Searching for Something Forgotten (OPEN)

[Lujayn]

Aneira stood shakily, using the wall as a support. She paused a moment, fighting a wave of dizziness, rubbing the heels of her hands into her eyes. "I should be... fine, as long as we don't have to keep this up..." She took in a few steadying breaths. "Ah... stupid me..." she muttered to herself.

She made another hand gesture, severing the connection with another one of the summoned corpses. "Ah... that's much better... just one left now. Hopefully they might still be cautious as they pass by the body." She smirked. "If I were better I'd reanimate it just to spook them, ha..." She shook her head.

"Ah, well... we should get going. We should still be close to the lake," she continued, "I would suggest staying close enough to it to see the shore... if we can commandeer a boat... that would be incredibly helpful." She slid her gaze sideways to look at him. "I hope you can row, because I certainly can't... even if I were well.”

She sighed, wondering if her uselessness would ever end. “Perhaps we can find some more supplies, too, since almost all of your things have been left behind... and I doubt we would be able to get it back. At least you have your sword...”

[WolfEnchantress]

"Well, hopefully we won't have to keep anything up for very long," He said. "If we can lose the trail of these men, which might be hard, then we can rest." He walked to the door and peered out, where the sounds of pursuit were growing louder. After a moment he opened the door.

"The lake isn't far, and I'm sure we can find a boat," He said. "And as for supplies, we can get them later. I'm fine with just a sword." The equipment had been expensive, but it was easily replaceable. They couldn't just idly go into town now, however, given the situation. He shrugged and loosened the hilt of the sword in the scabbard and stepped out the door, cautiously moving through the weeds towards the lake. It wasn't very long before the shores came into view.

There were people around, but not many.
"Okay..." He started. "We're going to hope no one thinks this is suspicious." As casually as possible, he strolled over to one of the boats - a small rowboat, nothing else was closer - and climbed in like he owned it, offering a hand to Aneira to help her in before sitting down on the main bench.

"I can row," He said, "but I'm not the best swimmer. So let's not tip the boat over." And he unlooped the rope from the wooden post on the dock and shoved off, ignoring the few curious stares, and rowed towards the bend in the water that would hide them from view.

[Lujayn]

Aneira was quite concious of the curious looks they were given. They were an odd looking pair, after all, and no one would recognise them. Very suspicious. But Damien's sword seemed to give them pause, so they just went on their business.

Sticking one's nose into strange things tended to end badly, after all.

Being in a boat was a curious thing, all wobbly to her movements as she settled herself in a cocoon of sweaters and cloaks. Her lips twitched upwards in a smile. "And I cannot swim at all, and I suspect with all my equipment, I would sink like a rock." She patted his shoulder. "I have every confidence in you to keep us upright and dry."

She yawned and flipped her hood over her head. "Where do we go now?" she asked, staring across the water. "There's a big city around here somewhere, but I'm not sure where it is. And we need to get your "problem" fixed as soon as possible. It's not doing either of us any good being attached, as it were. Your life would probably be far easier not being shackled to I..."

[WolfEnchantress]

"Your confidence might be wrongfully placed. I can count the number of times I've been on a boat on one hand," He admitted. Maybe not the best thing to say - but honesty was best, right? "I'll try not to tip us over," He said with a wan smile.

"My life is never easy. It hasn't been since I was nine. So don't worry about it," He said to the last sentence. "It just makes things more interesting, is all." He looked behind him (for since pulling is easier than pushing, proper rowing technique would be to sit backwards and pull the oars) and down the bend in the river.

"We'll follow the water. If there's a city around here, no doubt we should find it." And sure enough, a city emerged in the shore, just a smudge of grey down the way a bit. He aimed the boat in that direction.
"We'll slip in there, and hope Descus didn't follow us. We can rest up a bit more, and lay low for the day." He rowed a bit more before letting the boat coast a bit. "All we can do is hope that no one will suspect us."

[Lujayn]

"Well... how hard can it be to keep a boat upright?" She asked, tilting her head. As if in answer, the boat struck an unseen rock and wobbled dangerously. "... nevermind..."

"Well if your life already is not easy, then having even more burden put upon you doesn't exactly help matters, does it?" Aneira pointed out. "And if by 'interesting' you mean 'oh goody I get to see rotting corpses move around', well then..." Sometimes it was hard to tell if Aneira liked her craft, or hated it.

"We shouldn't have too much trouble from Descus... from what I hear, he's a busy man, and probably spitting bolts over my summoned corpses... not a magic lover, so the rumours say. Hopefully he'll keep a wide perimeter around us."

She watched the city slowly coming into view, leaning on the edge of the boat. It leaned a bit in that direction, but she didn't weigh much so they weren't in any danger of tipping over. That would definitely be a bad way to make their arrival.

"Well, the only suspicions will be the traditional ones when people see a man and woman travelling together without an escort," Aneira said easily. "And most tend not to care. Unless they're a religious zealot, of course..."

[WolfEnchantress]

Damien raised an eyebrow at Aneira's logic - which was sound for most people, but he looked at it a bit differently.

"No, by 'interesting' I meant different." He grinned. "I like a challenge. The more difficult, the better. Gives me something to do. After all, if no one fights back, where's the fun?" Did he want to get killed? But he wasn't lying - the moments he enjoyed most were those where he could actually try at what he did best - which, at this point was fairly obvious, was killing people.

"Well, we can hope you're right about Descus," He said with a sigh. "I don't know anything about this town coming up - I've never been to it. So, they might be 'religious zealots' or they might not care one way or the other." He was silent as he rowed the rest of the way, every once in a while casting a glance backward to correct his course. When they drew closer, he spoke again.

"Though I doubt I have to say anything, just be natural. Or, as natural as two looking like we do can be." He guided the small boat into the docks and tied it so it wouldn't float away and cautiously (though not cautiously enough to look like he didn't know what he was doing, per say) stepped onto the docks, offering a hand to Aneira. "Where are we going from here?" He asked, keeping his voice low enough to deter others from listening in.

[Lujayn]

"Ah... interesting tends to be a very bad thing for me. Unleashing an unnoticed pocket of shades, getting chased around a glade by the corpse of a giant because I smudged one of my protection circles... I like things to be as uninteresting as possible," Aneira sighed. "Really, since I met you, I've had all the "interesting" I'll need for the next ten years or so..." Although, she got to be around Damien, so that was always a plus. Not that she would come right out and say so, of course.

As they pulled into the docks, Aneira flipped her hood over her face to hide her eyes. They had yet to return to normal, and she wasn't entirely certain how long it took. It seemed to take longer each time. She took the hand offered and carefully stepped out of the wobbling boat, eyeing the murky, filth-filled water suspiciously. Larger towns and cities had disgusting water, and she didn't wish to touch it.

"I'm not certain where to go from he...re..." she trailed off as her eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to her knees. "Oh... my head... hmm...." She leaned against Damien's leg for further support. "I know where to go now. A nice hotel, where I can sleep for a week... and maybe eat something first, that would most likely be beneficial as well."

She was well aware that her collapse was drawing attention, but there wasn't much she could do about it.

[WolfEnchantress]

"Well, since so far it seems that your profession is slightly more dangerous than mine, that's understandable," He said. The corpses had even given him a fright, and almost nothing scared him. Then again, it isn't every day you see living dead crashing about.

Aware that Aneira's collapse was causing people to stare, he deftly scooped her up and began walking. He had no idea where to, but the look he gave any curious passersby prevented any of them from asking questions. He managed to find an inn and shoved open the door, entering warily. The few people in the main room looked up, but minded their own business.

"A room." He said, placing a few coins on the table. The innkeeper nodded, and looked skeptically at the delirious figure he carried. It likely looked suspicious. "She passed out. Not enough water on a hot day like today." He didn't look convinced, but he gave him the key anyways, after he laid another coin on the table.

Once in the room, he set her down on the bed.
"I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, and left, returning not long after with food. "You need to get proper sleep, and eat. Before we do anything else." He offered a grin. "Can't have you passing out so much. People might start to wonder." He sat back in the single chair that occupied the room, studying her. "I can keep watch, so nothing like last time happens, if you like. Or, if you find that weird, I ca go somewhere else.:" Though, not anywhere far away. "Either way, you have to regain some health before we move on."

[Lujayn]

Aneira's face went a few shades of scarlet when Damien picked her up, and she gave a single muffled squeak before completing hiding into her hood. She peeped out a bit when they entered the inn, but didn't say anything. Best pretend to be unconcious, she supposed, although it was obviously suspicious.

She was then put in the room, and he dissappeared breifly. She felt a tug on their connection, and frowned. He should have been able to go much further than that before setting off a "you-are-getting-too-far" warning. She was too weak, clearly.

This concern was put completely out of her mind when Damien came back with food, which she

managed to devour rather quickly. Not that it appeared as such, just one moment the food was there, and then the next it was gone. Who knew she was such a voracious eater?

"You can stay... it's probably safer if we stay in one spot. Plus with me being so weak I think the "leash" this connection puts on you has shortened... best stay close. It would be rather bad if we went through all this trouble, only to have you drop dead because you went too far."

'Leash'. An interesting term for it, certainly. It probably felt like one at times.

She fiddled with a button on one of her pockets, and began musing outloud... without realising it. "I wonder what's the shortest the leash has ever gotten for a necromancer? Would it ever have gotten so short that they had to..."

Aneira trailed off when she realised not only was she speaking out loud, but where she was headed with her musings. Blushing scarlet, she mumbled, "I'm going to sleep!" before quickly tugging the covers over her head.

[WolfEnchantress]

Damien smirked at Aneira's musings. He'd wondered the same thing, though certainly not out loud. He'd felt the tug when he fetched food and refrained from wandering too far, unsure of just how far he could go without dropping dead, and if the feeling would get worse before he dropped dead or if it would be sudden. He had no wishes to find out, at least not by experiment.

He went to the window and peered out. It seemed so normal compared to the last few days - people still bustling about, despite the stretching shadows. The occasional scuffle that used to seem interesting was now just another activity on the streets. He sighed - not in regret, but almost in pity. They would go through their whole life without getting the thrill of any kind of adventure.

Damien settled comfortably. Instinctively he reached for a short blade to guard with be fore remembering they were all left back at the camp. Shrugging, he settled for his sword, which he placed next to him, a hand resting near the handle. He figured it would be a calm night, but wasn't going to bet on it. Shifting, he settled down to wait, his mind drifting and yet alert for any sign of danger.

[Lujayn]

Aneira awoke a few hours later, slowly sitting up and letting the covers slide off, causing her hair to stick out in a fuzzy poof. Her eyes were only half-open, but they seemed to be back to normal, although it was hard to tell what with the shadow cast by her hair that was messily cast about her face. She slowly looked around, rubbed an eye, then spotted Damien by the window. Throwing the covers off, she slid onto the floor and walked over to him, with a rather sleepy, slow gait.

It was about then that something odd became apparent. While her eyes were no longer the strange black iris with red pupil, they were still far too dark to be her normal eye colour- her eyes were a chilling blue. So the only other option was...

Too late- Grey, back from her hibernation, tackled Damien to the floor, hands on his shoulders to keep him down with her legs curled up over his chest and stomach. He could probably have thrown her off... but that would most likely mean injuring Aneira.

"You're not a terribly good assassin," she said in a flat tone, so strange to be coming from Aneira. Or, rather, her body. "Forgetting about me, like this, letting your guard down... pathetic. And she's a terrible necromancer, for forgetting to put up a mental barrier to keep me down when she fell asleep. She's still asleep, too, lost in a dark slumber. She'll stay that way for a while, so I have plenty of time to talk to you... in private, so to speak."

She smirked, lips pulled back in a derisive smile. "You're not very wise to trust Aneira, either. She's not as nice as you think she is, although she's done a very good job of hiding it, hasn't she? Oh, there's niceness in her, of course there is- why else would she have helped you?"

A pale hand reached out and stroked down his cheek. "Stupid girl even has a crush on you, or did you not notice? Not that she'll ever let it go anywhere, of course- she's not an idiot." Grey chuckled lightly. "A good thing she's asleep, no? She'd be so very embarrassed by what I'm telling you."

She hummed lightly, looking up at the ceiling, her hand shifting to cover his mouth to stop him from speaking. Apparently she didn't want to listen to him talk. "I would advise against seeing a cleric, if I were you. I have my own reasons, of course. I don't really feel like passing over right now. But it would be a better thing for everyone if she remained chained down to you. Necromancers do their best work on their own, for they cannot have outside distractions, and it's easier to commit less than decent acts when there are no witnesses involved."

She glanced down at him, lifting her hand from his mouth. "You want to say something now? You've been a good, quiet boy, so I think you deserve a break, yes?" The unsettling smile that crossed her face was made all the more unsettling by how natural it appeared on Aneira.Hnnrrgh decent writing what's that? -die- -

[WolfEnchantress]

Damien was caught off-guard when he was tackled, but he bore the treatment in silence upon realizing that Aneira was in fact not Aneira, but Grey. he maintained an expression of impatience as she spoke. the expression turned to one of mild anger when she covered her mouth, preventing him from speaking. He remained absolutely still, meeting Grey's gaze steadily.

Once he was allowed to speak, he didn't, not right away. He gently grabbed her by the waist and scooted her down, enough so he could sit up, and then lifted her off of him, rising with a tolerance as though she was a child, knowing it had a chance of irritating Grey.

"first, if you want to see a 'talented assassin' all you have to do is give a name. I could kill anyone in this town and no one would be the wiser." He said, speaking the truth. He had his off days, but when he put his mind to it, almost nobody was beyond his knife.

"Two, who said I forgot about you? Maybe I just don't think you're worthy of my attention. Maybe I chose not to acknowledge the fact that you could spring up at any moment." Which wasn't true - he had forgotten. And he wasn't sure if she was dangerous or not, but he knew that he was testing his limits, and that it might not end well.

"Three, I will trust whoever I want to. You're not to be the judge of that." he hadn't trusted anyone - not truly trusted them - since he was little. Aneira was only a partial exception - he felt he could trust her completely, but all of his instincts told him that he'd gotten by perfectly fine in his life not trusting anyone, ever, and to remain that way.

"Four, why are you telling me? I'm sure if she wanted me to know, she would say something." If he was honest, he would have said that he was pleased to hear so, and maybe even that he might have a thing for her too - but, since when was he an honest person, especially to someone like Grey? Even if he was, it would take more than prodding to get him to admit it.

"And five, I still plan on visiting a cleric. I am very ready for you to be away now, whether you're ready to pass over or not. It seems that you do nothing but cause trouble for me as well as Aneira. I don't care what sort of 'less than decent acts' she performs - I'm not one to talk myself, you know." He patted her on the head with a slight smirk. "Now why don't you leave Aneira alone, and go back to wherever you came from?" He stared at her intensely, his eyes relaying nothing, but his body language showing some amusement. He hoped to make her angry. Maybe she would leave. He remained silent then, waiting for a response.

[Lujayn]

Grey stared at him for a moment before giving a disdainful sniff and pouting. "You are no fun at all, you know that?" she muttered, sounding dreadfully put-out. "You could at least act a little bit stunned or shocked or something, just for my benefit. You're not a gentleman at all. Although I suppose that goes without saying, you being an assassin and all..."

She walked back to the bed, dropping down onto a sitting position with a soft thump "You should be nicer to me, though. When I'm in control, and Aneira is slumbering so deeply in her mind, I can do whatever I like. Including kill this body. Too bad she doesn't carry any worthwhile weapons, or I could threaten just that." She said it so calmly, like talking about the weather. "She has a few knives and whatnot for cutting up her ingredients, but they're duller than wood and would hardly do the job."

She slipped a hand into one of the many pockets and pulled out one of the blunt knives, holding it so that the "sharp" end was pressed against her chest. "If it were sharp, just a hard thrust this way, at this angle, and it would slip into her heart and kill her. That's how I died, you know, though not by my own hand. I have intimate knowledge of how it... feels. Physically, emotionally, mentally. As a shade I relived that torment endlessly. Why do you think we howl so?"

Grey sighed, putting the knife back. "Alas, I have no weapons. And since you are so foolish to allow yourself to have been caught by that mercenary-"(said with a great deal of distaste) "- there are no weapons I can steal off of you. There will be other chances, I'm sure..." She smiled and gave a little finger wave. "Good-bye for now, Damien."

With that, Aneira's eyes closed and she slumped onto the bed, looking far more exhausted than before... and rather cold, too, judging by the shivering.



Aneira woke up a few hours later, groaning and pressing her hands against her head. "Aaah, ma tête, it feels like I've been kicked with an iron-clod boot... multiple times."Aneira's native tongue is FRENCH until I make up one... hrrr. -

[WolfEnchantress]

Damien raised an eyebrow, not convinced she would actually go through with killing herself even if she had the chance. However, he didn't doubt that she might do something that would cause some kind of harm to Aneira, so he didn't make any other snide remarks, though there were several that he could have said. Instead he remained silent, not returning the farewell, and laughed when she had gone suitably away. Were all shades like her? He couldn't imagine so - she was not high on the list of things thought of when he pictured a shade.

When Grey disappeared again, he covered Aneira with another blanket to stay the shivering and again sat down, mulling over the strange shade. He wondered why she didn't want him to trust Aneira. Should she be not trusted? Even so, it wasn't going to change his mind on the matter. He wasn't going to leave because of something Grey said, especially since if there was someone he wasn't going to trust it would be her.

Damien didn't shift when Aneira woke, but he glanced her way.
"I would be surprised if you didn't." He said. "Grey paid you a visit. Well, I guess she paid me a visit, but she was using your body, obviously. The more I talk to her the more I come to see she's.... Interesting, in an irritating way. Does she know everything about you, since she's occupying her body?" He asked, his tone indicating that Grey had a habit of saying things about Aneira.

[Lujayn]

"Of course she was using my body..." Aneira said on a ragged sigh, sitting up as she rubbed her temples. "Stupid, stupid me, forgetting about her, forgetting to put up a mental barrier." It could have had incredibly fatal consequences, and not just for her. Shades weren't human, even when possessing a human body, and they didn't feel pain, hunger, or anything. They weren't one of the more dangerous aspects of necromancy for nothing.

"As for her knowing everything about me... it's rare that a shade would have the presence of mind to search my memories, but Grey is clearly not a typical shade. Maybe it's because she's tethered to me, I am not sure. But since I haven't been paying attention, she could possibly have been running gleefully down the lanes of my memory and seeing everything I have experienced, 21 years in a matter of a few hours..."

Aneira paused. "... wait, has she been saying things about me?!" she asked with a panicked tone, looking up at Damien with wide eyes.

There were things that she didn't want him to know, that she didn't want anyone outside of her craft to know (or even within it, for that matter, for knowledge was power within that deadly circle). She had secrets, and she desired to keep them that way.

Plus, if Grey had decided to blab about her feelings...

A slight, maniacal giggle fluttered at the back of her mind, at that thought, and Aneira realised with a keen sense of horror that she had. Oh gods, that is the last thing I need... please, please have decided to not believe her.

"What has she been saying about me?" she asked, her voice rising an audible, panicked octave. She was no master at keeping her emotions in check, and some situations got the better of her, and this panic would reveal that she did, indeed, have things she wished to remain unearthed.