Tragedy Of Rain
/ Tragedy of Rain 17 Chapter 17: Time to live
"You cannot save them," she said with her own voice. Rain watched in horror as the mark across her arm shot forward in all directions, the creature laughed as she thrashed against the curses renewed pain.
Rains screams followed her into wakefulness, as she hurled herself from the bed and onto the floor. Sweat poured down her skin as she immediately scanned the room. It was empty, entirely empty...
As the nightmare faded from her overtaxed mind Rain picked herself up and leaned against the bed. The entire room smelled like dust, as her heart relaxed she realized just how humid it was. She stood, taking a deep breath and exhaling. There wasn't a lot of furnishings in the room. A single table had been jammed against the opposite wall and it was littered with old cups and silverware. The only other thing she noticed was an old mirror at the corner.
She approached it curiously, it had layers of grime from years of abandon. She wiped away some of the layers of dust to reveal her face, it was the first time she looked upon herself in weeks. She barely recognized the person looking back at her. Pale complexion was replaced by darkened grey skin, new muscle shown in the moonlight. Her hips were wider, her shoulders stronger; she unclamped the straps of clothing to have them fall on the floor. She was beautiful...the realization dawned on her as she looked at herself. The mark on her arm had extended across her back and woven to the other shoulder. It had wrapped around her collar bone and reached her abdomen. It was intricate and artful in its malign appearance. Her hair was frost white, her eyes were the only thing that stayed the same.
"Who are you?" She asked herself as if expecting an answer. There was no reply, of course...why would there be. The answer was there, right there in front of her. She was a woman, no longer just a wretched elf girl hybrid casted out onto the streets, but something that should be awed. Instead of men using her or being appalled they should grovel for her. the human who kicked her for asking for coin should've thrown his riches at her, the man who called her knife ear and demanded sexual favors should've gouged out his own eyes for the insult...
The thought terrified her....she backed away from the mirror disgusted by her own thoughts. Her own twisted desires were alien to her own mind. Was such anger always there? She looked at herself in the mirror one last time, wishing she would see the scrawny elf girl who's matted hair and thin lips held a strength no one else could see. She realized in a stunning realization that she missed herself, and that this creature she had become while beautiful was indeed terrifying.
Her left hand clasped her right arm feeling the muscle pulse, she was tense and strange. The feeling of magical energy continued to feed her limbs, engorging her with an increasingly bountiful amount of energy. She could hear it, the energy in the air created a musical backdrop that was barely out of earshot. It sounded like water or an endless stream.
Rain put on her tunic, and felt the smooth fabric against her skin. Her clothes did not smell kind, it had been a while since she had bathed. As if to answer her, the patting of rain against wood vibrated from the walls. There was no thunder this time, no storm to heighten the hair in the back of her neck.
The door to her room was flimsy and barely stood on its hinges. It groaned as she opened it. Outside the hallway small candles were placed next to the other rooms. Most of them were open to reveal storage or clutter, the scampering of rats could be heard nearby. A few of the rooms were closed, but that is not what she noticed first. The first thing that caught her attention as she opened the door was the half naked human passed out in the middle of the hallway not two steps away from her door. Grail had an empty bottle in his hands, his pants were loosely fastened. A pool of urine collected around him. Rain didn't know whether to laugh or be sickened by what she saw. Either way she shut the door behind her and walked over him easily.
Walking down the stairs she could hear every creak in the floorboards, she didn't remember walking up them? Downstairs a new smell hit her, Rain tasted the savory smell of meat and stew. Only three others were downstairs, the ones like her who had gotten used to the night. Fiala seemed healed from her previous injury, she sat alone at the barstool pouring herself another glass of the clear liquid. Maxine and Zane were at a table facing the door, small plates of food in front of them.
"She's finally up!" Fiala beckoned to her, she was clearly still drunk.
"Rain, I'm glad your awake!" Maxine stood so fast her own drunkenness showed. Her legs betrayed her and she nearly fell back onto the table.
Zane swore as she nearly landed on his own plate, "Damnit sparrow watch what your doing," he grabbed the plate and moved it aside to safeguard it. He looked at Rain, more sober than the rest, "Good night, we saved some for you."
Rain's head felt heavy as she smelled the alcohol from open bottles. Fiala was in the middle of pouring herself another drink before she looked placidly at the bottle. Giving a shrug she passed the shot to Rain after deciding that she needed more than a glass to wet her appetite. Fiala started to drank from the bottle itself.
"Classy," Rain commented to her as she picked up the small shot glass. She knew she didn't need it, it would be better to refuse but if it could help her forget the nightmare or insidious thoughts she would take it. She drank it and the moment she sat it down Fiala didn't hesitate to offer her another.
"Are you trying to get me drunk...again?" Rain asked sheepishly.
"Just looking out for you, there's nothing else to do anyway. Just sit here and wait for the inevitable." Fialas words were grim, devoid of context and full of concern.
Rain picked up the glass and drank the second shot. This time she carried it with her to the table rather than let Fiala fill it again. Maxine sat back in a daze, her eyes were having a hard time focusing on one point for any length of time. Zane leaned back seemingly relaxed, but his face seemed anything but.
"I was getting worried you wouldn't wake up, it's well past midnight already." He offered her a plate. A rabbit leg cooked and seasoned with some sort of local mushroom. Some wild carrots had been cooked alongside it. It smelled delicious, "You can thank Alita for that one, she's incredibly spry when it comes to hunting rabbit. But I cooked it myself."
Rain raised her eyebrow to that, "I find that hard to believe."
"Why, I think you'll find I'm a marvelous cook." He moved in his chair to position himself toward her.
"I've never heard you say marvelous, I didn't know you knew the word," Rains comment made Maxine laugh as she awkwardly knelt in the table. Maxine was focusing on her, or trying too.
"I think it's time the little sparrow called it a night," Zane looked at her and found she was not amused.
Maxine tried to utter a sentence in her own drunken defense, none of it made sense. In fact it was hard to read the words at all.
"Maybe it's time I help her to bed?" Rain looked at Zane who grinned at her in response.
"Yes take me..." Maxine blurted out in drunken amusement. Rain looked at Zane confused.
"Just take her to the farthest room on the left upstairs, and watch out she can get clingy when she's like this." He wasn't joking, he was being completely serious.
Rain picked her up as best she could, wrapping her arm around her to help her stand. Maxine was drooling and talking nonsensically as she guided her to the stairs.
Halfway up Maxine had placed her lips close to her neck, her eyes were wondering.
"If you throw up on me I'm going to be pissed," Rain said slightly annoyed by how she was touching her. Maxine's left hand around her had tried more than once to grope her chest. She had fended off men who behaved such a way, it was strange to get the same drunken affection from Maxine. She wasn't sure she liked it.
"You know when I first saw you I knew you were special..." Maxine whispered to her in a drawn out voice, "and now I just find you irresistible" she licked her neck and kissed her cheek.
"Stop that, your really proving Zane was right," Rain hurried her pace to the far room and opened the door.
"Why bring him into this, when i can have you all to myself?" She kissed Rains cheek again trying to move her head. Rain stubbornly refused, not necessarily because she didn't want her too, but because it didn't feel right to her.
"Just lay down and we can talk about this tomorrow," assuming she remembered any of this tomorrow Rain thought to herself.
As she tried to guide her on the filthy bed sheets Maxine wrapped her arms around her clumsily and kissed her as deeply as she could. Maxine wanted the kiss to last, her tongue trying to explore her mouth. The sudden affection surprised her, Rain felt her heart accelerate as she pressed against her.
There was a jolt of electricity down her spine as Rain felt her hot breath. That did not happen the last time she had been kissed by someone. She found herself kissing back, after a long and intense moment their arms began exploring one another until finally Maxine stopped only to catch her breath. She looked at her with lustful intensity. Rain pulled Maxines cowl back to expose her full face, the scars in her ears no longer seemed important.
"Stay with me..." Maxine's voice was a whimper. A part of her wanted to. But then again wouldn't she be taking advantage of her? "Please..." she practically begged her.
Rain nodded and laid next to her. This time it was Rains turn to kiss her, and as they did so they held each other in a warm embrace.
She had never been with a woman before...she had never been with a man before either; her one chance cruelly denied to her. Laying next to Maxine she felt like something was missing, and sadly she wasn't sure she liked it. Only when Maxine was truly gone into the depths of sleep did she dare to move. Rain carefully got up, placed the bed sheets over Maxine, and quietly left.
Not much time had passed when she made it back downstairs. Fiala was still drinking from the bottle, she was too drunk to even notice her even as she walked past. Zane nodded to her as she sat down.
"I kept the left overs on the fire to keep it warm." He scooped up a plate of rabbit stew and gave it to her, "it tastes just as good served a second time." He smiled to her as she accepted it.
"Maxine was more touchy then I thought," she said to Zane as she started eating.
"That foolish girl has been fancying you since we rescued you," he stated what she already knew.
"I'm not sure I feel the same..." Rain caught herself before finishing the sentence.
Zane seemed to understand and retrieved a bottle he sat next to his chair. More country distilled whiskey.
"Why is everyone's answer alcohol today." She watched him pour into a rather large wooden cup.
"Rain, there's a time to fight and a time to live. Right now guess which time it is." He handed her the cup.
Rain realized how much everyone had been hurting. She was only just getting used to them, she barely knew the other marked ones and had only briefly known the others from the sanctuary. Zane, Fiala, Maxine, even the humans had lost friends and family only days ago that they had known for a long time. To them they weren't just celebrating selfishly, they were drinking for the lost ones they had left behind.
Rain studied his offer and accepted it knowing she had an obligation to remember those that had died. To honor the memory of the man she was going to give herself too. She drank with Zane until having to relieve herself. She felt a deep desire to go outside anyway, to feel the moonlight on her skin and smell the dew of the grass.
"Careful, we're in no mans land. Never forget that." Zane's warning made her tense as she put her hand on the door handle that led outside. She nodded and opened it.
Outside the light mixed with rays of the moon, the humidity caught her by surprise as she stepped onto the grass. There was a stream nearby, and heard it with her elf like ears. As she walked away and into the woods, a pair of eyes followed her.
Chapter end
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