waiting in vain, ISO: Nadddia

[Jaydee]

Night was overhead and crazy noises were playing, shouting from the treetops ahead. Everything here was low and stormy, even the humidity spoke death- but he sort of liked it, even with that ominous feeling on the air.

It was ten gazillion times hotter here than in Termina proper, that was the first thing he noticed. The air collided with the electricity; the heat fell around him lazily as they went along. The horse trotted slow over the soft, rank ground, crooked and injured; its silhouette, with the shadow of a girl and boy on it...the loneliest crowd, Senna figured, for miles around.

Blood was shining through the horse's coat; blood was drying on his leg and his shirt; blood was still fresh from Nadia's wounds, clouding his senses with a metallic scent that was becoming like oxygen. He hadn't had time to dress their wounds yet. What had happened? Where had the afternoon gone?

There were dangerous noises hinted all around- but yea, tho' they walked in the valley of death, they dint have nothin to fear. Seeing that they might be safe here, Senna pulled Charlemagne's reins. The horse stopped, and he hopped down to the muddy ground, pain shocking through his legs at the sudden impact. He took off his shirt, figuring that it would be useless to tear shreds off it now. The swamp waters were still and probably poisoned, but there was a small puddle nearby with cool clear water. He soaked the shirt through, and moved back to the horse, pulling Nadia down and holding her by the waist like a child. He laid her down on the muk- it was gross, but he figured she would deal. She was always practical anyway. "What should I do first?" he asked, with that easy, amiable tone that doctors had- that, "what seems to be the problem today?" tone.

[Nadia]

Her head was spinning; her whole world was clouded before her eyes as she stared, feeling the blood seep down her clothes and skin. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't. She felt nauseous again, and the humid air wasn't helping. Her hair clung to her face, slightly soaked with blood and the humidity in the air.
Her stomach churned again, but she suppressed the urge to vomit, closing her eyes tightly as Senna stopped Charlemagne, hopping off before pulling her off gently. She clung to him instinctively, her little hands shaking as they held onto him, before he lay her down into the muddy sod beneath them.

The cool feeling didn't bother her very much; it helped to ease her nausea and headache, but she knew it couldn't be good for her injuries. When he spoke again, she slowly opened her eyes, which were foggy and weak.

"Shoulder..." she grunted, sitting up slowly, letting her hair hang around her face. Only now realizing that her mask was tied on with her boomerang, she let her hand search blindly for it momentarily before she grasped it, gently pulling it off and tossing it to the ground beside her, to inspect it while she moved her hands to the bottom of her shirt, wanting to pull it off, to give Senna a better look at her injuries.
"Help me with this..." she mumbled in a quiet voice, trying to maintain her calm, strong exterior. Damn, would she need a bath after this; she hated feeling so filthy.

[Jaydee]

"...Shoulder," she answered, her voice rough even though so much damage had been dealt; she moved to sit up, his hand moved as though to support her- but he thought it would be better not to anyway. Almost as an afterthought, she pulled her mask off, discarding it quickly; her hands wandered to the bottom of her shirt, and she said, her voice strong but too quiet, "Help me with this."

He paused, then nodded, saying, "Yeah," as he moved closer to her. Her shirt in his hands, the blood slick over her skin...he pulled her shirt off carefully, feeling that dim spark that he felt being close to her. But now wasn't really the time for thinking that, so he pushed the thought from the forefront. He folded it haphazardly, and draped it over his shoulder as he leaned forward to work on her shoulder.

The flesh was tearing- panic surged up into the back of his throat as he cleaned the wound, knowing that it would sting like Hell. It was more than a flesh wound now- it looked like layers of flesh had been clawed carelessly, and the scar that had begun to form was now uselessly attached under the fresh blood.

He tore a long piece from the other half of his shirt, singing as he wrapped it around her shoulder..."I know a man/ He came from my hometown/ He wore his passion for his woman like a thorny crown/ He said, 'Delores, I live in fear/ My love for you's so overpowering I feel that I would disappear...We'll go to the witch around here when I'm finished. I feel like a nurse," he said, grinning as he tied the bandage tight around her shoulder. His eyes scanned her body, the cool flesh marred by violence- the blood on her stomach wrenching sickness into his feelings. "...How deep is the one on your stomach?" he asked as he began to clean it with the wet rag, the words markedly casual.

[Nadia]

She gave a shuddering exhale, her hands tightening as he cleaned out her shoulder injury. She, despite the pain, was focusing on /not/ getting sick, like she felt like she truly needed to do. Her head felt ten times bigger than it truly was, and she felt off-balance.
The coolness of his rag on her shoulder was almost heavenly, and she actually let out a sigh of relief as he dabbed at her injury. But then he moved away, and she frowned slightly.

"...How deep is the one on your stomach?" he asked her, and she didn't respond for a moment, once again suppressing the need to vomit. Finally, she managed to speak.
"...not deep enough to h-...harm any organs..." she panted. "...but enough to bleed me out..."
She coughed up a little more blood, grimacing at the pain, her hands clutching into the mud.
"God...damnit..." she cursed, leaning her forehead against his shoulder with exhaustion, her whole body feeling as if it were just going to give away at any moment.

[Jaydee]

Nadia's answer was delayed; with a mild expression he watched her face as it contorted- she was fighting back something- maybe sleep, or maybe he was..."...not deep enough to h-...harm any organs...but enough to bleed me out..."

She coughed and blood sprayed out- she moved as though broken as she clutched the earth beside her. "God...damnit," she heaved, sounding like a prize fighter defeated, leaning against him.

"Deep enough to bleed me out-" that was definitely not good. Even if he didn't have enough cloth to dress her other wound, he'd have to do that one first...he brushed the cool rag over it, making sure not to squeeze water out of it. It was bad, for sure...He wondered in the side of his mind why anybody would want revenge, cleaning the blood from around the wound.

He used most of the remaining cloth to bandage her stomach- wound it tight, although it was only a single layer, around her waist, touching the lines of her body like they could dissolve into smoke at any wrong moment. Without thinking he kissed her forehead as he tied the bandage, pulled it to make sure it was secure. He reached over to clean the blood off her right arm. He wouldn't have enough cloth to bandage this one, but he was hoping that she'd be able to hold out until they reached the witch.

There was a little dampness left in her rag, and he wiped it over her face like you would a little kid- then hoisted her up again, lying her across Charlemagne. He guessed he wouldn't ride this time, it would be too much on the horse. Besides, this way he could defend better against any creatures that might be out...he led the horse by the reins, toward some nowhere direction.

"Have you been here before? I don't know the way to the witch," he said, tossing the words back to her on the dark air.

[Nadia]

She slowly closed and re-opened her eyes as he kissed her forehead, feeling the rag dab away at her stomach, before wrapping it as best he could for the moment.
She cursed quietly again at the pain, eyes squeezing shut. He wiped her face off, and she mumbled an exhausted "thank you" in reply as he picked her up, lying her across the horse's broad back. She simply accepted the movements, not fighting them. She didn't have the strength to, right now.

"She's...in a hut, a little ways from here..." she panted out, clutching her stomach's bandages. "We'll have...to wade through the marsh...P-past the Deku Palace..."

((short but I'm getting tired. ^^; ))

[Jaydee]

[XD that's fine- if you feel like sleeping, go ahead :3]

"She's...in a hut, a little ways from here," she managed to answer- breathing labored, and he half-wished he'd never asked. "We'll have...to wade through the marsh...P-past the Deku Palace..."

His brain was shot down a couple of notches- wow, that sucked. That didn't sound pleasant at all. Maybe she'd go to sleep on the way there- that would be fine. She'd be able to regain a little bit of her strength that way.

Silence, only a song of the stars; they cleared through some flatland and came to the edge of a body of water.

"Stay here," he told Charlemagne, breaking into a light jog and checking out the water's edge. Was this poison? Maybe...he leaned down, dipped his arm in to be sure. Well, he didn't feel anything...There was a big hut ahead, but he felt in his gut that that couldn't be it.

Besides there really was no time for hesitation. He'd be able to stand, and so would Charlemagne, so that was really that. He rounded back to Charlemagne, pulling him by the reins and wading into the water- drenched, now, from the waist down. He pushed away some lily pads, looking back to Nadia. There were octoroks around, he'd have to watch out for those...

There weren't many mosquitoes on the water, that was another plus...slowly they came to a spot where the water reached his neck- he turned back to Nadia, and seeing that it wasn't high enough to be any harm, turned back, whistling a boppy tune; "Come runnin' down your stairs, Pretty Peggy-O/ Come runnin' down your stairs, combin' back your yellow hair/ You're the prettiest darn girl I ever seen..."

He had never really gone out of his way for people; the same went for negative emotions. He cast a glance at Nadia's slack form lying across Charlemagne. He found that revenge was useless- it always hit yourself the hardest. It was a mystery to him, as well, why her father would be out to get her- what had she done, besides go away from home? Was anybody really worth dirtying your hands for?

Past the lily pads, there was a small pier, and a sign above it. He paused in the water, turning his head quizzically. Being able to read might be helpful. He brought Charlemagne along, until Nadia could see the sign closely. "Hey Nadia," he said, pushing her a little just in case she was awake, "What's that say?"

[Nadia]

She nuzzled up slightly against Charlemagne's neck, clutching hold of the steed in fear of falling off. Charlemagne on the other hand walked obediently behind Senna, apparently having relented to submission to them both already. She let out another soft whimper as she felt another sharp pain her stomach and shoulder, hitting her both at once; Goddess, this was terrible. She simply wanted to be put out of her misery at this point...

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. She was fading in and out of sleep, and though the pulsing in her head was beginning to fade, her nausea just wasn't quelling. What was worse was the fact that the air was so humid and there was a distant buzzing sound in her ears. Bugs? She wasn't sure.
"Hey Nadia," again spoke Senna's voice, slashing through her reverie once again. She slowly opened her eyes as he nudged her. "What's that say?"

She had to take a moment to figure out what he was referring to, in her stupor; but finally her pink eyes set on a sign, hanging above a trail that led away somewhere.
"...Kotake's..." she gasped out, grimacing as she held her stomach again. "...Potion Shop. That's it, I think..."
Her eyes fluttered again, and she swallowed nausea.
"I feel sick..." she mumbled out, knowing she couldn't suppress it much longer.

[Jaydee]

"...Kotake's...Potion Shop. That's it, I think..." she answered through injured breaths that sounded like bruises lifted on the air- Senna nodded, beginning to lead the horse up the small incline on the banks of the swamp.

"I feel sick," she mumbled.

"Throw up if you need to- Charlemagne wouldn't mind," he answered, passing under the shadow of an archway...

The heat settled a bit in this area- he looked around with flashing cat eyes, as though taking memory snapshots. This place looked like a carnival...the ground was more dry, and the water was clearer. It was circular, with this big ass tree in the middle of a...what was that, a platform? Giant urns breathed poison-colored fumes, seeming to be filled with potions...and the building up top was shaped like a bottle of some sort. How much had it cost to make this thing?

A new song through the night- monkeys howling out hollow sounds from the treetops. He almost stopped short. "What is that? Monkeys? I've never heard monkeys before," he pronounced to either Charlemagne or Nadia, excitement in the undertones of his voice.

But there was no time for tourism now. Steady on his feet, careful not to lead the horse too deep into the water, he neared a giant ladder. There was no way they were gonna climb that on their own..."Hey! Witch! The army's here! We're onto you! Stop evading taxes!" he yelled up to the top, standing like a vagabond at the bottom.

No noises. "If you defy the govern-" he was in the middle of yelling, when an old woman with leathery skin tanned green and white hair peeked down from the top of the platform. "Stop yelling, you brat," she answered, her voice high and...well, fitting of a witch.

"I got casualty," he answered, indicating Nadia and Charlemagne with a tug of the reins.

"...Come up then."

"No, I can't bring them up- come down here," he replied- watching her movements to see whether or not he could trust her.

"Very well then," the witch sighed, and without the slightest effort jumped down from her place on top of the platform...She was quite short, but she could hold herself in the air without problem- to match Senna's height. "What seems to be the problem?"

"She's hurt. So's the horse."

"Eh?...Tsk, how did this happen? Hey you, girl, red or blue?" the witch asked brusquely, poking Nadia pointedly in the leg.

[Nadia]

Nadia's eyes shut again as he replied to her, and she could feel the sickness rising again. Finally just giving in, she bent over the side of Charlemagne and vomited.

Afterward, she leaned back onto Charlemagne, feeling disgusting and even more light-headed. But it was around that time when the howling of monkeys reached her ears, and Senna exclaimed how he had never heard them before. She had, once, when she was very small; she had come here with a few friends of hers to ride the boat through the swamp. She had even seen the little white-furred monkeys, too...

"Hey! Witch! The army's here! We're onto you! Stop evading taxes!" Senna yelled, and she opened one eye irritatedly. The hell was he yelling about? Finally the witch emerged, telling him to stop shouting as she lowered down toward the ground. They exchanged words for a moment before she turned to Nadia herself, and Nadia grimaced a little, as if the woman was going to strike her.

"Eh?...Tsk, how did this happen? Hey you, girl, red or blue?" the witch muttered, poking her in the leg. She looked confused momentarily, swallowing once.
"B...blue...?" she replied, unsure of why she had to answer such a question. A potion type, maybe...?

[Jaydee]

"B...blue?..." Nadia answered, probably wondering- as Senna was- how that would be relevant. Maybe it was a game and whoever didn't answer the witch's color preference correctly would be denied service...-

The witch nodded. "Yes, I can see why," she murmured; then turned to Senna, her protruding eyes reverting to a businesslike flatness. "One blue potion- sixy rupees then."

There was a moment of silence that ensued awkwardly, and Senna's mind fell down again. "But Ma'am, that's highway robbery," he answered with a smile.

"Can't be helped- you want a blue potion, it's sixty rupees."

Senna paused, scratching the back of his head thoughtfully. "Hmm, well I've got twenny right now- how 'bout I pay you back the forty later?" he bartered, glancing at Nadia briefly before turning back to the witch.

"Huh? You wake an old lady up and don't even have any money?" she answered incredulously.

"We're in a bind. I promise I'll pay you back later," Senna answered, with that reassuring smile that kids have when they're secretly crossing their fingers behind their backs.

The witch paused. "Hmm. It's a bad thing I'm so philanthropic," she mused. "Alright then, you, up we go. And you follow after," she said, picking Nadia up and- gliding on back up the ladder.

The moon was rocky and grimacing at the earth as he said a short goodbye to Charlemagne and proceeded up the ladder, taking a breath of the thick air...walked toward the open door, rifling through his pocket for twenty rupees and peeking into the small, musty room for Nadia and the witch.

[Nadia]

Nadia practically squealed when the witch picked her up, taking her into her potion shop by gliding through the air. She looked around wildly for Senna, before spotting him below, heading up the ladder. She frowned, feeling uncomfortable- she was immobilized right now, and this witch, whom she didn't know in the slightest, had her in her arms, and her only means of protection was lagging behind, attempting to dig money from his pocket.
"S-Senna--" she mumbled sickly, but the witch had already brought her into the musty old shop. The smell made her crinkle her nose in slight disgust, and she felt the urge to get sick again.

Her head lolled to the side a little, groaning as the witch set her down, her eyes fluttering open.
"Senna..." she repeated, eyes closing and re-opening slowly. Though she was very independent in nature at her best, when she was injured and down like this, she always needed to have an ally along with her. Senna's current absence from the room was not helpful in the slightest, and it was making her feel the need to stumble to her feet and attempt to flee.

But then he entered the room, and she felt relief wash over her. The witch was brewing something in the back, and Nadia just sat there, her chest heaving as she attempted to return air to her lungs, her hand on her abdomen as she tried to keep the bandages tight.
"Sorry..." was all she could muster to Senna as she closed her eyes again. This was all her fault. She had dragged that boy into this, and because of it, she had endangered her client. She doubted she could ever forgive herself for this...

[Jaydee]

The darkness was clouding around like clouds of dust- the moon's angry light was shedding tones of bad blood into the room, but amid the smothering anonymous feelings sat Nadia, in the middle of the floor...looking injured, with an expression of an alley cat in a foreign place. Her hand clutched her abdomen, and she looked at him intently for a moment.

Effervescent pink shot melody into his mind, starlike..."Sorry," she muttered, and her eyes fell shut again.

The darkness played into a corner of his mind and he gave her a smile, looking over the lines of her neck with a certain familiarity. "Ain't nothing to be sorry about," he answered, placing his hand over hers, like some boy scout handshake. "It's you and me after all."

He closed his eyes similarly, breathing mingled scents- bitter curbing scents of medicine, the green foliage beyond the windows...Yeah, it was him and her. There wasn't anything to apologize for, and nothing to be expected. That was what it meant to be accomplices, to him, anyway.

It didn't really matter what had happened. He was about to make some crack to her about the state of the musty room, when the witch shuffled out from some corridor in the back. "Here," she said, pushing Senna away from Nadia a little bit so that she could hand Nadia the bottle.

"Wow, that looks gross," he said, flashing a grin to the old witch.

"Be quiet,," she answered. "That should help you recover the strength to move around in a little bit. And your injuries will start to heal at a much faster rate, but- you'll need to follow up with more potion and lots of rest. And Senna, the money."

With a quizzical smile, Senna handed the witch twenty rupees. "Here you are Ma'am," he said, watching as the witch got up from the floor and moved to the back again.

"I'll be back. We'll discuss your debt, her recovery, and your arrangements. I have a feeling you'll ask me to stay the night," the witch declared- then disappeared into the back.

Senna smiled at her retreating form. "How did she know my name? She must be psychic or somethin," he said; then let out a relieved exhalation. "Am I the only one hungry? When's the last time you ate? I ate yesterday morning...maybe she'll make us something."

[Nadia]

She couldn't even manage to smile at Senna as he spoke to her, her eyes fluttering closed again. But the witch came back in around that time, handing her a bottle, which she took with a weak hand. Her nose wrinkled again at the smell, but she ignored it, instead leaning her head back and downing the whole thing in one gulp.

She exhaled afterward, a little blue smoke escaping her lips as she wiped her mouth with the back of her glove. The pain had already lessened, something she was extremely thankful for. She looked down to her hand, balling it into a fist before letting it relax again, watching the movements. Her mobility seemed fine, again.
She attempted to get up, but winced, once again returning to the floor. Well, /that/ didn't work. With another quiet grunt of effort, she used the wall and Senna's shoulder to help her stand.
"Thank you..." she breathed to the witch, glancing over to her, but she had disappeared into the back again.

"How did she know my name? She must be psychic or somethin," Senna stated, and she frowned a little.
"Yeh...psychic." she muttered, before he went on to say how hungry he was. She gave a half-shrug with her uninjured shoulder, letting her eyes wander the potion shop.
"Not really. After vomiting and that blue potion I don't have much of an appetite." she replied, her witty nature returning, at least somewhat. "I do want a bath though. I'm covered in blood and dirt and I hate it."

[Jaydee]

"Not really. After vomiting and that blue potion I don't have much of an appetite," she answered, with the usual casual, seamless tone of voice back in her tone. That was good, at least. "I do want a bath though. I'm covered in blood and dirt and I hate it."

He gave a small half-laugh; his eyes shadowed as he looked over her, noting that she was now able to move without struggling. "The cycle repeated, huh? I wouldn't mind tagging along." He leaned forward a little- put his arm around her shoulders loosely. "I personally think we did good today."

Then feeling a spark, he got up, pacing around the room- there wasn't much to look through, nothing laid out on the tables. Just some empty potion bottles and spoons. "Maybe she has a bath in this house," he thought out loud, picking up an empty bottle and viewing the moon through it.

"So, you two," the witch's voice came- he turned, and she stood there, shuffling on creaky bones to the middle of the room, hands behind her back. "Do you have someplace to stay tonight?"

"Yep," Senna answered, moving over to talk to her. "Here, if you're so willing!"

"Don't be so quick. Now I'm not very keen on allowing two shirtless, bloody strangers to stay in my house, but I have found it in my heart to allow you to sleep in the main room, provided you clean and make me breakfast in the morning," the witch said, as though she was sitting on the golden throne of morality.

"Much appreciated- you got a bath, gramma?" he asked.

"No. Use the water outside," the witch answered; then tossed a small bottle of red liquid to Nadia, obviously trusting her more. "Here. Now, I'm going to sleep. Don't even think to try anything." And with that, she disappeared again into the backroom.

Senna paused, foot tapping on the floor; then looked over to Nadia. "Wanna go?" he asked, nodding toward the door.