Late Night Practice

[Mayquiri]

Here it comes again.  Even in the dead of night he could see the small projectiles that shot from pillars at him  Actually, he could see them better as he could see the small quasi-heated wakes left in the air as the little darts whizzed by.  Smirking slightly to himself, Venorik dropped to the ground to dodge the darts as he tossed up a stone laying on the ground.  He wasn’t quite certain, but Venorik was suspecting that when they didn’t hit anything, they knew.  After all, this was the third time he dodged, and they kept coming back, only doubling each time.  It was a little concerning.

Unfortunately, Venorik wasn’t quite as fast as he thought he had been.  One of the darts had scraped his arm.  The cut would have been nothing, had he moved even a millisecond faster.  As it was though, a hefty sized chunk of flesh was missing from his arm, and his black robe was quickly soaking up the blood that rushed out.

“Vith.” He cursed softly as he rolled into a crouch and waited.  His arm hadn’t quite begun to hurt, and that was probably a good thing, but the course wasn’t finished yet, and Venorik was determined to end it.  He needed to, for his pride.  Satisfied that the darts weren’t going to follow him anymore, the young drow sprang to his feet and raced for the end, dodging and jumping over obstacles that seemed to pop up out of no where.  Had they not been so very strangely shaped and covered with spikes and sharp edges, they would have provided nothing more then a warm up for the youth.  As they were though, they provided quite a challenge to the youth as he barreled forward, needing to decide quickly whether he should duck, twist, dodge, or jump as he came to each obstacle.

After what felt like minutes, but had only been seconds in reality, Venorik came out of the other end of the course, a relieved grin on his face.  He survived and completed the course with what only felt like a small scratch on his shoulder.  “Perfect.” Venorik hispered to himself as he looked back at the course, a self satisfied smirk crossing his ebony face before turning towards the gate, fully confidant that no one was nearby.  After all, why should he think another would be around?  It was nearly three in the morning, and there was absolutely no light.  Venorik felt that he would have seen them coming along ways off.

[Fell]

"There\'ve been many tales, tainted by truth, twisted by time..." Blue sang quietly to an old, mysterious tune taught to him by his mother. It echoed eeriely and flatly through the air as Blue fluttered gently along, his opalescent wings making barely a sound as he flew. He\'d just been sent to deliver a late-night message to the labs, and now he was returning to the South Wing - albeit via the scenic route. Blue had always loved nature, and being in nature, so he did so every chance he got. Besides, it was highly unlikely that anyone else would need him this late at night, so he didn\'t need to feel guilty about that either.

It was near the training grounds that Blue heard... something. The fae\'s ears quivered ever so slightly as the noise his them, turning his head soon afterwards. Someone\'s out late... I wonder if they\'ll be okay? Blue thought, concerned. He\'d seen the condition students returned in sometimes, and it could be... horrific. Maybe I should wait... Just in case, the servant thought, landing lightly on the ground near the exit. There he sat, waiting until the student within emerged.

The student who came out looked like an elf - drow, to be specific. Another species Blue had seen occasionally and heard many stories of. They were very fast, he knew, and this one was wearing a white sash. First level? Wow! Blue thought, smiling pleasantly. He always liked it when he saw sylvan creatures in the higher ranks. That was about when he noticed the blood as well.

"Oh!" Blue said softly, covering his mouth with a hand. The fae moved slowly so as not to startle the adrenaline-charged student. He\'d had bad experiences doing that in the past, and he planned not to repeat them. "E-excuse me sir?" Blue said, reaching out gently towards the other though they were about 8 feet apart, "Your shoulder... Are you alright?" Blue wasn\'t actually one of the healers, but he knew enough of the basics to help out, at least... And he was never one to just leave someone be when they were hurt. Plus, when one was full of adrenaline, they might not know how bad the wound even was! Blue hoped that this elf would let him take a look...

[Mayquiri]

For a few seconds, Venorik didn\'t even take notice to the worker\'s appearence.  He just stood there, face alternating between an angered scowl and a giddy look of self-satisfaction.  Upon noticing the small fae though, Venorik\'s scowl returned.  He didn\'t need any help.  Not from some worker, or another student, or anyone.
 
"I\'m fine.  Just got a little scratched." Venorik said quietly, his usually smooth legato voice grating out the words.  Swaying a little in his place, Venorik took a better note of the clothes, then of the wings.  He\'d seen this particular worker before, flitting around the grounds on one errand or another.
 
Unfortunately for the drow, he nevere got a chance to speak his observation to the worker.  Obviously, Venorik had lost more blood then he believed, or perhaps cared to take account for, and was swaying rather dengerously in his spot.  Just as Venorik opened his mouth to speak, red glowing eyes rolled into the back of his head as his small body fell forward.  the crunching thud that followed signified that, if there wasn\'t anything aside from the cut on his arm wrong with Venorik before the fall, there was now.

[Fell]

Blue chewed his lip a little at Venorik\'s rough words. I... Somehow don\'t think it is, he thought, eyes showing concern. "Oh dear..." Blue murmured when Venorik swayed. He knew what came next, but didn\'t want to dart in until Venorik was actually passed out. Someone had reflexively stabbed Blue because of that once already, and the fae wasn\'t eager to repeat the experience.

Blue tensed a little bit, waiting for the fall he was afraid would come. It was only a second or so before Venorik\'s eyes actually did roll up into his head. "Ah!" Blue cried, his wings lifting to their flight position even as he took a half-leap forward. The combined speed got him there before Venorik hit the ground.

Blue wrapped his arms around the student\'s torso, slowing him down before he plopped into his lap. There was still an odd crunching noise, but it couldn\'t be as bad as it might have if Blue hadn\'t caught him. The fae exhaled, glad he\'d managed to move quickly enough - and glad that Venorik didn\'t weigh too much. Blue wasn\'t very strong, so it would have been a little bad if the drow had been large.

"Now let\'s see," Blue said to himself, peering over Venorik\'s body to examine the wound. The fae winced when he got a close look at it. "This is a scratch?" he asked no one, thinking Venorik was good and out at the moment. Blue didn\'t sweat it too much. Instead, he quickly removed his sash and tore a strip from it, using one of Venorik\'s throwing knives to start the cut.

Blue gently slid Venorik\'s body to the ground, hurrying over to his other side to begin cleaning his wound, beginning with water. It probably stung, but it was important to try to wash the thing out. That would prevent infection, and wash away any poison that was still left in there - if the weapon had been poisoned at all. Blue had no idea, but he knew washing it was a good first step.

[Mayquiri]

If Venorik had been unconscious when Blue spoke, he woke up with a sharp hiss when he felt the water pour over his wound.  He wasn\'t poisoned, the darts were just that, simple iron darts intended to maim or kill.  Adrenaline surging through his veins for a moment, Venorik jumped, eyes snapping open and hand reflexively going for the offenders throat.
 
It took the drow a few moments to recognize the worker outfit, then the bright red hair and light brown skin.  It took a moment after that for Venorik to work out what must have happened.  He had been training, that much he knew, and he got a cut on his arm.  It hurt, yes, but earlier it hadn\'t hurt to much.  Like he had been barely knicked with the blade.  Apparently Venorik had been wrong.
 
"I passed out, didn;t I?" He asked softly as he relaxed aagin, partially because he realized he was in very little danger, partially because as soon as the small burst of energy hit him, it left him, leaving the elf feeling weak and out of sorts.

[Fell]

Uh- That was about all Blue had time to think before Venorik caught his throat in a vice-like grip. Blue let out a small "urk!" noise, then just froze. Struggling was always a bad idea - you either hurt yourself, or them, and Blue couldn\'t fault the drow for an instinctive reaction anyway. He just hoped Venorik would realise that he wasn\'t a danger and let go soon.

Well, Venorik didn\'t let go, but a relaxed hand was much better than a vice-like one. At least Blue could breathe. To the drow\'s question, Blue just smiled understandingly. "Yes, you did. It must be worse than you thought..." the fae said, concerned eyes flicking to the student\'s wounded arm. Venorik was fading again; Blue could see it in the way he stood. "Please, let me take care of it?" he asked softly. He wasn\'t sure if Venorik would listen to him or not, but he sure hoped he did.

At least it\'s clean now! Blue concluded happily, because even if Venorik didn\'t let him, he\'d managed to do some good. It was the bleeding that really needed to be stopped, and there were probably some cloth fibers in there that needed to be picked out... It was an awkward angle for someone to try to do themselves, and Venorik might miss some if he tried it on his own! Besides, what harm was there in letting a servant... serve? At least, that\'s what Blue was hoping the drow would think. Even if Venorik turned down his offer, though, Blue would make sure he at least got to the infirmary. What kind of servant would he be if he couldn\'t even manage that?

[Mayquiri]

Nodding slightly, Venorik turned at look at the few, interested in gfetting as good a look as his eeys would allow for the moment.  If the servent was hired by another student to poison him if an oppertunity aroused, or if he was just against dark elves, Venorik would know who to kill if the wound became infected, or if he fell ill.  Assuming the poison used was a slow one of course.
 
Sitting himself down on the ground, Venorik looked away from the pixie and over at his arm.  He couldn\'t see the wound very well, but it didn\'t look good.  Obviously, the dart had cut into his flesh far deeper then he thought, which would explain why he felt so light-headed and weak.
 
Knowing that there was little Venorik could do on his own at this time, especially seeing as he didn\'t know any healing spells, he nodded.  "If you poison me, I\'ll kill you." He warned softly, smiling faintly.  Apparently that was his way of giving permission without looking to terribly weak.

[Fell]

I wish that was a less common response, Blue thought with a resigned smile. "Why would I?" he responded out loud, cheerful. "I wouldn\'t have someone hire me; after all, you\'re all here to become assassins, so you should be able to do it yourself. And I have no personal motivation at all! I like seeing other sylvans attain high ranks!" the servant continued, his voice lighthearted even as he spoke of serious matters. All of it rang true, too. The fae didn\'t seem like a liar, or a very malicious being anyway.

Blue worked as he spoke, first ripping away some more of the sleeve so he could get a better look at it, then an additional tear so that he could wrap the bandage well. "I-I\'ll sew it back up for you later, if you like," Blue offered guiltily, his black eyes a little nervous as he glanced up at Venorik. The fae always felt bad when he had to mess up someone else\'s stuff, but there was really no way around it here. Well, other than asking Venorik to take his shirt off, and Blue was a little too shy to do that on a first meeting.

Blue eyed the wound, moving a little bit closer to it. He had been right - there were fibers in it. The fae winced, sure that this would hurt, then reached forward to start removing them. "Sorry...!" Blue whispered, clearly meaning it even as he tugged little bits of cloth out of the deep cut.

[Mayquiri]

Moderately satisfied with the answer, Venorik nodded.  Blue certainly didn;t seem malicious, but Venorik had also seen students who, upon first meeting them, were the sweetest creatures alive, but when set to a task were cold-blooded killers.  Those tended to be the people that Venorik watched the most carefully.
 
Hearing the fabric rip, Venorik winced slightly as well. He hated it when his clothes got ruined for something so trivial as a small, but deep, cut on his arm.  He\'d understand the haste had there been a gaping hole in his chest, or if his arm had been completely and utterly shredded.  "I could have saved the robe." Venorik said softly, some of his personality beginning to creep back into his attitude.  Wincing slightly as he did so, the dark elf begun to shrug off the top part of his robe, letting it pool around his sash.
 
Like many of the assassins in the academy, Venorik\'s body was well toned and slim.  On the shoulder opposite of the cut, there was an intricate, sprawling and slightly shimmering tattoo of a spider\'s web.  Venorik gave praises to Lloth when he realized that the tattoo was unharmed.  There were also several small scars running along his shoulders and back, ancient things that had long ago healed.  "Is that better?" He asked softly, turning to stare at Blue.

[Fell]

Oh gods, I really should have just asked, Blue thought guiltily, wincing at Venorik\'s words. "I-I\'m sorry!" the fae said, sounding like he meant it, too. "I will mend it for you, I promise!" Blue continued, moving hastily to help Venorik remove his robe as soon as he saw that that was what he was doing. It was more out of instinct than anything else that he did; after all, Blue helped people bathe fairly often, as a personal servant, and helping de- and re-clothe them was just part of the job.

Blue barely noticed Venorik\'s body, though the little attention he payed it was the positive sort. He was more interested in getting everything out of the wound, which he began to do as soon as the robe was off and Venorik seemed moderately comfortable. "Y-yes, it is!" Blue replied with a grin as he worked, still feeling a little bit sheepish over further hurting the robe.

The fae frowned at the would now that he had a really good look at it. Very deep... Blue thought, wrinkling his brows. All the fabric fibers were out of it now, but it was still bleeding pretty badly. Blue reached into the small bag that hung off of his sash and removed a small bundle of stringy white stuff. He pulled a little bit of it away from the rest, separating it out gently with his fingers. "Spiderweb," Blue explained, holding it out for Venorik to look at. The winged boy smiled. "It helps it to stop bleeding," he continued as he began to press the thin layer he\'d removed from his clump into the wound. It was something he usually kept with him, just because it was so useful! Even with small cuts, it could stop the bleeding very quickly. It promoted healing, too. Blue loved the stuff.

Venorik\'s tattoo wasn\'t lost on the fae, either. "That\'s a pretty tattoo," Blue offered, smiling hesitantly as he did, "especially with the way it shimmers..." Something in the tone of his voice begged an explanation, though he didn\'t ask overtly. It was a trick servants learned, how to ask without asking. Blue hoped that Venorik would humor it.

[Mayquiri]

Oh, he was enjoying this.  On the one hand, Venorik knew he should feel bad for making the servent fae act so jumpy.  He actually almost felt bad too, the servent was just trying to help.  But on the other hand, Venorik loved the power.  He loved seeing the pixie squirm and saplogize.
 
"Don\'t worry about it.  It\'s just a robe, and odds are, the stains would remain."  He said after a while, smirking faintly as he enjoyed the fussing.  After all, it wasn\'t often that someone fussed over him like he actually mattered.
 
However, teh spider\'s web caught his attention, forcing his mind out of its fog enough to pay attention properly.  He never knew that a spiders web could be used to heal.  Oh, Venorik knew the uses of Spiders venom, and the uses of certain types of woven web in order to strangle someone, but he never thought that it would be a good coagulant.
 
upon seeing Blue eye his tatto and comment on it, Venorik smirked, catching the hint.  He had been here long enough, and at home long enough as well, to know when a servent was asking a question.  "It\'s something my sister did for me a long time ago.  Do you know of the Drow diety Lloth?  She\'s a spider goddess that we all pray to.  She enchanted the ink used in the tattoo to shimmer and shine that way a true spider\'s web does."

[Fell]

Blue chewed his lip lightly, looking up at Venorik through concerned eyes. "I can get the stains out too, you know..." he offered, still feeling bad about ripping it when Venorik had clearly not wanted him to do so. Blue brightened a little bit at a thought of his. "I can even embroider something little into it, if you like," the fae added, his voice a little more cheerful now. Still, he wished he\'d made a better first impression. First impressions were always the most important.

Oh, he caught it! Blue thought, smiling pleasantly. He\'d figured that someone like Venorik would catch the question, but it made Blue happy to be answered anyway. Oftentimes, people here were very cold, and Blue got answers to his servant\'s questions less often than he liked. It just meant that every answer he got was all the more important to the fae, though. In truth, Blue was always delighted just to be talked to! It wasn\'t an infrequent occurrence by any means, but Blue was uplifted by it every time.

"Lloth..." Blue said softly, thinking. Right! Drow - from the Underdark! the fae thought suddenly, lightly smacking himself in the forehead. "Yes, I have heard of her! I don\'t know her well, but... It\'s very interesting, the way she can enchant ink. But then, she\'s a God, I suppose..." Blue said sounding genuinely interested in the subject. He always felt like he should know more about the other sylvan races, but he never had the time to study it. Being a servant at the Academy made one pretty busy, even on one\'s off-time. Right now was a perfect example of that, actually.

Blue looked at the wound again, now that the spiderweb had had a moment or two to sit. He was glad to see that while the bleeding had by no means stopped, it was starting to slow down a little. Thank the Gods for spiderweb! Blue thought cheerily, looking about for an "owie weed" (as his mother had taught him when he was small). "Ah! J-just one moment, okay? I need to grab some owie weed," the fae explained to Venorik, waiting for his assent before fluttering about 10 feet to the side and picking some small, five-veined leaves from the edge of the forest.

Blue fluttered back, the leaves in hand, and took his place next to Venorik again. "Umm... Well, these need to be chewed. W-would you like to, or should I? I don\'t have venomous saliva!" the fae said, speaking the last part quickly. It might have seemed a strange comment to make, but with all the different species running around the Academy... Some probably were venomous. Blue waited anxiously for Venorik to reply, though, hoping that the drow would allow him to use the medicinal herb on his wound.

[Mayquiri]

Once again, Venorik shrugged, wincing slightly at the pain his left shoulder caused him.  He honestly didn\'t really care if the robe was tattered beyond usefulness.  It hadn\'t been one of his favorite robes, even though it wasa  ncie one.  "Do what you will with it." he replied flippantly, neck craning to inspect how the spiders web was doing.
 
"Enchant ink?" Questioned the male suddenly as he looked up, then at Blue before shaking his head.  "No, Lloth is the Spider Goddess.  As far as I know, her powers are not connected to inking.  My sister simply infused the ink with a small spell to make things glow forever.  Somewhat like our natural Fairy Fire, but it doesn\'t fade after we forget, or die." Venorik explained, an expression of confused mirth on his face.  All in all, Venorik was surprised with himself, he usually wasn\'t so forthcoming with information, the more he knew and the less othersd around him knew, the better.
 
"What?" Venorik asked sharply when Blue went in search f the \'owie weed\'.  That was most certainly a new one to Venorik.  But, once again, he was more skilled in the poisoning, then the healing items in nature.  When Blue returned, Venorik just stared at him. "I, didn\'t think you did." He whispered, still smirking faintly, "You\'re a pixie, and unless my studies are horribly off, you\'re not poisonious at all.  You can chew it."

[Fell]

Oooohhhh... Blue thought as Venorik explained that it had been his sister, not the god, who had enchanted the ink. But... "Faerie fire?" the dark-eyed servant asked, very curious (especially at the name). It was all the more curious that they had it naturally and still called it "faerie fire". Why not "drow fire," if it was theirs? Whatever it was, it sounded pretty... Blue just hoped that Venorik wouldn\'t mind telling him about it. After all, as a fae, Blue was very interested in anything named after his kind.

The sharpness in Venorik\'s question made Blue wince, a bit. "I-it\'s just an herb! It cleans wounds and numbs them up a little bit, but it\'s good for just about any abrasion, sting or rash!" the fae explained. He spoke it all very quickly, for Venorik\'s tone had made him anxious. Blue tried not to deserve sharp words, so it always made him a little jumpy when he somehow did.

When Venorik told Blue he could chew it, he just nodded and put the whole handful in his mouth. He was still feeling a little bit bad about making Venorik use that tone, so he was eager to please. It didn\'t take him long to chew the herb, and when he was done he just spit it into the palm of his hand. Blue knelt, then began to apply it. "This shouldn\'t hurt at all, in fact, I wouldn\'t be surprised if it started hurting less!" the fae said, still speaking a little quickly (and in run-on sentences).

[Mayquiri]

Venorik grunted in response to the question.  Gods he was an inquisitive servant.  Unfortunately for Venorik, he was also one skilled enough to either finish healing him, or leave in a rush, letting the dark elf bleed to death.  So, the drow figured that it was in his best intrests to let the little fae know what his fire was.
 
"I was only curious." He explained, arching one brow at the pixie\'s jumpiness.  Either he\'s had more then a few bad masters, or he was just a very jumpy soul by nature.  It was rather amusing.  Taking a deep breath as the herb was placed in the wound, Venorik looked down at Blue\'s hands for a few moments.
 
"That, is faerie fire." He said tiredly as he nodded down at Blue\'s hands.  The small pixie\'s hands were now laced in a bright blue fire, outlining them quite nicely.  However, as hotly as the fire appeared tp burn, the flames never once got hot as they licked across Blue\'s flesh.