His outburst didn't go unnoticed. Still, three months? It was after New Years then. Not that he lamented missing out on the mandatory holiday reuinions with the family, but that was one of his favorite holidays.
Neither did he miss their moments of hesitation. Even Jax would admit to the strangeness of the situation. They weren't far from the city, but with the weather like it was, nobody would last long without clothing. He fixed the girls with a look of coy dismission.
"I said I got away, not that I was let go. I can tell introducing myself didn't elicit the shock and awe I was hoping for,"
his grin was teasing as he explained himself,
"My family is rich and famous. I imagine piles of people would jump at the chance for ransom opportunities. But they didn't really explain their motivations to me, either way," he shrugged.
He had to diffuse any suspicion and stretching the truth was a perfectly acceptable strategy.
He glanced at Elias, who implied his introduction to the girls was quite the story. And the shiest of those girls went on a walk in the woods? His gaze swung back to Elyse, who had to be getting cold without her stuff, despite the fire.
"You often take walks in the woods in winter by yourself? Don't you know there's dangerous people out there? Kidnappers to start?"
He pictured these three shitting themselves if one of Sora's naga giants slithered out of the river about then.
((Your chars ever think that maybe the snake images refer to the giant SNAKE TATTOO on his body? Seems obvious. hah))
Edited by
Jaxen Marveet, Jun 3 2015, 05:34 PM.
Sierra didn't realize how close to the truth her words struck; there was a beacon in the river, but they were unaware of its presence. Curious, he pulled his uncle's wallet out and started scanning the various pages until the signal app was activated. Again, the topography of the area was unremarkable and the heat maps were all cold. He put the wallet away again and considered going back to Moscow a day early.
Jaxen's story was something to ponder. He was by admission one of the CCD rich and famous. That explained a lot about him, but Sierra's questions struck a nerve. Jaxen couldn't have made it far in this weather, which meant he escaped from somewhere nearby. Eli wouldn't mind meeting the kidnappers if they were inclined to chase after their victim, so he didn't bring it up. He kept his ears open, though.
Meanwhile, it was hard to imagine Elyse involved in anything suspicious, but Jaxen had a point. Sierra too. "At least I've been camping for the last week while hiking down the river."
He pointed out the giant bag of gear dumped nearby, but the accusation in his tone was minimal. The girls had no equivalent supplies that he could see, but he was less and less open to reasonable explanation as time went on. Maybe the strangest of the group among them wasn't the rich naked guy.
Sierra smirked at camping for a week. Sierra had been out in the snow and cold for the past three months or more. She'd lived in the wilderness for most of her life a week. Sierra really wanted to laugh but she didn't.
Her gear wasn't much, and most of it had been made by herself, was stored in a nearby wayward pine staying dry and waiting for her to pick it up. Sierra shrugged at Jaxen's thought that it was dangerous. It wasn't that dangerous, it was far more dangerous around people. People were the ones who killed for no reason what-so-ever. They kidnapped people. Another reason she dreaded going back into the city.
Siera smiled, "The city is far more dangerous. I'm sure you weren't kidnapped from the woods."
Elyse faced Jaxen as he spoke to her. It was a good question, but one easily answered. "I'm new to the city, and found it quite stifling to what I'm used to. I needed some fresh air. I'm used to the cold, and I can take care of myself."
She gave him a wide smile. "Of course I have you to protect me now."
She teased.
Elias had been out for a week and Sierra possibly longer. It had been three months for Jaxen.Elyse had only just arrived and it had been a rather strange way to start. She wondered if this was everyday thing in Moscow.
Despite her words earlier, Elyse was beginning to feel the cold in her hands and ears. She turned away from Jaxen to warm her hands on the fire before turning back to her patient. She poked his feet softly. "You can feel that, right? Either way, you should go to a hospital right away to check for frostbite"
She tuened then to Elias. "What brings you out camping? You mentioned looking for something?"
She asked with a smile.
In the time they'd been talking, the wind had picked up. Jaxen hadn't noticed until he'd began to warm up. The clouds had thickened, as well. Probably going to start snowing again any minute. Which made for a nice winter wonderland type vibe, but he was ready for a hot shower. The hell was taking Stanislav so long? The river caught his eye. He could see it from his apartment. In fact, he could see it from his shower, too.
The girls had a point about the woods, though. The city was a hell of a lot more dangerous. Kidnappers, cannibals, giant snakes. If they only knew. But, actually, he was kidnapped from the woods. Or as good as. That girl had him drive to Silver Pinewood park, a reserve
She'd said her name. Like the letters of the norse alphabet, she'd said. Rune. Rún . The lights across the river blurred into distant stars. A name and a threat he couldn't pronounce was on the tip of his tongue. A horn echoed down the river that shook him out of memory. In his mind, it was only hours ago that he was looking down the barrel of a gun.
He closed his eyes. The light had hovered so close back then, but he couldn't take control of it no matter how hard he tried. Now, after Tarin and Sora, he had control. He hadn't meant to seize it, but the power filled him. It felt like he was stretched out in the sun. Yet also, he was acutely aware of the wind curling its way down the back of his neck. He could practically see the tiniest specks of ice, like dust, floating before him.
And that horn again. It was louder this time, but he didn't particularly think it was much closer. A ship was coming down river. Probably a shipping barge of sorts. The Moscow River was a major hub of transportation through this part of the Dominance.
Since the game was given away, now, he glanced at Elias to see how he reacted. He'd felt the other man's use of power previously, and the sheer strength of it dominated what Jaxen knew he could handle. But Tarin said he would keep growing stronger until he just stopped one day. He also said he would outlive everyone he knew. Kind of put a new perspective on things. A slow grin worked its way across his face, like he knew some secret, but only Elias was in on part of it. The girls wouldn't know, at least he didn't think they would. He was feeling mischievous, and wanting to do something other than sit here roasting his marshmallows by the fire.
He turned a coy gaze toward Elyse, but she'd moved on by then, asking Elias a question. She was way too sweet a girl for him, and completely unlike anyone he'd ever gone after before. Oriena looked like hell-incarnate compared to her. Ori was far closer to his type, but supposed it wasn't about the capture. It was about the chase. And if pretty girls wanted to flirt with him, he wasn't going to stop them. But he'd probably not go through with it, even if she consented, or begged. Well, maybe if she begged. No. He was better than that.
What was taking Stanislav so long?
Elias was accustomed to sneering looks from women. They weren't his favorite thing to endure, but smirks were better than pity. He held her gaze, daring her to say what was on her mind, even if he couldn't fathom what it was. In the end, she smiled and deflected the topic. Likewise, Eli left his thoughts unsaid and followed the flow of conversation from Elyse only to watch her flirt with Jaxen. Eli tightened his gloves around his hands, ignoring her.
A sudden presence made itself known. Eli snapped his head up thinking Tony or one of the other guys had sought him out. Instead, all he saw was Jaxen, contemplative certainly, but echoing with the same power Eli wielded. Thus, he missed Elyse's question, or perhaps he heard her speak and assumed she was addressing someone else. Eli's stare was fixed on Jaxen, a man who appeared under the strangest of circumstances in a place of enigmatic questions.
A ship's horn announced its presence on the river. A moment later, it sounded again. Elias had been idle too long. He was tired of subjecting himself to the mundane drama in which he found himself, and reached into the bowl of powers swirling on the edge of his mind. It poured into him like a waterfall, but he didn't wait for Jaxen's reaction. He contemplated ways in which to force civility out of the three, or perhaps specifically the two girls. The ship horn sounded again, much closer this time, and in a trio of three bone-throbbing blasts.
Eli's contemplation subsided as he snapped his gaze toward the river. "That sounded like distress,"
he said. Had his uncle's boat sounded the same call for help? Power urging his boldness, he went to the riverbank and peered upstream. Several hundred meters away, a shipping barge was swaying in mid-river on violent waves beating at its flat bed. As though something shoved it from beneath, the bed wrenched off the attached tug boat and cargo containers were ripped from their straps and slid into the water. There was nothing to explain the violence, nothing he could see. Was this it? The shadow he'd seen beneath the ice come for them? A flinch of excitement touched his eyes as he held his breath. The tiny tug boat heaved on the violent waters that splashed its sides. Eli found himself running toward the scene along the river bank, but snow and ice continually swept his feet unsteady, slowing his pace. He had to see if the shadow was there! There were no thoughts for Elyse, Sierra and Jaxen and he didn't care if they followed, watched, or ran away. Eli was not an athlete, and his lungs strained as he sucked down painfully cold breaths.
He missed a step when the tugboat caught fire. A man dove overboard, but rather than escape the suddenly risen flames, the waves pulled him under and Elias did not see him again. He was panting when he reached the scene, but his gaze was not on the burning boat or the sinking bed. He was frantically searching the waters, but the crests and chopped ice obscured any sight beneath.
He closed his eyes and stretched out his hands. Blankets of power laid itself across the waters, forcing them flat and still. His eyes were closed, but his senses pierced beneath, seeking form to the supernatural attack. Nothing.
His arms fell and all returned as it had been. The river quieted, even relinquishing the body it had claimed to the surface. The current picked up the lump and washed it away. Eli likewise turned aside, letting the boat burn in the meantime. There was no shadow to explain the attack this time, but Eli had a feeling the message was meant for them.
The wind picked up, the fire started to flicker even with the so called magic that had fueled its power. The sound of horn filtered through the air, a second time and the dark man, Elias, ran towards the scene.
Sierra was torn between the help she was already offering and the new scene. This was too much humanity, too much coincidence for her. Her golden eyes were now seen by three people, how many more were on that ship? How many more would know what she was. Even one other person to know was dangerous. Those that had killed her brother, they could be anywhere. The tattoo he'd worn with pride, she knew it meant something, if she could only figure out what. The boat burst into flames.
Sierra sighed and followed the darker man, it was not in her to sit idle and watch as things happen. Jaxen was fine for the moment; hopefully, his ride would be here sooner rather than later. This weather was only going to make matters worse.
There were no explanations for anything, everything happened so quickly so violently and then there was nothing. The woods were silent, the wolves had scattered, even the nosey little wolf was gone from her senses. She was alone with humans for the first time in many months - no years. It had been years since the wolves were not close enough to listen too. Sierra missed Snow desperately. But the human world didn't cater to the whims of nature, and this was hardly natural by any means.
Sierra stopped by Elias, "What just happened?"
Jaxen followed Elias' gaze to the water, but trees blocked his view downriver. The three consecutive blasts did sound odd, but Jaxen wasn't a sailor. How was he to know what a fog horn signaled?
His glance at the girls was curious while Elias went to investigate, but his expression turned confused when the guy sped off at a full run. Jax twisted as much as he could, but he couldn't see, and the snow was too cold to venture off for a peak. Sierra was soon to follow.
"What the--?"
He looked to Elyse for answers. Or at least to translate in case she had a better view. But Jaxen's expression darkened at the following surge of power. The sheer force of it sent chills down his spine and made Tarin's forces feel like child's play in comparison. Elias wasn't like the others Jaxen had met, and he was so young. It reminded him eerily of Michael.
"Those two should meet..."
Jax muttered under his breath. Thankfully the surge subsided and Jaxen followed Elyse with his eyes. "What's going on?"
, but a wry grin overcame the previously dour moment. "...Now that we're alone."
Elyse had a view of the incident from where she was, even though it was obscured by trees. A shipping boat being pulled by a tugboat down the river. She had heard the siren of the boat's horn, and coming from a port town she recognized the call for help. Her hand instinctively moved to where her pistol usually rested.
She watched though, Sierra followed Elias to the river, but Elyse elected to stay at the camp for now, her eyes followed and searched. Something was attacking the ship, but she couldn't see anything, and her knowledge base of monsters had no knowledge of marine creatures. Was this the thing Elias was looking for?
An explosion took the ship and it caught fire. Elyse barely heard Jaxen's question or his following quip. "A ship just blew up."
she said, her voice questioning. "And I don't think now is a good time."
Her voice was serious and she didn't look at Jaxen when she answered. Her eyes were stuck on the river and concern laced her face.
She didn't know what it was, but something supernatural had happened. She knew it deep down, and it irked her to no end. Whatever had caused this wasn't something she was familiar with. She was pretty sure Elias knew something though.
Sierra caught up a few seconds later. Either she was fast, or Elias was equally slow. He didn't turn to look at her when answering, keeping his gaze on the settling surface of the water. "My best judgement? The ship bay caught on fire and the crew jumped overboard rather than burn to death."
That was the obvious answer, and he knew Sierra wasn't asking for an literal explanation. But he didn't have an answer to the underlying problem: what caused the fire?
As though in answer, someone else emerged from a hatch upon the back deck of the burning tugboat. A girl in schorched overalls and smoking hair frantically ran to the edge and clamped onto the handrail. She peered overboard like she considered jumping herself. She apparently didn't notice anyone watching her, but given the burden of having to choose one's mode of horrible death, Elias doubted she was paying much attention.
Rather than escape, something made her abandon the rail and run toward the burning wheelhouse. Flames popped and roared from the windows. A column of black smoke churned overhead. "She's crazy!"
Elias gasped as she plunged into the fire that seemed to waft away from her path.
He stared in awe at the sudden lack of her presence. Thirty seconds later, she lept from the structure once more, cradling something small, and covered in a blanket, in her arms. Impossible! She should have melted alive in the inferno!
But this time she didn't hesitate as she ran to the edge to jump overboard.
She jumped and Elias cringed at what must be a painful plunge into icy waters. A mess of black hair surfaced quickly though. In one arm she held a small dog as high on her shoulder as she could, and with her other she tried to swim.
Elias frown deepened as a chill crept under his clothes. "I suppose I should save her."
He said to no one in particular. "I'll need your help dragging her out of the water,"
he said as he stepped forward, preparing himself to anticipate the pain to come.
Beneath his feet, the water solidified as it had previously. His boots gave him good traction on the snow, but were of minimal help crossing the smooth surface. So he altered the flow of power that touched the glassy pathway rendering it ridged and bumped.
In seconds he was half way to the girl, and by then she was aware of his presence. He quickened his pace and slid to his knees when he reached her, kneeling to grab onto her arms. Big eyes begged him for help as her arms flailed and splashed. Plunging his own hands into the icy water, he tried to find a way to yank her out.
He absently wondered if it was possible to warm the temperature of the water as he had the air, but it was too late a thought to be useful now.