[Flashback] Losing A Tail (Open)

[Aehra]

Aehra pulled fiercely against the boy's grip, and when he suddenly let go of her hair, she was sent sprawling forward, barreling into the boy still in front of her. She threw her hands out in front of her and they collapsed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, with Aehra's hands and knees scraping the stone ground as they landed; since Aehra was on top, she had a rather distinct advantage and exploited it, pinning his arms to the ground with her hands and straddling his waist to pin him with her full weight. His eyes were wide and frightened, skittering all about without ever landing solidly on one target. With a shock, Aehra realized that the boy couldn't have been more than twelve years old. She growled in frustration and tightened her grip on his arms, and he cried out in pain. She sat back and grabbed a fistful of his dark hair, tugging hard enough that his eyes filled with tears (which Aehra tried her hardest to ignore). It took a moment of careful maneuvering, but she was able to stand up, dragging the boy with her. Turning around, Aehra paused in shock at the scene before her. The golden-haired boy that had been holding her only seconds before was kneeling on the ground, clutching at the back of his head and whining in pain. Arianne stood over him, her arm still in the air, her face slightly flushed. Good for a fight after all. A quiet groan brought her attention back to the ground, where the girl of the trio was beginning to get up, rubbing at her head and frowning confusedly. Aehra nudged her none-too-gently in the side, and the girl winced before looking up to meet Aehra's eyes. Aehra shook the younger boy's head slightly and jerked her chin towards him, all the while holding the blonde girl's stare. "He good fer you?" The thug didn't respond, but the flicker of fear in her eyes when she took in the boy's fearful expression was proof enough. "I'll cut you three a deal. You leave me alone, you don't take from nice bakers whatche can't pay for, an' in return, I leave him," she shook the boy again for emphasis, "with no more bruises than 'e got now." Without waiting for a response, she threw the boy at his companion, and he immediately dissolved into quiet sobs. The girl stood up slowly, wincing when she stood at her full height. She made a vague noise, and the older boy moved to stand beside her. The girl glanced between Aehra and Arianne once before pivoting and disappearing back around the corner, her entourage in tow. Aehra held her stance for a moment and then let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She turned to Arianne and grinned weakly. "Good for a fight after all, yeah?" The adrenaline from the fight was quickly dissipating, and an aching throb started up in her hands and knees where they'd scraped the ground. She collapsed against the side of the building, sucking in a sharp breath when the pain in her knees got to be too much, and she sank to the ground, clutching at her raw skin with shaking hands.

[Arianne]

Arianne slowly lowered her arm, her eyes slightly wide with surprise at the strength she didn’t know she possessed. She watched as Aehra held one of the boys out to the girl on the floor. He looked young, really young. Arianne wondered what sort of bad luck he had had to land him in a gang at such an age. She pursed her lips as Aehra threatened the trio, but said nothing. As the trio turned away to head out of the side street, the surge of adrenaline that had caused Ari to intervene started to vanish. There was a dull aching in her elbow where it had connected with the boys head. It would probably bruise, but injuries like that were nothing new to her. She leant back against the wall and looked over at Aehra as the girl smiled. She shrugged and gave a small smile back. “I suppose I can be useful if I need to be.” Her brows drew together in concern however, when the girl all but collapsed against the wall. Arianne slid down beside her. “Hey, are you alright?” She knew that Aerha had gotten thrown around a bit, but she didn’t realize how much. Worried eyes found the girls hands, covered in small cuts and scrapes. “You need aloe...or honey.” Unfortunately, Arianne had neither with her. She had a cloth in her pocket, along with a few Mizas. “Wait here!” Arianne stood and took off out of the alley at a sprint. She had no idea where she had found the energy, but she didn’t stop to wonder. She almost ran into a few people, ducking out of the way at the last second before swinging into a store. After a moment of frantic searching, she grabbed a small pot of golden honey from a shelf. A silver miza was practically thrown at the shopkeeper before she took off out the door again. Reaching Aehra again, she collapsed in a breathless heap next to the girl. “Got you...some honey.” She fished in her pocket for the cloth while trying to get her breath back. “Should make it...less...painful.” She had gained many scrapes and cuts from working at the stables, and she always found honey had soothed and helped to heal them. She took the lid off the pot and dabbed the cloth in it, motioning for Aehra to show her where to apply it.

[Aehra]

Aehra attempted to nod weakly at the instruction not to move, although she expected that it didn't translate as well as she'd hoped. She bent her legs and pulled her knees closer to her chest so that there was room to rest her forearms on her calves, palms facing her face. Aehra groaned at the sight of her hands-- the cuts themselves weren't terrible or deep, but they were many, and most of the skin that wasn't outright cut open was cherry-red and raw, open for any manner of infections if she so much as touched anything. Arianne seemed to come back in an alarmingly short amount of time, although Aehra had a nagging suspicion that she may have drifted off while the other girl was away. She frowned a bit at the small pot of amber that Arianne carried, but thought better of any protests, instead shakily lifting her hands in a silent request. The smell of honey drifted up from the jar after Arianne opened it and began applying the honey to Aehra's scrapes. A silence descended on the trio, and Aehra found that it wasn't to her liking. She cleared her throat. "Thank you." She swallowed and winced at the feeling of honey being generously dabbed on her hands. "For the help, back there. An' for this."

[Arianne]

She gently took ahold of the hand presented to her, eyeing the scratched and scuffed palm with a critical eye. She laid the back of Aehra’s hand to her own palm, holding it in a sort of cradling gesture. She dabbed the cloth onto the various wounds as carefully as she could, though she still felt the other girl wince at the application. A small smile twitched at the corners of Arianne’s mouth, but she did not take her eyes of the girls hand. “It’s okay. Even though I’m not really a fighter I guess I don’t like nice people being hurt.” She collected more honey on the cloth. “I’m sorry if this is hurting you. I promise that it’ll stop soon.” Silence seemed to make Aehra uncomfortable, so she decided to ask a question of her own. “What is it you do normally? When you’re not chasing down thieves that is.” Arianne grinned as the girl in an attempt to bring a little cheerfulness to the mood. She finished applying the layer of honey to the girls palm and slowly pulled her hand away, motioning with her fingers for Aehra to place the other one in her palm.

[Aehra]

Aehra gingerly moved her honey-covered hand so that it was cradled in her lap, and handed the other to her companion. She smiled a little in response to Arianne's grin, which she found that she rather liked, and wanted to see more of. "Em..." Aehra pursed her lips while she thought. "Used to be an errand-runner. Just to pick up things while my father was sick an' couldn't work. Now--" She moved her head back and forth as a substitute for waving her hand around vaguely. "I suppose this is all it is. Haven't thought to do anythin' else. Still have some saved up from before-- from before, so I've only done this. Found I had a knack for it, kept at it, and here I am, chasin' thieves with a girlie I don't even know." She grinned an lolled her head back against the stone wall. Now that she had gotten used to the light sting of the honey, she found that it didn't feel at all bad, if a bit strange. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, glad for the fresh air. Without opening her eyes, she eventually spoke again. "An' what about you, miss Arianne? Pretty girlie like you woulda normally lost her breath halfway to this corner-- where'd you get that?"