Private Tales Fresh Wounds

[Varys]

Well, they couldn't smell the smoke anymore. That was a start.

When Varys San'Seya had accepted some freelance work under the banner of the Allirian Rangers, he hadn't been clued in they might be pitting him up against a damned dragon. He was powerful, sure, but he couldn't match a beast like what he'd just escaped. Well, not without a little extra manpower. That made it all the more amusing that the only other person he'd seen come close to phasing the monstrosity wasn't even a man, but a woman: Keeley, the elven girl who'd been put in charge of Varys while he assisted the rangers.

They'd formed somewhat of a bond in the scant few weeks they'd been together. Keeley enjoyed listening to the tales of Varys' adventures up to this point, and Varys... well, it had just been so long since he'd talked at length with another Elf that her presence was like water to a parched tongue. The two of them made an excellent team, and up until just now had performed any duties asked of them quite flawlessly.

If the raging fire that tore through the trees in the distance behind them was any indication, though, this was far from a successful job. They'd fought hard, but their opposition was just too overpowering. They'd had no choice but to retreat, and now Keeley and Varys made tracks towards the city of Alliria, licking their wounds and tails between their legs. Truth be told, Varys was in worse shape than he was letting his partner in on; he'd been struck with an arrow in the shoulder not long before the call to pull back went out. The arrow had been removed, but the makeshift bandage out of leaves Varys had fashioned was far from comfortable; he'd need more attention soon.

"You think the city is in danger? They wouldn't be that bold... would they?"

He still had an arm around Keeley's shoulder. Her supporting him had slowed them down a bit, but she'd insisted on it. Silly woman worried too much if you asked him. Still... he was thankful she got out of there alive. It'd be a lie to say he wouldn't be sad to see her hurt. "Okay, set me loose for a second. I need to rest..." The elf's arm slid out from around her and he sank down to the grass with a groan, crossing his legs. "I'd say let's make a fire, but I feel like that might be in bad taste..." He fought back a smirk at the joke, rubbing his hands together, still stained with blood.

"Fuck... That was just... too close."

The reality was setting in rather harshly.

"Sit down. I'm gonna try and read the wind... are you okay?"

Keeley

 

[Norah]

The allirian ranger set him down with care. And stepped back. She had some minor burns and scrapes along her skin. A deeper scratch that had bled and stopped bleeding down one cheek. She leaned against a tree and caught her breath.

Eyes closed for a moment as she listened.

Enhanced hearing not picking up any pursuing enemies. Eyes cracked back open as she looked down at Varys. "I'm fine," she huffed. Was she though? She'd seen most of her fellow rangers get massacred. So many of her friends...gone. So quickly.

She wasn't fine.

But she couldn't tell herself that. Couldn't tell her friend that. Even if she doubted she could hide it from him for long. He was always so damned good at reading her.

"Let us hope they won't go for the city," she said quietly. She eyed that wound of his and a frown drew on her lips. "I'll put some wards up around us so we can rest." She ignored his request to sit. He would know how stubborn she could be. And instead, she pushed off from the tree she leaned against and began walking around them, lifting her fingers to weave some magic around the air around them.

 

[Varys]

Keeley didn't have to tell Varys of how badly the macabre scene they'd just left had affected her. He knew all too well. The elf had seen terrible things in his travels, the aftermath of battles just as mighty in scale as that one. In truth, he too was displaced by the disturbing visage behind them. Neither of them could afford for him to express that though, not if he wanted to use his powers properly.

"If they do, I can erect some rudimentary defenses, so that some could be evacuated, but..." Varys let out a tired sigh and shook his head, trying to refocus. Sleep later. They were still in danger. "When you're done with the wards, stand still for a moment." Wincing a bit from the throbbing ache in his shoulder, Varys put his hands together and deepened his breathing, letting his surroundings fall to black as he cleared his mind.

His consciousness danced through the void like a leaf in the wind, seeing only what he wished to see; the stray embers that still floated through the air, the thin trails of smoke that still clung to the trees, and the dirt upheaved from heavy footfalls, somewhere far off in the distance.

"They tried to follow us, some of them anyway, but they've lost our trail. We should be safe for one night this far out." Varys spoke lowly, moving his hands back to his knees. As soon as his lungs were empty he fell back into the grass with a thud, closing his eyes as the stress finally began to leave him. "You always take me to such nice places, Keekee. I'm flattered."

Keeley

 

[Norah]

She unfroze when he was done. A light roll of her doe-brown eyes. When the wards were finished, she strode back over to where he lay and joined him in a seated position. Elegant legs crossing.

"If only the birds would offer room-service. Breakfast in bed even," she said dryly.

She felt the small drain of magic she'd used. Not only from the wards but from the previous battle. She might just have enough left to...

Mother-henning Var, she leaned over him and gently poked at the leaf and plant dressing he'd put over that arrow wound in his shoulder. "Stop squirming and just hold still. I need to look at this while we have time. Make sure it isn't infected."

And use the last of her energy to heal it.

 

[Varys]

"Oh, I know the best place to get a hot breakfast back in Fal'Addas. Next time you're swinging back that was, take me along. After all that back there, I owe you that much." Thinking of the city he grew up in was comforting after the stress he'd been under this whole day, and for once he wasn't coping with it alone.

Still, it was obvious Keeley was worried about him, the expression on her face as she knelt down beside him and starting touching his shoulder was one of great concern. "You're not gonna let me go until I let you do it, are you?" Varys smirked a little, turning his head away. "It'll take more than this to kill me. I've had better men try worse..."

The elven man would never admit it, but he did enjoy being doted on by the woman. The elves at home had despised him, looked down on him. If his friends from the gutters could see the woman trying to nurse him now. They'd be so jealous.

It was hard to feel full of himself when she peeled the makeshift bandage from his skin though, the air against his wound stung like fire, and he hissed through his teeth. "Damn... Got me more than I thought they did. Are you sure you can do anything about it? Don't go too hard."

Keeley

 

[Norah]

"Hey, I'm a badass ranger elf. I've got this." A curl of her lips as she shushed him again and rested her long fingers gently over his wound. Eyes closed and she took a breath, pulling from the earth magic she knew. Gathering her own energy.

It would feel like cooling waters against his skin and angry wound.

A slight tugging sensation as the magic cleaned it out. Then the cold would turn to warmth as the carved up tendons and tissue began knitting themselves back together. Just a little more. Just a little more.

A sharp inhale and then exhale and her eyes fluttered open. All that was left was a slight pinkness to his healing and new skin. She felt the toll of her magic, her body listing to the side as it started to fall, black-spots growing in her vision.

 

[Varys]

"Oh yeah, you're a real hellraiser, KeeKee. Never met anybody more--eeugh." Varys' eyes squeezed shut as the brisk coolness of her magic flushed out the wound like rushing water. It felt good, but god it stung too. It wasn't the first time he'd been magically healed; he was familiar with the sensation of his flesh re-stitching, but Keeley's magic felt so... clean.

When she was finished, Varys' arm felt... well it was sore, the pink color to his skin similar to that of a still tender but healed patch of skin. The deep cutting pain was a thing of the past now though, and the elf sat up to give his arm a few experimental rolls. "Incredibly done. I could feel the earth bending to you there..." Not many were so in tune with the world that they could use it to their advantage; it spoke to her prowess and devotion to the craft.

But it also took a toll on her, and Varys couldn't move fast enough to give her some kind of cushion as she fell to the ground. Great, now they'd just switched places. Still, after the night they'd had she'd earned some sleep. They should have a while on the wards, so best use it while they could.

Raising a hand and twisting his fingers, long fern like weeds would sprout from the ground to cover Keeley in a make shift blanket. Not glamourous, but some level of protection. Varys removed his jacket, using it as his own blanket as he lay down not too far beside her.

Rest came quickly, but then so too did the sunrise.

Keeley

 

[Norah]

Keeley woke first, noticing the makeshift blanket. The forced sleep she'd had already did the work she needed to recover from the battle and healing Varys with the last of her energy yesterday. Worried gaze landed on her friend. Worry that began to ease as she saw him resting.

An absent light touch to brush some of his long, blond hair away from his face.

Then she was on her feet. Nimble boots and hands began tugging her upwards of one of the trees in the area. She needed to get a good view of their surroundings. See if any of the orcs had followed them or were getting closer. If her friend was still sleeping when she got down, she'd harass him awake then.

 

[Varys]

Even while he slept, Varys had some small sense of the world around him, especially if he was outside. Through means still a mystery to him, the world whispered into his ears always. It was why even when they were in such undeniable danger he seemed to have no problem sleeping as soundly as a newborn. Even so, the dreams he'd been having ever since going off on his own... they were troubling. He'd yet to tell a soul, and perhaps he never would.

The gentle brush of fingers against his temple was enough to break him from his latest nightmare, though his eyes remained shut, his body merely shifting as though seeking a more comfortable position. In reality, he waited, whispering quietly into the grass, seeking guidance. As it always did, the world spoke back, and he could hear the hushed whispers of every blade in his ear; a group of the beasts had approached them in the night, but were wary of countermeasures and pulled back.

They'd tell their allies of Varys and Keeley, which meant that the two of them had scant time to relocate. The elf's eyes slid open and he let out a loud yawn, before smacking his lips together and rolling onto his side to look up at Keeley perched in a tree. "Morning KeeKee." He mumbled, running his hands through his hair as he climbed to his feet.

Gods he was still sore, but it didn't stop Varys from climbing up that tree with her. He was hurt sure, but he was still an Elf. He'd be laughed out of his home city next time he went otherwise. Finally, he made it up to a branch beside her, only wheezing a little bit. "I swear I don't usually say this after waking up next to a lady, but it's time to move on. Couple of scouts saw us while we napped, smart enough not to risk tripping an enchantment. I'd say we have ten minutes until there's more of them."

Keeley