Re: FW Part: One

[Deathcap]

Harir was quiet, he didn't really care at this point and that sounded as good as anything they could do right now anyway. "Maybe they have some sort of market." He muttered. He removed his coat and laid it back in the snow. It was uncomfortable cold, so he started heading in the direction of the settlement immediately. He rubbed his arms as they approached and tried not to look too out of place. Fortunately, most people seemed to be inside or somewhere else.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet folded her coat up neatly and placed it in the snow. She was quite fond of it, if not of what it represents,  and she had every intention of coming back for it later. She shivered as the cool air got to her still damp clothing, already missing the garment in the snow. She straightened as they entered the settlement,  trying to walk with purpose and like she knew where she was going  even though neither was correct.

[Deathcap]

Harir walked around slightly aimlessly, though in methodical patterns so that it would seem he was getting somewhere until he was actually able to find something resembling a market. It was made up of mostly small, squat buildings with narrow stalls or draping cloth covering the entrances. Brown smoke wafted up in plumes from cook fires and a sparse few people hurried about, pulling their hoods down against the cold as they ran errands.  
After a few moments, he found something that had coats arranged on a sort of wooden stand with a tarp over it. He hesitantly walked up. The short, grizzled looking woman at the stall stared at the two for a moment and then paid them little mind.
He asked her about the coats, offering the money he had on hand, but she soundlessly shook her head and gestured at his handgun.
Taken aback, Harir shook his head back. "Do you think I'm an idiot? A hand gun is worth more than a coat." He snapped, annoyed.
"Not in this weather." She remarked quietly, gesturing at his outfit, and turned her back to do other things.
Harir hesitated a moment. Giving away his gun like that would be supplying the enemy with military arms. But then, after everything, would that one thing make any more of a difference? The cold won over and he sighed, putting the gun on the table and hoping spitefully it was to ruined to even be useful.
He took two of the coats bitterly and held one out to Sliet. They were scrappy looking; made with thick leather, other various patched together materials, but at least they would be warm.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet watched Harir with mild amusement as he arargued with the lady. He had to know he was getting nowhere fast that way. She thanked him for the coat and quickly slipped it on, grateful for the warmth. "You think they're going to come looking for us?" She asked casually, breathing into her hands and rubbing them together to warm them up faster.

[Deathcap]

Harir nodded uncertainly as she thanked him and put the coat on. "I... don't think so. We should have died. I'm not sure how we lived through it, in all honesty. They won't waste time. They'll make a lieutenant captain and move on." He muttered. Thinking about that bothered him. It reminded him of his brother; someone had cut his throat when he'd been walking back to his tent from a late meeting. At first the other captains had been up in arms when he was found the next morning, but it had lasted only half a day, and then some random kid who had a parent from the union was hauled out and accused and shot without any real confession of doing it. That was all it had taken and Lin had been forgotten in hours. He'd been angry, for his brother, and that no one seemed to care as long as they put a bullet in someone in the name of the Federation. After Sliet had taken his brother's place, he'd wanted to protect her like he was unable to do for Lin, to make sure he didn't fail again. Now he wasn't sure what to think. It had started out as trying to correct his mistake, to prove to himself that he wasn't useless, but now he felt like he had gone from trying to prove his loyalty to his superiors to actually caring about Sliet as a person. This both annoyed and confused him.
He glanced up for a second at her, and then away.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet shifted her feet uneasily as Harir voiced his surprise over their survival. She wanted to say something, he deserved answers as to why all of this was happening, but she knew she couldn't. She had to find a place to leave him before she said somethi that could possibly put them both in danger. She raised an eyebrow when he glanced at her. "Something wrong?"she asked, worried.

[Deathcap]

Harir shook his head, barely hesitating. "No." He lied. Everything felt wrong, but complaining about it wasn't going to help. He just wanted to keep moving and get whatever they were going to do done. "What next?" He asked. "I'm assuming you didn't decide to desert without some sort of plan?" Harir inquired in a hushed voice, encase anyone was listening. He looked down, fixing his sleeves and trying to change the subject. The less he thought about things right now, the better.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet huffed. Of course she had had a plan, but that ws before when she had hoped for a clean getaway invinvolving her horse and more supplies. "Of course i do. First things first, we find some food and a place to stay the night. "/or a few nights in your case. /she thought bitterly. She would have to leave before he got up, and move fast to get far enough away that he couldn't come after her.

[Deathcap]

Harir nodded quietly. He was really out of energy to make suggestions or argue, so he just tried to stay quiet and get the whole thing over with.
When they had found an Inn and registered, Harir climbed the stairs to their room and entered tiredly. He didn't bother to look around- it was a small wooden floored room with a bed, a dresser, and an oil lamp, with a single dirty window with frost on it, not much to look at or think about.
All he wanted to do was lie down, but he tried not to come off as too weak. He could wait until after they'd eaten the dried food he'd traded his last bit of change for. Besides, the bed might end up as Sliet's for tonight, so he tried not to long for it too much. He put down the opened package of food on the dresser and sat on the edge of the bed to check his damaged, throbbing shoulder.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet shuffled into the room right behind her former lieutenant, grabbing a handful of the food before flopping down against the wall to eat. She looked around the room curiously until she noticed Harir checking his shoulder. Golden eyes narrowed angrily at the other. "You didn't tell me you were hurt." She said flatly, her tone dangerous. She stod, placing the food back on the dresser and brushing her hands off on her pants before walking over to him. She ran her cold fingers over his shoulder gently, considering what she was about to do carefully and deciding that she couldn't very well just let it be. "Dont move, dont say a word, or else. " she growled threateningly before turning her full attention to the task at hand. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to hold her focus, carefully numbing the area before switching her concentration over to healing. She stepped back after a moment or two ro admire her work.

[Deathcap]

Harir glanced up, confused by her anger. It wasn't life threatening, and he hadn't honestly thought she would care. He started to protest as she got up and touched his shoulder. It had been wrenched badly, and there wasn't really anything to do for it, so he was a little concerned. "Ah- wait-" He trailed off as she told him not to speak and swallowed.
As his arm went numb, he searched her face in shock, watching her carefully as he tried to figure out what was going on. When she finally let go of him the feeling started to return, but without the pain, and he took in a breath, moving his arm cautiously. He got up, overflowing with confusion and disbelief. "What was that?! What did you do!? That's insane!" He yelped, forgetting his composure for a moment in his astonishment. He wasn't angry or anything- just sort of bewildered and amazed.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet raised her hands in frint of her, colour draining from her face and taking a step back as some of the fear from the night before returned. "Quiet down. you're going to wake people up" she whispered nervously. "I just... fixed it." She added tensely, wanting to look anywhere but at him.

[Deathcap]

Harir trailed off as Sliet went pale. He looked at her in silent confusion. He wanted to know what was going on, he felt it was fair, but he could also see now wasn't the time. He looked down and swallowed. "I'm sorry... T-thank you. For... Whatever you did." He murmered, putting his hand back to his shoulder. "..Maybe we should just get some rest..." He added uncertainly.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet nodded stiffly and shuffled back to her spot along the wall. She sat down and hugged her knees tightly, more than sufficiently exhausted to sleep, she rested her hesd on her knees, reminding herself she had to get up early. She haf to get out of there before Harir woke up. She had to... her thoughts were quickly lost to sleep.

[Deathcap]

Harir watched glanced at Sliet, feeling uncertain as she went to sleep. He didn't feel like he knew anything for certain anymore. He was mad, mad that she wasn't telling him anything. But then, she'd fixed his shoulder, even when she seemed angry at him, so was it even fair? He flopped back on the bed for a moment, but as exhausted as he was his mind was racing too fast for him to sleep. Looking across at his former captain, he stayed there a moment before getting up and pulling the heavy blanket off of the bed and walking over to her. He draped it around her sleeping form before going back to curl up on the bare matress. After the that, he fell asleep almost immediately, still wearing the thick, ugly coat.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet shifted, waking slowly as a small part of her brain remembered she had to get up early, while the rest just reminded her that she was still tired and that she wanted to stay in her warm cacoon and rest. Wait... cacoon? That woke her up enough to open her eyes. She looked down through the near complete darkness at the blanket wrapped around her, wondering where it came from. She glamced at the bed where Harir was still asleep. ..with no blanket. damn it, why did he have to make it so hard to leave. She stood slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible. She walked over to the bed and draped the blanket back over him. She watched him for a minute or so, now uncertain as to what she should do. She probably could travel with him, the company would be welcome, the trouble would be when they got to the station. She had no idea what the others would say. She turned and headed for the door before she could think any more about it, realizing the lomger she stayed the harder it was getting. She stopped outside the door again, quickly growing frustrated with her own indecisiveness. It was too early in the morning for this she decided, leaning on the wall beside the door.

[Deathcap]

Harir blinked his eyes open after a few moments, pushing himself up on the bed and looking around in bewilderment. Sliet was gone.
Goddammit. Had she left? He felt a pang of betrayal and got up quickly, putting his boots on and heading immediately for the door. He'd walked away from everything to fallow her, there was no way she was running off and leaving him here to farm potatoes and huddle in drafty inns in tacky clothing for the rest of his life.
He opened it a little to quickly and rushed out to find her only to see he leaning against the wall. His demeanor fell and he slowed himself. "I-..." He cleared his throat, looking down. "Sorry... I- I thought you'd left in the night." He muttered in embarrassment.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet jumped when the door opened suddenly, but relaced when she realized who it was. She sighed as he spoke, rubbing her eyes. "Almost did." She mumbled, but it wax too late for that now, sshe supposed she would figure out what to do about the others when they got there, or ditch him in another settlement. That was always an option. "Come on, we have to talk. " she said , sleepily pushing her way past him through the door to the room.

[Deathcap]

Harir glanced up again as she admitted she had almost left, and the feeling welled up inside him again. He fallowed her back into the room hesitantly, closing the door behind him. He stood back, wondering what she was going to say.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet sat on the bed, feeling exhausted again, though she knew it was just from the weight of what she was about to say. "Now, understand that you have an option here, i can explain some things, but much of the information would put not only you and i in danger but many others as well. You can choose not to hear it, but if you want to know, there is no going back from that." She offered seriously, letting the offer hang in the air. She wanted to tell him, but she had to give him the choice, knowing what was on the line.

[Deathcap]

Harir was quiet for a moment. He wanted badly to know but hesitated, trying to think about it first. Finally, he nodded. "Yes, I want to know. I'm not going back. I can't. If I'm with you now, then it's just as well I know what's going on." He said firmly. He still felt conflicted, but he'd already chosen his loyalty to Sliet over his loyalty to the army, which he had thought were the same thing until the other day, as confused as that made him feel, he was going to have to start dealing with it and what it meant.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet nodded gravely, relieved by his choice. She sat back a bit, trying to think of the best way to start, there was a lot to go through maybe just letting him ask would be easiest, then hed know what he wanted and be able to explore the ropics he was more confused about. "Ask away, ill try and be as honest as i can. What do gou want to know first?"

[Deathcap]

Harir hesitated, thinking. He wanted to ask about what she had done to his shoulder, but he remembered how scared and closed off she had gotten the night before, so he decided not to push his luck or make her uncomfortable.
"What's your real name?" He asked. It was probably the most unimportant question, but he didn't want to be scolded anymore over the whole thing, so it would be better to get it out of the way and start on a less severe note.

[melodiousmysteries]

Sliet relaxed at the question, though a bit taken aback Sure it was easy enough to answer but was that really where his priorities were? "Sliet Laerens" she said for the first time in what felt like forever. It felt far easier to say than she had expected, considering how long it had been and how she had drilled it into herself not to.

[Deathcap]

Harir nodded. Sliet. He hesitated, not sure what to ask next. "Why... why did you desert?" He asked. He had a few ideas- but Sliet didn't seem the kind to be afraid of battle, and there was obviously more going on than he knew. He stood against the wall, listening quietly.

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