Eye for an Eye: Potions and Plans

Eye for an Eye: Potions and Plans
Date of Scene:	05 March 2013
Location:	Traverse Area - Traverse Town - Hotel
Synopsis:	Faruja and friends discover what happened to Hati, and make plans to rectify it.
Cast of Characters:	Faruja Senra, Hati, Ember, Evja
Tinyplot:	Eye for an Eye

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Hati has posed:
Day three. The tournament is over, and now things are starting to seem a bit more worrisome. Hati hadn't answered the phone, nor called back in all that time. There had been no news at all since Katyna had rushed out of the celebration in Fluorgis. Nothing... until now. Faruja's Ma'Bell buzzes. On the other end of the line there is quiet, for a time, just enough to make it seem like a butt-dial or spam, but then the wolf-girl's voice comes over the line. "Hey." Just that one word is enough to tell that something is wrong. It's quiet, almost as if it takes effort to get that much out, and it's slightly muffled as if her head is laying against something.

Faruja Senra has posed:
Faruja has always been a Burmecian of action, and waiting around never his forte. Thus, with all of his pressing matters that don't involve wolfesses either handled or in holding patterns, he's pacing a lovely little groove into the hotel room he's acquired in Traverse. "Oh, where in the Lord's name could she have gotten herself t..."

The Templar very nearly stumbles over himself as his phone buzzes on a dresser. Stalking over, he checks the name. An eye goes wide. Hati. Claws deftly flick it open.

His first thought is to yell. But he can't quite get up the energy as silence reigns. "...Hello?" Comes the nervous, worried voice of the ratling, drained of all of his previous irritation.

When she speaks, his breath catches in his throat. That isn't the strong, confident voice of the fierce woman he knows. "Hati. What is wrong? Where are you?" he quickly asks, not able to hide his feelings of impending dread.

Hati has posed:
There's a pause, and then what might be a laugh, or a caught. "Down a floor." She replies, and there is a sound of shifting, and a hard exhale of breath. "Someone's... been pacing. Keeping me up. Had Skoll check it out. Front desk said there's some silly Templar up there who's trying to wear through the floor." At the very least, the wolf doesn't seem to have lost her sense of humor, then again... there are pauses here and there as she speaks, as if she were having to take shorter breaths or struggle to get enough air.

Faruja Senra has posed:
Abruptly, the pacing stops. Faruja isn't sure whether to yell, or laugh aloud. "...You little, lovely vagrant of a wolf! Damnit, mayhap 'twould be in thy best interest that I break through the floor and fall upon thy noggin! One moment!"

Cutting the line, one might be able to track his progress by the steady stream of expletives of frustration and worry as he descends a floor. A swift knock, and should the door not be locked, he quite simply walks into Hati's room. There's a pack in one hand, bottles shifting and jangling within.

"My heart was fit to burst for worry, you know? What is wrong? Out with it, Hati!" Cue fussing as he tries to get a good diagnosis and look at the obviously ill wolfess.

Hati has posed:
His reaction is enough to draw another soft laugh from the wolf-girl, but by the time he gets down the stairs, it would be all too clear that there is little humor in the situation. The room is kept at a half-light, mostly by a latern near the bedside. There is a pack of things that is obviously Skoll's, but perhaps the werewolf had seen fit to let these two talk without interruption, either that or he's off to get more bacon. Either way, at least the girl has had someone to watch over her in the meantime.

Hati is lying on the bed beneath a set of thick blankets, although they're mostly just pulled up to her chest. Her head is lying towards the door, resting on a pillow. With slow movements, she reaches out a hand and puts the phone down onto the nightstand. That is when he'd surely see the first signs of what was wrong. Bandages wrap around her wrist, but they are stained black in places, and the same color has extended down along her hands and up her forearm as if it were weaving through her veins.

Not good. The wolf lifts her head, but only slightly, Her green eye looks towards him, but the other one is both bandaged off, and hidden beneath an eyepatch. like her wrist, there is a spiderweb of dark lines coming from it, having extended now all the way up to her hair line and down as far as her neck on that side. Even part of her lips have gone black. "You want the long story... or the short?" She offers with a hint of a smirk, but it would be easy enough for him to see that the wolf-girl is very, very ill.

She sets her head back down, closing her eye and letting out a breath. "Sorry. Should have called earlier..." And she does sound genuinely sorry for it. It is amazing how much difference a few days can make. It would be hard to guess that the girl lying on the bed is even the same wolf, but whatever force has hold of her, it certainly moves fast.

Faruja Senra has posed:
"Tell me everything, Hati." Faruja responds, making his way over to the side of her bed. Some part of him wishes he wasn't so well versed in the healing arts. A layman could tell this was bad. To a trained healer, and one who cares so deeply for the wolf, it frightens the rat. The first thing he notices is the black stains, the sight almost instantly reminding him of the blood from the oozing wound of Leida. A shiver runs through him as he follows those veins.

"Damn right you are! Just...just look at you! Lord in heaven, I have never seen..." he trails off as he reaches out to take one of her arms, cradling her as he inspects it. For all of his outward irritation, the rat's limbs tremble in fright. Inwardly, he's scared out of his mind.

"...Too dark to be...no, not that either...scorpion venom? No, too fast acting..." the rat mutters even as he listens. A potion is lifted to her lips. "Drink."

Hati has posed:
Everything is a long story, but deserves that much. Hati shifts, putting some of her strength into movement, pushing herself up. It takes a moment, but she does manage to get herself into a sitting position. Ironically, she's wearing that set of his robes that she borrowed after the fight with Evja, it had probably been a bit warmer than anything else she had with her. She doesn't protest his examination of her arm. In fact, she sits perfectly still, as if making too much movement hurt her. Beneath the bandages are long scrapes and gouges that look like they were caused by some sort of thorn, but rather than blood, it seems to be leaking black that still refuses to heal over.

Lifting her other hand, Hati pushes the potion away. "It won't help." She's had her fair share of those over the past few days, but it hadn't one any good. "Katyna's off looking for something that might slow it down. I'm not sure if she's had any luck yet." At least, now that she's sitting upright a bit, it seems that she can talk abit easier, although it doesn't do much for the pale quality of her skin or the weariness in her eye.

"Calm..." She whispers to him, shifting her hand so it lays on his instead. Funny, that she is the sick one and she's trying to clam him. She wouldn't lie and tell him that it's okay, or that it doesn't hurt, but right now there isn't much he can do about it.

"A few days ago, a moogle delivered a letter from Serrak." Where to go from here? A small growl of frustration comes up from her chest. "I thought, it was something I could handle. That I couldn't..." She sighs, and her hand tenses, closing into a fist. "I was an idiot, alright?" It's not as if he's accusing her of anything, but it's clear she's been beating herself up over it. "I thought no one would come to help save a Shadow Lord." Except Katyna, of course, but Hati had called her, she'd just... been late. "So I called Katyna, and when she didn't answer, I left."

The wolf's ears tuck back, "It was a trap." It's an unusual thing for there to be any sign of sorrow in Hati's eyes, but that green eye seems to grow glassy. "Felicia... that damned <bleep> that attacked Katyna... she somehow tricked Serrak into thinking he was bringing back his daughter, but she killed him. He's... dead." This is what she has the hardest time dealing with. For all that Serrak had been a Shadow Lord, he had also been more of a father than anyone else she'd known. Anger and rage move through her like water, but it brings another wave of pain and weakness with it. "Lillian was there, his daughter... she cast some sort of smell using her eye. Some sort of sympathetic magic. Letting her death seep into me through her eye." Hati taps below the eyepatch.

Faruja Senra has posed:
Putting aside the potion, Faruja takes a few deep breaths. Seeing someone he cares so much for, who is so strong, turned so weak nearly overwhelms him. His passion has a downside; sometimes, he cares too sharply. He needs focus. Clenching a post of the bed with his tail, he manages to still his trembling hands.

"Good. Good." Faruja responds quietly, briefly feeling an urge to hug the thief slash warrioress hunting for something to help the poor wolfess. Given the situation, he may darn well do so the next time he sees her.

Slowly, his muzzle curls just slightly as a hand comes to his. In that moment, he can't help but love her fully. In so much pain, practically on her deathbed, and her thoughts went to /him/ of all people. His own hands rub hers gently, before reaching up to stroke her cheek.

A letter from a Shadow Lord. His muzzle opens, briefly looking as if he's about to chide her for falling into an obvious trap. Then it shuts. Were he to receive such a thing from his parents, despite evidence to the contrary, wouldn't he do the same thing?

Even Faruja himself finds that question floating through his head. Would he have helped? The mere mention of the word Shadow Lord has him flinching, memories of his home burning at the hands of those who would make use of the Heartless flashing through his mind. It passes. Perhaps he wouldn't follow Hati for Serrak's sake. But he'd do it for Hati's sake.

"...I'm sorry." Is all he can manage to say. The rat won't lie and give her some speech about forgiveness, or even being all that tearful over the death of a Shadow Lord. But the pain caused to her, and the one whom caused it all, has him snarling.

"Once we have this...this /poison/ drawn from thy veins, we shall deal with /her/. Pay it not heed for now. Hati...be strong. This shall not be the end. Do you understand me?" There may just be a desperate note to his voice.

"What of the daughter? She is some form of Shade, then?" Certainly Serrak couldn't have succeeded!

Hati has posed:
One of the odder parts about wolf behavior is that tendency to respond to the physical first. Affection, foremost, is shown sometimes more through touch than through anything else, and when he reaches for her cheek, Hati leans into that warmth willingly enough, letting her eye close as she nuzzles to his fingers.

Right now, she doesn't know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe Katyna will find some solution, maybe not. It is a frightening prospect, that death might snatch her away before she even finds a way to understand her own heart, and before she has a chance to find her wolf in turn. She doesn't have any words of comfort, only this.

It is his words of sympathy that have her opening that eye again, shaking her head slightly as she reaches up and takes that hand that had been touching her cheek within her own. Normally, the wolf-girl is quite warm to the touch, the natural body heat of the beast within, but now they are oddly cold. "Nothing to be sorry for. He made his fate." Of course, she's spent her fair share of hours mourning him, but in the end, he had made his choice, and she had made hers.

Hati winces then, as if she were flinching back from her own eye, teeth gritting. Even as she grips his hand in that moment, a small whimper slips free. It's sign enough of just how much pain she's in that she would show any sign of it. When it passes, she breaths shallowly, leaning back against the headboard. "Lillian. I'm not sure what she is." Hati admits, her green eye rolling back into her head as she tries to catch her breath. "She's something dark. Not who she was. Wants me to suffer." The wolf laughs then, another of those humorless sounds. "As if I chose this..."

His reassurances fall on deaf ears, or at least she doesn't seem to process them, especially when she manages to come around again, "If I don't... If I can't..." Grr. "Promise me you'll put an end to her. If ... any part of her is trapped in that dark form, she deserves rest with her father."

Faruja Senra has posed:
Chill. For a person usually so warm, that chill in Hati's hands does nothing to brighten the rat's mood. He may as well be latched to the wolfess, dressed in his own robes, as if he can somehow physically hold her into the shambles that has become her body.

Only when she winces does he pull away, jolted back to reality. He's rifling through his things, finding a stove within the hotel room. Taking out a packet, he starts making tea, the smell of medicinal herbs soon wafting over. Then, he's quick to rush back over to her side.

"I shall make something for the pain." Or so he hopes. Who knows if it'll work on something so non-mundane as this.

Both hands press her hand to his chest, thumping with fear, anger, concern, all of those emotions he'd last felt when he realized his parents were likely no longer with him. Only this time, with a half-dead loved one before him, it's all that much more sharp.

"Shh. Shh! Do not speak so. You have my /word/ Hati. I swear to you, no matter what, it shall be done. Calm thyself, sweet wolf. Be at peace. Come now. I know you. Thy soul is that of a hunter, a survivor. This mere...mere devilry shan't take you."

His voice lowers. "...I will not lose you. Not another dead loved one. Never again. I could not bear it."

Hati has posed:
Her green eye watches him as he moves, but this time she says little, leaning back and trying to reserve what strength she has. A wolf in the wild who was this ill would probably have reclused themselves from their pack, withdrawn to not cause harm to others. Yet, for all the beast that stirrs in her, there is a part of her that is all too human.

The wolf's nose twitches at the scent of the tea. She doesn't know if it will help, but maybe just doing /something/ would ease the mouse's worries some, so she doesn't raise voice to it. "I am sure Katyna will find something. I can't break the tie, myself, and even if I were to remove the eye, it goes deeper than that." The marks on her wrists were sign of that, the infection having come from multiple sources. Somewhere, Lillian is likely cackling her glee at this, and frustrating that the wolf had been smart enough to cover that eye so she couldn't finish the job.

Her gaze follows him back to the bed, head tilting with such strange curiousity. Fingers twitch, and the girl murmurs to herself, "You're warm..." As if she had only just noticed it. She can feel the pulse of his heartbeat beneath her fingers, but her expression is odd. "Why are you afraid?" It's a safe enough guess from his reactions, but she can't seem to grasp the reason why. It only seems to drawn on her when he goes on to elaborate.

"You... shine so brightly, you know that?" It's not really a question, but Hati smiles anyways in that tired sort of way. "I wish..." Her voice chokes on the words, and she lifts that hand that had been laying there on his heart, raising it to touch the side of his face. "I wish you'd been my wolf. Then maybe... I'd know how to feel like you do." And yet, some part of her hurts bitterly at the words, a part that she doesn't understand. His pain hurts her, but why? In a ways, she has always felt like she's lived on borrowed time. The runt that was not supposed to survive, the girl left for dead, and now this...

"I'm sorry..." She whispers, but for what? For not trusting him to come with her? For not being able to open her wounded heart soon enough? For the possibility that she might be leaving him like this? Maybe all of it. weak as she might be, Hati shifts herself, leaning forward, and nudging her head up under his neck as she had done that night in those ruins she called home. There aren't words to say, but maybe there would be that hint of something wet against his neck.... tears?

Faruja Senra has posed:
For a brief moment, the rat's look could kill at the entirety of the spell that's been cast upon the poor wolfess dawns on him. Not directed at Hati, of course, but whatever monstrosity that the Shadow Lord's daughter had become. He quickly buries it, however, fully intent on unleashing the more negative side of his emotions upon those who deserve it: namely Lillian and that so-called Priestess.

Both hands cup Hati's head as she brings one to her cheek, stroking and petting as he tries to support her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, his gaze never leaves her as the pot dutifully boils on the stove.

Slowly, he smiles, tail laying on one of her covered legs. Single eye blinking, he tries to will back a tear that refuses his call. Even as fear claws at his heart, her words reignite his trembling. In that brief moment, as she lays out her desires, he's never been more happy, nor more frightened in his life.

"Only due to those around me, Hati, for a light is made all the more brilliant when joined. I know so little of this wolf you speak, and I can only ever be what I am. Mayhap...mayhap you are the shade cast by my light. Not cold darkness of winter, but soothing shade of a tree to bask in when warmth overwhelms. The dark embrace of a love's neck when one is buried within." Wrapping his arms around her, he pets the back of her head, cradling her bodily against him.

"No. No apologies. Fight. Strength and bravery everlasting, thy soul shan't dim so quickly! There is too much left for me to show you, to teach!" Comes the rat again, summoning up all the confidence he can muster. Hope. Katyna was searching. There had to be a way. "Thy friends shall not abandon you now. All we ask is that the light of hope ever sparks within you, and to place your trust in our efforts."

Hati has posed:
The wolf girl is quiet for a time, with her head layed against his chest, just beneath the curve of his neck. Maybe she's listening to the sound of his heartbeat, or maybe just resting there. "The White Wolf is the light of the moon..." She whispers then, "Always there in the night sky, always out of reach. Yet the night still gives chase, always a step behind. Just as the wolf gives chase..." There are parallels there, his light to her darkness.

Without making any excuses for her behavior, Hati just lifts a hand and wipes at her eye. There, in that moment, there is only him to see that moment of weakness, and perhaps she can trust him with that. "I will." There is no 'try' like some would say, simply an agreement that she would fight until the last breath. Of course, this leaves the wolf-girl snuggled up against his chest, in the embrase of the mouse's arms. Truly a touching moment for someone to intrude upon.

Ember has posed:
Katyna had been away for a day now, since leaving Hati in her brother's care in her absence. It had taken her a while to find Seith and get more information about the curse and a potential cure. Afterwards, she had to track down the mysterious gargoyle necromancer who had given her some more information..

Finally, she had rushed back to the Hotel's red room, breathless and anxious to check up on Hati's condition. Uncertain of who might be on the other side with Hati by now, rather than teleport in, she knocks rapidly on the door, breathless.

"Helloo? anybody there? Open up!"

Faruja Senra has posed:
Faruja gazes upon the wolfess as she holds close, resting against him, nothing more than all the growing love and concern for someone close on his features. Tail entwining with hers, he listens quietly.

"...Should I be thy light, Lord giving me such a blessing I hardly deserve, then I should like to struggle and war until I am within thy grasp. But if 'tis Fate that you must chase, and follow...then I would be honored to show you the way as best I know it. For what use is the moon without eyes to gaze upon it. Otherwise, 'tis nothing more than spectacle and rock, barren and empty."

Faruja nods, a hand rubbing an ear as she buries her head into his chest. It's all he can do right now, care and comfort as best he can. For all of the frustration at his uselessness in purging her disease, at least he can do this much.

"Oh Lord, guard thy wayward children, and protect them from the evils that plague us all." He prays quietly.

A knock at the door, and Faruja tenses. Briefly, he considers rising. Nose twitching, he calls out. That voice is familiar! Katyna!

"Come in! 'Tis unlocked M'Lady!" Calls out Faruja. The teapot swiftly goes off.

"And if you would be so kind, fetch the tea." The rat's somewhat occupied at the moment, quite neatly tossing aside his home's rules for the comfort of the ill wolfess.

Hati has posed:
Ever so slowly, the wolf's tail sways now and again. It isn't a proper movement of canine happiness, but there is some contentment there. With all the confusion that has plagued her mind lately, even before this illness had seized hold, his words only make her moreso. "I don't know anymore..." It isn't the first time that she had wondered if her wandering heart was leading her to betray her wolf. Yet, if this is where her heard lead, could it be wrong? Would it even matter if Katyna couldn't find a way of slowing this curse...

Speak of the devil.

Hati's ear twitches, right against Faruja's hand, and her head lifts a little bit. Where others might be embarassed by being caught like this, the wolf seems nonplussed about it. Besides, she enjoyed breaking those 'rules' that the Templar had chosen to live by. Terrible influence, this girl.

Even in the time since Katyna last saw the wolf, the darkness has spread more. The window is partially open, and clearly Skoll had been here earlier (she may have even passed him on the way up), but right now the wolf-girl is just reclined against Faruja's chest, looking, if possible, more ill than the last time Kat had been here. "Any luck?" She asks, tiredly.

Ember has posed:
Kat's about to bust the door down but she finds it gives way pretty easily under her hand..When she sees it's just Faruja there, she breathes a sigh of relief, except...Wait...What the...?

She sweatdrops, finding herself turning away, embarrassed. "Err...Gee you guys! I....Err....Hehehe, didnt realize I was interruptin' something! Err...Tea! Right! I'll make some tea!" Clearly the girl is totally inexperienced with such squishy matters of the heart, or she's simply not a very romantic type.

As she moves towards the kitchen, trying to mind her own business and not feel squishy at the sight of the two lovebirds, Kat begins to hum terribly off tune and rather loudly to herself as she crashes and bangs around in the kitchen, cleaning some mugs and putting on the kettle one before searching for tea bags.

Oh yeah, she's also being careful to hide the unicorn's horn as she grinds it in a mortar and pestle. Ugh, what would Faru think if he caught her doing this?

"Heh!!!" She says, interrupting herself. "Dont you worry, I've got something for you...Errrr...Ack!" She sweatdrops as she nearly spills something, looking back at her little mixture as she pours in the elixir. "You just...Err...sTay right there..Not like you have anywhere else to go...~Or want to go~ *ahem!* and I'll just mix this up...Just...Gimme a sec! Hah!!!"

Oh dear..Faru's here? what does it mean? Does he know Hati's secret? Does he know Kat's secret? And now that he's all lovey dovey with her, Kat cant help but feel pretty darn awkward! Bah! But she came here on a mission so hah!

Faruja Senra has posed:
Faruja himself is breaking the rules, and the Templar could not care less. Any other time, he'd likely be up stammering and being embarrassed. Right now, he only cares for the wolfess in his arms. The way he holds her is almost possessive, as if he could somehow keep her from harm with his grasp alone.

A rat nose touches between her ears, nuzzling lightly. "We are young, Hati. Mysteries of the heart are deep indeed. All shall become clear in time."

Despite the situation, Faruja is forced to turn away from Katyna. He feigns a cough to avoid chuckling. Is /that/ what he looks like when he's embarrassed?

"Much obliged, my dear friend. Merely offering our most unfortunate wolf a touch of comfort. We Burmecians make most soft and enjoyable furniture you know?" The rat calls out after the retreating knightess. Blast it all, Hati may be rubbing off on him!

Wince. Twitch. The ratling sighs. "My, my, my Hati. What /ever/ are we to do with her? The kitchen shall have a new expansion by the sounds of things."

"By all means, take thy time, Lady Redsvaren! Tell us you have met with some success in thy search!" As much as he tries to sound casual, there's a note of desperation in his voice, as well as hope. Pause.

His voice lowers. "...Though the circumstances are ones I wish naught, never could I find more comfort in repose than now."

Hati has posed:
The wolf's green eye blinks once, looking with that nearly eternal state of confusion towards the arriving girl. "Interrupting?" Clearly, she doesn't really see anything going on that would be interrupting. Then again, Hati's definition of 'intimacy' is a bit skewed, since she still hasn't quite grasped that whole concept of personal space and what is acceptable or not. Right now, though, it's a combination of feeling very ill and very cold. That isn't to say that the mouse doesn't make a particularly good resting place, though. Furniture, indeed.

Hati leans back enough to look up at him curiously, perhaps wondering what he's thinking when he laughs, but for now the wolf doesn't ask. Her twitches in the direction of the kitchen, but it as much as Ember can seem manic on the best of days, she seems a little more flustered than usual. Hati, of course, knows a fair bit about potions, herself, although not everything, it appears.

Still, the wolf muses, "Not even when you spent the night?" She asks, raising that one eyebrow. The moment of amusement doesn't linger though, as it seems Lillian has chosen this moment to send another stab of pain into the wolf-girl's eye. Hati winces, growls under her breath, and goes tense in his arms. So much for that.

Easing herself away, gently, the wolf stays sitting next to Faruja, although she leans her weight back onto the headboard again. If nothing else, maybe it might put the Ember knight at ease slightly, although the movement takes some effort. It's hard for her to tell just what Katyna's train of thought might be at this moment, "Faruja is up to speed on what happened. He knows about Serrak, and Lillian, and Felicia." And although it goes unsaid, clearly he has to know how these tie together with Hati and the Shadow Lords.

As for Katyna's own secrets, Hati had said once that they were not hers to give, and that she wouldn't betray that confidence. "He and Skoll, at least, are willing to help. I think we sohuld ask Evja as well." Can't leave the bunny out of the mix. She does look to the mouse to double check her own words, but then is back to looking at the kitchen. "I might have an idea on how to find Lillian before she finds us."

Ember has posed:
Kat sighs, turning back to her little mixture, which certainly will leave the kitchen in a smelly mess by the looks of it. But heey, at least she's got some sort of partial, temporary cure, for the time being at least.

"Heh, that was kinda different! I was just keeping you warm, not...Y'know..Cuddling and snuzzling and getting all...Intimate.." She smirks, although she still has to wonder if Faruja knows that she is in fact a Shadow Lord. No one has told her yet, apparently, and she knows how much of a Zealot Faru can be..

Then Hati explains about everything, and Katyna briefly feels relieved..Relieved moreso that she did not mention Fessner, and hopefully not Kat's own connections to all of this.

"Ooh. Hmm, soo they're gonna help us then? That's good, cuz we're gonna need Faru's holy powers...Aahhh..!" The kettle whistles, and Kat hurries to turn it off, pouring the unicorn into Hati's cup, blending it well with the tea. It'll taste a bit like chalk..Sweet chalk at that. Whee..

Finally, placing the two cups of tea on a tray, she steps back into the other room, resting the tray on a bedside table.

"I didnt find a cure..Yet. BUT! I did find something that should help in the short term. At the very least it should ease the pain, slow the poison and perhaps heal some of the wounds..I put the medicine in your tea, Hati. Here..Drink up!"

She glances between the two of them thoughtfully, "As for a true cure, it seems not even my sources were a hundred percent certain on that, BUT! They both agreed that a curse should be broken if you kill the caster of the curse. In other words, we need to find Lillian and kill her. But...."

Kat then pauses dramatically, hesitant to go on..

Faruja Senra has posed:
Hati finally drags a slight flush from the ratling, as well as a smile. "Ahh, how ever could I compare two instances where such a lovely wolfess...' he starts off, before the woman in question winces. All of the flattery he was summoning up dies on his lips, a hand squeezing hers tightly.

The return of Katyna is a welcome sight, and he too stands. The knight slash thief gets an appreciative smile. "Thank you Katyna." Simple words, but he gazes upon the woman as if she's saved his kin from certain death. At this point, it may not be too far off.

A nod to both women. "Drink up, Hati. Quite, every helping claw we can acquire shall be to our benefit. Slay the caster, slay the curse. Simple enough. Know either of ye where we may find the unfortunate wretch?"

Hati has posed:
Alas, it seems that Hati misses out on more of the Templar's near-poetry. Maybe then she might have come to realize what depths of feeling he actually has. Afterall, she might expect that he reacts to her the same as with that other 'loved one', but right now it seems as if his reactions are very different. It's likely the source of much of her confusion. At the very least, she had taken what comfort, affection, and even love he had offered her as what it is, even if it left her heart confused and uncertain.

The wolf watches her path back from the kitchen. As she lifts the cup from the tray, Hati holds it in her hands, savoring the warmth. Her nose catches the scent of it, "So... you found a use for that horn, afterall." She muses. That hunting trip had seemed like ages ago. still, the wolf drinks, not complaining in the least about the flavor. Being a potion-mixer, herself, she's used to things not always tasting the best, especially medicines.

When Faruja gets up, her one eye follows him for a time, but then she pulls the blankets up to cover herself again, tail tucked against her legs. "I can find her." Hati answers Faruja's question. "What she's doing to me... it's a type of sympathetic magic. But what she doesn't realize is that the connection goes both ways." There is a faint smirk at the corner of her lips. "It means, I can find her. The only problem is..."

The wolf raises one of her bandage-wraped wrists, showing the dark lines now almost reaching her fingers. "My blood is useless like this. I'll need someone else's. Someone who has a personal interest in this, but also someone with enough light to fight off the corruption." Yes, she's looking at a certain mouse as she says this. In some ways, it is a test to see just how deep his concern for her well being goes, but it's also her way of making sure to protect Katyna. Lillian might use that sympathetic link to attack the girl, whereas Faruja... he would be an unknown and one of great holy energy.

"That is... if you don't mind breaking a few more of your rules and participating in a bit of heretical magic." The challenge is set out before him. Of course, Hati doesn't ask Katyna about that 'but...'. She knows well enough what it is without even asking.

Katyna has posed:
Kat smiles lovingly at Hati as she sits on the chair next to the bed, making sure she drinks every last drop. Afterall, dont want any of it to go to waste! It sure tastes strange though! Kinda like chalk sweetened with honey, but at least it's not as disgusting as some potions.

She frowns softly as she listens to Hati's explanation, wondering just how much Hati knows about dark magic, but she does recall her talking about alchemy in the past.

"Heh, good thing you know, cuz I'm totally clueless about all this magical voodoo stuff. The most magic I can control is in my sword, and that took a long time to learn. But this.."

She shrugs, tilting forward a bit, peering curiously at the black lines on her arms, shivering a bit at the sight. "Ooh, what..So her spell worked it's way right into your blood? Wuh..Does that mean you need a blood transfusion..From?" Kat blinks back at Faru nervously, wondering how he's gonna take all of this, afterall, she already knows he's a bit overzealous at the best of times.

"Erp..Is that such a good idea..? Why dont you let me help.."

Faruja Senra has posed:
Faruja stares silently at Hati as she so boldly suggests using Heretical magic to solve their little problem. His muzzle grows tight, then opens, looking as though he's about to give Hati a tongue lashing.

He chokes on them quite neatly, several squeaking snarls and general signs of discontent issued forth as his tail lashes about. Clawed toes rake at the ground in irritation, before he quite simply flumps down in a nearby seat, and sighs.

"...The Lord shall forgive necessity with proper penance. What shall this entail?" Allowing Hati to die would be the greater evil, after all, to such foul magic as was cast upon her!

"Good thing I brought my flog." Mutters the rat, not at all looking pleased.

Pausing, the rat turns to Katyna. "Mmm. Hati has the right of it, methinks. A burst of holy magic within an unholy creature's sympathetic casting...well, just imagine the results."

Hati has posed:
To some, it might be comical to imagine the mouse flogging himself over daring to step one toe out of line when it came to what the Church imagined to be proper magic. Then again, there is a fine line between Heretical and useful. Perhaps they wouldn't find it so terrible a thing if it were a tool at their disposal instead of someone else's. Nevertheless, Hati just narrows that one green eye towards him. "You act as if I'm asking you to sacrifice children, or worship some ancient god." Her head tilts, "Is learning of a different sort of magic so terrible, even if there is a greater good from it?"

Once, Evja had raised the idea to her that maybe she and the Templar would not be a good match. Afterall, their ways of looking at the world were very different. "If you're going to harm yourself, I'll find someone else. I won't have you punishing yourself." The wolf growls an undertone, which might be a sign that the strange tonic that Katyna had mixed might just be working a little. She doesn't look any better, but there is a bit more strength behind her words as she takes another drink, watching these two with caution in her one green eye.

"You remember what I tried to teach you before, Katyna. About using oils to scry a person's location from a distance." Hati takes a moment to rest, closing her eye as she leans her head back against the headboard. "Blood is a stronger medium for scrying, and especially the blood of someone involved. It would only take a few drops, but using it creates a different sort of sympathetic magic." When her eye opens again, she looks towards Faruja. "You're the least likely to be effected by her magic. You've seen Katyna struggle recently in the catacombs, and you know Skoll struggles with the darkness of that collar of his."

With a dry laugh, she shakes her head, "Hedge magic isn't well accepted by the Church, no matter how useful. Especially the sort that involves blood sacrifice. Then again... if I could see where she is, I could get us a portal there."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna glances curiously at Faruja, curious to see what his reaction to all this would be. Already, she is quite surprised that he seems to accept Hati as she is, inspite of his overzealous beliefs against dark magic and Shadow Lords..

Is that what love did to people? she remembers how Angan had sacrificed himself for Avira's sake, even though Avira had outwardly declared the Shadow Lords and their associates her enemy..It was all so very confusing. Perhaps Kat could never understand, having never experienced that sort of love before. Ehh...

Then Faruja mentions a flog, and she just STARES at him, jaw dropping.

"Wuh...Wat..What the heck? Faru? You have a frickin' flog!?"

Yegads, is this guy ever overzealous! Almost sickly soo! But...She glances back at Hati and smirks, nodding in agreement..Until she gets to the part about scrying. Would..Would Faru suspect, what other dark arts she was involved with? But that wasnt blood, this will be..

"Huh, I guess..It's worth a try right? We could always remove the eyepatch, but...Heey, I'm sure it'd be fine, between the four of us, that girl is toast! I mean..How strong could she be...? Oh wait.." She frowns as if remembering something that might just be important..

Evja has posed:
It's about this point that there's a simple enough knock on the door. Nothing terribly important. On the other side of the door was none other than a certain Viera. Their cloak had seen better days, tore up and faintly bloody in some areas despite obvious attempts to quickly scrub such out. However, visibly there was nothing else wrong. That, and given the cloak covered everything but Evja's face...
There was nothing /visibly/ wrong with the Viera. He had his normal veil on and that was that.

Faruja Senra has posed:
Faruja finally relents under the gaze of the wolfess, rubbing his head. "As you wish, Hati. Just...let us do this, anything to put this closer to an end. You have suffered too much as it stands."

Going quiet, the ratling listens to explaination, pondering the wolfess' words. Finally, he just runs a hand through his hair. "All very good questions, and ones I shall ponder. 'Tis up to an Inquisitor, anyway. Hardly do I have the wisdom to make such decisions." When in doubt, defer to your superiors. It works out quite well for the rat when faced with moral quandries.

The reminder of those bloody catacombs have the ratling shivering. "No. All too risky. Here. Do as you must, Hati." Faruja nods, gazing into her eye. "I trust you."

Faruja turns to gaze at Katyna. "Blame Sarah. Something about 'stepping over the lines' and 'necessity' and all that! 'Tis hardly something I /desire/ you know?" He sounds almost defensive. Not that Katyna's know the Inquisitor, though.

His gaze softens quickly however. "What is it, Katyna?"

Ear-perk. The rat stands, striding over to the door. Peeking out, he gasps. Blast it!

Opening the door, he stares at the rathe worse for wear Viera. "Lady Adjudicator! What in the Lord's name...come, come, inside!" He directs.

Hati has posed:
As accepting as the wolf might be to many ways of seeing the world, there are some things she cannot stand. There is a fine line between asking him to sacrifice a few drops of blood, and finding out that the mouse intentionally harms himself by some means of penance. "Is that where those scars come from?" She asks him, and her gaze is steely. Hati hadn't asked much about the marks on his back, and even now might not be the best of times for it.

"Then maybe you should ask before we go forward." Even if it goes unsaid, there is that clear sense of urgency in the situation. She sips the tea, laced with that unicorn's horn that is meant to somehow lessen the pain of this strange effect seizing her, but how long could she really last like this? The wolf focuses on that draining it down to the bottom of the cup before setting it down again. She'd drink as much of it as is offered, but at least for this moment it's finished.

"I think it a better plan that we surprise her. If I let her see where we are, then she will come to us on her terms, when it suits her... rather then when she's least expecting it." Hati still has an almost militaristic mind when it comes to some things.

The knock at the door stops her expliantion, though, and the wolf waits. Inwardly, she expects it might be Skoll, but it seems not. Her ears lift slightly at the sight of the Viera, but she can only offer him a weak sort of smile. The wolf looks terrible. Dark spiderwebs of lines extend from her wrists and from her bandaged eye, and there is all too clear reasons why she might not have been seen these last few days.

"Evja." She simply speaks his name, no titles. "Come on in." It's getting a bit crowded in the small hotel room, but Hati shifts a little, even if the motion seems to bring her pain. There's some room for someone to sit on the bed with her should they choose.

Katyna has posed:
Katyna continues to eye Faruja warily, finding him weirder and weirder by the minute. "Ehehehe...." She laughs nervously, trying to figure him out. What the hey, it's the kinda thing that Ser Kasrillen would do..Maybe trying to align herself with the church again is baaaad idea.

But..Faruja has other uses of course, even though he and Skoll might just murder her if..When, they find out who she really is. Not exactly a pleasant thought, and she clenches her fists more tightly.

"Heeey...I'm not a total idiot. Ser Kasrillen taught me a little of the church, just...Eh..That seems a bit too extreme. Who is this Lady Sarah? A high inquisitor?" She frowns, "Sorry, but it just seems extreme to me...Ehh...." Looking back at her clenched hands she nods. "Well....I've been trying to hunt down Felicia, last I heard, she'd stopped by Archades, where I saw her stealing some powerful magical artifact. After the whole cursed gauntlet fiasco, I guess we shouldn't take Felicia or any of her minions too lightly..Still..."

Still, why would she draw Hati into this? Wasn't she after Katyna? Or was Lillian just a mere pawn, and Kat was her real target? Or perhaps there was some exchange of sorts going on..Ugh, that means Hati's right, Kat's probably next on her list~!

Kat remains oddly quiet for a few minutes or so, murmuring to herself. Yegads, she's in soooooo much trouble if they find out! She was taking a chance informing Skoll of what happened to Hati. But now Faru's pulled into the mix too!

Then someone knocks at the door and she frowns, tensing even more, assuming it is Skoll. But when she sees the bunny from the other day step in, her frown only deepends. "Heey, what the heck, is this some sorta party now, or something? I thouhgt I told Skoll I'd kick his butt if he told anyone else...." Yegads, this just got more complicated!

Evja has posed:
"Faruja, actually."

That's the response that Katyna gets as the door opens and Faruja speaks, then she speaks to the effect of no more. "I got a letter from Faruja asking me to kill someone?" Not quite, but that was what he understood of it anyways. Evja, for Katyna's reference, was as ever pretending to be female. Soft-spoken, concealed. Nothing of note male.
Though how much those with good noses could tell he had been not too long back, maybe a half day or further, injured - that's up in the air. Didn't seem that way now though. Faruja gets a nod as Evja slips just inside and looks around to those present, seeing Katyna, then Hati who looked... well, worse for the wear. "I am surprised your pet mouse has not yet gone out and bitten those responsible for this, Hati. Have you him leashed?" It was more of a joke than anything, but given the tone of Faruja's letter... he did half assume the rat was sharpening a knife for someones back. After all, it was Evja's 'blade' that was requested, not his help.

Faruja Senra has posed:
The two women have the ratling's eye narrowed as he's hit with the force of Hati's steely gaze, and Katyna's nervous laughter. A vague feeling of being shunted into a corner strikes him, and he takes a moment to compose himself.

"I received them when those murderous brigands unleashed their hellish Abominations upon my home, and slew friend and comrade alike, when they so kindly decided to swarm me after destroying my squad, Hati." Replies the rat, trembling lightly as he recalls the moment.

"'Tis never been used. However, mayhap you are right Katyna. Yes, she is an Inquisitor. Perhaps 'tis more to frighten me into line at any rate." He huffs, shaking his head.

Turning about, he whispers into his own ear, muttering a conversation. It doesn't take all that long, though the Burmecian can be seen half snarling into it. "The Lady Inquisitor is most intrigued, Hati. A determination shall be made later, however, she leaves it up to my discretion. And I say we save thy life. 'Tis the only path open to us."

Faruja manages a dark smirk as Evja speaks up. "How interesting that you say so, dear Lady Adjudicator. It seems that the cure to Hati's malady is in the slaying of the creature that cursed her." He remarks, a touch too irritated at the moment to really comment on the leash bit. He'll have a witty comeback later, rabbit!

A shake of the head, and Faruja flexes his claws. "Damn that sham of a Priestess! She must be dealt with, Lady Redsvaren. She is a threat to both of you. I am quite tired of my friends being made victims of!"

Hati has posed:
There is no look of remorse on Hati's pale features, although she does nod in acceptance of his words easily enough. Strange how protective she has gotten about these rare few people that have come to matter in her life. It makes the wolf want to snarl to think of anyone, harming Skoll, Katyna, Faruja, or even Evja... much less them harming themselves. She stares at him for a long moment, then looks away again. Stupid cryptic wolf-girls.

Her ear twitches at the sound of him speaking over whatever communication device he has. "I'd be glad to give your Lady Inquisitor a demonstration, if I live through this, and I can have her word that I won't leave in chains." Not that Hati couldn't break out of a Church prison if she needed to. Afterall, they had many reasons to want someone like her behind bars, and her ability to scry is only one of them.

"But not tonight. I think we all need rest, and I need time for this tonic of Katyna's to take effect. This girl managed to take me out without much of a fight, so trust me when I say it will not be easy." Her eye closes again, reclining and trying to preserve her strength.

With the mouse's irritation at her at the moment, or perhaps at the situation in general, Hati just lets out a breath. Oh, there had been a romantic moment earlier? Yeah, that's gone now. The werewolf smirks slightly, which looks odd on her partially blackened lips. "The good templar is hardly a pet for anyone to tame, and I'm sure he'd be out hunting down the villian right now if he had the first idea of where to look. I don't doubt his courage in that."

Blinking back dark lashes, she tilts her head towards Evja. "Up for a fight, my dear rabbit? We could use another set of capable hands." Because Hati, clearly, is in no shape for a fight. As for Katyna's question, Hati shakes her head ever so slightly. "I told Faruja, apparently he was pacing around upstairs and it was keeping me from sleeping." Oh, and let's not mention she's been /awake/ since then with all the visitors.

Katyna has posed:
Kat blinks slowly. "Huh, so Faru, you hired him? Erk...." Oh, or was it Hati then? It's small comfort, to know that she knows what she is doing but..but..can this bunny really be trusted? She glances helplessly at Hati. Yegads, this is getting iffy. How much longer can she continue to lie and pretend to be something she's not? Oh yeah, something's sure got her spooked, but what?

For a moment she just laughs nervously, eyeing Evja a bit warily. "Ehehe, Lady Evja, I remember you from the party! Ahh yeah, you're a friend of Hati's too, I remember now. Guess she gets around more than I thought. Well.." She shrugs, looking back at her hands rather intently, before glancing over at Faru's scars. For all her own worries, it seems Faru has suffered perhaps more than she.

"Faru? What? What brigands? When did this happen? Erk...." she scratches her head, realizing there is shockingly little she knows of Faru to be honest. Which is strange, as he is a churchie and reminds her much of Ser Kasrillen.

"We'll deal with Lady Felicia, and, Lillian...Hopefully she wont have any other surprises, or...Minions..Waiting for us." a meaningful glance is shot towards Hati, wondering if she had thought about Jasmina's possible appearance too.

Evja has posed:
"I have no desire to kill anyone." Evja states quite simply. "Nor will I be an assassin for anyone, friend or otherwise. I am no executioner and I will not let myself be dragged to that stage, no matter the situation."

Having said that, though, Evja does sigh as he wanders towards Hati to get a closer look at her. He looks up towards Katyna as if thinking about something, then looks back down to Hati. "Yes, we met at the party. Is there no other way to lift this curse? Or are you simply reverting to the simplest and most gutural method?"
JudgeBunny looks between those present, then towards Hati, as if hoping to get an honest answer. He had no idea himself, but surely killing wasn't the /only/ way.

Faruja Senra has posed:
"Hired, M'Lady? Nay. Lady Evja came due to concern for our dear wolfess here." He motions to the wolfess, standing once again. His tail sways more calmly by now.

To Hati, the rat shakes his head. "'Twould be poor repayment for thy services rendered thus far. She is reasonable, as far as Inquisitors go. Many make myself seem lax in piety by comparison." A scary thought no doubt!

"Agreed. 'Tis been quite the day. Hati, I would like to stay here if possible. Frankly, you need someone watching over you at night." The rat says, clearly intent on playing night guardian for the cursed wolfess.

"Not a pet indeed! Hardly shall I be running about on a wheel, either, before you get any other smart quips oh dear lapine!" The rat's tail points at the Judge Bun accusingly.

Turning back to Katyna, he finally nods. "Allow me to give you the short version. Alexandria attacked my home town, slaughtered my friends, family, and fellow soldiers before turning to make a meal of myself. By the Lord's own hand did I escape to tell the tale, His servants plucking me neatly from death's door." Explains the ratling to the knightess.

So too does Faruja fix Hati with his gaze. "Were there any other, more expedient way, I doubt that our dear comrade would keep it from us. If she says the wretch must die, then so it must be." The Templar says with confidence, backing up the wolf.

Hati has posed:
Though exhaustion is clear on the wolf's wan face, she does address the Viera's concerns before anything else. "I wouldn't ask it if it were simply some common foe, but the one who did this ... she isn't alive. Some sort of unsent, or ressurected ghoul. Whatever she is now, her life ended years ago and what's left is some hollow shell of who she once was." Hati reaches below the covers and pulls out a small compact which has a mirror on one side, and a picture of the girl on the other.

This had been a gift from Serrak at one point to a girl who had become as close to him as his true daughter. She pointedly does not look at the mirror, since becoming a six foot tall wolf right now would probably not be the best of ideas. Yet, she does look at the bunny with a weary expression. "Is that what you think of me... That I take relish in the deaths of others?" Letting out a huff of breath, the wolf sinks back then, letting her body slip under the covers and her head rest against the pillow. "You can't save the dead..."

For Katyna's sake, she nods her head slightly, "I can check to make sure we're not in for any untold surprises." She isn't going to try to convince the rabbit that this is the best course of action, or the only one, that much is up to him to decide for himself. For some, seeing her suffor like this might be just punishment for her allegiances to the Shadow Lords before now. Yet, it's is the suffering really worth it on someone who had been trying to change?

"Skoll will be here..." Hati starts, but her eyes remain closed then. "But you're welcome to stay if you wish. I'm sure they can bring a cot up or something." The hotel is probably getting used to such strange things these days. "I need to rest, though. We can plan tomorrow, when everyone is rested and ready for a fight."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna frowns and shakes her head. "Well..I was told, there might be a way to extract the curse directly from the eye, but..I'd have to bring her to that person, whom I dont trust at all..And she said that would be risky. This seems to be the least risky method, besides, Lillian's already dead. She's basically a zombie."

She turns around, glaring at Evja, "Are you saying, you would refuse to kill someone, even to save another life? Even to save *her* life? If that's your attitude, then you're no help to us." Her tone is a bit impatient, or maybe she's just nervous about other things..

She tenses again at Skoll's name. "Heh, well with all you guys watching her, it'll be a little crowded if I stay. I guess I'll patrol the perimeter. I dunno if she can port in and out, but..Who knows what surprises she has up her sleeve? She sure was powerful though.."

Evja has posed:
Such a strange situation, this. If he didn't help, Hati could die... but if he did help how they wanted, he would have blood on his hands no matter how he justified it. "I am saying I am sorry, but I will not go if the sole thing on the mind of those that I accompany is to kill her. I will not be a party to that... for anyone. Not even a friend. I have heard stories of those who have died and come back. I know little of wether it is true or not, but there is a reason they have not simply passed on. Regrets, desires... vengeance."

Looking sadly towards the wolf in the bed, Evja says, "It is not what I think of you, it is simply how I must carry myself lest I crumple in self loathing." before turning to walk towards the door. "If you need help retrieving the eye, or something else that is not a hunt for ones existence for anothers sake, no matter who... I will aid you. I am a Judge, not an Executioner." a pause, "Otherwise I would be the same as the one who shattered my shoulder."

Faruja Senra has posed:
"One does not kill that which is already dead. One merely returns it to its proper rest." Faruja directs towards the Judge. His face remains neutral, but inwardly he fumes. These Judges and their neutrality! Would Evja truly abandon someone he calls a friend? One clawed hand clenches as he tries to not snarl.

Turning back to Katyna, the rat nods. "She is fragile enough. We cannot risk it, especially considering your unreliable source. Regardless, well done Katyna."

Walking over, Faruja sits beside the bed on the floor. "We all need the rest. I shall stay here the night, then. At least this way I shan't be keeping you up with my pacing, hmm?" he asks with a smirk, before turning back to the pair of bunny and knight.

"Lord bless you both." The rat gives a sitting bow, not at all looking like he's going to move for a bit. At least until there'a s cot provided, anyway!