The Song of Rain

[Reixou]

(If you wish to join this thread, go ahead and jump in. Anyone is welcome, though I do prefer that you use proper grammar and logical story elements...thanks! )

Reixou's black hair dripped with the rainwater, trickling down over his scarlet skin. The boat floated in the middle of the lake, motionless, and a halo of moonlight shone across the clouds; yet it didn't break through, and most of the land was shadowed in darkness. His hauntingly icy blue eyes looked up at the sky, flinching at the drops of water landing on his forehead above them, but still his searching eyes continued. They seemed to look for an answer, some sort of voice or sign, but they did not find what they were looking for. Again they squeezed shut, and he dropped his head, his body folding in on itself, almost collapsing onto the floor of the boat.

Silent sobs wracked his body in spasms, as he tried desperately to resist the pain, but as he did, it just saturated him further. Slowly, his sobs turned to cries, and pain was replaced with anger, welling up inside him. The yells got progressively louder, until he threw his head back and hands out to his sides, giving a primal yell that could have summoned some ancient creature from it's slumber.

Why couldn't he have let her go? If he had sent her off, without being so selfish as to try to keep her to himself until after everything was said and done, then she probably would have survived. It was his fault, and there was nothing he could do to bring her back.

After the last yell had dissipated into the night, Reixou sat in silence, his chest heaving as the rain beat incessantly harder upon it. He looked across the lake, and something caught his eye. Indeed, he had summoned an ancient creature. large ripples ran through the water, and an immense shining entity moved beneath the surface. For a moment, he thought it was actually glowing....no, it was. It was something very large, and fast, and the eerie silver glow moved gracefully but hauntingly beneath the waters of Lonea.

[Rin]

"Secure the rigging and prepare for descent!" Screamed Roux to her men. "Hold fast, boys!" She added, pulling her elaborate goggles over her eyes. "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"

A sheet of frozen rain pelted the airship Karkinos and her crew as they sailed through a violent storm. Lightning split the air on all sides, threatening to burst the ship's balloon, and the crewmen stumbled drunkenly as a howling gale rocked the deck. Roux's throat burned from screaming over explosive whip-cracks of thunder.

"Pull starboard!" She shouted at the helmsman. The poor man fought to keep the ship on course, but the wind was too strong. Finally he lost control, and the ship lurched sideways--several crewmen tumbled to the deck.

"Oh no you don't," Roux muttered to herself, sprinting up the stairs to the forecastle. Her long white skirt, gathered at her hips in the front to reveal thigh-high brown boots, rippled like liquid behind her as she ran. "Move!" She barked at the helmsman, shoving him aside and gripping the wheel with both hands. With a cry of exertion, she righted the Karkinos. "Come on, love!" she pleaded. "We're almost there!"

The Karkinos burst through a dark cloud to reveal Leona Lake, churned into a sea of grey daggers by the storm. Roux took courage at the sight of it. "Yarric!" she shouted. A lumbering troll-centaur approached. "Take the wheel! And no matter WHAT, KEEP this bird on a straight path toward the lake or I'll have your hide for a balloon patch, understand?!"

"Aye, Cap'n!" rumbled the troll, taking the helm. Eager now that the lake was in sight, Roux found herself too impatient for stairs. She leapt clean off the forecastle, her skirt and flaming hair frenzying in the wind before she thumped onto the deck.

"Every man fasten his life line and make ready to secure the side sails!" She ordered. "We touchdown in three minutes!"

Its wood groaning with creaks, the airship descended through the sky, angling toward the lake. Once they were close, Roux cinched a life line around her own waist, screaming "Brace yourselves!"

Everyone aboard the Karkinos save for Roux lost their balance when they hit the lake. The ship struck the water with an explosive splash, showering the already drenched crew in lake water. Roux untied her life line with hasty fingers. "Gunners man the cannons," she ordered, this time in a softer but no less commanding voice. Then she crossed to the railing, abysmal blue eyes skirting over the water. "Everyone shut up and keep an eye out."

The world below the storm was distinctly quieter. Thunder still rumbled like an angry dragon through the clouds, but distantly, and at a much less alarming decibel. Rain water pattered against the lake, crackling like fire. Roux and her crew stood motionless.

Then--"There!" Roux's eyes ignited as a glowing white entity glided under a nearby rowboat. "Open fire!" she screamed, and a cacophony of cannon fire jarred the air. The mysterious entity undulated in the water, its long body recoiling from this strange, unprovoked bombardment. But, instead of fighting back, the creature fled.

Roux cursed, pacing feverishly. "Bring me the lightning shaft. NOW!"

A flurry of motion, and a moment later Roux was presented with a long, silvery rod topped with a three-pronged claw. She thrust the claw testily into the water, slamming her palm against a small silver button at the top.

Like the inverted blip of a mammoth water drop, the air around the ship seemed to compress toward the shaft in a great declining sigh of sound.Then... a moment of pressing silence.

In one great, explosive flare, a wave of electricity burst from the shaft and washed over the lake, turning its entire surface into flickering spiderweb of violet lightning. Roux's hair and clothes hovered in the charged air, as did her crew's. She couldn't help but stare at this spectacle, which, though she had seen it many times, never ceased to amaze her.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the lightning neutralized, leaving the lake grey once more. Roux's knuckles whitened as she squeezed the lightning shaft, searching the water to see if her plan was a success. This dragon caracas was going to buy her a new furnace...

A few seconds passed. Anouk stopped breathing. Just as she was beginning to think they'd failed...

There, on the other side of the lake, the lifeless body of a silvery white dragon, no longer glowing, bobbed to the surface.

"HA!" Roux exclaimed, pumping a gloved fist in the air. Looked like she'd be getting that furnace after all. "Come on boys," she called to her celebrating crew, "Let's bring her in!"

Everyone including Roux dawned a clunky brass glove with a hole in the palm and aimed it toward the dragon. Countless beams of electric blue light burst from the gloves and encompassed the beast, lifting it out of the water and toward the Karkinos. Once the dragon was close, Roux commanded them to "Hold it steady!" so she could examine her handy work. A toothy smile split her face--it was beautiful. "Great job boys!" she praised. "Great--"

Just then, an odd gurgling sound bubbled from the dragon's throat. Roux eyes bulged. "Hit the d--!"

A pillar of intense blue flame erupted from the dragon they'd thought was dead, encompassing the balloon of the Karkinos...

...And igniting the hydrogen.

Roux remembered a deafening boom, a white flash, intense heat, fire, pain, a ringing in her ears, hitting the water, darkness...

...Floating... floating... Her head bumping up against something... A pair of intense, frosty blue eyes...

...Blackness.

[Reixou]

As the scene unfolded before him, Reixou watched as the airship, something he had never seen before, descended upon the massive creature and vanquished it before he knew what was happening. He stood in the boat while the electricity coursed through the water, but was not scared of it, just puzzled at exactly what was happening beneath the surface of the water, exactly who these people were who were using such devices.

Reixou summoned the moon's light through the clouds, in order to see the silver dragon's hide rising to the surface. With a puzzled gaze, he watched as its body was encased with tendrils of blue light, and lifted from the water. As it rose, he saw its' eyes flutter open, then close again, as though it was struggling to come to. He immediately knew the danger of them lifting it into the ship, but before he could do anything, it was too late. The explosion threw him back, as he reflexively held his hands out, forming a sort of shield from the energy of the moonlight. He fell into the bottom of the boat, but quickly returned to his feet, searching the flames dancing on the water for anyone who may have survived the blast.

The first thing he saw was the silvery pieces of dragon scale glinting in the flames, and the stench of burning flesh as the beast writhed in desperate attempt to extinguish itself, but to no avail, as the blast left sections of its' skin raw, patches of scales absent and unable to protect it from the searing heat. He tore his eyes from the beast, despite his sadness at it's defeat, and began searching the water. Twenty feet away from his boat, he saw a body floating, a mass of red and blue hair swirling in the waves.

He immediately jumps from the boat, launching himself horizontally across the lake, his wings bursting forth, and carrying him swiftly to the form. They are nearing an outcropping of rocks, which the waves will soon bash the victim into, giving no mercy to the defenseless being. Lifting the limp body from the water just as her head knocks against the first rock, he does not return to the boat, but instead to the shore, under a tree that blocks at least some of the rain, still coming down, but fading quickly. Reixou lays the body on the ground, near the trunk of the tree, and looks into the face of a woman, around her early twenties perhaps. Her eyes, like the dragon's, blue and deep, flutter and open, but close as she slips off into unconsciousness.

Not knowing anything about her, he does not wish to risk taking her into town, but has to find a way to get her warm and dry once again. He himself did not need such things, being a wraith, and virtually immortal, but he did have a sort of "home", if that is what you could call it. Sighing at the thought of "it'll have to do," he scoops her up in his arms once again, holding her body sheltered from the wind, and flies to his haven--a clearing near the lake, where there is a small underground cave hidden under a camouflaged trap door. There, he has spare clothes, and a few personal belongings.

He happens to have one blanket that he kept to remind him of home, and he lays it out on the floor, and her upon it. Knowing that she will dry faster without her sopping clothes, but not wanting to risk that it would offend her if he removed them, he does his best to rub them dry with a spare cloak, his own clothes no where near dry enough to use. After blotting most of the moisture from her, he wraps her securely in the blanket.

[Rin]

For the first time in months, Roux dreamt of home.

She found herself treading deep beneath the lake, gently stirring the water around her with slow, undulating strokes of her arms and legs. Darkness pressed heavily on her eyes, but she had grown up in this abyss; this was nothing strange. What was strange, however, was the fact that she wore normal clothes. The laces of her fingerless leather gloves, as well as those of her brown leather corset levitated in the water, along with the many holsters and sheaths that banded her arms, legs, and hips. But the oddity of her apparel failed to disquiet her--she closed her eyes, the water’s warm, caressing heaviness numbing her into a state of profound serenity... She could stay here forever.

A moment later, a light appeared. Bright shafts of bloody gold pierced the blackness of the water, and when Roux sensed this, her eyes snapped open. Only one thing could create light like that... Suddenly desperate, she began to pump her limbs, struggling against the heavy water to reach the light. She swam with all her strength, churning up a hurricane of bubbles, and just when she thought she might discover the source of this long sought after brilliance...

The spears of gold light burst into blue flame. Roux's beloved brightness faded to reveal a silvery white dragon, burnt and bloody and missing large patches of scales... A bubble of air burst from Roux's lungs as she cried out, thrashing her limbs in an attempt to escape the dragon. But the harder she fought, the slower she swam, and soon the dragon's fire engulfed her, searing the skin on her shoulders and back. Now she was completely enveloped in blistering heat. As she continued to writhe, the dragon's head surfaced from a sea of azure flame, glowering over her with wicked, burning eyes. Roux's own eyes bulged as the creature widened its jaws, revealing row upon row of dagger sharp teeth, and before she could speak, before she could even think, a jet of blue flame exploded from the dragon and shot toward her face--!

"GAH!" Roux woke with a shriek and scrambled to her feet. Wounded and still extremely weak, she swooned, clutching her head with both hands and staggering. "Dear gods!" she cried. "Oh dear gods, my ship! M-my dragon! My crew!" She backed into a table then, toppling several candlesticks. "My crew, my crew is dead!" she lamented. "And oh my GODS, it's all my fault!" Then, instantly, she stopped, her head snapping up. Finally catching sight of her red-skinned company, she gasped, cursed, and threw herself flat against the wall.

"What are you?"

[Reixou]

Startled but not surprised at her violent reaction to the events, Reixou watched patiently as she fumbled around, not minding her knocking over some things, and generally just hoping that she did not hurt herself on anything. She lets out a string of profanities, blaming herself for the explosion, the dragon, all of it. In his own mind, Reixou does not doubt that it was her fault, but he knows that she did not intend for all of it to happen.

When she finally realizes she is not alone, he can't help but smile slightly.

"Well, that depends on what you want to know, or who you ask, but I suppose you could say that I'm an elf. Though, I could ask you the same question." He stands, "But I'm not extremely concerned with that at the moment. I didn't want to leave you alone here but I planned to return to the lake, to see if there are any more survivors. I don't even know if the dragon is still alive," Opening a small chest by the wall, he pulls out an extra set of clothes. They are no doubt too large, but if she wants to be dry and warm, they'll have to do.

"Here are some dry clothes. I apologize that I do not have anything in your style, or size, but warmth and not being soaked to the bone is more important." He holds them out to her.

[Rin]

Roux's vision blurred, cleared, and blurred again as she squinted at the red elf, not completely comprehending his words. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it, squeezing her eyes shut, opening them, and blinking several times. It was then she realized she was shivering. Eyeing the still damp clothes that clung to her skin, she found herself wondering if that blood on her shirt was her own, or...

Roux looked up to see the red elf reach into a chest. Ever the suspicious pirate, she whipped out a pistol and pointed it at him, only to yelp and drop her arms in pain. Wincing, she cradled her aching right shoulder, examining the injury with exasperated eyes; it seemed the impact of the explosion had torn it free of its socket.

The red elf turned to face her then with an armful of clothes, apologizing about their size--immediately Roux thrust her gun behind her back, struggling to dispel the pain from her face. Normally she would have no trouble doing so, but her nerves were frayed from the night's events, and she couldn't seem to get a grip on herself. This anomaly made her even more upset, as normally she was masterful at controlling her emotions. Gods, she thought, cursing her sudden lack of discipline. Surely the elf would notice the agony welling in her tearful eyes...

[Reixou]

As he turns to her and makes eye contact, he notices that she is trying to hold back some sort of pain. Her eyes are glossy with threatening tears; and he knew better than anyone how it felt to hold in pain you didn't want others to see. Reixou's eyes then follow her trembling muscles, indicating that her right shoulder is badly hurt. There is a little more blood than he anticipated, but it isn't any amount of consequence. His gaze runs down her arm, which tells him she is holding something behind her back.

Taking in the situation, he knows that she must feel at least somewhat threatened, as, not only a stranger, but a scarlet elf, has her in his care; in a place where she does not know her whereabouts. He notices the confusion and subtle hostility in her eyes, and knows that she could be a formidable adversary if she ever thought she had to defend herself. All of this in mind, he goes about getting her to trust him; even if it's just for long enough to get her back on her feet.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have left you in the lake, with the dragon. We're in a small den I dug into the ground, here in the forest by the lake. I suppose you could call it a house, but I don't particularly live here. In any case, you are safe." He smiled slightly, hoping it would make him look more friendly than menacing. "I am probably not what you're used to as far as appearances, but I am willing to work to earn your trust -- though the longer we take, the more agony you're going to have to deal with with that shoulder."

The words of someone who is part demon aren't usually extremely safe to believe, but if anyone knew what Reixou had gone through, they would know that he wouldn't harm anyone, not unless they were attempting to hurt someone he cared about. Even those with marred pasts, he trusted to some degree. If you didn't want to be his enemy, it was simple...don't do anything without good reason.

[Rin]

Roux watched the red elf's gaze travel from her eyes to her shoulder to the arm that concealed her flintlock pistol. She gave a weak smile. "You're a perceptive one, aren't you?"

Roux sighed, slowly removing her gun from behind her back and lifting her hands in surrender. She hoped this gesture of peace would reassure the elf that she wasn't about to shoot him. Anticipating retaliation, she peeked up at him through her eyelashes, checking for signs of hostility in his ever calm expression--despite his words, trust was a prize he would have to work to earn.

But... the edges of Roux's vision darkened, and she blinked and shook her head. In this wounded state, she knew she wouldn't stand a chance without the elf's help. Finally she dropped her hands, choosing to trust him... for now. She slipped her gun back into its holster, and then, no longer on edge, pain and exhaustion overwhelmed her once more. She flopped against the wall, eyes slipping closed as she clutched at her injured shoulder.

"Yeah, uh... Mm." Roux swallowed and licked her lips, wincing as her shoulder smarted. "I could probably use some help."

[Reixou]

Reixou was glad she finally put her guard down, at least temporarily, and gestured to some furs stacked on the carpet, covered with the cloak she had been lying in.

"You can sit or lay down, which ever you prefer...I'll need to see exactly what's wrong." He approached her slowly, carefully using his hands to feel the back of her shoulder, starting far away from the socket itself. Just by the look of it, and running his hands lightly across it without even pressing, he could tell it was dislocated. Quite badly dislocated. Her winces and moans of pain only added to the conclusion.

"Dislocated," Reixou stated simply, "I can put it back in...I've done it a couple times before...but it will hurt..." His brow furrowed in both concentration and sympathy, he tried to think of any herbs he could use to ease the pain. He had learned a little bit of herbalism from his encounters with old hermits, who lived in the middle of nowhere and used only what they could gather with their own hands; but it was nothing extensive.

"I can try to find some devilsclaw, but it's few and far between out here...either way, we do need to get you dry."

There was a small fireplace at the end of the dugout, and he knew it would be his best bet. Unless they cut her clothes off, it would be extremely painful for her to remove them. He only had a small stash of wood, but it would do for the time being. He used a simple spell to start a flame, and the fire grew steadily, but slowly.

[Rin]

Roux's wary eyes flicked from the elf to the furs and back again. Her more animalistic instincts bristled at the idea of putting herself in the hands of this wicked looking stranger, no matter how "trustworthy" he claimed to be. But... she knew she must be reasonable. This had been her idea after all, and relocating a shoulder was nasty business--it would be much easier to let him do it than to do it herself. If he even knows how, she thought, scoffing. Finally, she huffed, forcing herself to sit on the furs and be examined.

The elf approached carefully and knelt beside her, using gentle, tentative movements to feel the back of her shoulder. Roux recoiled from his touch. "Ow," she protested, shooting him a pointed glare. The scarlet elf cringed, casting her a sypmathetic I know, I'm sorry sort of glance, and edged near again, carefully continuing his examination. When he touched her this time, his fingers grazed her shoulder with feathery softness, obviously loath to cause her further pain; Roux couldn't help but shiver. The gentleness of his touch surprised her, as did the fact that this very strange elf was actually kind of... handsome. Roux found herself struggling to take her eyes off him. His own gaze, so full of concern, flicked briefly toward her face, back to her shoulder, and then to her face again, this time lingering in a questioning glance. Roux's eyebrows shot up and she cleared her throat, quickly occupying her attention with something on the ceiling.

"Dislocated," the elf stated. "I can put it back in... I've done it a couple times before... But it will hurt..."

"Mm," said Roux, simply. She knew.

"I can try to find some devilsclaw, but it's few and far between out here... Either way, we do need to get you dry."

Roux's brow furrowed as she contemplated this. Her crew could still be out there, wounded or dying, and a hunt for devilsclaw could take hours. This was no time to play doctor. She sat very still for a moment, deliberating silently with herself as she watched the elf light a fire.

"You know what?" She finally blurted, springing to her feet. "We don't have time for this. You wanna help? Hold still."

Then, without waiting for a response, Roux approached the elf, grabbed his elbow with her right hand, bit down on her left glove, and threw herself sideways--with a sickening crack! her bone popped back into place. An agonized growl burst through Roux's teeth as she doubled over, eyes squeezed shut, fingers clamped around her painfully throbbing shoulder. She stayed like this for a moment, snarling whispered profanities at the floor. Then, after heaving final, tremulous sigh, she straightened, turning toward the entrance to the cave. "Time to go," she squeaked. And out she staggered.

[Reixou]

At the surprising turn of events, Reixou found himself puzzled by her actions, almost as if he couldn't process them quickly enough. This was odd, as he normally thought quickly and efficiently, but he could not bring himself to figure out this mortal; bringing herself more pain, more quickly. Most were selfish, wanting the easiest way out. He had learned not to even try convincing them that the fastest way may not be the least painful.

But this girl...woman...didn't care. She grabbed his arm faster than he could protest, and yanked her own shoulder back into place...he could see the pain shoot across her gaze. Reflexively, he went to embrace and comfort her, but drew back; she probably wasn't much for sympathy and people treating her like a wounded animal. No matter how likened to one she was in this specific situation.

She began walking to the exit, and it was all Reixou could do to toss a dry cloak over her as he followed.

"You'll need it." He didn't give her time to object. He then opened the hatch, creaking deeply on hinges carved from wood, and the cold air blasted in, putting out the fire. He motioned for her to continue up the steep set of steps, out into the wooded area by the lake.