Post by LancerZero on May 1, 2009 15:00:39 GMT
Chapter 17
After Declan and Serylis picked their room and pulled the curtains closed, they both immediately noticed the lack of privacy for whoever would be bathing. Then the tiny size of the beds...and finally the “uniforms” Lira had mentioned. As it turned out, they were simple olive green garments of a military cut, but with no distinguishing markings. However...there was only one towel.
“You go first,” Declan offered. “You're the one that got stabbed.”
“Pfft. Sure, it stung, but you got hurt worse than me. I saw that thing he did to you – what'd he do? Burn off your magic or something?”
“Yeah...something like that. But it didn't make me bleed, and...” The magic knight sighed, and pushed a stray bunch of hair out of his face. “Look, I'm offering. You wanna go first or not?”
Serylis shrugged. “Sure. I'll be able to dry off faster than you, anyway.” Declan turned to leave the room, but was stopped by her hand on his shoulder. “Hold up now. I'm not kickin' you outta the room...just don't stare, eh?”
Declan gulped, and sat down on one of the lower bunks while Serylis walked back over to the tub. “So, uh, what do you think about...” his voice trailed off as she started the water running and tossed her armor aside, followed shortly by her filthy clothes.
“Ugh, guess I needed a change of clothes anyway. I think those are the same rags I left my farm wearing, heh.” She couldn't see where he was looking; she was facing the tub, making sure it didn't overflow. “What were you saying?”
“Right.” The magic knight moved himself further down the bed towards the tub, so he could lower his voice and still be heard. “What do you think about these guys?”
Before answering, she turned off the water and hopped in, splashing a bit over the edge. Leaning back in the tub, she sighed a bit...and then caught sight of Declan. “Hey! What'd I say about staring?”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway...hard to say. I still don't trust Vix. She may seem like she's changed, but I'm gonna need a bit more before I'll buy it. Valedec seems way too normal to be in with her, he's gotta be hiding something. Kali seems lightheaded, but not bad. Jessabelle's green as all hell, but again, not bad. Seems to have her head on straight. Lira and Nekrisia...I bet they've got histories. They know too much to be as simple as they say.” She frowned at one of her wings, which had managed to collect quite a bit of dirt on one of the tatters. “What about you?”
Declan sighed. “I dunno about Vix either. I mean, I SAW you there, completely helpless...she could've killed you before I could stop her, but she didn't even hurt you. It would've been easier for her to just go all-out and take us down – you remember the way she fought in the hangar. If she wanted to take us down, she could've done it.”
“Unarmored?” Serylis snorted. “I don't know about that. I was kicking HER butt before she put me to sleep.”
“Yeah, unarmored...she was holding back on you, Sery. Remember how Marco kicked Rufus' ass in that duel? Practically killing him in one hit? Even he was scared to challenge Vix. And Rufus wasn't exactly the toughest guy in our little party, but I've gotta believe that Vix could still wipe the floor with us. She didn't, so either she's desperate for help, or she really has changed and was telling the truth about being possessed by the Mist.” He shrugged, stealing a look at Serylis. “Only time will tell.”
The dragoness, apparently finished washing, stood up, shook off, and got out of the tub...Declan hit his head on the bunk above in surprise as she breathed fire all over herself. “OW! My freakin' head...mind warning me before taking a fire & brimstone shower next time?”
“Only if you're close enough to be in it,” she told him with a grin, her skin still smoking. “Anyway, all dry. Your turn.”
“Are ya sure you don't need a bath?” Kali asked as she finished drying herself off, and threw on her new 'uniform'.
“Quite,” Nekrisia replied.
“So, um...now that I'm done and you don't need to, wanna hear a story?”
“No.”
“A song?”
“Oh good heavens, no.”
“Are you sure? I know this really great one about a chocobo and three moogles! It goes: Oooooooh, there once was a-” The huntress scowled mightily, and Kali interrupted herself, bouncing up and down like a teenager. “C'mon, there's gotta be something you like hearing!”
“Yes,” the huntress confirmed as she lay down on a bunk. “Silence. Complete silence. Say not a word, and you shall have in me a most pleased audience.”
Kali frowned, and lay down on a different bunk.
At first, a similar scene to the one in Declan and Serylis' room played out between Valedec and Vix...with a few key differences.
After the order had been decided – Vix first, due to her dye and the fact that she felt cold – Valedec took a seat on the bunk...only to have a disrobed Vix turn him around and yank him off it. “I want to be sure all the dye is off...and to do that, I shall require your eyes and hands to reach where I cannot.”
“Well, who am I to refuse such a request?” he answered with a half-grin.
“Ah, but you forget...in order to do so, you must join me!” Valedec only just managed to avoid being tossed into the tub ahead of her, and failed to escape her flailing grasp as she fell in. The result was the dark knight cackling heartily as Val tried to wring out his clothes, suddenly heavy with water.
“Now that was unfair!” he protested.
“Here, allow me to assist you with that...”
“Whoa there, watch the claws!”
“What? I don't bite...oh, fine. Killjoy.”
“Did I ever tell you you're one seriously crazy lady?”
“Many times.”
“Good, just checking.” By this point, the beleaguered rune knight had finally given up on defeating his loom-born nemesis, and Vix had stood back up. “So...what now?”
“Well, you pour water over me where you see gray. Obviously, I cannot do so.”
“At all?”
“My back. I cannot do so on my back, you lascivious knight.”
“Lascivious, eh? I do seem to recall a certain lady pulling me in here after her birthday-suit clad self. Anyway...pour with what? No cups.”
Vix sighed, and turned away so he could see her back. “Then use your hands. Improvise!” He did what he could, but it was slow going. To pass the time, she asked, “So, what is your opinion on my associates?”
Heh. We're in the bathtub together, and she's talking business. That's Vix for ya! “First of all, I want you to know I'm proud of you.”
“Proud of me? Whatever for?”
“For not killing Serylis. Neh! I saw the look on your face. I know that glint, the one you get before you kill somebody...and it would've been more efficient to do so. Take her out, then kill Declan while Kali had him distracted. That's what the Mist-you would've done, for sure. But you didn't. You demonstrated self-control, and you made them stand down, even though you got an axe in the side for it. While I DO wish you wouldn't go around getting yourself hit with giant axes, I'm proud of you nonetheless.”
Vix shrugged. “Thank you, I suppose...though I would hardly call restraining myself from delivering a killing blow the highest of charity. Now answer my question, or I shall dunk you a second time!”
“Heh. Well, Serylis kinda reminds me of you, but more implacable and...hard to describe. More...primal, I guess. Not sure how well I'll trust her, but she sure seems to have a soft spot of her own for Declan. And him for her, for that matter.”
“Ha!” Vix scoffed, splashing her chest with little regard to the fact that Val was right behind her. “I'll believe that when I see it.”
Val sputtered from the water Vix had inadvertently flung in his face, dumped a handful of water on top of her head, and replied “Mebbe so. Um...mind telling me where you got all these scars? You've got a nasty-looking cluster of stab wound scars that look pretty recent.” As he helped her wash, he felt her body tense. “Sorry...if it's a sore subject, you don-”
“No. No, it is time I told you.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I was deceived and captured by a ninja once, a couple of weeks ago, when I was still in Itzal's employ. He shackled my hands and feet to the wall, and proceeded to stab me until I hovered near death, then heal me and do it all over again. And over. And over...and when he realized it was not working, he elected to remove the tip of my tail, break my left leg, then unshackle my hands so that I would flop forward on my face.”
Valedec said nothing; instead, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. She put her hands on his and just stood there quietly. A few moments of silence later, her shoulders loosened up a little, and she continued.
“He made the grave error of leaving a kunai within my reach when he left me like that, however, and in spite of my condition I managed to kill him when he returned. I would have died there, nonetheless, had it not been for Kael, Tracey, and Priscilla. I have told you of them, correct?” Valedec nodded; she couldn't see him do so, but felt his chin on her shoulder. She sighed. “I must admit, I shall miss them in the dark days ahead.”
“I'm here, though...and only way I'm leaving is if I'm dead. And not even then, if I can help it.” Though his words sounded almost silly, Valedec's voice was even.
Vix turned around with a wan smile, and returned his previous embrace. “I know. I am fortunate to have you.” She stood there with him for several minutes, until Valedec began to wonder if she was falling asleep on his shoulder...then she lifted her head up, and it was plastered with a predatory grin.
“Speaking of, it would appear that in the process of washing myself, I have gotten you quite covered in dye...and now you shall require MY help to ensure you have no grey spots!” Still grinning, she sat down and leaned back, hands behind her head in a pose of exaggerated relaxation. “But first, off with those soaked clothes...go on, take your time. I assure you I am quite comfortable.”
By the time they were done, dried, and dressed, everyone else was already eating in the dining area. Surprised looks greeted the two knights as they walked in – not because of the fact that they were both wearing the same olive green outfits as the others, nor because of the fact that Vix was now dye-free, but because of how long they'd taken.
Lira spoke up first. “So, ya didn't drown after all! From all tha splashin', I was startin' to get worried.”
Kali, as it turned out, was the first to notice. “Say, Val? Why are your feet gray?”
He looked down and, sure enough, he and Vix had somehow both forgotten to rinse his feet. “Um...I dunno?”
Jessabelle nearly spewed the water she'd been drinking all over the table. As soon as she'd gulped it down, she blurted, “You mean you were in the bath together!”
Kali did a double-take, and Declan didn't. “I think we all could've done without that observation, really.” Serylis seemed to disagree, as she snorted flame in hastily subdued laughter, leaving a scorch mark on the stone table.
Lira guffawed at the suddenly bashful knights as they took their seats. “Oh ho, you two're a riot, ya know that? Heheh...anyways, here's the plan: tomorrow morn', we walk the rest of the way through that tunnel to the beach, board the ship, an' wait fer my troops to get my signal an' arrive.”
“Won't we get noticed?” Valedec put in, trying to take attention away from his gray feet.
“Naw,” Lira scoffed. “They're too busy getting' ready fer this year's festival.”
“So...we just walk out there, and that's it?”
“Aye! So simple it can't go wrong! It really should be that simple. Leavin' the harbor's another thing...they've got the entrance blocked off, an' they're inspectin' every ship wantin' ta leave. But we'll figure it out after everyone's aboard.” Standing up, Lira made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now off ta bed with alla ya! An' Val an' Vix...” she winked. “See to it that ya actually go ta sleep at some point after gettin' in bed, eh?”
Lira just laughed as she dodged the biscuit Vix hurled at her face.
I know this chapter may push the PG-13 boundary a smidge, but I don't think it goes too far. Everything's implied. Anyways, next up: boarding the ship, and where the heck is everyone else?
After Declan and Serylis picked their room and pulled the curtains closed, they both immediately noticed the lack of privacy for whoever would be bathing. Then the tiny size of the beds...and finally the “uniforms” Lira had mentioned. As it turned out, they were simple olive green garments of a military cut, but with no distinguishing markings. However...there was only one towel.
“You go first,” Declan offered. “You're the one that got stabbed.”
“Pfft. Sure, it stung, but you got hurt worse than me. I saw that thing he did to you – what'd he do? Burn off your magic or something?”
“Yeah...something like that. But it didn't make me bleed, and...” The magic knight sighed, and pushed a stray bunch of hair out of his face. “Look, I'm offering. You wanna go first or not?”
Serylis shrugged. “Sure. I'll be able to dry off faster than you, anyway.” Declan turned to leave the room, but was stopped by her hand on his shoulder. “Hold up now. I'm not kickin' you outta the room...just don't stare, eh?”
Declan gulped, and sat down on one of the lower bunks while Serylis walked back over to the tub. “So, uh, what do you think about...” his voice trailed off as she started the water running and tossed her armor aside, followed shortly by her filthy clothes.
“Ugh, guess I needed a change of clothes anyway. I think those are the same rags I left my farm wearing, heh.” She couldn't see where he was looking; she was facing the tub, making sure it didn't overflow. “What were you saying?”
“Right.” The magic knight moved himself further down the bed towards the tub, so he could lower his voice and still be heard. “What do you think about these guys?”
Before answering, she turned off the water and hopped in, splashing a bit over the edge. Leaning back in the tub, she sighed a bit...and then caught sight of Declan. “Hey! What'd I say about staring?”
“Sorry.”
“Anyway...hard to say. I still don't trust Vix. She may seem like she's changed, but I'm gonna need a bit more before I'll buy it. Valedec seems way too normal to be in with her, he's gotta be hiding something. Kali seems lightheaded, but not bad. Jessabelle's green as all hell, but again, not bad. Seems to have her head on straight. Lira and Nekrisia...I bet they've got histories. They know too much to be as simple as they say.” She frowned at one of her wings, which had managed to collect quite a bit of dirt on one of the tatters. “What about you?”
Declan sighed. “I dunno about Vix either. I mean, I SAW you there, completely helpless...she could've killed you before I could stop her, but she didn't even hurt you. It would've been easier for her to just go all-out and take us down – you remember the way she fought in the hangar. If she wanted to take us down, she could've done it.”
“Unarmored?” Serylis snorted. “I don't know about that. I was kicking HER butt before she put me to sleep.”
“Yeah, unarmored...she was holding back on you, Sery. Remember how Marco kicked Rufus' ass in that duel? Practically killing him in one hit? Even he was scared to challenge Vix. And Rufus wasn't exactly the toughest guy in our little party, but I've gotta believe that Vix could still wipe the floor with us. She didn't, so either she's desperate for help, or she really has changed and was telling the truth about being possessed by the Mist.” He shrugged, stealing a look at Serylis. “Only time will tell.”
The dragoness, apparently finished washing, stood up, shook off, and got out of the tub...Declan hit his head on the bunk above in surprise as she breathed fire all over herself. “OW! My freakin' head...mind warning me before taking a fire & brimstone shower next time?”
“Only if you're close enough to be in it,” she told him with a grin, her skin still smoking. “Anyway, all dry. Your turn.”
“Are ya sure you don't need a bath?” Kali asked as she finished drying herself off, and threw on her new 'uniform'.
“Quite,” Nekrisia replied.
“So, um...now that I'm done and you don't need to, wanna hear a story?”
“No.”
“A song?”
“Oh good heavens, no.”
“Are you sure? I know this really great one about a chocobo and three moogles! It goes: Oooooooh, there once was a-” The huntress scowled mightily, and Kali interrupted herself, bouncing up and down like a teenager. “C'mon, there's gotta be something you like hearing!”
“Yes,” the huntress confirmed as she lay down on a bunk. “Silence. Complete silence. Say not a word, and you shall have in me a most pleased audience.”
Kali frowned, and lay down on a different bunk.
At first, a similar scene to the one in Declan and Serylis' room played out between Valedec and Vix...with a few key differences.
After the order had been decided – Vix first, due to her dye and the fact that she felt cold – Valedec took a seat on the bunk...only to have a disrobed Vix turn him around and yank him off it. “I want to be sure all the dye is off...and to do that, I shall require your eyes and hands to reach where I cannot.”
“Well, who am I to refuse such a request?” he answered with a half-grin.
“Ah, but you forget...in order to do so, you must join me!” Valedec only just managed to avoid being tossed into the tub ahead of her, and failed to escape her flailing grasp as she fell in. The result was the dark knight cackling heartily as Val tried to wring out his clothes, suddenly heavy with water.
“Now that was unfair!” he protested.
“Here, allow me to assist you with that...”
“Whoa there, watch the claws!”
“What? I don't bite...oh, fine. Killjoy.”
“Did I ever tell you you're one seriously crazy lady?”
“Many times.”
“Good, just checking.” By this point, the beleaguered rune knight had finally given up on defeating his loom-born nemesis, and Vix had stood back up. “So...what now?”
“Well, you pour water over me where you see gray. Obviously, I cannot do so.”
“At all?”
“My back. I cannot do so on my back, you lascivious knight.”
“Lascivious, eh? I do seem to recall a certain lady pulling me in here after her birthday-suit clad self. Anyway...pour with what? No cups.”
Vix sighed, and turned away so he could see her back. “Then use your hands. Improvise!” He did what he could, but it was slow going. To pass the time, she asked, “So, what is your opinion on my associates?”
Heh. We're in the bathtub together, and she's talking business. That's Vix for ya! “First of all, I want you to know I'm proud of you.”
“Proud of me? Whatever for?”
“For not killing Serylis. Neh! I saw the look on your face. I know that glint, the one you get before you kill somebody...and it would've been more efficient to do so. Take her out, then kill Declan while Kali had him distracted. That's what the Mist-you would've done, for sure. But you didn't. You demonstrated self-control, and you made them stand down, even though you got an axe in the side for it. While I DO wish you wouldn't go around getting yourself hit with giant axes, I'm proud of you nonetheless.”
Vix shrugged. “Thank you, I suppose...though I would hardly call restraining myself from delivering a killing blow the highest of charity. Now answer my question, or I shall dunk you a second time!”
“Heh. Well, Serylis kinda reminds me of you, but more implacable and...hard to describe. More...primal, I guess. Not sure how well I'll trust her, but she sure seems to have a soft spot of her own for Declan. And him for her, for that matter.”
“Ha!” Vix scoffed, splashing her chest with little regard to the fact that Val was right behind her. “I'll believe that when I see it.”
Val sputtered from the water Vix had inadvertently flung in his face, dumped a handful of water on top of her head, and replied “Mebbe so. Um...mind telling me where you got all these scars? You've got a nasty-looking cluster of stab wound scars that look pretty recent.” As he helped her wash, he felt her body tense. “Sorry...if it's a sore subject, you don-”
“No. No, it is time I told you.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I was deceived and captured by a ninja once, a couple of weeks ago, when I was still in Itzal's employ. He shackled my hands and feet to the wall, and proceeded to stab me until I hovered near death, then heal me and do it all over again. And over. And over...and when he realized it was not working, he elected to remove the tip of my tail, break my left leg, then unshackle my hands so that I would flop forward on my face.”
Valedec said nothing; instead, he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. She put her hands on his and just stood there quietly. A few moments of silence later, her shoulders loosened up a little, and she continued.
“He made the grave error of leaving a kunai within my reach when he left me like that, however, and in spite of my condition I managed to kill him when he returned. I would have died there, nonetheless, had it not been for Kael, Tracey, and Priscilla. I have told you of them, correct?” Valedec nodded; she couldn't see him do so, but felt his chin on her shoulder. She sighed. “I must admit, I shall miss them in the dark days ahead.”
“I'm here, though...and only way I'm leaving is if I'm dead. And not even then, if I can help it.” Though his words sounded almost silly, Valedec's voice was even.
Vix turned around with a wan smile, and returned his previous embrace. “I know. I am fortunate to have you.” She stood there with him for several minutes, until Valedec began to wonder if she was falling asleep on his shoulder...then she lifted her head up, and it was plastered with a predatory grin.
“Speaking of, it would appear that in the process of washing myself, I have gotten you quite covered in dye...and now you shall require MY help to ensure you have no grey spots!” Still grinning, she sat down and leaned back, hands behind her head in a pose of exaggerated relaxation. “But first, off with those soaked clothes...go on, take your time. I assure you I am quite comfortable.”
By the time they were done, dried, and dressed, everyone else was already eating in the dining area. Surprised looks greeted the two knights as they walked in – not because of the fact that they were both wearing the same olive green outfits as the others, nor because of the fact that Vix was now dye-free, but because of how long they'd taken.
Lira spoke up first. “So, ya didn't drown after all! From all tha splashin', I was startin' to get worried.”
Kali, as it turned out, was the first to notice. “Say, Val? Why are your feet gray?”
He looked down and, sure enough, he and Vix had somehow both forgotten to rinse his feet. “Um...I dunno?”
Jessabelle nearly spewed the water she'd been drinking all over the table. As soon as she'd gulped it down, she blurted, “You mean you were in the bath together!”
Kali did a double-take, and Declan didn't. “I think we all could've done without that observation, really.” Serylis seemed to disagree, as she snorted flame in hastily subdued laughter, leaving a scorch mark on the stone table.
Lira guffawed at the suddenly bashful knights as they took their seats. “Oh ho, you two're a riot, ya know that? Heheh...anyways, here's the plan: tomorrow morn', we walk the rest of the way through that tunnel to the beach, board the ship, an' wait fer my troops to get my signal an' arrive.”
“Won't we get noticed?” Valedec put in, trying to take attention away from his gray feet.
“Naw,” Lira scoffed. “They're too busy getting' ready fer this year's festival.”
“So...we just walk out there, and that's it?”
“Aye! So simple it can't go wrong! It really should be that simple. Leavin' the harbor's another thing...they've got the entrance blocked off, an' they're inspectin' every ship wantin' ta leave. But we'll figure it out after everyone's aboard.” Standing up, Lira made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now off ta bed with alla ya! An' Val an' Vix...” she winked. “See to it that ya actually go ta sleep at some point after gettin' in bed, eh?”
Lira just laughed as she dodged the biscuit Vix hurled at her face.
I know this chapter may push the PG-13 boundary a smidge, but I don't think it goes too far. Everything's implied. Anyways, next up: boarding the ship, and where the heck is everyone else?