originally posted in:The New Dojo
[b]She shivered at the strange thought of being healed by something other than her own powers. Oh well, better than nothing.[/b]
[i]"I hope this doesn't hurt..."[/i]
[b]She mumbled, guessing that it didn't matter either way... Khazz's marks hurt... And she doubted the Ka'Kari could do much worse at this point.[/b]
English
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[quote]It won't. Probably.[/quote] [i] The Ka'kari said audibly, chuckling in that same echoing voice as Desmond rolled his eyes and placed the Ka'kari into her hands. The Ka'kari was cold and metallic feeling, with grooves etched into it all over. Immediately, the runic orb began to melt and stretch its way over her skin, crawling over her body. It wasn't painful like it had joked, but it certainly felt strange. Warm with magical energy, and very smooth feeling along with having the consistency of molten plastic, almost. It seemed to attach to her skin in a way like it was a second skin, swarming over her flesh until every thing from her neck down was covered in the sleek, oily black substance. The sensation that came with it though, was the most interesting. Or abysmal, rather. It felt like Chloe was staring into an endless void, thoughts lost into a dark abyss where no light every reached and nothing crawled out of it. That was the sensation that came over her, one of emptiness and quite frankly, a bottomless pit. Was this what Desmond felt all the time..? [/i]
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[b]Chloe grimaced at the empty feeling, her stomach even rumbling at the sensation. She felt sick. She couldn't stand this kind of feeling. It wasn't harming her... And yet, it was...[/b] [b]She took a deep breathe and let the Ka'Kari swarm over here, her eyes closing as she tried to focus on something else.[/b]
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[quote]Breathe, Chloe. I'm known as the Devourer for a reason. [/quote] [i] The Ka'kari spoke, but this time it was in her head. That same lazy time invading close to her thoughts, far deeper in her mind now that it was seemingly a part of her for the next few minutes. But even as she tried to overcome that empty feeling, she could feel a bitter cold where her wounds were, the feeling of her flesh knitting itself back together and the burns, bruises, and cuts going away ever so slowly breaking through the dark feeling into her mind.[/i]
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[b]A sigh of relief passed over her as the pain subsided. The awful empty feeling was nothing compared to the previous anguish... It even seemed to go away as the wounds closed. Well, no... It was ever present... But relief was a powerful feeling.[/b] [b]Taking slow and steady breaths, Chloe did her best to remain calm and maintain a level head. So much had happened she wasn't sure if she would recover... It all felt unreal, like a dream...[/b] [i]"I'm okay... I'm okay..."[/i] [b]She whispered to herself, as if to confirm that she was really okay.[/b]
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[i] And just like that, the feeling was gone. Both pain and emptiness alike, lifted from her like they'd never been there. When she looked down, she noticed the Ka'kari was off of her skin and in Desmond's palm, as archaic and enigmatic as ever.[/i] [quote]She dealt with that rather well. You'd make a good Ka'karifer, Chloe.[/quote] "No. She wouldn't." [i] Desmond growled and sucked the Orn back into his flesh, melding it with his being. He didn't wish these consequences on anyone. [/i]
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[i]"I don't need a magic artifact in my life. Just one more thing to fuss over."[/i] [b]She mused unhappily. With a slow blink and bite of the tongue she felt the familiar aura slither up her arms and legs... And that's when the horrifying truth hit her. The green lines began to appear across her body, testing it like a clean up crew... They found no wounds, but Chloe's dilated eyes showed her internal panic. They hadn't left... No... They had been keeping her alive. Her wound had been fatal...[/b] [b]She didn't say of course, no... No way in hell would she make even a noise on the subject. But she realized how close to death she had come... And her inability to heal herself. Her powers worked well, but mostly on others. She didn't realize she couldn't save herself...[/b] [i]"Thank you."[/i] [b]The words spilled out unenthused and raw, her horrible realization draining the color from her skin... More so than before.[/b]
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"How about we go get you some food..?" [i] Desmond asks, apparently not taking notice to her reaction. [/i] "You look like you could definitely use it."
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[b]Chloe didn't feel hungry... But she knew she'd need food soon. Funny how life seemed to take away her appetite.[/b] [i]"What did you have in mind?"[/i] [b]She asked, eyeing Desmond warily. The once trusting eyes had long disbanded any hope they had in him. Their red pools were opposite to what they had once been... It was like being stared at by an entirely new person.[/b]
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"Whatever place is open this late. Do you have a preference?" [i] He asks, standing up and offering her his hand. A friendly gesture, especially from him. The look in her eyes unnerved him..he didn't like the fact they weren't full of glimmering light like they'd used to. That was the most appealing thing about her..the fact she was so lively. The fact that was no longer there angered him to no end. Leave it to this god forsaken world to snuff out any shining light that tried to burn bright.[/i]
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[i]"No. I don't understand your food rituals... Just whatever is quickest."[/i] [b]Chloe would have cared more if she actually felt hungry... Right now, she just felt angry and empty... But for once she had a brutal feeling crawling along her spine... A thirst for vengeance... But not now. Priorities.[/b] [i]"Lead the way, Desmond."[/i]
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[i]Desmond did his best to suppress a sigh that wanted to escape his lips. Chloe was just..she'd lost her home and he understood that, but he wished that she understood he had good intentions at heart, so she would tear down the brick wall she was building.[/i] "Let's just get some sandwiches and drinks, and then we're gonna have a talk about what we can do about this guy who stole your throne." [i] Desmond said, and the way he punctuated his tone left nothing up for debate. ~~~ A few minutes later, Desmond and Chloe sat on a bench amongst the streets in the Dojo, watching passerby stroll around in the late hours at night. Luckily Desmond had found a shop that was still open, and they silently ate their meals without talking to each other. It was rather hard, when Desmond felt like every attempt to talk would be shot down. Normally he was on that side of it. Not the receiving end.[/i]
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[b]Chloe ate her food as best she could, keeping down what was put in... But it didn't feel good.[/b] [b]But she was easily distracted... Watching anyone that passed by with a anxious gaze. Half the time she was focused on someone far too close for comfort, despite not actually being too close for comfort...[/b] [i]"I used to see these people as strong warriors... Now all I see are cut throats and monsters... How eye opening."[/i]
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[i] Desmond smirked, biting into the sandwich absentmindedly and without thought. Now she chose to see the damn light.[/i] "That's all they've ever been Chloephina. You've just refused to see the bad in people." [i] He didn't mention the fact that he was probably included among those people chucked into the "monster" category.[/i]
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[i]"Good thing then... Easier to decipher between what's killing me fast, and what's killing me slowly."[/i] [b]She quieted down, eventually giving up on watching everyone, and even giving up on her food. She had gotten most of the way through, but her stomach has for the most part adapted to very little food. Even a sandwich was a lot.[/b] [b]She leaned back in her chair and let out a drawn out breath, her eyes eventually resting on Desmond.[/b] [i]"I should have stayed... Pretended there was such things as happiness and joy... Should have stayed a child while I had the chance."[/i]
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"You're starting to sound like Durzo Blint." [i] That name. She'd only heard him speak it a handful of times, but it was enough to know that was the man who'd taken Desmond in and trained him, forged him into what he was today. [/i] "There are such things as joy and happiness..you just have to know where to look I suppose. Something I have no idea how to do." [i] He chuckles, an odd sound that almost sounded like it was out of practice and was never used enough. Probably because it wasn't.[/i] "I've never told you how I became what I am..have I, Chloephina?" [i] The question was a formality. He knew that he hadn't. [/i]
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[i]"I understand your rhetoric now, Desmond. Don't treat me like a child with such questions. The old times are dead."[/i] [b]Not just passed, not just gone... Dead. Her words were more brutal than she meant, but she still held a certain innocence. It was if she wasn't aware of how devastating her voice could be... But at this point, she wasn't sure if Desmond had any softer layers. As far as she was concerned, he was a bunker with no way in and could take much worse than she could deliver.[/b]
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[i] He merely smirked and leaned back in his seat, putting his hands in his jeans pockets. Yes, she didn't truly realize her demeanor and what she was coming off like, but nothing she could ever say could wound Desmond. He'd made sure of that long ago.[/i] "I was a Guild Rat. A little kid of only ten years old, a part of a group of street thugs that were just made up of more little kids, and bigger kids. I had two friends, Elise, and Dev. The three musketeers, in a way. We looked out for each other, had each other's backs. And always swore that we'd get out of the city, out of that shit hole we'd been condemned to." [i] There was no emotion in his voice, no reminiscence or even wistfulness, dry and plain speech as ever.[/i]
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[i]"Continue."[/i] [b]The response was quick and demanding. She figured Desmond was going somewhere with this, might as well have it go quickly.[/b] [b]She leaned her left arm on the chair rest, cupping her head as she stared with the same blank expression, her legs shuffling ever so slightly. With the lines back, she had a familiar essence about her, but she still felt off...[/b]
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"I was the fastest, smartest, quickest one among us. I was the advocate for getting out of the Guild, to make money and get us all out. And I was going to, until one of the bigger kids went to far with Elise one night." [i] Desmond growled. The first sign of true emotion Chloe had seen from him yet.[/i] "We were always his playthings, so much bigger and we couldn't do anything about it. So when he took a knife to her face and carved her up.." [i] His voice was steady with untold rage and anger. [/i] "I sought out the city's best wetboy. Durzo Blint. He told me to fúck off when I asked him to kill the one who'd hurt Elise and get her help. Until I offered to give myself up as a wetboy. I still don't know why he said yes. Maybe he saw something in me. But he did. He killed him, he got Elise a healers help that I never in a million years could've afforded, as long as I vowed to never see her again."
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[i]"I guess we must all be willing to loose everything to protect what we care about."[/i] [b]Chloe now understood. She wished she didn't... But she didn't have a choice now.[/b] [i]"And this... Durzo... He was the man you worked under?"[/i]
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"Worked, trained, and killed under." [i] Desmond says with a nod, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.[/i] "Eight years. Our relationship was always Master and student. It never evolved into a fairy tale ending where he was like a father to me, no. And when it came down to it, he was willing to kill me for the sake of someone he cared about." [i] What Chloe did know, was that Desmond had killed his master, a fight she had kept him alive from. [/i]
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[i]"So he kept people close, and you didn't?"[/i] [b]She questioned, finally giving Desmond a more sympathetic look. It was still harsh, but she could understand his pain if he had no contact with friends... Or even had any. She had none herself in her time back home, and it had torn her up... But now, now she wished she had remained.[/b]
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[i] He laughed, a sad and wry sound, one she never heard often.[/i] "No. He kept no one close, and he tried to kill me over a daughter he didn't even know he had. He held no remorse when he came after me, and even though I didn't want to, I killed him." [i] He presses his hand to the tattooed black and grey rose on his collarbone, the stab wound Chloe had healed when he'd almost died.[/i] "He rammed a sword through my collarbone that should have been poisoned..but it wasn't. His final way of telling me that he could've killed me..but didn't." [i] So in the end, perhaps his master had cared for him. Even if it was a little bit. [/i]
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[i]"What do you have left, Desmond?"[/i] [b]The question seemed strange. Not because of what it implied, but because of Chloe herself. She would have never asked something like this before.[/b] [b]And the more she looked at him, the more her eyes softened. She hated it. She didn't know why... But he felt... Different. She couldn't explain it, but she felt like they had plenty in common despite being from two very different worlds... But now, the gap had shortened, and she wasn't sure who was standing at the edge of the cliff. Very few could take the plunge, but she knew there was something there at the bottom.[/b]
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[i] Desmond looked at her, those deep brown eyes full of sorrow and sadness, like he'd just pulled back an opaque curtain she'd never been able to see through. He looked back towards the ground and smiled a sad smile, shaking his head.[/i] "Nothing. I never had anything to begin with...and no one. All my closest friends are dead because of me. I have nothing left." [quote]You have me. Jackass.[/quote] [i][b]It's not the same thing and you know it. [/b][/i]