Dying Ambitions [Nadia, Aerith, Clive]

[Nothingness]

Who's the Spider, and Who's the Man?

Clive obeyed Aerith's instructions, and put all of the towels into the aforementioned room before returning to the living room. It didn't really matter what the spider's intentions were, since if it was violent, he'd crush it. If it was friendly, he'd ignore it. Seeing as how it was the latter, he figured it would be best to leave the two spiders to themselves.

Walking past Nadia, he stared at the woman's face for a moment, searching for something in her almost lifeless expression. Satisfied, he walked into the kitchen with Aerith and helped himself to a chair. "She could have died. Good work."

[Aerith]

I think we've done this before.
--------

Aerith took a seat at the kitchen table. This scene was very familiar. Except this time, it wasn't Jericho unconscious on the couch. And there was also an actual spider present.

She had brought two cups of tea with her and set one in front of Clive. "She might still die..." Her voice was quiet so as not to be heard by Jericho. "But at least she has a chance to live now if she can make it back to us."

Something else was on her mind, too. She had managed to catch the look Clive had given Nadia. "Do you know her, too? Who is she?" Jericho had already told her the woman's name, of course. But Clive should know that Aerith was asking for more information than that.

[Nothingness]

Deja Vu, Indeed

Clive knew very well that Nadia might still die, but at least now it wasn't a certainty. And it seemed that they were back in the same position as last time: Clive telling her about his past. He honestly didn't mind talking about it now, not that he particularly did before. There was something liberating about it all.

Keeping his voice low, so that Jericho wouldn't hear him, he began. "She was one of the few marks that got away." He paused, looking into the living room again. "Nadia, the Demon Child of Agrabah." Turning back to Aerith, he continued. "Many people had asked me to kill her, but her family exiled her before I could initiate the contract. I was told that she was possessed, and that the devil within her would unleash the armies of Hell upon Agrabah." Smirking, he took a sip of the tea Aerith had set in front of him. "Looking at her now, though, she doesn't seem dangerous. Though I've no doubt that her state was from Jericho's doing."

[Aerith]

If only people could learn not to be so judgmental.
--------

Aerith's eyes widened a little. So, Nadia was from Agrabah. She had suspected as much from the darker skin, but now it was confirmed. But possessed? Such an outrageous accusation to make.

"You were only told she was possessed? Did you ever see her do anything... out of the ordinary?" She, of course, would make no judgments until she saw something to convince her otherwise. And even then... Well. Aerith knew a little of what Jericho was, and she had still let him in, hadn't she?

Clive's comment about Nadia's current condition being Jericho's fault also did not escape her notice. "Hm? And what makes you say that? He said her family did that to her. If he had hurt her, why would he have brought her here? And why would he seem so... so shaken?"

[Nothingness]

Duality

Clive shook his head when Aerith asked him about ever having seen Nadia's "inner-demon." "I'd only gotten glimpses of her in reconnaissance. Nothing more than being shunned by the general populous." He could go into great detail about the nature of an assassination, but he'd save that story for another day. The less Aerith knew, the better, in that respect.

"As for Jericho," he said, pausing for a moment, "There are two kinds of us: the masters, and the servants. I serve others' whims, and do as they command. Jericho is a master, who hires and takes in those to work for and with him." He took another sip of tea before continuing. "He probably didn't hurt her, but he was most likely part of the cause. And yet." Clive's voice trailed off, taking the small cross in his hand, staring at it for a moment before speaking again. "He cares for her. There's some humanity left in him. At least, I hope so."

He didn't admit it, but he hoped that Jericho would at some point change as he had been doing. He didn't think it likely, but faith was never certain.

[Aerith]

I'll just have to talk to her myself, if... when she wakes up.
--------

She considered Clive's words for a long moment, taking a sip of her tea while doing so. If he was to be believed, then Jericho was only using Nadia for some unknown purpose. She was a tool to him, nothing more.

No. That couldn't be right. Aerith could not get the images and sounds of the distraught Jericho that had shown up at her door out of her head. If Nadia was a mere tool, he shouldn't care that much about making sure she lived. Callous people didn't act that way.

And it isn't an act. I know it isn't. It could always be an act. She had no concrete evidence, of course. But somehow, she knew it wasn't.

"I hope he does, too. For her sake. I can't help but wonder what she's doing traveling with him in the first place. I mean, in your case, it made some sense. You're obviously very... skilled at what you did." She looked away a little awkwardly, even if she had been careful to frame his actions in the past tense.

"Then again, maybe someone who looks so normal is more favorable. Less... suspicious." She hoped Nadia woke up soon. Speculation could only go so far.

[Nothingness]

If Not, Then I Don't Know

Clive grinned at Aerith's comment on about his "skills". Nonchalantly, he told her, "No longer having a weapon certainly prevents me from using those skills." Today was actually the first time he'd thought about his dagger in weeks. He wondered what that girl, Lillian, was doing. Or if she even still had it.

Brushing the thought out of his mind, he rested his elbows on the table, and his chin in his hands. "We will just have to wait and see."

[Aerith]

I'm still alive?
--------

Nadia swam in a sea of pitch blackness. How long had she been here? Where was “here”? She thought she could hear sounds, but they were muffled and far away. Maybe she was dead. The last thing she could remember clearly was Jericho carrying her away from her home. No. That wasn’t her home anymore. She had no home.

Jericho. Where am I? Where are you?

Only yawning darkness rose to meet her. Was this the abyss come to swallow her whole? Fear threatened to tear at her. Loneliness consumed her. Wherever she was, she needed desperately to get out.

The shadows wrapped around her, and they were strangely comforting. As if they had lives of their own, they whispered assurances to her. She was already more than halfway to the bottom of the abyss. Wouldn’t she like to see what awaited her there? Just a little farther down, and she would. She could stay here forever, shrouded in comfort, and forget everything that had come before. Wouldn't that be nice?

The smell of herbal tea drew her out of her own mind.

Her eyes opened slowly to an unfamiliar ceiling. She was on a couch, covered by a blanket. There were people here, she could tell, though she didn't feel like moving her head to see who they were.

Pain wracked her body, and she groaned softly.

[Slash]

She's awake.

[/center]

Jericho's attention was diverted from Predis as Nadia began to stir. Good. Good. He could talk to her now, perhaps. Even if she did die here (no, she wouldn't, he couldn't think like that) he wanted to be able to say good-bye.

"Nadia? Can you hear me, Nadia?" he asked softly.

"You're going to be fine here, Nadia. You're safe."

At least, she was as long as he stayed around. He knew that Aerith wouldn't hurt her, but Clive...

Clive just might. Clive might try to take her from him, and he wasn't going to let that happen. Nothing was going to take her from him, not after how close he had come to losing her.

[Aerith]

Safe? I don't even know where I am.
--------

She heard that voice and turned her head, then immediately regretted the action. More searing agony shot through her neck and upper back, and she could not hold back the sharp intake of breath that followed.

Waiting until the pain receded to a dull throb, she finally answered him. "Where am I, Jericho? What... what happened?"

It was all such a blur. Faint memories of the events in Agrabah tugged at the back of her mind. She mostly remembered being pelted with stones, the sheer torment of knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that her own family did not want her. No. She was not just unwanted. She was loathed. So despised that they had wanted her to die, not simply leave Agrabah forever.

I killed them. At least some of them.

The realization struck her fully, and her eyes widened a little. Slowly, all the details came back to her, like pieces of a puzzle solving itself.

"He stabbed me. Why am I not dead? I thought... I thought I was."

[Nothingness]

Monsters

Clive had just finished his cup of tea when he heard the familiar sound of a person groaning in pain. Though, the main difference this time was that he wasn't the cause of it--much the opposite, in fact. "She's awake."

Getting up out of his chair, he walked into the living room, though made sure to keep a fair amount of distance between himself and Jericho and Nadia. "Be glad that you're not," he said, looking Nadia in the eyes, "But you should rest. You too, Jericho. You're both safe here, and even a monster needs rest, yes?" He directed the last part to Jericho, though he was interested in Nadia's reaction to it.

[Slash]

A little late, Clive?

[/center]

"A world called Hollow Bastion. This is the home of a healer named Aerith."

He was so happy to see her speak. She was alive, but remained an outcast with no home, and now, no hope of reconciliation with her family. She had cut off all ties to her past by killing them. She had no one else to go to but him.

"It was close. Too close. I got you here just in time."

Clive entered the room and told them both to rest, making sure to add that Jericho was a monster. That didn't matter. She'd already seen the spider- she'd probably think he was referring to that. Besides, she was too closely tied to him for such a comment to affect her too deeply.

"You talk more now, Clive," Jericho said. "That's good. You were a bit too stoic last time I saw you."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "There'll be time for rest later."

[Aerith]

I will be so well-rested.
--------

Hollow Bastion. Aerith. Both names she didn't recognize. But this healer, this Aerith had saved her.

As if on cue, Aerith herself crossed into the living room from the kitchen, having also finished her cup of tea. From her vantage point on the couch, Nadia got a pretty good glimpse of her, and once Aerith reached the side of the couch, Nadia could tell for certain that she was somewhat small, especially when compared to Jericho. Then again, most everyone looked small when compared to Jericho.

Aerith bent over a little, peering down at Nadia with a critical eye at first. Nadia told herself it was because Aerith was a healer and was habitually checking for serious points of concern. But those green eyes almost seemed to look inside her, through her, even. It was simultaneously the most unnerving and the most comforting experience she had ever had.

The moment of intense examination ended. Aerith's gaze looked very distant for a second or two, then she focused back on Nadia with a gentle smile. "You are awake. That's good news. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm barely being held together by a whole spool of thread."

Aerith laughed a little. "No, not a whole spool. But close."

Nadia watched Aerith move to the kitchen again, only to return shortly with a steaming cup of... something. It wasn't the smell that had roused her. This was very different and not very appealing.

Aerith was encouraging, though. "Go on. This will help with the pain and also help you sleep so you heal faster."

Reluctantly, Nadia nodded and let Aerith administer the concoction. This was followed with another dose of healing magic that further eased the pain from her numerous bruises.

"There," Aerith said, satisfied. "Clive is right. You need to rest if you want to heal any time soon."

As Aerith took the cup back to the kitchen, Nadia shifted her eyes to Clive, though she remained mostly expressionless. Several vastly different emotions ran through her all at once. On the one hand, there was apathy. So what if Jericho was a monster? Nadia didn't care so long as he didn't hurt her. And she had already learned back in Port Royal that the spider wasn't going to do that.

On the other hand, rage sparked deep within her. How dare this man call Jericho a monster when he didn't even know him that well? If she wasn't so incapacitated, she might have tried to do something to teach him a lesson.

No. No, he's right. Jericho is a monster. Maybe I'm insane for continuing to travel with him.

What other choice did she have? Perhaps... perhaps she could stay here. Aerith did not seem to despise her. But she couldn't do that. Aerith was probably the exception to the rule. She did strike Nadia as abnormally kind.

Whatever she had drunk, it was making her eyelids heavy. She looked at Jericho again and wanted to say something, but sleep was a warm embrace that was quickly pulling her under. The last conscious thought she could remember was a silent plea.

Please, don't leave me.

Aerith returned to the couch to find Nadia fast asleep. Good. Sleep would help her heal. She suddenly felt like her house was too crowded.

"Jericho," she said gently. "She'll be fine now. I'll stay right here, right by her. I think you should go outside, maybe go for a walk, get a bit of fresh air. It might do you some good."

[Summary:
Aerith used Curaga.
Posts until next use: 3
Uses remaining: 4]

[Slash]

I don't want to leave.

[/center]

Jericho took a deep breath. He didn't want to go now, but she was sleeping so it wasn't as if he had any reason to be here. Still, he could only leave with the greatest reluctance. Leaving her now felt almost like a betrayal.

Besides, what could Clive do if she was awake and he wasn't here? He didn't like that thought. He probably wouldn't be able to undo everything that Jericho had done, but he had to be cautious.

"Okay," he said, standing up.

Predis, would you like to come as well?[/color] It was incredibly odd, speaking to a strange spider he had just met a few minutes ago as an old friend. It must be his familiar, for he felt a very odd bond to it. Of course, if it was as treacherous and cruel as he was it would make for good company.

He walked outside, waiting for the other spider.

I travel with a spider within and a spider without,[/color] he thought idly to himself, wondering if Predis could hear thoughts not directed to it.

[Nothingness]

Covert Ops

Clive waited until Jericho and his spider-buddy were well on their way before he went to work. Kneeling next to Nadia, he placed two fingers on her neck, feeling her pulse. She was cold, and the heartbeat was weak, but it was there. Reaching over to the edge of the blanket, he carefully lifted it up, revealing up to her waist, making sure to keep everything above it covered.

His eyes quickly alighted on the knife closest to him, and standing up slightly, saw another blade on the opposite hip. Taking a silent, deep breath, he carefully removed each blade from their respective sheaths, and put them in one hand while placing the blanket back over her feet with the other.

Walking into the kitchen, he took his first look at the knives. "Typical," he muttered. Bloodstained, a few nicks, and while they were sharp enough to kill, they could be much sharper. "Still young. I expected more from Jericho." Without another word, he took to cleaning the blades. He didn't care what Nadia did, but she was going to actually get herself killed if she wasn't careful.