15th of Ash, 120
He couldn't fight forever. He couldn't scream or cry forever either, but he certainly tried the latter. No tears formed at his eye while he pathetically whimpered and sobbed in despair. His wrist, lungs, and musculature ached with boundless pain while his head throbbed with a headache so severe that it felt as though his brain actively tried to claw its way out of his skull. On top of it all, his whole body was weak and infirm. He felt sick, frail, tired, and miserable. Crying and fighting only made it worse.
The pale lady had long since let him go, and so had Valris. They simply sat at the side of his rickety metal bed and waited for him to calm down. The pale lady held her head in both hands while the argent tried his best to offer a polite smile. It didn't do much to comfort the lizard, as he was chained to a bed frame with a missing arm and the inability to open his left eye with no idea of when or where he was, but he at least knew that they didn't mean to kill him.
That spelled trouble for his captors, as he could get away with a lot more than he could otherwise. They wanted him alive for whatever reason, and they didn't seem interested in hurting him to put him in line. They just sat there and waited patiently. Perhaps he should give them a chance? If only to get some answers, at least. So, the broken lizard ceased his mewling and whimpering gradually and exhaled a ragged breath. Valris perked up and looked to the pale lady, who simply rose her head from her hands. "Can I... 'ave some more wau'ah?" he asked through his strained vocal cords.
Valris merely furrowed a brow. "What? What did you want?"
The pale lady shook her head and groaned. "He said water. He wants more water, Asmodei."
"Oh! Right, yes. Of course!" The avialae's disposition didn't suit his general appearance well. He was trying exceptionally hard to gain Arkash's approval, or so it seemed. Why? Was he the one that amputated him? Regardless, the winged man collected the cup from the side of Arkash's bed and poured another glass of water from the jug. Arkash watched while he poured it with his one eye; it at least looked clean.
"Asmodei..?" Asked the Rathari as his eye drifted to the pale lady. She looked right back at him with her cold red eyes.
"That's his true name, not Valris," she explained. Strangely, he was more inclined to trust the aloof lady than the friendly avialae. She was direct, forward. She didn't hide how she felt while the avialae put on a face. Even if it was just to comfort him, he found he preferred honesty.
Arkash looked to the dark-winged argent with a furrowed brow. "...But, 'ew said youer name was Valris..."
"-And you told me you didn't see anyone in that alley. I guess we're both liars, huh?" Arkash fell into silence as Asmodei drew closer with the water in hand. The sudden snap made it clear that he wasn't proud of what he'd done, and that was good enough for Arkash.
As the Avialae lifted the cup to his lips, the woman spoke in his defense. "Arkash lied because I told him to. You lie simply because you can, Asmodei."
The avialae didn't reply, but Arkash saw the scorn in the argent's eyes while he drank from the cool water. Every sip seemed to ease his headache, at least just a little. Who were his captors, truly? They felt so out of place in the Rien streets. Personality-wise, that was to say.
When he finally finished the water, Arkash exhaled and bowed his head in a nod of gratitude to the avialae. "Thanks," he spoke, then looked back to the pale lady. "What's youer nem, then?" She hadn't told him the last time they met, and he wasn't sure if she meant to or not given the circumstances.
"Fayeth," she promptly replied. "But you can call me Fay for short. Asmodei, or Az, is my husband." The avialae bowed his head in response. "You're probably wondering where you are, how long it's been since you were out, what we're going to do with you... all that uncertain stuff, right?"
She was right, but it probably wasn't hard to figure that out. A lot of people would wonder the same if they were in his situation. Arkash looked to the shackle that bound him to the bedframe, then nodded. "Tha's... probably given. No offense..." he furrowed his brow.
Fayeth smirked. It was the first time he'd seen her smile since he woke. Then, Asmodei stepped in. "You're still in Lower Nivenhain, but somewhere no one will look for you." Arkash furrowed his one working brow. Was someone looking for him? Aside from Cojack, he couldn't imagine who. "You have... been asleep for the best part of a month and a half. The day is... the..." he squinted in thought, and Fayeth rolled her eyes.
"It's the fifteenth, love," she spoke simply.
"Right. The fifteenth of Cinderfall." Cinderfall? He couldn't remember what day it was before he blacked out. There were images, a bright flash. While he thought, the taste of blood claimed his palette with an uncomfortable sting in the back of his throat. What happened?
While he didn't say anything on the time he'd been out. He did have one pressing concern regarding the time he'd lost. "Whe's Cojack?" He asked with a lift of his gaze.
"Is that your father?" Quizzed the Avialae in turn. Arkash nodded.
"We couldn't find him. After your incident, Asmodei moved you here and we tried to get you stable. You'd lost a lot of blood." Arkash shivered visibly. The thought was... uncomfortable, at best. Fayeth looked to Asmodei, who had an empathetic touch that she lacked. The avialae shook his head with uncertainty and shrugged.
Where was Cojack? He should have been in the city somewhere when he realized Arkash wasn't in the woods. Did he make it to the woods? Twisting anxieties ran rampant through his chest, and his breathing picked up a bit. His nostrils flared as he drew short, quick breaths. "'E's at my 'ouse," he explained abruptly. Where else would the sickly horse go? Silence fell between them, and Arkash furrowed his brow. "What? E's got nowhere else t' go?" It seemed like the most obvious place he'd choose. He could have lived off the money Arkash gave him for a while. Why couldn't the pair find him?
"What do you remember, Arkash?" Asked Asmodei.
"I was leavin' Lorien wif my dad?"
"Why?" Returned Fayeth.
"Because..." it was what they'd always meant to do? No. They were in a hurry. Arkash had to get out of Nivenhain quickly, it was why he and Cojack split up... why? Blood, rage, pain. Vivid, violent images ran through his mind. He'd hurt someone. It was Brodie... Arkash had bitten him to try and save Cojack. The rathari stared intently at the mattress while memories flooded back to him. One thought led to another like a trail, and Arkash was powerless to break away from it.
Cojack shouldn't have been with him. Arkash knew not to go out during the Thompson brothers' street stalking nights, but they were both out in the streets, anyway. More blood, fury, pain. Barry attacked him at his home... the human was going to kill him. He'd even stabbed Arkash... so... Arkash killed him. He beat Barry's head in with a pipe over and over again. He found his claws to be tense while he relived the memory.
He'd set the house ablaze with Barry's body inside. It was a means of covering up the murder. If no one could identify the body, then Arkash would escape execution for murdering someone of a higher caste. He'd intended to steal the last of the money they needed to start a new life somewhere far from Lorien when he encountered the brothers. They attacked Cojack, and Arkash was forced to bite the eldest brother, Brodie. After that, he ran. He was meant to meet Cojack in the woods beyond the walls... but...
"...I hurt some people." Arkash finished after an uncomfortably long pause. He remembered.
"The body in your home?" Questioned the pale lady. Arkash bowed his head once.
"Him.. An' this ofer human, a li'l older than me."
"One of those brothers?" Fayeth tilted her head. Arkash paused. It was understandable that they found the body in his home, but how did they know about the brothers? He must have mustered a glare of some sort, as Fayeth seemed to catch his confusion. "We've been keeping an eye on you," she explained.
Had they? Why hadn't they helped him? Did they not see the time that the brothers beat him senseless in the street? Or the time they carved him up like some sort of roast? Fayeth had an intuition that Arkash couldn't begin to compete with. He needed to be careful with what he said, what emotions he relayed through his eyes. "Why..?" he asked simply. It seemed like a reasonable thing to wonder. Why had the avialae and the pale lady stalked him?
"We're a lot alike, young Rathari," spoke the avialae. Arkash turned to look at him. "You see, I was born nameless too. Right here in Lower Nivenhain."
Arkash furrowed his one working brow. That was an obvious lie. "So 'ow are 'ew an argent then?" He quizzed and laid back. The Avialae simply raised both brows, and Arkash followed suit, but more with a look of surprise. "-You ain't..." That was where the lie resided. His head dropped against the stained pillow, and he sighed. There was still so much he needed to know, so much they had left to explain. Where was Cojack? What did the strange people want with him? "Start from th' beginnin'..."
He couldn't fight forever. He couldn't scream or cry forever either, but he certainly tried the latter. No tears formed at his eye while he pathetically whimpered and sobbed in despair. His wrist, lungs, and musculature ached with boundless pain while his head throbbed with a headache so severe that it felt as though his brain actively tried to claw its way out of his skull. On top of it all, his whole body was weak and infirm. He felt sick, frail, tired, and miserable. Crying and fighting only made it worse.
The pale lady had long since let him go, and so had Valris. They simply sat at the side of his rickety metal bed and waited for him to calm down. The pale lady held her head in both hands while the argent tried his best to offer a polite smile. It didn't do much to comfort the lizard, as he was chained to a bed frame with a missing arm and the inability to open his left eye with no idea of when or where he was, but he at least knew that they didn't mean to kill him.
That spelled trouble for his captors, as he could get away with a lot more than he could otherwise. They wanted him alive for whatever reason, and they didn't seem interested in hurting him to put him in line. They just sat there and waited patiently. Perhaps he should give them a chance? If only to get some answers, at least. So, the broken lizard ceased his mewling and whimpering gradually and exhaled a ragged breath. Valris perked up and looked to the pale lady, who simply rose her head from her hands. "Can I... 'ave some more wau'ah?" he asked through his strained vocal cords.
Valris merely furrowed a brow. "What? What did you want?"
The pale lady shook her head and groaned. "He said water. He wants more water, Asmodei."
"Oh! Right, yes. Of course!" The avialae's disposition didn't suit his general appearance well. He was trying exceptionally hard to gain Arkash's approval, or so it seemed. Why? Was he the one that amputated him? Regardless, the winged man collected the cup from the side of Arkash's bed and poured another glass of water from the jug. Arkash watched while he poured it with his one eye; it at least looked clean.
"Asmodei..?" Asked the Rathari as his eye drifted to the pale lady. She looked right back at him with her cold red eyes.
"That's his true name, not Valris," she explained. Strangely, he was more inclined to trust the aloof lady than the friendly avialae. She was direct, forward. She didn't hide how she felt while the avialae put on a face. Even if it was just to comfort him, he found he preferred honesty.
Arkash looked to the dark-winged argent with a furrowed brow. "...But, 'ew said youer name was Valris..."
"-And you told me you didn't see anyone in that alley. I guess we're both liars, huh?" Arkash fell into silence as Asmodei drew closer with the water in hand. The sudden snap made it clear that he wasn't proud of what he'd done, and that was good enough for Arkash.
As the Avialae lifted the cup to his lips, the woman spoke in his defense. "Arkash lied because I told him to. You lie simply because you can, Asmodei."
The avialae didn't reply, but Arkash saw the scorn in the argent's eyes while he drank from the cool water. Every sip seemed to ease his headache, at least just a little. Who were his captors, truly? They felt so out of place in the Rien streets. Personality-wise, that was to say.
When he finally finished the water, Arkash exhaled and bowed his head in a nod of gratitude to the avialae. "Thanks," he spoke, then looked back to the pale lady. "What's youer nem, then?" She hadn't told him the last time they met, and he wasn't sure if she meant to or not given the circumstances.
"Fayeth," she promptly replied. "But you can call me Fay for short. Asmodei, or Az, is my husband." The avialae bowed his head in response. "You're probably wondering where you are, how long it's been since you were out, what we're going to do with you... all that uncertain stuff, right?"
She was right, but it probably wasn't hard to figure that out. A lot of people would wonder the same if they were in his situation. Arkash looked to the shackle that bound him to the bedframe, then nodded. "Tha's... probably given. No offense..." he furrowed his brow.
Fayeth smirked. It was the first time he'd seen her smile since he woke. Then, Asmodei stepped in. "You're still in Lower Nivenhain, but somewhere no one will look for you." Arkash furrowed his one working brow. Was someone looking for him? Aside from Cojack, he couldn't imagine who. "You have... been asleep for the best part of a month and a half. The day is... the..." he squinted in thought, and Fayeth rolled her eyes.
"It's the fifteenth, love," she spoke simply.
"Right. The fifteenth of Cinderfall." Cinderfall? He couldn't remember what day it was before he blacked out. There were images, a bright flash. While he thought, the taste of blood claimed his palette with an uncomfortable sting in the back of his throat. What happened?
While he didn't say anything on the time he'd been out. He did have one pressing concern regarding the time he'd lost. "Whe's Cojack?" He asked with a lift of his gaze.
"Is that your father?" Quizzed the Avialae in turn. Arkash nodded.
"We couldn't find him. After your incident, Asmodei moved you here and we tried to get you stable. You'd lost a lot of blood." Arkash shivered visibly. The thought was... uncomfortable, at best. Fayeth looked to Asmodei, who had an empathetic touch that she lacked. The avialae shook his head with uncertainty and shrugged.
Where was Cojack? He should have been in the city somewhere when he realized Arkash wasn't in the woods. Did he make it to the woods? Twisting anxieties ran rampant through his chest, and his breathing picked up a bit. His nostrils flared as he drew short, quick breaths. "'E's at my 'ouse," he explained abruptly. Where else would the sickly horse go? Silence fell between them, and Arkash furrowed his brow. "What? E's got nowhere else t' go?" It seemed like the most obvious place he'd choose. He could have lived off the money Arkash gave him for a while. Why couldn't the pair find him?
"What do you remember, Arkash?" Asked Asmodei.
"I was leavin' Lorien wif my dad?"
"Why?" Returned Fayeth.
"Because..." it was what they'd always meant to do? No. They were in a hurry. Arkash had to get out of Nivenhain quickly, it was why he and Cojack split up... why? Blood, rage, pain. Vivid, violent images ran through his mind. He'd hurt someone. It was Brodie... Arkash had bitten him to try and save Cojack. The rathari stared intently at the mattress while memories flooded back to him. One thought led to another like a trail, and Arkash was powerless to break away from it.
Cojack shouldn't have been with him. Arkash knew not to go out during the Thompson brothers' street stalking nights, but they were both out in the streets, anyway. More blood, fury, pain. Barry attacked him at his home... the human was going to kill him. He'd even stabbed Arkash... so... Arkash killed him. He beat Barry's head in with a pipe over and over again. He found his claws to be tense while he relived the memory.
He'd set the house ablaze with Barry's body inside. It was a means of covering up the murder. If no one could identify the body, then Arkash would escape execution for murdering someone of a higher caste. He'd intended to steal the last of the money they needed to start a new life somewhere far from Lorien when he encountered the brothers. They attacked Cojack, and Arkash was forced to bite the eldest brother, Brodie. After that, he ran. He was meant to meet Cojack in the woods beyond the walls... but...
"...I hurt some people." Arkash finished after an uncomfortably long pause. He remembered.
"The body in your home?" Questioned the pale lady. Arkash bowed his head once.
"Him.. An' this ofer human, a li'l older than me."
"One of those brothers?" Fayeth tilted her head. Arkash paused. It was understandable that they found the body in his home, but how did they know about the brothers? He must have mustered a glare of some sort, as Fayeth seemed to catch his confusion. "We've been keeping an eye on you," she explained.
Had they? Why hadn't they helped him? Did they not see the time that the brothers beat him senseless in the street? Or the time they carved him up like some sort of roast? Fayeth had an intuition that Arkash couldn't begin to compete with. He needed to be careful with what he said, what emotions he relayed through his eyes. "Why..?" he asked simply. It seemed like a reasonable thing to wonder. Why had the avialae and the pale lady stalked him?
"We're a lot alike, young Rathari," spoke the avialae. Arkash turned to look at him. "You see, I was born nameless too. Right here in Lower Nivenhain."
Arkash furrowed his one working brow. That was an obvious lie. "So 'ow are 'ew an argent then?" He quizzed and laid back. The Avialae simply raised both brows, and Arkash followed suit, but more with a look of surprise. "-You ain't..." That was where the lie resided. His head dropped against the stained pillow, and he sighed. There was still so much he needed to know, so much they had left to explain. Where was Cojack? What did the strange people want with him? "Start from th' beginnin'..."
