Closed Stormbound Surprises [Bron]

[Dalavesta Stalinsa]

Dalavesta Stalinsa

74th Spring 522 AV – Slaver’s Row


The day had gone from pretty good, to not too bad, to alright and had hammered its pace right past the rest and straight to petching terrible by the time they had managed to start making their way back home to their tent. They weren’t going to make it either, as they had trudged down the muddy streets, cloaks pulled tightly around each other as they carried what supplies they had managed to pay up for, the rain had drenched the entire bloody city in a handful of chimes. Even huddling together, supporting each other against the wind that buffeted them, they had trouble making good time. Eventually they were forced to huddle into random doorways for rest, which was where they currently were, soaked through and panting with effort.

“Damned storm! Where the petch did it come from?” she shouted at Bron, hearing dulled slightly by the roaring weather, “you alright Rowen? Still got the stuff?” she pulled the guard close, squeezing their hips together affectionately.

As she nodded to signal that she was going to try for another mad dash to the next place of refuge there was a mighty cracking sound, followed by a shockwave of pure wind from the impact. Lightning had slammed into the rooftops further down the street, the sudden brightness flashing in their vision, leaving trails of colour and white as they blinked, shaking them away and Ves pressed her fingers into her eyes to try to ease if off as another cracking sounded behind them, this time sending chunks of the dirt street flying in all directions, showering them with flecks of mud as they pressed their backs into the doorway instinctively.

“Petch me! We need to get out of this before we get cooked. I’m wearing bloody metal!” she screamed, fear clear in her voice now as her eyes widened and the other woman would see them shine with the fear.

All day they had been plodding through casual grunt work for some contract from the Establishment, a dirty and violent one but one that they had handled together as a team well enough. But that had meant they were kitted out for fighting and were now prime targets for the elemental power of the storm now rampant around them. Her eyes searched, looking for a way out and after a few wild chimes – and further cracking of electric power that sent the hairs on her body to standing – she spotted one literally across the street. It was a house, tattered and windows black to suggest that no one was home. The door hung from its hinges and so she guessed that meant that there was no one who could call it home. She pointed at it, letting her partner know where she intended to go and then counted down on her fingers from three.

“Now!” she screamed, as loudly as she could, before bursting forwards into the street.

It was but a few moments but hey were moments that her heart pounded and her throat closed in, time slowing as cracks sounded and she expected to get fried in her own armour – having only found Bron that season it would fit her luck. But Ovek was with them this time and they all but battered the door down, collapsing it inwards and landing upon it, sprawling together – finally out of the rain. Pushing her pack aside and off of her she pushed herself up onto her elbows, looked at Bron…and burst out laughing as she rolled backwards, the adrenaline high of survival turning relief into pure joy. She kissed Bron’s forehead firmly before collapsing backwards with a groan of satisfaction.

“Oh Rowen…what’s say we spend the night eh?” she continued to giggle.

[Bronwen]

Bronwen was pretty sure that even her soul was dripping wet.

What had started out as a nice day of head-bashing beneath Syna's bright rays had ended in a mad dash through knee-high mud to escape Zulrav's ire. Between the rain soaking into her leathers and running beneath her breastplate, something Ves had insisted on Bron wearing, Bron felt laden like a packhorse, and the way her chest heaved like a winded horse could attest to this.

"No idea!" Bron replied, leaning close so as to be heard and pulling the oversized coat a little tighter together over her chest. The guard quietly thanked the gods that she had scarfed it up when she had had the chance, "I'm good," she added, then patted her pockets with an affirmative shake of her head, then darted her tongue out and swiped it up Ves's wet cheek playfully when the other woman pulled her close.

Bron let out a scream at the same time she fisted a hand in the back of Esteva's shirt and pulled her back against her. That lightning strike had been close. Too close, and by the look of fear on her woman's face, Ves knew it too. At that very moment, all Bron wanted to do was stay put, keep Ves pushed up against her and out of harm's way, but she was right. They needed to find shelter sooner rather than later.

When Ves sounded off the signal, Bron wrapped arms around her chest and darted out into the storm, following in the wake of Esteva's pounding boots. She ducked her head low when a bolt of lightning flicked across the sky above her again, and her speed picked up a tad.

As a pair, they blew right threw the house's front door, and Bron tried her best to soften her fall and landed on her side. She was reasonably sure she slid a good way before coming to a stop. Grinning back at Ves as the woman fell into relieved laughter, Bron lifted herself and, with hands still folded across her chest, knee walked over to Ves, threw a wobbly leg across her hips, and straddled her, gazing down with mischievous eyes.

"Crazy woman," Bron said affectionately and shook her head, still grinning,"Yeah, I'd say we should stay the night, but...um...we might have company."

Sliding her bottom lip between her teeth, Bron adopted a concerned look but suddenly couldn't meet her woman's gaze. "Promise me you won't get mad?" she said, but before Ves could answer, Bron was already tugging at the ties of the too-large coat and had made it to about the halfway point when a fuzzy white head poked out and shook vigorously.

The little kitten mewed and began to claw its way from beneath the heavy garment.

Bron pulled the small creature the rest of the way out and gently laid it on Esteva's chest, watching in delight as the baby cat playfully swatted at a lock of red hair curled around Esteva's chin.

"If you'll let me keep her, you can give her a name." Bron bargained and, just in case, poked her bottom lip out just a smidge because if she remembered correctly her lover had always been a sucker for a sad pout.

[Dalavesta Stalinsa]

Dalavesta Stalinsa

“You love it, keeps things fun. Company?” her head jerked up and glared at the door, expecting to see someone there chasing them, or some other terrible event. When her eyes found nothing, they scanned around the building briefly, still finding nothing, before settling back upon Bronwen with a quizzical look.

She sensed something was slightly off, even the way her lover had moved was strange, instead of pushing herself up fully and cradling her chest. For a few moments, even as she settled upon Ves’s waist, she had the spark of fear that she had somehow become wounded and so wasn’t making sense. That was until she was asked to promise she wouldn’t get mad, which merely raised her quizzical look into a full on questioning one as she raised herself up onto her elbows in order to get closer to the other woman’s eye level.

“Why? What have you done?” she asked, about to launch into why it wasn’t fair to ask that before she knew what it was but instead the words died upon her lips as the fuzzy head appeared from Bronwen’s clothing and forced its way onto her chest.

Even despite her trying to keep herself stoic so that she could withstand the adorable kitten’s play and talk about how they had a tent barely fit for themselves – at least she wanted it better at least – let alone the ability and miza to take care of a kitten, she found her resolve wavering under the insistent patting at her jawline by the tiny, furred paws and instead rolled her eyes and slumped back with a sigh, then tilted her head to look up the other woman’s pout with a wry smile and breathed though her nose sharply. In a half-snort. Her fingers came around to scratch at the kitten’s ears, feeling it tilt its head to lean into it before pulling back to nibble the end of her finger wetly.

“You know you only get three of those pouting looks per season that I’ll cave to…you know me too well…damned pretty ass…fine…we’ll keep it and I’ll think of a name. You’re lucky I love you…and cats” she slumped back, just for the kitten to wander over her face and cause her to splutter and turn, pitching Brow sideways and around so that she were atop now as she rubbed at her face.

She met her lover’s eyes with a pointed but warm stare before planting a kiss upon her cheek and pushing herself up, betraying her affection for the small bundle of fluff new to their lives by grabbing the battered door, still solid just torn from its hinges, and rammed it into place in its frame once more, there to soak and swell in the storm and prevent the kitten from wandering out into the potentially deadly downpour. Turning she offered her hand to the other woman and pulled her up before grabbing the pack she had let fall and hoisting it up once more.

“Let’s find a nice room to settle down in, preferably somewhat defensible and with windows…or shutters at least…maybe a hearth if we’re lucky. If not…well we’ll…improvise” she flashed a slightly naughty smirk at Bronwen, swishing past her as her fingers stroked across the firm jawline every Druva possessed, seeking out the beginnings of their exploration as the kitten ran about their feet, attacking their boots intermittently.

[Bronwen]

Bronwen grinned down at the kitten struggling to keep up with Ves's evading boot, wincing with each downward step, fearing the little white creature would be stomped on. Ves was mindful, though, and stepped lightly as she moved through the abandoned structure, Bron in her wake.

Most of the rooms in the old structure were so cluttered with trash and broken furniture that Ves dismissed them and moved on, hoping that a better space or room was yet to come. When Ves passed by a closed door, Bron couldn't help but stop and jiggle the handle, and, when the door swung open, she stepped into the darkened room beyond, gaze scanning the empty space.

The larger room had once been a bedroom, Bron thought and had oddly been passed over, perhaps for better loot elsewhere, by whatever group of thugs had turned over the old house. There was a single window covered by what looked to be a thin blanket on one wall, and it gave enough light to the room to dully illuminate the interior. The space was largely empty, save for a thick bedroll strewed over the floor in front of a cold fireplace, an open chest missing its cover, several broken chairs, a broken table, and what may have been a camp kettle sitting on the hearth.

A squatters room, then. Hopefully, they didn't have plans on returning anytime soon, judging how long the fireplace had gone unused.

"Esteva," Bron called, strolling further into the room, hands and fingers busy loosening, undoing, untying, and pulling off layer after layer of sodden clothes, "in here."

When the guard was down to damp britches and a thin undershirt, she squatted next to the fire pit, poking at what was left of the burned wood.

"There's not a whole lot of wood left for a good fire, but it may last long enough to at least get our clothes dry." she said, then straightened, turning into her woman's arms, "or long enough for other, more fun things," She added, grinning down at her lover before pressing her lips against Valadesta's.

What Bron had meant to be a quick taste turned rather thorough when the temptation of Ves's slightly parted lips drew Bron's tongue to slide between them to sweep possessively over hers. Just as Bron's thoughts had turned decidedly carnal, sharp claws dug into her calf and began a painful journey northward up her long leg.

Swearing, Bron dislodged the kitten from her leg and cuddled it against her chest, giving the other female a smirk as she took in her kiss swollen lips.

"Better get the fire going, anyhow. It'll be full dark soon."

Bron strolled to the window with the kitten in tow, pulled aside the blanket, and canted her head to look skyward. Rain was still falling in fat droplets, and lightning streaked silently across the bottom of dark clouds, and she could hear a low rumble of thunder off in the distance. Next to the window, perhaps twenty feet away, the side of an old house blocked half the view.

The place was in much worse shape than the one they currently were sequestered in if all the shattered windows, slumped, broken doors, and holes in the structure were anything to go by, but that wasn't what grabbed Bronwen's attention.

A hooded figure seemed to loom out of the thick sheets of rain, standing several paces from the house. He, or she, just stood there motionless, heavy raindrops pattering down around their feet and splashing up from deep puddles.

"Ves," Bron called, her voice low and concerned, "What do you make of this?"

[Dalavesta Stalinsa]

Dalavesta Stalinsa

Making her was through the building, eyes scanning for anything of use as she went and kitten dancing between her feet, she noted many things that could be used as firewood if they did indeed manage to find somewhere to burn it for warmth. Scattered sticks and broken furniture fractured into a mixture of sizes would burn and there were some old, half rotten pads which she guessed used to beat seat cushions or similar. Petch even the scattered pieces of linen, wherever they had come from and if they were not damp, would be reasonable tinder she figured. In her darker days she had torn parts of her own shirt off – she missed that shirt too, it was decently made by Syliran hands.

As she moved past a closed door, seeking to get to the end of the corridor and check that there were none lurking there ready to jump out at them, the kitten got between her feet quite literally and she almost tripped and fell to the floor, her reflexes and a sturdy door frame the only things that saved her has she clawed, found purchase and a shot of pain flooded through her injured fingers – they had never fully healed. Infection and disease had not taken them, but they were still cracked and chipped. She growled at herself, then noticed the kitten was staring up at her warily and instead pouted, scooping it up and placing it upon her shoulder where it padded from one to the other as she straightened slowly, trying to ignore the throbbing pains.

“There, at least you can’t be trodden on there…daft bugger” she snorted, turning as her partner’s voice rose and asked her to see something. As she walked the kitten mewed after a few paces and made a jump for the floor by running down to her elbow and then thudding and skidding before righting itself.

Stepping into the room Bron had found she looked about it and smirked slightly, it was a good find and seemed as if someone had been living there at some point – at least there was a bedroll and brazier as well as the fire. They had not been there for some time though, by the dust and lack of footprints about the place. She nodded approvingly before she was suddenly swept up in an embrace, responding to the darting tongue with her own dance, holding her lover close before they broke away and the kitten tried climbing Bron’s leg. Ves giggled and grinned at Bron, eyes sparkling.

“Plenty of wood if we harvest the smashed stuff, might not burn the best but it’ll increase the flames all the same. Besides, might be better if it’s longer lasting, we might be here a while. I’ll get the fire going if you help collect the battered bits we can use. I think I same some rags and cushions and stuff too, can rip them up try to get the brazier going too” she said, placing the bags she had been carrying upon a cracked side table and pacing towards the hearth.

She busied herself inspecting the remains of what had been a fire, pulling out a dagger and jabbing it them, breaking them up into smaller lumps that would hopefully rekindle well enough. She remembered what those old bastards had told them whilst Squires – shelter and warmth were priority, water too. Food…less so. They had all of them, thankfully, but she had always liked the camping best. Something about fires and bringing them into life, their glowing warmth seeping into bones and providing a safe glow for gossiping lips, away from their superiors…at least that was the illusion of it. She fumbled with her pouch, pulling out a battered cloth bag she had formed by tying a scrap of old shirt up with twine, emptying it in the middle of the lumps of charcoal before casting her eyes about for some smaller pieces of kindling – finding a small stack to the side of the hearth.

Which means they may come back…hopefully not tonight if they value their lives in this storm she noting, pursing her lips for a moment before stacking the kindling into a rough cone around the shavings, leaving a gap for sparks that she set about making, taking put her flint and steel and scraping them across each other, trying to direct the bright dots onto the shavings. It took a while, her fingers fumbling and pained still, but in the end she managed to land enough that it started to glow, then smoulder and she breather upon it slowly, even breaths, to get the ignition – completing the cone after as Bron caught her attention once more.

“You always were good at finding things Rowen,” she said with a smile, joining her and looking down at the cloaked figure, taking it in for a chime and seeing no movement before raising an eyebrow at Rowen quizzically, “I’m…not sure. Whoever they are they don’t care about the storm. Should we…call out to the-“ she began asking, but then the figure went into the building next to theirs and she again looked at the other guard before shrugging, smirking and grabbing her own deep kiss then, resting her forehead upon the woman’s cheek afterwards for a few moments.

“Come, let’s break some more wood up, check the last couple of rooms to make sure we’re alone, then we can talk about this…other thing you wanted to do. After we’ve got the brazier going and started some food up, I’m starving ,and we’ve earned it. Yes…yes you too Precious” she snorted as the kitten started butting their legs through lack of attention.

“At least one of us is warm and happy” she said with a slight shake of the head, squeezing Bron’s arse firmly before setting about grabbing the last decent logs that had been stacked and placing them upon the small flames, there to catch and grow larger in time.

"Do you remember when we used to go on those...what did they call them...skirmish training? And they would last days and we'd end up cold, wet and huddled around the fire with nothing but cloaks and body heat for warmth? Do you ever miss it?" she asked, curious but also reflecting upon her own thoughts as she watched the flames dance and grow, hands out to ease their numbness.