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Silent Storms

Started by DragonSong, December 06, 2017, 12:53:53 PM

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DragonSong

@Wycliff



The public gardens were a nice enough place to loiter, if one had the time or inclination. Lily Hartnet didn't necessarily have either, but she did have the wherewithal and ability to slip away from her siblings and their chaperone.

She just needed a few moments to herself, a minute where the constant fussing of her family was the furthest thing from her mind.

The sun was creeping toward the horizon. They'd realize she'd slipped away soon enough and come to collect her. But for the moment at least, tucked in the lengthening shade of a blossoming pear tree, she closed her eyes and just basked in the sensation of solitude.

Wycliff

Jace appeared from thin air on the inside of the garden walls, clutching his side as he stumbled against the hard brick. Crimson was blossoming across the white silk of his robe, a testament to the severe injury below. His teeth gritted as a fresh wave of agony washed over him, and with his eyes shut tight, the flesh below began to knit itself back together.

It wasn't the first time he'd regenerated an injury, but at most they'd been scrapes or cuts. The pain was incredibly more intense, almost enough to make him pass out as nerves and flesh reconnected. The worst part? He wasn't even in the clear, the guards of Uthlyn still hunting him mercilessly. How they'd gotten word about his bounty in Reahj so quickly he'd no idea, but he needed to leave Connloath as soon as possible. If only he knew where to go!

A quick cough yielded a glob of blood and bile, splattering on the ground in front of him. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto his knees, eyes catching sight of a woman sitting below a blossoming tree before him. Oh god, there were people here?


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DragonSong

"Oh!" The sound of a wet, ragged cough had Lily's eyes flying open and she looked around. She'd through she was alone in the gardens. "Hello?" She got to her feet- a little less than gracefully perhaps- and flicked her eyes around in search of the source of the sound.

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. "Oh- oh my God!" Almost stumbling in her haste, she ran to the obviously wounded man who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, kneeling beside him and gripping his shoulder in a frail offer of support.

"Sir, can you- what happened. Oh goodness. Can you move?" She lifted her head, looking around for help. God, a moment ago she'd wanted her family miles away, now she wished they were here to help her. "Jorris! Jess, Dorian! Someone, we need help!" Turning her attention back to the injured man, she bit her lip and tried to lean him back against the brick wall of the garden.

"It- it's going to be alright. I'll get you some help, I promise," she babbled, slightly panicked.

Wycliff

Jace coughed again, this one slightly drier as his internal organs repaired and halted the bleeding. The touch of a hand and her voice told him that the woman was friendly, at least for now, but a different sensation soon told him more. Instinctively, his body began to quickly drain the poor woman's magic energy. The surge of power was pleasant as always, but as she tried to prop him up against the brick wall, it began to escalate, sucking more and more. He quickly broke away from her grasp. It was dangerous for mages to touch him, and he wished no harm on the girl, especially since she was so kindly trying to help.

He craned his head up at her, getting a better look at her face. A mistake: his face began to flush, she was so close! He scrambled backward, to no avail, trying to get his bearing. "Um... thank you, Miss. For your concern, I mean." He glanced down at the wound, now completely healed. "It's really nice of you to try and help me and all, but it's dangerous for mages to touch me, I wouldn't want you to get hurt." His father, Aven, had taught him that mages couldn't normally utilize all the magic energy in their systems, as it's presence is interwoven with their life force. If drained of all magic, mages incur serious physical detriment, even sometimes resulting in death.


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DragonSong

Oh good lord he was delirious.

And she was...suddenly not feeling so well herself. She'd almost call it one of her fainting spells approaching, but it was...different. Less like a wave drawing her under, more like the energy was being pulled from her body.

"I..." she swayed where she sat and removed her hand from his should to press her pal against her forehead. "You're...mistaken, sir. I'm not..."

Her magic, unknown and unchecked, twisting and writhed in an effort to protect her from this strange new development, even while it was desperately trying to recover what power had been lost. Steel gray clouds began to roll in overhead- and with a rather understated little gasp, Lily fainted onto the grass beside him.

"Lily?" Her eldest brother's voice rang through the garden as he came hurrying around the corner. "What happened? I heard you shout-"

Jorris fell silent as he took in the image of a bloodied stranger and his sister's pale, unconscious form. His eyes grew very round.

"What the hell happened?!"

Wycliff

Jace was as shocked as the man who'd just shown up. He hadn't drained too much, had he?! His eyes grew wide in terror. No, no, no... It wasn't happening again, he couldn't be responsible for killing another mage! Wait, what had she meant that he was mistaken? Did... did she not know she was a mage?

It had never occurred to him someone could have magic and not know. In a place like Connloath, though, it made all too much sense: and if she didn't know, her brother might not either. "I- I'm so sorry! I was hurt, and she tried to help me, but then she got pale and fainted!" It was always important not to lie, that much he knew, but omitting facts for the sake of protecting others was no crime of character.


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DragonSong

Already kneeling at Lily's side, Jorris let out a soft breath when he pressed his fingers to her throat and felt her pulse fluttering against the pressure. A little faster than normal, but otherwise alright.

"I'm sorry, sir," he murmured, gathering the unconscious young woman into his arms as he looked up at the stranger. "My sister- she isn't well. Ever since she was a child, fainting spells-" He cut himself off with a shake of his head. "No time for this, forgive me. You're hurt. Here."

Two other well dressed figures had poked their heads into the gardens, a man and a woman with almost identical faces, and behind them a rather dowdy older woman in a dress so full of ruffles it was amazing she had yet to be mistaken for some decorative pastry.

"Dorian!" Jorris called as he shifted his sister carefully in his arms. "This young man needs help, get over here!" He looked back to the wounded stranger. "We can get you to a doctor, or a faith healer if that is your wish."

Wycliff

Jace shook his head. "Don't be sorry, she's very thoughtful." His eyes hardened. Should they be told? It was obvious that the girl- Lily, her brother called her- had a magical disorder. More specifically, it seemed her power was intuitive, a serious problem in a place like Connloath. Unless she learned to control it, she'd be outed as a mage without even knowing herself, and possibly even put to death. Just like my father...

Jace picked himself up, holding his hand over the now healed wound. He wouldn't tell her family, but Lily deserved to know. He'd been too late to save his father, but he'd be damned if he walked away from another mage in need. With a small press of his hand against his skin, Jace caused a laceration along the area, gritting his teeth as unseen magic sliced his skin apart, and blood began to flow once more. They'd need to think he was still injured for him to stay near enough to Lily to break the news, and the only way for that to happen was if he truly was injured. "I'd rather a regular doctor, I don't trust those faith healers, too close to magic for comfort." It wasn't a lie, holy magic wouldn't help him at all, and could even cause him harm if they were skilled enough.


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DragonSong

Jorris gave him a sort of approving look and nodded. "Here, don't stand," he said, holding a hand out as Dorian seemed to finally realize he was actually needed and moved forward to offer an arm to lean on.

"Easy, friend," the younger man said with a kind, encouraging sort of smile. "We took a carriage here, it's not far. Let me help."

Dorian's twin had come up behind him, peering over his shoulder curiously. Their chaperone seemed to have vanished, and at Jorris's questioning look, she said, "Melanie went to call a doctor, she said she'd bring him back to the manor. What happened?"

"I...don't rightly know," Jorris sighed as he stood, Lily cradled carefully against his chest. The middle Harnet sister was breathing a little shallowly, her head resting against his shoulder and her hair tumbling down around her, pulled free from its loose bun and braids by her slight fall. Jorris shot a look at the stranger. "How were you hurt, sir?"

Wycliff

Jace accepted the offer of help, fervently hoping none of the others had magic power, as he'd start to absorb it straight away when they touched him. "I was attacked in the street, and barely escaped with my life. I don't know where the attackers went, I'm just hoping they didn't follow me." Of course, the attackers had been the Uthlyn Guard, but he left that part out. "It's very nice of you all to help me, I appreciate it." That's what one was supposed to say in this situation, right? He was eighty percent sure.

Jace glanced over at Lily. The situation was getting more and more serious by the moment. He only saw her power for a few seconds, but it seemed as though she'd changed the weather. Worse yet, her brother said she'd had these same fainting spells for a long time: if that were true, it would mean that her magic had been subconsciously activating. If left uncontrolled, such power could eventually create natural disasters around the girl. "You said these fainting spells are common for Miss Lily. Are there certain situations that trigger them?"


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DragonSong

Dorian looked back and forth between the man he supported and his brother curiously as the group made their way back to the Hartnets' carriage, wondering just how much Jorris would reveal.

"Stress. She has a...delicate constitution," Jorris provided by way of answer. "Here, help him up," he added to the twins as he stepped up into the carriage, Lily still held delicately against his chest. The coachman gave the group an odd look, but didn't say anything. Melanie must have explained the situation before she went for the doctor.

Once seated, Jorris carefully shifted Lily so she was resting against his side, brushing loose curls back from her face.

"Mmm..." Drowsily, the young woman stirred and blinked her eyes open, lashes fluttering as she tried to take in what was happening. She had been with that man, he was hurt, then... "Jorris?" She frowned and tried to sit up properly, shivers wracking her frame. "What-? Where-?"

Her eyes flickered to the stranger and she smiled slightly in relief. "Oh. You're here. Good."

Wycliff

Stress, huh? It was possible the response was tied to her fight or flight instinct, making it a subconscious defense mechanism... but that didn't quite add up. If the fainting was frequent, he often could a girl like this Lily get into frequent fight or flight situations? No, there must have been something he was missing, he'd need more information.

Come to think of it, it really wasn't his business, past informing her of her latent abilities. He took a breath, trying to calm himself down. He'd tell Lily she was a mage in secret, then leave the rest be. Nosing into other's business unduly was rude, his mother had always taught him. Odd, though, that she always seemed to have an ulterior motive for the lesson.

Jace smiled gently as she woke, the pain from the fresh wound still radiating through his chest. "-says the girl who passed out. It's a good thing your brothers were here."


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DragonSong

Lily smiled, cheeks coloring lightly. "Ah, well...yes, I suppose you're right." She tried to straighten up a bit more and Jorris reaches for her, worry etched on his brow. "I'm fine, really," she murmured, shooing her brother's hands away.

Her eyes flickered to their strange guest's bloodstained shirt and she frowned around at her siblings. "Did no one think to at least bandage him up?" she demanded with a huff. Ignoring the way her k red shook slightly, she tried to shift over to Jace's side of the carriage. "Here, let me see. I know it's not entirely proper, but-"

"Oh no." Dorian finally spoke up. His twin was smirking, eyes flicking over the young man calculatingly. "You two girls stay to that side, go on. Jorris and I can look at him and see about bandaging." He winced slightly as he turned to address Jace with a muttered, "Sorry about that, but we can try to preserve some of your dignity."

Muttering about trivialities, Lily allowed Jess to usher her back to the other side of the coach and sank gratefully back against the seat. She was still a little lightheaded, if she was being honest.

Wycliff

Jace nodded graciously. Was he supposed to say something in that situation? He'd never thought about that particular situation, as he'd normally just mend himself, not heal naturally. It was possible it would scar, a fact that slightly annoyed him. It was his first time helping someone out in such a way, though, so there were bound to be some growing pains. Perhaps the worst part was, at that point, he'd need to use alchemy to get the blood stains out of his robe, in addition to repairing it's structure. That was two different alchemical processes, and would burn at least a fifth of his current magic reserves. In a land where magic was scarce, that was hardly a minute amount.

Jace sat down, allowing them to bandage the laceration. Unfortunately, he couldn't stop his body from naturally healing faster than a human, but at the very least, it would be a day before the wound sealed properly. That was plenty of time to tell Lily about her condition, and maybe find a way to fix it.

He shook his head absently. No, no, don't go thinking about overstepping your bounds. Only inform her that she's a mage: if Dad couldn't handle facing this country, what chance do I have? His eyes wandered to Lily through the window. Still... maybe he could just quickly teach her how to control it...


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DragonSong

The ride to the Hartnet home was rather uncomfortably quiet, as once Jace's immediate danger had been seen to no one quite seemed to know what to say.

Jorris introduced himself and his siblings, a little awkwardly. Jessamine kept casting curious glances in their strange guest's direction, an almost calculating expression on her face.

Lily, for her part, sat with her temple leaned against the carriage window, eyes half closed as she waited for her strength to properly return. Her fainting spells had never taken quite this long to recover from before, and it was starting to irritate her. She felt...weak, as though she hadn't just fainted, but had been actually drained of energy.

But that was ridiculous.

"Here we are," Jorris said with no small amount of relief when the carriage began rattling up the long drive that led to the manor's front door. He glanced back at Jace. "Ah- allow us to explain the situation to our parents. Melanie should be here with the doctor soon."

Wycliff

Jace also introduced himself, rather casually and without including his surname. All in all, the situation was steadily improving, having secured a relatively safe ride away from the guards of Uthlyn, headed for a private residence. He rested his head against the inside of the carriage, his dark gold locks ruffled and reflecting the occasional ray of sunlight.

The only hitch was the possibility of one of her parents being unknowing mage as well. From what Aven had told him, mages weren't allowed to marry and have children, but there were still many cases of people not realizing their magic capability and doing so anyway. If that were so, in this case, and he made contact with one of them, things could get ugly, fast. To be on the safe side, he considered keeping his distance from either of the parents.

Of course, during his brainstorming session, his golden eyes were intensely locked outside the window, so much so that one might wonder what he was staring at. When someone finally broke the silence, it was slightly jarring for Jace, and he snapped out of the near trance he'd been in. "Oh, yes, of course, thank you."


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DragonSong

The coachman came around to help Lily and Jess down from the carriage, and Jorris offered Jace a steadying hand. "We'll get you settled inside, then call for the lord and lady of the house." His tone had the soft Lily of one attempting to joke.

Lily watched Jave curiously as the group was ushered into the manor. "Are you quite sure you should be walking?" she asked softly, concerned. "That was an awful lot of blood..."

Wycliff

Jace chuckled at Lily's question, in an attempt to assuage any concern. To be honest, she was correct, and the amount of blood he'd lost from the wound would keep any human bedridden for at least a few days. The initial regenerative process, however, also reconstituted most of the blood he'd lost. A quick smile spread across his face, constructed to hide the slight blush spreading across his cheeks at her concern. "Don't worry about it. Believe it or not, I'm tougher than I look." A stigma, really, but Jace never could hide his embarrassment around women. Her lustrous hair waving in the breeze didn't help the issue, either.


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DragonSong

Lily found herself blushing slightly as she noticed the color com to Jace's cheeks, though she wasn't sure why. She opened her mouth to say something, not quite sure why, but before she could Jorris' voice cut her off.

"You should rest too, Lily," her brother ordered as both she and Jace were ushered into the smaller parlor off the main foyer. "We'll have the doctor take a look at you when he's seen to Master Jace."

She rolled her eyes but was forced onto the chaise. "I'm fine, really. Stop mothering me, goodness."

Jorris gave her a very dry look, then turned to Jace and gestured to an armchair beside Lily's chaise. "Please, rest. The doctor should be here soon, I'll fetch Mother and Father to explain the situation."

Wycliff

Jace's eyebrows raised at the extraneous title. "Master Jace?" He began to laugh loudly. "You sound just like the maids back home!" A jolt of pain  up his side ended the fit, and he settled down. "I don't care about fancy titles or nuances like that. Just call me Jace, I'd appreciate it."

He glanced over at Lily. "Siblings, am I right? My twin sister would do the same thing, worry over every little detail." He relaxed back into the seat, looking back to Jorris. "Not that there's anything wrong with worrying, persay..."


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