"No, it's not fine, Bernon," She sighed, "We could have still gone out to make sure and confirm it was a forest beast. As for how we got caught. We took refuge in a small cave after the storm and they found us, basically said if we didn't come with them they'd kill us."
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"They wanted Tanrial to be their medic since they were short one," Mike added. "They didn't have much use for me, though. Would've killed me if Tanrial hadn't talked them out of it. They kept us prisoner for the next few days, but luckily we made friends with some of them and we were able to escape today with their help. I'm hoping the weather will keep them from coming after us right away, but we'll see."
Bernon let out a breath. "I should have known you were prisoners of somebody. I saw their leader—he looks like he holds his face up to a torch as part of his nightly beauty routine."
Mike shrugged. "His bark was worse than his bite, seemed to me. Tanrial managed to gain his trust without much trouble, didn't you Tanrial?"
"He's not as bad as some of the bandits made him out to be. Don't get me wrong, he's still an ass, that's for sure but he's just trying to protect his men I guess. Once you get his trust he's not that bad."
"Well….I'm glad you managed to get out of there safe," Bernon said. "And I'm glad we managed to find each other again."
"I really do want to apologize, though, Bern," Mike said quietly. "It was our fault you got hurt this bad. You just focus on getting better and we'll handle everything else for a while."
Bernon smiled. "Thanks, guys. It's okay, really. I've been hurt worse before."
(gotta go to bed, seeya later!)
(Okay, sleep well :) )
"Just because you've been hurt worse doesn't mean you should be hurt again. It was our fault for this to happen and now we're gonna do what we can to help you to make up for it."
(I have to work both today and tomorrow, just so you know)
Bernon nodded, watching Tanrial heal him silently for a bit. "Are either of you hungry?" he asked presently. "The rations we got from the market are still in my backpack, if you want them. I bet those bandits didn't feed you very good, did they?"
(All righty)
Tanrial's nose scrunched up slightly, "Yeah, not the best. I'm okay for now, but thank you." She moved onto a bigger burn.
"I'll have a bite or two," Mike said, starting to look for something edible among their supplies. "The stuff those bandits ate made me wonder how any of them are still alive. Feeling any better now, Bernon?"
Bernon tried to hold still so Tanrial could focus. "Much better already. You don't have to heal me completely if it's too tiring, Tanrial."
(gosh that took me so long to type, I'm so tired and spacey rn lol. I'll probably head to bed in another thirty minutes or so)
(Ah okay, get some sleep dude if you're tired lol, that's more important)
Tanrial shook her head slightly, offering Bernon a small smile, "It's not, I'm okay at the moment. Besides, I'm going to heal you as much as I can before I really do have to stop."
(on another note I legit can't eat my fricken noddles because the heat keeps fogging up my glasses and I'm mad)
(thanks ^^ I'll drop one more reply and then I'll see you when I wake up! and lol, foggy glasses are the wooorst XD)
"Okay, if you're sure." Bernon returned the smile. "It's too bad I didn't find you sooner. Then I could have dramatically saved you guys from the bandits in the middle of a lightning storm, like a cool person. Maybe next time, yeah?"
(It iissss, the noddles were bomb af tho lmao, sleep well!)
Tanrial chuckled lightly, "As much as that might be cool, let's try and make sure that there isn't a next time. I'd rather not get captured by bandits again."
Mike nodded his agreement, busily devouring some wafers of dried bread. "Yeah, let's not be too reckless moving forward. We got lucky with this whole episode in a lot of ways that might not happen twice. Still….." He glanced over at Bernon almost proudly. "I knew you had a fighter in you somewhere. Having a giant, angry bear on our side could make things a lot easier when we get back on the road."
Bernon gave a weak laugh. "Well, no promises. I don't think I'll be that mad again for a long time. But sure, I'll be our attack bear if we really need one someday."
"I think you're bringing out the soft side of Mike, Bernon," Tanrial chuckled lightly, "If you keep this up maybe he won't be so grumpy all the time."
"I'm not grumpy all the time," Mike said with a roll of his eyes. "I just don't display my emotions like some kind of traffic light."
"Ah, we were just teasing you, Mike," Bernon reassured him, grinning. "Hey, pass me some of those bread thingies if you're done with–"
Mike held up his hand, snapping around to look outside. From beyond the mist and the heavy rain had come the faint sound of footsteps.
(JoIn ThE aVaTaR gAnG)
Tanrial narrowed her eyes at the mist, looking from Bernon to Mike, "Did… Did anyone follow us?"
(I hAvE cOnSiGnEd My SoUl To ThE vOiD aNd In ReTuRn I wAs GrAnTeD a FaCe At LaSt)
(Also I gtg to bed already T.T)
"Maybe," Mike whispered, not moving an inch. "Be very quiet. They might not see us with the weather like this."
After a moment, a stocky figure emerged from the fog. But it wasn't a bandit–instead, it was an old man carrying a large backpack and wearing a dark scowl. He stopped and glance around, and once he spotted the cave, his shoulders lifted in apparent relief. He immediately changed course and headed straight for it, not yet realizing that the place was already occupied.
(TeA, jOiN tHe cUlT - also goodnight, sleep well :) )
"Do we.. let him stay here? I mean that storms pretty bad, we should… and we'll be leaving as soon as we can." As long as the man didn't try and kill them then letting him stay should be okay.
"Let's see what he's like first," Bernon hissed, just as Mike stood up to make himself perfectly visible in the entrance of the cave.
The moment the old man saw them, he jerked backwards with a muffled curse, whipping his head around as if expecting to be suddenly surrounded by enemies. When that didn't happen, he turned to eye Mike and the others warily. "Well?" he barked. "You gonna try and rob me or not? I'm on the edge of my seat here."
"Rob you? Why the hell would we rob you?" Tanrial called, not bothering to move from where she was seated, "We're not bandits or anything."
"Well that's exactly what a bandit would say, isn't it?" the old man shot back. "I know what kind of forest this is, it's a den of thieves. I'm not about to take a chance on some strangers…" He looked them up and down critically. "…even if they do look like a pack of lost puppies."
Bernon sat forward with a slight wince. "We're telling the truth, man, we really won't hurt you. We're trying to avoid the bandits too. Why don't you come into the cave so we can talk more quietly? I don't think anyone's noticed us yet." He offered the old man a friendly smile. "If we attack, you have full permission to use me as a hostage since I can barely move right now."
The old man hesitated for a moment longer, then heaved a sigh and stumped over to them. "Fine. I guess it can't hurt to wait for the rain to let up before I keep walking."
"You might be waitin' a while then, I don't think this storm is letting up anytime soon," Tanrial sighed, turning her attention back to the last of Bernon's wounds, "Well anyways, I'm Tanrial, the one of there is Mike," She jerked her head towards him, "And this is Bernon. And who might you be?"
"Brandon Raines," the old man replied, dumping his backpack on the ground and stiffly sitting down to lean against the cave wall. "Pleasure to meet you, I guess." He glanced at Mike, who was still standing wordlessly a few feet away. "What's with short, dark, and silent over there? Does he have a phobia of seniors or something?"
"You can hardly blame us for being a little on edge," Bernon said peaceably. "You said it yourself, we have no reason to trust each other."
Brandon grunted. "I did say that, didn't I." His gaze had moved to Tanrial and he was watching her heal Bernon curiously. "Hey, correct me if I'm wrong, but is that some kind of magic you're using?"
((Remember when a while ago I was accidentally calling Bernon 'Brandon?' Well, this guy is/was the source of the confusion ^^; ))
(Nice to finally meet the source of confusion lol)
"It sure is," Tanrial would have shifted to give Brandon a better view but there wasn't much room to move, "Healing magic isn't exactly my forte, but I'm good enough to actually help someone."
"Huh." Brandon studied her with interest. "I don't meet many magic-users, let alone magical healers. Is your power something you were born with, or do you get you power from some kind of artifact, or what?"
"Born. Most of the time if a previous family member has been born with magic then it'll be passed down through generations," She shrugged, "Although people can be born with magic even if previous family isn't blessed. I don't know how it happens but… yeah, you'll have to ask a better woman then me."