CATCHING FIRE [rylan]

[courtney]

TRIGGER WARNING
contains attempted rape

It hurts.

She awakens in the dark, her hip hurting, and she can't quite think that she's in a jam. But her mind doesn't stop working, not as they herd her out-- humans like cattle, living like cattle, she's one too now isn't she?-- not as they bark orders-- not as she picks up a four-inch nail and stuffs it in her sleeve.

She's a warrior, not a girl, and she doesn't flinch as she hears her name called.

She's wanted alone.

Her hand tightens on the nail.

[rylan]

It sits heavy in his pocket (once a treasure a trophy- now a millstone)

Four weeks untouched and now it springs to life like a smoldering coal under a sudden breeze

Blazing against his skin-

Cloudless sky

Soft echo of trainwhistles in the distance, departing

Long lines still in their battle best, their coats and boots

He should be honed, sharpened, but as they pass his mind drifts

(sometimes an instrument passes that looks like it'd fit his kiln, but it never lingers, never becomes more than brief sparks)

And then-

That face

that face

"Come with me."

[courtney]

She follows without a word. Her eyepatch is long gone. The wound where her eye should be is atrocious, but she refuses to hide it.

It's a sign that she doesn't fear Lux. Even here her hands refuse to shake. She's got a purpose in mind and she keeps her mouth shut as she walks after him, an unbroken stride.

Four weeks cannot snuff this fire out.

As they walk into the darkness, not a single ounce of her light diminishes.

[rylan]

She stands too tall, walks too lightly. Her eye is too clear, her face too calm. He walks on her sightless side, walks in her blind spot.

It should be a distraction, a distinction, but the face he sees is whole.

They aren't even halfway when he takes her arm, pulls her to a halt

stands facing her, breaths quick, shallow

"did you arrive recently? I haven't seen you around before. I would have introduced myself. "

that soft no to coffee the unanswered letters and he's sure this one will show a similar ingratitude

"For a Nox, you're beautiful. "

[courtney]

"A month ago."

Courtney's been felt up enough outside that Lilycove contest hall to know that when a man grabs her, he's after one thing. And he's not going to take no for an answer.

She's seen his kind too, too many times that her fingers have worn down counting all the muffled cries from that back alley, some of which were hers.

"For a Lux, you're charming," she lies, too calm, head high, fingers running over rusted metal.

She's surprised he doesn't know who she is, but she's not about to let this chance slip through her fingers.

[rylan]

He's staring into an empty eye socket staring into static-

but it's a trick, it has to be, because those words sound welcoming sound aqcuesing and he should walk away now- but that face-

He lets go of her arm.

isnt a month long enough to have heard...

One hand slips into his pocket, slithering over the surface of the earring.

the flame is sputtering the flame is dying because that anger can't surface

The earring comes out deft fingers slip it in place.

"Keep walking. "

he decides her kindness is an act of defiance

[courtney]

She takes her arm back and keeps her pace, but she keeps her mind on that spike in her hand. She can jab it into his face at any time, tear him open and watch him bleed.

She plans on it. He's taking her to places with fewer guards. Almost as if he wants her alone for whatever is to come.

Well, there'll be no score tonight for Blondie (as she's named him).

She waits patiently. She'll need him alone if she's going to kill him.

[rylan]

They've almost reached the building when he decides it's time. With her lack of peripheral vision, it's simple enough to send her flying simply by slipping a foot in her path.

He's on her like a shark the moment she's down, hands flying to remove a pair of cuffs from his belt, to work on getting those hands secured behind her back.

he'll need to change that once they reach the dorm, the room. He didn't have cuffs back then. Just a few rolls of duct tape.He's often thought idly that he should have kept the sheets, but now it's a stinging regret instead of a nagging twinge. But it isn't about the sheets or the tape or the cuffs, is it? All that matters is he has the girl again

[courtney]

She hits the ground, and instinct takes over. This is no whining girl. She is trained for this. She acts faster than Rylan can predict and turns the nail in her hand, jabbing outward, towards his face.

She'll get him off of her if she has to cut his throat.

[rylan]

He's been clawed by more sets of nails than he can count but those were all dulled little lumps of keratin on the enticing fingers of his many toys. This is metal, and the burn is harsher. It slices sideways across his cheek, thankfully shallow as he jerks his head to the side, but the burn is incredible. 

now the sparks become a wildfire

He hisses, howls, but doesn't budge. He grabs again, one arm swinging to try to intercept the hand with the nail, the other lunging in to try to wrap around her neck. 

[courtney]

Her nail-arm gets grabbed, but she sees the hand for her throat and takes advantage of her small size; it's easy to maneuver under him, slide down a bit between his legs, and brace herself as his fingers collide with her mouth.

She bites down.

She doesn't stop there; she raises a knee, hoping to hit him where it'll hurt most.

She will devour him with her fire.

[rylan]

He's prying the nail from between those fingers when his fingers strike something wet. Before he can register that they've penetrated her mouth, she bites down, and he roars in pain and tries to pull his fingers free. He throws himself down on her in a clumsy tackle, trying to spread his weight to pin and subdue her. Lucky he moved when he did. There's a knee in his side and a moment slower and it'd have ruined his plans for the day. 

He's done this with so many but rarely do they land a blow- certainly nothing like this. He takes the hand holding hers and yanks it downward, elbow flying towards her solar plexus. 

[courtney]

She's seeing stars.

She can barely breathe. That elbow connects and finds herself gasping for air. It's probably enough time for him to get an advantage. Definitely enough.

For a while, he'll have the distinct advantage of leaving her breathless.

[rylan]

Anger had roused him, but pleasure at the sight of her pained gasps turned that into something he could work with. He could break every bone in her hands, but it was too early, or maybe too late. They'd yet to reach his room but his anger was boiling over, his body beginning to respond. 

The cuffs had fallen to the ground unnoticed, but now he reached for them quickly. He drew one hand back to deliver a back fist to her face, the other hand neatly sliding an open cuff towards one wrist. 

[courtney]

She manages to get a grip (though she's still dizzy). She sees his hands moving. She doesn't trust them now, because he's not just some guy looking for sex, now is he?

She reaches with one hand to try to find the nail. With her other hand, she slashes at Rylan's eyes as soon as he pulls his arm back.