forum Medeis {open}

Started June 19, 2019 by @Reblod flag

tune

Azriel blushed furiously, but smiled as she felt Iris relax against her. She unintentionally pulled her wings in tighter. There was nothing she wanted more than to make sure that Iris was always warm.

Unconsciously, Iris snuggled closer to body heat emanated… snuggling to the source. Little pointy fragments of ice glistened on the floor, but the elf was unable to notice in her deep slumber. Her hands still quivered even in sleep, a small notion that would have been hidden had Iris been awake.

Noticing Iris's hands shaking, Azriel cautiously held the elf's hands to keep them steady. She didn't want her hand to be frozen like Arabella's had been. The shards of ice on the floor were cutting into her skin, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She brushed the blood off of her cheek with her sleeve, not caring at all that she was staining her white dress. It was already ruined, anyway.

This was… not right. Why was there heat around her? Yrna was a violent place, each man for themselves. There should not be comfort, especially if you were Iris Glarore. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, purposefully dragging down. If she had been abducted the captor needed to believe she was asleep. Why was she wearing mittens? Her eyes popped open as she directed a gaze toward her hands.
Memories rushed forward. The bread, cell, and beautiful angel had not been a dream. A small part of her that Iris refused to acknowledge relished in that thought. Cheerfulness raced through her heart as she realized the angel's wings were now wrapped around her and she was holding her hand. Eyes lingering on their hands, together, Iris felt… complete. And though everything screamed at her to move away, that she would get hurt, Iris kept her hands where they were and cherished Azriel's wings while they remained around her.

Azriel smiled slightly when she saw Iris's eyes open. "Hello," she whispered quietly. "Do you feel any better?" She asked, concern seeping into her voice.

This is wrong.
A pleasant, true smile graced Iris's features.
This is wrong.
It spread as she realized Azriel made no move to remove her hands.
This is wrong.
Her voice was so kind, so beautiful, Iris marveled. She parted her lips, "Yeah."
This is wrong.
This time, she leaned closer. Staring at Azriels deep blue eyes, her head angled forward-
This is wrong!
The alarm shot through every system in her body, slamming her into reality. She sharply turned her head away, croaking out, "I… feel better." Apologies swam in Iris's eyes before a mask forced them down. Forced her emotions down, too. A glance at her hands and Iris was painfully inching them out of the angel's grip.

Azriel turned her head away when Iris pulled away from her, trying to disguise the hurt in her eyes. "I - I do apologize, I hope I wasn't hurting you. Your hands were just very cold, and I thought it might help if I - " she shook her head, looking down at the floor.

Her voice choked with emotion, "No!" A breath, "You were- you were fine." Iris cast her eyes away, hearing the sadness in her voice. "Thank you. For that." She cleared her throat, fidgeting with pieces of ice she'd found.

Azriel focused all of her attention on the wall. She felt something wet on her cheek and wiped way more blood. Why is this stupid cut bleeding so much? "You - you're welcome," Azriel replied, her voice weak.

Agh, why was she like this?
Because, a small voice whispered, you're a coward. You don't want to hurt again.
Building up her walls with these words in mind, Iris finally dared to look at the angel. She was crying. Her walls tore themselves down. The urge to wipe away her tears became so strong that Iris found herself once again fidgeting with ice to keep her hands occupied.

Finally daring to look back at Iris, Azriel suddenly realized that both of her cheeks were wet now. Was she crying? She reached up a hand to touch her cheek. Dammit. What in heaven's name is wrong with you? She tried to subtly wipe her ridiculous tears away, knowing that it was hopeless.

Iris felt a piece of her heart crack as she backed away from the wing, something akin to fear in her eyes. She was so, so, broken. Painfully recognizing this was probably the last time Iris would leap and fall into her angel, the elf turned away. Guilt wrecked havoc on herself, parts of her heart were screaming to her. But on the outside, Iris remained an emotionless statue with glassy eyes and a cold mask.

Azriel wrapped her wings around herself tightly when Iris left, staring at the wall silently. Daring to look up for a moment, Azriel saw that Iris was emotionless. It had been a bad idea to start caring about people again. Not that she could help it, Azriel had always felt too much. Tracing one of the Mark's on the wall, Azriel impulsively reached for her knife - only to remember that that had been taken from her as well. Along with her pride and her santy.

She rested her head against the cold wall, eyes wistfully gazing at the ceiling. Like she could escape this cell, the scene, and fly away with her angel free and, with no regrets. Stupid, stupid, stupid. The pounding increased and echoed, lapping at her mind. Yet even here, now, Iris couldn't decide if it was stupid that she let Azriel go, or more idiotic that she opened up. This is why you don't trust others.

Azriel quietly walked back over to her corner. On an impulse, she slammed her head against the wall, feeling the skin break with satisfaction. She had to get out of the stupid cell with the stupid guards and the stupid bread. This was driving her mad.

As the mood drops in the cell, the occupants hear more noises coming from behind the door. There are distant shouts warped by the echoes bouncing off walls. A faint but distinct whooshing sound accompanies the voices…along with the screech of some kind of bird. It grows closer and closer until there's the loud thud of a giant body slamming against the iron door. Azriel can feel a presence in her mind, familiar and comforting. Could it be?

Azriel looked up. Was that… she stood up, walking over to the cell door to press her ear against it. Come on, I'm right here, just a few feet, she thought frustratedly. There was more blood trickling down her forehead from where she had hit herself, but she wiped it away with annoyance, focusing on what was going on right outside of the door.

It sounds as if a scuffle has broken out past the confines of the cell. Eltin curses float through the air and an odd mix between a screech and a growl follows. A blast of fire erupts from the tiny crack beneath the door and heats the metal to a comfortable warmth. Something slams against the door again followed by another jet of flames. And then, the shriek of metal against metal. The fight continues.

Come on, Ahyin, Azriel thought furiously, over and over again to give her companion strength, or at the very least, support.

Cringing at the jets of fire, Iris mentally begins storing up a reservoir of Vaitassien to protect herself from the fire. She doesn't let herself linger on why she's preparing to protect two people.

Suddenly, a great heat floods the room and screams from the hallway sound through the air. The door has become red hot and burns like a furnace. It buckles under the weight of the giant body until it snaps off its hinges and clangs onto the ground. Standing where the door used to be, lighting up the darkness, is a giant phoenix with flames flickering across its feathers.

Running feet and panicked voices can be heard far away now that there is nothing blocking the noise. But they are rapidly approaching.

Azriel shrieked with joy upon seeing Ahyin, for the moment not caring about anything else. Its nice to see you as well, Ahyin told her. Azriel 's hands had been burned by the door, but she didn't really care much.

Iris couldn't keep her eyes off of Azriel, happy and beaming brighter than the sun. Footsteps thunder down to the cell, and the elf faces the doorway. Happy that she's happy. Sad she made her sad. It's bittersweet, watching the phoenix and the angel.