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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 23, 2008 17:42:10 GMT -5
Eve growled as the man managed to weave his way out of the line of her fall. How had he managed that, anyway? Just her luck, she'd gotten tangled up with a grave-robbing ninja master.
He pinned her down, and she wiggled against his grip, with little effect. She should definitely have waited a night to get her strength back after traveling before she came in after the amulet - she was suddenly feeling beat.
Then again, if she'd waited then this guy would have taken the amulet and ran... though that seemed suddenly likely to happen anyway.
"Say uncle," he demanded, and she bit back a response that came readily to mind - one involving how he fought more like her Grandpa than her uncle - since he had her effectively pinned. So she went for tactic number two, resumed negotiations.
"Look," she said in a soft, frustratingly trembling voice, "Before you go bashing me in the head, grabbing the Shield, and running off into the night, there's something you have to know. A lot of people could get hurt if you do that. A lot of people, and no matter how much money you're going to be making off the amulet it's just not worth..." She trailed off, feeling suddenly short of breath. He must have been pressing against her chest harder than she'd thought - she felt dizzy, lightheaded. Maybe she'd underestimated his willingness to harm people for the shield... if he didn't let go she felt like she might suffocate any second...
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Post by Kasen Rowe on Jun 27, 2008 11:22:22 GMT -5
As she spoke, making it quite clear she was convinced he was some kind of dirty fighting, money grubbing thief, Kasen wondered if he truly came off that badly or if the girl was just naturally derisive. He probably was covered in enough dirt to make him look creepy, but he still didn’t appreciate her tone.
“My reasons aren’t exactly selfish here,” he found himself explaining, interrupting her. “And just who do you think is going to get hurt if you don’t-”
He stopped, realizing that she had faded off mid-sentence. She was looking suddenly pale. An image suddenly came to mind, a woman, older that this girl, older than him. Her eyes were bulging and his hands were around her neck.
He blinked the memory away, his expression suddenly both sad and concerned as he forced himself back to the present. He looked down at his opponent. Her breathing was coming harder and Kasen took a little weight off her, still making sure to keep her pinned.
"Hey... Are you all right?"
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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 27, 2008 11:30:10 GMT -5
Eve shook her head, slightly, trying to regather her focus. Maybe she was... ill? Yeah, that would be perfect, wouldn't it? After all the time and effort she put into finding this, in zero hour she lost her best chance to a few germs. She barely noticed as the man loosened the pressure on her chest, fighting to draw in steady breaths as her blood began to throb with an uncomfortable volume in her temples.
"It's the middle of December, and instead of being home wrapping Christmas presents I'm in the middle of Nebraska, pinned down in the dirt, fighting over a piece of jewelry with a complete stranger. How 'alright' could I possibly be?" She drew in a slow, unsteady breath, and then met his eyes, adding steadily, "Whatever your reasons are, I've come to far to give up the amulet."
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Post by Kasen Rowe on Jun 27, 2008 11:44:10 GMT -5
Christmas. When was the last time he’d celebrated that once seemingly important holiday?
“Well then don’t give it to me. I’ll just take it,” he replied, his mood darkening. “That way you can tell whoever sent you here it wasn’t your fault.”
With that said, he pressed down on the shovel a little more with his body and slid up the handle with one hand to try and pry the amulet from the girl’s hand. Somewhere in the back of his mind he realized if anyone were to pass by and see the struggle, he’d probably look like the evil doer, but that didn’t matter. He knew the truth and he needed the item.
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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 27, 2008 11:50:53 GMT -5
Oh, that was nice - now he was back to trying to crush her again. For a brief, wild moment Eve wondered if it would really be so bad after all if she went wolf, just this once, to fight him off and hold onto the amulet.
Wait... that wouldn't work. As long as she was holding the amulet she wouldn't be able to change... right?
Well, whatever the case, it was seriously beginning to bother her that she had to second-guess every one of her actions in order to protect this stranger. But the amulet wasn't worth anyone's life, and she couldn't stand the thought of more blood spilling onto her unwilling hands. The most important thing right now was to get out of this conscious, and to make sure the stranger got out alive. She could figure out how to find him again, later.
Blinking back the threat of angry, frustrated, and exhausted tears - I'm sorry, Anna. Delayed getting our family back together again... - Eve opened her mouth to tell him to just take it and go. She couldn't force out a sound, though, as it seemed that the renewed pressure on her chest had stolen her breath once more. The world began to go hazy and, to her horror, darken. For a moment all that she could see around her was the enticing, dancing glow of the orange moon, and then even that began to darken...
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Post by Kasen Rowe on Jun 27, 2008 11:55:28 GMT -5
Suddenly the amulet came easily away, all resistance gone. Kasen grabbed it in his fist with hardly a smile of triumph, thinking that the girl had decided to give up. Then he looked back down to her and watched her eyes roll back into her head then close. Her body went slack beneath him. For a moment he remained where he was. Then concern filled him again and he lifted himself off her, slipping the amulet into the back pocket of his blue jeans and tossing away the shovel.
“Hey,” he said loudly, trying to wake her. “Hey!”
Had she fainted? Was she faking? He pressed two fingers to her neck, feeling for a pulse. A fast and steady throb met his fingers and he found himself sighing in relief. For a moment he’d thought...
He shook his head and forced the idea away. She was alive. She’d just... fainted. Yes. Now was the time to get out of there, before she came to and started another quarrel.
He stood up and took several steps away before coming to a halt. He looked over his shoulder, feeling a twinge of guilt at leaving her there, in the middle of a graveyard on a chilly December night.
“Dammit...”
Kasen found himself back at the girl’s side. He scooped her up, his tired body groaning in protest, and began to carry her. It was slow progress as he maneuvered between the headstones toward his destination, hoping that the girl wouldn’t wake up and lash at his throat or something. Several minutes later he’d reached a tomb. It stood tall and prominent in the graveyard, out of immediate sight if anyone came to look at the defiled grave. Its high roof and three walls provided some protection against the minor wind. It was here that Kasen put the girl down, feeling for a pulse one more time. If anything it was stronger than before. For all he knew she could wake up any time.
With that in mind Kasen glanced about the desolate graveyard then made his exit without bothering to fill in Wheton’s grave, pulling out the amulet as he did. He gripped it tightly in his hand as his sense of purpose was rekindled.
Wheton’s Amulet. Protection against magic. He would never have to worry about someone controlling him through supernatural means ever again. A dark shadow crossed his face as he thought how they would react once he found them and exacted his revenge.
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Post by Eve Vardell on Jun 27, 2008 12:01:21 GMT -5
A chill, whispering breeze fluttered through the graveyard, sweeping up a lone, brown leaf. It drifted lazily through the air, trading currents, weaving around gravestones, and came to rest across a sleeping girl’s cheek. Eve crinkled her nose and turned her head, a soft, discontented murmur escaping her lips. It wasn’t until the leaf caught the next gust of wind and nudged up against her nose that she forced herself into consciousness enough to brush the tickling annoyance away. The rough feel of her frigid hands against her equally chilled face forced her eyes open, and the sight of a peach/pink sunset sky sent her shooting upright in a sudden, coherent panic. She had almost overslept, and on a full moon night, of all times! But wait… why had she allowed herself to fall asleep outside in the middle of the winter? And in a graveyard, of all places? Wouldn’t some groundskeeper have seen her during the day? Eve tucked her knees under her, braced her hands against the cement tomb to her left, and rose unsteadily to her feet… And then it hit her. In a sick, terrifying moment the sleep-haze cleared from Eve’s mind and she remembered the night before. The hunt for the Shield, the stranger, the fight… and passing out. Oh gods… this wasn’t the sunset after all, it was sunrise. She had been unconscious on a full moon night. And she didn’t have the amulet anymore, which must have meant… she swallowed, closed her eyes briefly, and slowly felt along the front of her teeth with her tongue. No blood. Nor was there any on her hands, her clothes, or under her fingernails. In fact, she didn’t see any signs at all to indicate that she might have changed. But that wasn’t… it seemed impossible. The moon had been full (well, technically a day waning, but that unfortunately still counted for the curse) and she had lost consciousness. By all accounts that was all it should have taken to leave the wolf tearing up a bloody rampage. Unless… the Shield. Her heart began to race as her mind snapped into a sudden, wonderful realization: the only thing that could have kept her from changing would be the after-effect of Wheton’s Shield. Even after the man had taken it from her the effects had lingered, quieting the wolf long enough to keep her and those around her safe until sunrise. It was more powerful than she had dared to hope… and now she knew there was no way that she could abandon it without a fight. It had been a long time since Eve had tried to function in the daylight, but this occasion definitely warranted it. During the day she could confront the stranger, fight him, without fear of the wolf. No matter what it took she would find a way to face him again before he left town. …But first, she needed to warm up, and she needed to find some place offering a serious caffeine boost. It was going to be a long 24 hours… -- Continued in: Small Town Trap
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