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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:09 GMT -5
Ananta’s curiously had been roused while they walked, though she didn’t make much comment, other than to periodically ask him whether they wanted to fix his stitches, give him a rest, let him drink a bit of water. He seemed unconcerned, and his wounds did not seem to impede his ability to walk. That was where her mind stuck. Any ordinary person would be having considerable difficulty traversing such a distance with gashes like that. She knitted her brows in a frown. He hadn’t seemed to be in pain she when she had fixed him up the first time, either.
There was the possibility that he was just exceptionally self-controlled. Ananta was. But that had taken years to perfect. And from what she had seen, that did not match Dev’s temperament.
When they settled, she insisted on taking the rag from him. She had sewn him up the first time; she didn’t see why he thought he would get out of it the second.
“You don’t feel that pain,” she said, cleaning gingerly around the cut. It was a monotone statement; not a question. “You don’t feel any pain.”
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:13 GMT -5
Dev experienced a moment of discomfiture, suddenly realizing the reason for her earlier suggestions while on the road. His inability to feel pain wasn’t something he generally thought about in relation to other people, or how unsettling it might be to see someone not feeling the effects of a wound when they obviously should (though he did have to watch out for blood loss, which luckily hadn’t been a problem today).
“No,” he admitted quietly, as he watched her carefully clean the cut; she really didn’t need to be so careful.
Pain was an abstract concept; he had been too young to remember the accident and as a child he hadn’t understood the ramifications of the resulting insensitivity. Age and growing self-awareness had brought some understanding--not noticing you were bleeding to death was a bit of a problem--but it was still something he didn’t fully comprehend, beyond the broadest sense. And the knowledge that it would probably get him killed one day, when he pushed himself too far.
It wasn’t a good thing, not having limits. Or so he’d been told.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:28 GMT -5
“Hm,” was all she offered in response, before setting about stitching him up for the second time in the last 48 hours, and tending to the other cuts. Looking at him more closely, she noticed that he had little scars around his mouth—consistent, perhaps, with a small child not knowing not to chew on his lip, and not having the pain sensitivity to tell him to stop. Around his fingers, too. She was sure there would be other signs of minor, inadvertent injury if she looked hard enough. The confirmation of her theory was disquieting on a number of levels.
Not the least of which was the tiny weight it added to her already over-laden sense of duty. He had managed to survive this long. She knew this. He was a virtual stranger. She knew this also.
And yet.
“Hmph,” she said, and stood back. Her handiwork was just as fine as the first time. She glanced up to his face, and noticed something else. His left pupil was severely dilated.
“You didn’t tell me you hit your head,” she said, sternly.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:32 GMT -5
“I didn’t,” Dev responded perplexedly, momentarily taken aback, and then belatedly realized what she was referring to: his eye. It was another bodily quirk he never gave much thought to, having adapted to the limitations of it years ago, but he knew from the unwanted comments of strangers that it was rather disquieting to look at.
“I got knocked upside the head years ago,” he explained, in the hopes that she’s stop looking at him like that. It had, in fact, happened early on in his venture; he’d still been wet behind the ears, and too slow. He’d learned from the mistake.
The mistake had cost him, of course. The pupil never went back to normal--with the type of injury, apparently it could go either way--and he was effectively blind on his left side during the brightest part of the day; he was better off during nighttime, when there wasn’t so much glare.
“It’s fine.” Or as fine as it’d ever be.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:49 GMT -5
She looked at him critically for a moment longer before dismissing the subject and settling down in front of the fire, relaxing a little against a rock. They had wasted most of the day just walking, and she was tempted to keep going. She didn’t need to rest. Her eyes burned a little, and her limbs were slightly heavy, but sleep wouldn’t come and there was no point in waiting for it. She could keep walking until she hit the nearest city—or a vague facsimile thereof. As large as gathering places became in the Wastes. Perhaps there she would find something.
But she realized she was loath to leave Dev alone. She wouldn’t vanish now or in the morning.
She realized also that staying on would necessitate discussing plans at some point. Perhaps other things. But she wasn’t in the mood for conversation.
“You should turn in,” she said. “I’ll keep watch. In case the bandits come back.” Or something equally unpleasant. She could spend a few more hours practicing with Strife. That was one activity she never tired of no matter how often she repeated it.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:32:54 GMT -5
Dev frowned at her; for all intents and purposes she had just ordered him to go to bed, like he was some sort of child to be told, and the thought of her taking watch rubbed his fur the wrong way. Sudden resentment twisted in his gut; did she think him incapable, suddenly? He wasn’t some invalid to be carefully looked after. (Resentment made worse by the fact that he was tired, and the thought of sleep was a strongly tempting one; he’d pushed himself too far the last several days, and it was beginning to wear on him.)
He had never been good with dealing with people, and he still didn’t know what kind of uneasy alliance they had fallen into; he didn’t know how to act, or what to expect, but he knew he hated assumptions. He didn’t need a minder; he had managed just fine on his own before she came along (bandits non-withstanding).
But just as swiftly he decided that he didn’t have the energy to argue--Ananta didn’t seem like a person easily swayed--and he did need to sleep. And, since she’d proven that she wasn’t waiting to stick a knife in his back the moment he closed his eyes the previous night, he took her advice.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:33:09 GMT -5
Ananta spent her night alternately practicing with Strife, doing simple exercises, and hunting around the general area, which served the double function of perusing the perimeter. Nothing attacked them during the night. Everything was still amongst the rocks, but for the ordinary racket of wind and the distant howls of night predators. Dev didn’t roll right off the nearest cliff in his sleep. She managed to kill a respectable amount of small nocturnal creatures, and roasted them into a small pot of water along with a few impromptu dumplings for breakfast, whenever Dev happened to wake up.
Early, she suspected. She wasn’t the world’s best cook, but she was adequate. She was poking at the broth when the sun came up. The night had passed in much the same way many of her nights had passed, and the routine was so ingrained that the time may not have existed at all.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:33:16 GMT -5
His nose woke him more than the rising sun, and he was surprised to find he had slept the whole night through. It wasn’t often that he managed, and it was testament to how badly he’d needed the rest. He stretched carefully, feeling stiff in his limbs and around his midriff, and rose to investigate the mouthwatering smell.
“You cooked,” he noted very succinctly, peering into the pot. From the looks of it, she had been up for some time--had she even slept? she looked no more worse for wear than she had the day before, but he couldn’t tell-- and wondered when she’d gone hunting. Hard to keep watch, when a person was off slaughtering small rodents, but he supposed she hadn’t wandered far and as she had cooked, he could find it in himself to forgive her.
Dev rarely took the time to prepare a functional meal--it took too much time, and he didn’t usually stay in the same place long enough to make the effort worthwhile--and never with breakfast; it would be a pleasant change.
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Post by Bee on Dec 4, 2010 0:33:31 GMT -5
Ananta made a noise of confirmation and set about eating her breakfast. The dishes she carried were few; she dished Dev up some food in a small bowl and used her cup to feed herself.
“Where are you headed?” she asked. She refrained from asking why he was going or what he was doing. If he wanted to share it, he would broach the subject himself. Ananta did not care for dispensing personal information, especially to so new a companion. She would assume Dev felt the same way.
She herself had only a vague sense of where she wanted to go. If they were headed in the same direction, there was no point to them traveling separately. She could keep a better eye on him this way, something she felt increasingly inclined to do. And she half-suspected that if they parted ways, Dev’s apparent rotten luck with attracting bad attention would bring them together for a third time. Practicality.
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Dark
Five of Diamonds
Bladed Hare
You are not prepared.
Posts: 2,105
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Post by Dark on Dec 4, 2010 0:33:39 GMT -5
Dev polished off his breakfast before he answered, wondering at her interest. It fell into acceptable topics of conversation between relative strangers, he supposed, but it seemed strange to tell someone his destination after years of solitary decision making and plans. It had never concerned or affected anyone in the past, with the exception of his targets, and he didn’t make a habit of announcing his plans to them.
“Dubhan,” he answered, wondering what she would make of his answer. Dubhan was little more than a backwater outpost on the borderlands, but it made up for it with a charming view and more than its fair share of cutthroats, smugglers, mercenaries, and hard liquor. The local charm, however tempting, wasn’t his main motivation for stopping by however. It was a man named Kavi who inspired the visit, one very unlucky man who would soon meet the edge of his blades.
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