Accidental Crimes [M][DragonSong]

[Lowen Thorn]

Aspen nodded and happily followed her suggestion. With a quick spell and a wave of his hand, a silent seal surrounded them, giving off just the briefest moment of light. "That'll buy us some time," he said. "It hides our scent and makes us invisible to the naked eye. We're protected."

He didn't wait for a response before he took a knee into the dirt below them. Banksy , who had previously been running along side the two like the faithful companion he was, quickly trotted over to his master's side and nuzzled his head into Aspen's side. Good boy, he whispered as he gave him a rewarding scratch behind his ears.

"Where are we?" he then asked. "Smells like the woods."

[DragonSong]

"Congrats. We're in the woods," Maka snapped at him. She sank down onto the ground and shuffled as far from the professor as the wards would allow. She switched her glare from him to the ghost still hovering at the edge of the camp and back.

Huh. At least it seemed the spirit couldn't cross the wards. That was something.

"Just...go to sleep," she sighed. "We should move again as soon as we can." Once they were somewhere relatively safe, she could get him to undo whatever the hell t was he'd done.

[Lowen Thorn]

Aspen couldn't help but smile at her snide response, still petting Banks. "I'm not tired," he said flatly. "And you're awfully rude, you know that? Come on. Sit next to me. Take a breather. I still don't even know your name."

[DragonSong]

"And you're not going to." The necromancer narrowed her eyes at him, though she knew he couldn't see the expression. "Look, we're not friends. I'm here until you detach the ghost, then I'm gone. I won't try to turn you in for a bounty--even if I still think you deserve it--but I'm not sticking around to help you play fugitive."

With that, she turned onto her side and seemed prepared to sleep, or at least try to.

Thank gods the wards blocked Elissa's voice...

[Lowen Thorn]

Aspen frowned slightly at the sound of her shuffling around. "I'll call you Sally, then," he said abruptly, knowing full well she was trying to go to sleep. "So, tell me, Sally. Did you always dream of becoming a mercenary as a little girl?"

[DragonSong]

Maka gritted her teeth. She thought about just snapping at him to shut up again, but ultimately decided that wasn't really going to do her much good.

"I dunno," she replied after a moment. "You always dream of being a fugitive murderer when you were a kid?"

Yeah, asshole. Two can play this game.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Not really," he responded casually. "I wanted to be a professor, actually. But now I'm just a fugitive murderer on the run and my only ally is a girl who clearly hates me."

He continued to pet Banks. The dog was now laying on his side in pure bliss as his master relaxed him into a state of near sedation.

Aspen decided against the small talk. She clearly wasn't going to break. "Okay, so," he started. "Can you tell me what happened? When she took over your body? Do you remember anything?"

[DragonSong]

"I remember everything," the necromancer replied evenly after a few long moments. Her voice was almost eerily calm now as she kept a tight hold on her emotions. "I wasn't gone. I was just...blocked. Watching it all happen from behind my own eyes, but unable to control anything."

[Lowen Thorn]

"That sounds terrifying," he admitted. "..and that is sort of like what happened to me. When I was trying to separate the spirit from your body, I-"

He stopped. He stopped petting Banks and stroked his chin with his now free hand. As a form of protest, Banks abruptly got up and trotted over to the mercenary, curling up next to her with his back to hers.

"I knew what I was doing but I lost my ability to stop. I was frozen. Like a brain freeze but throughout my entire body. For the briefest moment, I felt every emotion that girl felt when she died."

[DragonSong]

"Yeah."

She curled up a little tighter, as though that might stop the memory of the chill in her blood, stop those damned eyes staring at her through the wards.

"Welcome to my life, professor."

[Lowen Thorn]

Banksy whined just a bit for the attention, and then nudged his snout into her neck for a more demanding approach of attention. Aspen, on the other side of their camp spot, let out a breath. "He likes you."

There was a small chuckle buried in his voice when he spoke. "Banksy, you may be the worst guard dog of all time."

[DragonSong]

"Yeah, well..."

Maka rolled over, tried to put her back to the dog. That only lasted a few moments before she relented with a sigh and turned to scratch his ears. "I thought dogs were supposed to be good judges of character."

[Lowen Thorn]

"Banks is a great just of character, actually. That must say something about you."

He turned away from her, laying down on his side. He didn't lie about not being tired. He wasn't tired. He was exhausted. His body was give out from the stress, panic, and running. He mind was give out from extracting the ghost of that little girl from the nameless mercenary's body.

"Good night, then," he called from over his back.

[DragonSong]

Maka didn't reply. She looked the dog over, gave him a last quick scratch behind the ears, then turned onto her side and tried to go to sleep.

She could still feel Elissa's eyes on her, all through the night.

[Lowen Thorn]

At some point through the night, Banks left the woman's side and rejoined his master, nuzzling into him for both the warmth and the affection. Aspen didn't mind sleeping on the ground, as he had done it before, so he slept okay for the most part.

When morning came, he could feel the sun peaking through what he imagined were the trees hovering over them, casting little bits of heat on his cheeks to stir him awake. "Hey," he said with a yawn. "Should I extend the ward a little longer, or are you ready to move?"

He had no idea if she had woken or not, but he had a feeling she was a light sleeper.

[DragonSong]

The necromancer started awake with a curse, instinctively grabbing for her staff. Then her brain caught up with her and she squinted against the dawning light, irritated.

Wait. Light?

"Shit." Maka scrambled to her feet. "Drop the ward and let's move, we slept too long," she replied sharply, already moving in a quick circle around the campsite and trying to mask signs of their presence with scattered leave and such, kicking away the imprint she'd left in the earth where she'd slept.

[Lowen Thorn]

Aspen laughed quietly to himself as he got to his feet. "You're wasting your time," he said, gripping his cane as he released the binds of the ward. "If someone really wants to find us, covering our tracks will require a little more that."

He clicked his tongue inside his mouth twice and Banks was up and at-the-ready, wagging his tail eagerly next to his master and looking at him admirably. As if on cue, he twisted his head around to look at the necromancer, panting happily with a look on his face that was basically a smile, all but saying 'Come on, new friend!'

"So, where to?"

[DragonSong]

"Really? And I suppose you'd like to do it then?" Maka grumbled at him. "If you don't have anything productive to say, shut up."

She shot the dog a quick look and felt her fingers twitching, absently wanting to reach out and pat him. She fought down the urge and swung her pack over her shoulder, staff slung diagonally against her back.

"Move it. We're heading east, for now." Just walk toward the sunlight, not too difficult.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Come on, Banksy," Aspen said in reply. He did in fact walk toward the sunlight, and assumed she would be able to catch up in no time. With unfamiliar landscapes at every turn, it wouldn't be long before he would have to rely on the touch of her arm again.

"Ready to tell me your name?"

[DragonSong]

"Why do you need it?"

She kept a few paces behind him as they set out, constantly glancing back over her shoulder, on the lookout for any sign of pursuers.

She didn't see any, but Elissa's ghost followed at a sedate pace. Always ten steps behind, though she never seemed to actually move.

The necromancer fought down a shudder. "Look, if we both have our druthers we'll only be stuck together a few days, then never see each other again. Why do you care what my name is?"