It had been almost a week of Aoife and Orynn coming to his room three times a day to tend to Lexi and Eromaug made sure that he stayed close by at all times. It wasnät the fact that he couldn't bear to be apart from her, iti was more that he didn't trust the little witchling and the dragonling to do what they were supposed to without the oppressive cloud of fear that he instilled in people without really trying.
Countless times he had seen the witchlings eyes flick between Orynn and himself, perhaps waiting for an opening to kill her former friend and try her luck at escaping, or perhaps the two of them were even stupider than he thought and intended to move against him themselves.
Pathetic hybrids…both of them.
He couldn't deny the improvement in Lexi's condition though. She had woken two days ago for the first time, and yesterday she had managed a few hours awake before drifting off to sleep again.
So far, today, she had woken at breakfast, eaten ravenously and then talked with him as if they had known each other their entire lives.
This puzzled him greatly and although he knew that confusion and amnesia was a possibility, he wanted to make sure that this wasn't some trick that they were playing on him to lure him into a false sense of security.
So as soon as Aoife and Orynn arrived, he of course did what the situation demanded and pinned them both to the wall by their throats while demanding answers.
"It's a simple question, witchling." Eromaug purred as she struggled under his grip, "Why is she not as aggressive towards me as she was before? What did you do to her?"
Aoife tried to fight the blind panic that welled up inside of her as she forced her chest to accept the minute amount of oxygen that he allowed.
"I have done only as you asked." Aoife squeaked, "She is healing well but will suffer residual pain so I would think her utter calmness is because she is a little high on pain medication right now. You could suggest that she throw herself out of a window and she would probably laugh about it, or even attempt to do it."
"And that's what you're planning to get her to do?" He spat as Aoife fought the urge to roll her eyes.
"Obviously not. It was probably a poor example of how out of character her behavior might be whilst she is under the influence." She rasped.
Eromaug eyed her carefully and waited a few seconds before letting go of both Orynn and Aoife, turning his back as they dropped to the floor unceremoniously.
"Is that true?" Orynn asked Aoife through their mindlink as they caught their breaths.
"Yes. I didn't expect her to recover this quickly though if I'm honest with you. I'll need to check on the state of the seal though, because if her magick has managed to break through completely, then I need to figure out a way of telling her what's going on. I don't even know how much she remembers and it's not like I can ask with Eromaug floating around like a bad smell is it?"
"Why not?" Orynn countered as he stood on wobbly legs, throwing a glare towards where Eromaug hovered over Lexi as she flipped through a book, "He is already expecting that amnesia or confusion is a possibility, so can't you just ask?"
"I could…" Aoife replied thoughtfully.as she picked her bag up with the medication and made her way towards the bed, "I'll top her medication up though as that wound is going to take at least another week to heal at best."
"Perhaps it's better that she will be in a state of not caring to hear everything that she needs to know…" Orynn suggested slyly.
"Orynn, I am not keeping her high with medicinal concoctions to soften the blow of our current circumstances." Aoife snapped, "That's highly unethical and not to mention illegal…"
"Not down here it isn't…" Orynn countered.
"No." Aoife answered firmly as Orynn's face fell just a little bit.
"Fine, well don't blame me when she incinerates the realm because she doesn't like what she's hearing." he replied sullenly.
Aoife failed to suppress the scoff that left her lips drawing the attention of Eromaug who scowled in her direction . She quickly turned it into an overly dramatic cough and smiled apologetically toward him.
"Sorry…choked on my own saliva." She shrugged, "It's amazing how often that happens."
A giggle came from where Lexi was propped up and as soon as Aoife locked eyes with her, both of them froze as recognition seemed to slip into place.
Eromaug watched the two of them with curiosity, both of them frozen in place for only a few seconds, but something that he couldn't quite place his finger on seemed to pass between them in that short time. Then, almost as if nothing had happened, Aoife dropped her eyes and carried on to the bedside, placing her bag on the bedside table as she always did, and retrieving various bottles and containers from her bag.
Lexi watched her with interest before turning her attention back to Eromaug.
"Is this who's been looking after me?" She asked, cocking her head slightly as Eromaug forced a smile and nodded.
"It is. She'll check your…wound, change your dressings and then she'll leave us in peace."
He pointedly ignored the heated glare that Aoife cast towards him and reached for Lexi's hand, taking it in his own and running a thumb over the soft skin there, basking in the warmth that emanated from the smile she sent his way..
Aoife cleared her throat, stealing Lexi's attention away from him and for a split second, his heart ached. It surprised him that he was even capable of feeling that unfamiliar ache of loss.
He had always been filled with hatred and anger, even in his earliest memories. The first time that he experienced happiness was under Lexi's attention and he supposed it seemed fitting that it would be under her attention that he would feel the unwelcome sensation of loss.
"If you don't mind," Aoife began, "You mentioned that you had some concerns about her memory and behavior so after I'm done cleaning her wound up, then I would like to ask her a few questions, is that okay?"
"Well of course it's okay," Lexi answered with a laugh, cutting Eromaug off as he opened his mouth to reply, "Why wouldn't it be? It's not as though any harm can come from a few questions."
Aoife looked towards Eromaug uncertainly as if still waiting for his permission and Lexi frowned.
"What? Am I not capable of talking for myself now?" She snorted attempting to cross her arms in front of her and wincing as the skin pulled, "Just because I was attacked and it's been a long recovery, doesn't mean that I'm incapable of answering a few fucking questions."
"Attacked?" Aoife scoffed in disbelief and froze when the murderous glare of Eromaug settled on her again.
"My love…I don't think that it's a good idea so soon…" Eromaug began but stopped short as Lexi's furious whirling orbs seemed to pin him in place, the fire in her eyes almost taking his breath away.
"I don't see why this is such a big deal." She snapped, narrowing her eyes dangerously in his direction and pulling her hand from his grip, "Wouldn't it be better to see what I remember and what I don't?"
"I agree with Lexi," Aoife smirked as ERomaugs face darkened, "That way, as soon as you know what parts of her memory that she's missing, you can just pluck them out of thin air and piece them back together again, can't you?"
"Be very careful Aoife…you're treading on dangerous ground." Eromaug growled as LExi's frown deepened with the interaction playing out in front of her.
"Aren't I always? Nowhere that I end up has ever proven to be a safe place so why hold back anymore?" Aoife retorted as Lexi held her hands up between them.
"Listen, whatever all of this is, you can carry it on later. You can stay and ask me whatever questions you need to, and you," She hissed in Eromaugs direction, "You can fuck off out of my room until you learn to play nice and stop threatening things far smaller than you, you great fucking beast."
Eromaug and Aoife blinked at Lexi as Orynn's strange sounding sniggers drifted in from the lounge area just outside the bedroom.
"Did I stutter at all?" Lexi hissed imperiously as she shooed Eromaug out of the room with a wave of her hands.
Eromaug paused in the doorway and shot a meaningful look towards Aoife.
"If you fuck anything up, I'll kill you myself and I will make sure that the pain is so exquisite your screams will last for eternity." He snarled as LExi threw a pillow from the bed at him, hitting him square in the chest.
"OUT!"