[IC] Artanis

[TheMinorFall]

He used magicka to check his internal health when Amuné asked if he was okay. "Negative... Blood is beginning to pool inside my chest wall. In approximately eight minutes, my right lung will collapse. I'll need to drain it immediately." He said. He willed one of his armor plates into his hand, shaping it with metal style into a sharp, metal tube the diameter of his finger and a length of six inches. He pierced his side and slid the tube in. Blood leaked out the open side and Cain took a deep, labored breath. "This is my fault. My finishing maneuver damaged my cracked rib further." He got to his feet, and replaced his garments, leaving an opening for his field chest tube. "I agree. Take me to the physician." He added, reaching out a gloved hand to hold the girl's. He didn't know why he did this. He just did. "Don't worry, my ward is back up. I created it while in the office. It will block your probing magic from accessing me through touch. It doesn't block your.... ranged ability. That would require a second Ward."

He was beginning to really feel the pain now, but still he was calm and collected. He would make it to a physician, or he would pass out and have to be carried. Either way he would get there, but he wanted to go with Amuné. He wanted? @shylarah

[shylarah]

“No?” The girl’s voice rose in concern, though she covered her eyes with her hands when Cain stabbed himself, looking a bit ill. Amuné accepted his hand willingly when he offered it, her grip tight with worry. She didn’t understand the details he said, but injury and not alright, that she understood. He needed a doctor, and she could show him the way. “Fitz, Kirk, James -- I’m going to take him to Dr. Max. I’ll see you later.”
“Right, lass, take care of your friend -- and I’ll take care of Kirk fer gettin’ too excited.” Fitz cuffed the protesting guard’s head. “You need ta be more careful, boyo. Cannae be getting careless like that.”

Amuné left the guards behind, tugging Cain’s hand so he would move at a fast walk. “Dr. Max is nice to everyone. ...You might intimidate him at first, though. I did. He wasn’t sure about me, but now we’re friends. He’s very sweet, but he’ll get angry if you don’t take care of yourself properly.” She led him towards the main building, through the halls that echoed with the sound of her footsteps, to the wing that held the infirmary. “Dr. Maaax!” the girl called, her voice thin with worry. Cain needed help -- and fast.

A man in his thirties poked a slightly disheveled head out of a door that seemed to lead to an office. “Amuné?” he stepped into the hall when he saw the child, but it only took a moment for him to realize she was not the one in trouble. “Amuné, take him to the first exam room, alright? I’ll be with you in just a moment.” He moved to another doorway and raised his voice. “Malie, we have a patient! Exam one, and be quick about it.” With that he vanished into another room. “He’ll take good care of you,” Amuné said softly, taking Cain to a pastel-painted room with an exam table and the various paraphernalia of a doctor’s office. Her brow was furrowed, and she couldn’t seem to stay still, pacing restlessly. “Does it hurt a lot? Can you breathe okay still?”

@TheMinorFall

[TheMinorFall]

Cain was beginning to slip, but he caught the girl's questions. He struggled for breath to answer. Such a small thing could finally be the death of him. "Yes. The pain is immense, and my breathing is increasing in difficulty." He looked at his makeshift chest tube, "I have never been so close to death." He added. Even with a wound that made it difficult to speak, and even though he could potentially die, Cain was still like stone. He was cold, logical and without emotion. He had no fear. He was ready to accept death. The only thing that stopped him was the look on Amune's face. That look was causing him discomfort that trumped even the hole in his side. He reached out and cupped her face with one hand before slipping into hypovolemic shock and passing out.

****

He awoke with a jolt. This was no longer the medical wing. This was a makeshift living quarters made from an oversized broom closet. He could tell by the lingering cleaning supplies and shelves. His wound was bandaged, and sore. He was stiff from lack of movement. Time had clearly passed him by. He rubbed his usually shaven head to find the stubble of white hair. Three days. That was how long it took for his hair to get so long. He remembered his time in the glaciers of the north. He had grown hair to increase trapped warmth to his head for that charge.

His clothes were gone, probably being washed, and had been replaced by worker's clothes. It was probably all that they were willing to waste on some one with no status to speak of. His armor was in a pile under the shelf he had been sleeping in, so at least they still trusted him. Clearly, by demonstrating restraint against a gaurdsman had earned him a certain level of privilege. He was surprised they had allowed his to keep it, seeing as how it was clear that he could change its shape into potentially a blade.

He actually did, making a shaving tool to clear his face of stubble. Something made him leave his head of hair. Perhaps it was a release of another badge from his past. Perhaps it was the urgency of getting his bearings. Either way, he shot up and out of the room. He stepped cautiously into the space outside his room, scanning his own environment.
@shylarah

[shylarah]

@TheMinorFall

When he said that he was close to dying, Amuné’s expression turned distraught. “No! You won’t -- you won’t, Dr. Max will help you and everything will be fine. Okay? Okay?!” She grabbed his hand when Cain reached to touch her cheek, her own fingers shaking. The doctor arrived just in time to keep him from hitting the floor as he passed out.

~~~

Outside the hastily converted broom closet was the same hallway he’d been taken to a few days before, this time from a different angle. Voices spoke softly in a nearby room, a murmur just loud enough to hear but not clear enough to understand. Then the sound stopped, and a door opened to reveal a dark-haired woman in a simple dress. She saw Cain standing in the hallway and a bright smile lit up her face. “Darling, he’s up,” she said to whoever was in the room she’d just left. “Huh? No, I mean up-up. Mhm, I figured. I’ll tell him.” With a soft laugh, she approached the former assassin. “Doctor Thomas will be out in just a moment, but we need you not to move around too much. An exam room will do for now.” Light green eyes danced with amusement. “He said if you don’t sit back down right this minute he’ll have me sit on you to make you stay put.” She placed a hand lightly on Cain’s shoulder and guided him to one of several small rooms, the kind every clinic had. “Just go ahead and sit on the table. I’m Malie, by the way. I help the doctor with...well, with whatever he needs, really.” Another wide smile. “And I’m glad to see you conscious -- you really did mess yourself up quite badly, you know. I won’t be the only one, either.” For a brief moment, Malie’s expression turned crafty, but her words were sincere. “At any rate, it’s about time to change your dressing too, so Max is likely going to want to take care of that as well while you’re in here. Tell me, how are you feeling? On a scale of one to ten, what would you rate the pain in your chest?”

The doctor’s assistant went through a set of fairly standard questions, jotting notes on a sheet pinned to a board, and after a few minutes, the doctor joined them. “That was excellent thinking, that metal tube, though very roughly done,” he said without preamble. “But you were still very lucky. Much longer and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you. You’ve been out for just over three days, and you’re healing well -- faster than I would expect from the average shifter, but I have no medical history for you, so I couldn’t say if that’s normal in your case. However you are still injured, and it is my professional opinion that you should /not/ be up and about. Honestly, I would think someone in your state would have had the sense to stay in bed when he woke up.” Maxwell fixed his patient with a very pointed stare. Unruly children who hated being cooped up withered under it, but the man before him was hardly a child.

[TheMinorFall]

Cain gazed back into the doctor's eyes. He was trying to berate him? How unimaginative. Clearly he had dealt with only children for too long. Cain stood, done with the games of humans. "Your services are no longer required. My magicka had replenished." He made a few handsigns and incantated, "Secret Fire Style: Simmering Flames." A glow showed through his bandage as a burning sensation quickly repaired his wound. It wasn't perfect, but it was safe enough for movement. He tore off the bandage, revealing a nasty scar where his wound had been. There was still redness and slight bruising, but it was good enough for the time being.

"I am not a simple shifter." He stated informatively to the doctor. "I took you for a man with enough sense to deduce this from my appearance alone." Was that a snap back? Why had he done that? It had no use or purpose. He shook his head slightly, "You will take me to Amuné. She will be concerned if I do not inform her of my survival." @shylarah

[shylarah]

@TheMinorFall

The doctor’s jaw tightened, and his eyes narrowed, but his voice only held a hint of steel, still mild for the most part. “Not a simple shifter, no. But most certainly a man who gets himself into far too much trouble, has little regard for his own safety, and lacks the sense to let his body recover properly.” Max did not back down. “Magical healing may be swift, but it is not nearly as complete as the body’s own ability. That is why, while I do employ magic in my practice, I also know better than to rely on it more than necessary. It is hardly a panacea.” He moved closer, to examine the new scar. “For example, if you had allowed a trained physician to do his job, there would be minimal scarring.” The man sighed and shook his head, stepping back again. “What’s done is done. I won’t be able to help you beyond instructing you to avoid strenuous physical activities for a while.”

A nod to Malie, and the woman added a few more notes to her paper and left the room. The doctor said nothing, just looking at Cain for a long moment. “I’ve heard a number of things about you over the past few days. Some interesting, some concerning. But none of that matters here, aside from you being apparently unused to our ways, so I shall explain. If the King, may he rest in peace, were to be under my care, and if he were to try to start going about his usual business before he was sufficiently recovered, I would stop him, just as surely as I would stop you. You are to take it easy, and allow your body to finish healing. Doctor’s orders -- and I will have you report back...” His eyes flicked to the wound again, and he did a quick mental calculation. “Five days. If you do not come, I will find you.”

With business out of the way, Maxwell’s manner shifted. The strict physician relaxed, shoving his hands in his pockets and taking on a far more easygoing attitude. “She has indeed been very worried about you -- Amune, that is. I lost count of how many times she’s dropped by to see if you were awake yet. I don’t know where she is right now, but if you wait a while she’s sure to turn up as soon as she can find an excuse.” He paused, a hint of a frown shadowing his face. “Your bedside manner needs work, though. Telling her you were dying may have been the truth, but you had her so upset she got in my way when I was trying to save you. She didn’t mean to, of course, but I ended up needing Malie to grab her and carry her out of the room.”

[TheMinorFall]

Cain remained there with his full attention on the doctor, "I do not, on any occasion, lie. Not to Amuné." He said coldly, "Leave me. I will standby until she arrives, and then I will continue my business."

He sat there, rigid and unmoving. "My body is only a shell. Damage is of no consequence, and neither is death. That girl is the only thing with any value." He said. It was more of an observation than anything else. There was no defining emotion or tone to his words, except when he mentioned Amuné. There was the slightest hint of something there, but it was to small to be classified. So he waited quietly. @shylarah

[shylarah]

"Everyone has value," Maxwell countered. "If not to yourself, then to those you are close to." He wasn't sure how to respond to the man's cold manner, and his statement that there was only one important thing in the world. That was the sort of thing he'd expect from a lovestruck youth -- no, even then, it was that their beloved's life was worth more than anything else, even their own suffering. This was something quite different.

"I am sorry if I offended you. I can respect not wishing to tell falsehoods. But..." The doctor hesitated, considering. "I didn't say you should lie. There is a difference between a deliberate deception, and not forcing someone to face an uncomfortable truth."

@TheMinorFall

[TheMinorFall]

"Comfort," Cain quickly replied, "is irrelevant. It was nothing more than information she had requested in asking if I was okay. I was not. I told her what my status was. Nothing more." He was more like an object than a person. A talking statue would have more personality, but still there was a hinted flutter upon the pronoun replacing Amune's name. As if she and everything she was perplexed him. It was like there was some kind of attachment he had to the girl that he didn't fully understand, let alone accept as real. "I am not a child. I understand the difference between deception and withholding information. I am withholding an immense amount of information from you all as we speak. Whatever Amuné asks for, however, she will receive. This is why I allowed that man to live instead of killing or gravely injuring him, as is the purpose of a fight. I could have ended him, completely free of magic, but I am under strict order not to harm people."

His words might have come off as hostile if he had any kind of tone. @shylarah

[shylarah]

@TheMinorFall

Maxwell turned away, running one hand through his hair, though with it styled the way it was the action hardly made a difference in his appearance. When he spoke again, his voice was very soft. "She shouldn't have to ask you not to cause her needless pain." He might have said more, but a set of dashing footsteps in the hall made him stop. Moments later the door burst open and Amuné flung her arms around the former assassin. "Cain!" The girl was making an effort not to hurt him, since he'd been injured, but she wasn't exactly gentle. The corner of the doctor's mouth turned upwards at the display, though the look he gave Cain over her head was intense, and then he quietly slipped out of the room.

Amuné didn't even notice his departure. She hugged Cain tightly, like he might vanish if she let go, and her shoulders shook with muffled sobs. The previous three days had been torture, even though the doctor had told her he believed Cain would recover. It had felt like forever, although she could hardly remember anything she'd done. The child had barely gotten his name out, and she couldn't manage to say anything further, but the way she clung expressed her feelings far better than any words might.

[TheMinorFall]

@shylarah

The trained killer in him activated for a fraction of a split second. He saw it all happen in his head. Catching the girl by her throat in mid-air and snapping her neck with a flick of his wrist went through his mind, not as intent, but as reflex. To the contrary, his arm did not move. Instead, in a lightning fast blur of motion, he squared his body to her and braced to accept her hug. He didn't exactly hug her back. He merely caught her and stood. She was heavier than he last time he had lifted her in that garden. He hadn't expected her to burst in, nor her outburst of emotion. Unsure of what to do, he spoke exactly what was on his mind.

"Amuné, you have just surprised me." He said just a little less cold than he had ever spoken before. There was a sliver of softness to replaced the cracked, hard tone he was accustomed to using.

He hefted her effortlessly to one side, holding her up with a single arm, and turned to walk out. He nearly forgot his armor, stopping to will it all upon his body. "Come, I need to eat."

[shylarah]

She didn’t object to being picked up, looping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. “Cain, I was so scared,” she wept, finally finding her voice, though it cracked and wavered. “When you said -- you said...and even with Dr. Max, and -- and...he hurt you and I let it happen, I should have said something -- he was upset and he wasn’t careful enough and you won but you got really hurt and I -- and I....” Amuné stumbled over the words as they came out in a rushed jumble. “You were so calm, I didn’t realize...even when you said -- a-and when you collapsed...Three days, it’s been three days and Ms. Malie said let you sleep but you just lay there and didn’t move -- I thought -- I thought....” The girl’s grip tightened, her tears dripping on his shoulder. “You said you were d-dying -- a-a-and I don’t w-want -- d-don’t die, okay? Promise me? You can’t, I don’t want you to.”

She couldn’t possibly have explained it, certainly not to Cain, but the sight of him, already so pale, and struggling to breath, or lying unresponsive in the bed, all she’d been able to think about was how her parents had looked, the day of their funeral. How he would look, if he didn’t get better. It was unbearable, and the thought had terrified her, but she had been unable to escape it.

@TheMinorFall

[TheMinorFall]

Cain tried to make sense of the stuttering and rambling. She wanted to promise not to die? That was impossible. He would eventually die. There was no escape from that. No amount of promise could impede Death. He considered his options. To promise he would not die was a lie, but Amuné had asked him to. Perhaps an alternate promise would suffice.

"I will do everything in my power to prevent my death. I... Promise." He said in between her sobs so that she would hear him adequately. "I have escaped Death on numerous occasions. I.e. I'll continue to evade it, if that is your wish." He hugged her as he walked. He felt nothing, but had observed this as a comforting tactic for children. They needed physical contact during such mixed hormonal surges to maintain stability. Affectionate contact caused release of endorphins to the brain, relieving stress and naturally calming the subject. He employed this tactic, stroking her hair and softly squeezing her with the arm she was basically sitting on. His face, however, never wavered. It was evident by his expression that this was just a motion for him.

Still, deep inside him there was something else. He shot a glance at the doctor before clearing the medical wing and exiting the building. @shylarah

[shylarah]

“It’s a promise.” She didn’t say anything further for a minute as she tried to regain her composure, just letting Cain’s firm grip and his hand on her hair reassure her that he was okay. Once she’d calmed down, Amuné wiped her face on her sleeve, and looked at him. “I’m glad you’re better,” she told him, though she couldn’t quite manage a smile yet. “Did you like the flowers I left for you? Millie found the vase for me -- she says you can keep it.” There’s been a small, simple vase with wildflowers in it near the foot of his cot, though the assassin probably hadn’t paid them any mind. “Dinner starts soon. Are we still going to runny-voo, even though we’re really late?” She paused, squinting as the sunlight outside hit her right in the eyes. “Um. And you can put me down now. I don’t mind you, but...I don’t usually like touching so much because then people’s feelings are too strong. Sometimes it’s okay, but there’s not enough I’m comfortable with that I’m used to it, and...I’m getting twitchy.”

@TheMinorFall

[TheMinorFall]

@shylarahWiping whatever remained of the moisture on Amune's face away, Cain set her down. "We have already rendezvoused. It means 'to meet at an agreed time and place'." He said, informatively. "And you will have to show me the flowers later so that I can study them, and give my analysis."

He stopped and willed his armor off again, forming the "Ne" handsign, "Secret Shadow Style: Shadow Garb." He incantated. His clothes rippled and flutter as if an undetectable wind was blowing through them. Shadows from the area around them gathered and stained the clothes black as they changed shape to resemble a more assassin-like look. He willed his armor back on, under the clothes and readied to continue. "Lead the way, Amuné."

Whether Cain or Amuné realized it or not, she was special to him. He called everyone else by a title or objective observation-based name. She was he only one he called by her actual name.

[shylarah]

“Rondy...rendezvous?” The girl tried the word again, still tripping over the syllables a bit but coming much closer this time. She looked disappointed when Cain hadn’t seen the flowers, but maybe he’d still been fuzzy because he just woke up. “Analyze is like examine, right?” Amuné took his hand and started along the side of the building, towards the section of wall she’d climbed over the other day. She wrinkled her nose. “You don’t /examine/ flowers. You enjoy them.”

There was a garden farther along that looked like it served the kitchen, so they would have various fresh herbs. The girl stopped before they got to it, instead opening a side door. “Usually I prefer to use the kitchen entrance, but they’ll be very busy right now,” she told Cain, holding the door for him. “They don’t mind me but I try to stay out of the way when they’re busy.” Inside they could hear the sound of many people, talking and laughing. “The dining hall’s just around the corner.” Her pace slowed. Amuné was not a fan of mealtimes. There were too many people for her. “Delshad said it’s turkey tonight.” When they were a few yards from the large doors leading to the hall, her hands curled into fists, and her expression tightened. “At least you’re here...Jillian’s still visiting family and I’m not allowed to sit with Sandy or Angie.”

@TheMinorFall

[shylarah]

The girl visibly hesitated, bracing herself before she passed over the threshold to the dining hall. Most of the school was present, certainly a number of the guards and all of the students. It seemed to be served family style, with serving dishes passed up and down the long tables. They were late, and people were already eating. Their tardy arrival attracted a number of stares from the students, and Amuné avoided meeting any of them. Some were merely interested, most neutral, but a few were actively disdainful. More than a few gaped at Cain’s tattoos and piercings. There was a stir at one of the guard tables as well, though it might have been unrelated. Amuné ignored all of it, hurrying to a seat in the corner by the kitchen, where there were more empty places than people. She only paused when an older boy called her name and half-stood, but the child just gave him a smile, a wave, and a shake of her head. She couldn’t ask Rey to sit with her all the time, he had other friends and with Cain better she wasn’t even alone.

It was indeed turkey, and she only took a small piece of the meat, showing a clear preference for just about everything else. If Cain tried to engage her, Amuné’s responses were a bit distracted. She didn’t know why, but mealtimes were louder even than the market in town. Already her head was starting to ache. A few minutes later, two others else joined them. It was Fitz and Kirk, the latter looking awkward, subdued, and very ashamed. “Look, th’ first thing I want ta say, I’m terrible sorry ‘bout what happened. If ye want ta lay me out, I’ll understand, but ye should wait ‘til later, so as nae ta cause a big fuss.”

@TheMinorFall ((sorry for the delay. ^.^; ))

[TheMinorFall]

He followed, scanning the others as they went. He took note of no threats, so he fixed his attention on the girl. She was clearly uncomfortable, probably due to all the thoughts and emotions in the room. Cain was gaining a better understanding of her power as time passed. It was clear that crowded places were not her zone of choice. He packed his own tray with protein-dense foods like meat and nuts, as well as whatever fruits and vegetables were available to balance his diet.

The trained man had already cleared his tray by the time that the guardsmen arrived. "Hold no feeling on the matter." Cain stated. He turned to Amuné, "Am I to lay this man down? I am unfamiliar with such custom." It was at this time that he realized he could help her. "Perhaps I can cast a ward spell over you. It may dampen the ambient noise of your power." @shylarah

[shylarah]

Amuné greeted Fitz, but she acted like Kirk wasn’t even there. At the assassin’s question she glanced his way, frowning. “Laying out?” she echoed, confused.
“Means to punch someone unconscious, lass,” Fitz supplied.
“Oh. Well...um...fighting is bad, so...” The girl very carefully didn’t look at Kirk, speaking instead to Cain. “If someone suggested you should punch them I’d say you shouldn’t, because that’s bad. But no one did, so I don’t know why you’re asking.”
The younger guard slumped when she refused to look at him, rubbing his face with a hand. “Lass...” he groaned. “Yer killin’ me, you are. ‘Twas nae on purpose, ye know that. I was careless, an' I should nae have been so rash. But Mr. Cain is better now, an’ I had to answer to Colonel Reese as well. Do ye nae think ‘tis enough yet?”

The other guard shook his head and looked at Cain. “She’s not said a word to him since it happened. Can’t entirely blame her, considering what happened. I’m glad to see you up and about, though I hope you will forgive my fool of a brother. He’s lucky he kept his job.” Fitz considered the assassin, then tilted his head to indicate Amuné. “She told me about the market. Said it was you as kept her from getting hurt worse. We owe you for that.”

@TheMinorFall

[TheMinorFall]

@shylarahCain tilted his head slightly. He didn't understand the situation at all. Kirk had cracked his rib. He had worsened the injury as a calculated risk gone wrong. For this, Amuné was dissatisfied with Kirk? And now she was telling him that no one suggested an action, when, in fact, Kirk just had. He chose not to intervene. What Amuné wanted was what she wanted, and he would abide.

Cain regarded Fitz with no feeling or expression, "Your gratitude is irrelevant. I will continue to protect and serve Amuné."

He locked his icy gaze on Kirk next and cautioned, "You will remove yourself. Amuné does not want you here." He was cold and unreadable, but the threat he posed was clear. Only Cain could be so frigid and yet make a person shudder. It was easy to see that without Amuné there, he would have to feelings toward ending the man's life upon non-compliance.