HOME | DD
ChronicFolly — Between Two Lungs, Prologue, page 4 (read)
Published: 2013-06-11 19:51:09 +0000 UTC; Views: 1256; Favourites: 27; Downloads: 0
Redirect to original
Description
If only for a brief moment, time seemed to pause. Lorica was bleeding, and sore. Dreden was breaking down and—although unharmed—the wall was his only support. Streams of blue remorse dripped down Dreden's face, and the sight might as well have jammed a hot knife into Lorica's heart and wrenched it. She couldn't hear him sobbing. She couldn't hear the hum of the ship. She could hardly hear herself as she called gently, “...Dr<3d<3n? D<3<3r?”Time resumed with a nearly painful passing of a second. Upon hearing the voice, Dreden instinctively scrubbed the tears from his face with the cuff of his sleeve. When he craned his neck back to search for the source of the call, his gaze fell upon Lorica and he spoke her name with a relieved sigh. They both moved to meet the other, although Dreden moved with a cumbersome swiftness yet to be matched and reached her far sooner than she reached him, and he embraced her. Lorica cringed at the contact. Most of her wounds had yet to show—with the exception of her ears—but were very much there. Nevertheless, Lorica returned his hug and showered him with affections; she brushed his disheveled hair from his face and applied a countless number of kisses to his cheeks and hairline. Joyous teal pearls beaded in the corners of Lorica's eyes and threatened to spill over.
“You'r<3 aliv<3! I'm so happy you'r<3 okay!”
“TICK-I wasn't sure... I couldn't watch your match, I was too afraid...! Are you alright? Are you not hurt?-TOCK”
Lorica's breath hitched as she recalled the whole, jarring event. “I...got knock<3d around a littl<3. Buck I'm alright. Just som<3 bruis<3s, mostly. I hav<3 a littl<3 bit of h<3aring loss, I think... Ar<3 you okay?”
Dreden fell silent. His shoulders tensed and his expression faltered—though Lorica didn't see this for she was far too enamored with fixing his hair. For just an instance, Dreden's arms loosened around Lorica as he choked, “TICK-Y...yes, I am...he...Zakari. He never had a chance to attack me. He wasn't going to.-TOCK”
Lorica fell into silence along side Dreden, and paused to allow him a moment to compose himself once more. Once that had been done, Lorica pulled back from their embrace and cupped his cheeks in her hands, allowing her thumbs to rubs soothing patterns at the base of his temples. “I'm sorry. I'm r<3ally sorry you had to do<3 that, d<3<3r,” she said gently. “Buck...you'r<3 aliv<3... And I am v<3ry happy that you ar<3. Dr<3d<3n, I am so fawn of you I...I do<3n't know what I would hav<3 don<3 if you hadn't com<3 out of that.”
“TICK-Yes... a golden lining to the storm cloud. I got to meet you. And I found out that I don't think I could live without you now. But this tournament. I... I find myself at a loss. This is one situation in which I have no idea what to do!-TOCK”
An expression something akin to confusion and melancholy overcast Lorica's face. “I wish I could off<3r som<3 advic<3...buck I'm just as lost as you ar<3. I think all w<3 can do<3 now...is fight. And liv<3 as long as w<3 can. I do<3n't want to fight. I f<3<3l so horribl<3 for what I did to that troll. Buck...if it m<3ans I can b<3 with you for a f<3w mor<3 hours I will do<3 what th<3y t<3ll m<3 to. Am I bad for saying that?”
“TICK-No, no you are not, my dear. Ha, forgive me, I must seem a mess,-TOCK” he responded with a sniffle. Dreden took another pause to rub his cheek for stray tears, and then caught sight of Lorica's bangs and brushed them behind one of her bleeding ears. In response, Lorica placed a small kiss on his cheek, and let her forehead come to rest on his.
“It's okay, Dr<3d<3n. It's not good to bottl<3 <3v<3rything up all th<3 tim<3,” she said in a quiet breath.
Dreden smiled gently, and replied, “TICK-Oh my dear, dear Lorica. Here you are the one injured, and yet are still strong. I would give so much to have your strength, my dear. To be even half the troll you are.-TOCK”
Lorica's breath hitched for a split second, and she gazed into his eyes for a pregnant moment. “I...I'm r<3ally not that good of a p<3rson... I do<3n't d<3s<3rv<3 you. I hav<3 don<3 too many bad things.”
“TICK- No my dear, you deserve so much better than me. -TOCK” Dreden drew his hand down the length of her cheek again. He was hesitant, but finally forced himself to arch forward and ghost his lips across Lorica's. She tensed, started, however managed to recover in time to return some of the kiss.
“<3v<3n if that w<3r<3 tru<3,” she began after clearing her throat. “I do<3n't want to do<3 b<3tt<3r, d<3<3r. I do<3sn't s<3<3 how anyon<3 could b<3 b<3tt<3r than you.” Shades of teal mingled across her face as she said this.
“TICK- That you can not see my flaws is merely another aspect of how perfect you are, my dear. -TOCK”
The conversation was reducing Lorica to a mess of grins and giggled. Having lived adjacent to Raeall all her life, she wasn't accustomed to such flattery. Perhaps that was why she felt so drawn to him.
Suddenly, Lorica's smile began to fade. “...I wish w<3 could go hom<3 tog<3th<3r,” she muttered.
Dreden adopted her former grin, however it was sad and misplaced. He pushed himself onto his toes and drew her back into his arms. “TICK- We will just have to find a way then, won't we? -TOCK”
“Uhm...how will w<3 do<3 that?”
“TICK-...I wish I knew.-TOCK”
= = =
Some time later, Lorica and Dreden are still shuffling through the barren halls. No one it about. This was because everyone was either being treated or grieving, Lorica assumed. She knew for a fact that few others had found a quadrant-mate among the other thirty one contestants. While she didn't know the other trolls all that well, she knew how horrible it felt for her to consider losing Dreden, and therefore could imagine how devastating it would be to actually lose someone you loved.
Dreden's hand extends silently, and Lorica meets it with her own and their fingers entwine. Neither of them particularly want to separate for the night; there's a lingering fear that they'll suddenly wake up and find that the other didn't make it out of round one alive.
Dreden turns his head slightly to glance at Lorica, and says softly, “TICK-I hope you do not think me forward, my dear, but... there is something about facing imminent death that makes me rash.-TOCK”
At first, Lorica doesn't respond at all. But then it seems as if a realization clicks in her head after she takes a pause to think, and she returns Dreden's gaze. Her face crumples with confusion. “...I'm sorry, d<3<3r? Did you say som<3thing?” she asks. The blood around her ears is mostly dried and crusted dark teal, but a fresh supply continues to trickle out and drip to her shoulders. The amount of hearing she had just a while before has drastically reduced, and there remains but a small crack in the threshold of her hearing capability. What hearing that was lost has been replaced with a painful throbbing. When she speaks, she speaks too loudly because she can't gauge her own volume.
Dreden's face flushes blue and he shakes his head. After clearing his throat, he replies in a louder voice, “TICK- Oh no, no my dear, nothing of importance! My apologies, I quite forgot... how are your ears my dear? -TOCK”
As if to confirm she heard him correctly, she reaches up and touches one ear with her free hand. “...my <3ars? Ah, th<3y'r<3 still sort of sor<3. A littl<3 b<3tt<3r. I'm sorry if I can't h<3ar you.”
“TICK- Oh, no need to apologize, -TOCK” he chirped. After walking a little further down the hall, Dreden's head falls as he mutters, “TICK-I'm afraid I'd only make a fool of myself anyways....-TOCK”
Seeing Dreden apparently sad like this isn't something Lorica finds acceptable. She takes a pause, stopping them in the middle of the hall. Now is as good as ever, she figures, to give him the gift she'd been holding on to. Dreden gives her his attention when they stop. Lorica uncaptchas her lusus's broken horn and holds it out to poor Dreden, who has no clue what he's looking at. While most of the horn is still in tact, the break is jagged and sharp on some corners. It could be used as a weapon, but Lorica had kept it stashed away safely up until this point. Dreden's gaze glance between the horn and Lorica before he finally folds. “TICK- ....What? -TOCK”
“It's for you, <3<3r,” she said, and placed the horn in his hands when he held them out. It's difficult to let such a precious item go, but she felt it would be better put to use in Dreden's possession. One last look at it is all she needed. “It's...my lusus's horn. I had it with m<3 during my fight. I think it prot<3ct<3d m<3. So, I want you to hav<3 it.”
Dreden's eyes grew wide. His hands tightened around the horn, and he clutched it to his chest before he looked up at Lorica in disbelief. “TICK- Your lusus...! But he...? This is a gift beyond measure, -TOCK” he breathed.
Lorica's response is but a shy smile. Bangs shifting down over her face, fingers twiddling, she says, “W<3ll...<3v<3ryon<3 is losing who th<3y car<3 about. And I just do<3n't want to los<3 you.”
“TICK- I do not think, no, I KNOW I could not stand to lose you either, my dear! Thank you. Truly. must... I must find you something comparable as well, -TOCK” Dreden replies.
A gentle grin overcomes Lorica's face as she leans close and cups Dreden's cheeks in her hands. “Buck you alr<3ady hav<3, d<3<3r,” she whispered. While Dreden spirals into a mess of stutters and blush, she adds, “...I'm r<3ally glad w<3 m<3t <3ach oth<3r, Dr<3d<3n.”
Dreden looks her in the eye and speaks, “TICK- So am I, my dear. I... I don't think I've ever loved... -TOCK” Slowly, he begins to trail off.
The mild volume of his words was making him difficult for Lorica to understand again. But from looking at his reaction, she understood. In that moment, Lorica made a decision. She decided that this could be the last time they see one another. She decided she had to make the most of this time with him. She made the decision to act, while his face was still in her hands, and she made the decision to lean in and kiss him. Just as she pulled away to hide behind her bangs, Dreden caught her and pulled her back.
Prologue
1. [link]
2. [link]
3. [link]
4. [link]
5. [link]
Fight
1. [link]
2. [link]
3. [link]
4. [link]
5. [link]
6. [link]
7. [link]
8. [link]
9. [link]
10. [link]
11. [link]
12. [link]
13. [link]
14. [link]
15. [link]
16. [link]
17. [link]
18. [link]
19. [link]
20. [link]
