Post by Nemeris Arundel on Mar 26, 2020 20:00:02 GMT -5
[Continued scene from Burnt Breakfast]
[EOIN] At the mention of clothes, his eyes dropped down to himself as she did, immediately knowing how strange it must be for him to be wearing Brennus' clothing. He'd have to get his own again, but it wasn't as though he had any sort of money flow these days... Sighing lightly, he dropped the axe aside. "I suppose I should check if anything is left..." But it was obvious he was almost too worried to. "But, I can accompany you to the village if you need...if you have a spare cloak...with a hood." Not to keep borrowing things that weren't his. Eoin just need a bit more time to get back on his feet, figure out what he was going to do. [d]
[NEMERIS] She could not remember where Eoin used to stay.. If it was in the castle or in the forest. Or maybe both, as he was the intended king previously. But she remembered a lot of the Necron forest had been badly damaged by the war, and she didn't have the heart to tell him. "Alright," she said. "I think I can find you something." She nodded slightly and motioned for him to follow her back into the house so she could grab him the cloak. One of Brennus', again. She didn't know why she had kept his things..maybe because it was all she had left of him and couldn't bear to part with them. Even so, they were coming in handy now for Eoin. She found the cloak and handed it to him. "You'll look very rogue in this." She laughed softly. "We will need to go to the stables to get the horses to ride in. Assuming you can still ride?" [d]
[EOIN] He didn't really expect much of anything to still be in Necron...but he wasn't going to be prepared for what really happened. He was going to find out sooner or later...so why not sooner? Inside, he slipped that cloak around his shoulders when she handed it to him, tying it beneath his chin. Laughing softly again at her comment, he pulled the hood up so that most of his face was covered. "That's more my style." Rogue indeed. Then she was asking such an absurd question. "Can I still ride..." he echoed in mock annoyance, even rolled his eyes. Then he was gesturing with his arm for her to lead the way. [d]
[NEMERIS] She raised a brow in his mock annoyance and laughed, before heading out the door. It was not a far walk to the stables, and the cool air was somewhat refreshing, but she pulled her shawl tighter around herself to keep the chill out. She glanced at him sidelong and tried to stop herself from smirking. "I actually think I might have something that will cheer you up a bit..." But she said nothing further as they continued to walk along the path towards the stables. When they arrived, she led him into the large barn and down the row of stalls filled with horses. She searched each stable until she came to one, and she glanced to Eoin and held her hand up. "Wait here." She disappeared into the stall and seemed to be in there for quite a while before she stepped back out with a horse in tow. Eoin would most likely recognize the horse, because it had been his before he was captured. Nemeris had taken care of him because he had wandered into her property, and she recognized him as Eoin's. She stepped over to Eoin and handed him the reins. "One thing of yours..." She ran her hand gently down the horse's neck, eyes falling to Eoin to see his expression as he had his horse back. [d]
[EOIN] "Cheer me up?" he repeated in question. He looked over to her with some curiosity, wanting to ask further but decided to simply remain silent and continue to follow her. Into the stables, they walked passed stall after stall until she was telling him to stop. His brow furrowed, listening to the gentle sounds of horses around them...until she was emerging with one in particular. A beautiful chestnut stallion, and a very familiar one at that. A hand slowly pulled back the hood of his cloak so that gray eyes could look into the large, soulful brown ones in front of him. "Nomad?" The horse's name fell from his lips in a whisper. Eoin was stunned, even awed at the sight of the beautiful beast. As Nemeris handed him the reins, the equine nudged him gently with his snout. "You've...kept him safe this entire time?" he asked, managing to draw his gaze back over to Nem. [d]
[NEMERIS] Although she may not seem to be passionate for people, Nemeris felt connected with animals and loved them. She smiled genuinely at the sight of Eoin with his horse and she nodded in response. "He wandered to my home... And I recognized him as yours... I knew you weren't around to care for him anymore... So yes... I've cared for him." She smiled and pressed her hand against the horse's snout before kissing him. "He's a good horse." She admitted. "I'm happy I could bring you one normalcy back to you.." [d]
[EOIN] A genuine smile finally curled his mouth at her words while Nomad nudged him again, making him stumble back just a single step. He patted the horses on his neck, but kept his attention on Nemeris. Perhaps this beast knew the right person to go to, even if it had been a long journey to get to her. It was amazing, and he still looked so shocked to see his old, trusted friend standing right beside him. Eoin would have certainly expected something horrible to have happened. "Thank you, Nem," he said, still so taken aback. Nomad stomped his hoof when she had kissed him, and it made Eoin chuckle. "I wonder if he just prefers you now..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She let out a genuine laugh at Eoin's comment. "Of course he does." She smirked, petting the horse's nose again before stepping away and wandering off into the next stall to retrieve her own horse. She lead out a beautiful black mare, fitting for such a darkened woman. She glanced up to Eoin and smiled. "Shall we ride, then?" She climbed up onto the back of her horse and rode up closer to him, urging him on. [d]
[EOIN] The horse snorted, almost as though it fully understood what they were saying before Nemeris was walking away to retrieve her own horse. Eoin still stood with Nomad, stroking his neck in complete surprise. "You probably had a nice, lazy life here, huh..." he murmured with a grin. "Good to see you, old friend." A pat to the beast's side, he climbed up into the saddle after Nem appeared ready to go. "Lead the way," he told her. [d]
[NEMERIS] Unfortunately, they'd need to go by the forest to get to the village, so Eoin would see the ruin the forest had endured. She rode alongside Eoin at a steady pace. The two horses seemingly affectionate towards one another. "They've taken a liking to one another, too." She grinned. "He's had a good life for a year...At least one of us did." [d]
[EOIN] For the moment, he wasn't thinking much about what damage the war had done. He'd had a year to think about it, to remember some of it before he was locked away for a year. Still, nothing was going to prepare him for it. So, for now, he remained blissfully unaware as they casually rode. He grinned down at his horse, patting his neck again. "You big, ol' flirt," he said in amusement. Then his words were directed towards Nemeris. "Thank you," he repeated, then looked to her. "This...is the tiny bit of normalcy I needed." It was small, perhaps, but he knew things were going to get worse before they got better. [d]
[NEMERIS] She laughed at Eoin's comment to his horse and shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, " she said simply. And he really didn't need to. But as he explained was a normalcy he needed, she smiled, but only faintly. "But you're welcome." She fell silent then as they rode, mostly because she didn't know what to say and she wasn't really big on small talk. So when they finally reached the forest, Nemeris looked to Eoin and watched for his expression as he'd see the damage and destruction caused by the war. "I'm sorry you have to see all this..." she spoke gently. [d]
[EOIN] Too bad his decent demeanor was about to change. He didn't mind the silence as they rode on, listening to the gentle sounds of the hoofbeats against the cold earth. The sky was still riddled with gray clouds but it may not rain for a little while yet. None of that mattered when they came to the forest, though, and he immediately saw the damage that was done right along the edge of it. He drew Nomad to a slow stop, knowing immediately that fire had killed everything in his sight. He remembered the flames, the smoke, but didn't imagine it would have been this bad, and he was almost afraid to know how deep the damage had went. "How...bad is it?" he dared to ask her. [d]
[NEMERIS] She frowned as Eoin seemed to be affected by the damage, and understandably so. She came to a stop next to Eoin and sighed, glancing out into the far distance. "Most of it...There was no way to stop the fires... and it just kept spreading until it rained. We have slowly been trying to restore and save what we can. Maybe you could help?" She could continue to try and indirectly convince him that he was needed here and did have a purpose. [d]
[EOIN] He sat there in such disbelief that he nearly missed Nemeris talking. If it was as bad as she said it was, that meant the lodges were most likely non-existent if the fires had reached that far. It meant whatever he may have had left of his life prior to imprisonment was likely gone. As though he never existed. Ever so slowly, Eoin dismounted; his eyes still on the trees as he began to walk towards the forest. Nomad still new to follow behind him, and he was a constant comforting presence as Eoin's senses were just assaulted by the destruction. Even after a year, he swore he could still smell the smoke just as much as see it, along with the dead, decaying tress the fires hadn't completely consumed. Right now, he didn't really know what to say. [d]
[NEMERIS] She watched as Eoin dismounted from his horse and began walking into the destruction. A frown pulled at her lips and she urged her horse, Vesta, forward and into the forest, behind Eoin. "We can go check out the lodges. I'm not sure if they are still standing or not... I haven't wandered out that deep. But maybe some of your things survived. Like you..." She could be hopeful, even if he was not. [d]
[EOIN] He kept walking forward, hearing the crunch of dead leaves and branches beneath his boots. Most of it had certainly been destroyed...but it had been a year. Crouching, hands brushed away some burned foliage, seeing that new grass and the beginnings of flowers had begun to grow again- beauty among the chaos. With the cold weather coming, however, they wouldn't last very long. But, come spring...perhaps there would be hope. His head hung low and he sighed. "If anything survived, it's as broken as I am." A part of him wanted to see...but the other part was actually afraid. [d]
[NEMERIS] She stopped Vesta and watched Eoin as he crouched down and discovered the new growth. It was a promising sign. But when Eoin spoke, she carefully climbed down from her horse and crouched down in front of him, reaching out to urge him to lift his gaze towards her. "Then we shall fix whatever it is..." her voice was gentle and optimistic, strange coming from her--but she knew how he was feeling. She was very broken, herself, and he had once showed her kindness and treated her as though she was not broken. "It will be alright." She slowly stood, pulling him up with her. "Come on... Won't know until we go look." She offered him a slight smile and urged him along. "Besides... broken things belong in my broken manor..." [d]
[EOIN] It wasn't enough. All the deadness around here was suffocating the ground. There was so much work that would have to be done...but to fix an entire forest? Was that even possible? Even though she was trying to get him to, Eoin didn't look at her; rubbing his eyes with his finger and thumb. She was trying to be optimistic, but she'll have to forgive him for not being able to join her just yet. As she urged him back up, he sighed lightly, shifting his gaze from the forest to fall back to her. Although she smiled a little, he did not return it. "It doesn't have to be broken," he said quietly. And he didn't just mean the manor. He meant her. Here she was trying to fix him...but she wouldn't try to fix herself? Leading her back to Vesta, he'd offer help into the saddle before he mounted onto Nomad and lead the beast through the place he once called home. Now, it felt like an empty shell. [d]
[NEMERIS] She had been a broken woman for a long time, and felt she was beyond help at this point. So at his comment, she did not respond. The difference between the two of them was that Eoin had once been happy and together. He had purpose and a good life. Or at least that was how she perceived him, though maybe she really didn't know. Nemeris had been broken since well before leaving her home. There was no fixing her now. She got back onto her horse with his help, her mind suddenly pouring with various thoughts and questions, but she said nothing and followed him into the forest. After a while, Nemeris finally spoke. "How badly damaged is my roof?" [d]
[EOIN] He used to have purpose and a good life, but after a year of not having either, he wasn't so sure he still could say he did. It was a matter of finding it again...and if he even cared to. Eoin was smiling and joking with her before, but it was all a front, all an attempt to ignore everything that plagued him. Something it worked but not always. So, for now, he kept silent. He didn't know what else to say. When she tried her hand at conversation, he replied quietly, "It wasn't terrible. Just one spot needs to be patched...and soon." Gray eyes flickered up through the canopy. "Might be able to get to it before nightfall." [d]
[NEMERIS] She had once had purpose, but her brother stole all of it from her and forced her to leave. That was years ago, and she still hadn't recovered from that. It's what kept her broken. At his mention of her roof, she nodded. "That would be nice, thank you." She fell silent again, then, as they continued through the forest. Off in the distance, the forms of what used to be buildings could be spotted. Some were in worse shape than others. [d]
[EOIN] There were patches and seconds of forest that weren't terribly damaged, some that wasn't damaged at all. It was almost surreal to see healthy growing trees next to charred black ones, but that was still better than it all being destroyed. Eoin wouldn't be much for conversation as they traveled on, wondering how much of Aralore looked similar to this. How much they were able to fix so far. War was always devastating...and it might be returning to their doorstep. As the buildings finally came into view, he held his breath. He knew in his heart that much was lost, or what was left would be so overgrown. It seemed as though no one had tried to do any repairs here yet in the last year. When close enough, Eoin dismounted and tied Nomad's reins loosely to a tree so he could not follow, and ventured towards the lodges. Many of the roofs were caved in. Some were just parts of the foundation, or missing a wall. Further he walked until he came to the small cabin he had once called home and simply stared at it. The fire had touched it, damaging it, and he was hesitant to set foot inside. But, with a sigh, he pushed aside the door that rested upon a single hinge and went in. If things weren't burnt to a crisp, it was covered in layers of dirt or dust. Half the roof was gone, and the rest looked as though it might collapse under a minute amount of pressure. "Be careful..." he warned her quietly. Truthfully, he didn't know what he was looking for. He didn't have many things to begin with, and any clothes would be ruined in this mess. [d]
[NEMERIS] She followed Eoin and tied Vesta to another nearby tree before walking with Eoin to the cabin. She watched him as he stood there staring at it. Although much had been ruined by the war, she felt lucky that her manor hadn't been damaged by the war. But she could still understand how Eoin must have been feeling. When he moved to go in, she slowly followed behind him, careful of where she stepped and of all the debris. Her blue-grey eyes glanced around, searching for anything that might have stood out to her. "Is there anything you can think of that you are hoping to find?" Eoin didn't strike her as someone who would have a lot of things, but everyone always had something that was important to them, no matter how small or big it was. [d]
[EOIN] The floor creaked with every step, and he barely touched anything because it was all worthless now. If it wasn't destroyed in the fire, it was soaked and ruined from rain that came through the roof. "Not much..." he explained as he stepped over to the bed. It was true, he really had no belongings, and there was nothing in there that he would need to keep after a year. However, he knelt and began to feel the floorboards beneath the bed. One came loose, revealing a nice little hideaway...and inside, miraculously, there was a small pouch of coin. It wasn't the most clever of places, so he was surprised no one had found it. Even still, it wasn't much, but would be enough to buy him some clothes and possibly other provisions should he need it. He held it up for show just briefly with the smallest of smirks before tying it to his belt. "There's no saving this place...or anything in it," he said, that grin faltering. The roof creaked again above them, probably disturbed by their weight upon the foundation. [d]
[NEMERIS] As she walked around, her mind began to conjure up memories of before the war. Although she had never visited Eoin at his place, or hadn't come down this way at all, she could still picture what it was like, and she found herself wondering how he had lived his life here. What conversations had he had in here? He had a life here at one point...and now it was all gone. She sighed and turned to see him retrieve that bag from under his bed, and she smirked slightly. She tried to think of a smart remark, but couldn't find it in her at this time, especially as his grin faltered. She turned away, eyes briefly lifting to the roof as it creaked. But when she looked down, she spotted something. Carefully, she moved towards it and lifted what was left of a chair and crouched down, trying to reach for it. When she did, she lifted it up and blew the dust and ash from it. It appeared to be a book of some sort, the edge of the pages black, but it still seemed functional. She flipped through the pages, seeing that the words were still there, and the pages still in somewhat fair condition, so she brushed the cover off and read it out loud. "The Journal of the Necron clan..." She stood up and held it out to him. "This have any importance to you?" [d]
[EOIN] He was moving things around with his foot, idly checking shelves, but there really wasn't a whole lot that he wanted or that could be salvaged. Except one particular thing, and he feared that it might've been gone forever. He found one of his old knifes and strapped that to his belt, but was quick to look over to her when she spoke. Finding something. Those gray eyes went wide, and he rushed over to take the book in hand. "It survived..." he murmured to himself in amazement. There finally came a gentle smile when he looked back to her. "This has...everything about my clan in it. I figured it would've-" He paused because he heard the cracking of wood from above. Lips murmured a low curse before he was closing the gap between him and Nemeris. An arm hooked around her waist as he dragged her across the floor to press her up against the far wall, just as more of the ceiling collapsed down. Apparently it had been so weak, that just their subtle movements upon the flooring had caused the walls to shift. As dust billowed up in a giant cloud, the danger subsiding, he let the silence linger for a few seconds...then his voice was heard, mostly sarcastic, "That is a roof I cannot fix..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She found herself smiling as Eoin took the book and seemed amazed by it. He really was lucky to have her along, wasn't he? Though she would never even think or say that sort of thing. She was somewhat happy to help him out--it gave her something to take her mind off of everything else. She gasped as he quickly grabbed hold of her and pinned her up against the wall and she were about to yell at him, but the ceiling collapsed and she screamed, burying her face into him, fingers clinging to him, using him as a shield from the dust and falling debris. She tried catching her breath as that silence lingered, not letting Eoin go. But as he spoke with that sarcasm, she laughed, and lightly shoved him away from her. "Not funny." But she had a smirk on her face, still. [d]
[EOIN] He was actually going to call her good luck after she found the book, but...with the cave in, well, maybe not. The thought still almost made him laugh, even as dust, dirt, and whatever else continued to drop down on them. The fires must have really done some damage to make everything this unstable after only a year. Eoin had done his best to shield her, prepared to take the most hits of anything that fell. Luckily, the large pieces of wood missed them, and it was just the debris that coated their cloaks. He was beginning to look like a ranger again. He turned his head to look down at her, making sure she was alright...which she answered with a shove. "What?" he laughed. "Just stating the obvious." He dried dusting his cloak off, and shaking his head to free the dust from his hair. "I'm as dusty as your house now." That was a low mumble, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted her to hear that comment. Still, he snickered to himself. "We best be getting out of here," he said, his face and voice sobering. "Watch your step..." He began to walk, remaining close to her just in case. [d]
[NEMERIS] She was anything but good luck. As proven by the cave in of the roof. She laughed at him and nudged him with her elbow. But then she did hear his mumbled comment and she whirled around to look at him, glaring at him. "Oh you think you are so funny, don't you?" She pointed a finger at him, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah...well...." But she couldn't think of a comeback because, well, he wasn't lying per say. She laughed and shook her head at him, "you're ridiculous." She turned away from him and then took a couple of steps, only for one of the floorboards to collapse from beneath her feet and send her falling to the floor. She cried out in shock from the fall and quickly pushed herself back up. The palms of her hands were slightly scraped up from catching herself, and she felt a stinging-burning sensation on one of her shins. When she looked down, she noticed part of her dress had ripped, and upon lifting her skirt to reveal her leg, she noticed a little bit of blood from skinning her leg. [d]
[EOIN] He couldn't help himself. And as long as she laughed or smiled at his stupid antics, he would going to continue doing them. It was surprising that he was even able to joke around after what he went through, only to be embarrassingly shunned by the woman you had once loved. Once? No, he still loves Alexandria and always would, but the display last night proved that he was no longer allowed to be in love with her. A year certainly changed people, but it still stung like hell. He'd been so lost in his foolish thoughts that he had been too slow to catch her as one of the floorboards gave out and she felt. He cursed himself quietly before rushing to help her back up to her feet. "You alright?" he asked lightly. They should definitely get out of here before the rest of it decided to fall apart. "You would make a fine ranger..." Eoin lightly teased. He was only half joking. Maybe. [d]
[NEMERIS] She cursed quietly beneath her breath and stood up completely with his help, "I'm fine." She brushed herself off and sighed. "We should get out of here before the rest comes crumbling down on us. She carefully made her way towards the door, smirking at Eoin's comment. "Oh would I?" She knew he was teasing her. She would hardly make any sort of fine fighter..unless there werena division for talking one's way out of things. She stepped out of the cabin and back onto the path they had been following. Crouching down, now that she had light, she lifted her skirt again to take a look at her skinned leg. [d]
[EOIN] He grabbed her by the arm as they left, to ensure that she did not fall again. Meanwhile, he was still chuckling quietly, though not so much at the fact that she had indeed hurt herself. Once they were outside and she revealed her skinned leg, he urged her to sit on a fallen tree so that he could have a better look. Crouching, his shoulders still shrugged in his quiet laughter. "Well, it's not terrible," he pointed out. "You'll live, I'm afraid." With the bottom of her dress already being torn, he tore it more without asking; just taking a piece long enough to wrap around her shin and cover the scrape. It would at least keep any unnecessary dirt out of it for now. [d]
[NEMERIS] Was he really laughing at her now? Eyes narrowed at him as she sat down and he inspected her scrapes. Her eyes could pierce through him at his comment though. "Oh yes.. quite a shame, I'll live..." She rolled her eyes and then gasped as he ripped her dress and she shrieked at him, "Excuse me! That's my dress! And don't touch me!" But he was already wrapping her leg up, and she sighed annoyed and frustrated at him. "How will I go into the village now with a torn up dress that you've made worse now." [d]
[EOIN] Maybe he couldn't stop laughing because it appeared that his luck was getting worse and worse...but what could he really do about it? Things were simply going to be this way, so he had to accept it. Or maybe he was just losing his mind. It was a toss up. Gray eyes shifted up to her and he grinned. "You're going to be seen with a dead man...the dress may be the least of your problems." He offered a shrug of his shoulders as fingers nimbly tied that makeshift bandage tightly so it wouldn't move too much. She should just be glad that she was stuck out here with a gentleman and not some rogue, flaunting her leg around like that. He chuckled at himself again. [d]
[NEMERIS] Right. But he had the coverage of his hooded cloak. She looked like a tattered up peasant woman who might be mistaken as a courtesan. She narrowed her eyes at him again and shook her head. "Oh whatever." She finally waved him off, throwing her skirt back over to cover her leg before standing. "Let's go dead man..." And without waiting for him, she headed back to their horses. [d]
[EOIN] At the mention of clothes, his eyes dropped down to himself as she did, immediately knowing how strange it must be for him to be wearing Brennus' clothing. He'd have to get his own again, but it wasn't as though he had any sort of money flow these days... Sighing lightly, he dropped the axe aside. "I suppose I should check if anything is left..." But it was obvious he was almost too worried to. "But, I can accompany you to the village if you need...if you have a spare cloak...with a hood." Not to keep borrowing things that weren't his. Eoin just need a bit more time to get back on his feet, figure out what he was going to do. [d]
[NEMERIS] She could not remember where Eoin used to stay.. If it was in the castle or in the forest. Or maybe both, as he was the intended king previously. But she remembered a lot of the Necron forest had been badly damaged by the war, and she didn't have the heart to tell him. "Alright," she said. "I think I can find you something." She nodded slightly and motioned for him to follow her back into the house so she could grab him the cloak. One of Brennus', again. She didn't know why she had kept his things..maybe because it was all she had left of him and couldn't bear to part with them. Even so, they were coming in handy now for Eoin. She found the cloak and handed it to him. "You'll look very rogue in this." She laughed softly. "We will need to go to the stables to get the horses to ride in. Assuming you can still ride?" [d]
[EOIN] He didn't really expect much of anything to still be in Necron...but he wasn't going to be prepared for what really happened. He was going to find out sooner or later...so why not sooner? Inside, he slipped that cloak around his shoulders when she handed it to him, tying it beneath his chin. Laughing softly again at her comment, he pulled the hood up so that most of his face was covered. "That's more my style." Rogue indeed. Then she was asking such an absurd question. "Can I still ride..." he echoed in mock annoyance, even rolled his eyes. Then he was gesturing with his arm for her to lead the way. [d]
[NEMERIS] She raised a brow in his mock annoyance and laughed, before heading out the door. It was not a far walk to the stables, and the cool air was somewhat refreshing, but she pulled her shawl tighter around herself to keep the chill out. She glanced at him sidelong and tried to stop herself from smirking. "I actually think I might have something that will cheer you up a bit..." But she said nothing further as they continued to walk along the path towards the stables. When they arrived, she led him into the large barn and down the row of stalls filled with horses. She searched each stable until she came to one, and she glanced to Eoin and held her hand up. "Wait here." She disappeared into the stall and seemed to be in there for quite a while before she stepped back out with a horse in tow. Eoin would most likely recognize the horse, because it had been his before he was captured. Nemeris had taken care of him because he had wandered into her property, and she recognized him as Eoin's. She stepped over to Eoin and handed him the reins. "One thing of yours..." She ran her hand gently down the horse's neck, eyes falling to Eoin to see his expression as he had his horse back. [d]
[EOIN] "Cheer me up?" he repeated in question. He looked over to her with some curiosity, wanting to ask further but decided to simply remain silent and continue to follow her. Into the stables, they walked passed stall after stall until she was telling him to stop. His brow furrowed, listening to the gentle sounds of horses around them...until she was emerging with one in particular. A beautiful chestnut stallion, and a very familiar one at that. A hand slowly pulled back the hood of his cloak so that gray eyes could look into the large, soulful brown ones in front of him. "Nomad?" The horse's name fell from his lips in a whisper. Eoin was stunned, even awed at the sight of the beautiful beast. As Nemeris handed him the reins, the equine nudged him gently with his snout. "You've...kept him safe this entire time?" he asked, managing to draw his gaze back over to Nem. [d]
[NEMERIS] Although she may not seem to be passionate for people, Nemeris felt connected with animals and loved them. She smiled genuinely at the sight of Eoin with his horse and she nodded in response. "He wandered to my home... And I recognized him as yours... I knew you weren't around to care for him anymore... So yes... I've cared for him." She smiled and pressed her hand against the horse's snout before kissing him. "He's a good horse." She admitted. "I'm happy I could bring you one normalcy back to you.." [d]
[EOIN] A genuine smile finally curled his mouth at her words while Nomad nudged him again, making him stumble back just a single step. He patted the horses on his neck, but kept his attention on Nemeris. Perhaps this beast knew the right person to go to, even if it had been a long journey to get to her. It was amazing, and he still looked so shocked to see his old, trusted friend standing right beside him. Eoin would have certainly expected something horrible to have happened. "Thank you, Nem," he said, still so taken aback. Nomad stomped his hoof when she had kissed him, and it made Eoin chuckle. "I wonder if he just prefers you now..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She let out a genuine laugh at Eoin's comment. "Of course he does." She smirked, petting the horse's nose again before stepping away and wandering off into the next stall to retrieve her own horse. She lead out a beautiful black mare, fitting for such a darkened woman. She glanced up to Eoin and smiled. "Shall we ride, then?" She climbed up onto the back of her horse and rode up closer to him, urging him on. [d]
[EOIN] The horse snorted, almost as though it fully understood what they were saying before Nemeris was walking away to retrieve her own horse. Eoin still stood with Nomad, stroking his neck in complete surprise. "You probably had a nice, lazy life here, huh..." he murmured with a grin. "Good to see you, old friend." A pat to the beast's side, he climbed up into the saddle after Nem appeared ready to go. "Lead the way," he told her. [d]
[NEMERIS] Unfortunately, they'd need to go by the forest to get to the village, so Eoin would see the ruin the forest had endured. She rode alongside Eoin at a steady pace. The two horses seemingly affectionate towards one another. "They've taken a liking to one another, too." She grinned. "He's had a good life for a year...At least one of us did." [d]
[EOIN] For the moment, he wasn't thinking much about what damage the war had done. He'd had a year to think about it, to remember some of it before he was locked away for a year. Still, nothing was going to prepare him for it. So, for now, he remained blissfully unaware as they casually rode. He grinned down at his horse, patting his neck again. "You big, ol' flirt," he said in amusement. Then his words were directed towards Nemeris. "Thank you," he repeated, then looked to her. "This...is the tiny bit of normalcy I needed." It was small, perhaps, but he knew things were going to get worse before they got better. [d]
[NEMERIS] She laughed at Eoin's comment to his horse and shook her head. "You don't need to thank me, " she said simply. And he really didn't need to. But as he explained was a normalcy he needed, she smiled, but only faintly. "But you're welcome." She fell silent then as they rode, mostly because she didn't know what to say and she wasn't really big on small talk. So when they finally reached the forest, Nemeris looked to Eoin and watched for his expression as he'd see the damage and destruction caused by the war. "I'm sorry you have to see all this..." she spoke gently. [d]
[EOIN] Too bad his decent demeanor was about to change. He didn't mind the silence as they rode on, listening to the gentle sounds of the hoofbeats against the cold earth. The sky was still riddled with gray clouds but it may not rain for a little while yet. None of that mattered when they came to the forest, though, and he immediately saw the damage that was done right along the edge of it. He drew Nomad to a slow stop, knowing immediately that fire had killed everything in his sight. He remembered the flames, the smoke, but didn't imagine it would have been this bad, and he was almost afraid to know how deep the damage had went. "How...bad is it?" he dared to ask her. [d]
[NEMERIS] She frowned as Eoin seemed to be affected by the damage, and understandably so. She came to a stop next to Eoin and sighed, glancing out into the far distance. "Most of it...There was no way to stop the fires... and it just kept spreading until it rained. We have slowly been trying to restore and save what we can. Maybe you could help?" She could continue to try and indirectly convince him that he was needed here and did have a purpose. [d]
[EOIN] He sat there in such disbelief that he nearly missed Nemeris talking. If it was as bad as she said it was, that meant the lodges were most likely non-existent if the fires had reached that far. It meant whatever he may have had left of his life prior to imprisonment was likely gone. As though he never existed. Ever so slowly, Eoin dismounted; his eyes still on the trees as he began to walk towards the forest. Nomad still new to follow behind him, and he was a constant comforting presence as Eoin's senses were just assaulted by the destruction. Even after a year, he swore he could still smell the smoke just as much as see it, along with the dead, decaying tress the fires hadn't completely consumed. Right now, he didn't really know what to say. [d]
[NEMERIS] She watched as Eoin dismounted from his horse and began walking into the destruction. A frown pulled at her lips and she urged her horse, Vesta, forward and into the forest, behind Eoin. "We can go check out the lodges. I'm not sure if they are still standing or not... I haven't wandered out that deep. But maybe some of your things survived. Like you..." She could be hopeful, even if he was not. [d]
[EOIN] He kept walking forward, hearing the crunch of dead leaves and branches beneath his boots. Most of it had certainly been destroyed...but it had been a year. Crouching, hands brushed away some burned foliage, seeing that new grass and the beginnings of flowers had begun to grow again- beauty among the chaos. With the cold weather coming, however, they wouldn't last very long. But, come spring...perhaps there would be hope. His head hung low and he sighed. "If anything survived, it's as broken as I am." A part of him wanted to see...but the other part was actually afraid. [d]
[NEMERIS] She stopped Vesta and watched Eoin as he crouched down and discovered the new growth. It was a promising sign. But when Eoin spoke, she carefully climbed down from her horse and crouched down in front of him, reaching out to urge him to lift his gaze towards her. "Then we shall fix whatever it is..." her voice was gentle and optimistic, strange coming from her--but she knew how he was feeling. She was very broken, herself, and he had once showed her kindness and treated her as though she was not broken. "It will be alright." She slowly stood, pulling him up with her. "Come on... Won't know until we go look." She offered him a slight smile and urged him along. "Besides... broken things belong in my broken manor..." [d]
[EOIN] It wasn't enough. All the deadness around here was suffocating the ground. There was so much work that would have to be done...but to fix an entire forest? Was that even possible? Even though she was trying to get him to, Eoin didn't look at her; rubbing his eyes with his finger and thumb. She was trying to be optimistic, but she'll have to forgive him for not being able to join her just yet. As she urged him back up, he sighed lightly, shifting his gaze from the forest to fall back to her. Although she smiled a little, he did not return it. "It doesn't have to be broken," he said quietly. And he didn't just mean the manor. He meant her. Here she was trying to fix him...but she wouldn't try to fix herself? Leading her back to Vesta, he'd offer help into the saddle before he mounted onto Nomad and lead the beast through the place he once called home. Now, it felt like an empty shell. [d]
[NEMERIS] She had been a broken woman for a long time, and felt she was beyond help at this point. So at his comment, she did not respond. The difference between the two of them was that Eoin had once been happy and together. He had purpose and a good life. Or at least that was how she perceived him, though maybe she really didn't know. Nemeris had been broken since well before leaving her home. There was no fixing her now. She got back onto her horse with his help, her mind suddenly pouring with various thoughts and questions, but she said nothing and followed him into the forest. After a while, Nemeris finally spoke. "How badly damaged is my roof?" [d]
[EOIN] He used to have purpose and a good life, but after a year of not having either, he wasn't so sure he still could say he did. It was a matter of finding it again...and if he even cared to. Eoin was smiling and joking with her before, but it was all a front, all an attempt to ignore everything that plagued him. Something it worked but not always. So, for now, he kept silent. He didn't know what else to say. When she tried her hand at conversation, he replied quietly, "It wasn't terrible. Just one spot needs to be patched...and soon." Gray eyes flickered up through the canopy. "Might be able to get to it before nightfall." [d]
[NEMERIS] She had once had purpose, but her brother stole all of it from her and forced her to leave. That was years ago, and she still hadn't recovered from that. It's what kept her broken. At his mention of her roof, she nodded. "That would be nice, thank you." She fell silent again, then, as they continued through the forest. Off in the distance, the forms of what used to be buildings could be spotted. Some were in worse shape than others. [d]
[EOIN] There were patches and seconds of forest that weren't terribly damaged, some that wasn't damaged at all. It was almost surreal to see healthy growing trees next to charred black ones, but that was still better than it all being destroyed. Eoin wouldn't be much for conversation as they traveled on, wondering how much of Aralore looked similar to this. How much they were able to fix so far. War was always devastating...and it might be returning to their doorstep. As the buildings finally came into view, he held his breath. He knew in his heart that much was lost, or what was left would be so overgrown. It seemed as though no one had tried to do any repairs here yet in the last year. When close enough, Eoin dismounted and tied Nomad's reins loosely to a tree so he could not follow, and ventured towards the lodges. Many of the roofs were caved in. Some were just parts of the foundation, or missing a wall. Further he walked until he came to the small cabin he had once called home and simply stared at it. The fire had touched it, damaging it, and he was hesitant to set foot inside. But, with a sigh, he pushed aside the door that rested upon a single hinge and went in. If things weren't burnt to a crisp, it was covered in layers of dirt or dust. Half the roof was gone, and the rest looked as though it might collapse under a minute amount of pressure. "Be careful..." he warned her quietly. Truthfully, he didn't know what he was looking for. He didn't have many things to begin with, and any clothes would be ruined in this mess. [d]
[NEMERIS] She followed Eoin and tied Vesta to another nearby tree before walking with Eoin to the cabin. She watched him as he stood there staring at it. Although much had been ruined by the war, she felt lucky that her manor hadn't been damaged by the war. But she could still understand how Eoin must have been feeling. When he moved to go in, she slowly followed behind him, careful of where she stepped and of all the debris. Her blue-grey eyes glanced around, searching for anything that might have stood out to her. "Is there anything you can think of that you are hoping to find?" Eoin didn't strike her as someone who would have a lot of things, but everyone always had something that was important to them, no matter how small or big it was. [d]
[EOIN] The floor creaked with every step, and he barely touched anything because it was all worthless now. If it wasn't destroyed in the fire, it was soaked and ruined from rain that came through the roof. "Not much..." he explained as he stepped over to the bed. It was true, he really had no belongings, and there was nothing in there that he would need to keep after a year. However, he knelt and began to feel the floorboards beneath the bed. One came loose, revealing a nice little hideaway...and inside, miraculously, there was a small pouch of coin. It wasn't the most clever of places, so he was surprised no one had found it. Even still, it wasn't much, but would be enough to buy him some clothes and possibly other provisions should he need it. He held it up for show just briefly with the smallest of smirks before tying it to his belt. "There's no saving this place...or anything in it," he said, that grin faltering. The roof creaked again above them, probably disturbed by their weight upon the foundation. [d]
[NEMERIS] As she walked around, her mind began to conjure up memories of before the war. Although she had never visited Eoin at his place, or hadn't come down this way at all, she could still picture what it was like, and she found herself wondering how he had lived his life here. What conversations had he had in here? He had a life here at one point...and now it was all gone. She sighed and turned to see him retrieve that bag from under his bed, and she smirked slightly. She tried to think of a smart remark, but couldn't find it in her at this time, especially as his grin faltered. She turned away, eyes briefly lifting to the roof as it creaked. But when she looked down, she spotted something. Carefully, she moved towards it and lifted what was left of a chair and crouched down, trying to reach for it. When she did, she lifted it up and blew the dust and ash from it. It appeared to be a book of some sort, the edge of the pages black, but it still seemed functional. She flipped through the pages, seeing that the words were still there, and the pages still in somewhat fair condition, so she brushed the cover off and read it out loud. "The Journal of the Necron clan..." She stood up and held it out to him. "This have any importance to you?" [d]
[EOIN] He was moving things around with his foot, idly checking shelves, but there really wasn't a whole lot that he wanted or that could be salvaged. Except one particular thing, and he feared that it might've been gone forever. He found one of his old knifes and strapped that to his belt, but was quick to look over to her when she spoke. Finding something. Those gray eyes went wide, and he rushed over to take the book in hand. "It survived..." he murmured to himself in amazement. There finally came a gentle smile when he looked back to her. "This has...everything about my clan in it. I figured it would've-" He paused because he heard the cracking of wood from above. Lips murmured a low curse before he was closing the gap between him and Nemeris. An arm hooked around her waist as he dragged her across the floor to press her up against the far wall, just as more of the ceiling collapsed down. Apparently it had been so weak, that just their subtle movements upon the flooring had caused the walls to shift. As dust billowed up in a giant cloud, the danger subsiding, he let the silence linger for a few seconds...then his voice was heard, mostly sarcastic, "That is a roof I cannot fix..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She found herself smiling as Eoin took the book and seemed amazed by it. He really was lucky to have her along, wasn't he? Though she would never even think or say that sort of thing. She was somewhat happy to help him out--it gave her something to take her mind off of everything else. She gasped as he quickly grabbed hold of her and pinned her up against the wall and she were about to yell at him, but the ceiling collapsed and she screamed, burying her face into him, fingers clinging to him, using him as a shield from the dust and falling debris. She tried catching her breath as that silence lingered, not letting Eoin go. But as he spoke with that sarcasm, she laughed, and lightly shoved him away from her. "Not funny." But she had a smirk on her face, still. [d]
[EOIN] He was actually going to call her good luck after she found the book, but...with the cave in, well, maybe not. The thought still almost made him laugh, even as dust, dirt, and whatever else continued to drop down on them. The fires must have really done some damage to make everything this unstable after only a year. Eoin had done his best to shield her, prepared to take the most hits of anything that fell. Luckily, the large pieces of wood missed them, and it was just the debris that coated their cloaks. He was beginning to look like a ranger again. He turned his head to look down at her, making sure she was alright...which she answered with a shove. "What?" he laughed. "Just stating the obvious." He dried dusting his cloak off, and shaking his head to free the dust from his hair. "I'm as dusty as your house now." That was a low mumble, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted her to hear that comment. Still, he snickered to himself. "We best be getting out of here," he said, his face and voice sobering. "Watch your step..." He began to walk, remaining close to her just in case. [d]
[NEMERIS] She was anything but good luck. As proven by the cave in of the roof. She laughed at him and nudged him with her elbow. But then she did hear his mumbled comment and she whirled around to look at him, glaring at him. "Oh you think you are so funny, don't you?" She pointed a finger at him, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah...well...." But she couldn't think of a comeback because, well, he wasn't lying per say. She laughed and shook her head at him, "you're ridiculous." She turned away from him and then took a couple of steps, only for one of the floorboards to collapse from beneath her feet and send her falling to the floor. She cried out in shock from the fall and quickly pushed herself back up. The palms of her hands were slightly scraped up from catching herself, and she felt a stinging-burning sensation on one of her shins. When she looked down, she noticed part of her dress had ripped, and upon lifting her skirt to reveal her leg, she noticed a little bit of blood from skinning her leg. [d]
[EOIN] He couldn't help himself. And as long as she laughed or smiled at his stupid antics, he would going to continue doing them. It was surprising that he was even able to joke around after what he went through, only to be embarrassingly shunned by the woman you had once loved. Once? No, he still loves Alexandria and always would, but the display last night proved that he was no longer allowed to be in love with her. A year certainly changed people, but it still stung like hell. He'd been so lost in his foolish thoughts that he had been too slow to catch her as one of the floorboards gave out and she felt. He cursed himself quietly before rushing to help her back up to her feet. "You alright?" he asked lightly. They should definitely get out of here before the rest of it decided to fall apart. "You would make a fine ranger..." Eoin lightly teased. He was only half joking. Maybe. [d]
[NEMERIS] She cursed quietly beneath her breath and stood up completely with his help, "I'm fine." She brushed herself off and sighed. "We should get out of here before the rest comes crumbling down on us. She carefully made her way towards the door, smirking at Eoin's comment. "Oh would I?" She knew he was teasing her. She would hardly make any sort of fine fighter..unless there werena division for talking one's way out of things. She stepped out of the cabin and back onto the path they had been following. Crouching down, now that she had light, she lifted her skirt again to take a look at her skinned leg. [d]
[EOIN] He grabbed her by the arm as they left, to ensure that she did not fall again. Meanwhile, he was still chuckling quietly, though not so much at the fact that she had indeed hurt herself. Once they were outside and she revealed her skinned leg, he urged her to sit on a fallen tree so that he could have a better look. Crouching, his shoulders still shrugged in his quiet laughter. "Well, it's not terrible," he pointed out. "You'll live, I'm afraid." With the bottom of her dress already being torn, he tore it more without asking; just taking a piece long enough to wrap around her shin and cover the scrape. It would at least keep any unnecessary dirt out of it for now. [d]
[NEMERIS] Was he really laughing at her now? Eyes narrowed at him as she sat down and he inspected her scrapes. Her eyes could pierce through him at his comment though. "Oh yes.. quite a shame, I'll live..." She rolled her eyes and then gasped as he ripped her dress and she shrieked at him, "Excuse me! That's my dress! And don't touch me!" But he was already wrapping her leg up, and she sighed annoyed and frustrated at him. "How will I go into the village now with a torn up dress that you've made worse now." [d]
[EOIN] Maybe he couldn't stop laughing because it appeared that his luck was getting worse and worse...but what could he really do about it? Things were simply going to be this way, so he had to accept it. Or maybe he was just losing his mind. It was a toss up. Gray eyes shifted up to her and he grinned. "You're going to be seen with a dead man...the dress may be the least of your problems." He offered a shrug of his shoulders as fingers nimbly tied that makeshift bandage tightly so it wouldn't move too much. She should just be glad that she was stuck out here with a gentleman and not some rogue, flaunting her leg around like that. He chuckled at himself again. [d]
[NEMERIS] Right. But he had the coverage of his hooded cloak. She looked like a tattered up peasant woman who might be mistaken as a courtesan. She narrowed her eyes at him again and shook her head. "Oh whatever." She finally waved him off, throwing her skirt back over to cover her leg before standing. "Let's go dead man..." And without waiting for him, she headed back to their horses. [d]
