RP:Fear Leads to Anger, Anger Leads to Hate, Hate Leads to Suffering

Part of the Thy Kingdom Come Arc

Summary: After sharing her story and magic abilities with Dominic the night before and finding out that he is not at all like her, Khitti's overcome by her emotions and takes to sparring with a frost giant within the camp. Drawing a crowd, she's found by Pilar and the illusionist attempts to put the makeshift fight club to an end.

The Rolling Hills

Khitti wasn't in her tent. She wasn't on the outskirts where she normally had been as of late. Was she...angrily beating up a frost giant that had unfortunately agreed to spar with her? She was. For Pilar, if she happened to come across the match that was quickly gaining on-lookers, it'd be reminiscent of that day in House Dragana when they had their argument, though no magic was being used. There were gasps of shock and awe as Khitti full force punched the giant in the gut. As he doubled over, her other fist was brought up to uppercut him in the chin. Her moves were erratic, tears welling in her eyes. They were not the strategic, fluid actions that Daermon had tried to teach her. No. They were fueled by that unhappiness that had crept up again over the past week. Still the frost giant fought on, Khitti taking her own blows here and there; a couple broken ribs, and a now bloodied nose. As long as the native of Frostmaw was keen on fighting, she wouldn't stop. Not yet. She didn't feel better yet.

Pilar came upon the scene as she was wandering the camp. She gasped in horror to find the scene. "Khitti..." she whispered. She wanted to rush in there, to put a stop to it. She tried to squeeze through the crowd. "Stop! Stop!" she cried. Several frost giants looked at her like she was stupid. What was she doing, trying to stop such a rip-snorting good brawl? The frost giants shut her out and she ran around the perimeter, trying to find a way through. "Khitti, stop, you'll kill him!" she yelled out.

Khitti didn't stop. She didn't hear Pilar. Her thoughts were elsewhere. To the blue dragon that said her magic was strange. To last night when she told Dominic her story. He was so...put off. So uncertain. So judgemental? It had been the same with Emelyan, that stupid kid. It had been the same with all the others she'd told. It ~was~ awful. But it made her a freak. No one would ever look at her as anything else. This is what made her angry. What made her hurt. More punches to the face were thrown, a kick to the knee used to bring him down again to her level. Such fire, such rage from such a petite woman. There were more tears. They were clearly visible now and caused more whispers amongst the crowd. Never once did she block, taking each hit from the frost giant. As the scent of blood swirled in the air, she seemed more feral, likely thanks to not imbibing in a few bottles of blood today.

Pilar dared to use her own strength and shoved her way through. "Khitti!" She had to stop this, for the giant and for her friend. She looked around at the giants. "Please, somebody, stop this!" Nobody stepped forward, and Pilar looked back at the fight with her hands over her mouth. The frost giant, the damned stupid frost giant, wouldn't back down. Eventually, Pilar rushed forward. "STOP!" she shrieked, throwing herself between the two combatants, arms spread out to catch their blows.

Khitti was about ready to throw another punch and then... Pilar? Khitti's fist is retracted, a few blinks spared for the illusionist. Blood oozed from her nose and various cuts along her face, her jaw and bottom lip swollen. While Khitti had stopped, the frost giant didn't. The poor brute's eyes were nearly swollen shut thanks to the vampiress. He had heard the shouts, but as Pilar and Khitti were similar sizes, he confused one for the other. The dark ranger opens her mouth to speak, but sees the giant rushing towards the two of them to tackle her to the ground. With a growl, Khitti grabs ahold of Pilar's shoulder, attempting to shove her to the side with minimal force before taking the full blow of the final, desperate move of the frost giant. He succeeds, of course, and the crowd erupts into cheers for their kin. He managed to best a vampire and defend his honor. Khitti, meanwhile, remains motionless for the moment, her body sprawled out on the ground, though a few groans of pain escape her.

Pilar stumbled away, but turned just in time to see the frost giant flatten Khitti. With a cry, she rushed forward and worked to shove the frost giant off. "Alejarse, alejarse! Get away, move!" Once he was out of her way, she knelt by Khitti's side. "Khitti? Khitti! Oh, please be okay." The petite vampire looked over the crowd. "Someone get a nurse! They need help!" Pilar was afraid to move Khitti herself, lest she worsen the vampire's injuries. "Khitti..." Finally, a few nurses arrived. They tut-tutted the giant and helped him off to the medical tent, while two stayed behind with a stretcher to carry Khitti. Pilar clutched the older woman's hand.

Khitti writhed as the pain in her body finally registered, a scream leaving her lips. It seems to pass after a few moments, the vampiress calming herself. She turns her head to watch the battered giant leave, a snarl passing her lips, "Zhat bastard..." It hurt to speak, with those cracked and broken ribs of hers, but she attempted to shoo the nurses away as they tried to tend to her wounds. "Don't touch me..." They didn't listen. Another snarl passes her lips, "I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!", the words leaving her mouth with a commanding tone that was on par with Daermon when he was angry. Once the nurses leave her be, and the crowd scatters, Khitti continues to lay there, but erupts into tears when it's just her and Pilar.

Pilar wanted nothing more than to just hold Khitti, but she pretty clearly wasn't in the condition to be touched. "Oh, Khitti..." She brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and gently wiped some of her tears. Without hesitation, she pulled up her sleeve and offered her wrist to Khitti. "Drink," she said in a tone that brooked no argument. She even cut her skin open with her nail, to make it more enticing for Khitti, so that any hesitation might be dulled.

Khitti would've put up a fight, but the blood that poured from Pilar's wrist was entirely too alluring. Both hands reach up and snatch her arm, bringing it down to her mouth. She latches on like a freshly turned fledgling on the brink of death, drinking her fellow vampire's blood deeply. When she had her fill, she lets Pilar take her wrist back, drawing in an unnecessary breath through bloodstained lips. "Vhat am I doing here, Pilar?" is said, her words pained from her ribs.

Pilar winced slightly, but she knew the pain was coming. There was a thrill of pleasure in it, too, as most vampire bites carried. But now was no time to be getting lost in the sensation. When she finally had her arm back, she carefully slid an arm under Khitti and pulled her up into a gentle hug, one hand stroking her hair. "You are here to help us fight, Khitti. You are here to do great things." Something must have hurt Khitti deeply to have made her cry so hard, even during a fight. Her first thought was that she and Daer had another fight, but Pilar wasn't going to ask what had happened until she felt Khitti was ready.

Khitti stared up at Pilar, tears still flowing, "I can never tell anyone, Pilar. No one understands. Zhey look at me like a freak. I zhought he vas like me...he's not." She sits up the best she can, moving further into Pilar's hold, still sobbing. "I'm zhe only one..." The vampiress buries her head into Pilar's shoulder, hiding her face from the view of the people that passed. Her wounds slowly began to heal, thanks to Pilar's aide in the form of blood, but it would still be a day or so before she was back to normal.

Pilar slowly, carefully, rubbed Khitti's back. Her heart ached for the woman. If she found this man who had made her friend hate herself, she would verbally tear him a new one. She racked her brain for words of comfort for Khitti. She knew it was hard to undo the damage that another's words and actions did, but she had to try. "You are not a freak," Pilar said. "You are a survivor. You are brave and strong and kind and beautiful, and if others cannot see that, then they are fools. I love and respect you so much, Khitti."

Unfortunately for Pilar, it was many years of this sort of mental abuse that's made Khitti the way she is. She seemed to calm somewhat, however, with the comforting words that came from her House Dragana sister. "I love you too, Pilar..." She says no more on the subject for now, giving the girl a pained squeeze. The vampiress pulls away, planting one hand on the ground to attempt to stand. An agonized cry is uttered as the broken ribs shift in her abdomen, but she still tries to press on.

Pilar cried, "Khitti!" when the vampire cried out in pain. Taking her arm, Pilar helped Khitti rise to her feet. She stayed by her side, letting her lean on her. "Come, let's get back to our tent." She still thought Khitti should be seen by medical professionals, but Khitti had refused already. Maybe she'd feel up to it later. It was slow going as they made their way through the camp, Pilar trying to keep Khitti from aggravating her wounds. There were some giants glancing their way, but Pilar tried to ignore them.

Khitti shook her head, "No. I need to train..." She groaned as they moved toward the tent, trying to pull Pilar towards the area designated for archery. "I have to be ready." The vampiress eventually moved out of the illusionist's grasp entirely. As what was left of the crowd looked on, she let out a low growl, "Vhat zhe hell are you all looking at?!" The dark ranger was still agitated, the people whispering back and forth to each other making things worse.

Pilar followed along beside Khitti, placing a hand on her arm, but not grabbing or making any move to guide her. "You need to rest," Pilar said. "No matter now hard you train, if you are too hurt to move, you will not be ready." Pilar looked at the crowd and, screwing her face up in exertion, summoned a veil of mist to hide them from view. She looked back at Khitti. "Please. At least sit down for a few minutes."

Khitti's brows furrowed as the mist enshrouds them both, obscuring her view. "Did you...do zhat...?" She knew it had to be; she had been studying hard and training harder when it came to her illusion magic. Khitti gave in though finally, moving to the nearest bench, "Alright...fine. I'll rest." Settling herself onto it with a pained sigh, she stares at the ground, "Vhy can't I have it easy like you? Vhy must I be different? Vhy isn't zhere anyone zhat knows vhat Amarrah is zhat can help?"

Pilar sat beside Khitti and placed her hand on her companion's. "I don't know, Khitti. I wish I could answer your questions..." She sighed and wrapped her arm around Khitti's shoulders. "Just know that you are not alone, Khitti. I will do whatever I can to help you. Even if... even if you never find someone who knows, I will be with you. We will figure it out, together. We are vampires. If we have nothing else, we have time."

Khitti let out another sigh, "I don't have time. Zhe var is coming. Hildegarde is counting on me, but I'm completely useless. Zhose two spells zhat I ~can~ utilize aren't going to be enough. And zhe archery is only going to go so far. Against other magic users, it may prove futile." She kicks the dirt beneath their feet, growling softly.

Pilar squeezed Khitti gently. "You aren't useless. You can at least fight. Me? Not so much. But you will not be fighting alone. You will have Linn, and Hildegarde, and Mikael and Lisbeth and all the others who have rallied behind the Queen. I... I wish I could be with you. But Hildegarde's job for me will take me away from the fighting. I will do my best, and that is all anyone can ask of me. Or of you." True, Pilar feared failure as much as Khitti did, but she wouldn't talk about that now. Now was pep talk time.

Khitti pushed herself up off the bench, having grown tired of resting, a hand held out to Pilar as if to say 'let me do this on my own'. "I do not zhink zhat. In zhe end, I zhink it vill be you and Daer zhat stand beside me and none else. Not even Alex. I'll be zhere for my job vhen Frostmaw is retaken and nothing more. And further beyond that? Who knows. Perhaps I shall end up alone again." The vampiress stretches a little, nearly doubling over in pain thanks to those ribs of hers, but manages to keep herself composed, hiding the searing discomfort that coursed through her torso. Despite the things said, she offers her dear friend a faint smile, then heads off to collect her bow and quiver for what will likely be some painful archery practice outside the camp.