(Post written by Script, Tiko, and quizzicallyquixotic)
"Well," Ira remarked as he descended from the ridge, "That could have gone better for them. A shame they'll probably declare war on us now. Always inconvenient." He sighed, absent-mindedly wiping his glaive off on the trouser-leg of one of the dead men. "Poor men were probably just doing their jobs. I doubt they expected that result. I feel more sorry for the horses though."
Adriaan stooped down to roll an unconscious soldier over onto his back. “Eh, this one will live,” Adriaan remarked as he stood up and surveyed the battle zone. “I don't think we have to worry about war. If they could wage war on us, they would have done so long before now. No, the only ones at any real danger of reprisal are us.”
Klo might have minded being ignored far less if she hadn't just made a demand. Spoiled thing that she was, the creature was all but stomping toward her Avorian ward, right into the midst of his conversation. She seemed to trip and stumble into a heap right atop that guard who would have made it. Her mouth had already parted to tear into the man's throat.
Adriaan stooped quickly, hooking an arm around Klo's waist. “Whoa there,” he grunted as he hoisted her back and away from the fallen guard.
What he hoisted back, and away was much less the reasonable girl that befitted the dress she wore, but a growling, hissing tangle of flailing limbs and gnashing teeth. He had his work cut out for himself, restraining her, but then.. all at once, she went slack.
Fine. She could try another way of having those demands met. "
Human noble.. ships.. Maradar." That was reasonable, right? Or it might have come off sounding considerably more so, if she did not suddenly lash out in another effort to free herself from his hold. Adriaan was fortunate to be wearing those gauntlets, after all.
"Perhaps not," Ira mused, "But I can't imagine the Queen will be pleased if the humans start waving their sticks around angrily at her. As for personal reprisal, my offer does still stand. Valory's justice would be a lot less... permanent, I imagine." He looked down at Klo, raising an eyebrow, "But I've no care for forcing you to any more. Any hopes for avoiding a diplomatic incident were just dashed thoroughly. I can't say I know what you see in this one though. I'm surprised you haven't lost a finger yet."
Adriaan wouldn't have lost a finger for lack of trying on Klo's part, it seemed, though amidst that fighting she managed to toss a flat look in Ira's direction.
“If you saw what they did to her, you would understand,” Adriaan remarked. “I don't suppose you could get that one out of here?” he asked with a nod of his head towards the unconscious man.
Ira leaned on his glaive, "The easy way, or the hard way?" he asked, "I suppose you're going to ask me to use the hard way. Well, fair enough. I'd feel bad putting him down at this point." Making his way over to the fallen man, Ira gripped the back of his armour, casting his eyes around to spot another cave area to use before dragging him off into the night.
Gingerly easing Klo back down to the ground, Adriaan released her warily.
Klo shoved Adriaan. Or tried. She managed to land her hands on him before that twinge of a throb at her shoulder turned into a rocketing pain that ran through her arm for the motion. The sound that escaped sounded more like a scoff than anything else, though.
Adriaan held his hands up defensively as Klo turned her anger on him. “I understand you're upset, but he wasn't a threat anymore.” Lowering his arms, the tension started to ease out of him. “Now come on, we should get those injuries looked at, alright?” he asked. He was still wary of the volatile fey creature, all the more so after witnessing what she was capable of.
Her eyes flashed dangerously, and it was only after a long moment of her staring holes into him that the fey lowered her hands. "
The one who ran.." Because she was so much more important than the creature right now, for what she could offer. "
No time.. for this." Though the wound she had suffered and the pain she was growing increasingly more aware of might have had something to do with the shorter temper and attention, as well as the hoarse hiss of words she managed to let pass bloodied lips.
Adriaan shook his head. “There's plenty of time. If you think she can help us get to Maradar, we'll pick up her trail in the morning. There's nothing but sand out that way, she won't get far. Besides, if we go traipsing through the desert with open wounds and no rest, we aren't going to be in any shape to catch up to her. Now are you going to sit down and let me have a look at those injuries or not?” Folding his arms over his chest, Adriaan looked about as stubborn as her for a change of pace.
Klo evidentially wasn't used to not being listened to. The violet of her eyes remained settled on him, steady. She couldn't match his posture, for her injury, but the way she straightened to that full, unimpressive, and wrong height, was enough. She did not even give him an answer. Only stared hard, and kept her features set as unreadable as stone.
"You two look like you're getting along swimmingly," Ira commented as he strolled back into the glow of the cave's fire. "It's a wonder you made it this far, really. But as much as I'd love to stick around and see how things escalate from here, I suppose I ought to consider heading home to face the music." He sighed resignedly, "I'm sure my fair aunt will be delighted with the news that I had to kill a sortie of the people we were trying to please. The bright side is that it's probably only marginally worse an outcome than she expected."
Adriaan cracked a grin at Ira. “You have
no idea,” he remarked with amusement. “Anyways, it's too dark to travel far tonight, why don't you stay with us until morning?” Glancing over at Klo, Adriaan rubbed at his jaw thoughtfully. “Well, I can't make you let me look at those wounds, but I for one am going inside and getting something to eat. If you change your mind, let me know, eh?”
Ira was briefly under the heat of her stare. Briefly. An instant later she was scowling after Adriaan, and stamping her foot. Useless. Clearly, everything he had done for her thus far could be forgotten in the wake of being denied a chase.
"Plenty to eat out here.." She threatened, huskily, and motioned to the bodies with her good arm. True or not, she was evidentally refusing the temptation of a meal... For now.
Ira gave Klo a sidelong glance, "I'll sleep easy knowing I'm in such ... respectable company." he murmured, shaking his head. "But you're right. As much as flying into something would give me a convenient excuse not to go back, it might impede my living in other ways. Such as the part that involves 'living'."
Making his way back to the fire, Adriaan was met with the unfortunate discovery that there appeared to be nothing left of the rabbit but bits of bone. Picking up one he glanced at it and discarded it to the side with a sigh. This woman was going to be the end of him. “Well, so much for that. I don't suppose you have any food on you, eh?” he asked Ira with a sidelong glance and an arch of his brow.
Klo, meanwhile, sat cross-legged outside the entrance of the cave, right next to Jerod's body. She wasn't hungry enough to eat him, really, nor did she particularly favor the taste of human. But.. She stared at the corpse for a long, long moment, and finally pushed to her feet. Fine.
"Thing." Adriaan had lost his name. "Fix." Not that she was making her way in to meet him for said fixing.
"I've not got much," Ira said as he walked into the cave, "Since I was hoping to be back within the day. But I have something to tide us over till morning." He pulled a package of jerky from his back and tossed a piece over to Adriaan, "If you were expecting some sort of royal travelling delicacy, you're talking to the wrong royal. I've some dried fruit here also, to liven things up. Positively a feast."
