15th of Frost, 4622
Needle in claw, Arkash twisted the device between his fingers and activated the Sinew threads that he'd wove in the girl's skin. At once, all the holes in her skin caused by his jagged teeth were repaired, refilled with skin of her own pigment and tone.
"There," he said as he dipped his head to inspect his work. "All better. How does it feel?" His gaze lifted to meet her eyes, which briefly smiled at him, then lowered to the site of the wound.
She clenched a fist in the warm lamplight, then rolled her wrist to watch the muscles under her skin flex and contract. "It's... Just like it was before," she said as she marveled. "A little sore..." she admitted with a look of concern to the Necromancer.
Arkash nodded. "It will be for a little while, that's normal." He let her go, then leaned back in his chair. "I think your nerves just haven't caught on to the new skin; they think the wound is still there," he offered his long-standing hypothesis to the phantom pain.
"Huh..." She nodded, apparently accepting the explanation. "Does yours hurt?" She asked with a gesture to his new arm, the scarring at his elbow.
He shook his head. "It did at first, but not anymore." He placed the needle back on the table, then offered her a brief smile before he pressed both hands into his knees and lifted his tail from the chair. Piece by piece, he began to wipe off his equipment with a loose rag, then stowed it all in his brass-framed bag for later use. "So," he began as he clipped the bag shut. "How about showing me some Sundering?" As he turned around to face her and brought his hands to support his back on the table's edge.
She grinned a little at first, then brought her hand to her mouth and began to laugh. Her eyes shut tight and she chuckled as she leaned back in her chair.
Arkash furrowed his brow. "...What? I think it's fair, I showed you some Necromancy."
"Oh no," she said with a wipe of her eye. "It's totally fair, it is..." She breathed out deeply. "But..." she began and took a deep breath to compose herself. "We don't have a Sundering kit," she said quite matter-of-factly and leaned forward into her forearms.
The Rath squinted in confusion, then looked between her and the bag on the table. "...Then let's buy one?"
"Not so simple," she shook her head.
"Why not?"
Izzy exhaled, nodded a little, and met his yellow eyes in the fringes of the lantern's light. "Well, Sundering is a lot more... Controlled. The kit isn't sold without restrictions and you can almost never find private vendors; it's usually government."
"Oh..." Arkash began with his lips pressed into a frown. "Yeah, that's not an option."
"Right," Izzy agreed.
"How did you get your kit before?" He quizzed.
"Well, I didn't. It belonged to the clan I was riding with at the time. Where they got it...?" She paused, eye affixed to his. "Supposedly an auction in Shitport," she shrugged. "An illegal Sundering kit is going to be really well sought-after though... How much coin are you packing?"
Arkash crossed his arms. "...Maybe ...Like thirteen grand?"
She rose a brow. "Well that's a lot, but... I've seen stuff of similar value go for more than that... Twofold, sometimes."
The Rath looked down and pondered. "...I can get more."
"Twice as much?"
"Yeah," he nodded softly. "I left a bunch of money behind when I fled the Veir that initiated me," he explained.
"...In Blood Magic?" Izzy asked with a raise of her brow.
"In Nightfall," he lamented. "He's the one that... Fucked it up, and clogged up my soul," he spoke bitterly, a slight curl of his nose as the wisps of venoms stirred on his tongue.
"I see," she sighed. "...You're going to steal from the Entente..."
"Not steal," he defended. "Just take back what's mine." There was a hard silence between them as Arkash let that hang in the air. "I earned... every damn farthing that prick took from me when he slapped me in irons. My crime? Born abroad." A distinct hiss laced his words as the venom of his glands pooled in his palette.
"Okay okay," Izzy said with a raise of her hand. "I believe you, Ark... It's just that... The law will defend this Veir. The way most Daravain folks see it, you don't have the right to own things as a foreigner. You don't have any rights at all unless you're a mage."
"I WAS- A MAGE!" he snapped. "I'D MASTERED BLOOD MAGIC WITHOUT ANYONE'S HELP! I WAS THIS CLOSE TO ASCENSION!" His eyes were wide, wild with rage as he pinched his thumb and index together for emphasis.
She first leaned back in her chair, then stood with her back to the door at the bellow of his voice. Arkash could smell it, the fear in her sweat, the flood of hormones in the air. Her heart began to beat faster in the silence that followed his outburst, her hands clenched the chair tighter. "Calm... the fuck down, Ark," she shook in her suppressed anger. "I get it... Okay? I do." She trembled "he hurt you and got away with it, Scott free."
Arkash maintained his angry frown, the combative rage that blazed in his gaze.
"...I didn't. Arkash, I'm not your enemy." She let out a shaky exhale, the salt of her tears was tangible in the air. "I'm not going to judge you or look down on you, I'm not..." She paused, breath stalled to swallow. She was upset, he could tell. "I'm on your side, for fuck's sake... You can't just scream at me like that out of nowhere, it's not fair."
For just a moment, the wind was ripped from his sails. The press of his brow softened, and the fire in his eyes dimmed. "Izzy..."
She was quiet, fist balled against her lips while the other crossed around her chest.
"...I'm sorry," he began, voice soft. "I shouldn't have yelled, I... I didn't mean to, it just... I slipped." She met his eyes with her own, and in penance, he took in the look of her misery, the hurt with which she looked at him. "I don't know why I did that..."
"I do," she began with a nod, then drew a deep breath through her nose and exhaled. "You're proud," she said flatly. "It's not often someone like you makes it as far as you have, and everything that happened with that Veir is like... A reminder of your place, of the boot on your throat."
Arkash was quiet while he linked, and begged the question of "....someone like me?"
"A commoner," she answered. "Less than a commoner... Nameless," she clarified. "...You hate it, right?" Arkash didn't answer; he stared in silence. "You hate that such a thing even exists, you hate that people get to live comfortably without fear, you hate the bias, the structure, the privilege, everything. You hate the whole world, don't you?"
Arkash stayed in silence, eyes affixed to hers with some level of guard, another part intrigue.
She began to smile below her teary eye and wiped it clear. "I'm right," she affirmed. "I hate it too, Ark. I was Entente, and it ruined my family. Their... Obsession with outward appearances and all the bullshit of Ulen's favor, ruined them. No one wins that game; not the Noble, not the Nameless."
"Right," Arkash nodded in agreement. "...But you didn't tell me you were Entente. I told you all about Lower Nivenhain, but you..."
She shrugged and shook her head. "It's not something I ever tell anyone," she clarified. "The name they gave me was Isabelle Ines, but a name like that turns heads here, so I just go by Izzy. I was... The black sheep of the family. I was terrible with magic and made friends with the peasantry. When I failed the nightfall initiation, Mom and Dad pushed Miguel, my older brother, harder to try and... Outshine my failure. He was stricken with mageblight for it, and almost died. So, they decided they were going to kill me."
Arkash's gaze softened. "...What did you do?"
She smiled a little. "I sundered Miguel, and his scrap is what made my eye."
Arkash was quiet at the revelation. "...Rabe's beak," he sat on the table. "I'm sorry, Izzy... But... You get it. You really get it?"
She nodded a bit, sniffled hard, and dried her cheek.
Arkash looked down, eyes on the floor while he thought. "I've only met a handful of people that think like we do."
"I haven't met anyone, at least not in depth. It's all raider rhetoric, like 'Och, bloody ents wiv they castles. Teach 'em to boss me 'round.'" She tilted her head side to side through her forced accent and deepened her voice to become more brutish through her recital.
Arkash laughed a little under his breath. "I take offense to that," he said lightly.
"Well you deserve it," she retorted, only half joking.
"Yeah..." he agreed. "...I really am sorry, Izzy. I'm just... I'm an angry person." He looked up at her, still on her guard. "Any way I can make it up to you?"
"A hug's a good start," she nodded. As Arkash motioned her closer, she began to smile faintly. He dropped from the table as she approached, then wrapped his arms around her as her chin came to rest on his shoulder. "And... Letting me use your Sundering kit when you get it is more than enough," she answered quietly.
"Deal," he agreed, then squeezed her a little tighter. "But... I might need your help getting to Valtoria, and for a quick escape if I fuck up the operation."
"Well..." She began. "You already said deal so this is a new exchange. What else do you have to offer?" She toyed.
"We didn't shake on it," Arkash squinted.
She laughed at that and buried her face in the loose fabric that guarded his neck. "Okay fine," she agreed. "It's a deal."
Needle in claw, Arkash twisted the device between his fingers and activated the Sinew threads that he'd wove in the girl's skin. At once, all the holes in her skin caused by his jagged teeth were repaired, refilled with skin of her own pigment and tone.
"There," he said as he dipped his head to inspect his work. "All better. How does it feel?" His gaze lifted to meet her eyes, which briefly smiled at him, then lowered to the site of the wound.
She clenched a fist in the warm lamplight, then rolled her wrist to watch the muscles under her skin flex and contract. "It's... Just like it was before," she said as she marveled. "A little sore..." she admitted with a look of concern to the Necromancer.
Arkash nodded. "It will be for a little while, that's normal." He let her go, then leaned back in his chair. "I think your nerves just haven't caught on to the new skin; they think the wound is still there," he offered his long-standing hypothesis to the phantom pain.
"Huh..." She nodded, apparently accepting the explanation. "Does yours hurt?" She asked with a gesture to his new arm, the scarring at his elbow.
He shook his head. "It did at first, but not anymore." He placed the needle back on the table, then offered her a brief smile before he pressed both hands into his knees and lifted his tail from the chair. Piece by piece, he began to wipe off his equipment with a loose rag, then stowed it all in his brass-framed bag for later use. "So," he began as he clipped the bag shut. "How about showing me some Sundering?" As he turned around to face her and brought his hands to support his back on the table's edge.
She grinned a little at first, then brought her hand to her mouth and began to laugh. Her eyes shut tight and she chuckled as she leaned back in her chair.
Arkash furrowed his brow. "...What? I think it's fair, I showed you some Necromancy."
"Oh no," she said with a wipe of her eye. "It's totally fair, it is..." She breathed out deeply. "But..." she began and took a deep breath to compose herself. "We don't have a Sundering kit," she said quite matter-of-factly and leaned forward into her forearms.
The Rath squinted in confusion, then looked between her and the bag on the table. "...Then let's buy one?"
"Not so simple," she shook her head.
"Why not?"
Izzy exhaled, nodded a little, and met his yellow eyes in the fringes of the lantern's light. "Well, Sundering is a lot more... Controlled. The kit isn't sold without restrictions and you can almost never find private vendors; it's usually government."
"Oh..." Arkash began with his lips pressed into a frown. "Yeah, that's not an option."
"Right," Izzy agreed.
"How did you get your kit before?" He quizzed.
"Well, I didn't. It belonged to the clan I was riding with at the time. Where they got it...?" She paused, eye affixed to his. "Supposedly an auction in Shitport," she shrugged. "An illegal Sundering kit is going to be really well sought-after though... How much coin are you packing?"
Arkash crossed his arms. "...Maybe ...Like thirteen grand?"
She rose a brow. "Well that's a lot, but... I've seen stuff of similar value go for more than that... Twofold, sometimes."
The Rath looked down and pondered. "...I can get more."
"Twice as much?"
"Yeah," he nodded softly. "I left a bunch of money behind when I fled the Veir that initiated me," he explained.
"...In Blood Magic?" Izzy asked with a raise of her brow.
"In Nightfall," he lamented. "He's the one that... Fucked it up, and clogged up my soul," he spoke bitterly, a slight curl of his nose as the wisps of venoms stirred on his tongue.
"I see," she sighed. "...You're going to steal from the Entente..."
"Not steal," he defended. "Just take back what's mine." There was a hard silence between them as Arkash let that hang in the air. "I earned... every damn farthing that prick took from me when he slapped me in irons. My crime? Born abroad." A distinct hiss laced his words as the venom of his glands pooled in his palette.
"Okay okay," Izzy said with a raise of her hand. "I believe you, Ark... It's just that... The law will defend this Veir. The way most Daravain folks see it, you don't have the right to own things as a foreigner. You don't have any rights at all unless you're a mage."
"I WAS- A MAGE!" he snapped. "I'D MASTERED BLOOD MAGIC WITHOUT ANYONE'S HELP! I WAS THIS CLOSE TO ASCENSION!" His eyes were wide, wild with rage as he pinched his thumb and index together for emphasis.
She first leaned back in her chair, then stood with her back to the door at the bellow of his voice. Arkash could smell it, the fear in her sweat, the flood of hormones in the air. Her heart began to beat faster in the silence that followed his outburst, her hands clenched the chair tighter. "Calm... the fuck down, Ark," she shook in her suppressed anger. "I get it... Okay? I do." She trembled "he hurt you and got away with it, Scott free."
Arkash maintained his angry frown, the combative rage that blazed in his gaze.
"...I didn't. Arkash, I'm not your enemy." She let out a shaky exhale, the salt of her tears was tangible in the air. "I'm not going to judge you or look down on you, I'm not..." She paused, breath stalled to swallow. She was upset, he could tell. "I'm on your side, for fuck's sake... You can't just scream at me like that out of nowhere, it's not fair."
For just a moment, the wind was ripped from his sails. The press of his brow softened, and the fire in his eyes dimmed. "Izzy..."
She was quiet, fist balled against her lips while the other crossed around her chest.
"...I'm sorry," he began, voice soft. "I shouldn't have yelled, I... I didn't mean to, it just... I slipped." She met his eyes with her own, and in penance, he took in the look of her misery, the hurt with which she looked at him. "I don't know why I did that..."
"I do," she began with a nod, then drew a deep breath through her nose and exhaled. "You're proud," she said flatly. "It's not often someone like you makes it as far as you have, and everything that happened with that Veir is like... A reminder of your place, of the boot on your throat."
Arkash was quiet while he linked, and begged the question of "....someone like me?"
"A commoner," she answered. "Less than a commoner... Nameless," she clarified. "...You hate it, right?" Arkash didn't answer; he stared in silence. "You hate that such a thing even exists, you hate that people get to live comfortably without fear, you hate the bias, the structure, the privilege, everything. You hate the whole world, don't you?"
Arkash stayed in silence, eyes affixed to hers with some level of guard, another part intrigue.
She began to smile below her teary eye and wiped it clear. "I'm right," she affirmed. "I hate it too, Ark. I was Entente, and it ruined my family. Their... Obsession with outward appearances and all the bullshit of Ulen's favor, ruined them. No one wins that game; not the Noble, not the Nameless."
"Right," Arkash nodded in agreement. "...But you didn't tell me you were Entente. I told you all about Lower Nivenhain, but you..."
She shrugged and shook her head. "It's not something I ever tell anyone," she clarified. "The name they gave me was Isabelle Ines, but a name like that turns heads here, so I just go by Izzy. I was... The black sheep of the family. I was terrible with magic and made friends with the peasantry. When I failed the nightfall initiation, Mom and Dad pushed Miguel, my older brother, harder to try and... Outshine my failure. He was stricken with mageblight for it, and almost died. So, they decided they were going to kill me."
Arkash's gaze softened. "...What did you do?"
She smiled a little. "I sundered Miguel, and his scrap is what made my eye."
Arkash was quiet at the revelation. "...Rabe's beak," he sat on the table. "I'm sorry, Izzy... But... You get it. You really get it?"
She nodded a bit, sniffled hard, and dried her cheek.
Arkash looked down, eyes on the floor while he thought. "I've only met a handful of people that think like we do."
"I haven't met anyone, at least not in depth. It's all raider rhetoric, like 'Och, bloody ents wiv they castles. Teach 'em to boss me 'round.'" She tilted her head side to side through her forced accent and deepened her voice to become more brutish through her recital.
Arkash laughed a little under his breath. "I take offense to that," he said lightly.
"Well you deserve it," she retorted, only half joking.
"Yeah..." he agreed. "...I really am sorry, Izzy. I'm just... I'm an angry person." He looked up at her, still on her guard. "Any way I can make it up to you?"
"A hug's a good start," she nodded. As Arkash motioned her closer, she began to smile faintly. He dropped from the table as she approached, then wrapped his arms around her as her chin came to rest on his shoulder. "And... Letting me use your Sundering kit when you get it is more than enough," she answered quietly.
"Deal," he agreed, then squeezed her a little tighter. "But... I might need your help getting to Valtoria, and for a quick escape if I fuck up the operation."
"Well..." She began. "You already said deal so this is a new exchange. What else do you have to offer?" She toyed.
"We didn't shake on it," Arkash squinted.
She laughed at that and buried her face in the loose fabric that guarded his neck. "Okay fine," she agreed. "It's a deal."
Image source.
