harder than a bullet could hit you
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
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Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#15
The cabin was cozy and homely; at another time, Soh would have felt right at home amongst the plants and clutter. Now, though, she felt only a numb distance as she stared around her with unseeing eyes glassy with shock. She took the proffered seat. "Yes, please, if you have some." To change from her torn and dirty clothes would certainly help her to feel more human, more alive. Something in her had died in that alley, and she was beginning to feel the effects.

But when Mateo suggested telling the dragoons, Soh sat up, suddenly quivering. "No!" she said sharply, and winced. "I'm sorry - I just - please don't tell anyone." She'd almost committed murder, after all. Wouldn't she be in trouble for stabbing someone with a dagger? Besides, this was all her fault. She'd been stupid and careless and weak. Why should she go to the authorities when she deserved this?
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
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#16
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
"I have plenty," Mateo assures her, already picking his way over to his little kitchenette and filling a stovetop kettle with water, before setting it on the heat to boil. They haven't known each other quite long enough yet for her to know the extent of his eclectic style, but he's got everything from summer dresses to three-piece suits squirrelled away in his trunk and closet, but for Soh, he brings her an oversized red sweater and a pair of loose pants.

"Will these work?" he asks. "The bathroom is just there, if you want to go and change." Being a cabin, the kitchen, lounge and bedroom do tend to flow into one another, but there's at least a separate space to shower.

Mateo is just gathering together a couple of mugs that look handmade (aka: a bit lopsided) when she barks out her objection, making him jump a little and have to juggle the cups for a moment. "I... are you sure?" he asks softly, placing the mugs down where he can't kill them by accident and turning to face her. "I understand not wanting anyone to know, but... what if he does it to somebody else?"
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#17
Mateo handed her a red sweater and a pair of loose pants, which Soh took gratefully, unconcerned with where they came from or who they belonged to. How Mateo liked to dress was his own business, after all. She was just glad to get out of her ripped and torn shirt and skirt. With a soft, "Thank you," Soh went into the bathroom and closed the door. She stripped down to her undergarments and pulled on the comfortable clothes Mateo had given her, grateful for their warmth. Though it wasn't cold out by any stretch, Soh still trembled, a chill in her bones that just wouldn't subside.

When she caught a look at herself in the mirror, she gasped. Her golden hair was disheveled, tumbling in tangled waves across her shoulders. Blood had smeared down her face from where her attacker's punch had split her left eyebrow, and her left eye was swollen from the same blow. Her lip was split from where he'd slapped her. She could barely recognize herself - and that was just the injuries that were visible. Her hands and knees were scraped from where she'd fallen on the ground, and there were scratches on her back from where she'd been flung against the brick wall of the alley.

Swallowing hard, Soh emerged from the bathroom with her ruined clothing in her hands. "Can I - can I throw these away?" she asked hesitantly, unsure if Mateo would want her torn and bloody clothes in his trash. What if they implicated him?

She responded sharply when Mateo suggested going to the authorities, wincing as soon as the words left her mouth. He didn't deserve such a harsh reaction, and her lip quivered as she inwardly berated herself for her reaction. Still, what Mateo said made a good deal of sense; she certainly wouldn't wish this on anyone. "I... but I almost killed him," she said tearfully. "Won't I be in trouble?"
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
Played by: Honey Offline
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#18
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
By the time Soh returns, Mateo will be taking a merrily whistling kettle off the stove and pouring the hot water over their mugs, which have been helpfully filled with try tea leaves (and maybe a pinch of dreamdust, you know, to calm down). He's also helpfully taken down a wooden box that has been decorated with precise handwriting; if one looks close enough, the writing turns out to be instructions on how to perform various types of first aid.

"Of course you can," he tells her of her old clothes. "You can toss them out a window if you like - they will be drawn into the Arclight once the wind catches them." Such is the benefit of living on the Falling, right? "I have a few things here too that you can use to clean yourself up, if you want." He pats the box.

As for being in trouble, Mateo brings box and teacups to his patchwork couch and sits down, setting the objects on an upturned crate and patting the space next to him. "I do not think you will be," he assures her. "But if you are worried, I will tell them for you. I will not even mention your name. My father used to... well, he knows the dragoons very well." He used to lead Stormbreak, lol, isn't something he likes bringing up, honestly.
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#19
The merry sound of the kettle whistling grated on Soh's ears; how could anything sound so cheerful, after what she'd been through? But she just bit her lip, a headache beginning to set in, and made her way silently to a window, where she tossed her old clothes out to be sucked into the ether. As she watched the fabric flitter through the air, she felt a pang of sorrow. It was like she was letting go of a part of herself with the clothing, releasing a piece of the innocence that she had carried for so long.

She turned back to Mateo after a moment, feeling tired and worn more than anything else, and joined him at the patchwork couch, where she took a seat. Tea sounded divine, and she reached eagerly for a cup, blowing on the liquid to cool it before taking a sip. A wonderful warmth slid down her throat and into her belly, and she hummed in appreciation as she listened.

She set the tea cup down, considering Mateo's words. She certainly didn't want this to happen to anyone else, and if she could report the man anonymously... well, wouldn't that be the right thing to do? "He was tall and broad-shouldered," she recalled. "With dark blonde hair and fair skin. I'm not very good with ages, but I'd say he was in his late thirties, maybe early forties. I think his eyes were... were..." Soh trailed off, suddenly tense. He'd been pressed up against her when she'd stabbed him, and she'd watched the life begin to fade from his eyes. Why couldn't she remember what color they were?

I can't remember, she realized, and for some reason, this more than anything made the panic set in. "I can't remember," she whispered, suddenly trembling. "Why can't I remember?" I can't, her mind repeated, her thoughts spiraling into a repetitive mantra as the blood roared in her ears. I can't. Her eyes were far away, staring past Mateo and back into the alley. I CAN'T, her inner voice screamed. She was frozen, paralyzed, as her breath began to come in short gasps and her heart began to race, and she fell into the grips of the panic attack.
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
Played by: Honey Offline
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Posts: 802 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#20
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
Mateo joins her in taking a sip of the hot tea, the botanist feeling some of the tension drain from his shoulders already. Setting down his cup, he feels like he should be taking notes or something about the man and what he looks like - that's what Ever would do, he feels - but alas, his memory will have to serve. And if nothing else, they can just look for the man who has a scar like he's been stabbed, right?

Before he can mentally pack those details away properly, it becomes apparent that he's losing Soh again, and while Mateo is shit at this not medically trained in this sort of way, he has supported a few people through a bad trip, himself included. Reaching out, if Soh allows he'll cup her hands between both of his own, squeezing them gently.

"You do not need to remember everything," he says softly. "Look at me. You are safe here. Nothing is going to hurt you. Just try to copy my breathing, okay?" Here he purposely deepens his inhales, counting in for four, holding, and out for four.
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#21
I can't REMEMBER, screamed Soh's inner voice, panic bubbling in her core, her heart racing against her ribs, her breath coming in short, shuddering gasps. Now that the shock had had time to wear off - and, unfortunately, before the tea had managed to provide its calming effect - Soh was beginning to understand the true gravity of what had transpired.

Mateo's hands on hers made her jump, and she nearly pulled away, looking up wildly, fear in her eyes. For a moment, she was in limbo, unable to move away, yet unable to surrender to his instructions. She felt faint, hot and cold and dizzy all at once, and perhaps a little ill, and it took her a few moments of tortured silence before she could begin to try to breathe with Mateo.

At first, her breath came in shaky, stuttering strokes as she tried and failed to mimic his count of four. But as she concentrated, focused on that and only that, everything else slowly faded away - or, at least, to the back of her mind, where she didn't have to think about it right now. When she had finally calmed - or at least stopped shaking - she withdrew her hands from Mateo's, unable to meet his gaze, embarrassed by her display. "Thank you," she whispered.
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
Played by: Honey Offline
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#22
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
"You are welcome," Mateo says with a small smile, allowing Soh to extract herself and turning his attention to the first aid kit instead, letting her have a few more moments to regain composure. "I think that's enough detail anyway. Leave the rest to me, alright? I'll make sure it reaches the right ears." And hopefully she wouldn't have to think about it more than necessary, or run into the man again.

Taking another sip of his tea (and gently motioning that she might want to do the same), he opens the kit and removes a few bits and pieces to help clean the blood off her face and to make sure her injuries don't get infected. "Do you mind if I do this?" he asks her. "Otherwise I can fetch you a mirror."
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#23
Soh did her best to regain her composure, but, let's be honest, how much composure does a woman in her situation have? She still trembled slightly as she sipped at her tea, which had cooled in the moments it had taken her to recover from her panic attack. More than anything else, she was beginning to feel tired, deeply exhausted in a way she'd never felt before. "Thank you," she said again. She hesitated, then: "Truly, Mateo, thank you. I don't know what I'd have done if..." If he hadn't been there, if the man had died, if she'd been left alone in the dark.

As Mateo began rummaging about what appeared to be a first aid kit of some sort, Soh realized that she probably should clean up before she tried to go home. A black eye, she might be able to play off, but having fresh wounds and dried blood on her? That would probably raise a few eyebrows. "I - I don't mind," she said. "But you've already done so much. I can do it." She reached for the supplies. Once a mirror was produced, she would carefully clean the blood from her face, wincing slightly as she wiped around her left eye.
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
Played by: Honey Offline
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#24
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
"You are welcome, Soh," Mateo says with a soft smile, stepping away to fetch her the mirror he'd mentioned and making sure everything she needed to clean herself up is in easy reach. "That is what friends are for, right? Granted, I would have preferred to help you move something from your shop, or bring you some lunch. But I know you would do the same for me if I found myself in that position." He likes to think so, anyway - Soh gave off that sort of aura.

Sipping at his tea so she doesn't think he's monitoring her as she carefully swipes the blood from her wounds, Mateo settles back against the sofa and gazes up at the canopy of plantlife overhead in his little houseboat. "You are more than welcome to stay, by the way," he says after a few moments. "But I also understand if you would prefer to be somewhere familiar. If you want to walk home, I do insist on walking with you."
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#25
It was quite common for Soh to make new friends, but she could count on one hand the number of people she'd have wished to run into on a night like this. Previously, she hadn't known Mateo quite well enough to count him on that list. But now, after all his help and kindness, she found herself deeply grateful to have gone into his shop on a whim that day, and for him to have been the one to find her tonight. And he was right - were their roles reversed, she would have done everything in her power to help him, too.

She cleaned her wounds in silence, wincing every now and then as, despite her gentleness, pain spiked in a bruise or a scrape. Her left eye was the worst: a brilliant black eye was beginning to emerge, and her eyebrow had been split open. Aside from that, she had a cut on her lip from where the man had backhanded her, and various minor abrasions from being thrown to the ground or pinned against a wall, all of which should heal easily. She was lucky. She could have suffered far worse. Indeed, it wasn't her own injuries that bothered her, but the injury she had inflicted. She still wasn't entirely sure what Mateo had done, but she would be eternally grateful that he had saved her from becoming a murderer.

Cleaner and calmer, Soh looked down as Mateo offered her a place to stay. She was quiet for a moment, considering. A part of her desperately wanted the comfort of her own surroundings, but when she realized she would be alone, she had to swallow the fear that sprouted. "I... I think I would prefer not to be alone. If you're sure it's not any trouble."
Mateo Taliesin
Botanist

Age: 23 | Height: 5'7 | Race: Accepted | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 5 - Strg: 18 - Dext: 25 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 17 - Int: 0
Played by: Honey Offline
Change author:
Posts: 802 | Total: 16,313
MP: 3061
#26
Mateo
Should'a seen what I wore
I had a cane and a party hat
"It is no trouble at all," Mateo assures her with a lazy wave of his hand. "I am a fan of company, and you have already proven that yours is very good." Smiling across at Soh, he nods softly as he's able to see her face again under all the blood. The injuries are stark and will only become moreso in the morning, but at least she's cleaned up. "Good as new," he remarks, taking another long sip of tea before rising to his feet.

"You may sleep in my bed," he tells her, and were it any other night and any other circumstance, there would be a high likelihood that the botanist would join her. Ah, alas. "I have a hammock I use when the weather is stormy." It does a wonderful job of rocking him to sleep, and is more than comfortable enough.

Cleaning up the first aid supplies and stepping away to put them away, he smiles back over at Soh. "This will all work out," he promises her, sounding remarkably confident. "I will make sure of it."
I was the king of this hologram
where there's no such thing as getting out of hand
Sohalia Lumaris
the Luminary
Cartographer

Age: 20 | Height: 5'6" | Race: Attuned | Nationality: Natural | Citizenship: Stormbreak
Level: 4 - Strg: 17 - Dext: 18 - Endr: 18 - Luck: 21 - Int:
TARAK - Mythical - Griffin (Fire Breath)
Played by: RayoDeSoleil Offline
Change author:
Posts: 1,056 | Total: 2,063
MP: 3230
#27
Sohalia offered a small smile at Mateo's praise, grateful not only for the kind words, but also for the abundant assistance he had offered her. It would have been enough for him to simply help her get away, but he had gone above and beyond to heal the man, clean her up, and calm her down. Having drank most of her tea, Soh was beginning to feel more in control of herself and her emotions.

"I couldn't possibly -" she protested, not wishing to kick poor Mateo out of his bed, what with everything else. But he seemed insistent, so she sighed and nodded. "Thank you," she said again. There weren't enough thanks in the world for him, as far as she was concerned, but all she could do was continue to repeat herself. Mateo sounded confident that everything would be fine, and Soh nodded her agreement despite the fear that still held her fast.

How could things work out when she was sure that they would never be the same again?

-FIN-


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