aftermath ║ one on one w/ avior.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

Gauze... dirty but gauze nonetheless... Without questioning Arlen she put an end piece in her mouth and began unraveling it, taking a seat next to him. The bandage covering up the hiss of pain this time. Balancing the roll on her knee Arrana began looking around for surgical scissors, or a simple dagger, but alas there was nothing to be found. She removed the cloak and set the majority of it beside the warrior, biting into the sodden wrap as the fabric tugged at her skin. She took in a breath, bit down on the gauze, and tore off the rest in a single swift motion. The action forced her eyes to smart and blood to began to run down her arm yet again. Cleaning it was a nightmare, any dabbing motion, or scrubbing resulted in a shortness of breath or painful gasps. Without wasting any time she took the gauze out of her mouth and began wrapping it around her arm, wincing whenever she hit skin or moved it. Hissing "better than a coat" through clenched teeth she finished the wrap. There were already a few red splotches, but that didn't matter at the moment.

She looked over at Arlen as he removed whatever he'd been wearing underneath the mud. The only noticeable aspect of his form were the scars. What seemed like dozens of them, crossing each other in a cruel pattern. She turned her head to the side in an effort to give him some privacy before lifting a but of her own garment to stare at the wound something had left on her. She grabbed another roll of the gauze without a word and went to work, wrapping the material around her waist until all that was visible was a dirty white.

She pulled the bag over to her and began digging though it. A high elf medic, some name that was etched out either from time or the battle, a few vials of what she assumed to be a prototype for a healing potion, and a badge. She began to realize how cold it was now, her brain finally shaking off its illusion of safety. She couldn't touch her mangled arm without experiencing pain, she couldn't move it without something going wrong, and she couldn't shoot with only one arm. A wonderful combination... a single wound that crippled her when it came to her specialty in ranged combat.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Shivering as the cold immediately penetrated straight to his bones, Arlen hurried to clean the blood off, the frigid water awful on the rawness of the wound. There wasn’t a single part of this whole experience that had not been completely unpleasant. Still, he was alive- and he wasn’t sure whether or not he was grateful for that by this point. Soon enough it was cleaned to an acceptable extent, and he began to wrap up his shoulder, though it was clumsy and awkward considering he only had the use of one hand and his teeth. Finally, though, he was able to finish it, the elf letting out an exhausted huff of air that crystallized as soon as it escaped. He pulled his tunic back on with some difficulty and used the rag to wipe up as much of the blood from his face and hands as he could. Dried flakes of blood still clung to his eyelashes, blurring his vision slightly as he wrapped his arms around himself in hopes of getting some semblance of warmth back. Through lips that trembled slightly in the chill, he muttered a soft curse directed at- who? The war, mostly. He couldn’t really pick any one side to blame, though it was undoubtedly the high elves that had gotten it all started.

Well, it wasn’t cold enough for them to freeze to death, and warming up would probably make their blood flow faster. They couldn’t risk possibly losing any more, so it was in their best interest for them to sit and wait out the night until it got a bit warmer and they were less tired. And then what? He could try to make it back to the kingdom he’d come from, but they had traveled a long ways to get here. He wasn’t sure he could make it back in his current state. And that still left the problem of his current companion- Arrana. If he was anywhere near healthy, he would take her back as a prisoner of war. Now, he wasn’t in much of a position to force her into anything. He exhaled slowly, unsure of what to say or do. Dead silence was uncomfortable, but he couldn’t think of a way to start a conversation that wouldn’t be even more so.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

The sun began to leave the sky, and grey took over the world. Or it looked like it. She'd waited for maybe an hour at this point, allowing the thoughts to ferment in her mind. She was stuck here with the enemy, someone who could kill her whenever he deemed worthy, but what could she do? Fight in this condition? No, thoughts like that were ridiculous and could lead to nothing more than self destruction. Not to mention she'd rather not die alone, abandoned by those she knew.

The air was still frigid, so she took the coat and tossed it over her companion. She'd dealt with harsher environments than this before, but she hadn't been injured or alone. Technically she was only dealing with one of those conditions at the moment. The silence ate away at any hope she had of sleep, not like she could sleep after the horrors she'd witnessed already. Exhaling a thin stream of crystallized breath she turned to him and opened her mouth, expecting words to come out. Nothing happened as her mind blanked, leaving her sitting there staring at the ground in embarrassment.

Finally she closed her eyes, her head still pointed towards the ground, and asked, "so where exactly did you get your scars..."

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen felt a shudder pass down his spine as the coat was put around his shoulders, the young elf flinching instinctively. It was bloody and torn, but an extra layer nonetheless. He murmured a quiet "thank you," eyes cast at the ground as he pulled it tighter around himself. He let himself look up once, somewhat nervous about the idea of meeting Arrana's gaze, then preoccupied himself with arranging the coat fabric over the gash in his sleeve. How was he to explain his scars? The question made him shift uncomfortably, brushing his hair aside.

”Well, it’s really not much of a story,” he began, running his fingers along the edge of his opposite sleeve. He cleared his throat once and leaned over to spit out a mouthful of blood that had been on his lip. Or maybe he was just stalling. He really didn’t know himself. He’d been asked that a few times before, and each time he’d managed to avoid an actual answer. But then again, they could very well die here. He couldn’t find a reason not to tell her. ”I used to train with my father. It got rougher than intended on occasion.” It wasn’t the whole truth, but not a lie, either. He put his arms back around himself, looking up at the sky and blinking as the rain fell on his lashes. ”So, do you suppose anyone will be coming back here?”

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

His father? She'd never actually considered her enemies lives when she would cut them down, the only thing that mattered there was winning the fight to keep on living. "So... you didn't have any training programs or anything?" Not to mention how many times things would have had to have gotten out of hand for him to receive that number of blows, not to mention the fact that not all wounds produced scars.

Arlen's second question startled her a bit, forcing her mind back into its habit of checking any and every possible contingency. She took a moment to think, looking at him out of the corner of her eye before allowing herself to smile. There was a chance they they'd be found. "The third regiment has a reinforcement system that brings in new troops on a daily basis, we also had a few carts and trolleys with supplies in the forest. If I had to guess there'll be a few people in that are... unless..." Her mind delved back into the threats that had remained untouched since the fourth or fifth day. They hadn't received anything then, and the pattern continued afterwards. Not to mention the panic her commander had been in. Swallowing she hesitantly added, "It... wouldn't hurt to go over there tomorrow," already going through the few friends she had who had been assigned to that position. No, they were dead, it was better to simply assume that they were dead than hope for life.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen nodded slowly, sensing the new tension in the air. He briefly remembered the general sending a few patrols out in that direction, but since he hadn't been assigned, he hadn't thought much of it. Chances were they'd met up, and Arlen couldn't be sure of the outcome. Still, if any of her teammates had survived, the wood elf didn't want to be there. "Right. I should probably be gone before that, then," he replied, though his tone wasn't very committed at all. They could part ways tomorrow, perhaps. He was too tired for that right now. Letting out a foggy sigh, the young elf shifted with a pained wince, settling down with his back on the ground and shutting his eyes to protect them for the rainfall that seemed to be slowing somewhat. He had felt the hesitation in her words. There was every chance that they were dead, something he had never considered. She might've had friends, or family. The thought made things all the more awkward, so he shifted the topic back to what they had been talking about before. That was much safer.

"We have a training program. My father was in charge. I'm to inherit it in a few years, until then it's being taken care of by one of our veterans." He couldn't remember the last time he'd held such a lengthy conversation with someone, but to be fair, there wasn't much else he could be doing right now. He opened his eyes again, instincts urging him not to leave himself defenseless in the presence of an enemy. Then again, he really already was- there wasn't much he could do in his current situation.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

"You'd die on your own in that state." She didn't particularly want to bring a wood elf with her, but she'd rather have him as a prisoner than have him dead. She silently watched him as he lay down, and waited a moment before doing the same. She moved her bandaged arm to her side, wincing as she did so, and used the other to pull up the remainders of a hood so her head wasn't resting on nothing but mud. The rain was easing up, allowing the stars above to shine through. She hadn't seen them in what felt like years, even if it had only been a few days. The sight brought a slight smile to her face none the less.


So he was supposed to inherit a training program. Arrana chuckled to herself for a fraction of a second, she couldn't see the warrior training anyone, least of all running a facility. "I doubt that you'd bee very good at it, or at least from what I've seen..." She could feel sleep tugging at her consciousness, whether she wanted it to or not. Not only was she lying next to the enemy, but she could already see the horrors from the battle taking form in her mind. With a shuddering sigh she forced her eyes closed, patiently waiting for morning to arrive.

(timeskip?)

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen had stayed awake for a while after Arrana fell asleep, the pain making rest hard to get as he stared up at the sky. Finally, though, he'd fallen under as well, curled up on his side on the wet ground. That was where he woke the next morning, the sun painfully bright after the dim skies they'd experienced all last week. He turned up to face the sky, shutting his eyes against the light and letting out a low groan. The last remnants of a nightmare were fleeing from his mind, and now he couldn't even grasp at what it had been about. All things considered, though, it was probably a replay of the battle. It never seemed to leave his mind. Wincing with the effort it took, the wood elf made himself sit up, brushing his hair from his eyes and looking around. It all seemed garishly worse now that the destruction was visible. He let out a soft breath of air. All this death, when they probably could've just worked out a peace treaty, of sorts. He looked down at his companion. Maybe he should leave now. He knew he was strong enough to walk, even if he was sore from spending the night on the ground. But that would be a death sentence. He'd be an easy target for robbers or wild animals on his own and injured. It was better to stay with her for the time being, and if anyone did come, he would try his best to flee. Besides, there was no guarantee that anyone had even survived.

Now, though, food was the more immediate issue. He forced himself to his feet and began searching the medic for anything that might be of use. Luckily, the elf had been carrying rations with him. The bread was soggy, but there was some dried meat kept wrapped in a layer of canvas. He picked it up and walked back over to Arrana, the short trek already having worn him down. He knelt down and shook her lightly.

"Food. Wake up."

[sure!]

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

She was in the battle again, warriors tearing each other to pieces while commanders ordered more troops into the fray. She could hear the cries for help, feel the pain, see the horror, smell the blood in the air. She wanted to cry out to help them, to do something to end it. Then she was shaken awake. Rubbing her eyes Arrana looked up at her companion bleakly, expecting some rude remark. He was talking about food. When she finally opened her eyes she didn't see much. For one, it was bright, and further more she couldn't really see past Arlen. "Yeah... I'm up.." She brushed his hand off her shoulder and flicked her eyes to the packet he was holding. That was supposed to cover both of them?

Pushing herself up int a sitting position was difficult with only one arm. She'd managed to roll onto it in her sleep, and did her best to shake off some of the mud. Her arm hurt, her side hurt, everything hurt. She could walk though. Silently she took a piece of the dried meat and started chewing on it, staring off towards a dense treeline. She could make it there, maybe taking a few dozen breaks along the way. Looking back at Arlen she smiled before chuckling, "You haven't run off yet have you..." No, he was smart enough to know that would lead to death for both of them, or if they didn't die from their wounds or starvation then something would end up hunting them. That would be unfortunate. Her mind went back to the beasts that had been released, the things that had devastated the rangers sent to scout or provide cover fire for others. She didn't want to have to worry about that,
if she saw one she could kill it, with a sword or something. No, if something even managed to get a blow on her at this point she was as good as dead.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen forced a tiny smile, barely there. ”No,” he replied simply, taking a piece of the meat and starting to eat it. His throat was dry, which made swallowing hard, but he could manage. It was still cold, but the sunlight had made it considerably warmer. It was drastically different than last night. He rolled his injured shoulder, nose scrunching slightly at the burst of pain. Hopefully the soreness would go away soon. He tangled his fingers together, leaning forwards lightly as he shifted to a cross-legged position. They were both rested now, and probably feeling considerably better than yesterday. He could only assume some awkward conversations would ensue. He honestly didn’t know what to do- he could stay with a while longer, which would improve the chances of their survival, but would also put him at risk of capture in case her friends came back. But if they were dead- something he discreetly hoped for, though he’d never admit it- he would be safe for a bit yet. They would have to part ways before either of them was well enough to put up a decent fight, though. She would probably kill him if she got the chance, and he would do the same to her. Or at least, he thought he would. He left it there, not wanting to think about it for too long.

”That’s not going to be enough food. We need to find more somewhere,” he said at last, looking over at the tree line. There was probably animals they could hunt there, but were either of them up for that? And how would they kill them? Plus, the scent of blood would probably attract larger predators that would be harder to fend off. He sighed. This was so much more difficult than it needed to be. ”Water, too.”