"she did too... I think" Chrysa whispers loudly to Orri, contradicting Bella, and yelps loudly as she is thrown over the shoulder. She squeezes her face shut hard in concentration trying to pop out of her arms, but nothing happens "Bella, how are you stopping me from sliding!?!
"did the fey touch you as well?" her voice suddenly small and frightened.
With Isabella carrying off the impaired rogue, Annalla turns back to Sophiel. "I was not trying to create conflict," she says with her eyes downcast. "I would like to speak with Tiressia, but ... I have no wish to create animosity between you and Isabella. I'm sorry if I have done that. I will speak with her another time."
Unless Sophiel has anything else to add, the sorceress will follow after Isabella.
"I'm using my magical sex-blocking powers the fey gave me." she jokes, a smirk playing on her face.
When Chrysa asked about the fey touching her, she lets her smirk fade and shakes her head no. "No, I did not allow them to have their way with me and engage in their... sexual whatever-it-is-they-do with everyone."
As she walks with the rogue slung over her shoulder, she asks "Did one of the fey do this to you, Chrysa? Which one? Tell me and I will make it right. I grow weary of their games."
"good. they... I... no, no, nonononono, no remembering, I promised myself, never again. It was... ten years ago, Bella, you can't do anything." she withers silently.
The fear, hate, and self-loathing brings some clarity though "Set me down, Bella. I want to vomit, then be alone."
Sophiel rolls her eyes at Isabella, and responds, folding her arms in front of her, ”see, Annalla is being reasonable...” she takes a beat, ”it’s four days of travel to her grove and back by foot. You -“ she frowns at Bella, ”are not. I doubt anyone will mind if we stop the next time we’re in the area. Otherwise, whatever is going on between you two, doesn’t give you the right to decide for all of us what our priorities are. Get your head on straight.” Her anger is there but it’s mixed with frustration - and she’s clearly trying to be diplomatic and not get more annoyed.
"I would like to speak with Tiressia, but ... I have no wish to create animosity between you and Isabella. I'm sorry if I have done that. I will speak with her another time."
Sophie gives an appraising look to Annalla, after Chrysa finishes her escapades, ”no, I know you didn’t. We should all speak when Chrysa is feeling better. It is important that we clear the air.” She waves her hand, ”please think nothing of it. Its Isabella’s responsibility, too.” She pauses, ”And Annalla, we -“ she gestures to her and everyone else vaguely, ”can help you too. The natural world is my friend - I can send a message to Tiressia or do many other things - you just have to ask.” She sighs, ”go if you’d like.”
”And Annalla, we -“ she gestures to her and everyone else vaguely, ”can help you too. The natural world is my friend - I can send a message to Tiressia or do many other things - you just have to ask.” She sighs, ”go if you’d like.”
Annalla releases a huff of frustration. "I tried asking and no one was willing to help," she says, her voice rising again. "I was hoping that someone could ..." She trails off. "Sorry, thank you," she finishes in a calmer voice.
"Get my head on straight?!" she responds, her face flushing with anger. She clutches her fingers so tight into a fist that her knuckles pop, but she she does not say anything further on the matter. She turns abruptly with Chrysa on her shoulder and marches off, away from Sophie.
---
Isabella sets Chrysa down on the ground so that she may vomit. She helps make sure that Chrysa's hair is out of the way while she does so. She remarks, "I too have been ill these last few mornings. I have vomited on my hair twice now and know that it is unpleasant to wash afterwards. Here, let me help you."
After she is finished she says "I shall leave you now. Please do not run off to have sexual escapades in the night that you will regret in the morning. If you must have sexual escapades, do not come to my room, I will not receive you."
She nods and begins to return back to the others and finds Annalla half-way there. She asks "Did Sophie say anything after I left?"
"I will not" Chrysa says painfully soft. Closing the door after the other woman leaves her, she then curls up in her bed but doesn't sleep. She just stares into the dark corners, desperately trying to push memories back down in the dark.
"Oh, she just ..." Annalla begins, but pauses, considering. "I think we're coming to an understanding." She looks down into Isabella's eyes. "Thank you for coming to my defense. It means a lot to me," she says. "May I hug you, please?"
Orri just stands there as the woman around him unravel to various degrees, but is glad when Bella pulls Chrysa away. Not wanting to get in the middle of things Orri just heads off to bed early.
"I do not think Sophie and I are seeing eye to eye. In fact, she seems frustrated that I suggested we do something instead of her suggesting it. Normally I defer to her on such matters, but if I make a suggestion or ask for something, which I rarely do, I do not want to feel the need to defend a statement."
It's clear Isabella is still irked from earlier, unable to push these thoughts from her mind. She sighs, lowering her head. "Forgive me, I have been especially temperamental and prone to quick frustration recently. I am not sure why everything is bothering me right now."
Given everyone wanting to hump everything around her all of the time, a hug seemed like the least offensive thing anyone has tried to do her in awhile. She spreads her arms wide and motions for Annalla to come in close. "You may."
Annalla puts her arms out and around Isabella and seems to almost melt into the woman as she pulls her close. She holds the embrace, slowly rubbing her cheek up against Isabella's neck until Isabella finally pulls away.
Isabella yawns and pulls away and says "I'm ready for bed." After rubbing her eyes, she adds "I'm not sure I trust that the quickling won't return tonight given our frequent visits. If you like, I will sleep on the floor-" she interrupts her speech to stretch with another big yawn "-in your room at the door tonight."
"You know that you don't have to sleep on the floor, right?" Annalla offers in a timid voice. "I would enjoy it if you would rest beside me and I would never do anything without your permission."
Isabella shrugs "I'd hate to take up all of your space, it is your room after all. I am going to get ready for bed, I will join you in your room in about fifteen minutes."
Isabella heads off to the bushes to relieve herself, washes her face with some water and then to her room to change out of her armor and gear. The weight of these last days weigh heavily on her for some reason and she doesn't feel quite like herself.
She knocks on Annalla door, dressed only in her comfortable sleeping clothes with her blade sheathed at her side. She asks permission to come in and makes herself comfortable on the floor in front of the door.
Despite protesting about not minding the floor, she finds it difficult to get comfortable and after fifteen minutes of shifting around she takes Annalla up on her offer of sleeping somewhere more comfortable.
When the morning dawns, Annalla finds herself pressed up against Isabella's back with an arm wrapped around the woman's chest with her fingers interlaced with Isabella's.
She allows herself to luxuriate in the closeness, but knows that her companion probably won't react well to the situation. So as carefully as she can, she releases her hand and rolls away to rest on her back. She still can't resist turning her head once more and drawing in the scent of the woman's hair.
Trying to fall back to sleep is an abject failure, so she just stays there as long as Isabella does.
Isabella had intended to wake up several times through the night to stay vigilant on guard duty, but an overwhelming sense of exhaustion fills her and she sleeps like a rock.
When dawn arrives and she would normally arise to perform her morning exercise routine, she instead pulls the blanket over her face and each time there is a knock at the door she calls out she needs "five more minutes", refusing to get out of bed.
Having noted Isabella's normal routine, Annalla grows concerned. "Are you unwell?" she asks. Having seen people's behavior, she reaches out and places her hand on the woman's forehead. "You don't feel any warmer than normal. Would you like me to fetch a healer?"
Chrysa arrives downstairs neat and tidy, her equipment and cloths perfectly in order as normal. She moves with her swollen joint slowness again but seems no worse than wear otherwise.
For those used to her, she is rigid as can be in every movement and her eyes are heavy with baggage. But she smiles slightly and nods a greeting to each.
To Svetlanna, she moves close to her "Thank you for the experience. It was wondrous, frightening, and embarrassing all rolled up in a bundle that I will never forget. It is one better having then never doing so, though." she rests her hand on the other woman's arm and squeezes. "Someday I do wish to talk to you and your husband about some ideas... but not today. Today I fear we are facing thunderstorms."
Groggily she answers "No. No. I'm fine. Just tired." she says without opening her eyes, pulling the sheet over her face. From underneath the blanket she groans "I just need a few more minutes."
"Very well, I can arrange that," Annalla responds. She ensures that the blankets are arranged properly for Isabella and then exits the room to stand outside the door and prevent anyone else from knocking and disturbing the occupant.
Five minutes turns into five more minutes which becomes yet another five more minutes. When Annalla is about to ask if she needs another five minutes, Isabella burst from the room and dashes down the hallway in her night clothes. She almost makes it to the door before she falls to her knees and vomits. Groaning and holding her head, she rises to her feet a bit unsteady before looking down at the mess she made.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes, "I'll clean it up in a-" she retches again, but it is mostly dry heaves this time as nothing comes out.
Isabella groans.
Annalla arrives a moment later as Isabella begins her dry heaves. "You are not well," she states as she pulls the woman's hair back. "Chrysa! Sophiel! Orri! Come quickly! Isabella is ill!" she calls out loudly.
When Annalla makes a big deal of things, Isabella grumbles and scrambles to her feet. "No, no! It's alright! I'm fine!" she lies, nausea threatening to take her right then and there. "I think that rabbit I had last night for supper was not wise."
The fact that others had some as well is apparently escaping her at the moment.
Chrysa stops in midsentence about thunderstorms when the call is made, she, unfortunately, is too sore from head to toe to move quickly, so other probably make it there first. "What? Bella, are you okay?" she kneels next o her hand on her back moving in soft circles until the worst of it is over. "Has she been like this for long?"
"We all ate the rabbit and is anyone else... baring me but that was for other reasons, as we all know."
Trying to keep a straight face, she turns to Chrysa "What?! You were puking your guys out not 10 hours ago! I did not call the inquisition on you! I let you puke and sent you on your way. See! You were sick from it as well! I'm fine. Come. We will be late if we do not get out that door soon. I've held us up long enough."
Chrysa freezes mid backrub. "Fine then" her voice frosty, she gets up with as little wincing as possible, leaves, and doesn't turn back.
Sophie hurries in, and sees Isabella on the ground throwing up, she blinks and mutters. "Well, f*&~ a duck." She pinches her fingers between her temple and closes her eyes before opening them.
She motions for the others to get out of the way, and approaches, kneeling next to Isabella, and whispers something to her.
Annalla frowns as Sophiel whispers to Isabella. "What?" she asks. "What is wrong with her?"
Isabella and Sophie speak quietly for a short time, without anyone else hearing.
Isabella eyes go wide and she gasps, staggering a step from whatever whispered conversations had taken place. Her arm trembles and she shakes her head no several times "No. Nonono." before dashing out the door outside.
Orri just has time to put his pants on as he comes running, shirtless, to see his sister flee out the door. ”By the Gods women, what is wrong now?”
Sophiel stands up, quietly and says, commandingly, "Isabella and I have business in Restov. Now. I apologize, but it is not my place to say why." She hustles out the door and makes ready to go, ensuring that Isabella is loaded (huddled if necessary) in her Bison cart.
"What is wrong?!" Annalla asks loudly, tears beginning to form in her blue eyes. She doesn't wait for an answer, but tries to follow Isabella out the door, stopping as she reaches the main yard. She stands looking helpless as the woman moves farther away.
"Why won't anyone tell me anything?" she questions softly as she climbs into the cart to sit, brooding, next to Isabella.
Sophie says to Annalla before they leave, "here is my horse, Annalla, you may borrow her. Her name is Oatblossom." She pauses hesitantly, "can you ride a horse? You can if you want. Just... don't fall off. Oatblossom is very gentle." She feeds her horse an extra apples and whispers in her ear.
----------------------------------------------------------
Bjorn is grimacing from the wagon as the Bison are stamping restlessly. Sophie shouts at everyone, "come on, I move slower than all you lot and I'm already ready to go. Get a move on, we're heading out at the speed of a wagon." And indeed, the wagon trundles, full of their gains, relatively slowly on the road from Oleg's, up north into more settled country.
Isabella lays on the cart, her palms pressed firmly into her eye sockets as if she were trying to press them through her skull. In a very un-Bellla moment, she sobs softly to herself, her tears spilling out from under her hands despite her attempts to push them back into her eyes.
"I will ride with Isabella," Annalla declares in a voice quiet, yet firm. She takes a seat in the cart with her, but looks out over the scenery rather than at any of the others.
Ipmeek basks in the glow of the morning sun, warming his scales and primitive wings. "Strange warmbloods," he mutters to himself in Draconic as Bella seems unwell. Eventually he turns his attention back to the tinctures he was brewing for the morning, collecting his vials and extracts into pouches before mounting up for the morning travels.
Chrysa is already on the mule when they get out. Her ice toward her friend is forgotten immediately as the situation unfolds. She knows nothing about medicine and it is obvious the two who know what is going on are not talking. She tries to catch one of the whispered conversations but fails.
She sends her little friend in with a click and whistle to keep an eye on them. Then moves forward to make sure they are not ambushed
Bella feels unwell for another hour or so but eventually is insistent that she is fine and begins to herself for most of the day, but claiming fatigue she returns to take a nap in the wagon before insisting she need not ride in the wagon. She let's someone else have a turn and switches to a horse for a bit.
The next few days are more or less a repeat of the first with her feeling unwell and tired throughout the day, mostly insisting everything is fine and denying there are any problems.
Annalla remains in the wagon, removed from any conversation. She watches the passing scenery in silence, but anyone paying any attention to her can see that she's subtly watching Isabella.
Chrysa is also avoiding conversations for the most part. Concentrating on riding ahead, scouting, and dealing with her horns. Reading her spell books, and thinking.
At the city, she'll take rooms where the others are but disappear by herself for the rest of it.
Orri tries to talk to his sister but when she keeps insisting she is fine he eventually just drops it. At some point his rides close to Chyrsa to talk queitly.
Chrysa stiffens at his voice, further at the question. She considers lying, it certainly make things easier, but no...
"Everything."
She is silent for a minute, considering, then turns to look up at him (mule to horse height difference), sincerely she starts "You are one of the few men..." she stops and sighs "No, you are the only man, that is currently alive today, that I trust. So when I went insane, you were the one I turned to. I am both sorry for the inconvenience and the embarrassment that caused." the last line in her most formal of tones. Hoping the conversation ends there.
Once they reach Restov, Annalla follows silently as they arrange for lodgings. And she's quietly disappointed when Isabella doesn't offer to share a room with her. Once rooms are arranged and everyone sets out on their various tasks, she takes Isabella's arm and pulls her aside. "Can we speak, please?"
"Human ways and customs are still very confusing to me in many ways, so I am sure that I will do this incorrectly, but, please, let me say what I would like to say before you point out how little I know."
"There are so many things that I find confusing. And so many that I don't understand. Why I am different from all of you. Why this," she gestures to her forehead, "means so much more than it appears. Why I have knowledge of things that seem somehow to predate this body. Whether I should claim a territory and attempt to rule it."
That questions seems to bring up new doubts in the android's mind, but she continues on.
"However, the one thing that I'm sure of is that I care for you, Isabella Lebeda. Some would question whether a being such as myself can have these kinds of feelings. I would counter with how do I know that they can have these feelings?"
"But leaving aside a question best left to philosophers ..." She pauses and considers that statement on its own as if hearing it for the first time. "A philosopher. Someone dedicated to the study of philosophy - the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline."
She shakes her head. "I apologize. Sometimes things distract me. To reiterate; I care for you, Isabella. I think I may even go so far as to state that I love you. And I am sure that you have feelings for me of some sort."
She frowns and begins pacing.
"And there is the place of frustration. I care for you and wish to be there to help you share your burdens. Even if I can relieve none of your troubles, I wish to be able to stand with you and endure them with you - to suffer your pain with you. But that can't happen if you don't feel you can trust me with that responsibility."
"Trust is a difficult thing to give for some people and I believe that you fall into that category. So I will not press any further. Trust can only come when it is time for it to be. It can't be forced."
"I know that something is wrong. Dreadfully wrong. But you won't tell me what it is and I won't pressure you any more to tell me. I wish you would, but, again, it comes back to trust - which can't be rushed."
"So with that said, I will no longer attempt to bargain for your affection. It diminishes my value and creates an unequal relationship between us. When ... if ... you would like us to have a relationship more equitable to your preferences, I will be here. But my lifespan is not infinite, Isabella. I will, in fact, not live as long as you will."
She halts to stand still with her hands clasped in front of her waist. The tracery of blue lines over her skin fading.
"That is what I wished to say."
After a few sentences she interrupts and in a defiant voice she declares "You should and will claim territory to rule if I have anything to say about it Annalla. No one in our group or outside of it will convince me otherwise."
As she continues on and drops the I love you statement, Isabella is suddenly overwhelmed with a surge of emotions. As she continues to talk, tears start to stream from her eyes.
She stares into Annalla's eyes with her own, trying to make sense of it all. There was just so... much. She didn't know what to think, she wasn't sure if she was thinking clearly. Her life had become a whirlwind and she knew she was going to need help to get through it all.
Like the others, Annalla has stood by her side these recent weeks. More so than the others, she persistently stood by her side without arguing. It's true Sophie had been there for as her brother had, but this was different. There was something else between them that she hadn't been able to place her finger on. Why had she cared so much to protect her all of the time? She can't deny there is some affection for the woman, but can she say that she loves her? Her head is spins as she tries to make sense of it all.
She tentatively reaches out with her right hand, asking for Annalla's. When she meets her reach, Isabella steps forward toe to toe with her and looks up into the taller woman's eyes. Still crying and not in control of all of her faculties, she traces her left hand down Annalla's cheek softly as tears continue to spill from her eyes. She squeezes Annalla's right hand and then closes her eyes, lifting herself up on her tiptoes to place her lips ever so gently against Annalla's own.
She doesn't press for a passionate kiss nor anything more than that. After it ends, she keeps her eyes closes and lowers herself back down to rest her head on Annalla's shoulder, silently embracing her in a hug.
He lets out a brief chuckle before continuing "Anyway, I'm glad you feel you can trust me, I'm always here if you need anything." He blushes just the slightest as the words leave his mouth realizing what could possibly be inferred from his last statement but he straightens up trying to play it off, since he didn't actually mean anything by it.