03-25-2009, 02:44 AM
“Sophia?”
“What?”
Sophia blushed and shook her head, hoping to squeeze the blindness out of her by closing her eyes tightly. It was to be expected that her pupils would have trouble adjusting to sunlight after having been stuffed inside that cave for so long. Another quick shake, and her eyes cleared to the image of Kaden, the last person she would have expected to see in this kind of scenario. It was him who had saved her from the brink of death; him who had brought her back to her home. He was so calm and collected back then, just as he was now. She couldn’t help but feel confused at suddenly laying eyes on his visage once more.
“…what do you mean, ‘what’?” Kaden’s eyes wandered to the side a bit before focusing back on her. “Am I that forgettable?”
“No…no, it’s not that,” Sophia’s widened eyes spoke truer to her emotions than words ever could. “Just…temporary blindness. And slight shock.”
Kaden scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m surprised to see you here, too.” He looked around, then at Piper, and back at Sophia. The priestess raised an eyebrow and turned to the redhead; someone she hadn’t paid much heed to until now. The woman looked horrified, and Sophia couldn’t blame her—she was covered in blood, and it was hard to tell what blood was hers and what was…she looked around for a possible source. Kaden seemed to be alright; he just carried himself with a few minor scrapes here and there. There was a rather large wound on her arm and shoulder, but that didn’t account for the massive amounts of blood on the front of her dress. A brief glance down showed her what should have been obvious in the first place—the dead body of some sort of guard. The large wound in her chest was probably fatal.
“You’re…bleeding,” was all Sophia mustered initially.
Piper looked down and sighed. “Most of it…isn’t mine.”
“Right…well…you’re still wounded,” the healer pointed at her shoulder. “The guards must have clipped you when they fired, right? Kaden’s still tip-top shape, though. You have a knack for getting out of dangerous situations unharmed—I guess you haven’t changed in such little time.”
“Heh…no, I guess I haven’t,” Kaden shrugged, a slight grin on his face. The pair shared the laugh of two formal associates that had just reunited. It was an awkward laugh, even to Sophia, and when it ceased, there was just…silence. Sophia coughed and looked back at the redhead.
“Well, how is your arm…oh, I’m so sorry! I haven’t gotten your name yet,” Sophia smiled apologetically.
“…Piper,” she whispered, glancing up at her through tear-soaked eyes. Sophia sighed and looked up at Kaden and Juno as the red-haired maiden began to sob quietly. The priestess reached out a hesitant hand, unsure of what to do. Regardless of whether or not she wanted medical attention—or if she even felt the wound, for that matter—Sophia wouldn’t feel right if she just allowed the poor girl to sit there and bleed. Grasping her shoulder lightly, the healer shushed Piper warm-heartedly and transferred some of her ki into the wound. She quickly began to feel dizzy, but the feeling quickly began to subside shortly after the skin started to regenerate.
“Just…leave me alone for a bit,” Piper shrugged Sophia’s hand off of her shoulder.
The priestess nodded. “O…okay, well…I healed your wound most of the way. I’m guessing the adrenaline from your little…encounter with the soldier dulled the pain, but…you’ll thank me when it starts to thin out. It’ll still sting a bit, but believe me, it’s better than it could have been.”
Piper said nothing, but merely began cradling her head in her hands. Sophia smiled at her once more and stood up, fighting off the urge to sigh lightly. Kaden and Juno, whom the healer had briefly forgotten about in the midst of her “patient,” were standing about, looking around. Sophia tilted her head a bit and walked into the open space between the two men.
“What’s…going on?” she asked hesitantly.
“The kid thought he heard something,” Kaden answered simply.
“It’s Juno,” he rolled his eyes. “And I know I heard something, but I…just don’t know where it came from.”
“…wait, I see something,” the courier pointed, though he knew nobody would see anything initially.
Juno scoffed. “I don’t see anything.”
“Well, I can. My sight’s…different. I don’t know how to explain it…” Kaden sighed irritably and shook his head. “Sophia knows.”
“Oh, that,” Sophia resounded with mild interest. “Is it a person?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “Coming right this way.”
“Around that corner?”
Juno didn’t even wait for a response and ran towards the aforementioned corner. As the glowing light that Kaden had seen—which, upon further inspection, was significantly duller than the light that Juno possessed—neared, the tailed boy stood ready, like he was about to pounce. The tip of the barrel of a ki rifle came just into the sight of Juno.
“Alright, freeze, you prick—ahh!” his supposed threat was cut short as Juno seized his weapon suddenly, ripping it from the soldier’s grasp. Sophia watched on as the tailed boy crashed the butt of the weapon into the soldier’s head before he could even respond. As the boy readied the rifle and began putting pressure on the trigger, a sudden protest rang through the air.
“Stop!” Piper’s voice was more forceful than when Sophia had first met her. “Please…no more killing. Please!”
“There’s…no reason to kill the man,” the courier spoke in agreement. Juno furrowed his brow and looked at Sophia, who nodded in kind. The tailed boy obviously had doubts about leaving such an enemy alive, as was signaled by his slight shaking. However, he abided to his new ally’s wishes and tossed the gun aside.
“Darn thing’s broken, anyway,” Juno sighed. Sophia looked at the weapon now lying in the ground—he was right, Juno had bent the carbine.
“Well…” the priestess spoke up, blushing a bit as she struggled to find something to say. “We can’t stay here forever. Juno and I are looking for someone named…oh, what was it, Juno?”
“Balrog.”
“Right. Ring any bells?”
“What?”
Sophia blushed and shook her head, hoping to squeeze the blindness out of her by closing her eyes tightly. It was to be expected that her pupils would have trouble adjusting to sunlight after having been stuffed inside that cave for so long. Another quick shake, and her eyes cleared to the image of Kaden, the last person she would have expected to see in this kind of scenario. It was him who had saved her from the brink of death; him who had brought her back to her home. He was so calm and collected back then, just as he was now. She couldn’t help but feel confused at suddenly laying eyes on his visage once more.
“…what do you mean, ‘what’?” Kaden’s eyes wandered to the side a bit before focusing back on her. “Am I that forgettable?”
“No…no, it’s not that,” Sophia’s widened eyes spoke truer to her emotions than words ever could. “Just…temporary blindness. And slight shock.”
Kaden scratched his head sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m surprised to see you here, too.” He looked around, then at Piper, and back at Sophia. The priestess raised an eyebrow and turned to the redhead; someone she hadn’t paid much heed to until now. The woman looked horrified, and Sophia couldn’t blame her—she was covered in blood, and it was hard to tell what blood was hers and what was…she looked around for a possible source. Kaden seemed to be alright; he just carried himself with a few minor scrapes here and there. There was a rather large wound on her arm and shoulder, but that didn’t account for the massive amounts of blood on the front of her dress. A brief glance down showed her what should have been obvious in the first place—the dead body of some sort of guard. The large wound in her chest was probably fatal.
“You’re…bleeding,” was all Sophia mustered initially.
Piper looked down and sighed. “Most of it…isn’t mine.”
“Right…well…you’re still wounded,” the healer pointed at her shoulder. “The guards must have clipped you when they fired, right? Kaden’s still tip-top shape, though. You have a knack for getting out of dangerous situations unharmed—I guess you haven’t changed in such little time.”
“Heh…no, I guess I haven’t,” Kaden shrugged, a slight grin on his face. The pair shared the laugh of two formal associates that had just reunited. It was an awkward laugh, even to Sophia, and when it ceased, there was just…silence. Sophia coughed and looked back at the redhead.
“Well, how is your arm…oh, I’m so sorry! I haven’t gotten your name yet,” Sophia smiled apologetically.
“…Piper,” she whispered, glancing up at her through tear-soaked eyes. Sophia sighed and looked up at Kaden and Juno as the red-haired maiden began to sob quietly. The priestess reached out a hesitant hand, unsure of what to do. Regardless of whether or not she wanted medical attention—or if she even felt the wound, for that matter—Sophia wouldn’t feel right if she just allowed the poor girl to sit there and bleed. Grasping her shoulder lightly, the healer shushed Piper warm-heartedly and transferred some of her ki into the wound. She quickly began to feel dizzy, but the feeling quickly began to subside shortly after the skin started to regenerate.
“Just…leave me alone for a bit,” Piper shrugged Sophia’s hand off of her shoulder.
The priestess nodded. “O…okay, well…I healed your wound most of the way. I’m guessing the adrenaline from your little…encounter with the soldier dulled the pain, but…you’ll thank me when it starts to thin out. It’ll still sting a bit, but believe me, it’s better than it could have been.”
Piper said nothing, but merely began cradling her head in her hands. Sophia smiled at her once more and stood up, fighting off the urge to sigh lightly. Kaden and Juno, whom the healer had briefly forgotten about in the midst of her “patient,” were standing about, looking around. Sophia tilted her head a bit and walked into the open space between the two men.
“What’s…going on?” she asked hesitantly.
“The kid thought he heard something,” Kaden answered simply.
“It’s Juno,” he rolled his eyes. “And I know I heard something, but I…just don’t know where it came from.”
“…wait, I see something,” the courier pointed, though he knew nobody would see anything initially.
Juno scoffed. “I don’t see anything.”
“Well, I can. My sight’s…different. I don’t know how to explain it…” Kaden sighed irritably and shook his head. “Sophia knows.”
“Oh, that,” Sophia resounded with mild interest. “Is it a person?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “Coming right this way.”
“Around that corner?”
Juno didn’t even wait for a response and ran towards the aforementioned corner. As the glowing light that Kaden had seen—which, upon further inspection, was significantly duller than the light that Juno possessed—neared, the tailed boy stood ready, like he was about to pounce. The tip of the barrel of a ki rifle came just into the sight of Juno.
“Alright, freeze, you prick—ahh!” his supposed threat was cut short as Juno seized his weapon suddenly, ripping it from the soldier’s grasp. Sophia watched on as the tailed boy crashed the butt of the weapon into the soldier’s head before he could even respond. As the boy readied the rifle and began putting pressure on the trigger, a sudden protest rang through the air.
“Stop!” Piper’s voice was more forceful than when Sophia had first met her. “Please…no more killing. Please!”
“There’s…no reason to kill the man,” the courier spoke in agreement. Juno furrowed his brow and looked at Sophia, who nodded in kind. The tailed boy obviously had doubts about leaving such an enemy alive, as was signaled by his slight shaking. However, he abided to his new ally’s wishes and tossed the gun aside.
“Darn thing’s broken, anyway,” Juno sighed. Sophia looked at the weapon now lying in the ground—he was right, Juno had bent the carbine.
“Well…” the priestess spoke up, blushing a bit as she struggled to find something to say. “We can’t stay here forever. Juno and I are looking for someone named…oh, what was it, Juno?”
“Balrog.”
“Right. Ring any bells?”