Post by Nemeris Arundel on Mar 26, 2020 20:16:35 GMT -5
[Scene continued from Walking Through the Marketplace ]
[EOIN] Following her back to the horses, his gaze drifted back to her when she joked. It actually made him do a double-take, looking behind them and in the direction of the book seller...as if expecting to see some witchy-looking kind of woman all of a sudden. But it took him a long moment to realize she was joking with him, eventually giving him the real answer. And that was enough to make him chuckle a bit. "Poetry? Eoin had subconsciously slowed down when he had looked back, so he was taking quick steps to catch up with her...only for her to make that threat. That look managed to give him pause for the briefest second before he was moving to follow once more. "Right...kill me with your-" He wiggled his fingers in indication. Eoin actually snickered. If he wasn't careful, she might just do that one of these days! "You should read some." The way he spoke, it seemed like he was saying "out loud". Maybe he was. When they arrived back to the horses, he'd help empty her newly bought belongings into the saddle bags. [d]
[NEMERIS] It did seem odd that a woman like her enjoyed such a thing. But she enjoyed trying to interpret the meanings behind the words that were strung together, sometimes making no sense, and other times, strikingly making her feel she was not alone in this world, and that there were others (somewhere out there) who understood her and wrote about it. She liked the mystery of it all.
She grinned as Eoin insinuated that she would use her magic to kill him and she nodded. "Precisely..."
She untied her horse as Eoin was placing her items in the saddle bags, to which she placed her book into one, turning to him then as she brushed her fingers against Vesta's neck. "You want me to read to you?" Her brow rose in question and curiosity. "It probably would not be interesting to you...Though...all sad people like poetry...Happy people like songs..." She smirked and shrugged before climbing up onto her horse. She honestly could not picture Eoin sitting still and listening to her read, especially poetry. Though she was curious as to if he would be able to find meaning in them. She would read to him if he really wanted her to. [d]
[EOIN] Yeah, he was going to die one of these days if he kept this charade up. Not that he was really concerned...but he was laughing lowly at her one-worded reply. Once her things were put away, he moved to Nomad to gather his reins. He took a moment to peer at the animal who had spent much of his life with Eoin, seen much of the dangers he had...and here he was, alive and safe, and perhaps a bit lazy. He grinned at the thought. The beautiful beast certainly deserved retirement...Eoin just idly wondered if that was what was in store for him. Something deep down told him that it wasn't. Hearing Nemeris speak, he shrugged a shoulder. "Try me," he said casually. Maybe he wouldn't much care for it, but he was more interested because she was, because she didn't seem the type. Maybe he wanted to know what drew her in to those fancy words. It was just simple curiosity and he actually wasn't teasing her about it. At least not yet. When she insinuated he might like poetry since he was apparently said, that hooded head swiveled to regard her. "Hey, I like songs!" Not that he could remember the last time he heard any sort of melody. Chuckling to himself, he mounted up into the saddle. [d]
[NEMERIS] Another smirk crossed her lips as Eoin dared her to try him with the poetry. Maybe she would, then. She couldn't remember where or why she had started to read it, but it strangely put her at ease, even slightly. The way the words flowed and sounded, perhaps.
Nemeris glanced to him with a raised brow as he admitted to liking songs, "well, then perhaps there is hope for you." A corner of her lips lifted only slightly before she nodded to him and then urged Vesta forward. [d]
[EOIN] Everyone had their coping mechanisms. He supposed his, right now, was humor. Maybe he used it when he was nervous, too. He really didn't know, but he wasn't about to question it. It seemed to be helping to ease her out of her own dark thoughts as well, so it certainly wasn't a bad thing. Looking over to her again as they began to ride back down the path away from the village, he smirked slightly. "I'm going to assume that you don't...?" Who didn't like music? [d]
[NEMERIS] She liked some music, but not much. It reminded her of that one moment of her life when she had been happy. A moment she would never get back again. She looked over her shoulder at him, her brow lowering in question. "What? That I don't have any hope left, or that I don't like songs?" She just shrugged her shoulders in response. She thought about it though. When was the last time she heard a song she liked? She fell silent again as they continued down the path and back to the White shore where her manor resided. She'd not return her horse to the stables just yet. She never did during the day, in case she needed to travel again. So as they arrived back to her home, she dismounted and removed her things from her saddlebags, slinging them over her shoulder. She carefully removed the saddle and reins and set them down on the top of the fence, before opening the gate to let Vesta roam free in the fenced in yard. [d]
[EOIN] With her question, he paused. He had been talking about music, but...maybe it actually stemmed a little further than that. Mouth fell into a slight frown, but he didn't let too much of the concern seep into his tone. "Well...I suppose both," he answered her honestly. But Eoin didn't pry, didn't expect her to answer. She would if she wanted to; he was aware that it may have been teetering on the edge of those bad memories so he'd keep quiet. Following her lead, he'd dismount and free Nomad of any burdens before the stallion was happily trotting away after Vesta. Now he hesitated, wondering if he should let her go about her day and he'd start on the roof, or if she'd still prefer the company. [d]
[NEMERIS] She looked to Eoin as he released Nomad in with Vesta. When he caught her gaze she quickly questioned him, "are you hungry?" Perhaps answering his question on whether or not she wanted his company. Regardless if she wanted it or not, she had invited him to stay and she wouldn't turn him away. Unless, of course, he became intolerable for whatever reason. Without waiting for his response, she headed inside and went into the kitchen to put her things away. [d]
[EOIN] Well, that certainly was an answer. He had a lot of work to get to, but he supposed it could wait for now. It was still early enough in the day and the clouds weren't as ominous as before. Perhaps it wouldn't rain today. Lingering behind for a moment, he'd eventually follow her back inside the manor, throw the hood back on his cloak before removing that all together. "I would love some brick bread," he answered her in jest, remembering the burnt toast from this morning. But his mockery was far lighter this time. [d]
[NEMERIS] The poetry book was placed on her table and she had already begun to start cooking. Crouching down in front of the stove, she prepared a fire to cook over before standing and she placed a pot on top of the stove. Grey-blue eyes narrowed at Eoin as he made that comment about her brick bread, and she laughed. "You won't let me live that down, will you?" She raised a brow in mockful warning before she pulled a knife out of a drawer and pointed it at him. "You're not scared by me, yet?" She turned her gaze from him, lowering that knife as she started to chop up carrots. [d]
[EOIN] "Eventually I'll leave you alone about it," he promised...but how long that would take was left up in the air. She had been so flustered about it, so, naturally had to make it worse. Now, of course, he was curious about what she was preparing. "The eggs weren't bad." He added that with a soft grin, actually meaning it. Eoin was sure she wasn't a terrible cook, but if he didn't tease, he didn't care. When she pulled the knife out, however, he paused instantly and held his arms up as if to surrender, but the humor just couldn't seem to leave his eyes. "If you actually knew how to use that-" he pointed to the blade. "Then perhaps. But I think I'm safe...unless you use this voodoo you keep mentioning. Then..." He trailed off as if really contemplating the possibility of that. [d]
[NEMERIS] He caused the smirk on her face to remain for quite a while as he continued to poke fun and make jabs at her. "I know how to use a knife." She continued chopping up the carrots. "At least on food." A small laugh sounded from her throat, until Eoin mentioned this voodoo thing that he kept mentioning. Nemeris had vaguely, maybe once brought it up. An eyebrow rose and she stopped chopping to look at him. "You're using the wrong term, you know? I don't do voodoo..." She raised a brow before she went back to chopping more food. "Besides, I already have used it on you..." She quietly admitted, wondering what he would say or do if he knew what she had done. [d]
[EOIN] He almost snorted with laughter but held back. "Oh yes, those carrots are definitely terrified." Instead of sitting, he idly wandered around the kitchen, just letting his eyes roam. It was true, he kept mentioning the magic more than she did, but still. Her words brought his attention back to her, one of his brows arched. "Oh?" Before he could ask exactly what she did, she was saying something else, albeit quietly. It actually gave him pause, and he turned to face her. He didn't know whether to be concerned or not. "What are you talking about?" [d]
[NEMERIS] He was really testing her, wasn't he? With all those jokes and jabs, what did he think he was doing? If he was trying to make her laugh and smile, even a little, he was succeeding. Somehow. "The carrots are horrified," she joked back, shaking her head. But then he was curious to what she had already used on him. Her grey-green eyes lifted to look at him again. "Well... How did you sleep last night?" A brow rose in question. She didn't think she would tell him that she transferred that negative energy, his memories and thoughts and nightmares to herself to spare him from another bad night of sleep. [d]
[EOIN] The humor was slowly dissipating because he still wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. He knew she didn't wave a magic wand around or stir a bubbling cauldron (at least, he didn't think she did), but he was aware she was able to do certain things that others couldn't. And he had felt extremely tired almost out of nowhere last night. He leaned against the table as his gray eyes still watched her carefully. "Fairly well," he said quietly. "Why, Nem?" [d]
[NEMERIS] Happy to hear that he had slept well, she grinned slightly, her expression that of a proud one for a brief moment. She took the pile of carrots she had just chopped and threw them into a pot before she started cutting up some of the celery and other vegetables she had bought earlier. Finally, she looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I did something..." And she waved her fingers again (magic) "..to make you fall asleep and sleep soundly and uninterrupted and to keep your nightmares at bay. It must have worn off this morning, though..." She blinked her eyelids innocently at him. "Nothing too horrible, you're alive still..." [d]
[EOIN] Why did he get a bad feeling all of a sudden? Like, maybe she wasn't fully telling him everything. Eoin continued to watch her carefully as she continued to cut vegetables. This time, that little wave of fingers didn't make him laugh or even smile, because a part of him was worried and he didn't understand it. He remembered how quickly he had gotten tired, how his whole body had just eased, even his thoughts that plagued him had seemed to calm and disappear. Still, maybe he shouldn't press too much, because maybe it wasn't anything. "Alright," he relented. "The tea, huh?" What else could it have been? [d]
[NEMERIS] She glanced back at him when he asked about the tea and she smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "That was a small part of it. That part only helped relax you enough to want to sleep and to help you get there." She let her eyes study for him, as if trying to read his expression. "Do you really want to know? I will show you, if you promise not to overreact or freak out..." She placed the knife down and walked over to him, extending her hand and motioning him to give her his. "Think of something that gives you a very strong emotion..." [d]
[EOIN] Maybe he shouldn't have asked. Maybe he should have just stopped asking about it because he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. She was being vague...and that was never a good thing in his experience. Not while she had been open and honest about everything else thus far. As she made her way over, he remained there leaning against the table, unsure. 'If you promise not to overreact or freak out...' What if he already was? Eyes dropped to her outstretched hand, hesitating for a moment before he took it within his own. She said to think of a strong emotion...and the strongest one he could feel now was the memory of the pain he had endured, the biting of the whip against his back...[d]
[NEMERIS] She took a deep breath, hoping she could truly trust him now, as he'd be about to witness something that could pass her off as a witch and she may be put to death for. She squeezed his hand, intertwining her fingers in with his and she closed her eyes, whispering something that made no sense and was nearly inaudible. If it worked on him, those thoughts would quickly dissipate in his mind and he would feel calm and at peace. Nemeris on the other hand, was struggling to stay upright. She screamed out in pain as if she had just been whipped on her back, and she fell against him, grasping to his chest as if needing him to help hold her up. Her body was trembling ands he was suddenly crying out in pain. [d]
[EOIN] He knew he wasn't going to like it. As the memory of that pain began to cause slight tears to well up in his eyes...it was all suddenly gone after she whispered those barely understood words, sending a chill down his spine. He tried watching her face, but his gaze was dropping to their entwined hands. Before he could comprehend what happened, or how it happened, all that fear, pain, and tension gone, she was crying out and falling against him. Arms were instantly there to keep her upright, confusion and fear on his face. "Nemeris?" he said her name quickly, feeling her tremble. "What...what did you..." He didn't bother to finish that sentence because it suddenly became clear. She somehow drew all of it into herself. It wasn't so much the fact that she did it or could do it...but that she had taken that horrible burden onto herself. "No. Nem, no..." Hands sought for her face so that she would look at him, see how terrified he was. "Don't do that again. Please don't do that again." Eoin could understand her desire to help...but he did not want her suffering what he had. [d]
[NEMERIS] Her fingers clung to him tightly as she trembled and cried into his arms. Her back was stinging so badly and she couldn't stand straight. He was pleading with her not to do this again, but she already had felt everything, knew and saw what he had seen. It was ingrained in her mind and she could not simply erase it from her memory now. When he had let go of her hand, the feelings stopped, as if the punishment was over, but still left Nemeris reeling in the pain and sorrow. She tried catching her breath and steady herself, but her back was hurting. Finally, she was able to steady herself a bit, but she did not let go of him, for fear of falling. "You... could not think of something...a little less...brutal?" She nearly laughed, but winced in pain and rested her forehead against his shoulder. A whisper escaped her lips. "I'm so sorry you had to endure all of that..." [d]
[EOIN] Everything she felt, everything she was doing looked all too familiar. In truth, it was terrifying to see her that way; his mind reeling and trying to figure out how it could at all be possible. It was that hidden skill...that magic. And he didn't like it. If he had known, he wouldn't have allowed it to happen. Eoin wouldn't be joking about it anymore, even when she made a slight attempt to in her ebbing agony. There had been so much more he could have thought about in that moment...and he was thankful that he hadn't. The ranger stood there, almost traumatized with her leaning against him lest she fall. One of his hands traveled along her back as if expecting those marks to somehow be there. But no, they still adorned his skin and were never going away. "Please...don't ever do that again..." he whispered again, feeling the guilt on his shoulders. Eoin had lived through that, and no one else should have to. "You don't need to know, or feel, any of that..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She winced as he touched her back, as if those marks were there on her. Luckily, they were not, but the sensation still lingered. He didn't seem to fully understand, but she wouldn't explain it because it was too complicated to. Even standing near someone, brushing against them by accident, sometimes triggered it, depending on the intensity of the situation. The whispered words she had said when touching him was to force it to happen, and that was her controlling it.
She slowly released her grip on him and stood straighter, straightening the front of her skirt from any wrinkles. "But I do now," she replied simply before taking a step back from him, her hands lifting to wipe her face from the tears that had fallen. Slowly, she moved away and back over to the vegetables she had been chopping, and she silently went back to her task as if nothing had just happened. [d]
[EOIN] All he could do was stand there in his stunned silence now, his hands hovering over her, almost as if he was afraid to touch her but not wanting to simply leave her to these horrors he had endured for a year. Truthfully, he didn't even know how he was standing there now. It hadn't all been that way...there had been days of nothing, of endless darkness and the sounds of constant, dripping water that nearly made him mad. There had been the few days of reprieve after he had escaped Saelis and made it back to Aralore, but those were days of fitful sleep, of recovery, of worry. But now he was remembering it all over again, the guilt just weighing him down further as she, too, understood it. Felt it as though she were there right along with him. Eoin let her go back to cooking, like none of this had just happened, and all he could do was stare at her with pained and confused steel-blue eyes. He wanted to do something, but didn't know what. He wanted to say something, but no words came to him. Feeling helpless all of a sudden, all he could do was turn away from her and leave the kitchen, leave the manor all together to head back to that discarded axe where he would spend the next hour chopping as much would as his aching muscles could bear. [d]
[NEMERIS] She couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she continued to prepare the vegetables, not because she was angry or upset with him, but more so because she worried about him being angry with her, or scared of her for what she had just showed him. As he left her, her eyes watched as he left and she frowned slightly, feeling guilty for perhaps prying without his permission. Though she could not always control that, she had already been able to feel the pain that radiated off of him, without even having to touch him. She didn't know if he had completely left her or if he would be back, but it was just as well. This was why she was lonely. She quietly just continued to prepare a stew with the vegetables and meat she had bought at the market.
[EOIN] Following her back to the horses, his gaze drifted back to her when she joked. It actually made him do a double-take, looking behind them and in the direction of the book seller...as if expecting to see some witchy-looking kind of woman all of a sudden. But it took him a long moment to realize she was joking with him, eventually giving him the real answer. And that was enough to make him chuckle a bit. "Poetry? Eoin had subconsciously slowed down when he had looked back, so he was taking quick steps to catch up with her...only for her to make that threat. That look managed to give him pause for the briefest second before he was moving to follow once more. "Right...kill me with your-" He wiggled his fingers in indication. Eoin actually snickered. If he wasn't careful, she might just do that one of these days! "You should read some." The way he spoke, it seemed like he was saying "out loud". Maybe he was. When they arrived back to the horses, he'd help empty her newly bought belongings into the saddle bags. [d]
[NEMERIS] It did seem odd that a woman like her enjoyed such a thing. But she enjoyed trying to interpret the meanings behind the words that were strung together, sometimes making no sense, and other times, strikingly making her feel she was not alone in this world, and that there were others (somewhere out there) who understood her and wrote about it. She liked the mystery of it all.
She grinned as Eoin insinuated that she would use her magic to kill him and she nodded. "Precisely..."
She untied her horse as Eoin was placing her items in the saddle bags, to which she placed her book into one, turning to him then as she brushed her fingers against Vesta's neck. "You want me to read to you?" Her brow rose in question and curiosity. "It probably would not be interesting to you...Though...all sad people like poetry...Happy people like songs..." She smirked and shrugged before climbing up onto her horse. She honestly could not picture Eoin sitting still and listening to her read, especially poetry. Though she was curious as to if he would be able to find meaning in them. She would read to him if he really wanted her to. [d]
[EOIN] Yeah, he was going to die one of these days if he kept this charade up. Not that he was really concerned...but he was laughing lowly at her one-worded reply. Once her things were put away, he moved to Nomad to gather his reins. He took a moment to peer at the animal who had spent much of his life with Eoin, seen much of the dangers he had...and here he was, alive and safe, and perhaps a bit lazy. He grinned at the thought. The beautiful beast certainly deserved retirement...Eoin just idly wondered if that was what was in store for him. Something deep down told him that it wasn't. Hearing Nemeris speak, he shrugged a shoulder. "Try me," he said casually. Maybe he wouldn't much care for it, but he was more interested because she was, because she didn't seem the type. Maybe he wanted to know what drew her in to those fancy words. It was just simple curiosity and he actually wasn't teasing her about it. At least not yet. When she insinuated he might like poetry since he was apparently said, that hooded head swiveled to regard her. "Hey, I like songs!" Not that he could remember the last time he heard any sort of melody. Chuckling to himself, he mounted up into the saddle. [d]
[NEMERIS] Another smirk crossed her lips as Eoin dared her to try him with the poetry. Maybe she would, then. She couldn't remember where or why she had started to read it, but it strangely put her at ease, even slightly. The way the words flowed and sounded, perhaps.
Nemeris glanced to him with a raised brow as he admitted to liking songs, "well, then perhaps there is hope for you." A corner of her lips lifted only slightly before she nodded to him and then urged Vesta forward. [d]
[EOIN] Everyone had their coping mechanisms. He supposed his, right now, was humor. Maybe he used it when he was nervous, too. He really didn't know, but he wasn't about to question it. It seemed to be helping to ease her out of her own dark thoughts as well, so it certainly wasn't a bad thing. Looking over to her again as they began to ride back down the path away from the village, he smirked slightly. "I'm going to assume that you don't...?" Who didn't like music? [d]
[NEMERIS] She liked some music, but not much. It reminded her of that one moment of her life when she had been happy. A moment she would never get back again. She looked over her shoulder at him, her brow lowering in question. "What? That I don't have any hope left, or that I don't like songs?" She just shrugged her shoulders in response. She thought about it though. When was the last time she heard a song she liked? She fell silent again as they continued down the path and back to the White shore where her manor resided. She'd not return her horse to the stables just yet. She never did during the day, in case she needed to travel again. So as they arrived back to her home, she dismounted and removed her things from her saddlebags, slinging them over her shoulder. She carefully removed the saddle and reins and set them down on the top of the fence, before opening the gate to let Vesta roam free in the fenced in yard. [d]
[EOIN] With her question, he paused. He had been talking about music, but...maybe it actually stemmed a little further than that. Mouth fell into a slight frown, but he didn't let too much of the concern seep into his tone. "Well...I suppose both," he answered her honestly. But Eoin didn't pry, didn't expect her to answer. She would if she wanted to; he was aware that it may have been teetering on the edge of those bad memories so he'd keep quiet. Following her lead, he'd dismount and free Nomad of any burdens before the stallion was happily trotting away after Vesta. Now he hesitated, wondering if he should let her go about her day and he'd start on the roof, or if she'd still prefer the company. [d]
[NEMERIS] She looked to Eoin as he released Nomad in with Vesta. When he caught her gaze she quickly questioned him, "are you hungry?" Perhaps answering his question on whether or not she wanted his company. Regardless if she wanted it or not, she had invited him to stay and she wouldn't turn him away. Unless, of course, he became intolerable for whatever reason. Without waiting for his response, she headed inside and went into the kitchen to put her things away. [d]
[EOIN] Well, that certainly was an answer. He had a lot of work to get to, but he supposed it could wait for now. It was still early enough in the day and the clouds weren't as ominous as before. Perhaps it wouldn't rain today. Lingering behind for a moment, he'd eventually follow her back inside the manor, throw the hood back on his cloak before removing that all together. "I would love some brick bread," he answered her in jest, remembering the burnt toast from this morning. But his mockery was far lighter this time. [d]
[NEMERIS] The poetry book was placed on her table and she had already begun to start cooking. Crouching down in front of the stove, she prepared a fire to cook over before standing and she placed a pot on top of the stove. Grey-blue eyes narrowed at Eoin as he made that comment about her brick bread, and she laughed. "You won't let me live that down, will you?" She raised a brow in mockful warning before she pulled a knife out of a drawer and pointed it at him. "You're not scared by me, yet?" She turned her gaze from him, lowering that knife as she started to chop up carrots. [d]
[EOIN] "Eventually I'll leave you alone about it," he promised...but how long that would take was left up in the air. She had been so flustered about it, so, naturally had to make it worse. Now, of course, he was curious about what she was preparing. "The eggs weren't bad." He added that with a soft grin, actually meaning it. Eoin was sure she wasn't a terrible cook, but if he didn't tease, he didn't care. When she pulled the knife out, however, he paused instantly and held his arms up as if to surrender, but the humor just couldn't seem to leave his eyes. "If you actually knew how to use that-" he pointed to the blade. "Then perhaps. But I think I'm safe...unless you use this voodoo you keep mentioning. Then..." He trailed off as if really contemplating the possibility of that. [d]
[NEMERIS] He caused the smirk on her face to remain for quite a while as he continued to poke fun and make jabs at her. "I know how to use a knife." She continued chopping up the carrots. "At least on food." A small laugh sounded from her throat, until Eoin mentioned this voodoo thing that he kept mentioning. Nemeris had vaguely, maybe once brought it up. An eyebrow rose and she stopped chopping to look at him. "You're using the wrong term, you know? I don't do voodoo..." She raised a brow before she went back to chopping more food. "Besides, I already have used it on you..." She quietly admitted, wondering what he would say or do if he knew what she had done. [d]
[EOIN] He almost snorted with laughter but held back. "Oh yes, those carrots are definitely terrified." Instead of sitting, he idly wandered around the kitchen, just letting his eyes roam. It was true, he kept mentioning the magic more than she did, but still. Her words brought his attention back to her, one of his brows arched. "Oh?" Before he could ask exactly what she did, she was saying something else, albeit quietly. It actually gave him pause, and he turned to face her. He didn't know whether to be concerned or not. "What are you talking about?" [d]
[NEMERIS] He was really testing her, wasn't he? With all those jokes and jabs, what did he think he was doing? If he was trying to make her laugh and smile, even a little, he was succeeding. Somehow. "The carrots are horrified," she joked back, shaking her head. But then he was curious to what she had already used on him. Her grey-green eyes lifted to look at him again. "Well... How did you sleep last night?" A brow rose in question. She didn't think she would tell him that she transferred that negative energy, his memories and thoughts and nightmares to herself to spare him from another bad night of sleep. [d]
[EOIN] The humor was slowly dissipating because he still wasn't sure if he should be worried or not. He knew she didn't wave a magic wand around or stir a bubbling cauldron (at least, he didn't think she did), but he was aware she was able to do certain things that others couldn't. And he had felt extremely tired almost out of nowhere last night. He leaned against the table as his gray eyes still watched her carefully. "Fairly well," he said quietly. "Why, Nem?" [d]
[NEMERIS] Happy to hear that he had slept well, she grinned slightly, her expression that of a proud one for a brief moment. She took the pile of carrots she had just chopped and threw them into a pot before she started cutting up some of the celery and other vegetables she had bought earlier. Finally, she looked at him and shrugged her shoulders. "I did something..." And she waved her fingers again (magic) "..to make you fall asleep and sleep soundly and uninterrupted and to keep your nightmares at bay. It must have worn off this morning, though..." She blinked her eyelids innocently at him. "Nothing too horrible, you're alive still..." [d]
[EOIN] Why did he get a bad feeling all of a sudden? Like, maybe she wasn't fully telling him everything. Eoin continued to watch her carefully as she continued to cut vegetables. This time, that little wave of fingers didn't make him laugh or even smile, because a part of him was worried and he didn't understand it. He remembered how quickly he had gotten tired, how his whole body had just eased, even his thoughts that plagued him had seemed to calm and disappear. Still, maybe he shouldn't press too much, because maybe it wasn't anything. "Alright," he relented. "The tea, huh?" What else could it have been? [d]
[NEMERIS] She glanced back at him when he asked about the tea and she smirked, shrugging her shoulders. "That was a small part of it. That part only helped relax you enough to want to sleep and to help you get there." She let her eyes study for him, as if trying to read his expression. "Do you really want to know? I will show you, if you promise not to overreact or freak out..." She placed the knife down and walked over to him, extending her hand and motioning him to give her his. "Think of something that gives you a very strong emotion..." [d]
[EOIN] Maybe he shouldn't have asked. Maybe he should have just stopped asking about it because he had a feeling he wasn't going to like it. She was being vague...and that was never a good thing in his experience. Not while she had been open and honest about everything else thus far. As she made her way over, he remained there leaning against the table, unsure. 'If you promise not to overreact or freak out...' What if he already was? Eyes dropped to her outstretched hand, hesitating for a moment before he took it within his own. She said to think of a strong emotion...and the strongest one he could feel now was the memory of the pain he had endured, the biting of the whip against his back...[d]
[NEMERIS] She took a deep breath, hoping she could truly trust him now, as he'd be about to witness something that could pass her off as a witch and she may be put to death for. She squeezed his hand, intertwining her fingers in with his and she closed her eyes, whispering something that made no sense and was nearly inaudible. If it worked on him, those thoughts would quickly dissipate in his mind and he would feel calm and at peace. Nemeris on the other hand, was struggling to stay upright. She screamed out in pain as if she had just been whipped on her back, and she fell against him, grasping to his chest as if needing him to help hold her up. Her body was trembling ands he was suddenly crying out in pain. [d]
[EOIN] He knew he wasn't going to like it. As the memory of that pain began to cause slight tears to well up in his eyes...it was all suddenly gone after she whispered those barely understood words, sending a chill down his spine. He tried watching her face, but his gaze was dropping to their entwined hands. Before he could comprehend what happened, or how it happened, all that fear, pain, and tension gone, she was crying out and falling against him. Arms were instantly there to keep her upright, confusion and fear on his face. "Nemeris?" he said her name quickly, feeling her tremble. "What...what did you..." He didn't bother to finish that sentence because it suddenly became clear. She somehow drew all of it into herself. It wasn't so much the fact that she did it or could do it...but that she had taken that horrible burden onto herself. "No. Nem, no..." Hands sought for her face so that she would look at him, see how terrified he was. "Don't do that again. Please don't do that again." Eoin could understand her desire to help...but he did not want her suffering what he had. [d]
[NEMERIS] Her fingers clung to him tightly as she trembled and cried into his arms. Her back was stinging so badly and she couldn't stand straight. He was pleading with her not to do this again, but she already had felt everything, knew and saw what he had seen. It was ingrained in her mind and she could not simply erase it from her memory now. When he had let go of her hand, the feelings stopped, as if the punishment was over, but still left Nemeris reeling in the pain and sorrow. She tried catching her breath and steady herself, but her back was hurting. Finally, she was able to steady herself a bit, but she did not let go of him, for fear of falling. "You... could not think of something...a little less...brutal?" She nearly laughed, but winced in pain and rested her forehead against his shoulder. A whisper escaped her lips. "I'm so sorry you had to endure all of that..." [d]
[EOIN] Everything she felt, everything she was doing looked all too familiar. In truth, it was terrifying to see her that way; his mind reeling and trying to figure out how it could at all be possible. It was that hidden skill...that magic. And he didn't like it. If he had known, he wouldn't have allowed it to happen. Eoin wouldn't be joking about it anymore, even when she made a slight attempt to in her ebbing agony. There had been so much more he could have thought about in that moment...and he was thankful that he hadn't. The ranger stood there, almost traumatized with her leaning against him lest she fall. One of his hands traveled along her back as if expecting those marks to somehow be there. But no, they still adorned his skin and were never going away. "Please...don't ever do that again..." he whispered again, feeling the guilt on his shoulders. Eoin had lived through that, and no one else should have to. "You don't need to know, or feel, any of that..." [d]
[NEMERIS] She winced as he touched her back, as if those marks were there on her. Luckily, they were not, but the sensation still lingered. He didn't seem to fully understand, but she wouldn't explain it because it was too complicated to. Even standing near someone, brushing against them by accident, sometimes triggered it, depending on the intensity of the situation. The whispered words she had said when touching him was to force it to happen, and that was her controlling it.
She slowly released her grip on him and stood straighter, straightening the front of her skirt from any wrinkles. "But I do now," she replied simply before taking a step back from him, her hands lifting to wipe her face from the tears that had fallen. Slowly, she moved away and back over to the vegetables she had been chopping, and she silently went back to her task as if nothing had just happened. [d]
[EOIN] All he could do was stand there in his stunned silence now, his hands hovering over her, almost as if he was afraid to touch her but not wanting to simply leave her to these horrors he had endured for a year. Truthfully, he didn't even know how he was standing there now. It hadn't all been that way...there had been days of nothing, of endless darkness and the sounds of constant, dripping water that nearly made him mad. There had been the few days of reprieve after he had escaped Saelis and made it back to Aralore, but those were days of fitful sleep, of recovery, of worry. But now he was remembering it all over again, the guilt just weighing him down further as she, too, understood it. Felt it as though she were there right along with him. Eoin let her go back to cooking, like none of this had just happened, and all he could do was stare at her with pained and confused steel-blue eyes. He wanted to do something, but didn't know what. He wanted to say something, but no words came to him. Feeling helpless all of a sudden, all he could do was turn away from her and leave the kitchen, leave the manor all together to head back to that discarded axe where he would spend the next hour chopping as much would as his aching muscles could bear. [d]
[NEMERIS] She couldn't bring herself to look back at him as she continued to prepare the vegetables, not because she was angry or upset with him, but more so because she worried about him being angry with her, or scared of her for what she had just showed him. As he left her, her eyes watched as he left and she frowned slightly, feeling guilty for perhaps prying without his permission. Though she could not always control that, she had already been able to feel the pain that radiated off of him, without even having to touch him. She didn't know if he had completely left her or if he would be back, but it was just as well. This was why she was lonely. She quietly just continued to prepare a stew with the vegetables and meat she had bought at the market.
