RP:Saving Each Other

Summary: After leaving Linn to deal with the slaves in Linn and Khitti vs Oddløg, Khitti decides instead of going to Xalious to feed that it was better to seek out Dominic/Brand instead. With both the human and vampire injured by their own fights in Frostmaw, they just barely manage to make it back and recover in time for the final battle for Frostmaw.

Queoldian Outpost

After Khitti split from Linn and the slaves, she had headed in the direction of the edge of the mountain, intending on heading down towards Xalious to feed. She was stopped, however, by the slight pull in the back of her mind towards the center of town. Towards Dominic. Or in this case, unbeknownst to her, Brand. She was still a little hesitant, brows furrowing at the quickly fading mental link that temporarily bound them together and the constant worry she had had about whether or not he had made it through alright. Still bleeding profusely from her main wound on her chest and the series of claw marks and scratches that littered her form, she did her best to to ignore them as she turned her path around, heading towards the outpost that she knew him to have been sent to. She looked like naught else but a wraith that had perhaps had a horrid death as she wanders through the snow slowly, drifting along in her blood-stained clothes as that untamed ocean of red hair flowed behind her along the bitter cold wind of the wintry region. She’d continue on, avoiding conflict and interactions where needed until she reached the outpost. Still some feet away from it, she surveyed the area, trying to decipher where their link was coming from.

A frost giant’s corpse marked the entrance, but the schismed man Khitti was linked to was nowhere to be seen. As her vision passed over the area, a horde of centaurs poured forth from the outpost, making their way toward Hildegarde’s camp -- a good sign, surely? But still, no Dominic, and no Brand. He hadn’t hitched a ride on any of their backs, and didn’t appear to be with them on foot, either. Eventually the tide of horse-men ebbed, Khitti’s distant presence gone unnoticed in their haste, and still there was nothing even as the thunder of hooves faded away into silence. And then… Brand became visible in the frame of the entryway, leaning against a crutch of ice and stone, hobbling forward on one leg and slowly, painstakingly out onto the snowy terrain, a sanguine trail staining the path behind him. If he’d noticed Khitti through their link yet, he wasn’t showing it.

Khitti's crimson brows raise briefly in surprise as she sees the parade of literal horse-men exit the place where they had been held by the frost giants. He did it? Not that she doubted him or anything, but between Dominic's fear and Brand's reckless nature, she had feared the worst. And then, just as she began to wonder what had become of them, she managed to spy Brand as he exited the outpost. An irritated smirk lines her lips, but she tries to keep her cool. It's not like she forgot what he did, you know. She moved down from her vantage point to stand at the far end of the path, blocking his way, not letting him leave just yet. The vampiress was in predator mode again, and clearly covered in blood, but it didn't seem to be anyone else's but her own. She does nothing more than stand there for now, staring at him, eyeing his leg, then his face, keeping quiet for the moment.

Brand caught sight of the vampiress and hurled a string of curses under his breath… not necessarily -at- her, but certainly at her arrival. He halted as she blocked his path, weight shifted and stance turned a bit sideways in an attempt to conceal the extent of his wounds, an attempt that was really quite pointless except for the sake of shielding his ego. He hadn’t wanted help or pity, least of all from -her-, dammit. Especially after… last time. Brand simply mirrored her stare, stoicism concealing his weariness, his typical scowl deepening as he took inventory of her injuries and then returned her gaze. “You shouldn’t be here,” was all he said, dispassionately -- though his eyes danced down to that gash across her chest again, the faintest glimmer of concern breaking through his uncaring demeanor.

Khitti took a step closer towards Brand, verdant eyes focusing further on his features as he spoke. His concern was either not noticed by her in her odd state or she just didn't care at this point. "You shouldn't be here either." Another step. "It's dangerous." One more step. "Something might eat you." Just a few feet from him now, she comes to a halt, her fingers twitching impatiently at her sides, "You're hurt...you poor zhing...vhatever vill you do." Her eyes glowed a slight purple, the bright color swirling around and mixing with the green irises, likely remnants of Amarrah's magic, whatever was left of it right now anyway.

Brand’s gaze narrowed in response to Khitti’s advance, that flickering concern gone. What in the seven hells was she doing? The woman was quite mad, clearly, approaching him even in this state. His free arm raised, flames forming at the fingertips and converging into a bright orb that stopped mere inches from her face. “You wouldn’t live long enough to try anything, sweetheart. Even if you -could- hurt me.” Regardless of whether it was true or not, Brand spoke coolly, confidently. And nevermind the fact that Dominic would never let him hurt her, either. Brand and Khitti could hate each other all they wanted; with Dominic in between them, nothing could happen. Not really.

Khitti's odd gaze shifted back and forth between the orb and Brand, finally fixating on the human again. Despite those murderous tendencies that were left over from the tag-team effort in the mines, she merely sighed at him. It even sounded a little sad. Weird. A step back away from the orb is taken, mainly because of the fact that it was incredibly deadly to her, and then she's naught but a black, red, and purple blur, her eyes glowing brightly now as she summoned up the rest of Amarrah's power to fuel her vampiric abilities, black veins surfacing along her pale skin. Reappearing behind him, she'd kick one foot out, aiming to knock the stone and ice crutch from under his arm. If she suceeded, and with the likeliness that he'd fall due to his injuries, she'd stand ready to catch him, even as her strength waned, much like that day near Cenril.

“What in the gorram hell, woman?!” was all Brand had time enough to say before falling into Khitti’s arms. He wouldn’t make eye contact with her, not from this humiliating position. He struggled as a show of protest, but she’d know by now as well as he did that he was in no condition to do much of anything -- physically, anyway. “If I’d wanted help, I’d’ve gone with Team Horsebreath back there.” He was pouting, almost childlike in his stubbornness. “Besides,” he added, another glance at her chest, “you shoulda gone straight for aid for yourself, not gone looking for me. Or the kid, I s’pose.” There it was, that glimmer of giving a frak. Maybe there -was- a softer core inside Brand, or maybe it was just Dominic bleeding through.

Khitti's demeanor changes a little now as well, as he actually seems to care? What the heck. Her own hardened exterior softens a little, but not much, as her walls are quickly thrown back up. "Shut up." A moment passes before she says, in a angry, yet strangely comforting way. "I'm fine." She's clearly not, however, as even the purple glow in her eyes wavers a little, as if it could fade at any time. Regardless, she presses on, headed in the direction of the camp, sarcastically poking fun at him, "It vould've taken you days to get back to zhe rest of zhe group. Besides, I couldn't just leave poor little Brand to fend for himself." There's a pause, her tone softening much like her demeanor had for that split second, "You did vell, zhough." Did she...give him praise? No way. Couldn't have. Not Khitti. Not to Brand.

Brand regarded her compliment with a dismissive snort. “I was off form. Distracted. It should’ve been a cleaner kill than it was.” Distracted by what…? He looked like he might elaborate for a moment as his eyes creeped slowly up her face towards hers, but that gaze hardened again and he turned away before it could reach her. “Anyway, I’d’ve been fine, lass,” he insisted, still making no further movement to release himself from her grasp. “Don’t you underestimate me; I’ve made it back to base after worse than this.”

Khitti quirked a brow as he seemed to almost say something--and then didn't. "I'm sure...and you veren't zhe only one to get hurt. Obviously." She had let her own anger get the better of her as usual, and hadn't been focused. Even now she remembered that the bow Daermon had given her was left inside the mines she helped collapse. A pained frown lines her lips, and she looks away from Brand as the realization that she no longer had a weapon hits her like a freight train. Multiple, unsavory curses that normally wouldn't come from a woman string along out of her mouth as she wonders what she should do about it, all the while still carrying Brand like nothing. At least she was pretending really hard that it was nothing.

Brand lofted a brow at the stream of curses, a smirk falling on his lips. They weren’t so entirely different -- no. Stop that. Stop that -right now-. The grin vanished, replaced by a contemplative frown. “Don’t waste worry on -- on Dominic right now.” A rare use of the actual name of ‘the kid’. “I can wall him off from the pain so long as I’m the one out ‘n’ about. Keep that worry on yourself.” There was a brief moment of eye contact before he shifted himself in her hold, turning slightly on his side toward her and off of his arm that had been cut all to pieces by the ice. Some of it had clotted up by now, but the deepest parts still bled freely; it was a danger to expose such a thing to a vampire, and here he was doing it anyway. The arm reached up now, and that hand moved to the wound on her chest, hovering just above it as it moved from one side to the other. Earth and water mixed at his fingertips, creating a coat of mud that passed over her wound and sealed it shut. “A temporary bandage,” was all he muttered by way of explanation, turning away from her again, his own wounds and her smaller ones left as they were.

Further Down Hill

Khitti shakes her head as she's told not to worry, "No...it's not zhat...I lost my bow.", a sigh accompanying her words. "I know zhat you two have your differences, but I have zhis faintest feeling zhat you really do your best to keep him safe...even if you are a giant arse sometimes." She's taken off guard as he turns in her arms and begins to cast his magic, healing her wound temporarily. "Hey! Vhat are you doing?!" When she realizes the answer to her own question, she blinks a few times, "Brand...y-you..." A wall of awkward hits Khitti, and she purses her lips together, choosing to just shut up instead for the moment. And of course, she had noticed his own wounds and the fact that he didn't take care of his own, that bit of awkward never leaving her. The vampiress looks to be deciding something, then she sets him down on the ground nicely and in a somewhat cushy bank of snow. She kneels on one knee, the other bent out in front of her, leaving his leg to rest atop it and stay elevated, "Give me your arm." It was stern, but calm, the glow in her eyes all but gone now.

Brand fixed a surly gaze on Khitti once more as she set him down, stubbornness threatening to take hold again. Whatever her intentions, he didn’t need any help for the damned arm. A few cuts never hurt anyone -that- much. The stare lingered, his pride battling against Khitti’s sternness, but he eventually dropped the intensity a few notches, accompanied by a sigh. “I told you once that you knew nothing about either of us. That you could never understand.” She probably remembered the conversation just as vividly as he did, that night in the healer’s shack seared forever into memory. “Might be hope for you yet if you’ve at least wrapped your noggin ‘round the idea that I’m not here to hurt the damned kid.” With that, he faced away from her again, arm simultaneously shoved towards her to do as she would with it.

"He's still not so convinced, you know. And I told you...zhe two of you are more similar to zhe two of us zhan you vant to believe." She definitely remembered that night, and if he managed to pry into Dominic's side of their shared mind at all, he'd know that she hadn't said a word. Not that she was a afraid of him, but there'd be no way that Dominic would believe her anyway. She eyes his arm carefully once it's finally handed over, surveying the cuts and scrapes. A 'hmm' passes her lips, and she's soon lifting her wrist to her mouth, taking a rather decent-sized chomp out of it, enough to allow for a bit of blood flow. With the bleeding side of her arm faced down towards his injuries, she smears the blood over it, using it as a healing catalyst like she had before. "It'll vork better zhis time." Within minutes, his arm is healed and she takes a bit of snow to clear the blood off. Her newest wound is left to do what it will, whether it heals or not, and she moves to lift him again. Thanks to Khitti's luck, however, she stumbles forward a bit as Amarrah's magic has now been depleted, nearly dropping Brand back into the snow. The vampiress appears to be a little woozy, but she rights herself and him, and carries on, ignoring the pain and ever-increasing fatigue she felt.

“I know,” was all the response Khitti got to her words, the response left vague as to what exactly it was that he knew. Brand never turned back to look at her or at the work she was doing on his arm, not once in the several minutes that passed them by, perhaps too lost in thought to pay her any further mind. It wasn’t until shortly after she stumbled and made her recovery that he seemed to stir out of his own mind again, punctuated by a slap to his forehead. “Bloody hell. I’ve been a frakking idiot.” Well, yeah, that was typical of him, she’d probably retort, but no matter. And she’d better not ask -why- he’d been too preoccupied to think of such a thing sooner -- Brand might actually have to kill her for real rather than answer that. Gods forbid she realize he might… he might not actually have it in him to hate her as much as he’d like to. That gorram link between them, ugh. “Stop, stop. Put me down a moment. We’ve been goin’ about this all wrong.”

Khitti let out a soft growl, "Gods damn it, Brand. Shut up. Ve're nearly zhere. I've got zhis perfectly handled. And vhat zhe hell are you talking about? I mean, yeah, you're an idiot...but isn't zhat zhe vay it goes vith you menfolk?" Her eyes drift shut a little, and she stumbles again, but instinctively holds him tighter against her, as if her small frame could somehow cushion their fall and not hurt him further. "I don't...I don't have time to stop...ve have to get back...and I have to leave..." They continue along the path, nearing where the tavern was located, her steps slower now and a little wobbly.

Frozen Road

Brand’s gaze pierced her thoroughly now, that trademark smirk lighting up his features. “Heh. You’re almost as hardheaded as I am, lass.” He twisted a bit in her grasp again, pivoting so the bad leg was the one further from the ground, one hand snaking into a pocket as if seeking warmth, his eyes never leaving hers. He looked for a moment as if he’d accepted her refusal for an answer, the smirk fading, the concealed weariness finally leeching into his expression. It lasted only just long enough to hopefully get Khitti’s guard down before it turned serious again, almost fierce. “I -am- sorry for this,” he uttered, before jabbing an elbow into her shoulder at full force to knock her back. He fell from her arms but never hit the ground -- all in that instant, Brand became Dominic and Shadow-Brand flickered into existence, the illusion at once catching Dominic and taking Khitti up by the waist but a second later, hoisting them up onto opposite shoulders like ragdolls. Dominic threw an incredibly sour expression at the illusion, even though he must have to some degree been in on the plan for it to come into effect. “You’re a terrible show-off, you know that? There’s no reason you couldn’t have just explained.” Shadow-Brand merely grinned in response, the illusion’s legs in full working order and carrying them on their way.

The vampiress blinks a few times as she's caught off guard by his apology because omigawd Brand knows what an apology is?! Regardless of whether or not it actually processed in her mind, Brand's obviously successful in his endeavor and Khitti manages to catch sight of Dominic through half-lidded eyes, a faint, yet fleeting smile crossing her pale features. It's soon cleared away and a deep frown marrs her face as she shakes her head, and struggles a little to get away. "No...let me go, Brand...I have to go...I need to go...I don't vant to hurt you...I need to go to Xalious...I need to go now..." With each pause between protesting and pleading, she got a little weaker. When her and Amarrah were back to full strength, she'd likely hear it from the butterfly about how she managed to almost die again. It was a neverending vicious cycle of arguments, and last time after Dominic and Brand had found her, it hadn't been pretty. Figuring that her words were going to go unheeded by Shadow-Brand, she let out a pained, sad sigh, saying quietly, "I should've stayed in zhat gods' forsaken cave..."

It of course wasn’t Brand who responded; he might not even be able to in illusion form, though Khitti was given the barest of glances by the thing before it continued its march forward. Dominic shifted his rune stone from one hand to the other -- when had that even come out? -- and then reached for her across Shadow-Brand’s chest, a reassuring squeeze sent her way. “Khitti, just… focus a bit longer, okay? You can feed from me the second we get to camp, or -- or the healers can bring you blood, or…” He couldn’t actually think of any other options, at least none that seemed palatable. “...We’ll get your bow, too, I promise.” Dominic sounded more confident than he was; he was already stretched to his limit between keeping Shadow-Brand operational, trying to calm Khitti, and staying alert himself, all while trying to make it look as effortless as if it were still Brand in control. The pain from that leg threatened to shatter all attempts at thought, darkness encroaching and then retreating on the edges of his vision with every bound forward the illusion made. In their mind, Brand insisted they would make it, that this was the best way -- and at this point, perhaps the only way -- but Dominic wondered if he’d reach the end of his strength too soon. The camp was in sight now and yet still so far...

Khitti barely heard Dominic. She didn't even realize that at this point after using his magic, he was almost as far gone as she was. There was to be no feeding from him, of course, that much had been decided earlier. "Dom--Brand." Her words trail off a bit as she struggled to stay conscious, the vampiress going so far as to even address the illusion that carried them. "Sorry...so useless..." Another pained sigh finds it way out into the open air as Khitti blacks out. It would appear, if either Dominic or Brand notice, that the mud that had been used to cover her wound was rubbed off a bit, whether it was between the shifting in positions or the struggling to get free or a mix of both. Unfortunately for Khitti though, she was just as much as ever a damsel in distress as she so often was around these two. Blood had begun to seep through what was left of that blend of earth and stone, leaving a trail behind them in the snow if Brand wasn't entirely corporeal.

Eastern Frostmaw Gates

By some miracle, they reached the camp without further incident. The illusion made it far enough past the walls to garner some attention before Dominic’s magic was spent, both of them sent tumbling inelegantly into the snow, a hard fall right onto the crushed leg bringing Dominic to meet Khitti in unconsciousness.

It was hard to know how much time had passed by the time he came to again. Hours? Days? A tent sealed Dominic off from the outside; it was impossible right now to even know the time of day. He caught a glance at his leg, bound stiff and straight, but a flurry of healers set upon him from the moment he stirred and he was able to make no further observations. They were asking too many urgent questions for him to manage any of his own -- and he could hardly even process what it was they were saying, much less respond with much coherence. The centaurs had sent some word ahead of their arrival, that much was obvious, but beyond that he fell back into the haze too quickly to register any news of the war or even of Khitti’s status.

Khitti, on the other hand, wasn't much better off than Dominic. She had blacked out for quite some time as well, and even after the healers poured an ungodly amount of blood down her throat and her wounds had begun to finally heal, she still didn't wake up. At that point, it was really more of a matter of will than anything else. She wasn't strong enough to even carry him back. She was pathetic. She was powerless. She was weak. She'd never measure up to any one in Lithrydel. At least...that's what Amarrah kept telling her. Over and over and over again in their shared link.

Finally, though, she did wake up and she found herself in the same tent as Dominic. The vampiress turned her head to look at him, a frown appearing and almost immediately tears welled up and made themselves known. Feeling strong enough now to at least stand and move closer, she did so and promptly laid down in the cot next to Dominic, hanging off the side a bit and trying not to disturb his leg. With her head buried into his chest, she cried and at this point, didn't care if it was Dominic or Brand that awoke. She just wanted to be near him. Them. Whatever. If it was Brand that came to first, he'd likely have to push her off the cot in order to get rid of her.

Dominic’s chest raised and lowered in steady rhythm as Khitti cried. Irises flicked about under his eyelids, some dream clearly lurking under the surface. The time passed in relative stillness, Khitti’s crying not enough to stir him, though even in sleep one arm wrapped loosely around her. Hands twitched at times, as did his his brows; his expression gradually drew inward and became troubled, though still he laid there.

Khitti was calmed somewhat by his arm as it moved around him, but it didn't make her feel any better emotionally. Tears still stream down her cheeks as she turns her head, shifting her body a bit to get a better look at him. Raising a hand, she moves it to his face, lightly pulling his dark locks away from his eyes as she whispers quietly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so useless...and zhat I couldn't even get you back here properly." Sighing softly, her hand drops to her side again, "I'm sorry I can't protect you and be zhere for you. I'm sorry you met me...and zhat you love someone so awful and so hopeless." The vampiress buries her head into his chest again with another sigh. "Maybe Brand and Amarrah are right..."

They weren’t truly alone in such a place, of course. Another healer dropped by to check on the two of them, a young elven woman with braided hair. A quick glance was afforded to Khitti before she checked in on Dominic’s bound leg, lips pursed in thought. But ultimately, she seemed satisfied by whatever it was she was checking up on, and compassionate dark eyes turned to Khitti, well-meaning but misinterpreting her tears. “He will be fine, aside from needing to stay off the leg for a few days while the magic sets his bones.” She wrung her hands a bit; the woman didn’t seem to have much of a bedside manner. Inexperience, maybe. “Are you... are you, er... is there anything I can help you with?” Dominic still didn’t stir.

Khitti blinked as she smelled the woman approach and then turned a bit to eye her closely. As it was obvious she was one of the healers, she wipes at her eyes and sits up, sitting on the edge of the cot now. "Hm? No. I'm...I'm fine. I'll keep an eye on him...I'm sure zhere's others zhat need your help more zhan either of us." Putting her elbows on her knees, and then resting her face in her palms, she sighs. Thank gods the woman didn't hear what she had said. Then she'd have to talk about her feelings and whatnot with a stranger.

The woman looked as relieved as Khitti was, though she departed with a nod and an awkward smile. “Someone’s always but a stone’s throw away, dear. Just holler if you need anything.” And she was gone again, as quickly as she’d come. Dominic, meanwhile, threw his head to one side and then back, the bangs Khitti had pushed away throwing themselves into his face again. His jaw fell slack, a murmured “Khitti…” passing through his lips before he stilled once more.

Khitti nods slowly to the healer, not looking up as she leaves the tent. Upon hearing Dominic's voice, she's stirred from her self-hatred and moves from the cot to kneel beside it, "D-Dominic?" Her left hand moves to rest against his cheek, her thumb lightly stroking his jaw-line. "Dominic...I'm here..." Her other hand reaches for his closest one, a frown lining her lips.

Emerald eyes saw the world again at last, blinking open and darting with urgency across their surroundings before settling on Khitti’s face. His expression calmed now, her presence reassuring whatever thoughts he’d woken with. Dominic squeezed her hand before struggling to sit up, a move that never reached its completion before he fell back onto the bed, sucking in air through his teeth. “I forgot about the leg,” he muttered, more to himself than to Khitti. He rearranged the way his fingers interlaced with hers before squeezing again, settling back into the pillow, concern knitting his brows together. “I... dreamt you were gone.”

Khitti wouldn't tell him, of course, that she wished that she -were- gone, whether it be through death or just leaving Hollow in general, opting to keep quiet for the moment as she pushes the thought into the back of her mind. She brings their joined hands up to her lips, kissing it softly as she finally says, "It's alright...you and Brand...you managed to get us to zhe camp. One of zhe healers vas just here and she said it'll take a few days for your leg to set up vith magic, but you should be fine." Concern lines her features, the frown deepening, "You should rest...you used so much of your magic...and your health doesn't regenerate as quickly as mine does." Not that she was anywhere near fine, emotionally or physically, but she did her best to hide it.

Dominic searched Khitti’s face, perhaps somehow sensing that she wasn’t all well. A bit of willfulness drew his lips into a thin line; he -wanted- to get up, to move about, but clearly that wasn’t going to happen right now. “I’ll rest if you stay with me,” he finally sighed, gingerly moving off-center on the cot and allowing her more room to lay beside him. He canted his head toward the empty space given to her, motioning for her to join him, drawing an arm around her shoulder blades if she did so. “...It was so vivid. I really thought I’d lost you.”

Khitti curled up next to him as she had when he was still asleep, not a moment's hesitation spared. She's mindful again of his broken leg as she gingerly snakes her own leg around his uninjured one and snuggles close. She releases his hand, moving her own now up to his cheek again, turning his head to look at her, "No. You didn't lose me." She stares at him, sympathetically, having had so many dreams like that in the past, "Vhat happened...? In your dream..."

Dominic looked as if he might answer, but his lips thinned into that grim line again and he chose to stare into the canopy of the tent instead. He spent a moment lost in thought, debating whether to get into a lengthy explanation or not. “...I still dream of Catal sometimes,” he sighed, leaving the details out. “It’s been worse lately, with the war going on here, and -- and everything that’s happened with Brand.” That other’s insistence that they were more alike than different still haunted him in the quiet hours. “But I usually dream of myself or of strangers, or nothing at all.” He was dancing around an explanation, sharing his dream but also not sharing, telling her but trying to spare her all at once.

Khitti's frown shifts into a faint smirk as he so clearly skirts around the answer to her question, but doesn't pry further. She knew this type of behavior all too well because, of course, she was the say way. She releases his face and snuggles closer against him, her arm wrapping around his waist, trying to comfort him once he was finished. "You're never going to lose me. I'm not going anywhere. -Nothing- is going to take me away from you." Well, foreshadowing is not always a kind mistress, but at least for now the words held true. "And zhis var is almost over and zhings vill go back to normal. Ve've almost von, I'm sure of it." And then maybe it wouldn't matter that she was so useless. She'd find a way around successfully protecting Frostmaw from necromancers and the like, even if it wasn't with her own magic.

Dominic didn’t -feel- particularly comforted, but Khitti didn’t need to know that. “Yeah, you’re right. And so far we’ve made it out alive.” His line of sight dropped from the tent to look at her again, a smile hiding those thoughts that were still swirling around in the back of his mind and the rock in his gut that said he wouldn’t be able to protect her from everything the way he wanted to and the worry that he might yet have to protect her from himself, at some point. Time for a change of subject before the thoughts lingered too much longer. “Why did you come for me, though, back at the outpost? You should have taken care of yourself, first.” One hand brushed gently across her chest, a memory of the gash that had been there permeating through the wall from Brand’s recollections to his own.

Khitti draws in an unnecessary breath and promptly lets it out again in a heavy sigh. "Because I needed you." She pauses a moment, shifting her position so that -she- was the one staring up at the tent now. "Because...despite how I vas feeling zhen...zhe anger...zhe hunger...I knew zhat if I found you or even Brand, if something happened it vouldn't end in something completely unfortunate." She leaves it at that, however, not wanting to make him anymore uneasy. That was really the last thing she needed right now; she didn't want to scare him away. Once again, the conversation is switched up, verdant eyes scanning the ceiling of their temporary dwelling, "How are you feeling? Other zhan zhe leg, zhat is."

Dominic quirked a brow at Khitti’s answer, but bit back whatever response he had in mind, instead letting her drive the conversation. “Hah. I’m feeling like I got in a fight with a frost giant and lost. Which is ridiculous, because I’d, uh, probably be pulp on the ice if that were the case.” Another pained chuckle. “Everything’s sore. I don’t know how Brand does it; he just keeps on moving like it’s nothing. He blocks it out easier than I can. If he were the one out right now --” Dominic fidgeted, assessing the strength of the limbs that -hadn’t- been crushed to bits, “-- he’d be fine, I think. And yet I can’t even sit up without the pain searing my nerves like lava.”

Khitti rolled her eyes a bit, the smirk resurfacing, "You -didn't- lose. You saved zhe centaurs and via my own stupidity, you both ended up saving me too." She snorts softly at the last of her words as she turns over onto her side, facing away from Dominic to hide her emotions. "As for Brand and zhe pain, it's a mind over matter zhing mostly. You just have to focus on something else. Vith Brand and me zhough, it's more of a 'I'm really angry and don't care what else is going on' type of zhing. I'm sure you've sensed something like zhat on his side of your guys' mind." Despite speaking calmly and of other things, tears threatened to spill again as she began to dwell on the fact that she wasn't the one to save him again. Once more, Brand had to swoop in and save the day. Once more she was completely. Gods' damned. Useless. ~You're damned right you are~, agreed Amarrah along their link.

Dominic sighed. “That makes sense. Though... I try to stay away from anger.” He scared himself when he let anger rule him... became too much like Brand. It was an uncomfortable truth he preferred to shy away from, rather than examine it too closely. “And, hey, it wasn’t stupid. You were looking out for me.” He’d considered adding that maybe they wouldn’t have made it back without her, but... he didn’t want to lie just to preserve her feelings. Of course they would have, or Brand would have gone with the centaurs back to the camp. Even as reckless and prideful as Brand was... Brand understood their limits better than Dominic ever felt he would. Shaking the thoughts away now, Dominic placed a hand on Khitti’s shoulder, gently pulling her back towards him. “But if it’s a different focus I need, well…” he trailed off, struggling to pivot onto his side for a better look at her before going in for a string of kisses along her neck. “I... have an excellent distraction right here.” His tone was playful as he tried to lighten both of their moods with affection.

Khitti sniffled a bit as she's pulled back to face him, her watery eyes betraying her, hinting at her worries. His kisses that soon follow, however, do aid in lightening her mood, a bit of laughter bubbling up from somewhere inside that dour vampiress' darkened heart. "Oh stop. Zhere's plenty of other, better zhings you can use as a distraction." She returns his affection with a bit of her own, a faint grin surfacing. "Gods, I vas so vorried about you." She presses a few kisses to his cheek before planting another one on his lips.

Dominic shifted himself up onto an arm, her tears noted now. Oh, that wouldn’t do at all. “What do you mean? You’re the -best- distraction I can think of.” Slowly, he maneuvered himself to peer down at her, a hand placed at either side above her shoulders and the bulk of his weight resting along his good leg. “Did you know, after the first time you kissed me I don’t think I thought about anything else for about three days? I didn’t know if I ought to run -to- you or away, or... anything.” His face flushed with his confession. “I think if Brand could have left me in a sulk, he would have. You’re -incredibly- distracting.”

Khitti blinks several times over the course of the things he had to say, another grin appearing as he began to blush. She bites her bottom lip sheepishly, and would certainly be blushing too if she were able to. To cover up her bashfulness, she clears her throat awkwardly and sarcastically rolls her eyes at him, "Oh, hush, you." Giving him a look to say 'I know exactly what you mean', she continues, "You...might be...maybe...a bit distracting too. You vith your big, pretty emerald eyes.", her grin widening as she says this. Leave it to a female to like the color of a gem. "And a level of awkward zhat damn near equals mine.", a bit of snickering accompanying the last of her words.

Dominic pouted in mock indignation. “No, Khitti, you’re nowhere near my level of awkwardness. It’s... not even a contest, honestly.” A beat; a smirk. She wouldn’t win a contest of self-deprecation, either, as much as she might try. “I’ll take the eyes compliment, though, with the caveat that yours are prettier.” He kissed a ring around one of them, ending at her nose before he dropped to her side and on his back again. “Somehow, you’re easy to talk to, though. Maybe because we’re both that way.”

Khitti would certainly continue to try to win either of those contests until the end of her days, but right now, he was all that mattered. As he laid down, she crawled on top of him, her legs bent at the knee and kicking at the air slowly while her elbows carefully planted themselves on his chest, her chin resting in her palms. "It's like talking to someone I've known for a very long time." Tilting her head somewhat as she stares down at him, her right hand moves out from beneath her head, index finger extended as it lightly traces his facial features. "It -vas- veird at first, of course, but...it didn't really take me long to know zhat I vanted to keep you around. Even if Brand is a jerk sometimes. I can handle him zhough. Sometimes he reminds me of an onion. All zhose layers and such."

Dominic winced as she climbed on top of him, expecting her to hit on some tender injury or other. “Oof, careful.” But she never did, and he gradually relaxed again underneath her. “Brand’s pretty simple, actually. Don’t get in between him and what he wants. Especially if it’s a fight. And if you must… bite him, I guess.” Dominic shrugged. “He’s been weirdly quiet about you -- about us, since then. I don’t know what he’s thinking, but he hasn’t gotten in the way.”

Khitti can't help but giggle as she's told outright to bite Brand if she needs to, eventually shrugging in response. "I don't know. He vas...a little veird vhen I found him but I'm assuming it had to do vith your injury. I'm not sure. Maybe even -he- gets tired of fighting vith people at times. Verbally, I mean." Her pale features grow a bit somber as she finally pulls her finger away from his face, "Amarrah feels zhe same vay zhough. Zhinks it's a bad idea. Zhinks I should just leave. Just hop on a boat and go elsewhere...not even just leave Frostmaw or Xalious." A sigh. "Zhat's only one of zhe many zhings I've heard from her lately."

Dominic narrowed his eyes, confusion setting in. “He was... weird? Huh.” He tucked that thought away for now; later, he’d have to needle Brand for some kind of explanation. “It’s too bad I can’t just bite Amarrah. But where would you go? And... what else has she been telling you?” He paused to consider her expression, taking a few silent educated guesses as he did so. “You know just being in your head doesn’t make her right, right…?”

Khitti looks away from him, lips twitching into a frown. She dwells on his three questions, pondering on whether or not to even answer them as she searches about the tent for something to focus on. "She is right, zhough." With nothing proper to fixate on, she gives up and looks down at him again sadly, "Vithout her, I'd be nothing. Powerless. Ordinary." She musters a faint smile for him, "At least vhen Brand tells you such zhings, I know he's vrong. You...you have so many vonderful abilities and you vere even trusted enough to go it alone to rescue zhe centaurs and I...vell...I barely made it out of zhere. If I hadn't had someone vith me, I'd likely be dead." Crimson brows furrow as she thinks on her own words, "It's clear zhat Hildegarde doesn't trust me entirely. I don't zhink most of zhe people here do. Zhey know vhat I am...and...and...maybe I -should- leave."

Some shadow passed fleetingly across Dominic’s face. “Okay, let’s say for the sake of argument that she were right -- which I don’t agree with, but let’s just say for a moment that she is. Is there something so wrong about being ordinary? All those people out there --” he gestured vaguely to one side, “--the cooks and the merchants and the blacksmiths and the people just living plain lives... are they lesser because they aren’t out here fighting with us?” Dominic tapped one of Khitti’s arms, indicating that she should move off of him. With great effort, he sat up, taking one of her hands again in his, looking at her sidelong. The shadow had returned and made its home in Dominic’s expression. “You know, I would have killed to be like them, to be -normal-.” A brief pause of ironic realization; a mirthless laugh. “Heh, killed. I... have these ‘wonderful abilities’ because they were forced on me, for the most part. No different from you and Amarrah except in method.” He exhaled, the tension he’d been holding slowly draining from him, and the shadow with it. An apologetic smile graced his lips; he hoped the passionate outburst wouldn’t scare her off. “Look, let me ask you this. What do you think Amarrah’s motivation is when she says these things to you? What does she stand to gain if you believe it?”

Khitti was taken aback by his quick change in demeanor and did as she was asked, the shock of his words and the tone that accompanied it not quite having wore off just yet. She chooses to stand, instead of sitting next to him, allowing him to hold her hand though she stared down at the ground in between them. There is was, that feeling again of being treated like a child. It happened to her so often nowadays that she felt like maybe she -should- just leave. Go somewhere deep into the Frostmawian wilderness to be alone, yet still be able to do her job as she had sworn she would to the Silver. His words pass through one ear and out the other as dark eyes search the floor. "I...didn't mean it like zhat." is finally said, "I don't...I don't know how to be anything else but zhis." A moment of confusion. "I've been zhis vay since I vas fourteen. I don't..." Another pause. "Zhere's nowhere else for me to go but up. If I can't get stronger vith my magic, zhen vhat else is zhere?" She was quiet again for a short time, processing this crazy passionate anger that she didn't even realize even existed in Dominic and the questions he asked. "I don't know. She's vorse off zhan me. Zhan you two. She doesn't even have a body. Can't do zhings for herself. She's just an essence. A spirit. She's not even from zhis realm, Dominic. After all zhis time, how do you zhink she'd feel? After all my failures. My screw-ups. My near deaths. Zhe fact zhat I can't properly use her abilities. It's got to be infuriating." Of course, if his anger hadn't entirely gotten the best of him, this would sound all too familiar. Perhaps that's why she had started to have a better understanding of Brand as of late.

Dominic took a long, shaky sigh before pulling Khitti forward, reaching up and playing with a tendril of her hair. “I’m sorry; I’m not helping, am I?” His other hand snaked down her waist, meeting her at the hip as he looked up at her. “You just... hit close to home. I guess I haven’t spent a lot of time processing it. I was just a kid too, you know? About the same age, even. My point is…” he shook his head, “...I don’t know what my point is. But I don’t want to see you leave. And even if you couldn’t fight, you have so much other value to you. So many other things you could do. Don’t let Amarrah tell you that you’re a failure if you can’t do things her way.” The hand in her hair trailed down her face, a thumb treading lightly across her lips. “If Amarrah can’t at least respect that you’re trying, there’s no reason you should listen to a word she says.”

Khitti's solemn mood didn't change much despite his apology and his reassurances, but she still listened to him regardless. "Alright." was all that was said in response before a light kiss was pressed to his thumb. She doesn't linger long near him, her eyes moving to the floor again, "Are you hungry? I can go get you something if you are...", a step back taken. And while it might seem like all hope is lost, she lifts her head, his hand taken up quickly in her own and pressed against her chest, just above her heart, "I love you."

“I love you too, Khitti,” said Dominic, a hint of desperation in his voice as he reached out for her, trying to pull her back near him. “And no, not at all. Please, stay.” Truthfully, he was starving, but surely someone would come by with food eventually. And for a moment there he’d feared he’d pushed her away, made things worse rather than better. It would be just his luck to finally have one good thing in the world and then immediately go mucking it up because he never knew the right words to say. “I love you too,” he repeated, quieter now. Couldn’t go wrong with those words, at least. But his stomach wasted no time in betraying his lie with an obnoxiously loud gurgle; Dominic’s face burned crimson and he bit hard into his lower lip. If there was a time he could will himself to melt through the ground in embarrassment, now would be a great moment for that.

Thankfully for Dominic, she didn't really fight him. She did, however, kiss his hand and let it go, moving briefly to the opening of the tent. She managed to catch one of the healers as they strode past, asking them for a bit of food for the both of them. Returning to Dominic, she pushes against his chest, saying softly, "Lay down." The vampiress wouldn't wait on whether or not he'd comply as she turned to grab the pillow from her cot and the spare that lay underneath. Going back to him for the second time, she'd lift his broken leg for him and props it up for him with one pillow. The other is moved behind his head, to which she merely says "Up." so that it can be properly put where it needs to be. Not long after she's finished tending to him, the food arrives as well as tea for him. She takes the tray from the healer with thanks and brings it to him, "Eat your fill of it and I'll eat zhe rest. I'm not very hungry." Liar.

Dominic tore into the food with all the fervor of someone who hadn’t eaten in days -- no point in concealing how hungry he’d been, since his stomach had spoken up. It probably hadn’t actually, literally been days, but it sure as hell felt like it. The tea went ignored for the time being; as much as he adored tea, he was too famished to focus on much else. He made it through about two-thirds of one of the plates before pausing to regard Khitti quizzically, fork frozen in his mouth. Slowly, he ejected it, setting it down with a clatter onto the plate he’d been working on. “Come on -- there’s no reason for you to wait. There’s no way I could eat all of this on my own.” He beckoned her closer, not resuming his meal unless she joined him. Maybe he’d realized she had to be hungry, too, or maybe he just didn’t want her to leave his side even for a moment, and food was a good excuse to not look quite so clingy.

A smile formed on Khitti's features as she watched him eat, a few blinks offered as he stops almost as quickly as he had began, "No no. Please. Don't stop eating because of me. I'm really not all zhat hungry and you very clearly are." She joins him regardless of her protesting, "You -need- to eat. You need your strength." As if in reassurance, she gives him another smile, lightly brushing away his bangs so she could press a kiss to his forehead before she sat next to him. Crossing one leg over the other, she leans back against his shoulder, her head resting on his arm. It seemed as if all was well despite his angry outburst, though deep within the recesses of Khitti's mind, she'd file it away as something to never bring up again around him.

Dominic took a while to resume eating, instead just looking at her, taking her in. “If you’re sure,” he said at length, though he still pushed a plate towards her in encouragement. His pace slowed now, his attention divided between her and his food. “If you -were- going to leave,” he finally asked between bites, his tone making it clear he’d been pondering the thought for some time now, “where would you even go? Did you have anywhere in mind? I’m… not so bad at navigation, you know. Years on a ship will do that to anyone. And once Hildegarde’s fight is done, there’s nothing much keeping me here. Just you.”

Khitti finally gave in and picked up her own fork. She'd take a bite here and there to appease him, but resisted the urge to shovel everything down her throat like she truly wanted to. Upon his questioning, she sighs and shrugs lightly, "I don't know. I likely von't. Zhere's no place for me to go. I can't really leave here anyway either, I guess. I've sworn myself to Hildegarde. Very official and vhatnot. I'll...get zhrough zhis like I always do." She tried to sound positive, but the anger radiating from Amarrah's side of their mind kept her from being completely at ease. She did her best to ignore it, though, and took another bite. "Do you really mean zhat?" is said off-handedly after she finishes chewing.

“Hmm? Mean what?” Dominic moved on to his tea for the moment, peering at her sidelong over the top of it. “That there’s nothing here for me?” He set the cup down, chewing on the thought. “I don’t know. It’s a nice enough place, but it’s not home. Then again, I’m not sure I’d know what home was if it leapt up and smacked me in the face. Not at this point. Even if Catal wasn’t gone, it --” Dominic cut himself off, biting at the inside of his cheek. “...I think,” he said instead, changing course, ”someday, I might like to journey around by ship again. On my own terms, this time. With you, if you’d like that. But one place seems every bit the same as the next as far as I can tell, aside from Lithrydel having plenty of odd creatures I’d never met in Catal.” A shrug. “People are people, and most of them are either petty, awful monsters or people who’ve been beaten down by them.”

Khitti tilted her head to eye him back, a crimson brow raising, "I'm sure you'll know home vhen you find it. Maybe it -is- here. But maybe not necessarily zhe places you've been hanging about. Who knows..." She shrugs. "Or maybe it's not. I don't know. But...", she pauses a moment craning her neck to kiss his cheek, "I'm glad zhat you zhink I'm good enough to stick around for." Dark eyes watch him, that odd sort of dreamy look that one gets when they're staring at the one they adore written all over her features. It seems like forever that she's staring at him, but she's soon drawing herself out of her reverie to nod at his tea, "You should drink zhat before it gets cold."

Dominic just hmmed, sipping at his tea as he was told, falling into contemplation once more. The tea was completely drained before he spoke again, eyes regarding her with care. “Maybe -you’re- home,” he murmured, feeling like the thought was stupid the instant after it left his mouth. “I -- I mean, maybe that’s what it’s supposed to feel like.”

Khitti had been bringing another bit of food to her lips when said those words. She was...his home? Mouth still agape somewhat, she lowers her fork to the plate again, a sidelong glance spared in his direction, "Me? Your home? N-no...I'm not. I'm..." Shut up, Khitti. She had thought she felt what home was like before and had been wrong, but lately she had realized that she really -did- only feel at ease when he was around. "I..." Well, she couldn't exactly find the right words as usual, but secretly knowing that she felt the same, she set her plate aside for the moment and shifted so that she was facing him. There's a bit of hesitance, but ultimately, she leans forward and presses her lips to his, as if to say that the feeling was mutual.

Dominic seemed surprised; somehow, he’d been expecting a different reaction. He allowed himself to be swept up into the moment, though, pushing his own plate aside before returning her kiss, pulling them both further down onto the bed, pressing himself as tightly as he could against her without putting his injured leg into a dangerous position. Affection was so much less awkward than words, and so much simpler. Much less room for miscommunication this way, just the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. Minutes passed entwined with her before he presented his wrist to her, his expression a mirror of her earlier one, consumed by passion. “If you’re up to it… I want that strong link with you again. Just, hah, with less surprise this time.”

Khitti definitely felt the same way. Words always got in the way. Even when you think you've got the right ones, they never sound like they do in your head or the other person doesn't quite pick up on how much you mean them. That second mutual feeling would just have to be a silent one between the two as she's looking down at his wrist, brows knitting together. "I shouldn't do it so often. I don't vant you to get addicted to it, Dominic." A brief glance towards the entrance of the tent is made, making sure that likely no one was around, or that at least they wouldn't be disturbed before turning back to him. "You're sure, zhen? You...don't mind? You didn't mind it?"

Dominic merely shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be often, necessarily. But that first time was... not how I’d imagined it happening, you know?” He took one of her hands with his other one, squeezing it. “But of course I didn’t mind. It’s you. And it seems to have helped Brand simmer down some, so…” He smirked. Somewhere within Brand was stirring a bit uncomfortably; not a protest, quite, but Dominic almost felt the sensation of him grumbling something inaudible and rolling over and away from them, as if he had an actual presence in the room.

Khitti couldn't help but grin somewhat at that mention of Brand, but she didn't say anything about it, leaving whatever's left of Brand's dignity intact. She at least owed him that much for saving her twice. Another quick kiss is given in reply to Dominic's assurances before she's drawing his wrist up to her mouth. Unlike last time, she's quite delicate about it, her fangs ever so gently piercing the flesh on the under side of his wrist. A strange sort of sigh escapes her as his blood starts to fill her mouth, the vampiress doing her best to drink it slowly, despite that nagging force in the back of her mind that constantly demanded she drink her victim dry.

Dominic closed his eyes, fixating on the sensations that swirled around him now. He’d curled up around her, face pressing into her neck, laying the occasional kiss there... but mostly he lay still and silent, his mind drifting along the current their bond created, letting himself be lost in her. Brand didn’t seem to meld with him this time but instead seemed washed away, as if he weren’t even there. It could be chalked up to the difference in circumstances between this time and last, maybe.

Khitti drank for a short time as she too swirled about along their link with him. It was different than what she expected, that bond. For so long she had been scared of it, didn't want anyone else to see if she actually managed to find someone willing to let her drink from them. Her daily feeding was nothing like this. Each death, while brutal for the victim, was relatively quick, provided no link. She didn't allow them enough time to see anything, and in turn she wanted to see nothing from them. But this...the fact that he so willingly shared his precious life force with her and actually wanted that bond between them made her heart sing as it did now, these thoughts of hers spilling over ever so carefully to him. Khitti soon retracts her fangs, his blood licked clean from her lips before her own replaced it as she bit her tongue. She presses a kiss to his wrist to apply her blood, using it like so many times before to help heal it shut. Once she was done, she leans her head against his, nuzzling him softly. "Dominic...", both her mind and her lips calling out to him. "Do not lose yourself too much zhat you cannot find your vay back to me."

Dominic’s eyes fluttered open again as she called out to him, a peaceful smile lining his features. “I wasn’t going to,” he insisted through their link, “but it’s hard not to want to be that melded with you always.” He closed his eyes again, resting his head on her shoulder, just trying to extend the moment of zen for a bit longer.

Khitti pushes aside his bangs, pressing a kiss to his temple. "I hope you're alright with me keeping you..." is said along their link quietly, allowing the two to enjoy the peace and quiet in their tent, "...because I intend to for a very long time...or at least for as long as you wish me to." A brief thought of regret pops into her mind as it so often does even at a time like this, a wish that she wasn't a vampire so that she could grow old with him. But, she quickly sweeps that thought away, reminding herself that were she not a vampire, she'd be six feet in the ground and she would've never met Dominic in the first place. She smiles again, another kiss pressed to his forehead as she lightly runs her fingers through his hair.

Dominic lofted a brow as her thoughts and her worry crossed the barrier, but his eyes never opened; he only turned his face slightly more towards her. “I’d like that. All of it. Let’s just… focus on what we get to have together, and not what we’re missing out on, all right?” At some point, without fully realized it, the thought shifted from being spoken through the link to being spoken aloud, ending with a squint as he finally peered up at her again. An image and a feeling of both of them free from Brand and Amarrah crossed from his side of the link to hers… he was giving advice while failing to follow it himself.

Snickering softly as his words shift between mental and verbal, the vampiress finding a bit of amusement in the fact that he's probably not quite used to the link. His thought swirls around to her side of their bond, responding to it with a hug and a small kiss on his cheek. "It vould appear zhat you're no better zhan I am on zhat front, Dominic." Khitti stifles a bit of giggling, biting her bottom lip carefully. "I vould like zhat very much as vell, however. Maybe one day, ve'll figure it out."

Dominic sighed, blushing slightly. “It’s what we -should- do. That doesn’t mean I’m any good at doing it.” He leaned up for a handful of return kisses before seemingly recalling the food that had been left forgotten at their sides. He reached for it now, determined not to leave his plate unfinished. “But,” he added through their link, mid-bite, “being linked with you makes me feel like we might get there. It’s difficult to hold onto any serious worries like this. It’s… a nice break from the norm.”

Khitti grinned as she watched him eat, finally taking up her own plate and digging in. She's definitely hungry now, and it's made clear that she was perhaps not exactly telling the truth as she begins to shovel her meal into her mouth. Immediately remembering that she actually -wants- Dominic to stay around her and not get frightened off by her terrible eating habits, she coughs awkwardly, lets out an 'ahem', and attempts to eat more like a normal person. "You'll have to remember to build up your walls again, if you'd like, if there's things you don't want slipping out." is said along their link, barely a pause between that and the next thought as she feels she needs to explain, "But! It's not like I want you to hide things from me, but if you feel the need to, then the option is there. I'll never pry into your thoughts. Never."

Dominic may have caught that change in the way Khitti was eating, but if so, the only hint was the smirk that took hold in between his own forkfuls of food. “There’s nothing to hide anyway,” he said aloud as he finished eating, setting the plate to the side once more. “At this point, you know the gist of just about everything -- everything I’m aware of, anyway.” Quieter, he added, “Brand might be a different story, but… I’m not worried about him right now.”

Khitti nodded in understanding as she too finished her food, set her own plate aside and laid back against him, arching her back over his abdomen as she stretched towards the wall of the tent. "Amarrah's pretty good at getting to herself too. Especially now vhen she's not exactly zhe nicest being in zhe vorld." There's a brief sigh, but then a shrug, "If she vants zhings to be different, zhen she needs to figure out a vay to leave. I don't have a teacher. I don't know how to make zhings better. Even if I get into zhis damned library Hildegarde told me about, I have no guidance, no direction. Home didn't have magic and I'm just making zhis up as I go." She throws her hands up in the air as if to say 'I give up'.

Dominic idly threaded his fingers through Khitti’s hair, listening to her vent. It was her last sentence that particularly piqued his interest, causing him to freeze momentarily before that petting movement resumed. “Wait, ‘home didn’t have magic’? I must have somehow glossed over that part the last few times you talked about it. So how --” He cut himself off, unsure if he should actually ask the question, not wanting to upset her, but the thought wafted through their link anyway: what about those necromancers? Where had they even come from?

Khitti blinked once at his pause, catching the rest of the question silently. Oh. Right. Even he likely came from a place with magic. "It'...um...it's not zhat Dhavislavv and zhe rest of zhe country didn't have magic. It did...a very long time ago. Zhere vas a terrible var..." She stops, snorting softly, "It's always some damned var. But, anyway, it happened a long time before I vas born. A hundred years or so? Zhey banned it. Zhe capitol scrubbed out ever single bit of magic." She gestures with her hands as one often does when telling a story, her eyes focused on the ceiling of the tent, her mind on her thoughts, her memories, things leaking through to him: Dhavislavv, a medium-sized village in the mountains, the forest that surrounds it where Khitti and her sister played. There's even a brief memory of Lydia chasing Khitti through the house; her mirror, her twin. Lydia was clearly angry as she stormed after Khitti, who was very much human and fourteen at the time, as the vampiress' younger self clutched a small wooden music box as she yelled "But Lydia! I'm almost done vith it!" The Khitti from the here and now's face grows a little somber as that memory makes itself known, her last memory of Lydia before--but she merely shakes her head and tosses it aside in her head as if there were some stray pile of thoughts she had to clean up later. "I don't know vhere zhe necromancers came from. Zhey could've been zhere all along, biding zheir time. I zhought about it over zhe years. A mindflayer lorded over them, so it's possible after zhe var zhey all vent underground. Vhat better town to exact revenge upon zhan zhe one surrounded by mountains? No one vould ever know."

Dominic wrapped Khitti in a hug as the thoughts passed through and words were spoken. “I’m sorry, I -- I didn’t mean to get you on the topic. Especially not while, uh … you know… the link.” He felt horribly intrusive, even though he hadn’t been -trying- to pry any more than she ever would. “But… yeah… always some damned war, or something. Someone causing trouble, at the least.” His own thoughts were murky, unclear -- just a vague notion that he was blocking memories out from himself moreso than he was from her.

Khitti shook her head as she melted into his hug, "N-no. It's alright. I need to be able to talk about it. I'll..." She sighs heavily, shrugging a little in his hold, "I'll never get past all of zhis...zhis mess in my head." There was a sort of sensation across their link like doors were being shut, regardless of what she had said, the memories of home locked away again. She shifts around in his arms so that she can face him, careful to not hurt his leg as she moved about. "I'm sorry, Dominic. I always find a vay to bring down zhe mood somewhat." That had been the biggest problem with her and Daermon. She never seemed to be completely happy. He had had 300 years to get over his problems though, whereas she hadn't even reached thirty yet.

Dominic just shook his head, kissing her as if he could shut down her thoughts with affection. “It’s not like it’s just you. I do the same thing.” He paused to look into her eyes -- it felt like a far more intimate experience with the link. Windows to the soul, as they say. “Actually, it’s something I appreciate about you. You’re not running from your past and you don’t ignore it. But that means it comes up and it’s raw, and it’s painful, but… you’re not hiding from how it affects you now. And if you pretend to be happy when you’re not, you’re only lying, you know? ...Does that make sense?” A sigh. “Besides, it’s reassuring to know I have so many things in common with someone. You know that.”

Khitti musters a small smile for him in reassurance and understanding, "I honestly couldn't have said it better myself." She lets out a soft laugh, that happiness returning again. "You're so...so...I don't even know zhe vord. Perfect isn't good enough." There's that intense feeling over their link again, the one that beat so strongly like a heart's melody. The one of adoration and love for him. That feeling would have to be enough of a description for now. Grinning a bit, she shrugs as she worms her way out of his grasp so she can sit up, batting her eyes at him as she perches herself on his stomach, her legs in a crossed position. "Anyway. Even vith zhat mushy stuff. You're going to get sick of it if I'm just kissing and loving on you all zhe time." Tapping her chin lightly, she continues, "Now...vhat am I going to do to keep you entertained vhile you're in here?"

Dominic nodded, grinning back. “I know what you mean.” Maybe not perfect... but perfect for each other. Which was somehow even better. Her question was considered a moment, that grin still plastered to his face, eyes raised to the roof of the tent in thought before finally settling again on her when she had an answer. “Well, as long as I’m stuck here... you never did get me started on reading or writing lessons. I guess the thought got lost in the midst of… everything else.”

Khitti blinks a few times, looking down at him, "Oh no. I'm so sorry! I had completely forgotten." A frown appears briefly as she tries to come up with a quick solution, "Um. Zhe library is a bit far away to leave right now...and I'm not sure how many people are lugging around books vith zhem at zhe moment. Ummm. Hm." And then it dawns on her, everything becoming so clear. "Aha!" She leans over, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him a bit, "Do you know how many books I've read in my life?! I can show you zhrough memories! At least, read to you for now, show you zhe letters and get you familiar vith zhem. Zhen ve can do zhe vriting at another time vhen I can get some paper and a pen."

Dominic initially looked more than a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm; the shaking especially was unexpected. He recovered quickly, however, a slight smile replacing the look of shock. “Sure, if you think that will work. I wouldn’t even know where to start… I feel so lost for not already knowing. Not that I haven’t tried to teach myself here and there, mind, but there was never a good opportunity for it.” He shook his head, biting at a lip slightly. A fragmented memory of scattered parchments in some poorly lit dwelling began to creep through their link before vanishing again.

Khitti raises both eyebrows at him as he speaks, noting his change in demeanor, the biting of his lip, and that bit of a memory that leaked through. "Hey...hey it's alright. It's nothing to be ashamed about." She beams brightly at him, no judgement towards him for his lack of that simple skill. "I'm incredibly honored zhat you're going to let me help you. And maybe a bit excited." A grin forms as she leans over to kiss him reassuringly, "I'm certain it'll vork. It's only temporary anyway. Vhen you're able to valk again, ve can go to zhe library in Xalious and vork on it more zhere."

Dominic simply shook his head once more. “It’s not shame, not really. I didn’t... choose my circumstances.” One hand clenched, tensing but not quite forming a fist. It was one thing to say the words and know on some level that they were true, and another to truly believe it. He hadn’t quite made his way from the first to the second, yet. “Anyway,” he added, a smile forming to try and rid him of the moment of melancholy, “yeah, let’s do it. And that library’s a wonder… I look forward to it.”

With a heavy sigh, Khitti takes his fist into her own hand, squeezing it softly before carefully uncurling his fingers and lacing her own with them. "You need to take your own advice sometimes and stop being so hard on yourself." Her free hand moves to his chin, forcing him to look at her, her tone stern as she spoke again, "I -love- you. I don't even have to say it because I know you can feel it, but I'm saying it anyway. I don't care about your past, just like you don't care about mine. It's gone. It's done. It's over vith. I care about now...and -you-...and teaching you how to read and making sure zhat you're alive...and...and our future. So...just -stop-." It was her turn apparently to get a bit harsh with him now, but it wasn't done completely out of anger, love was definitely mixed in there and radiating across their link.

“Alright, alright. I love you too, but enough already,” Dominic said, playfully batting that hand away from his chin with his own free hand before grasping it, so that both his hands were occupied by both of hers. He was grimacing at the bit of lecture, but there was a hint of a genuine smile behind it. “I’m fine, really. Let’s get on with it, yeah?”

Khitti sticks out her tongue at him, then kisses each of his hands and laughs. "Fiiiine. If you say so." There was a little bit of worry in the back of her mind that she tried to hide from him. That aching feeling that she'd never truly be able to comfort him when it came to certain things. "Alright. Um. Let me zhink. Vhat story should I use?" A gentle squeeze is given to his hands as she thinks, "Oh! I could show you my favorite one. It's about a mermaid zhat vants to go on land. She doesn't vant to eat people like her sisters and zhe rest of zhe mermaids do, especially after saving a prince from drowning!" The vampiress is almost child-like in her excitement. Clearly, it was still her favorite.

Dominic rearranged himself as Khitti spoke. Mindful not to bump his leg against anything, he moved so he could rest his head in her lap. He’d close his eyes as she told the story, the words and letters and images floating up to him through their link. One hand still held hers, loosely, relaxed; he fidgeted from time to time but mostly laid still and attentive.

Lightly playing with his hair as she spoke, she did her best to each word or letter carefully and clear enough for him to understand, even with that damned accent of hers. When she was close to being finished, she let out a yawn, clearly much more tired than before, the excessive use of the link tiring her a bit. Or maybe it was the story putting her to sleep as it had so often in the past. Her words trailed off as her eyes closed, and not much longer after that, she'd be asleep sitting up with his head still in her lap, without even finishing the end of the story.

“...Khitti?” Dominic opened one eye and squinted up at her. When there was no response, he rose out of her lap and gently pulled her so she could lie down properly, carefully adjusting himself all the while to try and make room for both of them on the single cot. On his side now, he wrapped an arm around her waist and rubbed a hand at the small of her back. It wouldn’t be long before he fell back into sleep as well, tangled around her.