OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part Three

[brave_kreyu]

The lost city is carved into stone, even into the earth itself in places. A small oasis remains, and that's where Kreyu lands in her dragon shape, Skellig on her back.

An entire PRIDE of lions was asleep here, this place a den, but Kreyu's arrival sends them all fleeing in terror. THEY know who the most terrible predator in the area is quite well, thank you!

"A bit of luck. Nothing too big should be here, if they had made this place a den." They won't be back while they can still smell her scent.

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[27_53]

"Here," he says, once they have sufficiently (and then some) packed the bags full. He puts a hand on each of them in turn, cocks his head to the side, and mutters a few words under his breath, a language she will not recognize.

"They will be lighter now," he says. "And they should hold stronger, somewhat." As explanation: "It has worked before...for my coat." The specifics of the spell are hazy, but his coat has seen a lot. Wherever it has ended up.

Once they are ready (and redressed), Skellig shoulders one of the packs, plus the one that holds their 'regular' supplies.

[brave_kreyu]

"So very clever," she tells him when he applies the spell. She smiles at the erotic art on the door as they close it behind them.

The way OUT of the city is quicker than their explorations on the way in. The lions are still gone when they step outside again. Kreyu takes off her kilt.

"Will definitely need to be in dragon shape again to reach the city with all of this in a reasonable time frame."

[27_53]

It is the time of day when late afternoon fades into early evening - the dusky hints of twilight beginning to threaten the horizon - and Skellig is somewhat grateful for this, as it does not totally jar his senses as much as emerging into the blazing sunlight of the midday would. Once he's readjusted, he takes her kilt from her and folds it, tucks it away safely - the motion already becoming well-practiced and automatic.

"Should still be less of a burden than the whale," he offers, cheekily.

Even WITH his ability to lighten that load, it still was not LIGHT by any means.

Once she has shifted to her dragon form, he carefully loads the 3 packs onto her body, then climbs up to 'his spot' on her neck, ensuring that their loot is secure for a flight of distance. As a bonus, the one that contains the carefully folded silks will make a most-excellent pillow, should he choose to nap.

But he will likely choose to enjoy the view this time - at least while the sun still lights the sky.

[brave_kreyu]

"Much easier," Kreyu agrees, amused at his cheekiness. The spells she casts on them are becoming familiar by now.

She surges into the sky, leaving the lost city behind, at least for now. The delta is green below them, even in the dry season. Tiny dots on the river must be boats, moving up and down the river, beneath them as they fly.

The sun sets, and the stars come out, a whole cloak of brilliant sparks set in the sky.

[27_53]

Becoming more familiar as well is the act of being the 'passenger' in the air, rather than allowing his own wings to propel himself to their destination.

Skellig asks occasional questions (mostly about navigation; where they are in relation to the village, to other landmarks, the coastline, etc.) and they make light conversation until the sun sets, and once the stars come out he trails off for the majority and works to pick out constellations that are familiar to him. There are still only a few, and there are simply so many stars that he can see it is still tough, but he is learning.

(He never quite falls fully asleep, but he might doze a few times.)

[brave_kreyu]

Amikaya sits on the sea, surrounded by vast fields. Surrounded by stone walls, there is SOME light that can be seen, fires lit in various places, torches and braziers. Kreyu mutters a spell to conceal them as she moves lower in the sky.

She lands, VERY carefully, on the wall, which protests her weight. She should probably not stay in this shape up here long.

[27_53]

Ensuring that his amulet is in place (and his wings are hidden), Skellig quickly hops off her body and onto the wall, packs in tow (don't ask how he manages three of them, he just does) to allow her to shift back into her 'human' shape as fast as possible.

Tearing down the wall of the city would NOT be the best way to begin this trip to Amikaya.

Before leaving the lost city, she had pointed out a different outfit she wanted to have ready after they landed; he has it ready and available once she shifts. His senses are extended to watch for any people who may wander close; if they do, he will 'suggest' they go elsewhere.

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu swiftly pulls on the dress and sandals, kissing Skellig after she's done. The dress does cover more of her, but the linen is thin enough that he can see the shape of her body through it. (And some people say what you CAN'T see is more erotic than what you can.)

"Thank you, love. I tried to land us close to where we are going." With wings, getting down off the wall is a simple matter. Amikaya is different from cities as Skellig may remember them, smaller, the buildings of mud brink and stone. There is social stratification here, rich and poor, but as they move through the city Skellig won't feel that edge of desperation, starvation, the stress of not having somewhere to take shelter at night from ANYONE.

[27_53]

"I do not mind to walk," he says, shrugging as they begin to move through the streets. "It is what I am used to."

Skellig keeps himself relatively 'under the radar', so to speak, as they venture into the city. He is not actively hiding himself, just not going out of his way to make himself known or seen. Mostly, he is observing - picking up on words, phrases he overhears, studying mannerisms of people they pass by, noting the general energy of the spaces, listening to the echoes from the doorways.

She is leading, but he stays close to her side.

[brave_kreyu]

They reach a complex of buildings around a central garden, the exterior walls painted with blue lotuses.

"This is the place, although we won't be going in the front way." There is a crowd of revelers in the garden already, and people coming in and out. Many of the revelers appear to be wealthy, from their jewelry, although some of the people who are dressed plainly are sticking close to other patrons much as Skellig is staying close to Kreyu. "People usually call it the House of Blue Lotuses."

She leads him around the side of the building into an alley. Up on the second floor, there is a door leading out onto an empty, open, space on the roof. "If I knock on that door there in a particular way, they'll know it's me." There's no ladder or steps to get up that high, and the walls are quite smooth. Enough to make one wonder why the door exists at all.

[27_53]

Skellig takes note first of the crowd of revelers, cocking his head curiously at the energy that he is sensing throughout the people who are coming and going from the establishment as they walk around into the alley.

(Throughout his lifetime - lifetimes? - he has found himself often in places that some might consider 'less than reputable'. People tend to ask less questions; they don't care who you are, why you are there, what your plans exactly are. And they are willing to look the other way, when the need arises.)

"A most curious door," he comments, sliding a little closer to her, one arm reaching out, his hand settling against her lower back as he looks up at the rooftop. "They will not question just exactly how you and your...friend...managed to get up there, to enter?"

The energy in the space inside the walls is positive, joyful, devious. Skellig appreciates it, even if he has no need to absorb any of it to replenish his own reserves. Kreyu has done a splendid job of taking care of him in that manner. With his ears, he's already listening around them - footsteps that might enter the alley, see them 'jump'.

[brave_kreyu]

"Magic is such a useful explanation, when one is known to be a mage." Her grin is mischievous. "Shall we?"

It's a quick flight up to the second floor. She raps quickly three times on the door, pauses, then gives another two raps. It's not long before the door opens, revealing a woman whose energy is tense, worried. "Kreyu!" she sounds so VERY relieved. "The winged goddess herself must have sent you. Ahmose, he was trying to remove some rowdy patrons from the premises, but one of them hit his back with a heavy chair." She swallows. "He can't feel his left leg and he's in so much pain.." That's when she notices Skellig.

"This is Skellig," Kreyu tells her, sensing her caution. "He's my..," she almost says MATE, but that won't do here. "He's mine." She glances at Skellig, the unspoken question of 'can you help?' hanging in the air. She doesn't know how much energy he NEEDS to heal as he can.

[27_53]

Skellig offers a slight nod of his head (towards the woman who opens the door) in acknowledgement of his 'introduction', but then nods more firmly at Kreyu, when she asks if he can help.

"Of course," he says, confidently - but he's not cocky, it is more concern in his voice than anything. "I would just need to see him, lay hands. If we could go to him?"

With an injury as described, and those symptoms, his mind is already ticking off things he might need to fix. And if Kreyu is known as a mage in this place, then magic is accepted, and his own abilities will likely not cause a huge stir...

[brave_kreyu]

The woman nods rapidly, stands back to let them through the door. This part of the complex is meant for staff as opposed to customers. Simple decorations on the walls, smaller rooms. "We gave him opium, but it wasn't enough to make him sleep. We did not dare give him any more."

"We'll find out what's going on, Neferu," Kreyu tells her, tone soothing.

They are led quickly to a room where someone has lit a brazier. A man slightly shorter than Skellig but quite strong and broadly built lies on his stomach. Even with a sizeable amount of opium in his system, his pain is LOUD in the room.

[27_53]

Not only is the pain loud, but the energy is harsh and jagged, and Skellig has to grit his teeth as they step into the room, because damn that hurts.

"Opium will not fix that," he mutters under his breath, through a clenched jaw. Crossing the distance, still following Kreyu - because this man is clearly not to be trifled with, even in this condition that he is in currently.

"Ahmose," he speaks, a bit more firmly, pushing his own discomfort aside. His words straightforward and basic. (He can sense the disorientation, the opium cutting through some of the pain, but not all of it.) "I am Skellig, a friend of Kreyu's. I can work to fix this, but I'll have to touch you."

It is less of an ask for permission, more of a warning. His eyes dart to Kreyu, basically asking if he tries to knock my head off, you'll knock him out?

[brave_kreyu]

"Please," Ahmose begs. "Anything, it HURTS." There's pride and then there's stupidity, he KNOWS he needs help.

Kreyu nods in answer to his unspoken question.

When Skellig puts hands on him, he'll confirm what he likely already suspects. The injury is BAD. Not as bad as it COULD be, but bad. The nerves and the spinal cord are intact, but bone is displaced, pinching on the nerves as they run out of the spine and into his leg. And if the bone moves the wrong way or heals with bone spurs, it COULD cause damage to the spine. In the world he came from, something like this would be treated with surgery, with metal pins to hold the piece of bone in the right place as it healed.

Here, without magic, even if he could somehow keep the bones exactly where they are for months while he heals, it would mean a life of agony that even opium won't quell. But Skellig has magic, has more energy he can pull from in his bracelet, from Kreyu, from Neferu's desperate hope.

[27_53]

Kreyu did not get to witness this process from an outsider's perspective the last time he worked, and while the injury is not as immediately critical as hers was, it is still quite serious.

Skellig is careful with his hands, one moving to the back of Ahmose's neck briefly (where with Kreyu, his priority was stopping the bleeding, stopping the tearing of flesh and tissues as she struggled against Death's grip) to allow his reach to extend to the pain receptors in the mind, taking off some of the sparks that are crackling along the aggravated spinal cord, the nerves screaming. He needs less tension, and taking away the HURT will help greatly.

Once he is satisfied (Ahmose is still awake, but the opium will find it a bit easier to work now) Skellig's focus shifts to the spine, gritting his teeth once again as he cocks his head to the side, staring at the dark bruise that covers the skin (seeing beneath it with his ears, listening to the muscles and tendons and nerves that are still quivering, screaming, why is it so loud in here) intently.

(His feet are again just barely touching the floor.)

A few words are uttered under his breath, then he shakes his head, huffing in frustration before his posture changes, his fingers twitch, fingertips pressing against the bruise. Ahmose sucks in a pained breath, but Skellig's eyes don't shift away from what he's staring at.

(Coaxing a vertebra back into alignment is not a quick or simple task, even in circumstances less stressful than this.)

The colors of the bruise shift slightly, there is a noticeable reduction in swelling beneath the skin. Adjusting his jaw, he moves his hand a little lower, then a little higher. After another pause, Skellig's gaze quickly darts to look down at Ahmose's left foot. He scowls at it briefly, pausing once more. Then the foot twitches, and Skellig hears Ahmose exhale, relief mixed with pain.

"There you are," he mutters, voice low (but pleased) as his expression shifts into more of a smirk. "That's what I wanted of you."

[brave_kreyu]

Kreyu smiles, reading success in his words. She doesn't speak, but reaches out to touch Skellig gently. An offer of energy, if he needs it. She's intrigued by how he heals, how it is different from the healing she knows. He is a WONDER!

[27_53]

Skellig does not need the energy desperately, but since she is offering it freely to him, he will take a hint of it - Karma and Light no longer clash like warriors when they meet, but intertwine happily instead.

"He will rest easier tonight. By morning it will have eased enough he should be able to bear full weight on that leg."

[brave_kreyu]

The combination of lack of pain and opium have dragged Ahmose into sleep, but Neferet is still awake. "Thank you," she tells him, voice thick with happy tears. Her energy is all relief, joy.

"I have never met a finer healer," Kreyu tells him. "Neferet, I will settle matters properly with Mama tomorrow, but If we could take advantage of her hospitality for tonight.." Kreyu has fished a golden necklace with tiny dangling charms from their bags. "We've had quite the journey."

It is AMAZING just how fast the necklace disappears into a pocket of Neferet's dress. "Of course!" Neferet replies. "Your usual room, and then the baths?"

"Please. And if Huy still keeps odd hours, we could use a few items of clothing."

Neferet waves a hand in dismissal. "No trouble for old friends." Kreyu tells Neferet what she wants quite specifically, though the meaning of a lot of it is likely to go over Skellig's head.

Neferet leads them through winding corridors to a different part of the complex. This section is grander, more elaborately painted. Neferet opens the door to a room with a bed, chests, and a small dressing table. The furniture is quite lovely, decorative, the wood carved with lotus flowers. A garden with lotus ponds is painted on the walls, and the air hums gently with Karma, like Heka's bolt hole did. Neferet slips Kreyu a key. "You can come right on down to the baths when you're done," and takes her leave. Kreyu helps move their treasures inside the room.

The room has echoes, nothing UNPLEASANT, but it's clear to Skellig that this room is USUALLY rented hourly for pursuits of a sexual nature either with a lover or with one of the sex workers who are employed here.

[27_53]

To his credit, Skellig is only partially listening to the conversation between Kreyu and Neferet in regards to the requests for clothing and other items; his focus stays on Ahmose, occasionally 'tweaking' a thing here or there until they take their leave.

So yes, most everything goes directly over his head.

Once the door has been latched behind them, their bags set down safely, Skellig quickly allows his senses to sweep through the room - and then he barks out a laugh when it becomes crystal clear to him that his earlier suspicions were indeed correct.

There is a nervous energy about him, full of adrenaline and pride and something else; another laugh, this one more of a personal one, private - that he would only share with her. She is very close to him, so there is no true distance to close as he spins on his heel and pulls her to him, arm wrapping around her waist as he kisses her firmly on the mouth.

His 'victory lap', as it were.

[brave_kreyu]

She was about to ask what he was laughing at, when he pulls her into a kiss. She's quite content to press her body to his, return the firm kiss.

"Something struck you as funny?" she asks when the kiss ends.

[27_53]

"Not so much funny as it is more...a release of my energy."

He keeps his body pressed to hers, but does not 'push' any further.

"I would have you hold onto it," he adds. "Until later, after we've had a chance to bathe." Skellig glances around the room, his eyes falling to the mural painted on the wall. "And we've eaten."

[brave_kreyu]

"An excellent idea," she replies. She kisses him gently. "It's not far."

They stow their bags in one of the chests in the room, then make their way to the baths. There are a series of rooms that make up the baths, Kreyu leads him into the first one. The room is mostly filled by a limestone tile lined hot tub like structure, heated by a fire burning somewhere in the basement.

Someone has thoughtfully left them a tray with some kind of stuffed breads and two mugs of beer, perched on the edge of the tub.

Kreyu smiles. "Lovely." She carefully disrobes, puts her clothes on a shelf, and climbs into the water.

[27_53]

Skellig does not hide the fact that he watches her disrobe - there is something so very pleasing to him about watching the linen slip from her skin, revealing the form he has come to know so well. He is wearing less, so once she has entered the water, he follows suit - his kilt placed onto a shelf, then he takes his place beside her, allowing his body to adjust to the heat as he settles.

"Very much so," he agrees. Reaching for the mugs of beer, he fetches her one, passes it over.