July 13th - Thursday - Evening

It was late when Roni slipped out of the office and paused at the base of the stairs to pluck a cigarette free from her ever loved silver case, gifted by Nick. Little time passed before the smoke met her lips, and finger had fished out her neon pink baby bic. The flicker of flame illuminates her tired face as the end of her cigarette comes to meet and mingle with the flame. That first draw has her cheeks dimpling until the cherry glowed red.

Her plans for the night were simple. Head down the street to that one place with amazing wings, order way too many of them, then call Eddie for a ride home so she could eat them all and not feel guilty. She?d smoke on the walk, and get it out of the way now. There was just one thing she wasn?t planning on, and that was Zagan crawling out from under whatever rock he had decided to hide under for the night. She wasn?t aware of it first, because she was focused on the cigarette she drew from and the thought of food that called to her. She wasn?t aware, because he wanted her to be.

She wasn?t aware?. not until she was close to the restaurant. Until she had let her guard down, because she was close to the safety of others and the comfort of food. It was at that moment, that the man of her fueled nightmares stepped out of the shadows behind her, an unamused sneer plastered on his features. She had struck him, shot him with an iron laden bullet. The wound had taken a while to heal, and even still it was tender. He used it as fuel in his already burning pyre of anger that he had for his defiant little doll.

He followed her for a couple more steps, before he stopped. ?Lovely. Where are you going tonight? I do suggest that you make other plans.? His voice of gravel and smoke was all growl, low and promising the threat the violence that glowed in those neon blue hues of his.

His voice made her freeze, the violence in it turned her blood to ice water. She shifted nimbly on her feet, whirled around to face him while her fingers dipped under the hem of her skirt for that pretty little gun of hers. She wanted to shoot him again. Only this time she wanted to make sure that he didn?t skitter away like the cockroach he was to lick his wounds and come back another day. She had managed to free the gun and get it in her hand, when he clucked his tongue at her disapprovingly.

?Ronixi. I was kind last time. But now that you?ve shot me, I won?t be kind this time. One warning. Put the gun away. Or you will not like me. It?s not a threat, it?s a promise.?

His words were met with the click of the safety, and the end of the gun?s barrel pointed his way. She wanted to shoot him. More than anything in the world, she wanted to shoot him, and keep shooting him until the gun clicked empty, and he was laying on the ground dead. Then just for good measure she?d cut out his heart and bury it before throwing his body to the water for the scavengers.

At least that was what she wanted to do. She didn?t get the chance, because just as her finger moved to tighten on the trigger, he spoke.

?Ronixi Sulrealta. Drop. The. Gun.? A smirk tugged up a corner of his mouth, painting his features with all his smug cruelty.

He spoke her true name, and wrongness slid through her like a slick snake, leaving tension in its wake. Her fingers trembled, and she wanted nothing more than to squeeze and shoot, but instead, one by one, her fingers uncurled, as much as she tried to fight against it. She was helpless before him, just like she had been so many times before. There was no fighting the pull and lure to bend and listen to his instruction with the power that her name held. The gun clattered to the ground, he stalked his way closer, and kicked it aside.

?Did you forget that I knew your true name? That I hold the power over you that it contains? Did you forget that at the core of things, that you are truly and wholly mine, doll? You?ve been playing free woman for far too long, lovely. It?s time for you to wake up and realize that so long as I own your name? I own you as well. It is time for you to come away from your fairytale, lovely. Time to wake up and come back home. You have had your fun long enough.?

As he spoke, his fingers traced the delicate planes of her face, light and gentle like they were long lost lovers finally reunited. She scowled at him, as it wasn?t easy for her to do much of anything else but stand there, and listen to his words, suffer his touch, and wonder if tonight was the night that everything she had worked so hard for in Rhy?din was over. She did though, manage to spit, right in his face. ?Go **** yourself, Zagan.? She growled the words, something feral and trapped in those abyssal hues of hers.

Along his jawline a muscle twitched, and a hand came up to wipe away the wetness that had landed on his cheek. ?Ronixi? Ronixi, Lovely. You forget. You keep making all the wrong moves, every time we meet. Last time you punched me. Last time you shot me. This time you try to shoot me, and insult me by spitting in my face.? Once he was finished speaking, the same hand that wiped the spit away lashed out to crack across her face.

The noise that escaped was pained and sharp, and angry red quickly flushed to the surface of her skin. She jerked, stumbled a step back, and came to a stop when his hand lashed out to catch her by the arm and pull her in close.

?I?m tired of your insolent disobedience. I?m tired of you forgetting just who, and what you are, Ronixi, and I think that it is time for me to remind you, yes??

She snapped her teeth in frustration at his words, tried to jerk away from his grasp, but couldn?t. ?I haven?t forgotten the innocent girl you took and broke. I haven?t forgotten everything you?ve done to me, Zagan. The countless beatings, the twisted words and expectations. I?m just not her any more. I?m not the terrified helpless Roni that I was. I?m making a life for myself, that even if you drag me back to your estate, you can?t take away from me. So screw you. It?s mine, and mine alone.?

Her words had him perking a brow, before laughter rolled out of him, deep and rumbly like thunder on a summer?s night. Once it subsided, the malicious mirth on his features did not. ?It?s time I reminded you of who you are, who you belong to. Ronixi Sulrealta. You are going to kneel. You are going to accept your constant reminder, and then you are going to accept everything you have earned since you decided to run away with that bitch, Siobhan. You're going to do it now.?

She wanted to fight it. She wanted to fight his words, but how could she when her traitorous body was already bending, legs folding to give in to his whim and direction? How could she fight him when he had such a power over her that left her weak and helpless, unable to even lash out against him, unable to fight? She couldn?t. Just like she couldn?t help the tears that threatened with the prickle at the backs of her eyes. She could glare, and scowl, but she couldn?t even lift a damned finger to fight back. And it terrified her. For the first time since she had found out he had come to Rhy?din, she was absolutely petrified by the fact that she couldn?t fight back.

Helpless. Wholly and completely helpless.

Even as he pulled something from his pocket, thin and sleek silver. A collar, too shiny to be Iron, with a thin line of bright blue gems through the center that glittered in the lamplight.?This, my lovely, is a reminder to you, and to everyone else as to just who you belong to.? As he spoke, he brought up his empty hand to trail along the length of her throat. Then the other came up, and she felt cold metal circle around her throat. Something clicked into place.

?And this.? He started as his hand delved back into his pocket, and came back out with a small lock, dull gray in color, iron. She could already see the red angry welts and burns just touching it had left on his hand. ?Is to remind you as to what you are.? He threaded the hook of the lock through the loop of her collar, and snapped it shut. The cold metal burned where it touched her skin. It was humiliating. To have such a bold and painful claim laid on her when she could do nothing but kneel there and accept it.

His hand drifted up to cup her chin, before he leaned in. ?Lastly, doll, this is to remind you that there are consequences for your actions and your defiance.? He tilted her head one way so he could kiss one cheek, then the other, on top of the sting of bruises that were just beginning to flower. ?And there will continue to be so, until one of us stops breathing.?

There were so many words she could spit in response, but she didn?t? she just accepted it because there was absolutely nothing that she could do apart from that. The lesson in words just making things worse was learned long ago, and at the moment, she had no want to add fuel to the fire of anger that already burned within him. Her shoulders slumped, her head tilted down so she could stare at his feet, and she waited for the storm to come, defeated.

And it rolled over her quickly. It started with another backhanded crack across her face. Another that split her lip, and left a trickle of blood in its wake. A third that sent her sprawling while starburst dots danced across her vision, and her world went sideways.

The blows came relentlessly, endlessly without stopping. The solid plant of a foot to her ribs drew a yelp of pain as several of them gave way with a sickening crack. Another kick broke several fingers and the bones in one hand as she tried to curl up and protect herself. A stomping foot dislocated her ankle with sharp pain that shot up her leg?. Soon enough, she lost track of the blows that came, she lost count of how many times pain lanced through her.

It wasn?t long before pain was all that she knew. Pain and blood. Blood from the split in her lip, blood from the scrapes of the cobbles against her skin, blood where his blows managed to break skin, and blood that bubbled past her lips as she struggled to breathe. It was when the pain reached a point where she thought that it couldn?t get any worse, that she just wished for him to be done with it. She wished for the sweet freedom that ceasing to exist would bring, because it had to be better than this. It had to be better than living a life stalked and tormented by a man that laid claim to all she was.

She just wanted it to stop. The constant throes of new pain, the collision of some part of him, with another part of her. The sharp tang of her own blood and the salt of her tears as they mingled. She stayed curled, trying to protect what parts of her that she could, and she just waited for it all to end, even though it seemed endless. Constant, deflating, and degrading. It was here that she realized that she was still the terrified helpless Roni that she had tried to desperately to erase with fancy weapons, bold words and the desperate desire to prove that she was something different than what she had known.

And not that she could see, but the man that bestowed each carefully place blow did so gleefully. He enjoyed it. The pain that he brought her, the way her blood ran, bubbled and oozed. And he didn?t want to stop. Not yet. So each blow was placed in a way to bring more pain, but not any substantial damage. To further his enjoyment in it. To watch her suffer like he had the night she shot him point blank in the gut, lucky as he always seemed to be that she had narrowly missed the important inside bits.

Sain tore through what was left of Zagan?s defenses, paying no heed to what it was he destroyed in the dash through the fae?s psyche. He broke through, and what was Zagan came into focus. Everything the man was. The bastards name. There? Sain smiled to himself as his lips formed the words? but Zagan was gone. The asshole had winked at him. Rage filled Sain with an intensity that fueled a telekinetic storm around him. Black curled down his arms and the sword in his hand burned as it fought to absorb the magic that Sain unleashed on the alley around him. Cracks spiderwebbed from beneath him as he fought to push the reaction down. Zagan was gone. There was no helping that. He?d track the bastard down once more and next time? he knew just what to do when he found the fae. He looked back at Roni and winced. She was? broken. And Sain had broken her himself over and over again. She was right, he was no better than Zagan? and now he was no different. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his first aid kit. It wasn?t much, but it held some meds strong enough to affect hunters? they?d hit Roni like a ton of bricks.

Moving to her side he dropped down to one knee, opening the kit and charging a few pills with a hefty dose of his aura. It would help to lessen the pain and jumpstart the healing process. Sain was no healer? the best he had was battlefield medicine. Enough to get her on her feet, but no real treatment. He had to get her somewhere he could take care of her? and there was only one way he knew of to do that without risking her injuries getting worse. Magic.

Sain closed his eyes and focused hard on what he wanted to do. A shifting? folding space so where they were wasn?t where they happened to be? how did Eolai do this? He shook his head. He couldn?t wrap his brain around the concept. Instead he decided to try something he knew would work? if somewhat less elegant. Sain took a deep breath, putting his fingers up and making a box with his index and thumb on both hands? and then widening it to include Roni. The portal formed just past Roni. His aim was off, he?d have to move her. But not far. The portal would lead to? hopefully, Sain?s apartment. His medical supplies should do the trick? mostly. Eolai?s manifestations had necessitated a more extensive setup at home.

There was pain. So much of it that it was one of the only things she was familiar with at the moment. Even still, she could feel the energy that poured off the hunter, tainted with a burning rage that whipped like a maelstrom. Such a reaction made her figured that Zagan had gotten away still, and if she didn?t hurt so damned much there may have been a little room for terror. She heard the shift of clothing as he drew closer and knelt besides her, and all she wanted was for the hunter to go away, to leave her be. After the things he had said to her last time they met, she?d rather bleed in the streets till some stranger came along, then let him try and fix her. She couldn?t stand more gentle touches like the one he had bestowed her with when he first arrived on the scene, not when she knew that he couldn?t give two ****s about her.

It wasn't until the draw and pull of magic that transported them had passed before slowly the fae shifted so that she could stare up at Sain. Her breath came shallow, in little struggling gasps.

Sain and Roni ended up in his apartment just as planned. Roni would find herself on his couch, in the same apartment she?d visited. Nothing had really changed except there was now a bed in the other room. Sain couldn?t bring himself to go into that room lately. It was Eolai?s room now. Sain was just a guest, in his body and in his home. The hunter gently set to work assessing the damage, aware the first issue would be getting Roni to breathe normally again. Once he?d gotten a good idea of what was busted, he moved to the wardrobe that had once been in the other room and now stood alongside his workbenches. Several bottles of liquid, bandages, gauze, antiseptic, and a wooden box all floated through the air back to the coffee table. Sain finally withdrew a sewing kit just in case and headed back to the couch. Setting the kit on the table, he grabbed the wooden box and opened it up to reveal several very small vials of white pearly liquid about the size of a pinky finger. He uncorked one and put some of the liquid along his fingers.

?Roni, I need you to listen to me carefully. I understand you don?t want my help. It?s the last thing you want and I get it. But you?re likely to die if I don?t. So hate me all you want. But I?m not letting that happen.? He leaned forward and gently ran the tip of his finger, coated with the white substance, along her lips. ?This is a pain medication. It shouldn?t affect your thinking. Blink at me if things get fuzzy and I?ll do what I can to help?? The pain medication was a potent mix of opioid and auric charge. Likely it would hit her like a truck, considering it was strong enough to affect hunters like Sain, whose bodies burned off most medications before they could have much effect. He set about taking a closer look at the damage, reading her aura as well as looking at her flesh, here and there he even touched her wounds with the lightest of touches to get a little psychometry reading on what had happened.

His apartment. There were memories of the first time she had come there, but they weren?t focused on. It was his words. Every single one of them was right, and probably true. Including the part of her dying if she didn?t get some kind of medical help. Even bruised, bloodied and humming with pain, she managed to give him a scowl that confirmed his words. Breathing was hard, she was starting to feel a little dizzy headed, not from blood loss, but more from shortness of breath. After he explained what the white powder was for, and applied it, her tongue darted to follow the path of his finger along her lower lip. Almost immediately the pain faded? and not that she would admit, but it made her dislike him a little less. Solely because of the fact that the reprieve from pain was like the first gasp of air after nearly drowning. Needed and very much welcomed.

The more he assessed her injuries, he'd find that she was covered in bruises from nearly head to toe, the heaviest and darkest of them stretched across her ribs and stomach. Several ribs were snapped, causing the puncture and collapse of a lung, which was the source of the bubbling blood and shortness of breath. There was the possibility of internal bleeding as well. Her right ankle was dislocated and the bones in her left hand were broken. He?d find from his psychometric readings that almost all of her injuries came from the blunt force of Zagan?s foot.

As she laid there on his couch, and he fluttered around her, assessing her injuries, she couldn?t help the quiet shame that settled over her. She had been so sure of herself. So positive that she would have been able to handle Zagan. So confident. And with two simple words, he had taken all of that away from her, and stomped it into the ground. Quite literally. The lack of pain let her thoughts drift, over Siobhan, Antonia. And she didn?t think that since she had come to Rhy?din, that she had wanted the company of of her two friends as much as she did now. They were much better than her current company too.

Sain?s face grew more and more angered the longer he looked and checked her injuries. But when he was finished, he started prioritizing. The anger was put away, and Sain set to work. First, the internal injuries and the punctured lung had to be handled. He turned around and opened a first aid kit. It was filled with some rather? esoteric things. He withdrew a small metal tube, the end of it sharpened and flat. He gave her an apologetic look. ?Don?t look.? He said quietly. The end of the tube was laced with the white pain medication as he slowly traced the broken rib that had punctured her lung. His aura flared as he concentrated it on the end of the tube, and slipped it between her ribs into the lung where the rib had punctured it. At least the pain medication and his aura would keep her from feeling it, and the auric charge would keep it from doing further damage. The blood that had seeped into the lung poured out of the tube, and once it stopped Sain telekinetically set her rib back where it should be. The process wasn?t one that a normal person could undergo without being completely numb to it. He continued the process, resetting each of the broken ribs carefully.

She should be able to breathe much easier now, which would get her through to a healer or a hospital. But he was worried about the internal bleeding too. Sain looked up at her with another apologetic look. ?I need to make sure you?re internal injuries aren?t going to make you bleed to death on the inside. I can help stop it? but? you aren?t gonna like it.? He said quietly. He pulled the scalpel from the first aid kit. ?You can hit me later if you want.? The work was quick and efficient, briskly cutting away her clothing except for her underthings. The bruising made him worry further. He turned back to the table and picked up one of the liquid bottles, splashing the contents on his hands before they began to glow with auric light.

Sain laid his hands along her midsection, slowly working them along the auric channels of her body. There was no blushing, as he was wholly focused on the task at hand. Hopefully her internal bleeding would stop when the catalyst he put on his hands and charged with his aura sped up her immune system?s response to bleeding. It wouldn?t fix the damage? but it should keep her from bleeding to death. ?I?m not a doctor or a healer Roni? but I can keep you alive till you get to one. I don?t care if you hate me? I? I won?t let you die on me.?

She let the hunter do what he was doing, mainly because he had some idea of what he was doing, and her pain was gone for the moment? plus if he was trying so desperately to keep her afloat until she could get to a doctor or a healer? then he wouldn?t hurt her? much. She just focused on her thoughts, her friends, and good things that had happened since she came to Rhy?din, because if she focused on the bad, everything would just crash down over her in a tidal wave. It wasn?t until he had drained the blood from her lungs, and set her ribs back where they belonged that she realized that breathing was easier. That and the lack of most pain was encouragement to draw in deeper breaths.

When he spoke again, it took a moment before abyssal hues came to focus on him. Internal bleeding, plus every little bit of agonizing pain she had felt before the white powder had found her lips. Boy, had Zagan done a number on her, a humiliating and painful number. One that made her want, no, her need to put a bullet in his brain even stronger. She knew now that such was the only way she would have some kind of peace of mind, and that would be with the Fae?s death. Hopefully by her hands. When he spoke of her hitting him later and pulled a scalpel free, she arched a brow, and watched carefully. When he started slicing away at her clothes, her eyes narrowed on him. ?I?m probably gonna hit you more than once for this.? She finally spoke, her voice soft and raspy.

?The only reason I haven?t tried yet is because I don?t want to die.? The admission came softer, as he laid bare hands on her bruised and purpled stomach. Whatever he was doing though, would take hold, and do what it needed to. She wasn?t resistant to magic, and like she said, she didn?t want to die, so she would not fight it. His words on keeping her alive and her hating him were met with silence for several moments. Then, she moved, almost suddenly, the hand that hadn?t been broken moved to try and catch his wrist in a solid grip, if albeit weak. ?This is a lot of effort coming from someone who told me not too long ago that I was essentially nothing to him.? Despite how broken she felt at the moment, and how much he had broken her, those abyssal hues of hers were seeking out the warm chocolate of his eyes. That was all she said, before she let him go, and let her hand lay at her side once again.

Sain nodded. ?Of course you will.? He said quietly. She?d have to live through this to do that though, but the fact that she was talking was a good sign. That she didn?t want to die was even better. He finished the ministrations to her internal injuries and was pulling his hands away when she grabbed his wrist. He turned those brown eyes to her, meeting the abyssal hues that sought out his gaze. ?I lied.? He said softly. Turning his eyes back to her injuries when she let go of his wrist. Her hand was shattered, but not as high on the list of priorities as her ankle. He moved down her leg, and quickly popped it back into place. There was no way to numb the pain? but luckily it had only been dislocated. She?d be sore for some time though. Her hand came next. Sain?s aura flashed again, the glow around his palms encouraging bone growth as he slowly set about resetting the bones. It wasn?t a fix. It was more like keeping her bones from splintering more until a doctor or healer could give her a cast? or more likely pin the bones back in place if she didn?t have a magical healer deal with the injuries. Which she probably should at this point.

?I lied.? He repeated. ?I thought you?d be safer, and I thought I could handle Zagan more easily.? He had been right about the second part. Nothing Zagan had said had even made Sain hesitate. Not until? He grimaced and tried to focus. ?It doesn?t matter? but I?m sorry.? He said soft enough that she may not hear him. The hunter was broken in as many ways as she was, just not on the outside. ?You can hate me. Probably best you do.? He said loud enough for her to hear this time. ?I?m no better than he is. So you should.? It was pretty clear who he meant, considering the damage he was doing to her. It was just not all as physical as the damage Zagan had done?. But just as painful, if not as tied to her being as Zagan?s methods. Sain had simply broken her heart and spirit. Zagan had seen to her will and her body.

His talk of lying about her not meaning anything to him had surprise bleeding across her features. He had been so convincing, so? cruel with his words that it would have been easier if he hadn?t been. It wouldn?t have her brain so full of confusion. ?You-? Her words started, but were interjected by a yelp, and a string of choice words and names for him that followed him popping her ankle back into place. Her teeth snapped together after, a hiss escaped, and her attention snapped back onto him. ?You lied.? She echoed his words, and sank back into his couch after. ?You?re a damned convincing liar.? She mutters the words softly, and worked on focusing her attention on her broken hand as he worked to set the bones within.

His repetition of lying, and his reasoning behind it? and yes, even his apology has her falling quiet. He had been soft with the latter words, but her ears were sharp, and he was only so far away from her. Bloodstained teeth caught her bloodstained lower lip, and worried it as she considered, tried to think of something to say in response. ?Yeah. Look where that ended me.? The words she finally spoke were bitter with irony. ?I?ve tried to hate you already. It still hasn?t worked Sain. I can?t, and it makes me angrier at this whole thing.? A pause. ?You made me happy once. You were a choice, where Zagan was not. You didn?t force yourself on me.? She swallowed, and tried to chase the lump from her throat. ?Maybe things would be a lot easier if I could hate you.? This is admitted whisper soft. ?I?d cry a lot less, and maybe all this wouldn?t hurt so damned much.? Once more, bitterness seeps into her voice, only this time it is not from irony, but anger. At him, at herself, and at the whole ****ed up situation.

Sain sighed and sat back, now that her hand was knitted together, her ankle back in place, her ribs reset, and her lung reinflated, along with the internal bleeding held at bay? there was little else he could do for her unless she absolutely refused to seek medical help. ?I?m done. You should get to a doctor. A healer. Something.? He wasn?t looking at her face, instead he stood up and moved to the wardrobe against the near wall. From it, he withdrew a t-shirt, and a pair of sweatpants that could be adjusted to fit her. She was likely still wearing whatever shoes she had brought with her, and the fact that he could reset her ankle without removing them spoke to how many injuries he?d suffered himself. Moving back to the table, he set the clothes on the tabletop and reached down to offer her his hand. ?You need to sit up, slowly. The bones you?ve broken aren?t fixed. They?re? still very fragile. Don?t use your hand, it?s still broken in more than one place. You?ve broken several ribs, and this?? He reached down to show her the tube still placed so that she could breathe without her lung filling with blood. ?Will have to be removed by a doctor? you?ll drown in your own blood if you try it yourself.? He said flatly.

He didn?t comment on anything she said just yet, there were more important things to tell her. ?You?ve sustained internal injuries as well, I managed to stop the bleeding? but you?ll probably need surgery or magical healing to fix the damage. Your ankle won?t be capable of supporting your weight for a few hours, but you don?t have that kind of time unless you aren?t planning on getting to a healer. I need to know where you?re going? I can get you there? or I can help you recuperate here. But those are options.? He said simply. He wasn?t giving her the option of deciding she was fine just because the pain medication was holding the agony she should be in at bay. Finally, he looked at her expectantly. ?What do you want to do??

A doctor, healer? or something. The words had her thoughts ticking back to the night that she had shot and killed Krysy. The glass embedded in her arms, the blood and bruises, and how Antonia had seen to it that it was all healed and washed away. Instead of giving him a direct answer immediately, she shifted, and stretched, movements slow as she took his offered hand. Gingerly, she pulled herself up and moved so that her legs were over the edge of the couch. That done, she spoke. ?Where?s my purse? I need my phone.? As she spoke, her attention diverted down to the tube sticking out of her, and the mottled dark bruising of? well most of her skin that she could see. Zagan had done one hell of a job, but even if Sain hadn?t showed up, she knew he would not have let her die, one way or another. Her beating served a purpose in his eyes, and it wouldn?t have been shown if she ended up dead. ?I?d say I?ve had worse? but I don?t think I have.? The words came dryly after he had finished listing, to an extent everything that she had sustained from the wrath of Zagan.

Silence pervaded the air between them again, even after he had asked her what she wanted to do. Something told her he wouldn?t leave her alone, even if she told him to, and he wouldn?t listen if she told him she was fine. And at this point, she knew she was far from it, even with the pain medication he had given her chasing away most of what she should be feeling. ?Antonia. I?ll call her. She knows a healer or two. And she?ll have Eddie come and get me if she doesn?t herself. I?d? I?d rather be with someone I trust, then being poked and prodded in a hospital.? As she spoke, her attention dropped to the clothes he had pulled out for her, and for a moment, the thought of her trying to get either thing on sent a pang of dread through her. Even though both shirt and sweatpants were a size or three too big on her, she didn?t want to imagine the jostling that would follow her trying to put them on.

He picked up her purse from where it had ended up when the portal had transported them to the apartment and placed it on the couch beside her. ?Be careful getting dressed. Let me know if you need help.? He said quietly. And that was it? suddenly there was nothing left to talk about. Nothing? but what he?d done. Sain settled at one of the workbenches, not looking at her to respect what modesty she had left. When he sat down, he shrugged out of the leather jacket he wore so very much, revealing black bruises across his back and shoulders. Thickly roped scar tissue rippled down his arms where the manifestations of Eolai had split the skin on several occasions. Even now, with the overuse of his aura and the rage he?d unleashed on Zagan, Sain felt the effects of using the power he had. Now that Roni was stable, Zagan was driven off, and Sain had a moment to think while Roni dressed and likely called on someone to take her to a healer, Sain let the events of the evening wash over him. He had Zagan?s true name. He had Roni?s true name. He didn?t know if she knew or not. He didn?t know if she should if she didn?t. The hunter closed his eyes against the splitting pain in his head. He?d torn knowledge from someone? an utterly repugnant thing to do. He?d ripped the very essence of what Zagan was from the man?s being. That knowledge would never go away. Like it, since Sain was using his psychic abilities? neither would Roni?s name. Both were branded into his memories forever.

?He got away.? He said quietly. ?I?m sorry?. I didn?t think he had a way, but he did. Some coin. Teleported him away. I was sloppy. I should have killed him quickly, but instead I made him suffer.? There was a warring tone of bitterness and satisfaction in his voice. ?I can promise you that Roni? He?s suffering for what he did.? Sain was normally sweet, kind, and gentle? that was gone. What sat at the table was no more than a hunter. The man who had kissed her was buried deep. ?He?ll think twice about coming back. Ever again. All that?s left now is to hunt him down and kill him in whatever hole he calls a bed.? He ground out the words. If he really had to, it was likely Sain could track Zagan anywhere using his true name. Hiding from one who knew the essence of your being wasn?t something most if any could do. But that required magic? magic Sain wasn?t very good at using without causing himself serious injury. He debated on telling Roni what had happened with the names he?d learned tonight. But he decided against it for now. He would? but not until she either asked or she was back on her feet and capable of processing it. The night was still fresh in her mind, and he had no desire to make it worse than he already had.

Her eyes rested on her purse where he dropped it, but she didn?t dig for her phone just yet. She wanted clothes, even if they were his, and horribly too big for her. She took his words to heart, and started with the shirt. Her movements were almost excruciatingly slow. She used her good hand, and the elbow of the one that was broken, and worked the shirt up her arms. It was slow moving getting it over her head, because she didn?t want to unset her ribs, or stretch up like she normally did when putting on clothes. Once his shirt was hanging on her skinny frame, she took a moment to layer the shirt between her skin and the heavy iron padlock that been used to lock the collar around her neck, and earned her fingers a couple more burns. Then she proceeded to stare at the pants like they were the enemy. If she had been able to stand, it would have been easy, but given her ankle could not support her weight, and thrashing around with one good hand as she tried to get them up to her hips and tied would not do any of her broken parts well. ?Help?? At least she got the shirt on?. even still it sucked asking him for more help.

Her teeth continued to worry and wear on her lower lip as she listened to his words, and thought, and just kind of brewed a little. ?The coin. It was a gift from Madame. A one time tight spot escape. He bragged that he?d never have to use it. Glad his bragging ended up wrong.? She snorted, amused by that. ?It?s good he suffers. He needs to do a little bit of that. Maybe if hell freezes, it?ll give him a little bit of humility before he dies. Doubt it.? Then she frowns a touch, and points a finger at him. ?You don?t get to kill him.? Flatly. ?You don?t deserve it. I want to blow his brains out. I want to watch the light leave his eyes, and I want to be the reason why. I want to know personally that he?s dead, and won?t harm anyone else. I don?t care if you have to hogtie him and bring him to me.? There?s fierceness in her words, anger of so many years of dealing with the man, humming just beneath the surface. Even still, she let the silence between them pervade for a span of several heavy moments.

As for true names? She knew Zagan had spat hers to Sain like some terrible cruel joke. Like it was absolutely nothing. Like had hadn?t given the man complete control over her, should he decide that he was going to use it. She wasn?t? aware of the fact that Sain had managed to find Zagan?s true name, though if she was, she?d probably threaten and bother him until he gave it to her. This time when she looked back up at the hunter, there was a haunted vulnerability in those abyssal hues. ?I know what he gave you.? The words are spoken softly. ?It was not his to give, but I know you can?t give it back now.? It was like closing the gate after the dog got out, or trying to put excess toothpaste back into the tube. It didn?t work. It got messy, and in the end, just frustrated. ?All I can ask is that you never utter those words. You call me anything other that Roni, you exert your will over me? and you truly are no better than Zagan. Just? Please don?t.? Her voice was small, quiet.

Sain stood up when she asked for help, turning to her and exposing the chest of his that had several bruises that mottled the flesh beneath his shirt. He paid them no mind, wordlessly and gently wrapping his arms around her shoulders and lifting with telekinetic force to avoid putting stress on any part of her injuries. The pants slid up her legs, resting around her waist as the ties at the front tightened to hold them to her much smaller figure. Sain set her back down, nodding to her when she informed him she wanted to put the bullet in Zagan?s head that would end the fae?s life. He?d give it to her, if that?s what she wanted. He?d give her that much, because she deserved it. Maybe he?d be kneeling beside Zagan himself? waiting for the bullet he felt he deserved too.

It was her voice that snapped him out of his reflection. That small and vulnerable look that came over her. So she knew. But she didn?t know the full story. He sighed quietly and sat back down at the workbench on the other side of the room. He?d never had any intention of using her name, but simply having it meant he owned her as much as Zagan ever did. Whether he acted on it or not? Roni could never really refuse him again without the knowledge her will was second to his if he so decided. Zagan had seen to it that Sain became a threat to her even after she put a bullet in Zagan?s head. Zagan had seen to it she would never be free so long as Sain was alive. He sighed again and looked up to her for a long moment before he spoke. ?You told me once you wanted to be free more than anything else in the world... ? He said softly. ?There?s? there?s a good chance I won?t live past the next couple of months. I will bring you Zagan before then. I?ll bring him to you harmless and broken. He?ll know why he?s going to die. And then, if I survive what happens after that?? He took a deep breath. ?You can rest easy and know that I won?t object should you decide to... ? He trailed off for a moment and drew the pistol from the holster at his side and set it on the workbench. ?Should you decide no one should know your true name.? He finished softly.

He might not have paid attention to his bruises and the flesh that it mottled, but those abyssal hues of hers traveled over them. She was part of the reason they were there, just as much as Zagan was the reason she had so many of her own. As he wrapped his arms around her and lifted telekinetically, her good hand came up to press against his chest to steady herself, but apart from that she stayed still as the sweat pants were pulled up, and tied securely around her so that they fit. His nod once she was settled back on the couch was met with a faint smile. She knew that he would keep to it, at the very least, and for that, she was grateful. The day he brought her Zagan would be a day that she would be able to give a sigh of much needed relief. It would give her freedom? kind of. Zagan had already seen to it that she would not be completely free, not with how he had spoke her name to Sain.

His words pulled her from her thoughts again, and for a long moment, abyssal hues watched him?.Especially as he pulled his gun free and set it on the work bench beside him. Then his words sank in and she made sense of them. ?No.? The word came vehemently, angrier than it should have. He was speaking of her killing him, and despite everything that had transpired, despite the fact that he was the one person that would stand between her and true freedom she didn?t think that she would be able to bring herself to pull the trigger and give it to herself. ?Just?. Just don?t use it. And don?t suggest that again. As much as I?d like to slug you a couple times, it?s not to the extent that I want to shoot you.? She swallowed, before her focus became rather intent on her hand as it pulled her purse closer and started rummaging through it. ?I?m not a killer.? These words came murmured as her fingers paused on the silver cigarette case of hers. She felt like she could use one, but at the moment, wouldn?t try to kill herself even more. Her fingers moved on, until finally, she pulled her phone free and started tapping out a couple of text messages. Once they were sent, she let her head roll back and rest against the couch. Now, more than ever, she was just?. Tired, exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Sain took a deep breath. If she wouldn?t do it, he probably would end up doing it himself. At the rate he was going there wasn?t much to stop him. ?Alright.? He said quietly. The slow blinking and deep breaths that helped him release the adrenaline that still had him riled from the earlier events of the evening. The muscles of his body slowly began to relax as he let the time pass for a few moments. ?It?s your choice, but know that I won?t object either way.? He said quietly. He was nothing but an idea at this point? Clara?s efforts to preserve whatever he was were likely pointless. If he didn?t die in the process he?d be little more than a collection of thoughts in a mechanical contraption. No aura of his own, no real mind? no soul. Sain wasn?t even a person. What did it matter if he didn?t continue an existence like that?

He looked back at her and forced a smile. ?You?ll be okay. Stay as long as you need.? His voice quiet as he stood up from the workbench. Gathering up his equipment, he shrugged his jacket on and put the pistol back into his holster. The hunter?s mask of impassiveness slowly slipped onto his face. ?You know where everything is.? The knowledge he was keeping from her, Zagan?s true name, weighed on him. He hated everything about the situation, about his life. A woman he knew took pity on him, a woman he hurt to no end, and a man who?s body he?d stolen. Sain started for the door and stopped in the threshold, looking back at her for a moment. ?Be safe.? He said quietly, before he slipped out the door.

It was her choice. It was a choice that she knew she wouldn?t make. Or if she ever did, it would probably do a rather good job at breaking her more. Instead of responding, she stayed silent, and kept her attention on her phone. It had chimed in response. Her fingers tapped out something in return, slow and awkward with just one hand, but she managed, and sent it off. That done, he head returned to resting against the couch, and her eyes fluttered shut. She wasn?t sure what else to say, what else to do, other than keep quiet, and just wait for time to pass, for her second rescue of the night to show up. That, and feel rather useless when it came to taking care of herself, and handling her own issues.

Her head bobbed a little in affirmation when he told her she knew where things were, but that was all he got. At least until he told her to be safe. Her lashes fluttered back open, and before she had a chance to say anything else, the door was closing in his wake, and leaving her truly alone with all the thoughts in her head. It left her with nothing else to do, but wait, and stew in her own misery. With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes again, and wiggled carefully so she was a little more comfortable. Then? then she let herself wait and get lost in all of the thoughts that had her brain so full it felt like it was going to burst.