The Caravan

[Cori]

Garrett appraised the man in front of him with a cool stare, smacking his hand away from his collar. "First off, don't touch me," he said. "Second, I followed you because I wanted to make sure you didn't try to twist anyone else's head off." His voice took on a dangerous tone as he glared at Rollo with flinty eyes. "Third, where do you get off asking me to answer for your brother's actions?!" Garrett's lip curled in a disgusted snarl. He was half-tempted to leave then and there, but if he turned his back to Rollo he would be worried that the man would try to pounce on him like he'd already done to several other people.

"You don't have to let your brother goad you into making a decision," he said sharply. "You chose to listen to him, and you chose to follow his decisions."

[LoveLost]

((SLOOW Down....lol jk jk this is great!))

 

Auralia was totally shocked at what was going on and hardly had time to stop Rollo with a flare as he attacked another innocent by stander. The two were split up and she had to choose which one to go after. It would be easier to catch up to either one so it didn't really matter she guessed and since Kolin was the easier one to leave alone because he had more sense when not infuriated. Surely he didn't believe all of what Rollo said?

 

When people started to go after Rollo she quickly jumped to the head of the back on her bare feet in the rain and started to calm the crowd. "Please, just leave the man be. He has had a rough day and we have all had one have we not?"

 

"yeah but now I have to go to the hospital!"

 

"True, aren't you glad though that you weren't attacked in an alley way by some gang member? He saved you from that." she said twisting logic so that the workers would understand. After a few more words of twisted logic, the crowd began to disperse as the head of the fair walked over. A quick lewd look over her body and he made an offer.

 

"I'll forget about it if you dance just for me in that outfit. Especially since he seems to be important to you."

 

"Like h*ll I will!" she shouted at him and then placed her hands on her hips angrily. "look, take it out of my pay...not his." she said hoping that Rollo and Garrett didn't hear her at all. She didn't want them to know what she was doing, well to be perfectly honest, they didn't NEED to know. When she heard them shouting, Auralia told her new boss to leave off as she walked around and stood there in that d*mn skimpy outfit with her arms folded underneath her bust. "you know, you shouldn't make Kolin the bad guy. You love him. He's your little brother and you love him and you didn't want to leave him. Or you feel responsible for him after leaving your parents. At least that is what I can glean from your 'conversations'." She said staying far enough back to avoid getting hit by Rollo. But what caused her more sadness, was the sheer desperation in Rollo's face. It seemed almost as if he was lost looking for something, looking for guidance.

 

"Oh dear." she mumbled to herself and quickly stepped over to the damaged guitar and picked up the pieces but didn't know if Rollo wanted them to be thrown away or what. But throughout her speaking with him and talking with him, she didn't show a single angry word. Why should she be angry at someone with such desperation and sadness?

 

((I post and everyone disappears.....*le sigh*))

Edited November 6, 2011 by LoveLost

[Packgoater]

Rollo spluttered angrily, stumbling back from Garrett a little ways. "Kolin, Kolin was drunk that day," he began, grinning madly though he was obviously pissed. "He was a smart ass. He was talking to my damn father and got in a stupid damn argument!" Rollo was shouting now, his mouth twisting into a snarl. "And he left. Without saying a word. Right there, I had a decision. He forced me into a position. My father was in the wrong, oh yes. But my mother hadn't done anything. NOT A DAMN THING!" he spat, shaking his head. "And I was stuck. He's my younger brother, underage, yet has a knack for both using drugs and getting unpleasantly drunk. WHAT THE HELL WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?" he shouted, eyes flashing wildly. "Let him be? Let him kill himself? Let him drink himself to death? No. I had to make a decision. My brother, the proud ass he is, would never go back. Not for me, not for anyone. It was my mother or my brother. And I had to chose. I HAD TO CHOSE!" Rollo screamed in rage and fury, kicking the closest thing to him. "And I f*cking chose him. I walked out, following him, because that damn assh*le was a selfish priggish little spoiled good for nothing b*stard!" he snarled, breathing heavily, his head turning slowly and suddenly snapping to Auralia. "It's absolutely his fault. His act of 'rebellion' was to get drunk all the time. THAT DAMN DRINKING IS WHAT COST ME MY F*CKING PARENTS!"

[Kokay]

((Kolin gets no love... D: Everyone goes to Rollo... Now I have to come up with legitimate reason WHY Kolin didn't leave right then. Because then no one will find him.))

 

Kolin was angry. He was indignant. He was wrong. He knew it. He was wrong for being so mad at his brother. It was his fault after all. But that didn't change his emotions. It didn't change how he felt. He needed to cool off. There was only one way he knew to think clearly. He turned to the nearest building and jumped, grabbing the awning and heaving himself to the roof. Without thinking about what he was doing any longer, Kolin launched himself with skill to the next rooftop and landed easily. His searching eyes were looking for the tallest building in the city. They fell on a clock tower. If he hadn't been so angry, he would have smiled about it. But, he was, and so he continued throwing his body over the buildings. At one point, he saw his brother surrounded by the other people he'd seen. He stopped, a shadow in the distance on the rooftop.

[LoveLost]

((Auralia wants to get ROllo to go after Kolin...maybe not to apologize, just go after him....she is sooo confused right now too))

 

Auralia listened to Rollo rage and get angry and found herself laughing at him instead of sympathizing. "Wow.....why are you so angry at YOURSELF for going after your brother? You wanted to care for him. There is nothing wrong with that. You had to make a choice and if you regret leaving your family to stay with the one person that knows you inside and out, then you have some priorities mixed up there Rollo."

 

Auralia made sure to step back a bit just in case Rollo went all "wild bull" on her. She wanted to make sure and have enough time to grow a very hot fire wherever he may touch her that way she wouldn't go back on the threat that she had made with their first encounter.

 

"Besides, why are you getting angry at him, when you should be angry at yourself? Did you ever step in and try and stop your brother from doing drugs and from getting into alcohol? Smoking? I wonder if Kolin was ever looking up to you to help him." she said her tone even the entire time and almost passive. She was trying to defend Kolin to her best...she didn't want him to seem the badguy, but she didn't want that for Rollo either. She wanted him to see where he might have gone wrong and go back and at least find his brother. It didn't matter if they spoke or not...as long as they were back together again.

[Packgoater]

Rollo laughed, an angry bitter laugh. "Why do you think I've never gotten drunk? Never. Not once. One would think, knowing me, but not a single time," he muttered, his mouth still twisted into a snarl. "Do you honestly think I sat by and encouraged him? HELL NO. I tried to help him. The- the smoking's different," Rollo said defensively, crossing his arms and starting to pace, his temper obviously cooling. "That one was our father. He smoked and... Things went wrong quickly, okay? Just drop the smoking. Really," he murmured, shaking his head. "Alright! I'm not perfect, okay? Least I try. So I smoke, but I don't drink, do any of the drug crap... Hell, I don't even get in any bad relationships, or any relationships for that matter! He's ungrateful for what I do. For what I did," Rollo growled, kicking aside another trashcan.

 

"And what do you know 'bout my family, anyway? So my dad was an ass, that much is clear. But my mother wasn't. She knew me. She was screaming my name when I left," he muttered bitterly. "Wait... what the hell do you care, anyway?" he snorted, starting to walk away from both Auralia and Garrett. "I'm going to go off and see if I can get a real job somewhere. I don't want to talk about Kolin or my family anymore. They're all gone now."

[LoveLost]

"Kolin wouldn't be gone if it wasn't for you Rollo." Auralia replied as Rollo walked off. But it did seem that he was thinking now. Maybe someday they would be together again, but for now, she needed to find Kolin. She had to talk to him...there were things that both of them needed to talk out and that was entirely obvious.

 

It took a few minutes for her to figure out what direction Kolin had gone and when she looked up at the skyline, she felt like she was being watched. It wasn't that bad feeling, but at least she knew that someone was watching them. "KOLIN?!" she shouted once outside of the carnival. She had to find him! But she wasn't as acrobatic or strong as he was. In fact, she could only fly with fire...how? Like she would know? Probably something to do with heat rising and cold air falling. She was tempted to go on ahead and go into her phoenix form which is exactly what she should do to find Kolin, but then again, people would freak out unless she flew above the clouds. However, maintaining a flame would be harder that way because of a lack of oxygen...

 

"Kolin where are you?" she mumbled to herself ignoring the looks of others since she was still in her flame outfit.

[Packgoater]

Rollo was starting to think of things he was good at, jobs he could get. Was there anything but strength he was good at? Singing, but he didn't want to be some icon or even sing in public, so that was a no. He wasn't really good at anything. Turning on his heel, he ran back to Auralia, willing her to turn around. "Okay, okay. Let's find Kolin. He's not going to forgive me for a long time. He might even just ignore all of us. But you guilted me into it. This time," the elder brother growled rubbing his temples. "I still can't leave the damned boy, okay? But he is NOT going to know that. This stays between you and me, ya hear?" he hissed, looking at her evenly with his brow raised. Unlike the other men around them, Rollo was completely oblivious to what the firebreather was wearing. She could've been wearing nothing and he still would've payed it no mind. She was just a person, she was just someone there. Sometimes she was an obstacle in his way, and others she was the breeze putting wind in his sails. This particular instance Rollo wasn't sure, but for some reason he was quite sure he would be thanking her later on.

[LoveLost]

Auralia had been looking at the skyline just hoping to see a shadowy figure somewhere that would give her a hint as to where Kolin was. It was going to take forever like this, but when she heard the familiar footsteps of Rollo she grinned inwardly. Like Rollo had willed, Auralia did turn around and faced him with a twinkle in her eyes as he spoke. He was going to find his brother and was actually asking her to help him along in this little venture. "Well I never meant to guilt you." she said in mock innocence before smiling widely with her head tilted to the side just enough to give her an almost childish, innocent look. She continued to smile as Rollo told her that what he had just said was to stay between them. A little giggle escaped her as she turned around and opened her arms wide to the rain and spun a few times. This was what she lived for. Helping people. She stopped abruptly with people staring at her and she stepped up close to Rollo and looked up into his eyes. "You have my word." She patted his chest gently before stepping away lightly in the puddles. "If you ever get to know me, you would know that once my word is given, it isn't broken." she said and then stopped. "But, what are we going to do in locating Kolin?" she thought and she became puzzled because how were you to track someone that could get anywhere they wanted?

 

 

((That post totally did not turn out like I planned....Rollo is gunna explode?))

[Cori]

Garrett followed behind Rollo and Auralia, scanning the area quietly. Something was making him feel uneasy...he kept seeing things stir in the darkness out of the corner of his eyes, but every time he turned his head to look the movement would cease. Was it more of those Chasms? Had more of them shown up already? Were they...toying with them? Garrett's lip curled and he stuck his hand in his jacket pocket, wrapping it around his knife. Just holding the weapon made him feel slightly more prepared for whatever was lurking in the night.

 

He was not, however, prepared for another dizzy spell. His vision dimmed and he stumbled, catching his balance at the last minute. His hand flew to his forehead and he groaned. What now--

 

He saw a dim, vague figure crouching on a rooftop, barely illuminated in the night lights. From the figure's vantage point, he could clearly see three people walking on the street below.

 

"--what the hell?!" Garrett growled, shaking his head. That was a new one. Nothing he remembered from before, that was for sure. He hadn't 'seen' who that figure was, but something told him...

He blinked, looking around. They were in the exact location he had 'seen' from the figure's vantage point. Was his mind playing tricks on him?!

 

"...we're being watched," he muttered, just loud enough for Rollo and Auralia to hear. Maybe he was being stupidly paranoid, believing his own imagination, but he was willing to risk looking like a fool. For once.

[Packgoater]

Rollo recoiled at the touch. No one touched Rollo, particularly not a woman. Suddenly he noticed what the firebreather was wearing, but did so with distaste. No one touched him, particularly not a woman in scandalous clothing. It brought together far too many memories. "Get off me," he said coldly, a defensive wall suddenly up. "We'll have to go after him. He can't stay up there forever. I'll have to try to reason with him, to explain my idiocy. Which I think I was slightly in the right about..." he muttered, turning to Garrett, brows raised. The boy had stumbled as if dizzy and groaned. Somehow Rollo doubted it was just a headache. "Are you alright? We're being watched?" he wondered, connecting two with two. "That whole episode there... that's how you know, right?"

[Cori]

"I don't know how I know, but I do," Garrett griped, scowling at nothing in particular. His vision was still dark and he blinked furiously, trying to get it back. Eventually he saw some color and some blurry shapes swimming into focus, and he calmed down. He was no stranger to these weird 'blind spells'. That didn't mean they were any less worrisome. He sighed and looked at the blurry figure he recognized as Rollo. "I...I guess they were related, somehow," he muttered in response to the man's question. "It was strange...a vision, of some sort. I could see someone crouching on a building, watching us. I couldn't make out any of their features, though."

He was already mentally cursing himself for saying so much. Rollo and Auralia probably thought he was touched in the head. Hell, Garrett thought he was touched in the head. He should have just kept his stupid mouth shut.

[Kokay]

Kolin saw them moving. The girl's eyes were on him now. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and turned back to the rooftops. The rain had made it very slick and now he was worried. Not for himself, but his brother. If they saw him up there, they'd try to get him. If they did that, Rollo was likely to fall. So, logically, Kolin left. He jumped lithely from the rooftop to the next and continued on his original route. To the clock tower. The building was old and had a strange feel to it. Now, he was near it, looking at it with a scrutinizing eye. He could climb it easily. The small, little intricacies that were added to make the building look beautiful were what he could use to climb.

 

Taking yet one more running start, Kolin grabbed the metal wire that surrounded the tower. He heaved himself easily across it, looking for the face of the clock. The metal that pointed to the time was strong. This was not the first time he had climbed a clock tower. They made the metal hands very strong so that, should a couple hundred birds sit on it together, it would not fall. After much shifting and even more climbing, Kolin was sitting on the hour hand that was now inching it's way past the 5. It was early and with no sleep the previous night. He and Rollo would be more vicious than bears all day long.

[Packgoater]

"What's that? Moving, up there! Up on the rooftop! One of those Chasms or whatever wouldn't be running away. That's got to be him, I have a feeling," Rollo growled, following the moving object. He didn't care if the others followed or not. All he cared was that he apologized to Kolin. His brother could then reject it, but the elder brother needed to at least be near his brother. And suddenly the shape was on the clock tower. It was definitely Kolin, he had climbed these things so many times before. Looking up at he, he tried in vain to see some hidden way to climb it, but saw none. Closing his eyes, Rollo sighed. He hated heights. He hated feeling like he was going to fall. But he opened his eyes and placed his foot on the nearest ornate-looking ledge and pulled himself up. He was only about three feet off the ground, but looking behind him made him dizzy. He put gripped a window ledge with his hands and scrambled up to it, not daring to look back. He shuffled over and jumped to another ledge, and scrambled up another ornate-looking decoration.When he was about half-way up, Rollo made the mistake of looking down. He suddenly went rigid and then nearly fainted, his breathing heavy. He was on a clock tower. What the hell was he doing? He started to try and scramble down, but his feet slipped, and he fell. It was tall enough that if you survived a fall like that you were lucky. Rollo, when he slammed into the ground, did not do so with a bloody mess. No, he scrambled to his feet, one of which was broken, and looked very shaken. "Am I... dead? I..." he mumbled, not quite realizing that his power, kinetic absorption, had just saved his life, and all but a few bones.

[LoveLost]

Auralia was a little put off by the way that Rollo responded to her, but then again, sometimes her habits poked holes in people's personal bubbles...sometimes more often than not. But something else made her think that she had done something wrong, and she would apologize later if she had to. Garrett walked up to them which wasn't any news to her, yet he started to rub his head again as if there was some sort of pain. He spoke about the figure looking down on them and she realized something about him. he had some sort of vision that allowed him to learn about dangers around them...or something like that?

 

Whatever it was, she didn't care. It gave them a lead and from what Rollo said, it was probably Kolin. You can hardly ever doubt a siblings intuition. Kinda like how you can't doubt a mothers intuition. Still, it was odd for her to be running like she was when she realized that she was still in her firedancers outfit. To get things straight, Auralia is a very modest woman. However, when it comes to a job that will be earning her some money (as long as it isn't stripping or prostitution) she will wear it.

 

Once they had reached the clock tower, Rollo started to climb very quickly and with strength that she couldn't even attain in her wildest dreams. She could only watch him as he climbed up the tower, but her stomach lept into her throat as she noticed Rollo turning around to look down. He was afraid of heights! He fell right in front of her and she watched as he stood up in front of her as well wondering if he was dead. "n...no....you're not." she said and didn't touch him for it seemed that he didn't like that. "But....how?" she wondered and wished that Kolin would stop running away.

 

"D*mn it Kolin..." she said under her breath as she glanced up at the buildings, noting that the dark figure had disappeared. "Why don't you stay in one place?!" she shouted above the crowd wondering if Kolin would hear her. She was getting frustrated now, but also wasn't one to stop chasing someone, ESPECIALLY if someone who hardly apologized was about to make some sort of half apology.

[Kokay]

Kolin watched in horror as someone fell. No, not someone, Rollo. He could tell from the lack of grace he took when climbing, how he relied purely on brute strength. But, even more so, he could tell because he knew no one else would climb the clock tower on a whim. Rollo was coming to apologize, and he fell. Kolin was paralyzed by the fear that his brother was dead. Absolutely. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't think. To his amazed eyes, Rollo stood up. He gasped in air, holding his chest. Certain his heart had stopped, Kolin laid the rest of his body on the hour hand of the clock. He lay there, gasping for breath.

 

And suddenly, the whole situation seemed strange to him. Two of the closest humans on earth had just fought. Angry, one left to climb a clock tower and the other followed (the one who was always angry, mind you) to apologize. Now that that one coming to apologize had fallen, the brother was relieves. So, he lay down on a clock tower's hand in the morning rain. Strange, but strikingly life like. However, now, to be more life like, Kolin would have to descend to check and see if his brother was unharmed. Then they would have a wonderful reunion and everything would be happy and jolly. No, that wasn't life like, nor was it going to happen. That was a fairytale.

[Packgoater]

"Good. Being dead wouldn't be any fun." Rollo winced, shaking his head. Limping over to Auralia, he shook his head. "I am never apologizing to anyone ever again," he muttered, rubbing his broken foot/ankle. "I am tired, wet, and as far as I can tell, I'm going insane! I don't f*cking care anymore, follow me if you really must, but I'm leaving. I gave him my best damn shot and if he doesn't want it, that's fine," he growled, stalking off, arms crossed, back slightly hunched, long hair dangling in front of his face giving him a dark eerie look. He gave up. He wasn't going to try anymore at anything. It wasn't worth it. What was money, anyway? Food, a place to stay, warmth... Okay, f*ck it, he needed money, and ASAP. He was really hungry. Turning back to Auralia, a greedy glint was suddenly seen in his eyes. "You got cash, Firebreather?"

[Cori]

Garrett had stayed back when Rollo had rushed to the clock tower, watching as the man tried and failed to climb the structure. He couldn't help but shake his head at Rollo's actions. He was lucky he hadn't wound up as a greasy spot on the ground.

He slowed down when Auralia ran to meet Rollo, watching them silently from a distance. This group was so dysfunctional...it gave him a headache. And more headaches were the last things he'd ever need.

Garrett turned and headed away from the clock tower, eying the corners and alleys shrouded in darkness. He'd been stupid, to let his imagination run wild, and this was the price he had to pay for it. He'd lost enough time here as it was.

He was halfway out of the city when he remembered that he hadn't eaten at all since he'd woken up that evening. He didn't feel like stopping at a restaurant or a fast-food joint--and besides, what kind of place would be open at 5 in the morning?--so he simply went to a gas station and got some dry snack items at the 24-hour mart. A granola bar or something would be enough to hold him over until he'd gotten to another place with decent food.

 

In the meantime, though, he'd just keep moving and try to forget everything about that insane encounter last night. It wasn't worth getting worried about.

[LoveLost]

Auralia looked up at the clock tower and sighed. Kolin would have to come back on his own. She hoped and prayed that all he needed was time, she really did. When Rollo said that he was never apologizing to anyone again, Auralia merely rolled her eyes at the statement and watched him walk off. Yet, he didn't have any cash causing him to turn around. He would need money, clothing, shelter, food. He didn't have any of that so why give the job up at the fair? He could build up a little money that way he could survive...like Auralia had for the past year or so. The only thing that she had to rely on to get her anywhere, was a two year college degree and that was it. Well and maybe the odd skill or two here and there.

 

"Hmm, I do." she said and by the tone of her voice, there was a catch. "But the only way you are getting it is if you come back to the fair and let me set your foot. "I've got enough money to give you Rollo. Plus there are some towels there that you can dry off with." she said. Her show of giving was something that many people thought odd, but it was just who she was. I hope Kolin decides to come back. was her most hopeful thought at the moment. Her hand ached, and her head was still rather sore from the fight earlier in the day. At this moment, she didn't know how she was continuing instead of crashing in bed.

 

 

((This next part is assuming that he comes. If they don't, then just forget it ))

 

((NOTE, this was written before Jackal posted...in other words, i was ninja'd))

 

"Cummon." she said and walked back to the fair. Of course it was time for her to go back on by that time as the next crowd rolled through and she motioned for the two men to stay behind the booth as she performed. The performance, when not taken in the lewd way as many men did, was actually somewhat talented. Because of her obsession with gypsies, Auralia had taken many belly dancing, and world dancing classes to learn the different types of moves that would have influenced the gypsies. These dances varied from African, to Japanese, even to Brazilian which was also a form of defense.

 

The performance was over in two and a half minutes and she walked out from the booth, sweating, although it quickly evaporated much like the rain was doing now as it touched her skin. "This way please." she said to the two as she made her way to her own beat up place after grabbing her bag and clothes. "Home sweet home eh?" she said to them as the door opened to reveal a spartan interior like she had asked for. All she needed was a bed, bathroom, and oven and she was good. There was only one other chair in there but other than that, there was nothing.

 

The floors were dirty and cobwebs were hanging everywhere which obviously had Auralia cringing for she had not been in the place yet. "Sorry, I haven't been in here yet....uhm, just sit on the bed for a second and I'll grab some towels...." she mumbled as she walked to the back and grabbed the only two towels that were there and tossed them back to the others. She shut the door to the bedroom which was separated from the small kitchen like area and she changed quickly into her main clothes after evaporating as much water as she could off of her body.

 

When she was done, she was in an oversized sweater, sweat pants and no shoes. "Okay, remember the deal? I take care of your foot, and THEN you get the monies." she said with a slightly devious glint in her eyes.

[Packgoater]

The elder brother was relieved as he heard she had money. But he could tell something else was also up. he had to go back to the fair? What if the people there chased after him again? Rollo let out a growl, but he needed money, and thus followed her. You could tell by his breathing that he was in pain, and he knew he needed to get his foot set by someone, and he seemed to remember her warning him about the hospital. He looked back once to the clocktower, and then went hurriedly off after her.

 

Rollo looked at the familiar sights of the fair with a low groan. So many freaking people... Shaking his head, he watched as Auralia danced, though his eyes seemed to not show the same spark or interest as the other men in the crowd. He was merely there to wait for it to be over, and when it was, he was more than willing to leave. She led him to her place, which seemed nice enough, better than the one him and Kolin should've been sharing. When he stepped in he put the suitcase which held his clothes on the ground and took the towel Auralia tossed to him. He looked at the other towel and then up at her.

"You realize Garrett's gone, right?" he asked, walking away from her as he peeled off the shirt he wore, revealing a well-muscled body that he quickly hid underneath another shirt, almost as if he were self conscious about the fact that he was muscular. His pants weren't that wet, and he pulled his feet out of his shoes, wincing as he saw even through his sock how swollen his broken foot was. "It's broken. No way it isn't."

 

[LoveLost]

Auralia only had a mere glance at Rollo as he walked away from her, and Kolin wasn't lying. She had been grabbing a bunch of ice out of the little refrigerator that she had and was piling it into a bowl. She sat the bowl outside to gather rain water as she listened to his remark. "The second one isn't to dry off Rollo. The human foot has a lot of sensors and pressure points that relate to your pain nerves as well as releasing hormones, but I'll avoid those." she said as she started to search through her bag until she found a ponytail holder. A quick dash to the mirror, had her hair tied up in a high ponytail with bangs framing her face. It was a wholesome look for her instead of the skimpy stuff she had on earlier and she rather enjoyed it.

 

Once she had retrieved the bowl of ice-water from outside, she sat herself in front of Rollo, at his feet that is, and gently rolled the sock off of his foot. No need to cause him pain before the real pain started. "Wow...you really did a number on your foot didn't you?" she asked rhetorically. Auralia warmed her hands up so that the cool from the ice wouldn't be a shock to him as she felt her way around his foot wondering just where he had broken it; aha! and there it was. In a bone that had the most common breakage from landing on it wrong. The metatarsal for your big toe.

 

"Well, at least it's a clean break. However, the swelling is going to have to go down for me to do anything." she said and instead of slowly placing his foot in the ice water, Auralia shoved his foot fully into the bowl and glared at him. "Don't make a mess on my floor. It's dirty enough as it is." she said and grabbed a few anti-inflamatory pills and handed them to him. "They'll help take the inflamation down as well as keep the pain down too." She said and stood up.

 

"It'll be at least 15 minutes to get most of that swelling down, so sit tight and don't take your foot out of the water." she stated and looked around for a wash cloth. Once she had found it, she set herself to cleaning up the kitchen area with water and some diluted lemon oil. The counters and kitchen were spotless as well as a few of the cobwebs removed by the time that 15 minutes passed.

 

"You ready for this?" Auralia asked as she pulled his foot out of the water and toweled it off.

[Packgoater]

Rollo recoiled from her touch, not because of the pain, but because of the fact that she was actually touching him. Kolin had been one thing, but this girl... The firebreather was entirely different. She put his foot in a bowl of ice water and handed him some pills, which he took two of without reading the label. Rollo had noticed most painkillers were prescribed as a two pill deal, but there were a few that this was not the case for. Checking the label now, he half-grinned. He was right, of course he was. How could he be wrong when he ad lived with Kolin for such a long amount of time? This thought made his heart slightly ache, but he shook it off. Kolin would come back at some point. He would. He had to.

 

"Quite," he murmured as she pulled his foot out of the water. He slightly cringed as she dried it, for two reasons again, but held this in. He didn't like making physical contact with people, unless it was violent. Something like this made him feel awkward and strange. He didn't like that. Working his jaw, he frowned as he looked at Auralia. "You know, I hated you at first because I thought Kolin liked you, if that explains anything," he murmured, chuckling slightly. "I thought you would tear us apart, but I was wrong. I managed to screw this up too. I'm good at messing things up, you know. Football... that's about all I was good at when I was younger. Hell I was smart, I just thought myself above actually trying. I was an idiot," he muttered, mostly rambling because talking often helped distract one from the pain.

[LoveLost]

Auralia was just about to quickly set Rollo's bone, but he started to talk so she sat his foot in her lap as he spoke but then remembered his touch thing from earlier and sat his foot gently on the floor. He started to talk about how he hated her because he thought that Kolin like her and how he thought that she would pull them apart. The truth was in that situation, that Auralia wouldn't have allowed that to happen. Her friends had done that to their own siblings and she hated the very fact that they had done it.

 

When he mentioned that he had been smart, she chuckled slightly and refrained from patting his foot as she would have to comfort someone. "Ya know, if this chasm thing ever ends, you can go to a preparatory college...and with your brother...." she laughed and kinda blushed. "Let's just say that it's refreshing not to be liked by someone." She cleared her throat and picked up his foot again, not being as gently as she probably should have been. "Uh, as to you messing things up, don't worry about it...everyone does it some more than others." 'Others' came out with a grunt as she pulled and pushed at just the right time and set his foot. It was something rather painful probably for both of them since the force she had to use had shifted her own broken fingers. "Oh d*mn..." she said shaking her bed hand while holding the bones still with her left. "Don't move." she said and quickly wrapped the foot in a thick padding of gauze and then duct tape firmly around the break.

 

Tears stung her eyes for a moment as the pain rushed up her forearm and through her elbow. By now, adrenaline had worn off and now it really hurt. Her left hand was somewhat impeded as she shifted her finger feeling the grinding all the way to her teeth. "This is not going to work..." she said and then used her left hand heat the muscles along her palm to relax them.

 

After the pain subsided somewhat, Auralia looked back at Rollo with a chipper smile. "Money...you need money." she stated and walked back over to her bag then moved it to the counter instead of the bed. Auralia easily had several thousand dollars that she kept in jewelry with only around 500 in cash. She grabbed at least 200 in a 50, 20's, 10's and one's. "There ya go." she said holding out the cash to him.

[Packgoater]

Rollo grunted as she set the bone and wrapped it, his jaw locking. He could've sworn he felt a filling or tooth crack with the force he bit down on it. Once it was all over he slid away from her, pulled on his shoe, and looked at her. "College? I was going once. I ain't going anymore. That's who my father wanted me to be, not who I care to be. I don't care enough to go to college. Maybe someday, but not today," he murmured, taking the cash. He cocked his head ever so slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked closely at her.

"You're still in pain, aren't you?" he asked, moving forward towards her, something of concern on his face. Closing his eyes, he nodded. "The bones. The bones in your fingers, they were broken earlier, no?" Rollo was now pacing again, not quite sure what he was going to do with himself. He could get food... Food was good. "I suppose I should say thank you, no?" he muttered, almost reluctant or afraid to leave. Those people hadn't been happy with Rollo last time he saw them. "So whatta you think? Do you think I'll end up breaking a limb when they find out I'm still here, or do you thik they'll tar and feather me?" he chuckled, but was really only half joking.

[LoveLost]

Auralia waved her left hand in a show of dismissal. "Pain shmain. It shows you that you are alive yeah?" She said with a smile even thought she actually was still in pain. "And yes, I broke my hand earlier...makes it kinda hard to twirl little sticks around for your job." She sat down on the bed criss cross applesauce as she watched Rollo pace. It was odd. When he seemed to be in a good mood, he paced or at least when he was thinking. I wonder what he did in school? Pace all the time as he thought all the time? A gentle chuckle was heard from her but was quickly hidden so that he wouldn't think her rude at his comment about the tar and feathers...but it really was funny!

 

"I think maybe they'll burn you at the stake. But then again, who knows? They may actually leave you alone!" She said and fake gasped to show her sarcasm. "Look, when you confuse people, they tend to stay away from the one that they were confused about until they finally use their brains and figure it out." She plucked absentmindedly at the threads on the bed until she remembered his question before the funny statement. "And you don't have to say thank you Rollo. If you don't want to, it's okay with me." she said and gave him a slightly sideways grin before reaching for her bag and grabbing the less powerful painkillers that she had used for both him and Kolin. A small gulp of water from her bottle and she swallowed the pills.