He was gaining on her when he saw that look in her eyes. He watched as she pushed herself even faster, looking desperate to get away from him. This was now all too alarming, frightening really - she had no reason to run from him.
He'd known something wasn't quite right. Now he was starting to truly worry just what it might be, what it could mean. He bit back that sinking sensation in his gut and countered it with determination to not let any harm befall her. Wasn't he just telling her he would protect her?
Yes. He would. And right now, as his girl was running as though he wanted to kill her; he was almost recklessly determined.
A bunch of drunken louts stumbled directly into his path, uncaring and unaware of the chase they'd walked into it. Kiga's eyes narrowed and with both hands, he swept up and thrust forward, a howling blast of wind scattering them like bowling pins. He leaped over them without a second though as to what he'd done, he simply didn't care. The shouts and gasps of astonishment didn't so much as register as he hurtled down the street, still in pursuit.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely hit the sharp right corner of a warehouse building with her free hand. She grabbed a hold of it, her feet skidding in the dust, while she tried to make the turn as fast as possible. She heard the gasps, had just enough time to see the men shoot up into the air, and saw Kiga leaping past them without slowing down.
Ely had used her magick in a myriad of ways. She had set off fireworks, built illusions out of flames, used any amount of cook pits to mold and shape; but she had never used it for offense. She wasn't a battle mage or a soldier like Perry had been. No, she was just a catgirl with a mercurial temper an affinity for flames.
She could feel them now, too; flames. A dozen or more in the ramshackle huts and little camps that the sailors putting into Wistvale used. She threw her hand out and reached for them; each and every cookfire. And while they were small things comparably, the dozen or so that flocked to her hand, turned the dusky gloom of the alleyway into the brightest day.
She stopped. She turned around and without any warning or fanfare; other than the rolling flames, threw the fireball directly at Kiga then bolted deeper into the maze of the docks.
The flames reflected in Kiga's eyes as large as they were with the fireball now hurtling toward him. He was desperate to catch her, put a stop to whatever was wrong but the very last thing he expected from Ely was for her to attack him.
His training told him to act, to ignore any sentiment and to simply see to the task with cold finality, achieve what he must. His face did go cold for a moment too, but he fought that preconditioning, this was his girl - not just some problem or person of no consequence. He was truly, earnestly worried so much it made his gut ache at this moment and well, that caused him to hesitate.
At the very last moment he lashed a hand up and derailed, diffused the fireball with a sharp and sudden snap of wind, but it didn't save him from the impact. The fire struck him in his side and shoulder and damn did it burn, sending him reeling and rolling in a heap with the force of the impact. He came to a halt, face down, groaning and pawing at the dirt, a hand clutching at his side.
He didn't like the smell right now, singed and blackened skin was hardly a charming scent. But the pain, the burned flesh, the dirt in his face and mouth, the worry that was making his head a mess - all of that seemed so terrible futile and fleeting as he lay there, watching her run from him.
He groaned as he dragged himself to his knees, clutching at his side.
"Ely... wait..."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely had no reason to turn around and every reason to keep running. At least, that was what the books were doing; urging more speed from her. But the sound of Kiga's voice, faint though it was, turned her head. She spun around to see him on his knees in the dirt with one hand curled over his side.
"Kiga...?"
He looked wounded. Was he hurt? Why was he in the alley? She had no answers for the questions shooting into her mind. There was a terrible smell, too. A smell Ely was more than a little familiar with, considering. Ely put the books down. There was a shout, several shrieking demands somewhere in her brain and she ignored them all.
She rushed back into the alley toward Kiga.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
He spat, spittle slung from his lips as he swallowed the pain at his side. He was so terribly muddled, lost and alarmed that she'd attacked him. He was no stranger to pain and his body knew how to endure something worse than this, but this... just didn't make sense. It didn't add up. None of it did.
"Just... help..."
He rocked back to slump, sitting atop his own heels, both hands holding his side now and his face contorted with pain and confusion. He knew one thing. He needed her to hold him right now, he needed to know she was still her. He had to know.
"Please Ely.... don't run."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely approached him a lot slower now that she could see him clearly. His face was scuffed, muddy, and his eyes were pale ovals right in the middle of it all. Ely wasn't slow, either. She knew the signs of a burn victim. Her eyes went over him rapidly.
He was holding his side. Had he gotten hurt more deeply there? She looked around the alleyway frantically for other clues. No buildings were on fire, there were no other people stumbling into the way around him.
It was during this quick look around that she saw the books again lying innocuously in the sunlight. Then an image hit her brain like a meteor. She had been upset, worried, and scared. The fires had felt so... safe. Ely clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the horrified gasp.
"Oh... Kiga. No."
She was afraid to touch him. Afraid of what her traitorous hands might do next.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga struggled to his feet with further moaning and groaning, wincing in pain as you might expect, then shuffled toward her. He reached for her then, eyes still entirely worried and confused. He'd let go of his side, it hardly mattered - but it scared him more now that she seemed to not want to come near him.
"Please Ely. Burn them. They're.... not right. Something is wrong with them. You need to get rid of them, or you need to get away from them."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely shook her head back and forth. She sidled away from him too, when he tried to reach for her. What if she did it again? What if she... her head continued to battle out the thoughts.
"Burn them? No... I can... I can't."
The books were gleaming in the sunlight, too. Those three little volumes of information she could not decipher. She had to know what was in them. She had to. Ely had thought when first finding the books that there was no possible way they could be from one of the truly ancient languages.
She had assumed, and rightly so, that such things as fragile as leather and paper would not last. However, the assumptions she added based on that were dead wrong. Those three books now lying in the sunlight were ancient, incredibly so. It was entirely possible they were older than the dirt they were currently resting on.
Oh, and their influence... well it had just begun.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga studied her, took note of that far away look in her eyes when she looked to the tomes now laid upon the dirt. He didn't like this in the slightest. She was avoiding him, avoiding the issue, not at all acting like herself. Not at all.
His head sunk between his shoulders and he looked to the ground, sighing heavily. He shrugged, took a breath... then stepped past her and toward the books. When he spoke, it was with little emotion. He was resolute, decided. She mattered more.
"Fine. Then I have to."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely rushed in front of him. She stood between him and books on the ground. She was even shocked out of her current state of confusion by the tone of his voice. She forgot about not touching him and put her hand in the center of his chest.
She looked up at his face, her vivid green eyes wide with fright and some other emotion. That emotion was hidden so deeply that it wouldn't be visible to anyone who did not know her. The air was getting warmer, now, too.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
He halted and his jaw was set, his shoulders hunched, his muscles tense. He was half expecting another attack and was entirely undecided on what he should do should that happen. But that look in her eyes melted him quite quickly and his assumed, professional demeanor faltered in an instant. He rubbed his face, then hissed in pain as he had moved his side again.
"No. You're not acting like yourself Ely. You attacked me. This just isn't like you. You need to get away from those books and let me deal with them.
Please.
Please Ely."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely shook her head frantically from side to side. Both her hands were on his chest now, and she was bracing her feet as if to keep him from stepping around her.
"No! Please. I didn't mean it. I swear. I did... I... I'll go get them. I'll take them home. It will be fine. I promise."
The words were tumbling over themselves to get out of her mouth and if she had looked scared before now she was utterly terrified. It was not because she had attacked Kiga either, it was because he was threatening to get rid of her books.
She flung her head around to see if they were safe.
Still lost and with little ammunition to combat the problem he faced... he flung his arms about her and pulled her tight against him. She had to listen, she simply had to and if that meant making her, then so be it. He wasn't letting her touch those books again. He spoke kindly now, he bit back the pain in his side and he whispered in her ear, his voice sounding lost and almost terrified.
"No. You cannot take them home. I want them gone Ely. They're doing something to you. Please, just listen to me. Just think about it. This isn't like you. I'll... I'll get you some new books. Just please, don't touch them."
He turned her, didn't want her to even look at them as they lay in the dirt. No, he'd take them if he had to but he didn't want to be forced to make that move.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely made a squeak of surprise when he grabbed a hold of her. She started to thrash, fling her arms and head back and forth. Her hands hit his shoulders. Ely tried to clamber up out of the trap of his arms.
"NO! No! They are mine! MY BOOKS!"
Her voice was getting louder, strident, and panicked. She couldn't believe Kiga could be so mean, either. Why would he keep her from her books? The immediate thought that leaped to mind had been implanted earlier and reared up right now, too.
He wanted them for himself.
"You can't have them!"
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
His voice was dejected, broken. He couldn't seem to get through to her and that was insult to injury - never had he not been able to speak to her so very easily. His arms loosed and he stepped out of the way.
He was not done though. He would not give up on Ely, could not. But this tactic simply wasn't working.
"Ok Ely. Take your books. I will leave you alone then. I need to see a doctor anyways..."
And with that, he turned and started to shuffle off, holding his side and wincing in pain. Apparently.
He was expecting her not to care. He did not believe that was how she really felt though, everything in him wasn't prepared to handle that kind of rejection. But he wasn't a head on confrontation type of person. Not at his core.
No. He was a shadow. And the moment she turned, the moment she fled... he'd be her shadow. She'd never even know he was there. Then he'd have his answers.