Return & Recovery (Alijham/ Elsynia/ Eranor)

Elsynia arrived into Vulkwasten in the arms of Alijham. She was nearly half asleep, as it was well into the night by the time his horse trotted up the road. The town was quiet and heavy with sleep. The only sounds were that of the bugs in the foliage and the soft wind through the trees. She roused when the horse came to a stop, and with Ali's help, gingerly stepped down from the horse.

She leaned heavily on Ali, still sore and pain shooting up her leg as she stood. Her eyes showed her exhaustion. "Let's try to be as quiet as possible." She looked down at herself, her injuries poking out of his clothing that she wore. "I'd like to get everything wrapped and covered up before anyone sees. I'd hate to worry them." Her voice was hushed and she met his gaze.

Alijham nodded, but said nothing, arms around her. He took a moment to tie up his horse. He guided her nearing the entrance of the inn, where he would bring her up to the clinic and finish fixing her up. He tenderly ran his fingers up and down her arm, inspecting all of the bruising conspicuously.

Eranor took another sip from the small glass vial that held a dimly glowing liquid, quickly pushing the tart liquid over his tongue before swallowing it. His eyes took on a similar dim glow moments later. Slowly, the surrounding areas came to light up in his eyes, thus allowing him to easily see and patrol the area without need for a torch. He pressed the vial back into his waistband, securing it to his side, and then climbed the tree in the Vulkwasten town center, assuming a perch from within, and then started his nighttime watch over the town, head and eyes scanning the place continually with his ears picking up any and all sounds near enough for him to pick up.

Hours later, his gaze fixed to the sound of an approaching trot and quiet conversation. Her narrowed his eyes at the approach, watching closely and quietly to them, before gasping at the realization that it was Elsynia and Alijham's voice, and soon later, faces. The relief on his face was soon replaced by concern at seeing Elsynia's defeated and seemingly injured state, to which he quietly climbed down the tree and approached behind the two as they entered the inn.

Eranor issued them a soft whistle as he walked quickly to catch up with them, turning his head to the left, right, and behind to ensure they weren't heard or followed. He spoke quietly to them as he neared, "Elsynia, Alijham, you have returned...is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, looking over her mostly covered but seemingly pained form.

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the whistle. She whirled around, immediately regretting it as pain flooded around her different injuries. She gripped Ali's arm tight to support herself. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Eranor approach and she hurried to pull down her sleeves and held her shirt collar close to her neck. She was thankful her hair could help hide some of the bruising. One of her hands had already been wrapped by Ali.

She stayed hushed though her voice was a bit shaken. "N-no. I..." Her eyes flicked to Ali then back to Era. "I'm alright. Let us go to the clinic to talk. I'd rather not have others see me just yet."

Alijham touched his tongue to his teeth, already picking up the scent of Eranor before he showed himself, but it startled him still. He held Elsynia close to him and ran his fingers through her hair. "Aye, this clinic is safer. I'll tell you what happened--I'm glad to see you, Eranor. Tonight has been hectic."

She nodded to Ali's words, and clung to him, using him to support herself. She would follow them up to the clinic, careful on the ladders up to the top of the tree. Once in the clinic she would take a seat at the larger table there and await instruction from Ali as to what she should do so that he can finish tending to her injuries.

She would stay silent, watching the two, saying nothing until asked a question.

Alijham rounded the corner after kissing her forehead. He retrieved a number of ointments and bottles before returning. "Do you know exactly when she went missing, Eranor?" He set the bottles down and began readying swabs. "Give me a few moments to clean her up better, and I'll tell you what happened to the best of my ability. I don't want to to do much talking, Els, because I don't want you to start thinking about it and upset yourself."

She closed her eyes and nodded. She folded her hands in her lap, letting her shirt go. It slumped to rest, exposing her collar where the deep bruises were clearly visible. Her hands slid to gently cover her own wrists, though it was clear there were bruises there too. Her eyes still closed, "What should I do to help you, Ali?"

"Just sit still, and think about happy things. Correct me if I'm wrong in my explanation to Eranor." He began to blot the bruises softly with little swabs of cotton, which he'd covered in a thin white ointment. He touched his forehead to hers as he did so.

She nodded, finding comfort in his closeness to her. She kept her eyes closed, flinching now and again to the blotting. Then she peeked one of her eyes open and placed a kiss on his cheek before closing her eyes again and resting her head against his. She waited and listened for Eranor to begin firing questions.

Eranor bit his tongue as Elsynia's face filled with pain when she turned to look to him. He caught brief glance of her sliced hands and abused collar, sending chills down his spine as he continued to hurry along to their sides. He looked between Alijham and Elsynia as they made their exchange, issuing back a nod, "Of course, the clinic...it's good to see both of you as well," He replied, falling silent as followed them up to the clinic.

He offered support to Elsynia as she climbed the latters, but otherwise, stayed silent until he was addressed by Alijham again, "It's been five days since anyone had last seen her before you two returned. We've been searching endlessly." He answered, standing to the side to give them space and Alijham room to work.

He wet his lips, giving Elsynia a smile before turning back to Eranor. "That's longer than I thought, if only I'd come sooner. I guess I feel special, though, that it took me under twenty-for hours to find her, and you all more than triple.. all jokes aside, I'm so fecking glad you're here. Is everyone alright? Elsynia and I have had a rough day, obviously." He finished blotting and took out a cloth. He wet it with an elixir, whiping down the more suvere bruises. "It was those Skooma rot, as I'm sure you guessed. They.. took her."

Eranor found little humor in Alijham's joke, only earning him a scowl, but he made no comment on it. He crossed his arms as and paced over a bit closer to their side, watching Alijham and looking over Elsynia as he went to work, "I wish I could say that everyone is alright, but at least, now that you two are back, things are at least under control. Is there anything I can do to help you, Ali?"

"Don't be hard on yourself. That's really the best thing you can do to help me," he smiled over at him. "You look stressed as oblivion, and you don't deserve that." He sat down beside of Elsynia and draped his arms over her shoulders. "Those bruises should heal up nicely," he said to her.

She leaned on him and nodded, looking at him with endearing eyes. "Thank you." She placed a kiss on his cheek. "How many days do you think until I can move around fairly comfortably again?" She looked down at herself, frowning slightly at her injuries.

Her eyes flitted to Eranor. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention a thing to anyone. You can tell them I had a run in with the Company, but I'd rather no one else know about the severity of... what happened." She looked down at her feet and pushed back flooding visions of her writhing on the torture rack.

He opened his mouth to offer defense to say he was fine, but he instead sighed and leaned himself back against the wall near the counter to continue to watch as he worked. Alijham was right, and it showed on his face. Very faint lines of stress were evident on his forehead, almost making him look as if he had aged noticeably in the last few weeks. His eyelids hung lower over his eyes than usual, and bags were present underneath them.

"Of course, Elsynia. Nothing more than that shall be shared with anyone else...might I inform Malyne?"

Alijham nodded. "Three days at the most, with what I'm giving you. Not long at all--don't worry." He smiled and rested his head on her shoulder. "They took her and tried to get information out of her, in a very brutal way. I was so lucky to find her when I did. Sick, disgusting people." He gritted his teeth briefly.

She looked over Era noting he was almost exhausted as she. "You can tell him. Just, please, spare him the details."

She turned to Ali and nodded, "Thank you." She blinked tiredly and rested her head on top of his, taking his hands carefully in hers. "Aye. Though I think I'm the lucky one. I'd rather not think about what may have happened if Ali hadn't found me." She looked down at their hands and she traced the contours of his softly with the fingers of her uninjured hand.

He curses in disgust, his face turning into something of a wolfish snarl, "It is as we had feared, then. The nerve of them in takeing our Treethane and..." He cut himself off for all of their sakes, shaking his head, sighing as he relaxed back into the wall, "It's a wonder you were able to find her, Ali."

Eranor looked away to spare them at least visual privacy as their hands mingled, falling silent again for a moment before continuing to talk, "Vengeance will be brought for us. Krynger has offered the help of his Clanguard once again for our efforts, and my terms allow me to lead them as I see fit."

"Thank you, Eranor," he glanced tenderly to Elsynia. "I fear what would have become of her if I handnt felt something was wrong, as Elsy does." He gave her hands a small squeeze. "Tell Krynger and the guard I said thank you, too. I'll go see them soon enough."

She nodded. "It's kind of the Clanguard to offer..." She looked to Eranor. "I think I know where they've been hiding. I think that's part of why the took me. They know I, as well as I'm sure you and Malyne, are onto them."

She looked back down at their hands as Ali squeezed them with a small smile and she nodded to Ali. "Aye, and I should pay them a visit as well. Let them know I'm alright." Her eyes flicked to her various injuries, "In a few days time, however," she added. "I'd hate for them to see me like this."

"Indeed. I'll be sure to take good care of you," he kissed her knuckles. "Where exactly did you think them hiding? Aye, though, it seemed like a last resort at intomidation, kidnapping you. They know alright."

She smiled lovingly to Ali's words and his kiss, locking her gaze with his. "I wouldn't expect any less from you. You always do."

Her expression hardened a bit to his question. "Well, there's an abandoned-looking house not terribly far from here. But it didn't look truly abandoned. It's as though someone tried to make it look abandoned. I stumbled across it that night when that Nord of theirs we'd jailed was killed. I ran back to investigate the screaming before I could search it thoroughly though." Her eyes flicked to Eranor and back to Alijham as she spoke.

He looked back towards them as Elsynia looked to him, perking up slightly at the mention of the abandoned home, "Aye...all of that information will be helpful. We will search that home at earliest convenience. Of course, they know we're onto them. They're bound to move from place to place every few days as so they won't be found, making them more difficult to follow each time..." He looks to Alijham, "But, you somehow managed to find Elsynia. I wouldn't doubt that you could track down a skooma trail."

"Aye, I could. I kept those clothes the torturers put on Elsy so I could follow their scent when the time came. Feckin' silly, camping around so close to us. If they are, that is." He wet his lips. His brow knitted in thought.

She carefully nodded once to Eranor. "There's no one who can track better than Ali. Especially here in Malabal Tor."

Her eyes flicked to Ali. "Aye. Well, clearly these people are not the brightest..." She let out a sigh. "I'll happy when all this is over." She tugged at the sleeves of the shirt Ali had given her, watching her hands as she did so, thinking on things herself.

"Thank you. I don't get many chances to use the gift for such important tasks." He nodded. "As will I.."

He nodded, enough satisfaction coming to him to allow him to relax into the wall more and close his eyes to relax. Eranor opened them again, turning his gaze towards her hands and the other various exposed parts of her body, his facade more passive than it was before, "Do you know why exactly they took you, Elsynia?"

She froze, staring at her hands before her eyes flicked to Ali. She opened her mouth as if to answer but quickly shut it, then looked down at her feet. She intertwined the fingers of her uninjured hand with Ali's.

Finally, she spoke, her voice a bit shaken. "She... the Khajiit, the one who did this to me... she was asking if Ali was able to brew skooma. Naturally, I said no... but she seemed to know I wasn't giving her the truth." She squeezed her eyes shut. "Part of it was, they were trying to recruit Ali, or rather threaten him using myself, to work for them. Though another part of it felt like they just wanted to toy with us. I'm sure they know we're close to finding them. What better way then to go out in a blaze of glory? Take the leader of the town and..." She stopped herself from finishing the sentence, closing her mouth. She kept her gaze low as her eyes welled from the visions of what had been done to her earlier that flooded her mind. She didn't want either of them seeing it get to her.

Alijham frowned softly and nuzzled his nose into her cheek, kissing it and wrapping his arms around her. "Shh, you're triggering yourself." He sighed. "I hate that they knew exactly where to hit to lure me into that place, but the khajiit fled before she knew the man she was looking for was right at her doorstep." He snorted. "Filthy power streak. Absolutely feckin' filthy."

She nodded and blinked back some tears, still hiding her face by keeping her gaze to the ground. Once she'd collected herself enough, she spoke. "Aye... I don't... I don't think she realized how quickly you'd be coming. The Redguard was there to keep her safe, and I think she planned on tying you down too once you did arrive... but you caught her unprepared. She wasn't..." she choked down her emotions, "...she wasn't quite yet finished with me."

He nodded slowly at what was communicated to him, frowning grimly and eliciting a pained sigh, "You don't have to tell me anymore. Save yourself any more pain from reflecting on that painful experience...thank you for telling me what you did."

Eranor continued, almost hoarse in tone now, "It would seem that we are all targets to their plots now. I was attacked, and barely survived, the day after you disappeared. They were trying to knock out leadership, and acquire what they could from us. Send us into disarray."

"Disarray my arse." He ran his fingers through Elsynia's hair tenderly. "We're all still here, so they apparently aren't as scary as the try so hard to be. We'll hang them up by their tails, probably sooner than they think."

She nodded. Once she'd collected herself she brought her gaze up off the floor. "Aye. They'll pay dearly for their crimes once we catch them." She laid her head on Ali's shoulder and closed her eyes, soothed by him combing through her hair. Without opening her eyes, "We should do this soon, before they move. Eranor, how quickly can you and the guard be prepared?"

"I agree. I'll be your nose." He layed his head on Elsynia's and looked to Eranor.

"Any of them who are nearby...immediately. Although, I do not know when Kade will be coming with the Clanguard, but I believe we are sufficient without them given the time we have. It will be shoot to kill for any who do not surrender right away." He spoke with a dark conviction, looking over to the two as he pushed off the wall and approached Alijham.

Looking to the collection of ointments and bottles he had with him, and remembering his own injury. A hand reflexively went to his abdominal area as he winced, eliciting a nervous sigh from him.

"I'll rouse and organize them in the morning, after we all get some rest...but, you remember how I had also become a target to them...and barely survived an attack?" Eranor did not wait for a response, undoing the latches and ties on his armor and lowering the pieces to the side of the table. He lifted his undershirt to expose part of his abdomen, and the number of deep and festering scars and gashes from sword stabs present, "If it wasn't for the rest of my guard coming to my aide, I wouldn't have survived. Do you have anything to treat infection?" He dropped the shirt back over his stomach, leaning with one hand against the table.

Her eyes still closed, she responded to his first words. "Alright. We'll proceed without the Clanguard and prepare first thing in the morning. This needs to end."

Her eyes flicked open to his question and the sound of his armor, though she immediately regretted it. The waves of nausea she felt earlier came back, her stomach reeled from the site and the poison that sat within it. She quickly closed her eyes and buried her face in her hands. She spoke weakly, "I'm sorry Eranor, I don't mean to offend you with my reaction, but I'm not feeling well to begin with and after everything I'm still shaken. I'll have to look away."

She started as if she was going to ask Eranor something, but decided against it and fell silent.

"Fantastic," he looked to Eranor. "Yes, I remember.." He leaned a bit to get a peek at the wound. "I have plenty of things for you, aye. Why didn't you tell me sooner it was infected?" He nibbled at his lip. "No matter, I'll go grab something. How many of the clan guard do you think are ready?"

He didn't say anything to Elsynia, but winded a finger in gentle circles on her back. He kissed her jawline and stood to search his shelf, one right beside of the table at which they sat.

"No offense taken, Elsynia. Rest your eyes..." He replied as he looked to Alijham hopefully. Eranor shook his head to his response, answering his initial question anyway, "You were gone when it happened, and this is the first I've seen you since. As far as the Clanguard goes, I have no idea. Krynger is the only one who has shown his face here, and I haven't had opportunity to travel to Baandari. That was last night."

He nodded. "My apologies then, it's my duty to be here when my friends are injured. Anything I could do for you, do let me know. I haven't seen the clanguard neither.." He plucked a few bottles and ripped swabs of cotton from a pile in the bottom shelf.

Eranor shakes his head, "Everyone else was gracious enough to save my life and help me as I could. You needed to find Elsynia. You're the only one that could've found her."

He watched him as he gathered the supplies, but soon turned to look back at Elsynia hearing an annoying buzzing sound around her head, still being held by her hands. A single fly was poking around at the sites where she had injury, to which he promptly reached over and grabbed with his hand, bringing quick ending to its life as it was crushed.

Alijham turned back. "Can you expose your wound again for me, please, so I can disinfect it?" He blinked at the fly but payed little mind to it. As he passed her, he kissed Elsynia's forehead. "Thank you, I suppose. That makes me feel.. special?" He laughed briefly.

She flinched to the clap of the fly's death and dared to lift her head, peeking out over her fingers. She saw Eranor with the fly, and hid her face in her hands again. She smiled in her hands to Ali's kiss, although no one could see it. After listening to their conversation, she added, words muffled from her hands, though her voice sweet, "That's because you are, Ali."

Eranor nods, pulling his shirt up part way and stopping. He held it for a moment before pulling it off completely, throwing it to the side with his armor, "It would probably be best that I don't reuse that shirt."

Eranor held his hands behind his back and waited for Alijham to apply treatment.

He nodded, pinning down a smile and a blush at Elsynia's comment. "Thank you, love." He started to dab at the wound. "The infection doesn't look too suvere, has anyone cleaned it out aside of me? I apologize if it burns a little."

Eranor flinches and sighs shakily as Alijham went to work, moving one leg slightly behind to brace himself against the stinging and light push, finding the treatment more painful than he had expected, though he says nothing. He shakes his head, "I've washed a bit of water over it on a daily basis, but otherwise, no."

"That's a help, at least," he gave a tiny nod and stopped his dabbing. "Normally the more it hurts, the more the elixir has to kill in the wound. If it stings like Mehrunes's ass, then it's working.." He grabbed another cotton swab and dryed it in brief.

She lifted her head from her hands but kept her eyes closed and slumped back in her chair, resting her head. She folded her hands in her lap and listened to the two talk, nearing the edge of sleep.

He nods again, doing his best to push his grimace from his face, keeping as still as possible for Alijham to work without issue. Eranor tries to take his mind off things by looking around the room, first to Elsynia, then to the various sources of light within, and to the sound of a distant dripping from within the brewery in the lower level. He sighs, looking back down towards his abdomen and chest.

He took a thick white ointment and scooped out a bit with his fingertips, patting it on to the wound. It would almost radiate with a cool sensation, calming and smooth. Alijham finished with adhering a bandage over the wound. "You'll want to leave that on for two or three days, to be sure it's all cleaned out. Four days at the most. Once that's up, you'll need to wash it out best you can and it will heal up nicely. If anything feels unusual, or you have some side effect like throwing up or rashes around the area, do let me know."

He wet his lips and perked up to Elsynia. "Are you alright, love? Do you want to curl up in the hammocks and take a nap?"

Eranor relaxes some, exhaling with relief as Alijham applied a final ointment to him, nodding in confirmation to his directions. He patted the bandaged area tentatively, coughing at the awkward feeling it provided, and then looked back up to Alijham. "Thank you, Ali."

He looked between Alijham and Elsynia, speaking in a slightly hoarse, quiet, and obviously tired voice, "If neither of you need anything else from me, I'll leave you two for the night...try to get some rest before the morning."

She opened her eyes and nodded to Ali's question. "Aye, that may be best. Especially if I hope to be any help tomorrow."

She sat up straight again and nodded once to Era. "Thank you, Eranor. You as well. Do let us know if you need anything."

"Aye, Eranor, thank you. I'm glad I could help--you get some rest, too. Get a long bath in the hot springs or something to loosen up those nerves. Well.. after that ointment does its thing, I mean."

He looked to Elsynia. "I assume you'll be sleeping here for a few days, until you're better?"

She nodded to Ali, "If it's no bother to you, I'd like to."

"Aye. Y'ffre's blessings on both of you. Have a safe night," Eranor replies, picking up his belongings and beginning to walk out towards the ladder to exit the clinic. Just as he was going to descend, he turns back towards them and speaks loud enough for them to hear from across the room, "I'm assigning a Guard to you to be at your side at all times, Elsynia, when not inside privately with Alijham. Ali, you may also have a Guard, if you would like."

She looked as though she'd just remembered something. "Ah! Right. Thank you Eranor, I was actually going to request that of you when we returned but with the events and my exhaustion it seemed to have slipped my mind. Who do you have in mind for a personal guard?"

"Well..." He looked to the side, thinking for a moment, "If you have no personal preference, Bhidul would certainly be fit for the position of the Treethane's Guard. If you have no objections or specific requests, I'll brief him in the morning."

"Thank you, Eranor, and too yourself as well. I'd actually quite like a guard, yes."

He looked to Elsynia. "Of course, I need to look at those wounds in depth. I love having you here."

She nodded to Eranor. "I trust Bhidul. I think he'd make a fine personal guard." Her gaze flicked to Ali as he spoke to Eranor. When he'd finished speaking she asked, "Who do you think would make a good personal guard for Alijham?"

She smiled tiredly to Ali. "Perfect, thank you."

He sat back down beside of her and took her hands. "Really, Eranor, thank you."

"Of course...Alijham, if you have no preference, Do'Wadiq has proven to be very effective, and Bhidul works well together with him, which will be good for times where both of you are together in public." He suggested and praised.

"Perhaps, when all of this is over, we could sit down for a night and enjoy some drinks with one another. I'll make some food, and we could make our way down to the waterfall and beach, even if for a for just a few hours. Spend some time to get to know one another a little better, no?" He asked hopefully, but noticeably distantly, not actually bothering to make eye contact with them.

Alijham pursed his lips with a nod. "Wadiq sounds good."

"Aye, that would be fantastic. We do need to get together sometime. Thank you. Do make sure to get some good rest, though, you look quite beaten."

She wove her fingers into his and looked to Eranor. "That sounds perfect I think we can all use a well-deserved break when this is said and done." She nodded in agreement to Ali's words. "Aye, thank you. Rest well. I'll see you first thing in the morning, Eranor."

Eranor nods, rubbing at his neck with his one free arm while the other braced his armor and shirt against his name chest. He opened his mouth and made a soft sound, as if about to speak, but instead shut it and started his climb down the ladder.

Alijham watched him quizzically, wetting his lips. "What was that?" He asked gently, perking up, but it may have not been audible. He shrugged and layed his head on Elsynia's shoulder.

She frowned gently. "I haven't the slightest clue..." Her eyes flicked to him and she carefully combed her fingers through his hair. "Did you... catch something different about him?"

Alijham took a long moment to dwell in his thoughts. He wasn't frowning, just straight-faced and mellow. "He's one of us," he said, the tone of his voice worried, but filled with almost a prideful compassion.

She nodded, having suspected it. "I thought so..." She looked down at their intertwined fingers and thought. "I should talk to him soon... I know he followed the Green Pact too."

He nodded slowly. "It's puzzling. I don't think he'd do it on purpose.. maybe it's why he's so rough around the edges lately. I do hope he's okay," he tapped his lip. "I thought he'd have told me."

She nodded. "It's... hard to talk about. Believe me." She unfurled her hands from his and folded them in her own lap, looking down at them.

He looked over at her, his lips rippling slowly apart from one another as he thought. "I understand," he said.

After a long moment, he spoke again: "Do you mind if I get a better look at those wounds now?"

She looked back up to him and shook her head, "Of course not. I'd appreciate it actually. What do you need me to do?"

"I want to look at your back, as that was the only place I saw the skin was broken severely," he stood and brushed off his pants.

She nodded. "Alright." She stood, placing a hand on the table for support. She turned so her back was to him. "If you could help..." She twisted her hair up and out of the way, forming it into a knot at the base of her neck.

He took her hair gently from her hands and winded it into a messy bun. He sealed it off with a leather strip in his belt, picking up the bottles he used on Eranor and new wads of cotton. He then picked up the base of her shirt with his fingertips. "Do you mind if I pull this up? I can get something for you to hold over your chest or something, if it makes you uncomfortable."

She thought a moment then shook her head, "It's alright. Just, if you would do your best to hurry, please." She let out a small sigh. "I know the cuts need to be properly cleaned and such."

"Y-Yeah." He lifted up her shirt just to the top of the wound, using a little wooden clip to bunch it and keep it there. He took the first bottle and wet a swab. "This might burn a little, I'm sorry. It won't last long." He began to pat at the area. He didn't know why, but as he did so, his hands trembled a it. Maybe it was the entire experience catching up with him, or maybe just that fact Elsynia was hurt and he wasn't there to protect her. He swallowed his anxiety and focused on cleaning the wound.

She squeezed her eyes shut, grimacing, wrapping her arms across her chest and resting her hands on her shoulders. "It's alright." She felt anxiety from him as he fell silent. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know," he said under his breath, setting down the swab he was using and grabbing a new one. He set it in a different liquid, one that was warm and smooth.

She frowned though he couldn't see it. "I"m sorry..." she said gently. "I'm alright, I promise. Especially when I've got you as my medic." She tried her best to sound encouraging through her exhaustion.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" He asked. "You're the one who went through this, I just.." He let out a breath. "..I want to string that khajiit up so bad. I want to chop all of her toes off one by one." He finished cleaning, but he didn't bandage yet. He slid to his knees and wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist, resting his forehead on the center of her lower back. He shut his eyes.

She locked her jaw, her wounds still stinging a bit. She placed her arms over his, sliding her hands to lay atop his. "As do I," she said, her voice slightly trembling. Her eyes welled some at his concern for her and she was glad he couldn't see her. "Don't worry about me so much. I hate to see you like this. And besides, I told you, you're not getting rid of me that easily."

"I can't help but worry," he replied. "It's almost more of an occupation than my actual occupation." He kissed the small of her back. "I know it's not that easy for you to be.. y'know. But I've thought that about many people, and they were so easily taken by the most--well, what I thought at the time was--insignificant things. You can't shake me or my worry."

She gently and carefully squeezed his hands, thinking herself stupid for a brief moment as she was reminded of the cuts in the webbing of her one hands. She closed her eyes in attempt to get them to stop welling. "I know. I know exactly what you mean. Everything can change in an instant." She pushed out a breath.

Her fingers wove into his. "We should just take these moments in stride. Be grateful for what we end up getting, if that makes sense. Even if things end in ways we wished they wouldn't." Her eyes opened. "Like this moment right now." She managed a smile, though he couldn't see it. "I can't even begin to explain to you how incredible it feels just to be here with you now."

She fell silent but only briefly, adding, "And I'll always be grateful for the time you've given me. Nothing will ever change that. Even if that was all to suddenly go away tomorrow. "

He squeezed her a little tighter, smiling against her back. "You're right." He didn't really know what else to say for that moment. "I'm just used to.. y'know. Once I'm actually happy, that never lasts. I'm terrified something is going to do the same now." He stood and set his hands on her shoulders, leaning to kiss her on the cheek. "You're everything to me. If I.. if I lose you, that will likely be my last straw. With myself, I mean." He ceased to talk again for another few moments.

"I love you. If someone ever tried to hurt you.. someone tried to hurt you, and I had contact with them, I don't even know myself what I'd do. I guess that's kind of scary. I'm sorry about being so worrisome," he let out a tiny chuckle, snuggling his nose into the side of her neck. He shut his eyes. "I've never met anyone quite like you. You always know exactly what to say, you just.. read my mind. Kinda. You always let me know how you're feeling, and I treasure that. I treasure you--you already knew that." He smiled, lips parted.

She nodded, "You always seemed to have frightfully terrible luck. I remember telling you that when we were still in Sren'ja." She smiled softly to his kiss and spoke gently to his concerns, "Well, I'll do everything in my power to make sure your happiness does last. That it lasts as long as I'm around, and beyond that." Her smile lessened. "I can't promise you that something won't happen to me..." she crossed her arms over her chest and laid her hands atop his. "...though I can and will promise that so long as I'm around I'll be here to love you. And even when I'm not around, I'll still love you."

She shook her head, "I understand why you're worried...especially after today's... events... but I just hate to see you so anxious." Her small smile returned at the sound of his chuckle, though she flinched to him snuggling into the side of her neck. She bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from wincing as the bruises that collared her neck caused pain to flare, then relaxed once it'd ceased. His words caused her to smile gently, and she let out a quiet giggle, "That's clearly because I have telepathic powers!" She rested her head against his. "But in all seriousness, I'm glad I can do that for you. And of course I'd let you know how I was feeling - you deserve to know." She turned to kiss his cheek then rested her head against his, closing her eyes. "Thank you. I myself feel blessed to have you by my side." She opened her eyes and returned his smile.

"Thank you," he rested his chin on her shoulder and smiled. "You never have to worry about the same. I'll always stick here and love you the very best I can, lest something happens, and I'll still love you then." He chuckled. "You and your telepathic powers."

He unfurled his arms from around her. He grabbed his little pile of badages and smoothed them on to the wounds on her back. "May I see your fingers?" He bit his lip. "I've had that done to me before. Almost nothing like it."

"And I'm grateful for it." She chuckled.

She then nodded, reaching back to undo the clip that held her shirt up. Her shirt fell back into place and she turned to face him, handing him the clip. "Aye. It's... not exactly pleasant, to say the least." She held out her injured hand for him to inspect. Precise, deep slices into the webbing of her fingers would be visible. Upon further inspection, it would seem a very sharp, tiny blade was used to make the cuts.

He set the clip on the table. He took a good, long look at the cuts, pursing his lips. "Ow," he mumbled. "Does it still burn?" He took a cotton wad and dipped it in the same liquid from before.

"Only when I try to form a fist, or if I move my fingers too quickly." She inspected the cuts along with Ali. "She... took a small tool with a tiny blade at the end and held my hand still while she made the cuts." Her eyes flicked to eht cotton wad and she braced herself for the burning she was certain the liquid would cause.

He began to pat between her fingers. "Mm, when I got mine cut, it was with this fat rusty knife.." He winced. "It wasn't even sharp. The man pushed it in there and my skin just ripped. Gods, it hurts."

Her expression twisted in disgust at the thought of it. "That's awful... Why did he do it? If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh no, I don't mind. I was just a kid, I made potions for this bandit troupe.. a neighboring group kidnapped me and tried to get me to mix poisons and drugs for them. They tied me up and tried to torture it out of me, but it ain't easy to torture information out of a masochist," he shrugged. "That's kind of why this entire experience didn't shock me that much, other than of course them hurting you. It's not the first time some scum ass wanted me to mix their dirties for them." He moved on to cleaning th next finger.

She looked blankly at her injury, a bit sickened by the similarity of their recent situation to the one he'd described. "That's... eerily similar." She frowned. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, and even more sorry you had to go through it twice..." She watched him work.

"Aye, it's happened three times now I think. It's alright," he glanced up and smiled, before looking back down.

"That's sickening." She furrowed her brow worriedly to him as he glanced up. "I can't... even imagine... I don't want to even imagine." She kissed his cheek.

"It's alright. It comes with being good at what you do, people want it. I actually take it as flattery that they want me so bad they'd go to great measures for me," he chuckled a bid, kissing her cheek back. He finished cleaning the slits between her fingers and grabbed a new bottle. He began patting that on top of the first elixir.

She nodded. "That's true I suppose..." She watched as he patted something else onto her cuts. "By the Green, I'm so entirely lucky I have someone as capable as you to patch me up."

"Thank you," he smiled bashfully. "It's something I'm very proud of."

"It's something you should be proud of." She smiled warmly, then looked down at herself. "I think the only open wounds left are my arm and the small incision above my foot."

He nodded. "It should only take a moment for both of them. You'll have to be awfully careful with your fingers, though, since it can't be bandaged."

She nodded, "I'll try my best. I've already forgotten a few times." She lifted her gaze to meet his. "Which will you look at first? My arm or the other above my foot?"

"Your arm is probably more urgent," he nodded. "Where is it, exactly on your arm?"

She gingerly rolled up her sleeve on her right arm. On the inner part of her forearm would be a terrible burn, an impression of the thick band of silver left in her flesh. "Here," she said quietly.

He gasped under his breath. "Is that a.. a silver burn? Feck. I can't believe they'd.." he growled and picked up a new swab of cotton. He put away the other bottles and took a new one from a separate pouch strapped to his side, emptying only a few drops from the tiny vile onto it. He started to while it down slowly. It gave off a cool sensation. "I've perfected an elixir just for that. It was my father's, and I added to it. Being one of Hircine's all your life, one gets a lot of silver burns. They make a nasty scar if they aren't treated." He took a moment to pull the side of his pants down, just exposing the top of a hip, where a mangled, puckered array of scars lye under his matching tattoos to his shoulders and back. The scar almost resembled flowers, where the tattoos were vines.

"Aye..."

She nodded, then her eyes gently fell on his scars and her brow furrowed. "I can't imagine what that must of felt like, all of those scars... I couldn't even handle this one." She placed a gentle hand to the side of his face. "But they look beautiful in a way." She kissed his cheek. "Thank you for sharing that with me. And thank you for helping me. Really, I don't even know where I'd be right now if it weren't for you."

"Thank you," he smiled bashfully, bandaging up the wound. "I don't really know where I'd be either. I love sharing things with you."

He fixed his pants and wet his lips. "My dumb ass was hunting as a boy, and a I got attacked by some highwaymen. One of 'em had a silver shield, took me off guard and drove it rip up on my hip. It burned through my clothes and mangled my skin."

She smiled warmly to him.

She cringed to his story. "Gah... I'm sorry. That's awful..." She watched him bandage her own wound. "I just... that was a pain I'd never experienced before. I don't think I've felt anything as bad as that... I don't know how you managed all of those."

He shook his head with a small smile. "I experienced a lot more physical pain by the time I was seven, than most mer feel once they've reached their twenties. It wasn't really much for me, but I understand how impactful it was on you. That's so disgusting to me that the bitch would.." he sighed heavily. "Silver is extremely touchy, obviously. It's a huge red no-no. If you go there, you go on the to-die list and little else. It's like acid."

She frowned, looking at him. "You didn't deserve that. I'm so sorry it happened to you." She kissed his cheek.

She nodded, "Aye..." She let out a little sigh. "That's what finally broke me... the silver." She blinked her visions away.

"Thank you." He rested his nose on her shoulder. "I would believe so. That is crossing many dangerous boundaries that she knew she was crossing. It would have broken me, too." He kissed her neck. "You're so damn strong, you know that?"

She nodded. "Aye..." A small smile spread across her face to his kiss and his words. "Thank you. It means a lot to hear that." She thought a moment, her smile faded some. "After everything, I don't really feel it. Being... well... I just..." She let out a small sigh, trying to find words. "I feel like I shouldn't have been able to have been caught in the first place. Having that happen... it sort of made me realize I'm really not invincible."

His smile faded into a mellow look, but one of compassion. "It's a realization that many of us have, but not normally at your extent. I never had it, because I always thought everything was going to beat me down--y'know, because of my father. It's so much better to have it now than later, though."

"You're right..." She looked down at the wound on her arm a moment then back up to him. "I'm sorry that all happened to you." She took her uninjured hand and brushed some of his hair behind his ear.

"It's alright, love," his smile returned. He turned his head to kiss her hand. "It cannot be changed. Your emotional problems, on the other hand can be."

"Thank you." She smiled to him endearingly. "I really do appreciate all of your help." She looked down at herself. "It seems the only thing left to bandage is the incision above my foot.

"Anything for you," he smiled back. He knelt. "Mind if I take off your boot?"

She sat up on the table and shook her head, "Of course not." When removed, there would be a precisely placed incision above her foot, not very wide, but extremely deep. It would be obvious that a dagger as plunged into the flesh there.

He gently removed her boot and squinted at it for a few moments. He took the elixir and began to pat the wound. "What happened with this? Is this where she injected something in you?" He bit his lip and got a closer look.

"Aye. She dipped her dagger into a vial... I think the substance was red. Then she plunged it into my skin there." She cringed. "Then suddenly it felt like my blood was boiling."

"There are many things that could be," he said, cleaning it. "I'll grab a general antidote just in case it's harmful, but I doubt it. Most torturer's salves are just for pain, and only pain. How long did it last?"

She nodded.

"Not very long. It died down after a few minutes, but the pain was still excruciating. I haven't felt anything after the first effects wore off." She watched as he swabbed the wound, flinching slightly.

"Mm, then it's probably not still in your system." He smoothed a small bandage on top of it and stood.

She held her arms out to him, still sitting on the table. She smiled endearingly, "Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He wrapped his arms around her and nestled pressed against her, smiling widely, but softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

She wrapped her arms around his torso and lied her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Well, you'd certainly wouldn't have had such a hectic day."

"Better a hectic day with you than a lazy day by myself." He kissed her forehead.

She smiled. "If you say so." She picked her head up to look at him. "You should rest, it's been a long day."

"Mm, you should too. Which hammock do you want? Or, you could sleep with me. Whatever you'd like to do."

"Whatever is fine. I should at least be sleeping in the lower hammock, though. I'm not sure how well I can climb up to the top one." She gingerly stepped down from the table and wove her fingers into his.

He gave her hand a squeeze. "There is a pile of hides and furs below the first hammock where I usually sleep, if that's better. It's big and very comfortable," he cocked his head towards it and smiled softly.

She nodded with a smile, "Perfect."

She would walk with him to the hides and carefully sit, pulling off her shoes and letting her hair out of the bun.

He sat down and kicked off his boots. "I've got some books on the shelf right there if you want to read something." He grabbed one that was already on the pile of a bed and opened it to the mark, lying it on his chest.

She smiled softly, "No thank you. I'm feeling really exhausted." She smoothed out the clothing she wore, about to lay down, before saying, "Oh. I should have some spare clothes here. If you'd like, I can go change and give these back to you."

"Whatever you'd like. I really don't mind if you keep them, they are just spares. I think I'll just take off my armor and sleep in what's underneath."

"Alright. I'll probably give these back to you tomorrow then." She laid down on the hides then nodded, "Whatever you're comfortable in." She rubbed her eyes and let her hands stay over them a moment. She then pushed out a slow breath. She was tired and still trying to digest what had happened to her.

He nodded and unstrapped his armor. He set it down beside him and curled up, facing her, closing his book. "Comfy enough, princess," he folded his arms behind his head. "I know you're probably used to altmeri beds and whatnot," he laughed quietly.

She shook her head, rolling her eyes at him, though she was still smiling. "You forget that not only did I spend a bit of my childhood in Valenwood, but I was also a scout in the Dominion. We didn't exactly pull extravagant beds out into the field when we set up camp." She turned on her side to face him.

"Oh, you didn't? Those altmer settled for bedrolls and grass?" He chuckled. "I'm quite appalled." He leaned his head to lay it on her chest.

She laughed and playfully hit his shoulder, "You're awful." She laid back down so her back was flat and looked up to the ceiling, running her fingers through his hair as he laid on her. "They're not all like that. Quite a lot of them are, but not all of them." She chuckled.

"Mm, I know," he shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I've been to a few. The altmer I grew up were.. much different. The Thalmor were like a force of tyranny, rather than of ritiousness and order."

She laid her hands over his. "Oh? That sounds awful... I suppose with all great powers eventually corruption leads to its decay. It only takes time."

"Aye, but great powers only last so long," he smiled softly. "Not long enough to inflict too much damage sometimes."

She nodded, "One can only hope that's the case." She wove her fingers into his and blinked tiredly a few times.

"Mm," he nodded, eyes fluttering. He scooted to touch his nose to hers. "No supreme power--" he yawned "--ever lasts.." He kissed her upper lip and shut his eyes.

She smiled and leaned in to kiss his face, then settled back in, nuzzling close to him. She closed her eyes. The exhaustion of the day and her aching body led quickly to flitting eyelids and her breathing began to slow to that of someone who was nearly asleep.

He returned the kiss and rested his arms loosely around her waist. He watched her softly for a few moments before closing his eyes as well, humming.