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Post by Mila on Jul 7, 2015 15:07:35 GMT -6
Drei willingly got close enough to rest his head on her shoulder. Mile slowly shifted her position so tht they both could be comfortable. his head was buried at the crook of her neck. The shaman's breath gave her mixed sensations. Directly it tickled her indirectly she could feel a light chill down her spine, her heart started to beat faster, and a small but obvious tint of red graced her face. She was used to giving this sort of closeness not receiving it. Perhaps the campfire could hide it. The shaman then brushed a tear off her cheek. She felt herself partially freeze up. Nerves? She thought to herself. His fingers were cold or perhaps, she thought they were cold since her face was flushed.
"I..it's not fine. I.. don't.." She sighed softly. The mage grabbed her cloak from the distance using her foot. Her bare toes clung to the fabric. She pulled it close enough for her hand to grasp it then wrapped it around Drei.
"I don't like not knowing things. I.. don't.. know what's.. how to help you. I don't know what it is.. but.. I.. can feel it.. it's not a natural illness. Memories.. don't just disappear. I mean yes they do.. but not like that. Not that quickly.. and not in a manner like you say. You can remember other things.. but their image. And.. try as you might to.." She stopped herself.
"DON'T try to remember them right now. I.. don't even know what I'm saying." She shook her head. This was all too difficult for her to put into words. She tilted her head back to look at the clear sky. Then spoke again after a moment to collect her thoughts.
"I'm.. glad I am helping a little. But, you still feel so cold. And I am going to keep worrying, you are my friend. It's what I do. Have to make sure you are okay.. sort of." She was starting to regain some control over herself. But her words felt like they were stumbling out of her mouth with out any real thought behind them.
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Post by Drei on Jul 8, 2015 6:08:13 GMT -6
She was comfortable. That she allowed him to rest against her, he was grateful for. He was cold, and his body felt very rigid. She was soft however, and warm. Though the contrast felt weird at first, his tired state served to remove small traces of his typical reclusive anti-social nature. If not most of it, in actuality. Drei leaned his forehead to her neck near the curve as she wrapped her cloak around him. He felt his breathing begin to return to normal. He nestled against her slightly, closing his eyes before easing them open and looking out towards the fire. His snowy white hair served to hide most of his gaze as his amber hues lingered upon the crackling dancing orange flames.
As he heard Mila speak more, he smiled weakly and let a chuckle slip from his lips, that resonated within his chest. He was tired, but mostly tired of failing to remember that which he'd forgotten. "Don't worry Mila. I'll try not to. Who knows..maybe It'll come back to me yeah?"
He hadn't noticed the crimson flush that drew upon her cheeks. He did however, as he rested against her neck, notice her heart-beat seemingly quicken. It was a ..comforting sound. There was a small space where he quietly listened to it with his eyes closed, simply resting against her. The sound of the heart-beat was a mixture of tones. Fast. Soft. Strong. Defined. It was distinct as well, despite him being required to be so close to her to hear it. The Shaman shifted a bit under the cloak that was coiled around him like a blanket, resting against her a bit and tucking his knees to himself as if about to curl up. He spoke up again after a moment of gazing at the fire once more. "So Mila. Why haven't you been sleeping much? You looked tired and said you hadn't been that great.." It was obvious that the Shaman wasn't going to drop the topic, or let it linger in enigma for long.
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Post by Mila on Jul 8, 2015 9:28:27 GMT -6
The mage gulped lightly as Drei started to get more comfortable. His breathing managed to calm down which was a good sign. But now she had to deal with it's rythmic pace, the warm air that continued to tickle her breath. The chill that went down her spine slowly started to creep up as warmth. A warmth that she could feel itself getting stuck in the center of her chest. Gods.. why are we so ticklish in the strangest of places. Alright.. Calm down. Calm down. She closed her eyes and took slow steady breaths. She tried not to let the whole thing bother her. Remember the facts.. uh.. were warm. Drei's cold. Were sharing body heat. Ok.. good. Nothing to be jumpy out about. Then he started to speak.
"I.. haven't been sleeping well. Nightmare.. night watch. Keep thinking.. somethings out to get me. And for a while.. someone WAS out to get me. It's.. been an ordeal. Old fears and all." She said it so casually. Which masked the gravity of her situation. The nightmares were horrible and the constant fear of being captured did not sit well with the mage. Even though her assassin was eliminated thanks to Ryu the fear still lingered. The mage still kept her eyes closed. Out of instinct she wrapped her arm around Drei's shoulders. Giving him a bit more warmth and perhaps more of a feeling of closeness. Her body managed to calm itself down, her heart rate steadied.
Just as she felt warm enough, safe enough, her old haunts started to resurface. Her mind started to toss around the events in the wagon. Then another event that she could barely remember, something involving her brother, his hand, and another man. The mage opened her eyes once more. Her back was semi-moist with cold sweat. Guess.. i'm not sleeping tonight either. She sighed softly. All..right. Steady breaths.. calm down.
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Post by Drei on Jul 8, 2015 11:15:37 GMT -6
He wouldn't be able to sleep. That much he knew. He was getting comfortable now though. He tucked his knees forwards a bit more, curling up easier as he nestled against her neck and tried to focus on a few distinct things. Her pulse. The pops and crackles of the flames from the fire. Her words once she started speaking. The few minute things that would require him to sharpen his senses to get the minutia of. when she spoke of old fears and the whole ordeal. He shifted so that he could look at her partially while still rest against her. He wanted to cheer her up. She'd gone through such lengths to calm him down and help ease his pain. He had to find a way to help her.
His arm lifted institutionally. He couldn't remember which...but he knew one of his parents used to rub his back when he was upset. He didn't try to remember which either, lest the pain begin. He lifted his right hand and gently grazed his finger tips against the center of her back as he traced it up and down. He smiled a bit, or attempted to manage one as he ran his fingers along her back in a ghost of a touch. The boy spoke up while doing so, hoping to calm her as she tried to calm her own breathing. "Well..if it's any compensation..that something would have to deal with a stubborn horse and a sickly shaman first. Maybe their really really afraid of sweet rolls? Probably the only thing I have an excess of haha..."
Though he made the joke in passing...it wasn't really one. Attempting to bake sweets was something he'd picked up in Bulgar. He was decent at making them but...they didn't really help calm him down much sadly. The Ashen haired shaman chuckled as he rested against her, hand lightly brushing her back as he rested under the arm she'd wrapped around his shoulder.
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Post by Mila on Jul 8, 2015 12:16:27 GMT -6
The shaman went ahead to pat her back. Or rather his finger tips up and down her back. She was grateful that the leather guard protected most of her mid back and lower spine. Other wise she probably would have jumped out of her skin. Instead she stood very still trying her best to not squirm or flinch. She kept her head down in a small attempt to hide her flustered appearance. She curled her shaking hands into fists in order to get a better hold of her emotions. Despite her better judgment she felt herself bite the bottom of her lip.
"Dr-Drei. Please.. don't do that." She was trying to be polite.
"The.. spine touching. It.. I don't.. please don't. I know you mean well but.. It isn't helping." She pulled his hand away from her back. She let out a sigh of relief from her nose. Her head started to race with thoughts. Good thoughts, bad thoughts, odd thoughts, she shook her head. She couldn't take much more of this closeness. She gently pulled the shaman away from her so he could sit up on his own. The mage felt like she had spent the better portion of the night in a vegitable steamer. A cool breeze passed through giving her more of a chill.
"..Uh.." Her mind was starting to go elsewhere with the whole situation. But that thought was grounded to a halt the moment she remembered the Shaman talked about sweets.
"Wait! Wait..wait.. go back. Sweets? You brought sweets with you?" That was insensitive.
"Er.. I mean. Not that.. your health isn't important. And all.. but. but.." She sighed again. She felt like a kid who got caught with her hand inside a cookie jar.
"Sorry. I.. my guilty pleasure are sweets. Every time someone mentions it.. I kinda lose all focus." Part of her was glad she got distracted by baked goods another part of her felt disappointing, she wasn't sure why.
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Post by Drei on Jul 8, 2015 21:31:23 GMT -6
He gazed up at her with confusion suddenly as she asked him to stop. When her hand lightly guided his away, he did not show any signs of offense; evident disappointment however that he'd obviously not succeeded in cheering her up. It was weird to him. Something he knew would soothe and calm him down wasn't able to help her? Did it feel painful? He hadn't thought of that. It never occurred to him, but perhaps her back hurt as well? If it had, he would have just put her in more pain. Good Job Drei.. he internally berated himself.
Perhaps he had hurt her. As she stirred and slowly stood up, it caused his gaze to follow her with the lingering self-disappointment etched onto his expression. Here was a situation where he likely could have made things better; instead most likely alienating Mila when all she had wanted to do was help him. This process of self-harassment continued until she abruptly started speaking of the sweets he mentioned.
The ashen haired boy looked to her with a tilt of his head. Then he slowly stood up. Shaky still, and swaying with dizziness as he rose; only to walk past her slowly and move to his horse. The grazing steed seemed not even to notice his presence as Drei rummaged through his bags. From one of the larger ones he produced a small sack. Tugging at the drawstring, He walked back over to Mila with his palm extended. Within his palm was a small sweet-roll, a ruby red shine at the center sides to indicate a filling of either strawberry or cherry. He couldn't recall off the top of his head which berry he'd used. He spoke up quietly, with another nod.
"I make sweets sometimes. More so to help pass the time...but I've loads of them. Here..you can have some."
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Post by Mila on Jul 9, 2015 9:24:39 GMT -6
As Drei walked off somberly to get something from his bag, the mage couldn’t help but frown softly at him. The way he walked just made her feel bad. Perhaps.. He should have remained seated. I would have gotten up to get them. Ah.. the poor thing. She shook her head. A dull pain shot down from her neck into her shoulder. It seemed to be a side effect from Drei leaning on her for some time. She got up and stretched a bit. Letting her muscles try to relax. After all she spent most of her time sitting down in a tense position and the jumbling around with her nerves acting the way they were. She put a hand to her shirt and felt just how damp it was. Good heavens. What am I some sort of pig? She tried to think on why she internally reacted the way she did. Eventually she dismissed it as a combination of anxiety, lack of sleep, sudden need to care for Drei, fear, unaccustomed to being touched, and failure to tend to her own needs. There was a light growl from her stomach. Oh and hunger too.
She looked into her empty tea pot and sighed softly. She knew she had no more water to make another batch. There was a stream nearby but it was too dark and dangerous to go out to it. She gulped lightly. First thing in the morning she would head out to the stream and get some water. By the time she had finished moving around and cracking her bones back into place, Drei had returned. He presented her with a sweet roll.
“Wow Drei, that looks amazing.” She took half of a sweet roll and bit into it. Ooh Cherry! For the first time in the night there was a very obvious expression of joy on her face.
“Taste good too!” She mumbled while her mouth was full.
“You should eat some too. Might help a bit.” By now her half of the sweet roll was gone. The only traces of it were the crumbs and bits of filling stuck around her mouth.
“Hey you wouldn’t happen to have any water with you? So I can make some more tea. Used up all of mine. And it’s too dangerous to go towards the stream at this time of night.”
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Post by Drei on Jul 9, 2015 9:36:26 GMT -6
Drei had remained standing. The small sensation that plagued his legs after a few steps was familiar to him. It was as if pins and needles were being pressed into his legs and at the balls of his feet. His heels reverberated with each step he made. Fantastic. His feet and lower legs had fallen asleep. Drei shifted his gaze to Mila as she seemed to eagerly sink into the first sweet-roll. He managed a half-smile as she complimented it, chuckling slightly and lifting a hand to rub the back of his head. Despite the dull throbbing, and the essence of pain rooted in his mind; he was able to still express emotion. The young shaman lifted his hand to wave off teh compliment before she mentioned him trying one. He shrugged his shoulders a bit before mentioning to her. "I will, but after a bit. I'm still ah..coming back to myself. "
As she inquired as to water however, the boy slowly bent down. Kneeling, he placed the bag of sweet rolls on the ground near the camp-fire before he stood up once more. Still slightly shaky, though more sure-footed than before, he made his way back to his saddle bags. Two heavy water-skins. One for him to maintain as a back-up. The other to use for himself. His horse simply drank from what ever water source he retrieved his water from so he never had to save any for him. The boy returned with the full pouch, offering it over to Mila. He tilted his head as his amber hues lingered on her, gazing at her between the ashen bangs that obscured them partially. Cold digits held it securely while he extended it to Mila. "Here. I have two that er...are both full still. I...haven't been drinking much lately...or...eating much...or...anything really. That's why I have so many sweets made. I haven't actually eaten many. Any..really, but that's neither here nor there."
He turned to sit down slowly, back near the campfire. He looked at the dancing orange flames with a bit of a distraction as he started to fully become aware. Every aspect of the chilled air. Every sound and vibrant display of life around them. Even in the small things like blades of grass rustling in the chilled night breeze. When he looked back up at Mila he nodded, speaking once more. "I'll probably eat a sweet roll or two..but please feel free to have as many as you'd like. "
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Post by Mila on Jul 9, 2015 21:08:45 GMT -6
Mila grabbed one of the pouches of water and used a small bit of it to rinse out the tea pot. Then poured some out to make new tea. Plain and simple green tea. She thought to herself as she gathered the small bits of the dried leaves into the tea strainer. Her face a bit warm and sticky with sweets.
"That's no good. No wonder you are..er well have been so sickly lately. You need to eat and drink more." She looked at him with a bit of a smile. She took another piece of sweet roll and popped it into her mouth.
"You.. should not have said for me to have as many as I want. I might not be able to contain myself and eat them all." She took a seat back back down to the ground. She sighed softly. She was relieved that Drei wasn't shivering in pain. And he at least appeared to be speaking normalcy.
"You should teach me how to make these.. you know.. once your recovered. And we have access to a kitchen... and ingredients." She spoke casually. Trying to keep the subject off his parents, off of the past, off of the nether. Mila wasn't sure why but she felt a chill go through her. Even the way the spirits reacted around Drei seemed to feel cold. Then again she didn't really spend enough time with him to notice anything else. The mage rubbed her eyes.
"I don't think I'll be sleeping tonight." Even if I do, i'll just wake up screaming again. Mila mused to herself as she poured herself some green tea. No sugar was added to the cup since she was eating a sweet rolls.
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Post by Drei on Jul 10, 2015 6:11:25 GMT -6
The snowy haired shaman shifted a bit as he rested on the ground. He tugged at his knee's to pull them close to his chest. With her cloak draped around him still, it gave him a bit more warmth. He reached out after hugging his legs however, briefly, to grab a sweet roll of his own. Even as Mila mentioned she might eat them all, Drei let out a soft chuckle. He bit into the glazed cherry filled roll, looking up at the mage as she took a seat. "I will be up for quite a while I think...so I'll keep you company. However, I have two more bags of sweet rolls so this one is entirely yours, if you want it to. "
Teaching her to cook? Well he certainly could if she wanted to. They would need access to a kitchen though, so he could adequately bake the treats up if nothing else. He smiled to her again before wearily leaning his chin on his shoulders with a weary exhale, that sounded half like a sigh. The boy was still fatigued despite his better portrayal of emotion. He hadn't even the strength to adequately commune with the Nether, or meditate without the attempt of emptying his mind costing him gravely. Thus far, Mila was proving herself to be an excellent distraction. He stifled the urge to yawn, knowing the gesture to be pointless since sleep wouldn't actually come; yet indulging in it would make him long for sleep.
As he looked to Mila once more, amber hues lingering on the girl as she ate the sweet roll he tilted his head. "I'm not the greatest chef out there..but I could certainly show you what I know. Then you could make sweets when ever you want, even if I'm not around."
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Post by Mila on Jul 10, 2015 8:13:06 GMT -6
"Don't sell yourself short, these sweet rolls are good." She gave the shaman a small smile. Mila pulled herself close to Drei. Part way to make it easier for her to nab more sweet rolls and the other part to make sure he wouldn't fall down again. She was happy to notice that he was at least sort of warming up. She took a sip of her tea. The hot liquid gave her something to focus on. She had to force herself not to lean out onto his shoulder. Her body wanted to sleep but she knew her mind wouldn't let her.
"I'll accept half a bag. Honestly, you are spoiling me here. Only time I usually have sweet rolls are when I go home." Hmm, home sounds like a good idea. Maybe we should pay a visit. Perhaps gramps has a cure for night mares. She yawned lightly. Probably he'd regale us with a story about how while he was growing up nightmares weren't a thing.
"So, you had a destination in mind?" She shook her head.
"I'm not really going anywhere.. except maybe towards Bern. I might swing through Sacae. I kinda want to go home to Eturia for a bit.. but i've heard terrible rumors. The prophet's army is said to be marching through Sacae trying to provoke another war." She rubbed her eyes again. There was a soft frown on her face.
"Just hope the guild is okay." It took her a moment to remeber that Drei had lost most of his kin. She then bit her lip out in a small attempt to punish herself. Idiot.
"Sorry. I forgot..." She shoved another sweet roll piece into her mouth. Sweet roll tastes better then a foot.
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Post by Drei on Jul 10, 2015 18:09:41 GMT -6
He looked to the bag quietly as Mila complimented the sweet rolls. He did not doubt her taste in baked sweets, nor voiced his doubt towards their quality compared to someone with refined cooking skills. Whether she genuinely meant it, in which case he wished not to insult her taste, or she was saying it and simply intended to try complimenting him in an attempt at bolstering his spirits; he knew either way it'd likely come off as rude or offensive on his part. Instead he shifted his thoughts to her mentioning he was spoiling her. Another half smile etched onto his pale face as he looked from the bag to her with a soft shrug. "I think that you should indulge as much as you like. Some people deserve to be spoiled, in my opinion. Though I can not vouch for the quality of sweet-rolls made from home, I can say that you may expect them somewhat often should we travel together at all."
He wasn't meaning to sound presumptuous by mentioning them traveling together. However before he could retract the statement to clarify, she asked as to his destination before speaking about where she wished to go and the state of Etruria. "Well..I hadn't put much thought into a long-term place to visit..I'm sort of traveling. Trying to figure something out. Ah..." He was stopped as he reflected on her mentioning her guild. All this talk of home, and comrades. It caused a small knot to twist up in his gut. As if someone was tugging at his innards and twisting them together. Having people to go "home" to. That..probably felt nice. Really nice. That...or having someone to just look forward to seeing.
He smiled weakly again before shrugging as Mila apologized. He looked to the campfire once more before resting his chin on his knees as he tugged them closer to his chest. "It's alright. I know you did not mean any ill. I don't really have anywhere to go back to, or anyone waiting on me, so I suppose I'll likely keep wandering till I find what I'm looking for. "
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Post by Mila on Jul 10, 2015 19:22:06 GMT -6
Mila frowned. She was fortunate she didn't know the pain of not having a place to go back to. If everything goes well and most of the guild survives the war she would still keep having a place to come back too. She looked at Drei for a moment then had a bit of a realization. She turned her gaze to Drei. She placed her arm over his shoulders and kind of pressed him close to her. It was like a sideways hug.
"Hey Drei. I.. think you might have a place at least. Well i'd be through me. The guild is notorious for taking in orphans and last I checked our resident druid passed away. It wasn't anything related to the nether or Eturian guards that got him. More like his liver exploded since he drank like a fish. If.. anything I could put in a good word and you could work for them.. er.. us? Yeah Us. Pot Luck an't dead yet. You'd.. have a roof over your head, a bed, food, a stable for sir stubborn-horse-a-lot. The pay might not always be so great but... sometimes.. that doesn't always matter." She spoke with some enthusiasm in her voice. She took another bite of the sweet roll.
"They've got a great kitchen. Pretty sure those guys would also love these sweets." She smiled softly then took a sip of her tea. But It's in Eturia. Which.. might not be all that great. Maybe if and when Kraft dies.. possibly. Maybe the guild could make a branch version of itself somewhere else. Somewhere where you would be comfortable in.
"I don't.. think I am quite comfortable leaving you alone while your all.. sick like this. So I'll be joining you for a bit. Er.. if that's alright."
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Post by Drei on Jul 11, 2015 6:31:15 GMT -6
As he felt her arm wrap around his shoulder, and tug him close to her, Drei leaned to the side somewhat in a slight return of the gesture by a gentle press to her side. It was rare that he returned gestures of physical affection at all, even before he'd lost everyone. He didn't mind the closeness either, for once, since it gave him a small degree of comfort. Mila had this knack for doing that. Offering a comforting presence. Though as she began to talk of a potential place to live...and explain this guild; he was unsure. Usually it was hard for Drei to trust others.
Granted, he'd met a few exceptions lately, but in general that was his over all sentiment. He paused for a bit, still leaning against her with his knees hugged to his chest and his chin resting upon them. He lifted his head to speak, gaze fixated on the crackling fire still. "I...admit that I usually have a hard time trusting people. That I've opened up to you so much ah..well it isn't how I normally am. Groups are hard for me..and I typically have a hard time getting to know people. Even though I say that...I...wouldn't mind meeting these people that you trust so much. I can't say I'd join for sure..but I'd follow you for what it's worth so, if we happen to go there I'll look into it yeah? "
She wanted to travel with him? He certainly wouldn't refuse, but he felt a bit guilty that his weakened state was causation for her to put her own priorities on the back-burner. He shifted his gaze back to her as he smiled warmly, despite the weakness ebbed into it from his overall weak condition and look. He chuckled a bit before tilting his head to hide his gaze as he looked to the fire. "Traveling with me...? I...wouldn't mind that actually. It would be quite nice." He couldn't think of a different way to describe it, so it sat with that chosen description.
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Post by Mila on Jul 11, 2015 20:34:36 GMT -6
"Of course I trust them. Those idiots are my family. They raised me." She sighed softly. The mage had finished what was left of her current sweet roll. The food helped to keep her calm. Even though she was practically turning her head at every little noise that the great outdoors liked to provide. That's the horse. That's a cricket. There's a moth by the fire... That's.. The same cricket. I wonder if it's trying to talk along with us.
"Well I am sticking with you regardless. Regardless if you get to meet my.. uh.. diverse.. family." Yes. Diverse. That sounds like a good alternative to whacky. She shook her head again. The mage stared out into the fire for a moment before talking once more.
"I guess.. Us.. temporary.. well I hope temporary insomniacs need to stick together. If were lucky.. we might be able to keep each other sane. Though I think.. by tomorrow night I am going to force myself to sleep. If I happen to wake up from that sleep due to a night terror.. well so be it. I.. will at least have had a few hours of sleep." She rubbed her eyes again. Then she ran her fingers through her loose hair. The mage undid the ponytail sometime before Drei showed up to relieve the pressure off her head. She noticed she did alot of things in an attempt to make herself more comfortable. She had taken off her shoes and gloves sometime before hand. And she did recall that she wanted to a bit of nail grooming tonight, but it seemed that it wouldn't be the case with her part way taking care of Drei.
"Not.. sure what else to say or do for the night. Ah.. wait... why.. don't we swap myth stories. This.. was a thing my parents would do. To help us sleep and keep our dreams full of adventure. Who knows.. maybe it'll help?"
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