Despite her initial hostilities, the witch soon calmed, appearing remarkably agreeable as Jiango began to move away from her, even paying him a smile - small and polite and mustering only the most subtle of winces, though her gaze did not follow him immediately. Instead, she stared vacantly at the barren landscape around them, processing.
The thip thip thip of raindrops grew heavier and closer as she continued to consider that perhaps she was the elf, where the hell 'Caido' might be, how the hell she had arrived, and at a slight delay what exactly he might mean by a 'bump on the head'. As the first stinging drop struck her head, the woman seemed entirely distracted by her own misfortune, tipping her head down and allowing the rain to run down her nose and into the lap of her ruined clothing as delicate, practiced fingers probed the swollen and broken flesh. "Oh-" The smile had faded by now, replaced by a look of vague disappointment. "So that's going to leave a mark." Somehow she sounded a bit let down by the news, though she did not comment on it further.
Instead, she struggled. Standing was remarkably difficult with a damaged leg and a belly wound, harder still with a right arm that seemed to have given up the ghost and was doing well enough to remain wrapped loosely about her middle. Several times she checked the flat, practically concave surface of her belly to confirm that her guts weren't about to make a break for it before lurching unsteadily to her knees - one tense moment saw her snarl mutely in what must have been deep discomfort, her left arm buckling at the elbow beneath her weight, forcing her rock back on her heels to collect her bearings again.
Between the increasingly louder claps of thunder, Jigano might have made out a nervous peal of laughter but the practically helpless nature of her situation made her not only stubborn but exceptionally good at acting as if he did not exist. It was not until well after she had resorted to literally crawling to the tower's entrance (and boy, did that seem like a mean blow for the girl's pride), using its glassy surface to climb to her feet, that she acknowledged that he existed. Well after she had straightened what remained of her clothing to appear more presentable and gently patted the water from her good eye with careful fingers. Sniffing a deep breath she partially leaned, partially clung against the wall in a way she hoped wasn't obvious, squinting in an attempt to make out what was inside the spire properly. "I left my dagger - do you want to get that for me?"
The thip thip thip of raindrops grew heavier and closer as she continued to consider that perhaps she was the elf, where the hell 'Caido' might be, how the hell she had arrived, and at a slight delay what exactly he might mean by a 'bump on the head'. As the first stinging drop struck her head, the woman seemed entirely distracted by her own misfortune, tipping her head down and allowing the rain to run down her nose and into the lap of her ruined clothing as delicate, practiced fingers probed the swollen and broken flesh. "Oh-" The smile had faded by now, replaced by a look of vague disappointment. "So that's going to leave a mark." Somehow she sounded a bit let down by the news, though she did not comment on it further.
Instead, she struggled. Standing was remarkably difficult with a damaged leg and a belly wound, harder still with a right arm that seemed to have given up the ghost and was doing well enough to remain wrapped loosely about her middle. Several times she checked the flat, practically concave surface of her belly to confirm that her guts weren't about to make a break for it before lurching unsteadily to her knees - one tense moment saw her snarl mutely in what must have been deep discomfort, her left arm buckling at the elbow beneath her weight, forcing her rock back on her heels to collect her bearings again.
Between the increasingly louder claps of thunder, Jigano might have made out a nervous peal of laughter but the practically helpless nature of her situation made her not only stubborn but exceptionally good at acting as if he did not exist. It was not until well after she had resorted to literally crawling to the tower's entrance (and boy, did that seem like a mean blow for the girl's pride), using its glassy surface to climb to her feet, that she acknowledged that he existed. Well after she had straightened what remained of her clothing to appear more presentable and gently patted the water from her good eye with careful fingers. Sniffing a deep breath she partially leaned, partially clung against the wall in a way she hoped wasn't obvious, squinting in an attempt to make out what was inside the spire properly. "I left my dagger - do you want to get that for me?"
