The Night the Fire Fell (aka "I F***** The Mage Out Of Him") (Alkereth & Emery) [M]

[Avelithe]

"Uhhhh... right."

Alkereth tried not to listen, but the way Emery said those things got him pretty warm under the collar. He was a priest, for god's sake, he shouldn't let words like that affect him.

Lonely existence. He could not remember the last time he was touched affectionately from a friend or companion.

Alkereth was silent again, trapped inside his own thoughts. He gave Hilda her head again so that she could dip her muzzle into the water to drink. In the meantime, he looked for a clear bank to have a quick rest and perhaps smack Emery's stupid arm back in place. Then, she had to go and point out his blush. He had forgotten how obvious it was for him. Curse his pale skin.

"What are you talking about? I'm not, you are obviously seeing things. Be quiet, I'm trying to—be quiet!"

Spoken with more urgency, Alkereth stood rigid and brought a finger to his lips, straining his ears. The creek drowned out some of the other natural sounds, like rustling trees, but there was no mistaking it. Too much experience gave Alkereth a clue that something was amiss. He leaned in an spoke loud enough for Emery to hear, as a precaution.

"The birds have all gone quiet. Emery..."

There was every reason for his skin to erupt in goosebumps. He was not the kind of man to fear; he had faced inexplicable horrors in his life that would drive most people mad. But this time... he sensed danger he could not see, and it was this reason he felt worry.

"I think they're here. Trying to cut us off. Or lay traps. We need to get off the creek and make a break for it."

Alkereth was taking off his amice. "Come here, I'm going to tie this around your arm and neck to avoid jostling it." He was growing frustrated that he had not been able to heal it, but it was the best he could do. If Emery allowed it—-even if she argued and snarled—-Alkereth would insist that there is nothing remotely magical about his attire, it's just light armor and priestly vestments.

"Are you ready?"

[Rhindeer]

Cat got his tongue? So it seemed.

Emery snickered, because it was just too easy. If she spoke this way to one of her own religion's priests, surely she would go straight to hell, but he wasn't of her faith so he got to deal with her. It had been quite a while since she had met someone this repressed and easily scandalized—no, that's a lie, she had dealt with her share of Adhara.

Thank GOD she had not been born Adhara. She would not have lasted.

"No? That's not a blush? Hmm, a nasty rash, perhaps? Damn, you should really get that looked at, does it go all the way to your ba—"

She cut off with a jerk, his first demand to be silent ignored but not the second. The shift in his voice made her tense, made her sit straighter. And, indeed, she could hear what he did—or rather, what he didn't. The forest was quiet but for the faint rustle of wind through leaves.

Quiet forests meant scarier predators were about.

Emery met the mage's eyes and didn't like the worry she saw there. Because he didn't seem the sort that really expressed worry at all.

Shit...

"I hate dealing with people as stubborn as I am..." she said quietly, trying hard to keep the anxiety out of her voice. But this was...bad. The mage was just one person, and she was in no condition to fight. If they were caught... "The hell-beasts weren't deterrent enough? Fuck."

Surprisingly, she did not fight him when he fashioned the sling from his amice, and her snarling was only because it hurt to move. She leaned down to make it easier though, cooperative and uncomplaining for once in her life. She was trying hard to hide her weakness like a wounded animal tried to act fine, but her mind was racing, trying to decide just how screwed they were.

She was leaning toward "massively screwed with zero foreplay."

When he was done, she gently tested her new sling, then nodded. "Ready," she said, and drew a shaky breath. "We're running a bit low on options, I'm afraid. The next town is still half a day away, at least. At some point, we may have no choice but to stand our ground. I hope you're ready for that possibility, too."

[Avelithe]

Alkereth knew he had the strength to cast at least one more spell. He was stretching it already with the Shadowbeasts. Just as he was wondering if he should cast another to buy them some time, he tilted his head a little and gave Emery a wry smile as he gestured for her to take the back seat again. His smile was subtle, but it was there nonetheless.

"Really? Used to getting your way all the time, Princess?"

He grasped the saddle and mounted Hilda again. He guided the horse back to dry land, keeping his eyes and ears peeled to any out of the ordinary sounds. Hilda's instincts was also given attention—animals tend to sense danger faster than humans.

"I'm afraid my little tricks are running thin..." He sighed impatiently. "They helped. But they don't stay in this world for long. Summoning them takes a lot out of me. And they're not hell-beasts. They're... they're hard to explain. I doubt your tiny baby brain could handle it if I explained it all to you, even with the simplest words."

Alkereth wanted to keep the conversation at minimum, but he could not help but take (playful?) jabs. But if they already knew he and Emery were out here, there was not much he could do to control the damage already done.

"I am certain we're not through with bounty hunters. The birds had sung even with us traveling through... but now..." There was little time to make a thorough thought-out decision. Both he and Emery weren't in the best of shape; he noticed now more than ever how sore his body was, and how tired. Adrenaline had kept him going so far, and allowed him to ignore the pain. Now he was starting to feel it. Muscle cramps was a real bitch to deal with.

A few day's rest would likely bring him back to complete and full recovery, but he was not sure when he would ever receive that luxury again.

"We should find somewhere safe to camp. I can stand guard so that you and your horse can rest. Ugh... it's not ideal; we've barley moved."

Wait a moment. Why was he complaining? This was a good thing, right? Postpone the inevitable...

An arrow flew past their heads. Alkereth dug his heels into Hilda.

Suddenly, a steed and rider tore out of the trees. The rider wore moss and leaves, and so did his animal, and he rode down upon them fast, flying through obstacles like they were nothing.

The animal looked like a deer, but not like a deer Alkereth ever laid eyes upon.

[Rhindeer]

Princess? Princess? He did not just throw her own quip back at her! Emery scowled, muttering, "Don't call me princess, princess," at him—but she also didn't bother to deny it. Because, uh, the truth was: yes. Yes, she kind of was used to getting her way. Being a Mordecai had come with certain privileges, with respect. Things usually did go her way, and when they didn't, she could make them.

She wasn't used to not having control of a situation, and this situation had spiraled faster than she could have predicted—and she had not missed the mage's smile. Yeah, he had read her like a bloody book, but that didn't mean she was going to admit it.

She scooted back to allow the mage into the saddle, wincing, but was secretly grateful to have him there. Once again, he acted as a pillar to support her, and once again she was not shy about wrapping her arm around his middle. She was fully aware of how...strange this situation was, but she didn't have the energy, mental or physical, to confront it. She didn't really want to. If she thought about how he was helping her, how he had defended her against their attackers, hunted for her, made a sling for her, and was now guiding them through this whole mess when he could have easily given her up or let her die...

No. Don't even go there. Right now, they just had to do what they needed to do to get through this.

And it seemed she wasn't the only one who was low on resources. He couldn't summon more?

Good. As much as it may have helped, she wished to never see those beasts again.

"Don't be pretentious. A student is only as good as their teacher," Emery said, leaning her cheek against his back. Tiny baby brain? Really? She wouldn't understand? Really? Cue giant eye-roll. For some reason, that especially annoyed her, and she let it stew beneath the surface as he spoke of their hunters, and the possibility of rest, and...oddly complained about their lack of progress? Odd.

"Hm, good idea. Hey, maybe while we camp, the big smart mage man can explain the real hard magics to my itty bitty baby brain. Because clearly I, a person who has devoted a lifetime to dealing with magic, who has up close and personal experience with that shit, who has been trained extensively in all things related to that topic—clearly I could not possibly understand the very thing I have spent my life pursuing. Ooh, magic, so mysterious and profound! Ooh, magic, so deep! So—!"

She cut off with a startled squeak when an arrow whooshed past their heads, ducking reflexively. Before she could even fully process that they had almost been shot, the culprit revealed themselves.

All green and leaves and moss and speed, he did not look like he belonged to the same ragtag group of hunters.

And that was certainly no horse.

With the speed he was traveling, there was also no way Hilda could outrun him.

What the fuck?

Did they stand their ground? She had mentioned that before, but she had really been hoping not to do it so soon. Or ever, really.

Clutching the mage tighter, she twisted a little so she could shout to the rider, "Oh, fuck off, already! We don't have the stupid goddamned star!"

[Avelithe]

Alkereth did not answer. It was not that he did not want to, but they were being barreled down upon by a fierce and unflinching warrior. This one might be difficult to shake off.

"HOLD ON!"

Poor Hilda was likely terrified and exhausted, but Alkereth pushed her through the wild. Branches clawed at their faces and hair, and still he pushed her until her sides heaved. She was no Starmount.

The deer and rider kept at their heels, but did not advance any farther than they closed in. When Alkereth chanced a glance back, he saw the hunter mount another arrow on a handsome bow. There was no face that could be seen; this mystery man was hooded with a painted mask.

Alkereth saw an opportunity: he steered Hilda into a path he thought may work, but suddenly an arrow flew by them again, forcing a whinnying Hilda back on the path ahead. Glancing back again, he saw the rider take position to his right, as if intending to... flank? No, no, this was all wrong. What was the hunter doing?

Then, it occurred to him. Each arrow missed, and the hunter was moving in such a way that disabled them from steering off the intended path.

"HE'S DRIVING US!"

Alkereth grit his teeth, angry. For once in his life, he thought about setting this world on fire and be the villain everyone seemed so keen to make him out to be, but that was just the side of him that had grown tired of this bullshit and was ready to retire in braindead stasis somewhere, undisturbed, for the rest of time. Seriously, just fuck everybody right now.

The hunter did not answer. There was such a tight focus about him as he leaped over and around every single tree, moving like water. Every time his quarry moved one way, he barred their path to keep them on track.

Alkereth concerned over what spell to use. There was a chance for more bodily damage, so he wanted to keep enough of his energy to heal later. But if they didn't shake off their pursuer now... they'd both be dead. This was their last chance.

Drawing his sword and lifting it to the sky, Alkereth muttered words. The heavens rumbled and formed a cluster of black clouds which suddenly cast a bolt of lightning down upon the steel. Imbued with a powerful lightning, Alkereth trained his sword on the hunter and cast massive bolts at him.

The hunter evaded every single one with leaps and bounds.

How?

HOW?

Alkereth leaned over, fuzzy and clutching his chest. He pushed it too far, and his most impressive spell missed. That was it, that was all he had in him, and yet the hunter continued to tail them, driving them. But to where?

Summoning the last of his strength, Alkereth tried to veer off the path.

"Leave us ALONE!" he shouted.

He thought he was successful once or twice, but there was the hunter again, appearing at their flank and driving them back. Alkereth kept his sword out, and attempted to swing every time the hunter drew near, but he was never close enough for melee to matter.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted to Emery. "I'm so tired..."

[Rhindeer]

This wasn't looking good.

The rider countered the mage's every maneuver, as if they knew his actions before he knew them himself. At first, she thought they had gotten lucky not to be struck, but those missed shots soon became too obvious. Too directed. He wasn't attacking them, not really...

Then the mage made his observation, and it clicked. The rider was acting much like she had seen a sheepdog act toward a flock. Pushing, driving, but not harming—yet.

And she could feel that Hilda was at her limit, sides heaving against her legs.

Shit. Shit shit. Emery's mind raced, poring over their options and hating every single one. One was beginning to stand out among them, though—probably the worst one, but maybe the only one.

The mage even attempted a spell in a last desperate effort, and though Emery shut her eyes and flinched at the noise of it, heart in her throat as she realized she truly had no idea the full extent of what he was capable of—she did not complain or try to stop him.

Color her a fucking hypocrite. She would pray on it later if she could. Well, at least now everyone within earshot knew which one of them was the mage.

Unfortunately, even that was not enough. Was the rider even human? Some demon? She felt Hilda slowing, heard the defeat and fatigue in the mage's voice, felt his tension. Fuck. Okay. Alright...

Emery gave him a tight squeeze around the ribs, more to get his attention than anything, and forced the words out. "Mage, stop. Just stop. We can't go where he's taking us," she said, just loud enough for him to hear. "We need to turn and face him. We need to make our stand here."

Was that crazy? No doubt. The two of them, bedraggled and exhausted and hurting, were no match for a skilled rider who was all fresh and peppy—with a long-ranged weapon to boot. But as the mage had said, he was driving them. If he had wanted to hit them, he could have, so the only reason he'd missed was because he wanted to.

Emery shivered, but not from the cold. "Never go with someone who wants to take you elsewhere," she said, and immediately felt the sting of irony in that statement, a sting that made her stomach twist uncomfortably. But she soldiered on, because now was not the time nor place to deal with, well, feelings. Not that any time was a good time for that. "The second location is always worse. We'll stand our ground. Now."

And then, a dry laugh. "They want you, Star, so you at least have a chance. Maybe it'll be better with them? Or maybe worse. But let's be optimistic here, hm? We can at least make this difficult for him."

Her voice was detached, flat, just laying out their options as she saw them running thin. She buried her fear deep down even though it wanted to claw her guts out—deep breaths, straight back, keep the mind focused on what needed to be done and not what could happen. They would have no use for her. Maybe they would kill her, maybe not. She had been told once once before that with her scars, she wouldn't be worth much even as a slave. Good.

Either way, if this was the end, then she wanted to meet it on her terms.

[Avelithe]

"Hold on a moment... you want us to what now? I think I have something in my ears, because I thought I heard a load of nonsense just now."

Massive sarcasm aside, Alkereth heard, but it was clearly none to his taste. His magical energy was completely gone now, and Emery thought it best to give Death another high five... so to speak.

There was no other option. Hilda's sides began to grow slick with sweat as they heaved in a loyal effort to keep going at the behest of her riders. Feeling terrible for pushing the good horse so hard, Alkereth gave in, and slowed her to a stop.

It seemed the hunter did not expect this change. Once the quarry stopped, so did he. He sat on his deer, both alert, still, and observing. It was difficult to make out any discerning features while being chased, but now that the deer was stationary, Alkereth saw that it was a seemingly ordinary stag wearing layers of camouflage with an impossibly white coat, and a head full of ivory antlers decorated with drops of moss. He was a big fellow with strong legs, but somehow, he gave Alkereth an eerie, almost familiar feeling.

Nostrils flared, the stag breathed out a cool mist, pale eyes staring. There was an intelligence about the creature that reminded Alkereth so dearly of...

Wait—

Impossibly white coat. An intelligence that reminded him of Lunrath. The eerie feeling.

"Is that a Starmount?" Alkereth asked, doing nothing to hide the excitement in his voice.

The hunter suddenly nocked back a pair of arrows that shifted between  Alkereth and Emery.

"That is a Starmount, isn't it?"

[Rhindeer]

Er...

The hell was a Starmount? And also just, what?

They were both staring death in the face, Emery stoic and resigned while the mage's mood had taken a 180 from anger and despair to excitement about a goddamned deer. She blinked rapidly, feeling very much out of the loop—it was a pretty deer, yes, so exciting—but she also wasn't sure it actually mattered, since the mage's excitement so clearly wasn't mutual.

The rider nocked his arrows, and Emery pinched the mage's side. "Maybe not right now?" she hissed in his ear. Why would he pick now to try to discuss animal breeds?! With an inward sigh, she awkwardly and wincingly slid down off of Hilda and held her good arm up over her head, fingers spread.

"Hey, so, dickface," she called, "At least, I assume that's why you'd wear a mask. You need something? You want to talk or something? Come on, spill it. You were riding so far up our asses I could taste you, so it's gotta be something important, right? Let's get on with it, then. You have our attention."

She was so getting shot. She just knew it. But once her damned mouth got going, it was difficult to stop. As she had told the mage before, when she had begged for her life at the end of that thug's knife, it had been an act. Her true fear response was this. Talk big, bluff, and curse. Fluff yourself up like a small animal trying to look bigger, and most importantly, try to convince yourself that you weren't actually afraid.

[Avelithe]

Alkereth tried to shrug off Emery and the words she spoke to him. The hunter and his white stag made him feel electric with raw excitement; it was difficult to focus on much else.

"HEY!" He grumbled, flinching from Emery's pinch. "Stop that! Just wait a second, Emery, seriously, you do not understand—"

"Leave."

Alkereth balked at the hunter's commanding voice slightly muffled behind the painted mask. The hunter was not a man, but a woman, low and matured with age.

"Y-you're not going to hurt us?" Alkereth inquired stupidly.

The hunter continued to hold her bow drawn. "I should for the damage you've caused us, 'Star'... Harbinger. I could spare the girl, but I am not kind to accomplices."

Alkereth's mind reeled. "You... you know me?"

"Leave this forest immediately. The next time we meet, I will kill you."

"Wait—but—you're—are you a Harbinger, too? Look—I'm stuck here, I don't have my mount, could you possibly help—"

The hunter answered by firing an arrow that lanced the flesh of his shoulder. Thankfully it was only a deep nick, but nothing else.

Alkereth yelped, and grasped his shoulder firmly. When he pulled his hand away, he saw blood soaking the glove. Despite having two arrows loaded, the hunter never fired her second arrow.

"Your final warning," she said. "I will be watching." The stag lowered his crowned head and stamped a hoof before turning away and disappearing into the woods with his rider.

[Rhindeer]

The instant the stag and rider were out of eyesight, Emery felt her knees buckle and her spine turn to jelly. She staggered, caught herself against Hilda's side, and let out the breath she had been holding in a loud whoosh. She felt like she could puke if she had anything in her stomach to give, but thankfully the mage didn't get to witness that indignity, but she didn't think she could be blamed if she did. It wasn't often (read: ever) that she got to live through two near-death experiences in one day.

Ohholyfuck. They were both alive, somehow. And whole.

...Mostly whole.

She had shot the mage.

Emery collected herself as quickly as she could, smoothed her expression, and straightened. She was just tired, that was all. She definitely had not been afraid. She twisted around to face the mage, peering up at him.

"How bad is it?" she asked calmly, too calmly, and then added, "I will be happy to help you with it while you explain what the fuck that was all about. You know her? Or she knows you? What the FUCK?! What is a Starmount? What is a Harbinger? How the hell am I your accomplice?! I'm not your bloody accomplice! You're my prisoner!"

Okay. So maybe she wasn't so composed after all. Between the exhaustion, the panic, and the sheer confusion of what she had just witnessed, she was reeling.

[Avelithe]

Alkereth had long since sat against the trunk of a tree, holding his wounded shoulder. Without the amice that doubled as armor, that arrow bit into him good. He applied pressure with his hand to stem the flow.

He was in shock. And sharing Emery's sentiments that it was sheer dumb LUCK that they had come out of this alive at all. His mind hurled itself into all sorts of places, jumped and scrambled like a bowl of spaghetti and bowtie pasta, impossible to separate any of them to straighten out and think for five whole seconds.

For now, all he could feel was numb. He was so sure the hunter was a Harbinger. And after imploring and grasping for help... she denied him...

Emery's words jostled him back to reality. He could only look at her with mixed feelings.

"Please stop yelling at me," he sighed after a few painful moments of listening to her shrill voice. Exhausted, he let his head fall back on the bark.

"A Starmount is... a special kind of beast that... shapeshifts... ugh... they're... difficult to explain, because... they don't really shapeshift all that much... only to become... what we need... if that makes sense... but they're special, and... that's what my horse is... and that hunter's mount. You can... always tell by their coats... the way they shine, like starlight... and they give off this... this aura... it's never bad, but... it's like seeing the spring sun for the first time after months of winter. A warm, dazzling feeling. It was familiar. It's what I feel with my horse."

He fell silent, contemplating. There was no real harm explaining Starmounts, not now that there was one... here. Of all places.

Alkereth grimaced. The adrenaline rush was over, and the pain started creeping in. Hell, he really thought he'd get used to this by now.

"I'm a Harbinger. One of many. And no, I don't... I don't know her. I think that hunter is a Harbinger, too. What is she doing here..."

There could be several reasons. His mood went from numb, to dread. If a Harbinger was here... did that mean something was coming?

"I need to find out why she's here... it could be important. Maybe... maybe you should... you know... because I am still your prisoner... someone should figure out what's happening... you know where to find her."

He did not think he needed to finish. There was no point in trying to fight it any more. But, Alkereth realized that it was better to have a temporary ally than to get dragged along as an enemy and get killed for it. Maybe Alkereth's mind was too boggled to think right anymore. Nothing made sense. He was close to getting killed more times than he could count on his fingers around Emery.

[Rhindeer]

"So...special shiny magic horses?" Emery concluded, and quickly added, "Or deer. Beasts. So they can just be...whatever? Okay, makes sense I guess, I get that. Special mounts. Right..."

She paced a little in front of him, restless. Starmount. Okay. That sounded...not too crazy, aside from the magical bits, but whatever. She had dealt with shifters before. It wasn't too unheard of.

The other word, however, sounded far more ominous. Harbinger. Something that foreshadowed a coming...something. Like a prophecy, or an event, or a disaster, or a person. A robin was a harbinger of spring, a locust was a harbinger of plague. It could be good or bad, but she had really only heard it used before the word "doom".

"Okay, great, so what the fuck is a Harbinger?" she repeated, because he had told her that he was one, and the Hunter might be one too, and she had already guessed as much from their conversation! He wasn't telling her anything about that that she hadn't figured out from listening in, which was also a lot of nothing. Did he not want to say? He was certainly being far more indirect about this topic in comparison to his poetic waxing about horses.

"What do you mean find out why she's here? Like hell! She was pretty damned transparent about her feelings toward us—which, right, we should probably fuck off now. C'mon. Get up. Up, up. We can ride and talk, I'm not getting shot like idiot over here and I am going to literally lose my mind if something else goes wrong. Move it."

She held her good hand out to him impatiently, anxious to get going. She did not like his change in behavior. He seemed shaken, and deeply so, and that couldn't be a good sign.

[Avelithe]

Alkereth hadn't forgotten—but he was in such a state of shock, it only felt like seconds had gone by before his companion told him in the most Emery way possible that it was time to go.

"Yes... essentially... that is what a Starmount is. I... got separated from mine before you found me, if you recall. To lose her... it would be devastating."

He allowed himself to be helped up. Something glinted on the ground, which made him remember that he had dropped his sword after receiving the arrow. He picked it up and sheathed it.

His arm stopped bleeding, at least. He offered to take front again since, of the two, his arm was actually still in working condition. In retrospect, he could not help but admire Emery's tenacity through all this... including her injured shoulder.

At Emery's question, the Harbinger could only swallow and shake his head. "I cannot... disclose that information," he murmured to her. "Believe me... if I could, I would. But I would be in breach of a contract forged between my Starmount and I. I cannot risk it, even if she is..." He could not utter the word 'gone'.

"Look... when a Harbinger is around... it is never a good sign. There's a saying about us that goes... Harbingers are bearers of omen. It's... imperative to discover why she is here. If there is impending disaster, perhaps she could help..."

If that is so... why did he not feel the disaster coming? Or was that why...

Ugh. Thinking too deep hurt his brain.

[Rhindeer]

Emery couldn't help it. When the mage stated that it was never a good thing when a Harbinger was around, Emery barked a laugh so suddenly it made her shoulder scream from the sudden jerk. She yelped an "owwwfuck!" right after, hissing through her teeth, but couldn't stop the laughter entirely.

"Oh, REALLY? When a Harbinger is around it's a bad thing? You don't say!" she said, giddy from exhaustion and just...the sheer ridiculousness of it all. "You have been an absolute fucking harbinger of DISASTER. I have run out of the fingers needed to list everything that has gone wrong since I've met you—I'll be working on my toes soon! Wait, I think I have it!"

She grinned viciously, poking the mage in the side. "Clearly she was a harbinger for you! You are the doom! There, mystery solved. Let's find a fucking place to camp already, the day is lost."

She let her forehead thump against his back, utterly exhausted, starving, slowly crashing from adrenaline, and hurting. She could not take anymore surprises. 

[Avelithe]

You know? Emery's thought process was about damn near identical to Alkereth's. The idea pounded intrusively into his skull until it became a headache.

Was that Harbinger there because of me?

"Emery... shut up. Stop laughing. Emery... Mordecai... Em... harlot... whore..."

The groan was so audible from his personal misery and discontent, that he did little to stem his own noise.

"By all means, you STUPID hyena, try opening your mouth WIDER, perhaps something more INTELLIGENT will fly in there and take over your brain, or lack thereof."

Pretty sure this was said already, but this sure was going to be one helluva long journey.

They had lost a lot of daylight with little ground covered. At least they had reached the edge of the forest. Without the protection of trees, they were exposed. The closest road was a few miles away.

Alkereth saw a wide sea of rocky hills and valleys. A ways off, the yawning mouth of a cave looked inviting.

"Unless there's any nasty wolves or bears," he snorted, "we should think about camping there. Here, why don't I go and have a glimpse, Your Hyena-ness?"

He was already dismounting Hilda and marching over the tall grass to the potential shelter.

[Rhindeer]

Oh God HELP HER.

The mage's insults only made her laugh harder, which of course hurt, which made her laugh even more, because she was so gone. Her soul had left her body. And since when did ordering someone not to laugh ever make them stop laughing?!

She alternated between helpless giggles and gasps of pain, unable to even feel insulted. God, what was wrong with her?

"Harlots get paid, prude! Or are you jealous? You sound jealous!" she snickered out, her tears wetting his back. "And if you call me 'Em' again, so help me, I'm coming for your fingernails. Oh fuck, ow, ow!"

By the time they arrived at the cave, she had mostly gotten herself under control. Mostly. For which her shoulder, abs, and head were very much grateful for, since everything had decided to start aching. Until, of course, he went and ruined it.

Her HYENA-NESS!

"Stooooop!" she wheezed. "Fucking ass! I sound nothing like a hyena! You sound like—like a duck though, squawking all the time about everything!" Oh, that didn't even make much sense. She truly was tired. "Let's just go already. I'm sure it's fine. If a bear wants to eat me at this point, honestly, it's fine."

Gritting her teeth, she slid down off of Hilda and marched off after him, soon catching up. She even went so far as to go ahead of him so she could peek briefly into the cave and give a one-shouldered shrug.

"Looks fine, yep, alright, grab our shit and let's go the fuck to sleep."

[Avelithe]

"Jealous? Why would I be jealous?" Alkereth replied nastily. "I do not hear you denying it, so you're proving my point." For whatever reason, the topic succeeded in making him extremely grumpy. "Maybe you should pray more."

His words were drowned out by Emery's laughter. Hissing through his nose, he turned heel to investigate the cave.

The cave was not very deep. When Alkereth walked inside, he had to bend down a little to avoid his skull hitting the stone roof, mildly cracked with roots breaking through. He saw that it contained old supplies from previous travelers, long since covered in dust. Frying pans, chopped firewood, thick rolled animal pelts to rest on. There was a chest with a lock that piqued Alkereth's interest, but not enough to try digging in there... yet.

Nobody had come in through here for ages. Supplies remained scant, but at least the cave was comfortable. Whatever else they needed was packed away on Hilda, he was sure.

"Perhaps... hunter's stay in here some times...?" he murmured, giving out a big yawn. At this point, he did not care about the previous occupants, but suffice to say, bears and wolves avoided this place. There was a small trickling stream nearby. A stream, however small, could mean fish.

Alkereth had already rolled out the furs. "I'll take tonight's watch," he reminded her. He was tired, but even if he could just sit down for a while, maybe even meditate beneath the light of the moon, he could regain a little strength.

"Quack. Alright Your Hyena-ness... first thing's first. Let's take a look at your shoulder." He was already sitting with legs crossed, patting the fur in front of him. "Don't worry, I couldn't heal it even if I wanted to. Magic's clean gone."

Through the midst of all of this, Alkereth was certain that Emery's horse quickly found the softest patch of grass to lie on. The poor girl needed rest, too.

[Rhindeer]

"Deny what? That I've had sex? Consensual, passionate, sloppy dirty sex? That I—gasp!—didn't save myself for a marriage I'm never going to have? Oh, I am just the worst! Forgive me, Father, I have sinned and will sin again! Probably a lot!" Emery snorted with another roll of her eyes. She had been doing a lot of that lately.

She had followed him into the cave, taking note blearily that bears and wolves were likely the least of their concerns, considering all the human evidence strewn about. She still couldn't be assed to care—if hunters did decide to stop here and found them, oh well, at least she got some bloody sleep first. At that moment, the only thing she cared about were those furs and getting her ass on them.

Oh, and her shoulder. That, too.

The mage rolled out the furs, and her urge to flop down on them was tempered only by the knowledge that sudden movements hurt. So she settled down carefully in front of him, cross-legged as well, and had to fight back another loopy fit of giggles when he quacked. Oh, this was so stupid! But at least she didn't have to fight it too hard, because she was also about to get her arm fussed with and that was a bit of a mood-killer.

"Okay, Princess," she said once she had gotten comfortable. She fiddled with the amice with her good hand, doing her best to untie it. "Just be quick about this. You ever done this before? I know mages like you rely on magic for just about everything—practically helpless without it, some of you. So, uh. I'm no doctor, but I've had this done once before. I could probably guide you."

Not ideal. But whatever.

She managed to pick the knot loose and slid the amice off, holding her arm after to brace it. Her coat came after, painful but also fairly easy to get out of. "You're not going to like this part, but help me take off my shirt," she said, and quickly gave him a dry look.

"Don't worry, your virgin eyes will remain unblinded. I bind. There's nothing to see. Not much even without it, if I'm being honest."

She was already struggling to get her good arm out of the sleeve, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from whining too much. She knew what her shoulder must look like beneath her shirt—bruised and swollen and a bit lopsided. At least this time, it didn't feel like a complete dislocation. Maybe partial, since she could still move her arm if she wanted to, which she didn't because it was excruciating.

[Avelithe]

Alkereth grew tired of Emery's nonsense, and stuffed his fingers into his ears while yelling:

"LA LA LA LA LA NOT LISTENIIIIING."

When that didn't work (he could still pick up a few things that made him blush), he dropped his hands and scowled at her like a cat that had its tail trod on. Unclasping the old holy book bound in chain at his hip, he held it aloft, muttering an incomprehensible prayer, before attempting to give the top of Emery's head a light smack.

"I said... be quiet, you shameless slut."

He put his holy book away, helped untie his amice, and put that aside for now.

"No." He looked grumpier than ever. "Look, I'm not going to confirm nor deny whatever your assumptions are... but even if I am that... that word you just said... doesn't make me an idiot. I've seen women... unclothed before. Plenty of times." He failed to mention that these women were ancient sacred statues at his Temple. "Why bind if there's not much there, then?"

Trying to swallow back anything that threatened to reveal his insecurities (too late, to be honest), he also helped Emery out of her top. His hands trembled as he did this.

The bruise distracted from anything else, thankfully. He stared at it with a grimace. If only could heal the damn thing. "Alright," he said, heaving a huge exasperated sigh. "Tell me how to do this."

[Rhindeer]

Was he seriously doing this? He was seriously doing this. Plugging his ears and babbling like a toddler. And now he was praying? Pulling out a book? Really?

"You have got to be kidding me. What are you--? Are you praying? Oh my GOD you are so childish--ack!" He smacked the top of her head before she saw it coming, and she swatted reflexively at his hand and missed. Wait a second!

"Did you just--did you try to exorcise me or something?" She was genuinely baffled. She couldn't even be mad about the slut comment--not that it was the first time she had heard it. Men could sow their wild oats to their heart's content and no one said a word, but if a woman dared do anything remotely similar, suddenly it was news.

And it just kept getting better.

Emery burst into laughter when he confirmed with a lot of denial that he was, indeed, pure as his snowy hair. He'd seen lots of naked women, he claimed. He wasn't an idiot, he claimed. She snickered, helping him with her shirt as much as she was able, practically feeling his nerves. Were his hands shaking? Oh my God. This was too rich. Did he not see how denial only made his situation worse?

"Boy, you're trembling like a maiden on her wedding night and we're not even getting naked," she said, grinning like a shark that smelled blood. Free of her shirt, she tossed it with her coat and shivered without her layers, goosebumps rising along her freckled skin. Beneath her clothes she had the slender build of a swordsman--not much bulk but a lot of lean, wiry muscle, with old scars lacing her arms. "But sure. Of course. You are oh so worldly, I'm sure, and definitely not undone by a little shoulder and clavicle."

His question about why she bound her chest made her twitch--and she could feel her cheeks warm, much to her dismay. "Because there's not nothing there!" she said, a sharpness to her voice that she hadn't intended. Struck a nerve, had he? It was one thing if she made the self-deprecating joke, and quite another if someone else commented! "Also it keeps my nipples from chaffing," she added with a sidelong look his way, reining in the insecurity as best as she could. "I could always just take it off if you feel it's unnecessary."

And she was not the sort to make empty bluffs.

She turned until her injured shoulder was facing him. "Alright. You'll like this part, I think, because you get to hurt me," she said with a wry smile. "Basically, uh..." She grimaced. She was so not ready, however necessary it was. This part hurt more than the initial injury--because the injury had had time to tense and swell and get all angry. She was already sweating despite the cold, because while they had joked about her being a masochist, she really wasn't. "I need you to...basically push it back in. When I had it done last time, he sort of...held my wrist and my upper arm and just pushed--slowly, but firmly. You'll feel it click. You'll see it, too. See how the bone isn't right and my collarbone's crooked? Yeah. I'm pretty sure that's it. Like I said, I'm not a doctor, I just vaguely remember it and how it was the fucking worst so...have fun!"

She took deep breaths. "Booze would be nice."