PM to join [Inclement Weather] When the Going Gets Tough (Kovac)

[Azira]

   

Apparently there had been nothing for her to worry about, Kovac couldn't see through the surliness, couldn't tell that it was merely a facade. Now he was the one to get snarky, calling her an ungrateful brat. Ungrateful was she? Why should she be grateful? Because he'd bought her wine, because he was keeping her company? Why did men seem to have this idea that she wanted their company lately? First Turrin and now Kovac. She certainly didn't want it becoming commonplace so she'd have to nip that in the bud.

Taking her money from her bryda, she tossed it at him, all of it though it wasn't that much. "Here then. Take whatever I owe you for the wine and go away, how about that? I don't want your company, or anyone else's for that matter. I can take care of myself thanks, I've been doing it long enough. I teamed up with you during the hunt because it was to my advantage, that's all," she told him simply, watching him expectantly. He'd probably take it all out of spite, she wouldn't be surprised but she could manage just fine until she got her wages at the end of the season, it wasn't that far away.

The huntress jolted at the mention of Lavira, her shock clear. She hadn't known he lived with the Endal. It should have been obvious but then she'd never paid that much attention to other people. She regretted it now. He knew everything, knew exactly what had happened the previous day. The horror of it washed over her again and she tried to down the glass of wine she'd poured as if that would drown it out. Instead she gagged on the wretched liquid and that brought tears to her eyes. They spilled over and raced down her cheeks, followed by another and another until she was sobbing for the umpteenth time that day.

Burying her face in her hands as if that would hide her anguish, Azira cried unhindered, knowing that there was no point stopping herself. If she tried to stop herself, to maintain some sort of composure in front of the hunter she'd only become more upset and so it would lead to more tears instead of less.

x

[Lavira]

"Clearly, you and I have different concepts of relaxing." She said stoically but the decision had been made and now it was time to dress.

When Alori fetched an outfit from her closet, Vira turned to study it, her head tilting sharply to one side while she untied the knot of the towel, teeth grinding when it rubbed coarsely against her right side. "Yea, that one's fine." Turning her back on her comrade, the woman threw her head down so that hair flung over and hung to the ground, the towel worked through the thick waves of red to get it as dry as possible as quickly as possible. Her hands rubbed over the towel, creating friction that would help to dry it as well, chunks heated against the towel in the process.

Once that was done, she grabbed the outfit from the other and pulled the vinati off. It was a back-clip garment which she had to slide her arms through first and then twist her arms around behind her to secure the hooks upon them. The slick and slightly reflective gold of the material slipped several times in her hands as she worked to get it secured, her side screaming in protest until she had to relent, tears in her eyes and fingers shaking as she pressed her hand into her right side, just below kidney level.

With grit teeth, she said to Alori, "Could you please hook it?" Only once her friend did would she be able to get the bryda-skirt on, the golden sash it had wrapped tightly and high enough to cover the worst of the scarring. All said and done, Vira grabbed her sandals and slipped them on, grabbed the chiffon scarf to wrap her hair in (a strange habit she'd begun to take up instead of braiding it, the teen wondering if Kovac's influence over her had even affected this), and left Tulaj some food.

"Okay, let's get going."

[Alori Sai]

"You can relax later, besides..I missed you. And..as much as I like your place. We can't stay here all night."

Standing there with the outfit held up, the teen eyed her friend from the other side of the fancy clothing, and wondered if she would have to pick another. But Lavira finally decided to take it and when she did, Alori took a seat on the bed while her sister got dressed. The young Endal wondered if she should tell Lavira where she planned on taking her, but after getting her to agree to dinner, she worried she might back out if she said too much.

When asked to help secure the hooks, Alori got up and did so in a timely fashion."How is it now?" she asked looking to the woman's scared side. She started to ask her about Mohya and to tell her about Durveth's weird behavior. The strange Wind eagle had nipped her in the butt, picking her up by the back of her Bryda and ripping the fabric half way down, and all because Alori had forgotten she said she would sing for her. But she figured there'd be time for that chat later on.

With Lavira ready to leave, Alori led the way to the dance club. She could already hear the protest, but it was too late and the club was right there in front of them. Taking Lavira's hand, mostly to make sure she didn't run off, Alori stepped inside where she was greeted with the familiar pulsing beat of the drums. "Okay so I know you don't want to dance so...we can get a drink?"

x

[Kovac]

Kovac wondered why he bothered. During the storm at Thunder Bay, the hunt for the Blue Elk, and now here. Maybe it was because Azira was a fellow hunter, or someone who needed some mentoring, or maybe just because she was attractive. But Azira was as unpredictable as a lava pocket, you never knew when it was going to spew hot magma at you. And, again, the huntress unleashed her volatile temper at the half-breed. Kovac flinched as she tossed her coins at him, the disdain and revile livid on her spat words. Azira could be hateful, but Kovac also learned that the woman lashed out when something was really bothering her, hurting her, or scaring her. Still, he had had enough. Kovac stood, slamming his cup down on the table so hard it splashed over the brim.

"You ungrateful petchin' little shyke..." His angry voice raised over the din of the music, "why do I waste my time on you. Krysus pierce my liver if I ever lift a finger to help..."

Kovac's tirade was abruptly halted by the sputtering woman, and the trickles of tears that became a torrent as Azira openly wept. The mongrel's shoulders slumped, feeling about an inch tall as he realized that Azira did have a reason to be upset. The incident with the pregnant Dek had shaken Lavira up pretty bad. Azira was there too, and though she dealt with the trauma differently than Vira, it didn't make her anguish any less valid.

He sighed, stooping to gather up the money she had thrown at him. Kovac sat next to Azira, placing the pile of coins on the table in front of her. She sobbed with her hands in her face next to him. Hesitantly, Kovac lifted an arm to rest around her shoulder. He felt like a heel. "Azira," He spoke quietly in her ear, "I, I'm sorry. I know you had a rough couple days. Look, I really don't want anything from you, other than to just hang out. It sounds like you need it. No pressure, just a couple hunters relaxing and trying to put some trying days behind them, OK?"

x

[Azira]

   

He'd begun ranting at her as she began to cry and she knew he was going to go and leave her. It was no more than she deserved but she wished he would stay, the huntress wanted someone who she could talk to, confide in, or just cry to but she had no one. At least Lavira seemed to have Kovac and her eagle and friends but Azira had no one. She'd spent so long pushing everybody away that there was no one around for her when she actually needed it. 

She didn't even realised that he was still there until his arm was around her shoulder. The contact made her flinch, automatically moving to get away from the touch but uncovering her eyes, she realised it was just him, murmuring soothing words in her ear. He was with Lavira, he wouldn't do anything to her. The teen didn't relax exactly, just leaned back and stayed rigid in his grip.

"Okay," she sniffed, wiping a hand across her eyes to try to clear them but the tears just kept coming. "I'm okay, I guess...no, I'm not actually," she confessed, staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. "It brought it all back! That woman dying brought it all back! I saw her die again! It brought it all back, Kovac, why?"

x

[Lavira]

There was a wave of displeasure when she saw the Inclement ahead and Vira weakly tried to stop Alori from continuing, her hand tightening its grip in her sisters and shaky words spilling in a mutter from her lips. But Alori was determined and kept pulling her along! The entrance seemed to shrink before her as her pupils dialated and her breath rate doubled with the shallow pants she managed.

No no no no no nonono!

Her mind reeled each time they took a step and she was sure heart was going to burst in her chest when they reached the door. Vira was tugging insistently now, trying to get free with teeth bared and jagged gasps passing between her lips. Then, they were inside and Vira was certain she was going to die.

The Endal froze just inside, the boom of the drums resonating like thunder in her mind and the haunting rumble of that explosion before Iosha appeared. Her whole body had locked up and Alori's tugs would not break her from the statue she had become, staring pointedly straight ahead. There was the smell of liquor in the air and it burned like the acrid atmosphere of the pit. The cadence of the music was the unpleasant reminder of the storm that had struck when she was still trapped in there.

The horror had returned. Why did Alori bring her here, of all places? Didn't she understand? Didn't she know this place was going to collapse and they were all going to die?! Vira clenched her eyes shut then, her whole body trembling enough to make one thing she was seizing! Through her mind, she could feel Mohya trying to reach her, the bird in near enough a panic herself at the waves of horror coming from her rider.

~Lavira?! Lavira, what is it? What's wrong? Are you alright? I cannot reach you where you are, child; talk to me, lass, talk to me!~

But her own thoughts could not solidify enough to reply in any semblance of sanity. She was trapped. This was why she did not want to come here! Gods, but Alori could not have known. She tried to speak, k sounds coming out, but they would not form into words.

[Alori Sai]

The sounds of the guitars mixing with the beating drums put the teen in the mood to join the rest on the dance floor. But Lavira wasn't into dancing, at least Alori had never seen her dance...ever. But there was more to do, more fun to be had in the club besides dancing. She hoped to loosen the woman up at least and get her to let her hair down, but as she stepped further inside something hit her. It was strong and piercing and something she was unable to ignore.

Someone was in pain, terrible, emotional pain with so much dread it sent shivers up her spine. It was so close, so very close as if it was coming from someone standing right next to her. She turned around and saw the look in Lavira's eyes and was taken aback completely."Vira?" She didn't know, she couldn't have known because no one had told her about the accident and how it related to her sister's feelings about the inclosed club.

"Vira! What's wrong?" Alori embraced her sister, gentle hands touching her shoulders as she started to feel her own panic coming on. "Talk to me! Gods Vira you're really scaring me, what's wrong?" It was unmistakeable, true fear had a hold of the woman and Alori had unknowing walked her right into it. It came as a shock and the worse thing was she didn't know how to help. "Just stay here, I'll get you some water."

The frightened teen raced over to the bar and demanded water quickly. The bartender responded quickly, thinking that someone had passed out or had gotten sick from drinking too much. With the glass in hand, Alori returned to her friend's side holding the glass up for her. "Here drink this. Vira drink, come on!"

x

[Kovac]

Kovac felt Azira stiffen beneath his touch, but she did not pull away. Neither did he take his arm from around the young huntress. She was a not always the nicest person, volatile and short-tempered, a real inartan in other words. But Kovac also noticed the girl didn't seem to have a lot of friends. Neither had he, once, until some brave souls pushed past his cynicism and self-centeredness. Azira just needed some people to press past her hard exterior. Kovac, with a belly warmed by wine, found the will to stick it out with her.

Azira wept sorely, though she attempted to courageously stop. Something deeper was coming out, it seemed, as she could not stop the tears. Finally, the strong-willed teenager admitted she was definitely not alright. Of course, Kovac knew of the birthing Dek's death, certainly disturbing, but then Azira started to talk about the event bringing something back, someone dying, something from her past?

The hunter sighed, then gave her long red hair a stroke. "Brought what back Azira? What happened?"

[Azira]

   

There was something strange about Kovac that just made you trust him. At least that's what Azira thought. After her archery competition with Erade when she couldn't shoot for her life, he'd somehow made her open up to him. She had no idea how because it wasn't something that just anybody could make her do but he had. There was just something about him that made him seem like he genuinely cared about what was wrong with her. He was also amazingly reassuring when he stroked her hair like that. 

"It brought back my m-mother. It wasn't the same but it w-was awful! I watched her die, Kovac! I was only seven and it was all so horrible with the blood and the pus and the burns and that smell and I can still remember how pale she was. And that Dek...she was the same colour and she was in so much pain and she made me think of my mother and she even clutched me when she d-dying and I...I remembered..." the huntress gasped, her tears coming faster and her breathing becoming more rapidly as she headed towards hyperventilating.

Talking about it brought it back too strongly and she could recall more detail than she could handle right now. The way her mother had clenched her hand tightly and then gone limp. The way her chest had stopped rising and falling and her eyes had been so dull. It made her feel ill.

"Gonna be sick!" she gasped, hoping there was something near at hand to get sick into so she wouldn't vomit on the poor man.

x

[Lavira]

Gods above, it was horrible! Her whole body was locked in place and everything from the sights and sounds to the smells and feel of hot breath and heady currents mixed with the nightmare she'd managed to (barely) escape from last season.

The people were ghosts, the music was the rumble of the mountain ready to collapse and end her then and there in a splatter of blood and guts and gore; even the sting of the alcohol in her nose was nothing but the bitter and nauseating smell of toxic fumes waiting to swallow her up.

By the time Alori got back to her with the water, the young woman was weeping. Around them, the new arrivals spared her barely a glance, wondering what high this girl was on to be bawling at the entrance. They didn't care enough to stop and ask, though, some even jeering and snickering under their breaths in passing.

When the cup touched her lips, the girl blinked hard and swallowed a little before turning her head and pushing the cup away, the cool splash helping break her from the terror enough to look around again. She still shook violently and her breaths were still short and raspy, but it was better than standing like a fool in the entry trying not to scream, blinded in terror. Part of her wanted to slap Alori for even daring to bring her here without telling her or at least letting her acclimate to entering instead of just hauling her through.

Vira took the cup from the others hands and downed it, hoping there might be at least a burn going down her throat. But there wasn't one. It was just water and the paniced teen looked to Alori with that single eye, begging her for more, stronger. But be damned if the other Endal would be let to leave her side right now. The falconer's hand came down into a clamp upon Alori's wrist, pleading with her gaze not to leave her side right now.

"B-b-bar." She stuttered, trying to convey not just the need for drink but the want to sit down before her knees shook her onto the floor.