her again. "But fine," she said, closing her eyes again, "if you want to stay tied up, I'm happy to oblige you."

[visualspice]

What started off as the flaring heat of hate turned into the embarrassing heat of guilt. He had never considered the consequences of being on the other side- for he never had to, but to hear it was a lady he was with, one of his own standing, to be branded and tossed away. He grit his teeth, avoiding her gaze all together as he looked at the cave floor. And when she got to the end about keeping him tied up, he unfortunately felt the same. A sickly feeling of guilt twisted into his gut, and chilled his veins as a knot cemented in his throat, nearly impossible to swallow through.

And for once the haughty young man had nothing to say, for his tongue was as useless as his brain, as he stared at the cave floor like some kicked dog. But two things were certainly broiling inside him- guilt for her, and guilt for him. Shame for what had happened, and shamed that he even cared. He had been taught these sorts of things might happen, but he never thought it would be so difficult to swallow. So instead of reacting, he just did nothing at all.

[kleineklementine]

Olive let the silence dwell between them for a long time. What did she care about his discomfort? She had no guilt if just hearing about the things that had actually happened to her caused him unease. And what had happened to her... Olive was still painfully aware that her rank had saved her, even at her worst moments, of much greater pains. If someone of common standing had dared the things she did in the camps...

Well, they had. Many of them. And now they were dead. Rotting in the earth that lay beneath those evil places.

She should just shove him back out into the freezing, unforgiving blizzard. What better did he deserve? The betrayal of the other Templar burned like acid inside of her. But even if she were able to cast him out now - a physical feat she very much doubted she could perform, now that he was awake - what good would it do? He might not be innocent, but he was, in a sense, in her hands now.

She could kill him next time.

Finally, Olive half opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "Come over then," she said grudgingly, too exhausted from the pain in her ankle and the day's activities to keep up her silent battle with him, "I'll untie you. It won't profit you any to harm me now, anyway."

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It shamed him to think it would come to this- but she was right. And after only a moment's hesitation, the templar shifted over closer to her, back close enough so she could unbind him- but still, the young man said nothing and avoided her gaze.

[kleineklementine]

Shifting her weight to untie the bonds, Olive made a sharp noise of pain at moving her leg. This was bad. This was definitely not the right time, place... or company!... to be injured. But it seemed she had little choice in the matter.

As she untied his bounds, Olive watched Kentamin carefully, observing his obvious shame. She wondered if any of it really came as some sort of surprise to him. Or if the shame just came from being called out on it. Or from having to actually interact with a mage as though they may, in fact, also be a human being. Part of her wanted to throw more barbed accusations his way. To throw in his face the betrayal that Mercuxio had thrown in hers. To, in other words, kick him while he was down. But she stayed herself, instead watching him with a hard, unforgiving gaze.

"Stop moping," she suddenly commanded, her eyes flashing fiercely. "As though it fucking mattered to you what happens to a mage or not. You just keep telling yourself you're doing Angsar's work. Whole lot of fucking hypocrites."

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When his hands were free, he moved them forward to rub at his wrists. He kept his back to her, but when she called him out on his moping, he turned around to cast a nasty glare her way.

"I don't like this situation anymore than you. I'm just having a hard time digesting it!" he snapped. But after a moment, he still felt miserable and growled, "But I suppose I do owe you a thank you." And the last part of that was mumbled as he cast his blue eyes to the ground, which slowly began to wander over to her leg. It looked bad.

"Have you got anything to treat that?" He had some supplies on his person... but even still, he wasn't sure any of the basic dry herbs would help miraculously cure a broken leg. Though one of them might help with the swelling.

[kleineklementine]

Olive snorted at his initial outburst, but if she was going to make a retort, she withheld it in light of his gratitude. In fact, she looked at him with a bit of surprise and, at first, skepticism, as he suggested he owed her any thanks.

But her expression softened when he asked about her ankle, and if she had anything to treat it.

"No," she answered, also looking at the swollen blue ankle, and her tone for the first time not barbed. In fact, it was very matter-of-fact when she added, "The only thing I carry on me is Oleander," a highly toxic, extremely deadly plant that, despite its frequent use in gardens and the beauty of its flowers, quickly caused cardiac arrest if ingested, "in case I'm captured."

Olive wasn't sure why she told him that. Surely she shouldn't. She glanced very quickly sideways at him. Despite their position, she couldn't quite bring herself to ask if he had anything that would help her.

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Kentamin made an obvious face at the mention of Oleander, and why. Though one might think a time like now might warrant the act to use it, whether on herself or him, it still did not sit well with him she held poison.

"I only carry the bare minimum of essentials. I have a few herbs- one might even help with the swelling."
And well...
it would at least make him feel more even over this... this... rescue of hers. He fished into his pockets, slowly at first so she could see what he was doing before he produced a thin pouch. He paused a moment before opening it, then lifted out a smaller pouch.

"Ermsdale, it's called." And he tossed the pouch to her. "Dark leafed plant with a bitter taste. But it'll help with any swelling and fever that might come because of it."

[kleineklementine]

Olive read the concern on Kentamin's face over her mention of Oleander. "I have it for myself," she told him levelly, still watching him carefully. "I'm not going to poison you. Remember, I could have just left you out there." She paused a moment longer before saying, "I'd get rid of it as a goodwill gesture, but I don't want to risk not needing it."

She caught the pouch of herbs, though, and looked curiously at Kentamin. Maybe a little suspiciously. But after she carefully sniffed the dried herbs to verify what Kentamin told her, her expression turned more to curiosity and confusion. "Thank you," she said, a little warily.

How many times had the two young rivals, she suddenly wondered, tried to kill each other. But Olive took a small measure of the herbs out and placed them on her tongue, letting them reconstitute in her mouth before swallowing them. Olive was finding herself suddenly curious about who this priest-knight actually was. This whole time, for the last year... or longer? ... she'd been trying to kill him, she realized that he'd just been the embodiment of her anger at another Templar. Somewhere to focus her hatred of all the injustices suffered by herself and so many others.

Then suddenly, half-surprising herself, she asked, "Where are you from, anyway? And do you actually have a name? Or should I just keep coming up with curses for you? 'Fucking worm,' 'heartless bastard, 'skinny prick'... I can settle on one, if you like."

[visualspice]

"It's not poison," he told her hastily. He was a templar... he really had no reason for that stuff. Besides, he'd never trust himself to carry it- just in case of accidental ingestion...
But he could not conceive how someone could willingly carry it, let alone be willing to use it, and as he studied her, he flattened his lips as the questions came back to him. And he made a frown at her choice of names.

"If you must call me something, I would prefer my real name."A nd he hesitated before huffing out, " Kentamin, Kentamin Dhelsbar." And at her first question he added, "My family is from Matron's Hallow." And he started at her critically. "And what of you girl? Or should I continue to call you 'mage'?"