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Lily smiled slightly when Nereus pulled him close and kissed him. When the man moved away he looked from Nereus to the armor then back again, the fox shrugged. He had taken it off of Nereus, he was sure he could help put it back on the man. Maybe. Surely Nereus would instruct him in the proper way. He nodded slightly. "Alright." Lily looked towards the cave entrance, watching the snow for a few moments. Soon it would stop, then they would run. Ears twitching slightly and he tilted his head to the side, his eyes on Nereus again. Regarding the man thoughtfully. Nereus would probably come too. The fox moved towards Nereus, ready to help him put the armor on.
Violet pulled open the door of Callista's room. He stared at her for a few moments, she seemed ready to go. Good. "My pet," He almost purred the words. Violet was in a slightly good mood, he was confident that they would capture his fox in just a few hours. "Go down to the stables and have the stable boy ready six of the horses." He didn't wait for a response, he turned and started down the hall, to gather the four others that would go with them. |
After plucking up each piece of armor one by one to look at them, Nereus nodded to himself. Grabbing his chest plate, he motioned for Lily to come closer. After explaining that he needed help to buckle it closed, since there was also a section to cover his back, the young man began donning the piece of armor. "When they come I want you to run Lily, and I'll hold them at bay. Do you understand? I'll catch up with you as soon as I can." All this was said as Nereus busily worked on putting on his armor, while occasionally instructing Lily on where to put which piece.
After nodding at the man's words, Callista grabbed her coat and walked briskly towards the stables. Instructing one of the stable boys as she'd been told to, Callista then waited to see which horse she would have this time. Hopefully one surefooted enough for this winter weather, and hopefully docile. But then again, that depended on whom would get which horse. The only certainty was that Violet would get his favorite. |
With Nereus' instructions Lily helped him into the armor. His fingers were nimble and quick and his touch was almost feather light at times. With Nereus instruction it hadn't taken long for Lily to help the man into his armor, that done the fox had moved to the cave entrance, just staring out at the snow. Of course he would run, and he expected Nereus to run with him, though he wasn't sure how fast or far the man could run in armor, and Lily wasn't going to let the man stay behind and fight off his pursuers. "You'll run with me, right?" He spoke the words quietly, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Nereus.
Violet entered the stables, a satisfied look in his eyes. If those horses hadn't been ready when he arrived that stable boy probably would have gotten a sound beating, but the horses were ready and Violet's favorite stood proudly waiting for it's master. The horse was as white as the snow, it's eyes an odd blue color and it's mane and tail a yellowish blonde. Behind Violet came three of his men, armored and armed of course. Behind them came Talis. Violet fully expected everyone to mount a waiting horse without having to be told to do so. Quickly and easily he swung up into the saddle of his horse and watched the others. Talis looked rather annoyed, his eyes were a gold color and the pupils slitted. He was clothed much like usual. Wearing that one sleeved shirt that left his stomach exposed, and the black long harem skirt that was slit up both sides. For this outing though, Talis had put gloves on his hands. The one on his left hand only came a little past his wrist, the glove for his right hand came nearly up to his shoulder, to compensate for a lack of sleeve on that side. Beneath the harem skirt, he wore thin black leggings, and black low heeled traveling boots that came up just past his knees. Over all of this, he had tossed on a long black fur lined coat. Of course, around his neck he wore a collar. Talis approached one of the waiting horses and mounted it, as did the other men. |
After getting his sword and settling the belt around his hip the pale haired man moved to stand beside Lily. the armor he wore had no ill effect upon his movement, being so well fitted to Nereus that it was as if he wore it not at all save for the extra weight. Running a hand trough his hair in though, the man tried to think of how to respond. There was no way of knowing what they would face. Though one thing was certain, a mage was probably with them and Nereus only knew that because he'd been on these types of hunts before. "If I can, I make no promises." The snow was light enough now that they could begin their flight.
Moving quietly to her horse after Violet had done the same, Callista glanced at Talis with a small frown. She was still puzzling over what he was. In fact, that curiosity had sustained her trough many rather trying times. The ones when all she wanted to do was run, and find some way to remove her blasted collar. He was just as much a slave as she was, but they'd never really talked. Heeling her bay mare a little awkwardly, Callista moved so she was beside Violet. "He's that way." Knowing that Violet wanted his fox, the mage supplied this information quickly enough despite the fact that she wished very much to delay everything. The storm was doing a good enough job of that as the young woman watched some of the guards move their horses forward in the direction she'd indicated. |
Lily frowned slightly at Nereus' response, watching the man for a few moments before he sighed softly and stepped out of the cave. If they started now maybe they could get a good lead, though they would leave a clear trail in the snow. Especially if it wasn't snowing hard enough to cover their tracks quickly. Lily's ears twitched a bit as he bounded forward in the snow, reaching down once to tug his short kimono like dress down a tiny bit. He stopped and turned to see if Nereus was behind him.
Violet watched Callista for a moment, nodding slightly when she indicated a direction. He watched some of the guards start off in the direction his mage had pointed out. "You and Talis will stay at my side." He glanced at Callista, then turned an impatient gaze upon the dragon. Violet nearly growled at Talis, his gaze turning to a scowl. "I will tie your horse to mine if need be, slave." He sounded rather angry. Talis was already working his last bit of patience. Once Talis had come to his side, Violet started off after the guards that had already begun. Pleased when Talis' horse quickly fell into step next to him. Talis was leaning forward on his horse, stroking it's neck gently and whispering at the beast. As if he expected it to understand every word he said, and perhaps it did. When Violet turned back to look at him, Talis lifted his head and gave the man a soft smile before leaning back down to continue speaking to his horse for a moment. Perhaps Talis was trying to delay Violet, or maybe the dragon was just seeking any reason to aggravate his master. After a few more moments, Talis straightened and urged his horse forward, coming up beside Violet so the man was between him and Callista. Then Violet was moving, and after a slight wave to Callista, Talis had fallen into step next to his master. |
Shaking his head slightly, Nereus removed his cloak and moved to wrap it around Lily. Once that was done the knight moved forward, grateful that he wasn't wearing those metal boots some knights donned. It would have been nearly impossible to run away in those. As it was, the white haired male was more worried about Lily then himself. Looking down he noticed the footprints left behind by them, and sighed in frustration as they kept moving. There was nothing he could do to hide them faster then the snow could.
After Violet's words, Callista bit her lower lip. She didn't want to be his loyal little slave, bt after being captured and collared, she had no choice! Besides, he did care for her ... Didn't he? No, in all probability Callista was no more then a possession to him and nowhere near being a person in his eyes. She could only use her magic with his approval, but with her being there did that not mean he agreed to her using it implicitly? It could mean that. Waving absentmindedly back at Talis and heeling her horse forward, Callista mumbled quietly to herself. A world of trouble was headed her way if this backfired, but she was tired of being so darn obedient. The mage was spelling Violet's saddle to slip around so he would fall, though she also placed spells down to make sure he didn't die. That was the last thing on her mind since she was after all grateful to the man in a way. Overriding that was the fact that she wanted to escape too. |
Lily blinked and pulled the cloak tight about him. The fox was certain Nereus would need the cloak more than he did though, still he would wear it for a while. It smelled like Nereus and that made Lily smile just a little bit. He kept pace with Nereus easily, not wanting to get to far ahead or behind the man, for fear of getting lost from him. Well, Lily wouldn't get lost, but Nereus might get lost without him. His ears twitched but all he heard was the noise of their own traveling, he sniffed the air a few times, catching nothing but their own scents and that of the snow.
Violet was paying more attention to Talis than he was to his mage, perhaps he should have been watching the mage more carefully, but Talis was a troublemaker and Violet knew his mage wouldn't do anything cause trouble. Or so he had thought, he shifted slightly in his saddle. Then the whole thing slipped around sideways, catching Violet completely off guard. The man slipped from his horse to land sprawling in the snow. His horse stopped as soon as it realized it was riderless, but Violet blinked and stared up at the sky. Momentarily dazed and just a little confused. Of course, he blamed it on the stable boy. Violet almost didn't notice as Talis' horse sprang into motion. Talis wrinkled his nose a bit, watching Violet for a few moments and then Callista. He could feel the magic, he was a dragon after all. His brow furrowed a bit as he tried to figure out what she was up to, though he hadn't needed to really try. Moments later, Violet's saddle had slipped around the horse and Violet had fallen. Talis was laughing, but he didn't hesitate. As soon as Violet was on the ground he urged his horse into motion. Quickly he brought his mount next to Callista and reached out to snatch her reins, quickly he looped them around his saddle horn just before his horse surged forward in a run. Callista's horse forced to run along as well. "Hold on tight!" It was all Talis said to the mage as they galloped away. Violet's guards had stopped, confused by what was going on. Instead of following the fleeing mage and dragon though, they dismounted and rushed to Violet's side. |
She watched a little incredulously, and with some worry, as her spell actually worked. Before she could make sure Violet was alright, Talis was moving with laughter to take her reins and begin their run for freedom. Callista let out a small scream, but did as she was told. In fact the mage didn't really have much choice in the matter as she wasn't the most experienced of riders. In these circumstances, she preferred to let the man take the lead.
For fear of losing Lily, or so Nereus told himself, he reached out to take hold of the younger man's hand. It didn't seem like anyone was following them, but the armored man preferred to err on the safe side. So he tugged gently on Lily's hand to guide him towards the forest lining the roadside. The visibility was actually not that bad, so he wasn't afraid of getting lost and with Lily there, he was certain of it. That thought brought a smile to his lips as he realized how much trust he had for the fox already. |
Lily gripped Nereus hand a bit tightly when the man reached out to hold his hand. Lily rather enjoyed the contact, being with Nereus was so much better than being with Violet. Even trudging through the cold with Nereus was better than being in Violet's warm bed. The fox shuddered lightly, shaking his head to force away such thoughts. Lily moved with Nereus towards the forest, he glanced over his shoulder, trying to judge how much ground they had covered already. He hoped they had a good enough head start, but he doubted it.
Violet was on his feet, and he was angry. He yelled at his men for a few moments, one of them re-saddling his horse and the other two just stood there, looking off in the direction Talis and Callista had run off in. "Follow them!" Violet glared as the two men that had just been standing around quickly remounted and raced off after the two escaping slaves. Once the saddle on his horse was secure, Violet mounted the beast and gave chase as well. The last of his guards coming behind him. Talis' whole body shook with laughter for a few moments longer. He had been wanting to do something, honestly, Violet knew better than to bring him outside unrestrained. Still, anything Talis could have thought of probably wouldn't have been as fun as this. What a clever mage the girl was. He glanced over at her to make sure she was still in her saddle, then he looked over his shoulder. They had covered a lot of ground in such a short time but it was dangerous to run the horses like that in the deep snow. With a sigh, Talis slowed the horses a little, then stopped them. He unwound the reins from his saddle horn and gave them back to Callista. "Fare well and may Violet never get his hands on you again." Talis was already turning his horse around, to go back in the direction they had just come from. Back to Violet. |
As Talis began turning away, a panicked look crossed Callista's blue eyes. "Wait! I don't know where to go or what to do." She'd gotten so used to following another's orders that it was difficult to contemplate not doing so anymore. It sent a shot of panic trough Callista that she hadn't expected at all. In fact, she didn't want to be alone. That terrified her more then what Violet would do to her if he caught her again.
It was hard to remember where her tower home had been, the one where her cat was. The animal had probably wandered off in search off into a nearby forest. Besides, she couldn't return... It was the first place Violet would look for her. No, Callista would have to start all over again. The young woman simply couldn't deal with that! With the loneliness and confusion of trying to think of what to do for herself. "What did he do to you?" What had made Violet run? Nereus wondered it with such a sudden force that his booted foot slammed trough the snow. He could feel the hard ground, and the snow crunching beneath each harsh stomp of his feet. He wanted them to catch up so he could face Violet himself. Grey eyes flashing, the man tried to hide that need for battle from the fox. Lily might do something rash to make sure Nereus stopped contemplating such actions. |
Talis halted, hesitating. His eyes on the horizon though. Fully expecting Violet and his men to come into view in a few minutes. "I have to go back." He was frowning when he looked at her, Talis wanted nothing more than to run. To run and shed this human body and fly. Violet alone held the secret to releasing Talis of this human form, at least, as far as Talis knew. Surely Violet had too much power over Talis.
Lily shook his head at Nereus' words. Hesitating and gripping the man's hand tightly for a few moments. "I'm his favorite. Always beside him, and always in his bed." Lily had whispered the words and shuddered again, really he didn't want to think about it or talk about it. Nereus seemed angry though, and Lily watched his face for a few moments. Deciding that Nereus was angry at Violet and not him. Violet and his men followed Talis and Callista's trail, but they didn't move their horses as fast as Talis had. Violet knew time was against him at the pace they traveled at, but he was not going to risk his horses well being for the sake of two slaves. Of course he assumed that Talis and Callista's horses would eventually stumble in the snow from the way Talis was running them. Had he known the dragon had actually stopped, he might have picked up his pace a bit. Still, Violet was sure he would get his pets back. Violet always got what he wanted. Usually. |
Biting her lower lip, Callista let out a long sigh. "He has you that tightly bound?" Well, she'd actually helped firm those bindings at more then one point. She'd never had to reweave the spells on the collar, and she'd wondered many a time what a particular one was for. It was so strange ... Shaking her head, Callista looked fearfully towards where she knew Violet was. Finally making her decision, she heeled her horse forward with a last look behind her. Mumbling to herself again, Callista tried to weave a spell of illusion so they would think she'd in the opposite way. It would confuse them for a little while at least.
Hand tightening around Lily's, Nereus grimaced and didn't bother hiding his anger at all anymore. "I'll make sure the man never touches you again. Or at least, I'll do all I can so that doesn't happen."His eyes lightened when he noticed the carcass of his horse, frozen in place with all his supplies. It appeared he'd wandered off quite a bit in the storm. Rushing forward to grab his saddle bags, he sighed in relief. Quickly plucking the amulets he needed, he gave one to Lily and donned one himself. Then he handed some dried food to the fox and popped something into his mouth as well as he continued walking with renewed energy. That was one less thing to worry about, and now he knew whereabouts they were. Soon they would be out of Violet's domain. |
"I'll keep them off your trail as long as I can." Talis watched as Callista finally reached a decision and spurred her horse forward. Once she was well on her way, Talis began making his way back towards Violet. Not looking forward to it or the punishment he knew would be brought down upon him. Still, hopefully at least Callista and Lily would be able to escape, to go beyond Violet's reach. That man had a long reach.
Lily's nose wrinkled in disdain as the scent of dead horse came to him, it made him hesitate but Nereus had rushed forward so Lily went too. Not wanting to be far from the man's side, when he was handed an amulet, he looked at it then put it on when Nereus put his own on. Eagerly the fox took the dried food and began munching on it, staying close to Nereus as they continued on their way. Violet's men met Talis first, after a few moments Violet was there with them. Glaring at the dragon. Before he could react though, Talis hand sprung from his saddle and tackled the nearest guard off of his horse. Violet shouted angrily, ordering his men to stop Talis and yelling about wasting time. |
A rush of gratefulness had rushed trough the young woman as she heard the words. Having been under Violet's power for a while, she knew what kind of things he did to those who disobeyed him. So as she maneuvered her horse carefully, trying very hard to find a good path, Callista's thoughts kept returning over and over again to Talis. She wished there was something, anything, she could do for him. But first she needed to find someone who could remove her collar. With what magic she had left, Callista crafted a spell to find the nearest person able to open her collar. It worked, but it didn't work at the same time. Her magic went out all around, but seemed to be blacked out over a certain spot. Wheeling her horse around, Callista made for it.
Soon they would be away from this place, and into relative safety. He'd not even heard of Violet before nearing the towns ringing his domain. Nereus planned on finding some of his old war time friends, and perhaps finding a way out of the country completely. That way, it would take a very determined person indeed to find Lily. |
Lily stayed close to Nereus as they traveled, he had finished the dried food a little while ago. It had eased his hunger greatly, and he smiled at Nereus. "Thank you very much for the food." He had just remembered that he hadn't thanked this man for it. It had been so nice of Nereus to give Lily the food. Those ears twitched, and Lily blinked, suddenly looking a bit nervous. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard the sound of a horse. It was a ways off, but seemed to be coming closer. "Nereus...someone's coming." He chewed his bottom lip some.
It took some time and all of the men Violet had brought with him to subdue Talis. Even in a human form, Talis' was still a strong beast. Fierce determination only made him that much stronger. Though now they had wasted far too much time, Violet glared at the dragon. Talis, the dragon was on his knees at Violet's feet, two swords held at his throat. The scuffle with Talis had taken far too much time, already the snow had covered the tracks he would have followed to get his mage back. She was his, she had so much potential, with her power at his command no one would ever oppose him. Also without her, he wouldn't be able to locate his fox so easily...or maybe he could. His eyes were on Talis. The dragon sighed and got to his feet slowly as Violet and his guards mounted their horses and rode away, back towards the estate. With a sigh, Talis mounted the horse they had left him, rubbing lightly at the bruise under his left eye he spurred his horse in the direction Callista had gone. He was rather surprised that Violet told him to go, without sending anyone with him, but then again Violet knew Talis wouldn't disobey him. He pushed his horse forward at a fast run, a dangerous pace for this snow covered terrain, but Talis thought it best if he looked like he were fleeing from Violet. Of course that story would probably already be rather believable anyway, a bruise on his face, the back of his clothing was torn and his flesh there bruised. After getting him under control, Violet hadn't hesitated in removing the reins from a horse and using them as a whip. At least the man hadn't hit hard enough to break the skin. Talis growled and kicked his horse to go faster. |
The horse stumbled and threw Callista off rather easily considering her lack of experience. Letting out a yell without thinking, the young woman brushed herself off and shivered miserably. This had been a horrible plan, but there was no way she was returning to Violet. Turning this way and that, Callista tried to find her bay horse to no avail. With an annoyed sniffle, she plopped down on the ground and leaned her head against her head to think. She knew there's wasn't much time and that she was being chased, but without thinking trough her actions her capture was inevitable.
Grumbling to himself about amulets not working right, Nereus pulled Lily aside and tried to find a good clump or a high tree... Someplace, anyplace for the fox to hide. "Can you climb one of those pines?" Worry filled his voice as the man tried to think of a way to protect the fox. It just seemed like an impossible task at the moment when he knew nothing about the terrain. |
The way he was pushing his horse to run faster, it didn't taken Talis very long at all to catch up with Callista, in fact, his horse ran right past where she was sitting. Talis yanked back hard on the reins causing his horse to stop sharply and rear back, hooves pawing at the air for a moment as Talis murmured soothing words to the beast before it lowered itself back down and turned. "Where's your horse?" He frowned, looking this way and that as his horse came to stand close to Callista. "Doesn't matter, we should hurry." He held his hand out to her, to pull her up behind him on his horse.
Lily blinked, ears twitching, the sounds hadn't been to far away. He had thought he'd heard a yell, but that couldn't be right. He shook his head lightly, maybe they should hide for a little bit. "...It might be someone friendly.." He offered softly, not really believing those words himself. Lily was looking at the trees though and frowning, he wasn't a cat, but maybe he could climb one. Honestly, he had never climbed a tree before, his tail twitched. "I don't think I can climb a tree..." He looked this way and that, looking for a place to hide. There had to be something nearby. |
Panic rising, Nereus looked around until he thought he noticed someplace Lily could hide. A pile of felled trees lay nearby, forming a cave of sorts. It was just big enough for someone of Lily's size to hide there comfortably. Motioning towards it, Nereus closed his eyes briefly to try and calm his beating heart. Pressing a kiss to the fox's lips, savoring the taste and warmth he found there, Nereus then made sure that Lily hid in the spot despite his protests. "No matter who it is, don't come out. I can't bear the thought of losing you." There were still so many things about the pale haired fox he wanted to know, and so many things he wanted to be able to do with the other man. Moving away from the spot, Nereus went to stand at the center of the clearing after doing his best to hide the tracks or at least disguise them.
With a squeak of surprise, Callista tried to get away from the horse even before it pawed at the air. Insted she fell back into the snow in quite the embarrassing way. Skirts all up in the air exposing legs to the cold, and making Callista shiver thoroughly from head to bottom. Shoving her silver hair out of the way, she stood and looked at Talis a little suspiciously. She wanted to trust him, but he'd said he could leave earlier. Then the young woman noticed the bruises on his back and the one on his face. Wincing in sympathy, she allowed herself to be pulled up behind the dragon and laid her hands on his back. Running her hands lightly over the wounds, she murmured one of the healing spells she knew and smiled when she saw the bruises disappearing. Though now Callista slumped forward and slipped an arm around Talis for support. She'd used too much magic in too short a time. There would be no more of that for a little while. "I thought you had to go back," murmured the tired young woman. Admittedly she was more then grateful that Talis had come to rescue her, and run away too. There was just something about him that fascinated her, but ... Considering the circumstances it had been impossible to assuage her curiosity about the man. |
Lily did protest a little bit, but not much. He knew it was stupid to hope for someone friendly, and it would be even stupider to not hide when he could. So the fox hid in the cave of sorts that Nereus had found. He wriggled and shifted about in his hiding place until he could peek through a crack to see what was going on. He was sure he couldn't be seen through the crack he was peeking out of, maybe. He moved around some more, nervously, then became quite still. His tail twitched and he hugged it to his chest, his ears low against his head as he waited.
"I did go back. Broke one guardsman's wrist, and Violet's nose. Then I came to a realization, I don't think you'd survive very long out here in the cold without someone. So I came back to help you, we have a bit of time, Violet is more interested in getting home to tend his broken nose. Though once that's done, I'm sure he'll be furious." He had pulled her up rather easily as he spoke. When Callista laid her hands on his back, Talis flinched ever so slightly. The bruises were just too fresh for even the lightest of touches. It would be agony riding with her behind him, then he felt her. Her magic. It soothed and eased, it healed. Talis shivered lightly and when Callista put an arm around him, he let go of the reins and reached back to grab her other arm and pull that around as well. "Hold on tight. We're going to be riding hard." He would wait a moment, until he thought she was ready, before kicking his horse into a run. His horse headed in the same direction Callista had been going, but Talis wasn't following the directions of a spell, he was following his nose. At some point the wind had been kind enough to bring him Lily's scent, and the scent of another. "Keep your head low." It was dangerous. Pushing his horse so hard, in the snow and now through the forest. Still if Talis' luck held, his horse wouldn't falter and they would be where Lily was in minutes. |
She was glad the cold made her cheeks red, or at least gave her an excuse. Callista was a little ashamed to even think of the fact that she sometimes wondered how things would have been if she'd been free and in the slave markets, and Talis had been up on the block. Would she have bought him? Most probably. If that had happened ... But it hadn't and now they were both running away for their freedom, though something puzzled the young woman as her arms tightened around the man and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. His skin was cold, but that wasn't what made her hold tighten around his waist.
A white haired armored male stood in the center of a clearing. In his hand was a sharp, well used blade and it wavered not an inch as it was swept casually in their direction. Closing her eyes, Callista could feel a small sob rising in her throat. Why couldn't she just run away without having something stop her? Nereus waited impatiently for the horse to approach, and looked upon the two seriously. They were both obviously slaves, which made him think something was suspicious. Then again that was how Nereus always thought. "Who are you and why are you here?" The easiest excuse for his defensiveness popped to mind, making Nereus smile a little despite the circumstances. As these thoughts flew trough his mind, he had to fight not to glance at Lily's hiding spot. If he did that, the game was over. |
Talis had been slowing his horse some, he could tell they were close by the scents that hung in the air. Though the sight of a man with a sword had taken him by surprise. He reined his horse in sharply, but not as hard as earlier. If the beast reared, Callista would probably tumble off, so Talis took it easy. His horse shifted on it's feet and pawed at the ground nervously. It's eyes looking a bit wild for a moment and some foam had gathered at the corners of it's mouth. Obvious signs that Talis had driven the beast hard, Talis stared Nereus down, his odd reptile like golden eyes meeting the armored man's easily. "Running away, of course. Isn't it obvious? Callista knocked our master from his saddle, and first chance I got, I broke his nose. What else could we do but run?" Talis wasn't lying, but he also didn't seem like the type to flee for his life. Lips parted as if he were going to continue, those lips closed and Talis stared, looking in disbelief and a bit of shock. As if he really hadn't known Lily was nearby until the fox popped up out of his hidey hole.
Lily couldn't be still anymore, Callista and Talis were here. Violet might be nearby as well, but they said they had fled. They had run away too! When Lily popped out of his hiding place he was met with a look of shock from Talis. The fox couldn't help but beam at him, he rushed past Nereus and threw his arms around Talis leg, the only part of his body he could reach while the dragon remained on his horse. "Talis! You're going to come with me?" Before the dragon could answer, Lily had released his leg and hugged Callista's. "Calli! I'm so glad, I didn't like leaving without you! I missed you." |
Nereus didn't like this, not one bit. A frustrated sound left him when Lily moved from his spot, completely ruining whatever chances Nereus had of leading these two away from the younger man. He was glad to see Lily was so happy, but he didn't trust them! It was too much of a coincidence. "Lily, I know you're glad to see them but think. They don't look hurt, they're slaves like you were. Even though they're your friends, couldn't they have been ordered to bring you back? Please come here." Letting a hint of pleading enter his voice, the white haired man kept an especially sharp eye on the golden eyed man. That one was not to be trusted.
Lifting her head Callista didn't know what to do. Talis had a tendency of being just a little blunt at times, and it was already getting him in trouble. Violet liked making an exampled of him. The thoughts fled from her mind when Lily appeared, and along with him came a wide grin on her face. Moving a little as the fox came to hug her leg, Callista placed an arm around his shoulders and gave him a light affectionate squeeze. How many times had she taken care of him? Too many to count. "I'm so happy to see you, I've been absolutely miserable with all of Violet's attention on me, well most of it." Not all of it though, Talis got a good part as well. But that slipped her mind as she hugged her friend. |
Lily was practically bouncing on his feet when Callista gave him an affectionate squeeze. Reluctantly he pulled away from her, stepping back a few steps and turning to look at Nereus. "But..Calli and Talis would never ever do anything like that. They're always so nice to me." His eyes shimmered as if he might cry and he hugged his tail tightly to his chest. "I trust them. Completely!" It hurt that his new friend didn't want to trust his old friends, and he even sniffled a little bit.
Talis shook his head, and carefully without dislodging Callista from the horse, he dismounted. "Callista ran off while I distracted Violet, so of course she didn't get hurt. I ran off when he was pouting and fuming over his broken nose, but I did get a beating before I was able to get away." Slowly Talis turned around, showing Nereus the rips and tears in the back of his clothing. "I've got no wounds though, Callista's a mage. She healed them for me." The dragon turned back around and moved closer to Lily, running a hand almost absently over one of Lily's ears. "It's alright if your new friend doesn't trust us. I don't trust him either, Lily you can't just run off with strangers. How do you know he isn't just trying to get you to like him so he can collar you for himself?" Those golden eyes had narrowed at Nereus and he eyed the armored man with complete distrust. |
Watching all the drama unfold, Callista tensed when the white haired man moved menacingly towards Talis. Slipping off the horse and falling to the ground with an ungraceful thump, the young woman rushed to place herself between the dragon and the knight. Of course, it was a little obvious even if she tried to make it look like she just wanted to be with her friends.
For a few moments Nereus felt like a monster for his thoughts, but the feeling was short lived. Moving forward he looked at Talis with obvious hatred in his eyes. The emotion was strong burning, and hard to extinguish. "You bastard. How dare you say such a thing." Putting his sword into the scabbard once more for Lily's sake, Nereus swatted Talis's hand away from the fox's ears. Eyes and expression softening when he looked down at Lily, Nereus let out a small sigh. "Your friends are collared and there's magic on them that makes you do things even when you don't want to. It's not them I don't trust, it's Violet." And Talis, but that was something the knight didn't want to voice even if it was as obvious as the snow falling lightly from the sky. |
Lily trembled lightly when Nereus came towards Talis. He was terrified they were going to fight, and he didn't want either of them to get hurt. The fox frowned as Nereus smacked Talis hand away from him, and when Callista rushed over, Lily moved closer to her. Reaching out and taking one of her hands in one of his, he held to it tightly, chewing his bottom lip a bit. He was quiet though, not saying a word.
Talis held his ground when Nereus smacked his hand away, it was what usually got him into trouble with Violet. A slave wasn't supposed to hold his ground and Violet couldn't stand it when his slaves made eye contact with him. Those were two things Talis was good at, golden eyes bored into Nereus' eyes and he growled lightly. "My collar holds no such spell." As he spoke the words he reached up to give his collar a slight tug. He knew all the spells that were on his collar, he could feel the magic. The one spell he really wanted gone though, wasn't on the collar. Well, that wasn't true. The collar did hold that spell, but that was a back up, just in case the first spell was broken. Violet held in his possession a dragon's fang, but not just any fang. Talis' fang and on it, the spell that kept him bound in human form. Every time Talis was sold, that fang was given with him to his new master. He shook his head. "Violet isn't the type to place that kind of spell on his slaves and pets. He does want absolute obedience but he plans to get it through fear and pain, not spells." He glanced at Callista, then at Lily. Talis blinked, Lily's collar was gone. Golden eyes went from Lily to Nereus. "Did you remove Lil's collar? Can you take Calli's off as well?" Talis' mood seemed to have shifted, from aggressive to a more relaxed one. Even the look in his eyes had softened. |
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