Thread: 〖 A U R O R A 〗 [Frost / Erebus]

Ember had stopped struggling only once Liath reached and started to open the door, waiting the moment it took her to enter the room before greeting her with a weak smile and a slight correction to her stance to ensure her now bare feet rested flat on the cement floor and her back was straight, taking some of the pressure off of her aching wrists from the shackles that held her in such a compromising position. Her smile did not last long however, turning into a bitter grin however quickly turn to a frown when the white-haired girl spoke as she surveyed the damage done by the bandit queen over the course of her last session. She would maintain eye contact with Liath with her good eye however for as long as she would allow it, greeting her with that bright gaze the moment she entered... Her own eyes were amber in color, flecked with bits of red like embers in a dying hearth. She kept one eye shut tightly to keep the blood out but let the other stay open to carefully survey Liath's motions. Liath's words made the young woman chuckle. She hid a lot of the pain, but if Liath was acute enough she could easily see that Ember was barely standing after such a beating... her heart was racing and her breath was still slightly ragged. I'll stop struggling when I'm dead She finally broke eye contact as those words left her lips and turned them to the floor. Her words and tone were soft, but bitter and barely a whisper, unsurprising for a woman who had just gone through such a painful encounter and knew full well that another just like it was around the corner. Her words of course were meant to sound more defiant than pitiable, and suggested that she intended to be defiant towards the bitter end. Cyan did truly seem to enjoy her sessions with Ember much more than any other prisoner she had taken in and that meant far more severe and painful treatments. Liath was certainly correct, that she was making her own injuries worse, but the potential of those injuries leading up to her freedom was well worth even the risk of cutting into something important and dying of blood loss before Cyan could do something truly unforgivable to her anyway, the thought of what she might do made the woman boil a little on the inside, keeping her warm despite the otherwise frigid temperatures. Even as she began to go to work the slight glow of her Brand competed with the dying sunlight - her Brand was a strange sigil, far more chaotic than either Cyan or Liath's Brands, and even larger than the former's. It was an arcane glyph that was formed from a semicircle with harsh, jagged lines designed into a strange but intricate design that was actually beginning to spread to her shoulder, the reason she couldn't wear clothing covering her shoulders shoulders. She allowed Liath to work on her, sighing heavily while she went to work and allowing that comment to pass... she was too tired to be really mad, even if that glowing sigil on her back spurred her on whenever it could. Luckily, for now that trademark temper was only in a low simmer. Liath's presence and attention was... soothing somehow. It was odd, even during the moments when Ember would have been flying into a rage she managed to even out that fiery temperature... of course this had the biggest impact in stilling that Brand and of course keep the said mark from activating her collar which she certainly appreciated. The first time she had done this had actually foiled Cyan's plans for the evening - the bitch had set the collar to be too sensitive, and planned on having it continually electrocute her victim, a continual loop fueled by the pain causing her brand to fire up. The white-haired girl had earned a degree of trust with the captive through those soothing touches and careful ministrations, enough to make Ember slightly protective and more than willing to tell the stories that she seemed so fascinated with, about past battles and romantic affairs, Ember was certainly a good storyteller if anything. The trust that Liath had fostered also made it so Ember didn't mind showing just a bit of weakness around her, occasionally wincing or allowing herself to show those signs of pain that Cyan wanted to see so badly. Cyan had tried so hard to convince Liath that Ember was a demon no doubt, she had probably seen the spitfire fight, and she certainly fought like a demon, spewing smoke and flame... She had killed quite a few people before her capture too. Maybe it was this pitiful position she was stuck in that earned a bit of sympathy from her, that she didn't really know. It was fitting that Ember allowed Liath to see this, having reserved the pain Cyan so desperatly craved for her subordinate was a good way to piss her off. Of course what she said threw her off enough to earn a sharp chuckle, and wince from her. Oh that hurt. She didn't answer Liath's statement, only giving her a pained look that said 'yeah, it wasn't pleasant at all' , trying to not disturb her while she went about the work dressing her many injuries from the savage beating. She was glad that Liath went through the extra couple of steps to make her stay slightly more comfortable. It went a long way to making her able to withstand the torment as long as she had. She and Cyan certainly did have a volatile relationship, but it had gone far beyond fire and ice... the two woman had hated eachother since childhood, and that girlish rivalry had long since evolved into armed warfare... Maybe she would tell Liath that story some day, perhaps close to the end... she could feel them getting closer almost. She used the pipe again... She finally admitted, directing her attention to her legs and noting the reason she was having such a hard time staying standing, more bandages would be needed. Her legs were also stepped in pain, blows directed to her knees and legs meant to keep her from running should she ever slip free. Once she was done tending to those wounds, the dark-haired girl did allow herself a sigh of relief and relaxed her muscles a bit. The ointment helped greatly with the aches from injured muscle and damaged skin. Once she got away she was going to have a bunch of new scars to add to her current collection, scars that Liath was now probably pretty intimate with along with the rest of her midriff. Once of course she got out of here at least she would deal with those, in the meantime, she just needed to wait. She knew they were coming for her, and once she was out they would give her no end of shit. Her eyes turned to Liath, watching her put away her supplies carefully. She wished she could just ask Liath to undo the cuffs, but she knew Cyan had the only key, and trying to get that key would put her into horrible danger. Cyan wanted to keep Ember alive for some reason, likely because she wanted to draw out her torment, but she had seen her execute people for lesser reasons, the lives of those under her were worth nothing to her, and Ember had come to quite like this white-haired girl. Liath's question was answered with a soft chuckle, thinking about it for just a little bit. Its... very unlikely our Ice Queen would agree to that... I am actually pretty happy she let me keep any clothing at all. The idea of her hanging there naked was not one she liked, especially with the freezing temperatures of this. Considering her little obsession, I am honestly surprised she didn't use me as a human decoration... besides, you have already done so much for me anyway. Its a shame I didn't discover you first, you would make a great medic... She rolled her eyes a bit, a little life returning to her as she spoke. She liked telling stories as much as Laith enjoyed hearing them, and of course the idea of having the girl listening to another story brought a small smile to her pale lips. It didn't last very long though, another thought passed her mind. Cyan wouldn't keep her here forever, she had to have some sort of plot. Ember was certain that even Liath had figured that out too... Liath Ember muttered, glancing down at her. You should get out of here, run away from Cyan and her goons while its still possible... I don't know what Cyan has on you, or your people, but she isn't going to keep me forever, and when she is done with me she is going to turn on you. Cyan likely saw her as at best an expendable asset, her medical skills were useful, but she still saw the only ends for her to be either turned in to a Brand Hunter, killed, or be kept as a slave the rest of her life like the other poor fools who followed her. She won't let you leave by yourself... no matter what she promises you, its a lie, the only way out is to run, get away from her and as far as you can Ember took another breath and readjusted herself, sighing heavily, swiftly regaining her composure. Liath likely hadn't come here in order to hear her worry about her, even as valid as her concerns were. Well, is there anything in particular you want to hear about today? While I am still lucid?