[closed] I hate to turn up out of the blue uninvited

[hyanaimne]

Date & Time: December 12
Location: Winter wonderland of snow and fun
Characters: Tempest and Charlie Dyer
Summary: Someone was missing for a few days. Someone else wants to shake her.
Warnings: None!

[milling around just inside the doors leading to the transporter room, Tempest finds her attention drawn to the floor; idly drawing designs in the slush with the toe of her boot, pushing it around. Not quite a nervous gesture, but almost.

It's been over a year since she's been here, and yet only a few days passed. She honestly does feel cheated; that she spent months wondering if she would ever be brought back, or if she had been kicked out for some reason, and just when Exsilium was no longer on her mind, a blink and she's there. She almost wanted to laugh at the irony.

She pauses moving slush around to glance down at her hand, flexing the fingers with a frown. The cold was making it ache again - nothing new, for her nowadays, but still annoying. She'd have to pick up another pair of gloves at some point. She sighs, and leans back against the wall and forces her attention to the door instead]

Comments

[falla]

[ She smiles, and her whole body reacts to that, releasing some tension. ]

We m-make a good team then.

Oh, a-also, Temp?

[hyanaimne]

[Tempest lifts her head to look up at her (she'll never get used to that)]

What?

[falla]

Welcome back.

[ And then she passes one single finger through her hairline, tucking a bit of it behind her ear before taking a step back and heading out. ]

[hyanaimne]

[it takes a moment to process that, and it's unfortunate that Charlie turned, because Tempest just went bright red]

A-Ah . . . thank you.

[she reaches back quickly to tug up her hood (safety!), then moves to follow Charlie out]

[falla]

[ She actually saw the red on her face, don't worry.

Charlie is waiting for her outside, looking a bit nervous again. That was kinda bold after all. ]

Was th-that wrong? Me p-playing with your hair.

[hyanaimne]

[Tempest brightens a little again, and huffs to try to distract from it]

No? Why would it be?

[falla]

I don't kno-know, I felt like d-doing it.

[ Tempest has pretty hair this is a fact. ]

Can you p-please tell me about your time b-back home now?

[hyanaimne]

Then . . . if you feel like doing it, go ahead . . . ?

[that's the right thing to say, isn't it? Who knows.

Though at the question she purses her lips, thoughtful, and walks a bit faster to catch up to Charlie]

It is not all that exciting . . .

[falla]

Okay...

[ She's totally doing it again later. And again. And again until Tempest snaps.

Okay maybe not that much. ]

Still, sh-should be interesting. A whole year?

[hyanaimne]

[little does Charlie know, she's already had some conditioning into liking that sort of thing before she left. Dun dun duuuun]

And a few months, mm. I do not know exactly, though - it was a bit disorientating when I first got back.

[because dying, only to wake up again really messes with you]

[falla]

[ As long as Tempest doesn't come around pouncing for more hair tugging...although Charlie could get used to that.

At least they can be weird together? ]

Okay s-so, start at the be-beginning.

[hyanaimne]

Hell.

[it's out before she can stop herself, and she winces, almost guilty]

Well, I . . . died, before I came here the first time. When I went back, I was . . . not dead? Someone had tried to revive me.

[falla]

[ She just stares at Tempest in silence for a moment before hooking her arm around one of Temp's. ]

Well, s-someone succeeded right? Then?

[hyanaimne]

[Tempest lets her, though she does glance down at their arms curiously, before back up to Charlie]

Well . . . yes, if you look at it that way. But something went wrong with the spell and I was . . . erm. I was not in the best health when I woke up. It took a few weeks to recover my magic to heal myself.

[falla]

[ If Tempest has been paying attention to Charlie, it shouldn't be hard to notice that the mere action takes effort for her. She dislikes being touched or hugged, but the subject at hand...she needs to convey her support in some way, and words will not cut it. ]

But alive, t-that's what matters. You mentioned a w-war?

[hyanaimne]

[oh, she notices. She remembers the first time she touched Charlie, and how she reacted to it. Charlie will note, though, that Tempest is about as relaxed as she ever gets; a good sign]

Mm. There is a race of elves in my world known as the Drow; dark elves who are oftentimes seen as the worst of creatures. They began attacking cities in the north, and so the capital sent their knights up there to handle it.

. . . and then any able man, and after that, began hiring mercenaries to become soldiers to fight as well. That is how I got involved.

[falla]

[ Well that's good because Charlie is working through her current innate need to freak out. ]

I know a-about Drow elves, often m-misunderstood, although a bit on the si-side of ag-aggressive.

Fighting a w-war that's not yours?

[hyanaimne]

The ones of my world were banished to the mountains; it was thought that they had died out, but . . .

[she shrugs the opposite shoulder, glancing down at their hooked arms again] I was looking for the one who revived me. Since everyone was joining this war, I thought I would find him that way. [her voice turns wry] And I needed the money.

[falla]

Oh.

[ So one of them had saved Tempest. Not so terrible after all? ]

S-sounds like a plant to me. And the mo-money.

So...did you find her?

[hyanaimne]

Not yet. I am beginning to think they are not involved in the war at all; I haven't sensed their magic once.

[falla]

Who, t-the Drow? Or some f-faction?

[ She sounds confused because...weren't they the whole war cause? ]

[hyanaimne]

Oh—no, the wizard who revived me. I know for a fact that the Drow are involved; I've fought against them.

[falla]

Oh, since y-you said they.

[ Still makes sense though. ]

You didn't even g-got a name?

[hyanaimne]

Ah - apologies. But no, not even a name. When I woke up, I was alone. The only hint I have is the symbol I was asking after.

[falla]

The symbol.

[ Now things make a little more sense. ]

Sh-show me?