Post by Roan on Jun 13, 2013 23:17:27 GMT -5
Continued from here.
The water swirling on the tile around her had stopped running red minutes ago but Roan was making no effort to move. Steam and heat stung at her exposed damaged hand which still bore the damage from the molten silver. Shiny red patches and stretched rubbery white skin covered the appendage, making even the tiniest twitch twinge with pain. Her bone weariness and pain didn’t matter at the moment though. Sitting in the haze of steam and heat Roan allowed herself to be paralyzed by her fear and fault. Over and over she replayed the events of the day in her mind and each time she remembered the look on Anil’s face as he banished her it was like a stab in the gut.
He’s in this danger because of me. He could die because of me. Just like Phugsius. And Talon, and Muryllis. Sylph and Willow. Everyone you care about.
Finally with her good hand she reached up and twisted the faucet to turn off the water. While Ilmar was being helpful she still didn’t trust him. If she spent too long in the shower he’d probably come to make sure she wasn’t dead or drowning or something. Roan felt too vulnerable to face him in her current state. It took great effort to push herself up off the shower floor and even more to make her sore legs take the small steps out of her tiled enclosure. Gingerly she grabbed the towel she had hung outside of the shower and winced as she wrapped it around herself. The severe wounds she had suffered that day had been healed but it left her feeling stiff and sore.
All of the mirrors in the locker room’s shower were fogged from the long exposure to heat. Roan walked up to one and wiped the condensation from its surface. The woman hardly recognized the face that looked back at her in the distorted glass. All of the dried blood had been washed from her body and the steam had sunk into her skin. Even so she could see lines of stress along her face and bedraggled hair falling around her shoulders. The worst part was the dullness to her eyes which used to burn so bright with passion and heat. Now anyone who tried to use them to see into her soul would only find despair and defeat.
The woman sighed and braced herself on the sink in front of the mirror. The warmth from the water had settled into her bones and emphasized how groggy she felt. Roan had hardly slept since the night at the tower and now had spent an entire day on the run. Her body felt like it would drop any second and she had almost fallen asleep in the shower. How could she help Anil like this? The thought frustrated her and she struggled to push it from her mind.
If all else fails, retreat
Ilmar’s words stung. Roan didn’t retreat, she was a fighter who was devoted to her friends. And now she had run off like a coward. Worse, she had picked their destination and led Ilmar right to the Hufflepuff locker room at the Quidditch Pitch. Instead of cleaning up the mess she had made they were hiding out. Why did her safety even matter? There was nobody left in the world for her. Anil had a family, his brother was here in Spain. Why was her safety a higher priority than that? Roan’s face was contorted with emotion as she gripped the porcelain of the sink under her palms. Pain shot like lightning through her injured hand but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore other than making things right.
“If he can’t help me, I will fix this myself. No matter what it costs.” Saying the words out loud gave Roan more resolve. Anil’s brother was obviously clever. The rune magic he had used by the Lake was esoteric and dangerous, which meant he wasn’t incompetent. But if he couldn’t help her save Anil then she’d take matters into her own hands. The Church was hurting him because he helped a fugitive lycan. If she turned herself in, then Anil would be out of harm’s way. And then all of this pain and guilt and fear would be gone.
Taking a deep breath the woman let go of the sink and headed out into the main locker room. Hufflepuff yellow and black decorated it, making the room look like en enormous beehive. It was all a blur in her vision and Roan went straight to the first locker she saw and tugged at the lock holding it shut. If she was going to do anything useful it wasn’t going to be wrapped in a towel. The team kept robes in their lockers and she’d break into them until she found some that fit.
Once she found them it would be time to decide. Would Ilmar be useful? Or would she be taking matters into her own hands and ending this conflict once and for all?
The water swirling on the tile around her had stopped running red minutes ago but Roan was making no effort to move. Steam and heat stung at her exposed damaged hand which still bore the damage from the molten silver. Shiny red patches and stretched rubbery white skin covered the appendage, making even the tiniest twitch twinge with pain. Her bone weariness and pain didn’t matter at the moment though. Sitting in the haze of steam and heat Roan allowed herself to be paralyzed by her fear and fault. Over and over she replayed the events of the day in her mind and each time she remembered the look on Anil’s face as he banished her it was like a stab in the gut.
He’s in this danger because of me. He could die because of me. Just like Phugsius. And Talon, and Muryllis. Sylph and Willow. Everyone you care about.
Finally with her good hand she reached up and twisted the faucet to turn off the water. While Ilmar was being helpful she still didn’t trust him. If she spent too long in the shower he’d probably come to make sure she wasn’t dead or drowning or something. Roan felt too vulnerable to face him in her current state. It took great effort to push herself up off the shower floor and even more to make her sore legs take the small steps out of her tiled enclosure. Gingerly she grabbed the towel she had hung outside of the shower and winced as she wrapped it around herself. The severe wounds she had suffered that day had been healed but it left her feeling stiff and sore.
All of the mirrors in the locker room’s shower were fogged from the long exposure to heat. Roan walked up to one and wiped the condensation from its surface. The woman hardly recognized the face that looked back at her in the distorted glass. All of the dried blood had been washed from her body and the steam had sunk into her skin. Even so she could see lines of stress along her face and bedraggled hair falling around her shoulders. The worst part was the dullness to her eyes which used to burn so bright with passion and heat. Now anyone who tried to use them to see into her soul would only find despair and defeat.
The woman sighed and braced herself on the sink in front of the mirror. The warmth from the water had settled into her bones and emphasized how groggy she felt. Roan had hardly slept since the night at the tower and now had spent an entire day on the run. Her body felt like it would drop any second and she had almost fallen asleep in the shower. How could she help Anil like this? The thought frustrated her and she struggled to push it from her mind.
If all else fails, retreat
Ilmar’s words stung. Roan didn’t retreat, she was a fighter who was devoted to her friends. And now she had run off like a coward. Worse, she had picked their destination and led Ilmar right to the Hufflepuff locker room at the Quidditch Pitch. Instead of cleaning up the mess she had made they were hiding out. Why did her safety even matter? There was nobody left in the world for her. Anil had a family, his brother was here in Spain. Why was her safety a higher priority than that? Roan’s face was contorted with emotion as she gripped the porcelain of the sink under her palms. Pain shot like lightning through her injured hand but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered anymore other than making things right.
“If he can’t help me, I will fix this myself. No matter what it costs.” Saying the words out loud gave Roan more resolve. Anil’s brother was obviously clever. The rune magic he had used by the Lake was esoteric and dangerous, which meant he wasn’t incompetent. But if he couldn’t help her save Anil then she’d take matters into her own hands. The Church was hurting him because he helped a fugitive lycan. If she turned herself in, then Anil would be out of harm’s way. And then all of this pain and guilt and fear would be gone.
Taking a deep breath the woman let go of the sink and headed out into the main locker room. Hufflepuff yellow and black decorated it, making the room look like en enormous beehive. It was all a blur in her vision and Roan went straight to the first locker she saw and tugged at the lock holding it shut. If she was going to do anything useful it wasn’t going to be wrapped in a towel. The team kept robes in their lockers and she’d break into them until she found some that fit.
Once she found them it would be time to decide. Would Ilmar be useful? Or would she be taking matters into her own hands and ending this conflict once and for all?