A flight long in the running...

[homeless_pard]

Who: Khem and a new world!
When: Start of canon smash here!
What: Terrified kitty arrives in the vague area of St. Louis.

Tired. She was so bone weary that had someone told her that she'd die but it would be in a bed, she might honestly accept that trade at this point. The pads of her feet were leaving red marks along the rough stone she scrambled and clawed haphazardly upward, ever upward, ever away, through so many terrains they all blurred together in a haze of color and snatched hunts.

She should have lost him. Should have, and there had been times over the past turns where she had almost believed him gone. Finally shaken from her trail and naught more than a shadow left in her mind to spur her onward. Any hunter would eventually give up on game when coursing it had run to long...

...surely?

Ah, but she'd little experience with hunters, those near the abbey were more farmers with the occasional lord's man, and even had they needed care it was likelier that they would seek tending from their own ladies. AN isolated abbey was not easy to seek out when ill.

Still, it had seemed logical that he'd stop. At the Wastes perhaps.

At the Falls.

At the turn of blasted scree to strange, new lands past where tales she knew ended...

...and yet here she was, his shadow practically nipping at her heels. She was flagging and he hadn't stopped. This hunt was soon to end, as any chased thing knew in time, escape simply wasn't going to happen. Mayhap it would kinder, cleaner, to miss a jump. To tumble and not reach for ledges as she went down.

Kinder...but she shrank from it none the less. A little further...

...a little further...

...until there was naught left but sheer walls and a deep, dark crack between. A cave, not a passage. No exit. A tomb for one hard worn girl who had thought, foolishly, that finding fur had granted her freedom. And so it was to end.

If he hounded her even here, his bootsteps harsh on the stones behind her, then she was determined he would know who he was to slay. Not some cat that had teased him, not some furred prize, but as a woman. If he was to slay her, let him slay a woman and be haunted by her face. An unkindness perhaps, but she was far past ability to feel for him.

To wonder if she could explain, or beg her safety somehow.

No, let him have a flickering pang of conscience as he did his fell deeds. And so as the mouth of the cave darkened she set her back to the stone, fingers rather than claws lifted to shade her face, skin covered in long, dark hair and gooseflesh that gave some semblance of proper depth to her too-thin frame.

Let him slay a woman.

And yet, as she watched the dull, metallic sheen of a dart gun rising, it wasn't pain she felt burn through her chest but warmth where her single item, the amber stone on a string about her neck graced to her by Gunnora, flickered like sunlight and the wall at her back faded to naught so that she was falling...

...falling...

...falling...

...there was a brief scream, she couldn't help it, as her shoulders struck beaten grass and tree roots, shock making the sound choke off as abruptly as it had started. A heartbeat, two, as she stared up at tangled tree limbs and dappled light she shouldn't be seeing then she was sitting up with a gasp, trying to espy the Hunter.

And he was not there. Somehow, somehow...he was not there, and she sat in a wood far younger than the one before the stones she'd climbed, hands and feet still bleeding harshly from the abuse she'd pounded into them over the many moons of travel. She was alone and she was...naked. The stone upon her breast cooling from it's earlier warmth. She'd give thanks somehow, later. For now she shivered back into fur in a blur of mist and achingly, carefully, hauled herself up into a tree to try to determine where she might be.

A how would take much longer no doubt, but...

...rest seemed a blessing, and she was still so very, very tired.

With luck there would be no fresh, strange beasts to contest her claiming the crook of a tree, there to watch, or likelier pass into blessed unconsciousness.

Comments

[jasonpschuyler]

His life had a good deal of leisure time built into it...

He began tucking the fitted sheet around his side of the mattress. "I promise I'm not trying to be an ass, Khemrys. Just want you to have a chance to heal."

He offered up a smile, tossing her the corner the flat sheet to stretch over the mattress.

"I have a comb you can use. Will...will your hands be ok?" He'd be willing to help, but there was definitely a line in touching a woman's hair that he felt would be even bigger to cross with Khemrys.

[homeless_pard]

She was going to lose her mind for boredom honestly...

She tucked and pulled on her end of things carefully, managing to get crisp corners without tweaking her fingers overly much! "I'd not think to ever call you such lord Jason," she admitted. "It is not a failing nor misbehavior to be of very different different worlds I think." How could it be?

Ah. Hmmm. "I...do not know," she admitted quietly. "But would like to learn such? Though mayhap I should wash first."

[jasonpschuyler]

He looked up at that, unable to help the little smile when she actually used his name. "Well get to know me better and you'll get there," he chuckled. "I can definitely be an ass. I'm just not trying to be one now."

He looked from his corner to hers and just shook his head. Then he crossed the room, gesturing to the bathroom. "Bathroom's over here. You can have a hot bath if you want one and I can go wait upstairs for our food. If you want. We can even redo the bandages after we eat."

[homeless_pard]

"...is it such that you often prefer to be?" she blinked. Did he try to be an ass some days? She had no experience with what being an ass may even be but he didn't make it seem good!

Ohhh. The naked longing on her face at the word Bath was probably rather telling. "If I may?"

[jasonpschuyler]

He shrugged. "Maybe a charming ass?" he teased.

He waved her over. "Of course. Let me show you how the tub works and get you some towels, and I'll let you soak. I'll bring the food down to the room when it gets here, but don't feel like you have to rush."

He checked the bathroom, making sure he'd put the soap back, and that there was shampoo, conditioner, fresh towels and washcloths.
He pulled the faucet handles on and water gushed noisily into the tub. "Easy. This side is hot water, this one is cold. You can adjust it to whatever temperature feels best to you. The little button in the drain acts as the plug: push it down to close it, push it down again and it will pop open."

He smiled. "I'll step out then. Just shout if you need anything."

[homeless_pard]

"Is that a good thing to be?" she mused. Was it? She didn't know, be honest with her Jason!

Oh, this was far and beyond a pond or a hand filled tub by the fire! She couldn't help the small sound of delight as she figured out the plumbing while he explained. Indoor plumbing, and heated water without so much hauling...or heating stones to drop in the cold tub!

And there was soap! Odd smelling soap to be sure but she'd be able to be clean without risk of...

...risk of...

...no she wasn't going to think about that now. "I...how can I thank you for this?" she swallowed, settling on the edge of the tub.

[jasonpschuyler]

"When it works," he chuckled. He paused, and continued plainly. "I tease. I poke a lot; get under people's skin. Most of the time I can't really help myself, but sometimes it's just fun to piss someone off if they deserve it," he admitted. It's just playful...most of the time.

"You can thank me by having a nice relaxing bath and then getting some rest tonight." He winked and made a show of closing the bathroom door with a click. He made his way out of the room to wait upstairs for their dinner.

[homeless_pard]

"...you approach life rather oddly," she noted softly. He truly did. But then he was leaving and she was stepping forward to test the doors. A bit of fiddling and she figured out how to lock it! Which helped her head immensely...

...and then there was a bath to get to. A clean, truly hot, bath. And she cleaned her hair annnnd...yeah, fell asleep in the tub.

[jasonpschuyler]

He'd been gone about twenty minutes before the food had arrived, and when he brought it down he made sure to unpack the bags loudly enough that Khemrys could hear him from the bathroom.

About ten minutes after he'd come back downstairs, he gently knocked on the door. "Khemrys, you ok?" He didn't try the door, but he was listening carefully.

[homeless_pard]

There was a lot of silence honestly, warm, and clean? Yeah, that spelled sleep more than anything else had so far, and she'd already slept a few moments here and there despite that!

If he knocked again there'd be the yelp and splash of someone trying to jerk awake while in a tub though! And finally, "...lord?" Um?

[jasonpschuyler]

He did knock again, not hearing a response that first time. With all that happened, he knew she was exhausted, but he wasn't about to let her sleep in a cooling tub. "Khemrys? It's Jason," he called.

When he heard the surprised splash he flinched slightly. "Yeah, it's me," he answered her. "You ok in there?"

[homeless_pard]

"...yes...yes, sorry," she gasped, managing not to drown herself! "I fell asleep, I'm sorry, were you calling long?" There was the sound of her hauling herself out of the water and wringing her hair out before bundling in towels.

Then, well..."um...lord, the clothing..." was out there.

[jasonpschuyler]

He laughed. "It's ok. Clearly it was a nice, relaxing bath. Mission accomplished."

He turned and picked through some of the clothes he'd pulled out at her stammered observation. He gave the door a gentle rap. "Here. These should be a little better fitting: the pants have a drawstring and the shirt is pretty form-fitting on me, so it won't be as loose as my emergency clothes."

He paused a moment and added. "Not looking, just open the door a crack and I'll just hand them in."

[homeless_pard]

"It was a true kindness," she admitted through the door. "And a proper wonder in this world." Unlike the car, which had been equal parts wonder and utter horror!

It took her longer than she liked to convince herself to unlock the door, then longer yet to reach through for the clothes; it wasn't him, no, it was just...past experience now. Likely she'd be one of many who would be haunted by past events now. "My thanks." At least getting dressed took very little time, and her hair was even longer damp as she stepped out!

[jasonpschuyler]

"Yeah, next time you can try the shower." His personal favorite, being enveloped in heat on all sides, no cold bits sticking out of the water.

He waited patiently for her to open the door and take the clothes, and when she finally did he handed them off without looking and stepped away from the door. When she stepped out, he tried not to stare at her long, damp hair plastered back, showing even more of her face.

"I've got the food set up over here...sorry, I don't really have a real table." He'd set up the food on a little bed tray that Jean Claude had bought for him one year. He rarely used it, but it made a nice little setup. He gestured her to sit against the pillows on the bed and moved to sit across the bed tray. "So there's chicken and dumplings, pot roast, and pork and sauerkraut here, and mashed potatoes, corn, peas and carrots here. And these are the only rolls they have, but we can hit some bakeries tomorrow that have lots of different kinds of bread."

[homeless_pard]

She shifted to sit where he indicated, trying not to sigh happily at the pillows (and only partially succeeding), "such a spread lord, who will eat what we cannot?" she murmured, eyeing things and trying to remember what he'd said about them...

..."I...should comb my hair before eating," she admitted. Else it would dry a mess!

[jasonpschuyler]

"Eat what you want. If there's anything left, I'll put it in the fridge."

He nodded, slipping gracefully from the bed and padding to the bathroom. He came back with sort of paddle brush. "My hair is a lot finer than yours, so I think this will work better for you. It's my friend Nathaniel's and his hair is pretty long and thick."

He offered her the brush before awkwardly adding, "I can help if your hands hurt, but I get if you'd rather do it."

[homeless_pard]

Khem blinked, looking at that brush but....gods, food. There was food and she could smell it and..."if I shift can you aid? I'd not ask but..." food.

"I've not had anyone touch my hair in...many turns. Since I was a child..."

[jasonpschuyler]

He gave her a surprisingly understanding look. "A lot of people are touchy about people touching their hair; I get it."

He moved behind her, helping adjust the bed tray. "You eat. I brush Nat's hair for him, so I've got some practice with long hair."

He helped position a towel around her shoulders to help keep her shirt dry and began gently brushing the ends of her damp hair. Any snags were carefully picked through with an experienced, delicate hand. He had had practice, but he was extra gentle with her as he doubted she'd have the same reaction to her hair being pulled as Nathaniel did.

[homeless_pard]

"The lord is gentle," she mused softly after nibbling a roll. It was nearly hypnotic having her hair brushed. "Before this...I kept it braided as a maiden should..." she mused softly.

"You've a deft hand."

[jasonpschuyler]

He knew that timbre of voice and was actively trying to ignore it. A girl like this was not going to be interested...he had to keep reminding himself that.

"Like I said," he replied softly, "Lots of practice. It can be calming having your hair brushed." He was slowly working the tangles from higher and higher on her head, pausing to pat the excess water from the ends. He chuckled, "I can braid it if that's how you like it. I'm not as good as Stephen, but I can manage a basic braid."

[homeless_pard]

"I can braid it if you prefer lord Jason," she mused softly. "It is turns of running your are untangling, and that lone if a hefty task..." by far.

That and he'd ordered far more than enough for two? "Shall you eat?"

[jasonpschuyler]

He very clearly didn't mind, as he continued patiently brushing out the gnarls and tangles. "I'll eat. You go ahead and take your pick first. I tend to eat lot anyway, so I'd rather you get your fill first."

It was almost hypnotic for him as well, the long dark hair under his hands, her soft, relaxed voice...

[homeless_pard]

"The spicing in your foods is strange," she admitted once she slowed down, "I can name most things..." Witness her trying to place the flavoring blends as she nibbled now!

"A strange land yours," she admitted, almost purring. It was tasty, though hunger might add spice...

[jasonpschuyler]

He blinked, flatly ordering his pulse to slow at the faint sound. Again, experience with Nathaniel, but this was completely different. Talking about the food might help distract him...

"Most of this food is very Middle America; American comfort food. But most of these foods were brought over from the Europeans who came over and kind of mixed all together with of cuisines when they got here. But if you've got your chickens and rabbits and venison, you'll probably recognize some of the flavors."