Fantasy Unlikely Partners

[Flutterby]

Ilaria stood back, at the edge of the group working on Elm, watching silently. It was impossible to read her expression as a griffin, thankfully, or some might have been surprised by the anger she was feeling in that moment. Anger toward the Golden Flame, definitely, but the reason would likely be hard to understand. Her attention was only broken when Trigon's final cry sounded, declaring he would not surrender. With a small nod, Ilaria hurried back to the front.

The Golden Flame let loose with ranged attacks, peppering Trigon's face like a swarm of gnats. He was stopped, then annoyed, then enraged. He put his head down and charged, and Ilaria decided that would be the best time to go after the stone.

Without a word to anyone, the silver griffin took off into the sky, flying a quick arc up and behind Trigon, before beginning a steep dive straight toward the shard between his wings. She hadn't stopped to consider the fact that his armor was rock, and if she missed or failed to pull up, the crash landing would hurt terribly. Instead, she dove as fast as she could, and stretched a taloned forefoot out to wrench the shard away.

 

[Tharivle]

When Ilaria left Chris wanted to follow her but nobody knew where Elms tree was. "Can you carry him?" Chris asked Rose.
"That I can." A swan flew up to them and landed on Rose ish because they merged. Rose picked up Elm and white wings lifted her up a few feet. "Lead the way Chris.
Chris and Rex merged and he took another look at the battlefield not really wanting to leave, but then set off at his fastest run towards the small grove that where hopefully Elms tree could save him.

It would take them 20 minutes to get there meanwhile on the battlefield the Golden Flame in Trigons way was able to run to the sides and get out of the way. Seth drew a little bit of power from those around him and cast a basic healing spell targeting Illaria. If she wasn't healed before she was now, and if she was fine then she got a small shock of power. Seth was really hoping that she would get the shard away like she did with the other, but he didn't know if she could get through the armor as easily as she broke a chain.

 

[Flutterby]

Trigon didn't notice her dive until it was almost too late. Her talons clutched the edge of the shard, gripped it- and the Trigon sensed her and jerked away. Ilaria felt one of her talons catch and tear off, a minor injury that was enormously painful, until the remnants of Seth's magic stopped the throbbing. She tucked her wings and dove straight toward the ground, only to unfold them and soar along the forest floor away from Trigon.
He was thrashing about, now, trying to see her again, and fending off larger attacks from the Golden Flame members.
Ilaria spent the next few minutes just trying to get close enough to dive again, but Trigon now knew to watch his back.

Finally, out of the corner of her eye, Ilaria saw Seth give an opening. She turned, but a merger was going to beat her to it. They were already streaking toward the target, so Ilaria diverted.
She flew straight at Trigon's head.
Her wing tip brushed the side of his face. The last thing Ilaria saw, was a large, rock-covered hand swing in front of her face.

The griffin's form was knocked from the sky, but the distraction has worked. That Golden Flame member managed to loosen the stone, and the next one pulled it completely free.
Trigon's armor fell away, crumbling into piles of ash-colored sand.
He let out an enraged roar, and continued to charge anyway.
It took the Golden Flame numbers several more minutes, because of his size mostly, but soon Trigon was no more. Around the time that Chris was arriving at the tree, the forest grew quiet again. The battle was over, for now.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris ran through the woods his eyes sharp and his sense of smell heightened to that of a wolf, the trees a blur as he ran with confidence back to the little grove that he had been a few times before. He looked up and over his shoulder a few times to see if Rose was still following, and she was keeping pace with him easily up in the sky above him. The other two healers had stayed behind and assisted with the battle. When he got to the grove he and Rex separated and Rose landed and placed Elmmriss at the foot of the tree. She looked sad and placed a hand on the now sickly looking tree.
The once beautiful tree had moss and vines growing up its trunk and many of the branched were bare and cracked. The grove itself wasn't fairing any better. The ground around where the heart was resting was dead and gray with shriveled brown grass. There was no fruit on any of the trees that once were plentiful, a small stench of rotting fruit in the air from where the fruit had fallen. The flowers that once bloomed across the border and in various patches around the clearing were all either wilted or dead.
But even with all the apparent death and sickness they could still see the power in the grove. They could see where the central tree had grown roots outward and had been giving power to the forest around it, but now it was working in reverse. Power was coming from the forest around the grove and feeding the tree. With his Dryad vision Chris could see small streams of golden power coming in from the trees along the perimeter and feeding the tree in the middle, and the grass was still green along those pathways, faded but green. Conversely however there was a large vein of power coming off of the central tree feeding into the Golam heart.
The heart itself was very good looking. It had no gray in it, not even on the sharp edges, it thrummed with power like it was holding a charge.
"Move Elm here." Chris said and he pointed to a spot between the heart and the tree, hoping that the power would break away from its stream into the heart and flow into the warrior dryad. Rose who was still merged picked Elm up and gently placed him where Chris had gestured. "Marvelous magic. I would have very much liked to see this place before the heart was placed here." Rose said sadly, "Go back. I will stay and do what I can to help the tree and this proud warrior." With those words she unmerged with her swan companion and went to work cutting away vines and moss from the tree, casting little healing spells that turned faded branches to slightly healthier ones.
Chris merged with Rex and before he ran away he noticed that in the 30 seconds of work that she had done, Rose was already tired. She would not be able to save the tree, but she would do her best to delay its death. He ran off into the woods back towards the battle.

As his armor fell away Trigon was already charging toward Seth again, He seemed intent on killing the old man. But Seth pulled back his staff and threw it like a spear, and while it flew towards Trigons chest 4 blades made of golden fire shot out of the cracks at the top, making a true spear. Even without his armor Trigons hide was tough so he didn't even try to dodge the wooden staff. And by the time he realized that it was a spear he only had time to flinch and the firry blade pierced into his left side stopping the demon in his tracks as he let out a bellow of pain. The flames disappeared as the stored spell in the staff lost its power and the staff fell to the ground where Seth carefully retrieved it as Trigon, now week and injured backed away from the old master. Upon seeing the blow that Seth landed seconds after the armor fell, the rest of the Golden Flame surrounded Trigon but stopped their attacks.

The two healers were kept very busy throughout the battle as groups of people got hit with area attacks or as individuals got to close and weren't lucky enouph to go unnoticed. But they both saw Ilaria go down and remarkably hers was the first direct his Tigon was able to land, so they both rushed over to where she fell hoping that she was still alive.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria laid still where she had fallen. Her form seemed to waver, areas of her body becoming fuzzy like seen through mist.
With a soft flash, the griffin form became her human form, curled up into the fetal position. There was a gash in the side of her head, a long one on the outside of her thigh, and her middle finger on her right hand was missing the tip- her griffin claw getting stuck had translated to the third knuckle of her finger.
Her form shuddered and pulled in a breath, but she didn't wake. Her form was still unsettled- there were flashes of another form underneath her human form, but it was too hard to tell what it might be.
The healers shared a worried look, and knew it would be best to get her back to a tent before attempting a healing.

Trigon, stubborn as ever, still held on to a bit of pride even in his defeat.
"You may have stopped me.. but you won't stop the next. I've already passed the translation." He sputtered out a cough. "You.. will die.. soon."

 

[Tharivle]

"Thank you for the heads up. But we will weather that storm when it comes." Seth had retrieved his staff and then stepped back. "Take him alive." At the order several larger people moved in and they wrestled him to the ground. The scuffle took quite some time, but with Trigon no longer being buffed, and the mergers subbing in for one another it was just a matter of time before the demon fell wounded and tired, wrapped up in chains of magical making.
Seth didn't wait to watch the fight, he knew that they would get the demon. He was walking briskly over to Ilaria, because he too saw her take the hit. As he reached her Spots materialized out by Seth's foot, and the raccoon padded up to Ilaria where the healers were getting her ready to move back to the barracks.

Chris arrived back on the battlefield just as Trigon was subdued. He and Rex unmerged and Rex was the first to notice Ilaria, and went running up to her and worryingly hovered much like Spots was. Chris followed Rex and by the time he had gotten to the group the healers had wrapped Ilaria in a silver blanket and it shimmered and became ridgid, holding her in place so they could pick her up without actually moving her. The blanket had minor healing probertites, but it wasn't helping as much as they would have liked because she was a moon child and even though healing magic is generally the same, the fact that it was sun magic doing the healing, made it less effective.
"Is she going to be okay?" Chris asked as the two healers picked her up and ran her off through the woods. Seth looked worryingly back at him, "I don't know.... How is Elmmriss?"
Now it was Chris's turn to give the worried look, "We made it to the grove. But that Golam heart is killing everything in the area. I don't know if he will pull through. Rose stayed behind to try to keep the tree alive that is keeping Elm alive." Seth nodded slowly but said nothing in responce.

With Trigon subdued they all started walking back towards the barracks. The only people still merged were the ones holding Trigons chains.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria didn't stir when they began bustling about- the only movement that could be seen was a small rising of her chest, and the slippage of her form. It would seem she didn't bat so much as an eye lash the entire walk back to the tent.

As she was laid down on a cot under the safety of the Golden Flame's settlement, her form seemed to have solidified back to her human form, the flashes subsiding almost completely. The healers started their work quickly, but there wasn't much to do. Her gashes healed easily, and all they could do for her hand was heal it- growing even partial, tiny limbs back was an impossible feat.
But even when she was completely healed, she didn't wake for several minutes. When she did, it was slowly; her eyes started to move underneath her eyelids, like she was dreaming, and eventually, they fluttered open. Her gaze was unfocused at first, but righted itself after several slow blinks.
Ilaria opened her mouth and tried to say something, but all that came out was a jumbled mess of sounds. She closed her eyes, swallowed, and then managed to say, "Water?" in a hoarse voice.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris went to follow Ilaria back to the barracks and Seth stopped him sating, "Make sure she is okay. I'm going to go check in with Rose." Chris nodded then took a few running steps to catch up with the group that was carrying Ilaria. When they got to the barracks they placed her on a large flat bed in the corner of the large common room. It was hard to tell that the beds were made for healing, but once they began their work it became obvious that that is what they were used for. Chris sat out of the way but near the whole time. Rex on the other hand had to be shooed away a couple times by the healers throughout the time that they were working. Once they had finished healing her one of the healers sat down to monitor her/rest, and the other left. Chris pulled a chair closer and waited for her to wake up, and Rex sat by the bed with his head leading on the cushion. While they were waiting the small Dryad that was the doorman approached with a small plate of bread and butter, as well as a pitcher of water and a couple of glasses. "For when she wakes up." He said as he set down the plate on a table at the foot of the bed, then he walked away.
When Ilaria woke up Chris leaned forward and Rex tensed up like he was going to jump up onto the bed, but then calmed down as Chris put a hand on top of his head. At her request Chris poured a glass of water and placed it into her hand, helping her up into a sitting position.

Seth watched them go for a bit then turned to look and make sure that Trigon was still successfully contained, which he was. Without much power and the fact that the chains burned if he struggled, Trigon gave up and let himself be led away.
A few of the masters went with the majority of the group back to the barracks but about 10 of them walked up to Seth and one of them said, "Shall we go check on the warrior Dryad. I don't see him down there so they must have moved him." the man said as he gestured to where Rose had first started working on Elm.
"That we shall. Follow me." Seth and Spots merged again and as a group they ran/flew with Seth leading the way.
When they got there Rose was bustling about trying desperately to keep the surrounding trees alive that were feeding the center tree, keeping it alive. When Seth walked into the dead grove Rose gave a sigh of relief. "I assume we won, because you are not all dead."
"Yes." Seth said with a small smile and once again Spots materialized and started walking about the clearing. The other masters walked in and their respective companions too unmerged. "What can we do to help." Seth asked.
Rose looked down at Elmmriss who was whole again. There was no deformity where there was once a hole. His color had improved allot, almost back to normal but he looked like he was sleeping. "You know more about Golams than I do. So if you could tell me if that heart is healthy or not and maybe detach it from the tree here. That would certainly help."
Seth nodded then knelt down next to the heart. He placed his hands on the side of the now vibrant green stone. It was warm to the touch and pulsated with power. "Now stop being greedy great one. You have enough, let the Dryad have his power back." His words were soft and they trailed off and he closed his eyes. Seth appeared to be whispering but nobody could hear. Without breaking his concentration Seth placed a hand on his staff that was laying at his side and the amber gems toward the top shifted and opened to a small compartment and inside was the green Earth Shard. He lifted the staff and touched the Earth shard to the Golam heart, but he made sure to not actually touch the shard. There was a visible discharge of power, then the staff closed around the shard again. The heart was now humming loudly. There was a small green wave of power from the heart to the center tree and those that had Dryad sight could see the power disconnect from the heart from the tree.
Almost immediately Elmmriss woke up and slowly stood, taking in his surroundings quietly.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria took the help gratefully, and then gulped greedily at the water. When she had downed half of it, she stopped and sighed in relief. The moon child turned to look at Chris, and asked simply, "Did it work?"

 

[Tharivle]

"Yes." Chris said as he sat down again. "As Trigon hit you a few others were able to pry the shard out. Seth has the shard now and soon we will be packing up and heading back to the grove."
Rex nosed Ilaria and gave a small whine waiting for her to pet him.

Elmmriss looked around at his once beautiful grove before settling his gaze on the tree in the middle. His shoulders slumped and he slowly walked over to the nearly dead tree and placed a hand on it. "Thank you for healing me and trying to save the tree." Elm said to Rose while never taking his eyes away from the twisting trunk of his tree.
"Is there any way we could help you heal it?" Seth asked. Elms hand dropped pack to his side, "No." Elm turned to face Seth, "Even if you could heal the tree, its lifeforce has been to badly damaged. It would not provide even a quarter of what it did before, and that would not be enouph to sustain me."
Seth said nothing because there was nothing really to say. Elm turned back to his tree and again placed a hand on it. He closed his eyes and a small wave of light pulled out of the tree and into Elm. The tree now was dead and Elm walked away. Without breaking stride he asked, "Can you burn this grove? Fire will allow this place to bloom again.... In time." Elm had walked off in the general direction of their camp. Once he was gone Seth and a few other set about lighting little fires, then controlling the direction and intensity of the flames, they cleared the grove of everything that was dead, ending with the tree in the middle. Once everything was burned they all started walking back to the barracks.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria nodded slowly, and set the glass down before slowly lowering herself back down onto the cot. There was a small, continuous wince as she did; it felt like every surface of her body was one big bruise.
"Well, good. Otherwise I would regret doing that," She said, clearly already doing so.
Rex caught her attention at last, and she held a hand out for him to come closer. She really hoped he wouldn't lick her face, because she didn't have the energy to pull away if he did. But he got plenty of affection from her, albeit less enthusiastically than usual.
"I just hope we get a day of peace before the next one." She whispered, with a sigh.

 

[Tharivle]

"Yeah, that would be nice." Chris said with a chuckle.
Rex sat quietly, letting Ilaria scratch his ears, leaning into her hand.

As Elmmriss walked up to the door to the barracks and it opened like it did for all the other Golden flame members and the small Dryad had his head down and a hand held out to gesture him inside. But just before he walked through the door the little Dryad looked up to see who it was that he was letting in and he stepped back in shock almost letting the door close in Elms face. The doorman caught the door and said, "Captain Elmmriss? Is that really you?"
Elm too had not really been paying attention to who was opening the door and he too was surprised to see the other Dryad. "Thistle?"
The little Dryad gestured for him to come in and Elm walked past him then turned to face him. Thistle let the door close and he asked, "How?"
"Soul Tree. All twenty of my men." Elm answered. "And I see you are no longer a scout." Elm added a little more cheerfully.
"Yes." Thistle said with a small smile, "I am now head keeper of the barracks."
"Very nice. We can catch up later, I have someone to talk to." Elm said with a nod of his head. Then he walked away. The little Dryad nodded back and returned to his spot by the door.

Chris had heard the door open but didn't look to see that it was Elm, and Ilaria woke up as Elm and Thistle started talking so he didn't pick up on his voice. So he was very surprised when he heard Elms voice behind him, "You both have earned rest for now."
Chris's head snapped back and he stood when he saw Elm, "How are you? How is your tree?"
"I am well Chris, thanks in part to you and the help you provided in my care." Elms face grew solemn, "The tree died. This barracks has similar probertites, and will do until we head back to the grove." Elm turned his attention to Ilaria, "How are you fairing Ilaria. By the looks of it you took a hard hit. I guess it is a good thing Kay gave you that armor."

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria opened her eyes when she heard Elm's voice, and gave him a small smile.
With a wince, she said, "Definitely was, or I might not be talking to you right now." She held up her hand, displaying the shortened finger. "A little upset about this one, though. It'll mess up the anatomy of my flying forms, gotta re-learn how to fly."
She sat up again, and frowned at Elm. "I'm sorry about your tree, Elm. But I'm really glad we found you, and that you were here to help us."

 

[Tharivle]

"The pleasure was all mine Ilaria." Elm paused for a moment and glanced at Chris, but continued talking to Ilaria, "Your friendship with Chris after knowing him and the Golden Flame for only a short time made me stop and consider them for their character now, rather than ages past." Elms chin dipped down as he glanced over his shoulder as the door opened, "I am glad to once again stand among the Golden Flame."

Seth and the small group that went with him to the little grove returned. Most everyone was upstairs in bunks and those that had rooms on the first floor disappeared into them. But not long after people started emerging and filling the tables in the dining hall, which was already set and ready for dinner.

Seth was caring the Golam heart when he walked in and nodded to the group as he walked past them over to a fireplace in the wall. There was a fire built in the fire place but it wasn't lit. He set the heart down on the stone slab that was in front of the fireplace and took a small bag of sand from where it had been sitting along the wall by the fireplace. He sprinkled a circle around the heart and then a line into the fireplace. With a wave of his hand the pile of wood caught fire and started popping as the wood cracked and burned. Seth then concentrated and mumbled to himself and snapped a finger. The sand caught fire and it spread down the line and around the heart. The sand was quickly consumed but the ring of fire that had spread stayed there, burning as bright as the fire in the fireplace. Seth waved a hand and a Dryad that had been standing as a pillar next to the fireplace moved to address him. "Please make sure this fire stays brightly lit." He said to the Dryad. The small Dryad nodded and slightly bowed and moved back to his position as one of the pillars along the wall.

While Seth was working Spots had padded over to the group and tried to jump up onto the bed and got his front paws on the cushion then he slid down slowly as his back paws scratched against the empty air under the bed. He plopped onto the ground and for a second looked like a turtle on his back. He flipped over as Chris chuckled. Spots looked up at him with fake annoyance, "Once you get to be 520 years old I'd like to see how well you jump up to something twice your height." Elm had smiled as well during the interaction, then bent down and grew a little staircase from the floor to the bed cushion. Spots looked over at him then back to Chris, "See. That is how people should treat their elders, and I'm not even his elder." Spots padded up the little ramp and plopped down in front of Ilaria with his head on her hand, "Are you okay? I like you. You aren't allowed to not be okay."

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria smiled up at Elm, and was about to say something, when the door swung open a little behind him. She couldn't see anyone entering, but then Spots appeared at her bedside and attempted a jump. She saw him falling, and jolted forward to help, but her entire body screamed at the motion and she had to sit back.
Chris laughed a little, and she smiled and shot him a glare. "Would someone please-" She started chuckling too, and had to stop talking to keep herself from laughing outright.
With assistance from Elm, Spots got up onto the bed and plopped in front of her. He almost seemed to pout about her injuries, and Ilaria smiled.
"I'll be fit as a fiddle in a few days, don't you worry." The moon child gave Spots a scratch behind his ear, and then shifted to sit up a little straighter.
"Well, I think I smell food cooking, and I really wouldn't mind a hot meal right now." She looked between the gathered friends, and then started the slow process of trying to get out of bed.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris stood and helped Ilaria as much as she wanted/as much as she would let him. Elm nodded and walked away. Spots jumped down off the bed and padded over to where Seth was just now finishing up with his spell work, before sitting down in one of the armchairs by the fire.

The dining hall was filled about halfway with people and a few stragglers were still trickling in as Chris and Ilaria got sat down. Food was already being served. It wasn't like at the grove where there was a large assortment of food that was a buffet stile. Every few feet there was a pot with soup and other assorted foods. Everyone would have generally the same meal, and there was plenty to go around.
Every once in a while someone would ask Ilaria if she was okay as they passed, but mostly people kept to themselves. The dining hall had a dull murmur of conversation, but nothing rowdy like meals in the past. Chris helped himself to a large bowl of backed potato soup, a slice of cheese and a peach.

Much like in the Great Hall there was runners that went up the walls and there was a small second floor above the people for all the companions, it was nothing fancy and save for a few bins of food, one might actually pass over the companions feeding area as just an elaborate rafter system.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria had to accept more help than she normally would have liked, but it almost didn't bother her. The warmth of Chris's skin was so pleasant it caught her by surprise, and she found herself staring at the profile of his face as he helped her stand. She whispered a thank you, and then managed to walk to the food on her own.
She sat down quietly, and spoke to the few people that stopped by them, but mostly she kept her eyes on the table. Her movements were slow and quiet, and she winced when she tried to lift the bowl to serve herself soup.
"Could you?" She said, pointing to the soup as she looked at Chris. She had scooted her chair a little closer to his when she sat down, and now she was glad that she did, since she didn't have to speak too loud to ask him for help.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris didn't really notice Ilaria looking at him so intently because he was focusing on helping her to the table. He only nodded, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he was helping her. He took the bowl and filled it part way not wanting to give her too much if she wasn't to hungry. I can always get her more. He handed it back to her and then turned his attention back to his own food. Rex trotted to a ramp up into the rafters and laid down for a while before snagging a small price of meat.

Out in the common room Seth stayed by the fire and Golam heart gasing into the flickering flames in the fireplace. The ring of fire that had been around the heart had disappeared, but if one looked closely they could still see waves of energy coming out of the fireplave and surrounding the green stone. Spots was curled up in his lap sleeping, and the old man who was normally spry and cheery now had bags under his eyes and he was solem and weary looking. A small dryad that was helping serve food noticed him and brought a small try over and set on an end table next to him. Seth nodded and said thank you, but took a few moments before reaching over to grab a small bite to eat.
"You look tired." Felix's voice was unmistakable from behind him. Seth opened his eyes that had drifted close and he peared at Felix as the Grandmaster walked into his field of vision and then sat down opposite of him.
"Not tired. Just old." Seth said with a chuckle, "Up side to being old is I can bring allot of power to a battlefield. Downside is that it take longer for that power to come back." Seth closed his eyes again and asked, "What brings you hear?"
I'm taking the prisoner back to the Grove to start the interrogations. You and the rest can hang out here for as long as is needed." Felix stood and walked out pausing next to Seth to say, "Don't die on us now old friend. We need you more than ever now."
Seth chuckled again and replied, "I'll do my best."

 

[Flutterby]

"Thank you," She said softly as she took the bowl back and grabbed a piece of bread. Ilaria ate quietly for a moment, and then spoke.
"We can't stay here for long. There's going to be another- the moon shard is out there somewhere, still."
She swallowed softly, and then added, "I could make a call.. to Gio, find out if he knows anything else. He's been our best source so far, as much as I hate that. We need to get a jump on the next one. It seems.. it seems like this is easier than it should be. I don't think our luck is going to hold for much longer."
Speaking was a little bit exhausting, so she took a break and a couple more bites of food. Slowly, she drifted closer to Chris until her shoulder was leaning against his. She felt cold, which was odd, considering where she was.

 

[Tharivle]

Chris got a little more soup for himself after quickly finishing his own bowl. He nodded slowly at Ilarias words agreeing.
He ate his second helping slower, trying not to move much because Ilaria was leaning in him.

Once everyone was done or mostly done Seth walked up to the front of the room where there was a small podium and he waited for the crowd to quiet which only took a few moments. "Well done all of you. Special thanks to the 16 that accompanied me here earlier, and to Chris and Ilaria for volunteering to be the quick response team." Seth made eye contact with both Chris and Ilaria in turn when he recognized them, gesturing slightly with his hand. "And while he declined an invitation to speak, Captain Elmmriss of the Warrior Dryads will be accompanying us back to the Grove. He will not be traveling with us, nore will he be in plane sight when we get there. So don't think you are going to talk much." Seth smiled a bit with his last comment then continued. "We will be leaving at 0800 tomorrow morning. So the baracks is coming down no later than 745. Have a nice night everyone." With his final words Seth walked back out into the common room then he disappeared into his room off to the side.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria managed to finish her soup while Seth was talking. She didn't listen much, because it didn't actually sound all that important. Now that she was fed, she really just wanted to be clean and warm and asleep.
Pushing her soup away, Ari looked up at the side of Chris's face. "Hey, um.. I think I'm going to go back to the hotel for the night. I don't think it'll help me much, to sleep here." Her voice was a whisper, not wanting to offend the Golden Flame. Even though her secondary mark helped, she still felt off in the presence of their magic. It didn't help that there was also an opposing shard here.
"I really just want a quiet bath and to sleep, so.." Slowly, she stood, even though her muscles definitely didn't want to. "Uh.. where will you be?"

 

[Tharivle]

Chris smiled at her and said, "That is probably a good idea. My stuff is still at the hotel, and I see no reason to move in for one whole night."
It was only a few minuts longer that they sat there after they finished dinner when Chris got up and asked, "You ready to go?"

They walked back to the hotel, Rex joined them about half way through the woods. Chris jumped the fence around their little patio before helping Ilaria climb over. Chris pulled out a cleaning kit from his bag then started working on he gun, taking it apart and cleaning it, then polishing each piece before putting it back together again and putting his M1 away in its case.
He was going to wait for Ilaria to get cleaned up before taking his turn in the bathroom.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria nodded mutely, and plodded along beside him back to the hotel. It took a little maneuvering, and a good bit of wincing, to get her over the little fence. She smiled once at Chris, and then quickly disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of water running followed shortly. It ran for several minutes, and then stopped.
In the bath, Ilaria examined her hand, marveling at how odd it looked to be missing a knuckle. It really was unfortunate, because she loved to fly, and now she'd have to learn all over again in smaller forms. With a small sigh, she let her hand drop, and closed her eyes.
It was nearly 40 minutes later when her bath water had cooled to be uncomfortable and she finally got out and drained it. A few minutes after the tub emptied, she reappeared, wrapped in a towel, to dig for clean clothes. Her hair was wrapped in its own towel, perched precariously on top of her head. The moon child sat, cross-legged, in front of her suitcase, and used her uninjured hand to sort through her clothes.
"I'll call Gio first thing, see what I can find out." She said softly, with a quick glance over. Just beyond him, she caught sight of Rex on the patio and gave a tiny wave with her injured hand. She hated him being lonely outside.

 

[Tharivle]

Rex had been laying on the deck sideways and thumped his tail against the boards a few times when Ilaria waved at him.
Chris had finished with his cleaning and was refilling ammo clips when Ilaria came out. "Feel better?" Chris asked after she sat down. He stood and gathered some clothes and got ready to get cleaned up himself while he waited for an answer.

 

[Flutterby]

Ilaria paused in her search for something to sleep in. "Honestly.. no," She said softly, and then resumed. Finally, she settled on sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, hoping it wouldn't bother her soreness much.
"That hit was.. it would have killed me without the healers acting so quickly, and working so hard. It will be a while before I'm 100%." She admitted quietly, as she tossed the clothes onto the bed and then stood. She was too tired to care that Chris was still in the room as she started to get dressed. He had seen her naked the night they met, and putting on underwear under a towel was so much work.
The dropped towel revealed a mottled pattern of bruises along her torso and upper thighs, some dark and purple, and others splotchy yellow and green from the healers work. She pulled on her shirt quickly, and reach for the pants. She had to switch hands, and picked them up with her uninjured one with a scowl.