Lia stared out the window of her cabin, rather absentmindedly. With an intake of breath the Ixifarian woman slowly turned towards the door and stepped forward. She opened the door. The air compressed in her lungs as her breath caught. There it was just a few feet down the path. That wretched, cursed thing. Hyde's gift to her. A birdcage. Her eyelids stretched back to their furthest points. He must of…As she stared, the space between her and the dreaded thing began to rapidly shrink. It was in her face now trying to consume her. She yelped. Her hands flew in the air in a feeble attempt to push it away, and her body thrust itself in the opposite direction…
Lia blinked. She was standing in the doorway normally again. The birdcage was gone, but the sky started to darken despite being the clear of day. Suddenly he was there. His dark all to familiar robes, and twisted grin. His haunting eyes bore into her. He started to reach behind him to pull out…Now she stood in a tavern. The one in Dragon's Cove. Hyde approached her cooly, "Hello there, my pretty birdy." His hands just barely caressed her neck-plumage as he passed her unconcerned on what she'd do afterwards. Lia stood frozen as everything around her turned jet black. Her body slowly sank into the black beneath her until she was completely consumed. Air whipped around her as she plummeted. But to where? What fate lie under her slipping ever downwards? On and on she fell for what felt like hours. A strange sense of calm took her and the Ixifar let herself relax. "Come home…" A voice called. She turned towards it. "Yes, come home my sweet. I'll protect you. I'll always protect you." Enticed by the voice's words she followed them, letting herself be pulled down towards them. Something started to come into view, but she couldn't quite make out what it was yet. "That's right. Come back to my safety…Just sing for me, Lianna. My sweet, sweet birdy." The identity of the voice came crashing down on her, but it was too late. She frantically tried to move herself away only to find herself fall into a large silvery-white structure. Lia got to her feet and ran towards the edge. Bars. Blocking her path, they ran straight upward until they arched together at a point some high distance above. Once more Lia's eyes widened in horror. She was trapped. Locked within a birdcage.
Sitting upright, the Ixifar gasped and quickly put her hand to her mouth to keep the sound down. Her blue eyes darted around the cabin to the other occupants. Des didn't seem to be disturbed and snoozed on. Jael, however was missing; his cot still undistrubed from the previous day. Though, she didn't dwell on the fact for now. For now, relief washed over her. It had only been a dream…a nightmare. With practiced easy, the Ixifar slipped out of her cot, put the sack on her back, and silently out the door into the cool of pre-dawn twilight. For a long while, it mattered not what direction she took. Lia just walked. Her eyes were glued to the ground that slowly passed her by while she forced herself to think of what she was literally seeing, and to ignore the images still plaguing her mind. Eventually she ended up near one of the few tables which had been placed outside the tavern. She took a seat on one of them near the edge and let one of her legs dangle while the other supported her hunched body.
As she sat, Lia stewed on her nightmare and the various events of late. There was plenty to worry about, sure, but just as much to celebrate. However, no matter what she did, the Ixifar could not rid herself of the feeling of his caress. She itched at her neck even now. Frustration and disgust churned in her gut. After a few moments she wrapped her hand around a couple of feathers and pulled. Relaxing her hand, the feathers drifted to the ground below. Again she reached up and plucked more from her neck. And again. And again. Each successive pull grew faster and gained aggression. Within a couple of minutes Lia had unwittingly plucked one side of her neck bare. She let her head drop to her raised knee and hung her arms loosely at her sides. Tiny pricks of blood surfaced on her skin.
Lia seemed to not notice the elf as he took a seat beside her, offering her a cup of water. The only moment of recognition from the Ixifar was a slight twitch at the word 'gift'. She sat for a few breathes before letting her head roll across the knee it was pressed against and face Galdor. She looked at him with hallow expression as a crooked smirk tugged at her lips. "Tch...it's too late for that. I'm sure I'm already quite infected." There was something in the way that last word slipped from between her teeth. Her lethargic eyes penetrated into his, the glimmer of life currently extinguished from their gaze.
The sound of an owl can be heard far off in the distance. "All the more reason to atleast cover your wounds, no?"Galdor noticed the look in the ixifar's eyes. The look of somebody defeated and has given up. Galdor knew this look all too well and had only just learned to hide it.Galdor allowed his face to become soft and a hint of compassion escaped from his eyes. "What's the matter Madam Lia? There must be a good reason one such as you would come out to the tavern at such an hour, and I can hardly doubt its for the ales."
"Even so, you still have a place in this world. Just look at the robin. Even when the hawk flies overhead, the robin still sings. It may put itself in danger, but it refuses to let a bit of danger to hamper it's freedom." Galdor took a moment to look up at the night sky. There was a distinct lack of clouds and the sky was alight with the light of thousands of twinkling stars. "Every bird cage has a door. Sometimes it just takes a bit of thought to get it open." A light breeze bagan to blow the feathers around the ixifar's feet into the road.
Lia looked up at Galdor. Slowly she broken into a light chortle. This escalated into a full out laugh. A mirthless laugh that could set its audience teeth on edge. Her body leaned back, her arms still loose at her sides, and thus unable to keep her from falling onto her back atop the table. Still she laughed until she was exhausted of air. A humorless smile cracked her lips apart. Some seconds rolled by while the Ixifar simply laid there catching her breath. "Oh foolish elf. You know nothing."
Galdor shrugs, taking the insult without a complaint. "All I'm saying is nothing is as it seems, Mrs. Lia. We all have short-comings in our lives. Some, more than others. Just because it seems as all is lost doesn't mean it is so." The elf thumbed the pages of his journal, careful not to let any of his loose sheets fall out. Galdor let out a slight yawn. "Meanwhile, Mrs. Lia, it's late and I have let time slip by almost too far. I must bid you a good night. You can keep the handkerchief. Just, try not to tear out anymore of your feathers?" After a quick wave the elf stood, and walked away to his favorite oak. He had many preparations to do and not much time to make them.
Continuing to lay there, Lia didn't watch after the elf as he strolled away. The only recognition of his words she had seemed to be the slight squeeze of her hand around the hankerchief that was not lightly speckled with her blood. Time dragged on. Lia's tired eyes stared up at the darkened sky above her, watching as the light of the stars gradually gave way to the faint glow of the coming dawn. Finally, she placed her arm across her forehead and sighed. "How can it not all be lost? When I can't even be sure when I look up from this table I won't see him?....Tch. I'm doing him proud again....Aren't I, Hyde? Wasting my time feeling sorry for myself..." Her arm moved down to cover her eyes. Her breathing quivered and she grew silent.
Ohren sniffs around, slowly approaching the table the Chichen was sprawled out on. He begins to climb up onto it and sniffs at her thinking she might be dead. He looks around cautiously and his tongue slips out and he starts to lick the feathered woman, tasting her arm to see if she was as delicious as he hoped. He would poke at her with one of his big paws and waits to see her reaction
Ohren pokes the chichen in the ribs and gnaws on her arm slightly. He lets go of her arm to speak.
"Cherchern Erm gerner ert yer..."
He returns his jaws around her arm, expecting her to explode at him and scold him as she usually does. He chews at her lightly, pretending to eat her arm.
Lia continued to gaze up at the bear absently not showing any care about him gnawling her limb. When Desiderio appeared to 'rescue' her, her blank eyes simply rolled over to him. His failed attempt only caused the Ixifar to blink slowly before letting her eyes shut entirely. Her breathing became controled and languid.
Ohren sighs and lets go of her arm before slowly trotting to stand over her and plopping down ontop of her chest, wiggling and sqishing her.
"Gert erp Ferders. Yer serpersed ter gert erngery, Erm herngery ferd mer..."
He looks at her wanting her to get up and stop being so damned emotional.
"Well, he's not eating my arm again."
-looks at Lia as she just seems to not even acknowledge the attempt.-
"Oh, guess she likes it then. Fine, it's not hurting me anyway!" His voice starting to raise into an angered tone. He throws the jerky vaguely to the ground and starts to leave, not before kicking the bear directly in the anus. "Hope you choke on it!" Then he starts walking away.
Binx emerged from the treeline, bow on her back and sword at her hip. She was placing the last handful of herbs she had picked into one of her belt pouches as she walked. She was not wearing her mask and the fact that she hadn't been sleeping much showed in her face. Her yellow gaze raised to see the listless woman on the ground, Ohren and Des by her side noting Leofrick off to the side. She raised an eyebrow, pausing. "Well, I see you have returned from your adventures..." She said to no one in particular in her heavy accent.
Lia reacted to the bear pressing his weight down on her. Instinct set in as her ability to breath became quickly compromised. Her body took to squirming and thrashing to get the black creature off of her. "GET OFF." She just about yelled sternly, her voice thick with anger and annoyance.
The burr chuckles to himself and lifts up a dumb grin on his face.
"Her? Wert? Er thert yer wer derd. Er wers kerpern yer werm ser er kerd ert yer lerter."
He chuckles at her and moves around and sits down on the table next to her.
"Wert er yer dering berin erll terd lerk thert? Er wers gerner ert yer ernd yer derndert derd nerthern."
The bear attempts to lick her again, seeing if the fire remained.
At Ohren talking and chuckling blythfully, Lia's blood was set off to a boil. She hissed at him while snatching her arm away from his tounge, "Just shut up and leave me alone." The slowly gathering crowd was setting her on edge, and the Ixifar slid off the table to storm off into the treeline.
Lia whipped back around to face the owner of those searing words. Though her anger furrowed her brow intensely and clentched her teeth, the Ixifar's eyes were full of sorrow...and fear. Not rage. She stood staring at the Uordeq for a while, but then turned back to continue towards the safety of the trees.
Binx eyed the apparently cranky Ixifar as she approached the treeline not far from where she had just exited. Her bright amber eyes were full of disdain, seeing only a fitful bird in Lia. She had barely spoken to the other woman since she had arrived to know any better. As Lia turned away from Leofrick, Binx caught a glimpse of her face and saw the flicker of something more than just being fussy. Unfortunately, that didn't necesarily change her opinion. Her eyes moved to Leofrick, one slender eyebrow arched.
Binx shook her head as she approached the other Uordeq, taking a seat at the table he had placed his flask on and crossing her legs.
"Not really." She replied, looking up at him with her owlish eyes. "I see you returned from fighting Scorch, and in one piece at that. How did that go?" She asked, curious. She had assumed that the people of Jastrey would have failed to slay the undead creature but apparently they had returned alive. Then again, that still didn't mean they were victorious. She had yet to really ask about how they fared until now.
"Well, we did not die for one thing and Stiers decided to ride Scorch until he fell off of the vile thing." Leofrick looked at the woman sitting across from him, and realized she was not with them on there adventure to fight the foul beast. "And we also failed to kill him I fear he wont be so easy to run off next time we meet him in battle."
Galdor walks up to the table Lia was sitting at. "Couldn't sleep either, eh?" The elf asks as he places a large cup of water in front of the Ixifar and sets his over flowing journal to the opposite side of the table. It seems Galdor had been taking copious notes throughout the course of the day. The elf looks to the feathers laying all around the womans feet and then again to the small bubbles of blood frming at the bir spot to the side of her neck. "You know, there are some of us who would give the world to be blessed to be as one of the birds. You shouldn't be trying to destroy that gift. Here, clean yourself up a bit lest it becomes infected." Galdor continues to pull a white handkercheif from his pocket and pours water on it before holding it out for the lady.