When Theo had taken the job, she hadn't expected everything to go fucking tits up the moment they had gotten to the ruins. The mage, of course it was always the fucking mage, was there on his own agenda, and the sudden influx of spiders came flooding up from the underground portion of the tomb was more a shock than the Stone beside her melting under what had probably been a spell. Always the fucking mages, couldn't be trusted.
And Theo said as much as she shrugged her shoulders, the battleaxe that had been strapped to her back falling into an open hand, as she twisted the four foot haft over into a good grip, thankful for the spikes she had put in the palms of her leather gloves. That way if the muck and blood she was about to wade through got her hands wet, she wouldn't drop the weapon that gave her the most reach. She needed that reach if she was going to make the mage.
He had to be the one controlling the spiders, and well, they'd probably run back underground once the mage wasn't calling them up. Fucker. She ducked under a sword that clanged on the stone that was at her back, raising an eyebrow high, as she slammed the haft of her axe upwards, catching the other warrior under the chin, and using her weight to bring him down to the ground, using the pick edge of the axe to swing hard, and rip his pretty little head off.
One down. And it looked like the others were on the mage's side too. So, this had to be for her stuff then. Oh she liked people messing with her stuff even less than she liked mages. Twisting her hands on the axe shaft, digging the spikes into the wood there, she screamed. And jumped up on one of the waist high stones to avoid another wave of shin high spiders. She fucking hated spiders, it was a nightmare. A literal nightmare. Except she was living it, and her skin was crawling. As reason left her, and she let the stirring of battle take her over, she stomped a booted foot down on a spider, and then flung the head at the mage. Throwing a companions head at someone usually was enough to make someone at least re-evaluate their life choices. And apparently one of the thugs had half a brain and went running.
Alright then, two left.
She charged the other fighter, using her smaller and stockier stature to put her axe into his middle, but not before his blade went through her side, and out her back. If she lost the kidney, she lost the kidney, part of life, and part of running out after treasure with a rag tag pick up group of adventurers, couldn't trust anyone now days. She grabbed the blade, to keep him from sinking it up to the hilt through her, and screamed in his face, using the axe to push him back enough to un-impale herself, and toss him at the only opening into the area of circled stones, making sure that the force behind the throw was more than enough to send him tumbling out of the circle.
"[color=#ff851b]Fuck off, motherfucker! Your turn, spell chucker![/color]" Theo turned and got ready to charge at the mage, even as she felt the heat of fire along her cheek and the smell of burnt hair made her gag a little, not feeling the pain of the burn that bubbled from her check, back along her ear, that would sting like a fucker later when the rage she felt wore off. Yeah, definitely a fucking mage. This would teach her to go looking for trouble with just any group of assholes. As long as warrior behind her stayed down with that gut wound, she'd keep fighting through her own pain against the mage. She had too. She wouldn't live through it if she didn't get him first.
Ruth’s group had taken a separate entrance, winding their way around side passages and fissures in the rock face that had cut through into parallel corridors. It paid off being a short ass in these conditions, the ability to wiggle through the smallest space proved time and time again why Riftan and the rest put up with him. Well, that and his incredible healing skills, honestly, where would have of them be without his magic?
It had also been an advantage that the ruins were elvhen in origin and he, had somewhat of a knack for figuring out their little puzzles and secret codes. The prize was that Ruth’s group got to the goods further inside much sooner than Theodora’s who’d taken the predictable front door entrance as opposed to the secret one Ruth had found. The prize won and while his companions raided the obvious trinkets, the elf took a wander around, his path heading to the front end of the complex disarming the traps as he went.
He’d pause at some of the murals and displayed items, the sculptures, the various inscriptions all while he munched an apple he’d hidden away in the layers of his robes.
He’d been walking down the main stairs to the doorway when the commotion started, though it was the familiar voice snarling between the various blasts and brawling. Well. If it wasn’t wee Dora Dotti, the elf chuckled, the cause to intervene more than enough now. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on beyond the stone door, but from her battle cry screaming it wasn’t going to be pretty. Just pretty messy. Hands quickly worked the combination in releasing the door, the two large slabs parting open with resounding groans before springing suddenly open.
Smoke billowed into where he was and sticking his head around the side, Ruth peered through the gloom noting the pair of shoes slipping off the base of one door, only to be followed by a stream of now pooling blood. “Oops,” lips pulled back in a grimace, before shifting his gaze around the easing smog. “I hope that wasn’t someone on our side?”
However, the minute his eyes caught sight of the dwarf Ruth tossed the apple and darted through, his steps quick, light, soon at her side and planting a hand on her back. “Heeeere you go wee Dotti. Up you get,” his magic coming as a cool, soothing balm to her immediate ails. “Bit of regen and you can finish off the rest.” His free hand made a wide sweeping motion, a bubble of energy erecting around them from the ground up, enough to repel attacks and rebuff a couple of turns. Adjusting her in his hold, Ruth’s hand shifted down to her injured side, magic beginning to knit flesh and organ slowly back, repairing blood vessels to prevent her bleeding all over him. Eyes closed a moment in concentration, one returning to peak open, eyeing her after a moment. “Don’t ever say Ruthie ain’t good to you now. You owe me. You owe me an apple.”
Those feet, that fell, did not, in fact, belong to "[color=#ff851b]their[/color]" side. They had belonged to the warrior that had tried to gut Theo, and as she heard the voice, she groaned as she ducked another fireball, barely getting a foot closer to the Bad Mage. "[color=#ff851b]Oh, you're the worst, Ruth Fucking Yoesif.[/color]" But she was thankful she had at least someone that would be on her side, and that much was immediately evident as the other elf came up behind her. "[color=#ff851b]Oi, hands! I know where you put those![/color]"
Usually on the same woman Theo did, but another time. She didn't mind the hands when they were weaving flesh back together, and staving off the next fireball to a barrier that had been erected to give her the moment to breathe. She grunted at him for the assist, a bit of the rational coming back to her, even as she eyed the field. Spiders to the left of them, Coward Mage to the right, and at least five feet she'd need to get closer before she could get in axe range.
While he continued getting her back into one piece, something she knew she'd never hear the end of back in the comforts of the Back Water on the way to Kirkwall, she looked the battle field over. Tight combat, and if this mage was after her machinery, she was going to assume Ruth was there for the treasure, so she could rule getting that out -- money out of pocket, but she'd keep her life. Money could always be remade when it came right down to it, life wasn't so east to get back. "[color=#ff851b]I'll shove that apple up your arse, Ruth.[/color]"
She moved as the next fireball she felt the singe of again, too close for comfort, and she had specifically stepped to where she'd take the brunt of it, if the barrier fell. Couldn't have him hurt putting her back together, but he could always put her back together after the face. It irked her that it was him, of course. They shared the same whore too often for her liking, and the teasing was non-stop. "[color=#ff851b]I think he's after you now too[/color]."
The Bad Mage had drawn up, and was concentrating now. "[color=#ff851b]Ain't nothing good ever come from one of you spell chuckers concentrating too long.[/color]" She pulled a handle from her thigh, the hand crossbow unfurling as she took aim and fired through the barrier at the bastard, couldn't have him focus too long on that spell, six cross bow bolts firing off in rapid succession with the twang of the steel chain, her stance widening some as she switched Vera, the battle axe, to her other hand, and got ready to pull her cross bow from her other thigh, not even bothering to see how many of the bolts connected, because she knew her aim to be true, and all six would be from throat to heart.
"[color=#ff851b]Keep down, don't want your pretty hair burnt off[/color]."
Ruth flashed her a wide grin, “Most definitely, but I am far more gorgeous.” Never one to miss a beat, the elf got to work. “Let’s not bring up wee Wilhelmina when we’re knee-deep in whatever mess you’ve gotten us into.” Yes he’d blame her for him being there to save her hind. And as that intrusive thought ran across his mind, Ruth allowed himself a quick appreciation of said rear, brow arching momentarily before returning his complete focus on her wounds.
The regenerative energy doubled the dwarf’s healing time, while his other moved to her side, tutting to himself in the meantime. As hardy and thick skinned the stout folk were, it was usually their stubbornness in seeking treatment that killed them. “Gonna need a closer look later, but try not to ruin my good work for the next five minutes.”
The barrier would hold long enough for him to wrap up the immediate concerns, there would be time later to properly assess and treat her, when there wasn’t a arrogant son of a bitch reigning fire down on them and fucking creepy crawlies as big as gods baring their fangs at them. He ducked out of the way of the fireball. Was the fool trying to take down the ceiling? Lifting his head, Ruth laughed, “Don’t threaten me with a good time Dora, what would Willie say?” he’d quip back, eyeing the scuttling eight-legged beasties with revulsion, “Fuck off, if I get covered in spider guts you’re the one paying the next tavern bill. Or we can share a bath, either’s appealing, honestly.”
He wasn’t the combative sort with his magic, erring on defensive schools instead, yet in his time wandering on his own it proved to have one or two. His fingers began weaving balls of swirling frost into his palms as Dora readied her crossbow and firing off a few shots. She really had it in for this fucker and Ruth happily let her take care of the fool who'd decided to try and kill her. Foolish bastard. He’d turn towards the swarm of spiders making their way towards the pair, and splaying his palms forward, cast a ray of ice to encase and subdue as many caught up in its area.
She wasn't really going to fuss about with him and his flirting, the man had a tendency to hit on anything that could give consent, so she wasn't reading anything into it -- and if she ever thought he would give a damn about her, she was far too much into the camp of hating his guts for that... bravado of his. Who did he think he was, fussing at her for getting run through? So she answered him with a grunt as she fired off the other hand crossbow, six more shots, and a curse, so she knew one had finally found it's mark. Now if it would kill the bastard, she had no clue, she wasn't able to get close enough to make sure of it at the moment.
"[color=#ff851b]Any excuse to get my clothes off, huh? What is it, a fetish for you? Collect them all, elf, human, trying to add dwarf to the mix?[/color]" She checked the heal, thumping a fist into her side, and nodding to herself. It would hold her together for the next few minutes, more than enough to get her to the fucker and make sure he was dead. And it looked like Ruth had the spiders under control, for the moment. He could try and talk her out of her clothes again later, but she wasn't going to let a small thing like nearly losing a kidney slow her down. "[color=#ff851b]Besides, I've heard about what you do to people in the baths.[/color]"
And when the shield finally fell, she launched at the other mage, the yell coming from her having started in the very depth of her, the echo enough to make someone swear a demon might have come up with it, but no, it was only her letting the stirrings of a fight take back over, knowing she had to ignore everything else around her to end this, and end it now. So as soon as she no longer felt the edge of reason to any of her thoughts, she was head long into battle, her axe flipped in her grip so that she could swing the pick into Bad Mage's chin. But the fucker was too quick, and had already been on the move to escape when he realized that the mechanic had back up now in the form of a healer.
That didn't stop Theo from trying though. As soon as she felt her axe go through nothing but air, she spun, trying to catch the fleeing human with the blade -- her focus on one thing, and one thing only -- killing the fucker. Nothing else mattered to her. She had been drawn into an ambush, specifically for her gear, that much she knew for sure now, and so the moment they had turned on her, was the moment she gave zero fucks about what happened to them.
She paused a moment, in her chase, to bring the axe down into a decapitating blow on the prone warrior that she'd tumbled earlier, so that he would not be getting back up, before she went back to the chase, realizing that the mage had almost gotten out of the circular complex into open ground where it would be much harder for her to catch him, all the shorter her legs were. She'd never be able to catch up if he got running, full tilt.
[color=#ff851b]"He's getting away Ruth!"[/color]
There was a desperation in her voice, as she yelled, the tone pitched higher that normal, because if she couldn't kill this mage, that always meant he could go and regroup, heal up, and take another shot at her later, and she was having none of that.
She wasn’t part of his crew, but the two had worked alongside each other a few times by now. Ruth considered her a professional colleague, though even he would have a hard time believing… if the roles had been reversed, would she have helped? Maybe. Maybe not. For all his reputation for being a bastard, it wasn’t completely true, hence his help in this instance and if anything like kids were involved. The mini-people hadn’t a clue the shit adults had to deal with.
Ruth let out a laugh, “Who says I haven’t had dwarf? I’m game for a good rough and tumble, you tell me when and I’ll drop to my knees, Dora.”Save her that stretch, but he dropped that line watching her thump at her barely managed injury. His face turned dark, teeth clenched and he snapped, “Stop hitting it! Fucks sake! I said it was a temporary thing!” Turning his attention to the scuttling beasties, he’d grumble, words unintelligible or possibly dalish, but he was clearly annoyed, the temperature dropping far colder on his side of the fight, regardless of the spell.
A blanket of frost laid out ahead of him, snagging legs and bellies and freezing them in place. The few who’d avoided the spell fled back into the shadows as his boot kicked the leg of one, limb snapping, echoing around. “Fuckin’ creepy crawly fuckers.”Ugh, he hated them, passionately. Even as a shiver ran down his spine he’d grin, “Of course you have, I’m not exactly shy about giving folks a good time. Can’t help it if they want to vocalise how mind bending my company is.”
Knowing she was in hot pursuit of the mage, Ruth cleared the path of frozen caucasus since there was nothing worse than these skulking predators coming back to take a bite out of them later. Frozen guts were always better than, well, not frozen, he liked these boots too much and if she got them ruined he’d be pissed.
Then she was yelling his name. Ugh. Now what? He looked up, first to her, then the mage who was quickly making a break for it. Oh fuck no he didn’t. With a grunt, Ruth darted to the wall of the cavern, grabbing a large root breaking through the stonework and grasping it tightly. His eyes closed, consciousness melding with magic to tap into the plants nervous system, just like Megara had taught him, though this was one of the few times he’d attempted to use it.
The bond with nature was fickle, she twisted and weaved through all life and in an unrefined hand, could be temperamental. A scant few seconds passed, though to Ruth the negotiation seemed to go on for longer until his gaze opened, the blues of his eyes emboldened and glowing as the set on the fleeing idiot. “Not today fuck face,” was scoffed firmly, and in a blink the ground beneath the pyromantic asshole was being reached for by a variety of root tendrils. They’d shift under the soil, breaking out and lunging their nodes, causing him to stumble, shifting his pattern of running, but to no avail. Once he’d fallen, the thorned roots quickly subdued him, twisting around the legs, before snatching his tricksome palms from conjuring any flame.
“... Honestly,” Ruth breathed, sweat beaded across his brow. He took a few breaths, shaking his head in frustration. “Move it, Shorty. Waddle that ass over there and take care of this dipshit.”
"[color=#ff851b]The day you drop to your knees in front of me, is the day I'll strip my own plate off to let you eat me, maniac[/color]." But she paid little mind to him fussing at her as she thumped her side again, the jarring jolt of pain through her system pissing her off even more, because yes it hurt, and yes it was going to require her laying down and letting the elf have access to her naked flesh later to heal it properly, and she hated the idea of everything he was going to tease her with during. "[color=#ff851b]And it's THEO, Ruth, Theo, T H E O. How many times do I have to tell you![/color]"
If she hadn't already been hauling ass after the mage, she would have told him to remember it for when she took a riding crop to his ass to remind him of what her name actually was, but as it so happened she had taken off in a sprint after the mage the moment the human started to run, so there was no way she caught the tail end of his quip, even as she charged through several frozen spiders, getting a mouthful of ice she tried to spit out as she went, too single minded on getting the man who had tried to kill her. She didn't stop running when she heard the roots bust up from the ground, and didn't stop as she launched herself off a stone in the field, axe at the ready and using every bit of her stocky, falling weight, to jam the pike on Vera's handle down through the mage's heart, the battle cry from her as she fell and then came to a stop abruptly echoing through the ruin.
But she didn't stop at just impaling. No, she was lost to the battle lust then, so as soon as she wiggled the battle axe from where it had buried a few inches into the ground under the mage, she whipped it around and lopped the head off, kicking it across the meadowy field and away from the body. Another scream as she threw the blade into the ground, fists clenched, ignoring the pain of the spikes of her gloves starting to bite back into the leather, and deeper flesh, to let out a ferocious cry again. She couldn't let it go, couldn't let some fucking mage try and kill her. No one got to get the one up on old Theo.
Theo grabbed her axe from the ground, still huffing, breathing heavy from the run and the adrenaline that was coursing through her veins, from the feeling of... Stone, she wanted to be fucked. Hard. And she wasn't going to let Ruth know that, she'd never hear the end of it. But the acidic taste of something in her mouth made her pause on her trek back towards the stone circle, bits of apple and bread she had washed down with honeyed wine that morning coming back up as the temporary healing made itself known once again. And once her stomach was empty, she wiped the back of her glove across her mouth and kicked a bit of the grass over the mess, hiding the blood that had come up too. She looked over at the frozen spiders, and biting back the pain that was making itself abundantly clear that she had little time left before she would pass out -- that intertwined itself with the feeling of arousal, she went through and shattered each of them, stomping some, and bludgeoning others with the flat of her axe. Those that hadn't been under the mage's compulsion skittered back down into the tomb and away, confirming her suspicions from the start.
And when the last one was dead, she paused, breathing labored now, sweat plastering her hair down to her head, and running down her neck under her breast plate. "[color=#ff851b]Had to use ice, huh? Make it cold in here.[/color]" Her teeth chattered some as she spoke, and when she finally slumped down against one of the stones, she noticed the trail of fresh bloody prints she had left on the ground, numb fingers going to find the catches of her plate to get it off so she could survey the damage. "[color=#ff851b]So you into bondage, Elf, with those vines? Silk rope is so much more fun, you know.[/color]"
Fuck. Her fingers weren't figuring out the latch she knew how to pop when she was dead asleep. She huffed a forced laugh. "[color=#ff851b]Don't say nothing. Don't.. but I cannae get the latch open on my armor[/color]." The crash happened quick, coupled with the blood loss and the spider guts she reckoned she swallowed down and threw back up, she was fighting not to pass out by the time she managed to look up at him. It wasn't until that moment, that she started to vaguely remember the symptoms of shock, when she was struggling to keep her eyes open. "[color=#ff851b]I think, he may have knicked something important in there.[/color]" Her words had started to slur by the end of her sentence.
Had he not moved to begin dealing with the shitty critters, Ruth would have flashed her a feral grin, laughing. He laughed for a while, the widest smirk spread across as he yelled back, “Don’t threaten me with a good time, Dora, one day, might be you on your knees begging me!” Then shaking his head dramatically, “Yes, yes, but that doesn’t mean I have to do what you say. You can’t make me.”
He’d thank her if she did, though being completely unaware of her minds inner workings Ruth could only dream of such a fantasy. If he allowed someone to whip him, he’d allowed them close, grown attached enough that he could be, ugh, vulnerable and that was something he didn’t indulge in. The heavy doubt that also clouded his mind was her opinion of him, which there was little of given her joy at seeing who her saviour was.
Anyone else, but him.
Still, he wasn’t offended by it and watching her in action was incredibly terrifyingly arousing, even if the excessive gore did turn his stomach a little. His job was putting people back together, so watching folks, even asshats like these fools, be unceremoniously and justifiably dispatched jarred some. He eyed the scene once she’d calmed some. Lips twitching, eventually giving in to his nature and asking, fully seriously, “You think you got him?”
And of course she wasn’t done. He rolled his eyes a little, withdrawing his hand from around the root and catching his breath. Ruth gave a shake of his head, the magic still relatively new to him and his senses, the trail end of it still vibrating along his nerves as he made his way back to her. “Silk rope is for amateurs.” He’d quip back, tone tighter now as he looked over her critically. The slightest of grins began, though he paused it to fold his arms over against his chest, soon enough realising and they were on her, fingers flicking latches with well honed skills, brow heavily furrowed while annoyed frustration filled his gaze. “Every fucking time.”
Ruth set her down, the breastplate removed and discarded, magic coming to one set of fingers while the other peeled away the soaked jerkin. “Every fucking time. You fucking dwarves. This. This is why there aren’t many of you.” Grinding his teeth, Ruth then set his jaw, eyes closing to concentrate. Often he’d grumble disapprovingly while his other hand joined in, the pair working in weaving, knitting flesh properly. “Do. Not. Fucking. Move. You tore your renal artery, if you want to piss normally again, do as you're told.”
Theo winced as the padded armor came off the jagged stab through her side, the blood soaked homespun pulling off her abdomen with it, as she thumped a hand down on the ground as a new wave of nausea flooded through her. "[color=#ff851b]So, not on my knees, but save the kidney if you can, I like my ale a little too much, as you well remember.[/color]"
Her normally healthy tan had faded down into ghastly white as she remained still, letting the feel of his magic flood through her -- soothing and cool, even if it made her feel just a little more cold than before. She would deal. "[color=#ff851b]Told ya not to say nothing. Besides, not everyone can have a tall blonde knitting them back together. Have you see male dwarves? You elves got the pretty end of the stick. We're dying cause most of us like the looks of human and elf males more, and pretty sure they feel the same about us. Ma and Da were the last actual set of dwarves I knew of before they were killed.[/color]" She kept talking, nonsense, she had to talk to keep herself awake and aware. She knew that much was important.
She watched him work, watching his face scrunched in concentration as she felt some of the pain ease, some of the pressure in her abdomen start to lessen, she figured that was the internal bleeding knitting back together, a strange feeling. His face was honest though, when he was healing her -- most of the time he hid behind a mask of indifference, or false flattery, bravado -- but when he was healing, he looked more honest. Those few times she had seen him in the Back Water in the past, the strange intensity of his stare when he thought no one was looking. She hated it. She didn't like people that hid behind masks. And he wasn't right now -- his annoyance and his frustrations at her were real, not a mask. She liked him when he wasn't hiding.
"[color=#ff851b]You know I'm shit at following directions. We've worked together often enough now that you know that well enough.[/color]" She could feel his hand on her finally, the numbness that had been the area directly under his fingers flaring back to life, and eliciting a mix of a groan and a whimper from her. The hand on the side of her body he wasn't working on came up to her mouth and she bit the back of her gloved hand to keep herself still. Eyes closed as something felt like it re-arranged back into place inside her, earning another whimper. Why was it that his hands were only on her when she was bleeding out and about to die?
Pain, she could handle. She'd been stabbed and shot so many times in the past that this was nearly an everyday sort of thing, it was the effects of magic, going in and putting things back right in a hurry, instead of the natural healing process that honestly worried her. She was a horrible patient, and she knew it. She expected at any given moment for something to go horribly wrong with it, and the tendrils that were moving about inside her to rip something else out of place, or play higgly-piggly with an organ, fuse something together that shouldn't be.
Theo's imagination was the part of healing that bothered her the most. "[color=#ff851b]Amateurs? You'd use jute, or chains? I like silk because once wet it's tensile strength far surpasses most metals. I can bend iron with a well woven wet silk. Seriously though, you get me outta this one Ruth, and I'll get you another apple, and share that damned bath with you. Lemon grass, right? You always smell of it when you come out of the baths at the Back Water. Lemon-grass and sweet almond oils. I'll even get our favorite whore to bring in some of that new ale she's been brewin[/color]."
She'd seriously keep her end of the bargain at this point, eyes fluttering as she finally breathed in shakily as something else inside seemingly slid back into place, causing the rips in flesh to be the main focus of the pain now, "[color=#ff851b]It hurts, Ruth.[/color]"
Ruth’s nostrils flared and the scowl across his face deepened with her play on his words. Peeling her jerkin aside he’d cast a quick glance at the seeping wound before back to her face. “You don’t get out of it that easily, Dotti.” Focusing back to where his hands were already making sigils and signs of healing, the elf began the meticulous task of mending vessels.
The stubbornness of dwarves was legendary, and mostly the cause of the misfortune that would befall them. All or nothing. Some like her, others… well, there was a reason the Merchant Guild could sway economies. Though, words falling from her shock-addled mind caused his head to lift, a smug grin beginning to replace the frowned corners. “Did you just call me ‘Pretty?’” Teeth flashed at her, and he’d wink. “You think I’m pretty.” Brows shrugged, nay, dared to wiggle at her before he focused on the mending.
The lids of his eyes closed over, hands drew invisible patterns against an orb of green energy pressed against her skin. Ruth seemed to draw threads together, tying them in between knots of signs, performing delicate surgery on the axe-wielding beauty. There was always a calm that came with his gift. While the spirit he carried was one of compassion, the emotion and vocation had always dwelt within him, only masked, carefully shielded away. He’d suffered and seeing others, even some of those who’d deserve it, didn’t sit well with him.
Neither did he believe in seeking praise for the kindness he did exhibit. If too many people found out his reputation for being an unattached freeman would be undone. Megara already asked enough of him already.
“Grown woman who needs a babysitter. What are you, six? This gonna hurt.” he’d snark back, peeking one eye open at her for a brief moment. Throughout, Ruth continued to breath steadily, deep grounding breaths to salvage the organ completely. Pleased, his palms pushed the woven pattern of threaded strands into the wound, hands now splayed over the flesh of her side as magic vibrated through. “You’re not fully done, but I need to wait between spells, see how you take the first wave.”
Maintaining the flow of magic with one hand, Ruth tried to check the rest of her for more injuries, knowing it would be just like her to not say anything more bothered her than the obvious. Next she’d be telling him two days from now, she’d fractured something and only now it was bothering her. “Now Dotti, you do surprise me, on both counts. Chains jingle, you know, 'dinner and a show', but you enjoy following my scent? Well, now I’m certainly flattered.” That wink again was thrown her way, drifting off again to get a read on the injury, pleased that she was out of any immediate danger of passing over. No. Not when he now had shit to tease her with.
“Yes,” grin sobering with the amount of pain she was in. “Let me help with that too. Later I'll give you a toke of my pipe. Got that Stoner’s batch again. Complete mistake of course, her tobacco pouch looks exactly like my own, huh, must fix that.” No he wouldn’t and he knew Megara wouldn’t mind either. Chuckling, Ruth turned to focus on numbing her pain some, while the fingers poised against her side still manipulated strings of mending.
"[color=#ff851b]You're still gonna make me get down on my knees for you aren't ya?[/color]" She tried to chuckle, but it hurt, and she groaned as she nodded. "[color=#ff851b]Fine, fine, yes I may have called y'pretty, don't let it go to your head, short-arse.[/color]" She inhaled a sharp breath, grimacing as she felt the first bit of magic mesh pull her abdominals back together, realizing that he hadn't been lying about saying it was going to hurt. She was panting hard when he suggested a break, to see how she did, her hand had at some point found it's way back to her mouth as she bit leather again. And then she was struggling to focus through to hear him, to truly give him her attention, even if she knew it was more to keep her aware while he healed.
[color=#ff851b]"You'd smell better drenched in my scent, elf. Lavender and cedar,[/color]" Theo quipped back as he said that he was flattered, her hand covering his as he started to tell her about a good batch of pipe 'tobacco', and she would be happy to have the mind and nerve numbing effects right in that moment, but she always enjoyed a good smoke, and a pipe meant quality tobacco. "[color=#ff851b]Later, huh? You plan on being at my side longer than the night?[/color]" She closed her eyes as his fingers moved, balancing her on an embarrassing edge of the pain not quite registering as pain any longer, no, instead it was coiling in her lower abdomen, the arousal back, and her stomach churning.
And when the pain finally slipped firmly over into the edge of relief and she could tell the difference between the pain of her insides knitting back together and the apparent aphrodisiac affect of the spider venom, she was incredibly aware of his fingers on her bare flesh, red cheeked and looking away as the healing had her gaining colour back in her face, the internal muscles and flesh coming back together and leaving the edges of her skin itchy as they merged back together and smoothed over into a silvery fine line that ran from just below her rib cage to the high point of her hip bone. A perfect line to lick down. And he had quite a remarkable tongue, she'd heard praises of his tongue and his fingers.
"I[color=#ff851b] think one of the spiders got me. Not feeling quite so normal.[/color]" She looked over and grabbed a chunk of spider, giving it a lick, as she tried to judge if the venom was what was causing her to feel like she needed to push him down in the grass and test if that heal was in good enough condition for her to ride him until she came, hard. "[color=#ff851b]Yup, stupid thing is making me think fucking you right here in the grass, would be a good idea, and I hate to break it to you, but I don't think you're ready for that sort of experience Ruth.[/color]" Her mind was starting to be clear from the pain, but she was still exhausted from the effort of the fight, and then fighting through the blade in her side. "[color=#ff851b]Fucking hell. Just forget everything I've said the past few minute, yeah?[/color]"
Oh but she had definitely said too much before he had gotten her back in good enough condition that she knew what she was saying. "[color=#ff851b]Aww fuck me, you're never going to let me live any of this down are you?[/color]"
“I prefer when you do it, it’s not because of bloodloss. I’d like to see them cheeks flushed red when it finally dawns on you.” Of course, it was the usual banter. Nothing serious or fully meant with anything other than to get a rise out of her. For good or ill it served to keep her mind off the pain to some extent and currently, the dirty talk was doing the trick, a tongue he was more than fluent in. How red could she go, he wondered.
“Lemons are fresh, though I suppose lavender is nice… so you like a slow fuck then, noted.” His smirk was smug, eyes remaining closed, somehow able to maintain the complex and detailed work of mending an organ amidst teasing her. It’s tone completely shifted when she nearly objected to his mere mention of after care. It wasn’t often he had someone question the medicine and healing magic. “You tore an artery, frankly… you’re lucky I’m around or you’d have been dead ten minutes ago. It’s not a small thing, the blade's edge shredded a fair chunk of it. So. For both our sakes, mine because I’d never hear the end of it; try not to move.”
At the mention of the creepy crawlies, the elf suddenly grinned. “Ah, so that explains your lose tongue. I’m going to need a sample of that.. For scientific research of course, it must be some kind of debilitating poison,” and before he could stop himself, “Personally I find my mouth is more than enough, poisons’ so boring.” And there it was, the realisation that she’d said all this to the worst possible person she knew. Thankfully, however, Ruth would use this newfound knowledge tactfully, the dwarf had an axe, a good swing and there’d be a swift decapitation in his immediate future. A whispered word here, an inferred reference there, the mere mention of ‘spider stew’ was sure to gain some curious gaze or two. No. He could do better.
"[color=#ff851b]Oh you shit head[/color]." She groaned, hand still on his, her own a shook slightly still, keeping as still as she possible could while he did the delicate magical surgery on her insides. Him being plain with her, telling her how close she had been to dying there, well that made a lot more sense as to why she needed to stay still.
And it was the reminder that she needed to stay still while he worked that kept her from bashing him over the head with a fist right then, instead glaring at his stupid pretty hair as he remained hunched over there. She closed her eyes, feeling less like the pull of Stone was trying to call her home, so she knew he had her off the precipice of death and it was okay for her to close them. And even more now that the pain was lessening some more, as his work continued. "[color=#ff851b]That close this time, huh?[/color]" It was said more like she meant it to be for her ears only at the time, but she didn't mind him knowing. Ever since her mom and dad had been killed all those years back, she hadn't really had a good reason to stay alive. A good death was a good death, and this shit of a man teasing her about sex when she was two blinks away from closing her eyes from good continued to tease her.
"[color=#ff851b]Aye, a slow one, one that'd leave me smelling like my partner until the bath. Ain't nothing shameful in that, you know. Knowing what one wants from a lover. As much as you flirt, I'm pretty sure even you enjoy having someone that knows more than just your name for a night here and there. Maybe have someone remember that your eyes are blue. Had someone talk about my green eyes at some point, while I was looking right at them.[/color]"
She groaned, as he went on about the his mouth and her cheeks flushed red finally, one eye cracking open to look at him with a blue eye, not, green. "[color=#ff851b]Your mouth, huh?[/color]" And there the penny dropped, with his next words. Spider bait. She breathed in deeply and then winced as the small movement that was caused her insides to pull some. All things she could avoid when she was pumped up and ready to kill something, but now that she was done with the battle high...
[color=#ff851b]"One of these days I'll learn to keep my fucking mouth closed around you.[/color]" And then she groaned because even that could be an innuendo to him, and she just gave him even more ammunition. "[color=#ff851b]You should give me free pass on all of this, I was a foot in the grave already![/color]"
Ruth responded by merely continuing to grin, his mind concentrating on keeping her here with the living and the future endurance of his mocking. He wasn’t about to use it all here an now. Not when he’d have the pleasure of dodging her swinging at him while he cackled and out ran her. He made use of the extra inches, in more ways than one if she obliged his company one day.
“That close,” he confirmed with a heavy and slow nod. With his inspection of the rest of her complete, Ruth continued feeding magic into the healing spell, his free hand drawing the signs for a further ward to aid and regenerate them both. He had used a fair amount already, if they walked back to his camp to find another shit show he’d be reduced to hands on surgery than nice, clean and far more sophisticated healing magic.
Listening to her had the elf offering a small scoff, chuckling a little. “You’re quite funny high as fuck, it’s a good look for you. Not sure you should make it a habit though. You don’t want to end up like me do you?” Rolling his eyes at her comment, Ruth shook his head. “Of course they know my eyes are blue, another perfect feature. I have my mother to thank. I think? Don’t quite remember.” Of course he did, but he’d pretend to not and shrug it off indifferently.
The ward would glimmer into life as he pushed some activating magic with his palm. The light spread, the sigil of healing drawing itself out on the ground around him, attracting the benevolent spirits and energies to provide both some much needed relief. The light illuminated her face more, just at the perfect time too as the penny dropped across her face. He’d file that look away, something to recall when his mood grew low for whatever reason, providing a most amusing distraction for him. She looked good in red, noting the slightly darker flecks against her warming complexion. “Feeling better?”
Ruth pouted, retorting with a sarcastic, “Oh please, nooo,” and another roll of his eyes. “This wouldn’t happen if you weren’t so damn interested in sticking everything into your mouth.” And then as quick as a flash, following it up with a teasing scoff and, “I’m almost offended.” Though, Ruth quickly realised it hadn’t dawned on her what she’d agreed to, grin turning sly, brows shrugging before he relaxed back, the danger mostly passed. “Oh we’ve already sorted the free pass, don’t worry, Petal.”
"[color=#ff851b]My eyes, Ruth, mine are blue.[/color]" She corrected him, under her breath, even as she kept hers closed, and then immediately felt bad for it, the way the line of thought shut down immediately, and the hand that was covering his would give it a small bit of a squeeze, gentle, brief, but still that, a little '[color=#ff851b]I see you.[/color]' for him. If he noticed. All the more he hid behind being '[color=#ff851b]him[/color]'.
"[color=#ff851b]I was feeling better until I realized you were going to latch on to all of that and wait for just the right time to recall them and bring them up at the bar or the next time we work a job together. I should get Vera..[/color]" she was teasing of course, she hadn't been that high, or as gone as he thought she had been, no, there was no reason for her to be reaching for her battle axe so soon again. And she also wouldn't admit how close she had come to death with that sword through her side. Major artery he had said. If he hadn't been there, she would have bled out, and the bastard would have gotten away. As much as she hated to admit it, she was in his debt, and more than just the apple. A life debt, for saving her, and for keeping her for having a lengthy amount of time between her getting her revenge.
The [color=#ff851b]Petal [/color]drew her attention, the way he almost lit up as if it were his birthday and someone had just gave him a large gift worried her more, her mind going back over the conversation that was a little hazy, and yes, oh Stone help her. "[color=#ff851b]Don't think I'm gonna enjoy it, no matter how much of a time you're gonna be having. It's just a bath. That's all. Back Water has tubs, and I never said I'd get in the same tub as you Ruth, only that I'd take a bath with you. There are four tubs in that room, and I can be in one, and you can be in another on the other side of the room.[/color]" She wasn't going to give him that satisfaction, she had the what's what in mind when she had promised it. Or at least, she thought she had, she had been thinking of the Back Water. "[color=#ff851b]Speaking of, I need one. Soon, the blood is sticky and I'll need to wash and oil my chain and plate before it gets good and gaumed up.[/color]"
She didn't thump the side this time, mindful that now was the intricate work, not just a patch to get her back into the battle. She didn't have to test that she'd stay together for the next few minutes. She needed to stay still and let him do the work, no matter how much she wanted to thump him upside the head. She was captive, to him, in the next few minutes, she knew, she didn't think she minded right now though, seeing as he was keeping her alive, and she'd make it back to the bar in time to maybe, maybe tempt Wilhelmina into bed for the night. A brush with death made a woman want to feel alive, and Mina's little tongue .. [color=#ff851b]well[/color]. Theo brushed the thought aside and sighed. Knowing Ruth, he would take the opportunity to stop at the first Inn along the road and not press the extra twenty miles to the Water. "[color=#ff851b]And about a million years of sleep.[/color]"
She finally added her need to sleep at the end, slightly slumping over into him as they rested, glad that he was actually there. She hadn't really wanted to die, less so dying alone. So she was grateful, even if she didn't really know how to voice it. So instead she let her eyes closed as she rested against him. "[color=#ff851b]That wasn't an invitation to my bed. You've not earned that yet, even if this fucking spider venom says it's a good idea still.[/color]"
