RP:Looking for Trouble

Summary: Sometime after Plot Holes and Revelations (and a few currently unposted RPs), Dominic and Khitti encounter one another in Vailkrin. Also, spiders.

Forest Path

Khitti didn't really know what the hell she was doing here. She knew she wasn't -supposed- to go back to House Dragana, at least not while Larewen was there. Did she actually miss that old house? Likely not, but it was the one left in second in command that she wanted to see. Sadly for Khitti, she didn't feel Daer's presence at all nearby. He must've been on a contract somewhere. Regardless, she took to wandering through the forest. She'd followed this path nearly a hundred or more times in the short span of time she'd been here in this strange, magical land. It wasn't without it's dangers of course, but Khitti had thought to bring along her bow this time. After the exchange with Grailan at that awful frozen mansion, she needed an outlet for her anger. Her footsteps were silent as she darted about, weaving between trees, almost elf-like in nature, her duster buttoned up to hide the glow from her favorite dress and the hood pulled up to hide those blood red locks. The dark ranger was like nothing more than a shadow at the moment.

Dominic did not possess the same kind of subtlety Khitti did -- for starters, he was walking through the forest with a damned beacon, almost. That rune stone of his glowed in the darkness, soft turquoise dancing against the trees and casting surreal shadows on his face. He marched further into the forest alone, eyes scrutinizing everything around him as he held that luminescent rock aloft.

Khitti felt that aura of magic as she stepped quickly through the woods. Did Grailan follow her? No...the magic felt different. Soon she spied the bluish-green beacon of light and hurried along towards it. With that feisty mood that she'd found herself in thanks to backtalking that idiot 'dread knight', mischievousness was soon to follow as she found Dominic sticking out like a sore thumb. A fanged grin forms on her pale lips as she sticks to the shadows, still enshrouded by her long, tattered duster. Her speed shifts gear, switching back to something more like a normal human speed as opposed to using her heighten vampiric agility. The vampiress circles around Dominic, keeping to the trees around him, letting a branch be broken under foot here and a brush with a nearby bush there. Anything to let him know that 'something' was there.

Dominic had been expecting to draw out -something- with that stone lit up as brightly as it was, and given where he was wandering. That was the entire point, actually. So, naturally, he assumed when he heard the noises around him that he’d found what he was looking for. He gripped the runestone tighter and the light in it dimmed, though it still emanated enough light for human eyes to make out the most immediate of their surroundings. His heart was pounding -- just because he’d -meant- to find trouble didn’t mean his body wasn’t awash with adrenaline -- but that was the feeling he’d been searching after, anyway. He whipped around to face the next noise in the darkness, and a ghostlike, flickering image of Brand sprouted out from an adjacent tree, a shadowy knife drawn and immediately striking out at whatever this intruder was. One of those gorram spiders, presumably. Served them right.

Khitti watched as an oddly spectre-like form of Brand appeared, knife in hand. Shifting back to that oh so lovely vampiric speed of hers, she purposely makes more noise near Brand, but before he'd be able to turn to take a stab at whom or whatever it might be, she makes sure to be out of the way. Darting over behind the image, she makes a 'kss ksst' sound, trying to get Brand's attention before she made her way to Dominic. No sound would be made now as she edged closer behind the human, her fanged grin ever widening as she reached out and attempted to grab at his sides to scare him, the vampiress barely capable of stifling her giggling.

Spectre-Brand missed his target the first time, and with a scowl began trailing back towards where Dominic stood. Who knew if the shadow could communicate with its owner or how, but there was surely -some- automatic link -- just as Khitti appeared at Dominic’s back and was rewarded with a yelp, Shadow Brand appeared at Khitti’s back with a rough shove at her shoulder, meant to force distance between the schismed man and his assailant. But whatever it was it accomplished, it vanished once Dominic recognized his terrorizer. “Hey, don’t do that,” he grumbled, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice.

Khitti was giggling like a madman until Brand hit her shoulder. HER BAD SHOULDER. Thanks Brand. "Hey you jerk!" was shouted as she turned around to glare at Brand, but of course, he was already gone. The vampiress caught that hint of approval in Dominic's voice, the grin returning, "It's not safe out here, you know. Something might come up behind you...and get a little bitey." She stifled a bit more giggling as she circled around him slowly, pulling the hood from her head to observe him better, "Vhat are you doing, hm?"

Dominic just grinned. He was more lively today too, it seemed. “That’s the point, yes. ‘Revenge on the spiders,’ Brand said. Plus an excuse to, uh, practice fighting. I... need to get better at this illusion thing by the time a real battle comes up.” And then, as if on cue, there was a skittering in the darkness around them. Well, they hadn’t exactly been -quiet-. Between the light and the noise, of course they would have drawn in some many-legged company. Dominic twisted around to put his back to Khitti’s. “And you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place at the wrong time?”

Khitti heard the sound of the spiders before she caught their stench, a frown quickly replacing that grin. Was she...shaking? This would certainly become more apparent to Dominic as she reached behind him and grabbed at his shirt to make sure he didn't leave. Fighting spiders with someone were one thing; she could somewhat get over her fear if she had someone there with her. But, if Dominic decided to chicken out and run off, she'd be spider food. "It vas two spiders, Dominic. I don't zhink Brand really needs to get revenge. I-I-I mean come on...Vhat's a little run through zhe voods vhile being chased by zhe zhings? I'm sure he could've used zhe exercise." It would appear that any and all of Khitti playfulness had just melted away into fear.

Dominic’s hand reached out to meet hers, squeezing it once before he adjusted his stance. “You’ll be fine, you’ve got this.” It was as much to himself as it was to her. Two spiders the size of wolves leapt out in Dominic’s field of vision, and one more closer to Khitti -- immediately going for her arm with its ugly oversized mandibles. In the shadows, there was still more movement, suggesting there was more than just these few, but there wasn’t time to worry about that now. The two spiders closest to Dominic dove in, but he wasn’t there anymore -- Shadow-Brand had made a return, daggers slicing at their legs and trying to get to the soft fleshy part of their bodies where they would be injured most. The actual Dominic, for his part, had rolled off to the side and then remained in a crouch, peering at the illusion’s fighting for a moment.

Khitti squeezed his hand back in return, but still shook nevertheless. "Y-you don't understand, Dominic--", but she was promptly cut off as the spider charged her and went for her arm. Much like Orikahn had when the two 'cats' dealt with the spider's nest to the north, she grabbed the mandibles, doing her best to force them open, using as much of her vampiric strength as it took. She let out a cry as it's hideous mouth proved just as strong as she, her grip slipping somewhat as it tried to close its mandibles around her, "I-I don't know if it's me or you zheir pissed at, but I--" She struggled again to speak, losing her focus somewhat as the spider reared up at her like a horse, trying to take her down to the ground, "--I hunted zhem...destroyed zheir nest. My scent vas all over zhat place. Zhe damned cat and I must've missed some..." She tried to brace herself, to keep from falling back onto the ground, but the spider succeeds as the vampiress loses her footing in the struggle.

Dominic was mostly focused on staying out of harm’s way; Khitti’s words passed through him half-heard, but he got the gist. “Maybe there was more than one nest?” he asked, but had no time to further contemplate that or any other theory. Shadow-Brand took up most of his attention. The illusion was useful, but didn’t seem to hold up very well independently. In some ways, it was an extension of himself -- an extension that fought like the personality it portrayed, but with less chance for injury. But manifesting it put him in some odd limbo where he could -almost- predict and understand what Shadow-Brand was doing and why, the sensation halfway between watching someone else and fully controlling the image himself. It would be incredibly useful -- despite its limitations -- if he ever managed to fully figure out how to harness it, but for now it took the majority of his focus just to do what little he was doing. Dominic dodged when needed, trying not to attract attention to his actual physical form. Shadow-Brand cut into one spider deep enough that it screeched and ducked out of the immediate fray, not dead but severely injured. The other leapt for the illusion’s back, mandibles targeting the space where its shoulder should be.

Khitti wasn't able to help Dominic at all at the moment, but thankfully he had Brand to back him up. Khitti wasn't as fortunate however, or so she thought. Aggravated now that the hunt hadn't been completed like she thought, she calls out for that shadow being that was forever bound with her, "AMARRAH!". She knew that damned butterfly had to be watching. The cavalry arrives finally in the form of giant purple and black tendrils that spring forth from the dirt beneath their feet, much like the smaller ones that Khitti creates. They lock down the spider by the legs and around its abdomen, holding it in place and allowing Khitti to get away. With a hiss, the vampiress summons up her own wisp-like vines with both hands, the thread-like magic moving to wrap around both mandibles of the now trapped spider. It screeches in terror as it senses the dark magic surrounding it, something equally or much darker than the magic within the forest itself. The tendrils tangle themselves around the spider's pinching appendages and with a flick of both wrists, Khitti pries them open. The tendrils are pulled taut and the vampiress slowly opens her arms, outstretching them to her sides until a sickening 'crack' is heard, the act akin to splitting a jaw from a skull.

For a moment, it looked like Shadow-Brand had the upper hand, having successfully thrown off the second spider. The illusion met its mark at last, lopping off two of the thing’s legs and then going in for a final stab straight through its eyes and piercing most of the way through its head. The spider’s legs twitched erratically for a time and then stilled, essentially the death rattle of the terrible thing’s nervous system. In the meantime, however, the first spider made a return, bypassing Dominic’s shadowy defenses and sneaking straight for the man himself. With Khitti occupied and Dominic focusing on Shadow-Brand, this spider went unnoticed until it leapt back out of the shadows and onto the man’s leg, fangs sinking into the skin with a sickening squelch of flesh and blood. From that point, several things happened at once -- the illusion vanished, Dominic cried out in agony, and that scream didn’t even make it all the way out of his lungs before a violent ripple flew across his skin and Brand took hold of their shared form... but even he was too momentarily dazed by the bite to immediately react.

Khitti heard Dominic's cry and quickly finished with the spider. Another growl of 'Amarrah' and the spider is pulled deep within the earth, it's gurgled cries dying out once it's good and buried. Weakened now, she moves to Dominic just as he was switching to Brand, "Dominic! Brand!" Was she even concerned about his not-so-polite other half? Apparently so, as she had put her hands on his shoulder to steady him, calling his name again, "Brand?! Are you alright?" Dark eyes shift down once she gets a wiff of blood -and- the venom from the spider, a deep frown forming on her pale features, "Oh no..."

Khitti heard Dominic's cry and quickly finished with the spider. Another growl of 'Amarrah' and the spider is pulled deep within the earth, it's gurgled cries dying out once it's good and buried. Weakened now, she moves to Dominic just as he was switching to Brand, "Dominic! Brand!" Was she even concerned about his not-so-polite other half? Apparently so, as she had put her hands on his shoulder to steady him, calling his name again, "Brand?! Are you alright?" Dark eyes shift down once she gets a wiff of blood -and- the venom from the spider, a deep frown forming on her pale features, "Oh no..."

The daze didn’t last too long, thankfully. Even as Khitti approached him, Brand was starting to cue up flame at his fingertips. There wasn’t necessity for a large amount of firepower (heh), but Brand in that moment overdid it, not only searing the spider at point-blank range but nearly singeing his own leg and sparking the forest in the process. Once the wretched thing was nothing but a charred corpse, Brand pulled it -- and its fangs -- up and out and off of him, tossing it aside before collapsing somewhat back into Khitti’s hands. After a few shaky breaths, he grumbled into the darkness, “I -really- hope that’s the last of those buggers.”

Khitti hissed loudly at the flare of fire magic, back-pedaling a bit before Brand collapses into her grasp. "So do I.", she responded through gritted teeth. "Here. Sit down." Knowing how Brand is, if he tried to resist, she'd get a bit irritated and tell him to do so again, but more firmly and with a bit of growling. "I might be able to help you, but I don't know. I've never did it before..." She thinks about it for the moment as she stared off into the forest, making sure nothing else was about to ambush them.

For once, Khitti would get no argument from Brand. Maybe it was the size of the spider relative to him or the potency of the venom, but regardless of the reason, it worked quickly -- the leg was starting to feel numb and tingly all at once like he’d cut off his circulation, and with it came the start of dizziness and a sweat upon his skin. Not that he hadn’t tried to press onward anyway -- but it was only a bit of his weight on the injured leg before he staggered backwards again and acquiesced to Khitti’s command. “I’m fine,” he grumbled from the ground, an obvious lie but one he insisted on telling. Another skittering sounded to his left and was met with an outstretched arm and several jolts of electricity. There was another spidery screech and the skittering began to fade again.

Khitti growled softly at Brand, "Shut up. I've seen vhat zhis can do to a feline twice your size. Now isn't zhe time to stroke your ego and pretend zhings are fine, damn it." Without asking, and not really caring if he put up a fight, she eyes his wound carefully, a hand moving to press against the side of it and squeeze somewhat, in an attempt to see how much venom was actually there. When the other spider appeared, she stood quickly, her keen vampiric sight finding it easily in the darkness. "Gods' damn it. I'm so damned sick of zhese spiders and zhis forest and zhis gods' forsaken city." Maybe it was for the better that she was moving to Frostmaw. The foul-smelling acidic globs form in Khitti's hands, both thrown one after the other at the retreating arachnid. The first one hits a leg, causing the beast to stumble a bit. The second hits it right in the abdomen, the acid searing through it and popping its exoskeleton open like a disgusting, green liquid-filled boil. It wasn't going to get far before bleeding out. Her attention returns to Brand, kneeling beside him again, "My blood might be able to help unless you'd rather me carry you to zhat healer friend of yours. If ve don't do something now zhough, zhat venom is going to get into your blood."

Khitti’s words earned her a crooked smile from Brand. He’d tone down his ego -- just this once. “It -is- fine! This is fine.” He pressed a finger into the wound. The area was becoming so numb that he couldn’t feel it, but a mix of blood and venom oozed up around it. “See? Totally fine.” Leave it to Brand to respond to sincerity and dire circumstances with sarcasm. His grin faded and his eyes narrowed before he added, “I dunno, think it’s already in there. Wha’s your blood gonna do? S’not gonna have any gorram side effects, is it?” He held hand in front of his face with two fingers curled down, imitating fangs.

Khitti facepalmed at Brand. No, really. She literally facepalmed. "First of all, I zhink zhat venom's already in your 'gorram' brain." Her words were clearly mocking as she continued on with her thoughts, "And second, vhy in zhe nine hells does everyone zhink zhat I'm going to turn zhem into a vampire?! Is zhe whole process for turning someone zhat big of a damned secret?!" She slaps away his hand as he prods at his wound, already irritated with him, though with Brand, it really didn't take much. "Vampire blood has regenerative properties. I don't know if it's strong enough because in vampire years I'm essentialy not zhat old and I don't drink from zhe living, but it should help -somewhat-." She throws up her hands though, in an 'I don't give a damn' fashion, dark eyes narrowed at Brand, "But, zhis is entirely up to you. I can do zhis, or I can take you to zhat healer, or I can just leave you and 'zhe kid' here to die." Her words sounded final, like she was officially done with putting up with his attitude. She didn't want Dominic to die, but Brand was seriously grating on her nerves.

Brand scowled up at her. “Can ya blame me for wantin’ to be sure?” After a childish huff and a shrug, he added, “Fine, sounds like you may as well give it a shot.” No, Dominic, he wasn’t going to say thank you. He wasn’t going to say thank you. He wasn’t -- “...Besides, an unmarked grave in some hellish forest alongside a buncha spider corpses ain’t exactly my idea of a good death.” Stubborn ass.

Khitti tilted her head as the digits on her right hand curled into a fist, raising it to hover right next to his face, "You know, if you didn't share a body vith Dominic, I'd sock you right in zhe damned mouth." With her own childish huff, and then a sigh, she resumes her attention on the wound. She takes off her duster, balling it up and putting it under Brand's leg to elevate it somewhat. It would appear that her own wound, the one that he had helped to take care of was already healed and the stitches gone. "Here goes nothing." Her right wrist is brought to her mouth and a decent sized gash created with her fangs. Blood begins to pour almost immediately as she quickly moves to hold it over his leg. If it worked, it would hopefully neutralize the venom and heal the wound up completely, leaving nothing more than a faint scar. If it didn't however, it might just thwart off the venom somewhat until he could get to a proper healer.

Brand sucked a breath in through his teeth and cursed, the blood apparently stinging as it did its work. “How do we know if it’s working?” he grunted through clenched teeth, moving a hand to rest above the wound. It looked like it was beginning to clot over, though it was still a far cry from any rapid healing one might expect from a more experienced vampire’s blood. At least Brand was feeling a bit too out of it to expend his energy on continued snarkiness, even with the blood transfusion -- something Khitti might consider a blessing, as he mostly just kept his trap shut and sat there, staring at the wound. His vision was dancing in and out of focus, and he still felt dizzy and clammy, but it at least things didn’t seem to be progressing as quickly as they had. “It’s... slowed, I think,” he added after a time.

Khitti sighed heavily and bit back her own snark as things seemed to worsen before they got better. She pulled the duster from underneath his leg, letting his wounded appendage lower slowly to the ground. She's then moving the coat to rest on the dirt behind him, "Lay down, dummy, before you hurt yourself." She rests a hand on his chest, as if to push him backwards, but doesn't actually do so. She wouldn't force him if he didn't want to. She'd done that enough already today and she was already tired of having to fight with him. It's probably a blessing that she'd never be able to have children for it was plainly obvious that the more she dealt with Brand the more she realized she'd never have the patience for it.

Brand’s gaze traveled dimly along from her hand down her arm and onto her face. He didn’t lay any further back yet, but he didn’t push against her, either. “How is layin’ back s’posed to help?” The question was absent most of his usual rude manner, instead just sheer confusion -- and maybe a hint of fear. Was there something more she could do? Did they have to go to the healer? How long had she been blurry and spinning?

Khitti shook her head at him, "It'll help you not be so dizzy, Brand...just..." She's hesitant, her own sarcastic tone absent from her words, "...lay down." Still holding her bloodied wrist over his leg, she deems it enough and pulls her arm back to her, holding it against her dress in an attempt to stop the blood flow. It'd heal eventually. But now, sadly for Khitti, she too was feeling weak from the use of magic and now the lack of blood. It was something that seemed to continuously happen lately. She didn't say anything more to Brand, instead looking past him into the forest with a faint frown adorning her features.

Brand practically lived to be defiant and self-sufficient in all things, and if he couldn’t manage that then he at least wanted to look the part... but right now, the fight was gone out of him. And the thought of a rest seemed... nice, and so he finally acquiesced. His muscles felt strangely tense and numb all at once, the blood pounding in his head and with every pulse sending a pain into his temples. “Can’t tell if it’s getting better or worse,” he mumbled, his eyes unsteadily reaching for hers. One hand fidgeted around the rune stone he still had with him and it lit up a tad brighter again, soft and blue and weaving strange paths on the trees like sunlight diffused by seawater. No energy to tell her off for some imagined wrong, or to try to find some weakness of hers he could poke at, or to generally just be Brand-ish. This subdued, he actually seemed not that very unlike Dominic, though it was all still undoubtedly Brand’s features and Brand’s hair and Brand’s scars.

Khitti 's frown only worsened as Brand seemed not like himself, "Zhere's one more zhing I can try, but...I don't like it." Now that her wound was mostly healed, she wrings her hands together, her anxiety levels rising, "I...I don't vant to, but it might be zhe only vay to ensure all of zhe venom is out." She looks uneasy and uncertain, her line of sight not meeting his though he so desperately tries to seek hers out. "It might be better for me to try to carry you to zhe healer, Brand..."

That was cue for Brand to make another attempt at his usual demeanor. He pulled himself back up into a sitting position, vigorously trying to shake the dizziness out of his head. “No, no no no. Not gonna... let you... gorram carry me, woman.” He shoved off the ground with his free hand, but landed back on his rear. “Don’t need a reversal of last time. ...And you… ain’t in the best of shape, either.” It wasn’t -entirely- pride keeping him from rejecting her suggestion, to his credit. “Just... help me up, wouldja?” He reached an arm out to her so that, if she let him, he could brace against her to pull himself into a standing position. “Maybe just help me the hell out of this godsforsaken forest.”

Khitti allowed another sigh to pass her lips. No, she told herself, she wasn't going to feed from him to try to rid him of the rest of the venom. There's no telling if it'd work or not anyway and she didn't really trust herself to be able to stop once the fresh blood of a living mortal managed to hit her tongue. "I'm fine." is all that's said in regards to her own health, the vampiress just as stubborn as he is, apparently. She stared down at him reluctantly, his -charm- flourishing again and making her doubt her own actions. He really didn't deserve the help with the way he acted, but she wasn't exactly going to forsake Dominic because of his other half's actions. Finally after a few moments of thought, her hand is outstretched to him, taking his hand and gripping it tightly so he can pull himself up. "I have a name, you know."

Brand just side-eyed her from his newly upright position. “I know. Let’s go.” He tried to walk ahead of her but quickly realized he wobbled if he tried to stand on his own. He instead returned to her orbit, resting a hand on her shoulder for support as they walked, still glancing at her occasionally from his peripheral. He wasn’t going to say thank you. He wasn’t going to say thank you. He wasn’t going to say -- ugh, -fine-. “...You’re all right, y’know.” A beat, in which he swallowed hard and tried to shake back the darkness creeping up in his vision again. “...Khitti.” Close enough? The name felt strange on his tongue, though. Or maybe it was just his tongue feeling strange on its own. He was starting to question every sensation running through his body, paranoid that his condition might be getting worse.

Overlooking Gorge

Khitti allowed only the briefest of smiles to grace her lips, the expression soon disappearing before he can even detect it. She appears not phased at all, and also tries to not even acknowledge his thank you beside a short nod. He was obviously not the type to say those two words at all in the first place. "You're not zhat bad either." No, that was a lie. He definitely was. For the most part. Except for when he helped her, but that was more because Dominic -couldn't-. Leading him out of the city and through the portal, she looks around for somewhere to stop safely if he needed to, "Do you need to rest?...Ve can find some place to stop."

The darkness was becoming laced with swirls and globs of light, sweeping into and out of his vision, here and not here. His companion didn’t need to know that, though. He’d hold out as long as he could. “No, we should keep going. As long as you can, I can.” Nevermind the fact that those words actually came out in an incomprehensible mumble, or that he was sweating buckets, or that everything was spinning, or that he’d just vomited on the side of the road. Nope, totally fine. He’d sooner die than admit some stupid spider had bested him. Again.

Khitti had decided to take his no with a sigh in response, but ultimately ended up doing what Brand feared most. She could tell he was off by all of those unfortunate things that had befallen the male. Despite the fact that she'd likely hear about it later, she scoops Brand up into her arms and starts to head towards the inn in Cenril. Doing this was nothing new to her, she'd did it multiple times with Alex. Brand was, however, not going to like it when he was actually better. Regardless, the vampiress whisks him off like a damsel in distress to the port town, occasionally letting him stop along the way for when he needed to throw up.

Brand was only barely aware of what was going on, enough to register, “Hey! Healer gal’s the other way.” But his protest was slurred and weak, and his physical pushback against Khitti weaker. This reversal of roles would no doubt piss him off severely later, but for now there was very little he could do about it. As the fight went out of him and he danced on the event horizon of unconsciousness, Dominic bubbled to the surface again, the shift radiating out a pulse of static anywhere he touched her bare skin. “Khitti, I couldn’t --” was as far as he got in whatever he’d wanted to say before he, too, succumbed to the nightmares on the edge of his vision.

Small Room for Rent

Khitti frowned as both of them try to speak but ultimately fail, "I'm sorry you two, but it's too far away. I vill find someone here." She knew the people at the inn well enough thankfully and if they didn't know of anyone, then she'd have them send for the old woman. It wasn't even that it was too far away, it was more that she was also pretty weak now as well. The fact that she could carry them right now was a godsend. Moving like a blur with the aid of her vampiric speed, the dark ranger darts off towards the inn, making it just in time as she was at the point of no longer being able to help them. Once at the inn, she'd relay to the owner that the healer was needed and that the man she carried had been bitten by one of the Vailkrin spiders. She'd soon sink into the nearest chair with a heavy sigh to rest as two of the strongest males that worked there would tend to Dominic/Brand and carry him off to a room. It wouldn't be long though before Khitti moved on along behind them, not wanting to stray too far in case either Dominic or Brand managed to wake up.

A Cenrili healer arrived on the scene with haste, sparse grey hair glistening with sweat as if he’d come by foot at a run. He began his work by pulling a few vials out of his bag, uncorking them, grabbing a bowl, mixing them together. Dark eyes flitted Khitti’s way as she approached before he nodded at the bite -- he’d already cut away that trouser leg and cleaned around the edges of the wound. “You’re the reason he’s not seizing and foaming at the mouth just yet.” It wasn’t a question; one look at the twin gashes and another at her and he’d known the gist of what she was and what she’d done. A vial of blood was extended her way without further preamble and then his focus returned to Dominic. The schismed man lay supine, lips in a frown and the raised half-spheres of his irises twitching under his eyelids as if he were trapped in some grave nightmare. The healer propped up the man’s head and gently poured the mixture he’d concocted down his gullet.

Khitti eyed the healer carefully as he tended to her new friend. Yes, friend. They both did save her, after all. The vial of blood is taken with brief hesitation, but it's ultimately uncorked and downed like it was nothing more than a shot of vodka. With her thirst sated for now, she breathed a sigh. She moved to stand near the healer, looking down at the unfortunate male on the bed. "Is he going to be alright? Is zhere anything I can do to help?" The vampiress' hands come together, wringing one another anxiously.

The healer checked Dominic’s vital signs before responding. “Oh, he'll live. When it comes to the Vailkrin spiders, it could have been much worse. You did well.” It's meant to be reassuring, but the man speaks almost like he's bored, like he's recited this speech many times before. “Make sure he eats something when he wakes. He won't want to. Something fairly bland and easy on the stomach. He'll feel weak and chilled while he sweats out the last of the toxin, but the antivenom I just gave him will help neutralize it and speed up that process. There will be some scarring and the leg will be tender for a few days but he should be more or less fine otherwise.” The man clasped his hands behind his back and began to depart, speaking over his shoulder, “Call for me if he looks worse or if he still hasn't woken in a couple hours, but that should be everything.”

Khitti smirked faintly at the healers unconcerned attitude and merely nods to him as he leaves. When the healer does so, she grabs the nearest chair in the room and seats herself next to Dominic. Her signature frown reappears as she takes his hand in her own, squeezing it lightly in hopes that it comforts him somewhat in this venom-induced haze. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..." If she had been stronger, if she actually fed from the living, she could have persevered and kept him from getting hurt, or at least she thought. Still a bit tired, she leans over on the edge of the bed to rest her eyes while she waited for the antivenom to work it's way through his system. It looked uncomfortable, but at this point, she didn't care.

Minutes dragged like hours, the stillness only marred by shallow breaths and the occasional twitch of Dominic’s extremities. Maybe he’d squeezed her hand in return, or maybe that had just been another twitch, too. And if he'd heard her, there was no indication of it. Sweat congregated on his skin over time and the intermittent twitching was replaced by a faint but constant shivering. When at last he finally stirred, it was to roll over and immediately dry heave off the side of the bed opposite Khitti -- nothing actually came out of him but coughs and a strangled cry of pain as his stomach did somersaults.

Khitti blinked open her eyes as she felt him move and then heard his heaving. "Dominic?" She stands up and leans over the side of the bed, "Hey, hey...come back over here..." She reaches for his arm, to try to pull him back to lay down again, "Do you vant me to get you something to drink...? I'm supposed to get you some food too if you can hold it down..."

Dominic resisted Khitti’s urgings to lay down with a mumbled “Please, I’ll sit.” Instead he twisted his body into a sitting position, legs hanging off the side of the bed, arms tense at his sides and gripping the mattress’ edge. When he cast a bleary gaze over to her, his eyes wouldn’t quite meet hers. “I c-can try to eat, thanks. But... where are we?” He only seemed to realize the place was unfamiliar right as he asked the question, his focus now darting around the room looking for anything familiar to latch onto. He found nothing and ended up staring a hole into the floor ahead of him.

Khitti sighed as he refused to cooperate and ultimately just sat back into her own seat, "Cenril. Zhe inn. I know zhe people here. I basically lived here after I quit staying at House Dragana in Vailkrin. If you need to stay here for awhile to get better, I make arrangements for you." She leaned back in her chair, her own line of sight boring a hole into the ceiling, "Zhe healer said you should be fine, but you should probably take it easy for a bit. I guess my blood helped somewhat. He gave you an antivenom to help zhe rest of zhe vay."

Khitti’s words wrapped around Dominic but he didn’t grace them with a response. That emerald stare continued to pierce into the floorboards, interrupted finally by another cough that became another contentless vomit. When it passed, he at last pivoted to try to connect his gaze with hers. “I’m sorry you got dragged into that. It was stupid of me.”

Khitti just shook her head at him and said, "Shut up." That was it, and it sounded final. She didn't want any argument of the sort on the subject. She was bound to get attacked regardless by the beasts. Realizing that he did say that he would try to eat, she went to the door, called for the nearest hired help and asked for something light to eat and something to drink. The waiter came back with a tray of crackers and various cheeses, a cup of tea, and a glass of water. Thanking him, Khitti then moves back to Dominic and sets it on the end table beside him. "You don't have to eat it all, but you just at least need something in your stomach."

Dominic looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he was cowed by her firmness and whatever it was was dropped. He timidly accepted the food, starting of course with the tea before nibbling half-heartedly on some of the cheese. He’d shifted his position on the bed to better accommodate eating, this time curled around himself with one arm wrapped around his knees and the other reaching for the food. At one point he fumbled the cheese, dropping a piece on the bed beside him; a shaking hand gingerly placed it off to the side of the tray and reached for another one.

Khitti watched him eat for a moment, making sure he did so before snagging a piece of her favorite kind of cheese and moving back to her chair, frowning somewhat. She -had- noticed that he was going to say something and immediately felt bad for being so harsh, "I'm sorry..." She pops the bit of cheese into her mouth and chews it thoughtfully, "You really should lie down and rest...Zhat venom vas not kind to your body."

Dominic threw a disdainful glance back at his pillow, then curled himself up a little tighter. “N-no, it wasn’t. I’m fine though, really. No more sleep.” A hand crawled back over to his tea and he took a few more sips. Nevermind the fact that his muscles ached horribly and there were still spots in his vision and his stomach felt like it was still rampaging through his insides, it was better than risking more venom-laced dreams.

Khitti 's frown doesn't disappear despite his reassurances, but once again, she just lets him be. "Alright..." She falls silent, shifting her attention towards the door for a few moments before speaking again, "Shall I leave you alone zhen? I'm sure you have zhings you vant to do...and I guess I should head back to zhe mansion."

Dominic stammered. “No -- I don’t -- I mean -- if you want to.” The last of the tea was drained and the cup placed back on the tray. He made an effort to stand, even to walk, maybe… but ended up only hobbling a step forward before tipping back onto the bed. He wasn’t going much of anywhere anytime soon. “Maybe you’re right, maybe I should at least... stay here awhile.”

Khitti nods and stands, "You stay here zhen. I vill let zhem know. You von't have to pay a zhing." She moves to his side of the bed, using that firm tone of hers again, "Come on. Get up zhere all zhe vay." Without asking, she puts her hands on his shoes, attempting to pull them off to make him more comfortable, "Sleep shouldn't be as bad now zhat it's mostly out of your system. No more tossing and turning I hope."

Dominic acquiesced, kicking off his boots and leaning back, hesitantly, as though he expected the pillow might bite him. Slowly his head met it and he settled, turning slightly onto his side. “Khitti…” His eyes followed her and a thousand words lingered in the air, unuttered but still weighing down the room. “...Thanks,” was the only one that got spoken.

Khitti tucked him in and nodded, mustering a faint smile for him, "You're velcome..." She leans over and gives him a hug, something she doesn't normally do oddly enough, and then leaves him be. "If you need anything, just let zhe help here know."

Dominic returned the hug awkwardly, his attitude not unwelcoming but ... stunned, mostly. It had been long enough since he’d last had one that he’d almost forgotten what to do with his arms. One hand squeezed lightly at her shoulder before they released, and his face was briefly a flurry of emotions before he contained it into a more neutral expression. “Y-yeah, I will.” Internally, Brand would have rolled his eyes if he could, a grumbled “get it together” filtering up to the surface of Dominic’s thoughts. The only physical indication of any of this, however, was a slight upward quirk of the lips that quickly vanished again as he watched her go.