yaviks

a former wolf; a small eliksni without anywhere to call home anymore.

[akai-diyablo]

As he waited for her reaction, Ryziks couldn’t help but feel like he’d crossed a boundary. A boundary he probably shouldn’t have crossed. This proved true when she grabbed his hands and lifted them away. He remained silent, though, feeling conflicted himself. He wanted to be patient, but he’d risked his life to let her escape. He’d been tortured and all he could think about was her throughout the whole time. She knew this, and still she-

His thoughts stopped when she began to speak, and he felt a stab of guilt. Yes it was true, he did force her into the House of Devils, under his thumb. He was different, then. He was the one who oversaw the docks being put on her and the memory pained him slightly. But she changed her tune, stating that he did in fact help her escape. There was another pause for a moment as she thought.

Then she turned to him, asking her question, and for a moment he was stunned into silence. It was somewhat out of the blue to him and he blinked, turning from surprise to thought. He eventually gave a low sigh, averting his gaze to the side as he let his hands rest on his legs.

"I want to say yes,” he muttered. “So much that it hurts. But you are the only person who can decide that, now.”

There was another short pause as he brought a hand up to scratch at his face, frowning. “I just want you to know that I have changed my ways, and will continue to change. We are… equals, now, after all.”

Equals. The word was somewhat easy to say, but he had a feeling it was going to take a lot of time to get used to not ordering her around all the time. Still, he was going to try, and that’s what mattered, right? He waited for her response, wanting to bring his hands back to the docks, but he kept still for now, waiting for her permission.

[yaviks]

She looked do the side, letting what he said roll around in her head for a long moment. Yaviks... didn't want to be alone out here. And after he'd helped her escape, after he'd been docked (among other things, probably) for it, the small dreg wanted to believe that what he said to her was true. That he was changing.

Her face slowly grew determined as she snapped her gaze back to him. She reached out, grabbing his face in her hands a bit roughly, her sharp fingers pressing against his skin a bit but not enough to break through it or seriously hurt him.

"Ryziks." She said his name again, leaning forward just a bit. It was almost uncomfortable, but she remained there, speaking low and quiet. "If... if you ever betray me, you will regret it."

She wasn't sure what she could even do to him. Ryziks was bigger than her, and probably always would be. But she was still an eliksni, and she was still trained to be a warrior. She was sure that she could find a way to get him back if he ever did.

Yaviks let her words sink in, and then she slowly loosened her grip. Breathing out quietly. "Okay." She said. "Take them off."

[akai-diyablo]

Her reaction -while expected- was still quite amusing to him, despite the current situation. Ryziks coughed a bit, still feeling ill but not quite as miserable as before. He’d gotten some rest at least. That was.. something.

“And I didn’t think I’d wake up at all.” He muttered, once his coughing was done. But even so, he was smiling ever so slightly. He was ill, wounded, and weak; but he was glad that she was with him. He wouldn’t want it any other way if these were to be his last days on this planet.

His arm curled around her tighter, not enough to hurt, but enough to notice. Enough so convey the thought of “I don’t want you to leave this spot.” to her. He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet, not so soon. He wanted to rest like this, just a little bit longer…

“I’m glad to see that you seem well.” He offered, and he looked down to his docked arms. “You tended to these..?” He paused. Yaviks was no medic but… “You did an impressive job.”

He had every intention to let them grow back, of course, and the thought made him glance down at her own docked arms. He was slightly surprised that she didn’t remove them herself yet, but with all the chaos that had gone on, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had other more important matters to attend to.

Gently, though, he sat up as much as his state would allow. It made his head spin just a little, but he ignored the urge to lay back down as he used his primary arms to lift her and let her settle in his lap. “Perhaps… we can heal together..” He muttered, letting a hand rest on the dock that kept her arms from growing again. But he paused, looking at her as if silently asking permission.

[yaviks]

Yaviks was a bit surprised when he commented on his arms, praising her. Her chest puffed out just a bit, soaking it up easily.  "Well, I did have to learn a thing or two if I wanted to survive." The dreg replied, rather proudly. She knew that it wasn't the best wrapping job, but it was good enough, and that's all someone could ask for out in the wilderness.

She was a bit surprised when he picked her up and shifted her, having the strength to do so even in his current state. Yaviks supposed that she was rather small and light, but it was still caught her off guard just a bit. His last words took a small moment to sink in, before she noticed the movement of his hands and realized that he wanted to take off her docking caps.

Instinctively, Yaviks' hands moved to grab his arms, pulling his hands back away from her arms just barely. There was a sense of uneasiness in her stomach then, and her eyes echoed it as they looked up at his face. "Ryziks..." She said his name quietly, her gaze sweeping down for a second.

Removing her caps wasn't the problem. In fact, she'd been planning on allowing her arms to grow back, especially with a functioning servitor on her side. Just hadn't gotten around to planning it. But she couldn't help but remember that she'd tried to grow her arms back once already. And that had been when Ryziks had found her, originally, and forced her to come with him.

Forced. Her eyes moved back up to him, a bit more bold when she spoke again. "You were the one who put these back on me." She said to him. Not accusing, but stating a fact. "You were the one who brought me into Devils."

She breathed out, and then added. "And... you were the one who helped me escape." Her head felt like a jumbled mess. It was like the Ryziks that was with her now was entirely different than the Ryziks who she'd met that first day. But, no, he was still the same eliksni. And that is why she was hesitant now.

"Can I really trust you?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as she looked at him, her head tilting just barely with the question. Trust was so hard for her. Not just with Ryziks, but in general. Every time she’d put faith in someone or something, it had come crumbling down.

[akai-diyablo]

During the time he was out, Ryziks did little more than softly groan while Yaviks worked on cleaning his wounds. He thought he heard small echoes of her voice, but the words were too muddled to hear properly. Perhaps he was just dreaming. With a fever added onto wounds and exhaustion, it was very likely. Hell he wouldn’t be too shocked if he woke up back in the snow banks, if at all.

Disappointed, yes, but not shocked.

Still, though, all he could do was wait and see what the outcome was. He ended up sleeping heavily all through the cold night and well into the morning, getting some much needed rest after all he’d been through. He would have slept longer, but feeling a smaller warmth next to him, and the slight movements had woken him. Slowly, his eyes cracked open with a soft rumble. His head ached and his limbs still felt as if they were mildly frozen, but… he was breathing, and no longer face-first in a snow bank.

He took in a breath, slow and somewhat even. He let his fingers shift, curling and uncurling while his eyes traveled to the source of the reason he was awake in the first place. He was almost surprised to see Yaviks there. Her smaller body was curled up next to his and she seemed to be fast asleep. Then his eyes traveled to the stubs of his secondary arms and he noticed the fresh bandages. And not only did she clean his wounds and rebandage them, but she was also able to drag him all the way to her nest. That alone must have taken quite a bit of time and energy.

Soon enough, though, his eyes moved back to her sleeping form. He watched the steady rise and fall of her body in occurance to her breathing. He was… alive. And all the time he spent enduring the pain, torture, the cold and the sickness… it ensured that they were united again. And the fact that she didn’t leave him to die spoke greatly that she did feel something for him. Compassion, sympathy, or perhaps she was beginning to share his own feelings.

Absentmindedly, he let one of his arms curl around her in a gentle and slow manner. He’d never really felt this many emotions running through him all at once and he swallowed out of apprehension, wondering what their future held in store. But for now, it would be okay. He was with her again, he was more than glad that everything was real, and not a dream.

“…I thought I’d never get to see you again…” He whispered, a hand resting on her shoulder to embrace her the best he could without disturbing her too much. This time he would never let her go, for the mere thought of losing her again was more painful than the torture he’d endured.

[yaviks]

The voice speaking began to wake Yaviks, though not fully. She drifted slowly out of slumber, becoming aware of the feeling of unusual warmth. She was used to sleeping alone, being cold, but it was so warm and nice, and...

As she began to wake up more, she remembered why. She'd ended up falling asleep next to Ryziks' body. But then, even further, she realized that the heat wasn't just coming from beside her. The weight of a limb was wrapped around her, and all of a sudden, her eyes snapped open and she stiffened, coming to sit up just barely with widened eyes.

Gaze darted for a second before it rested completely on the larger eliksni, and her chest jumped when she saw that he was looking back at her. "Ryziks!" She squeaked, suddenly becoming fully aware of the fact she'd been so close to him, and that he was now holding her -- however small the gesture was.

"I-- uh. You're awake." She stuttered a bit, feeling her face grow warm with embarrassment from how stupid she probably sounded. "I didn't think you'd wake up so soon."

[akai-diyablo]

Hearing her words, feeling her shake him to keep him awake, it felt real. His mind still had its doubts, though, but perhaps it would be a vision to make him keep going. Even if it wasn’t real, it would provide the will to continue. And so he tried again, using his one good arm to hoist himself out of the snow -most of which was colored by his blood. Keep going. Do it for her.

His limbs shook, wanting to collapse again under his weight. Since when was his armor this heavy? He wanted to remove it, make his journey easier, but that would leave him open to the cold. He would freeze to death quickly and that wasn’t something he wanted.

With a grunt of effort, he took his first step, stumbled slightly and swayed in his sickness, but he forced his weight forward again before he could fall, keeping the momentum to stay upright. One step after another, he trudged on, letting Yaviks lead the way. He was in a daze, almost, walking on automatic and simply focusing on not passing out again. He hardly remembered much of the trip there, only the cold of the snow and how sore his joints felt, along with the evident fever he suffered. The next thing he knew, he was following her into an old building just outside of the territory borders.

Almost as soon as his feet touched something that wasn’t snow, they threatened to collapse underneath of him. He stumbled, grunting as the exhaustion hit him all at once and he’d barely made it inside before he fell, landing on his side with a thud while his world faded away again.

At least this time he would wake up again in a place that was relatively warm and safe.

[yaviks]

There weren't even any words between them as Ryziks finally managed to get onto his feet, and she started to lead him forward. Her eyes switched back and forth between watching their path ahead, and looking at him. He looked... well, awful, and even that word seemed to downplay it. Somehow though, she managed to get him all the way back to the place she'd been holed up in; an old building, big enough that the skiff  Ryziks had sent her off in could be hidden behind it for the most part.

As soon as they arrived, he collapsed again. And as he fell, Yaviks let out a sound almost like a squeak and moved, making sure he didn't land on her. Not to be mean, but because even docked, Ryziks could probably crush her easily with his dead weight.

After he'd fallen, though, Yaviks quickly closed the gap between them and knelt down. Reaching out, she shook him lightly, but this time, she could tell he was out cold. Her tongue clicked nervously in her mouth then, grabbing onto one of his good arms and dragging him a little further, towards the area where she'd been sleeping. It took all her strength and a few breaks, but eventually, she got Ryziks over there.

The next few hours were long and difficult. Yaviks wasn't used to tending to others, but she found herself trying anyway. Stripping off the gross, bloodied bandages on his docked arms, she couldn't help but wince. It was not at all a gentle, clean docking. He'd been made to suffer... and she tried not to think about it. How he had suffered because of her.

She had bandages of her own, thankfully, pulled from the skiff and unused for herself. Yaviks cleaned the wounds as best she could, rewrapping the bloody stubs afterward and then painfully rolling Ryziks onto his back instead. She started a small fire in the pit nearby, a hole in the roof of the building offering ventilation. It only provided a small amount of warmth, but making it too big could risk someone seeing the smoke.

And after that, she sat, and she waited. Worry was heavy on her chest. Every once in a while she'd try to check up on him. Shake him a little, say his name. A few times, she spoke to him in one-sided conversation, as if filling the room with words would somehow help him.

As it grew darker, late, she found herself drawn over to him. She'd dragged his body over to her own makeshift nest to give him some comfort, and found herself trying to  curl up near him to gain what comfort she could. But in his fever, Ryziks' body was warm and tempting. And by the time she fell asleep completely, she had given up and was curled up against him instead.

[akai-diyablo]

When he felt the tiny hand shaking him, and heard the voice calling his name, he was almost certain that he’d died.

In the days that he was imprisoned and charged for murder of a fellow captain, Ryziks had endured much. It all ranged from being starved of ether, to being tortured by the Captain’s former crew. Then he’d been docked and left to die in the wilderness, but still he refused to give up. Even as he trudged through the snow, freezing, and freshly wounded from an attack from a small group of thrall, all he thought of was her.

But even as his mind screamed at him to keep going, his body would eventually disobey. He’d collapsed into the snow, uttering nothing more than an exhausted sigh. His blood soaked the makeshift bandage around his arm and into the snow as well. His breathing was ragged and fever bit at the features of his face, making the situation even worse.

He would have died there, if not for the voice belonging to the very person he’d been searching for.

With a groan, his eyes cracked open ever so slightly, giving the indication that he was, indeed, alive. But they were soon closed again as his consciousness threatened to darken his world again. The hand on his unwounded arm twitched while his mind screamed at him to get up. Get up!

A sharp intake of breath was the next sound he made, gasping in air while his larger form shifted, trying to move himself. But his arm shook violently and he collapsed back into the snow. He couldn’t give up now! Not while she was there with him!

Unless… he paused. Just slightly. What if it was a dream? The likelihood of her actually being there was slim, and the fever could easily have made him hallucinate. So he laid there, gasping for breath as a hand formed into a fist in the snow.

“Yaviks….” He croaked, his voice probably the softest she’d ever heard it, “…Is it… really… you..?”

[yaviks]

At first, Yaviks wasn't sure if he was going to respond to her at all. But then, she saw the smallest hint of movement as his eyes opened, looking up at her before closing again. Panic seeped into her, and she shook him again. Did he even recognize her?

"Ryziks!" She hissed his name one more time. It was a sick irony, going from hating Ryziks more than anything, to... this. Desperately shaking him in attempt to get him to awaken. And then, he gasped, and struggled to get up, before ultimately falling back. No! Her mind screamed. She didn't want to be alone out here, she realized all at once. It was cold and lonely; not even just in the cosmodrome, but everywhere.

Suddenly, though, she stiffened as Ryziks spoke. Said her name. "Yes! It's me!" She said, her voice sounding rather irritated despite the fact that she was actually worried about the larger eliksni. She knew very little other than harshness, the kind of attitude that just flowed naturally for her. "Now get up, you big oaf! You'll die out here if you don't come with me to shelter!"

[yaviks]

@akai-diyablo​

It had been nearly a week since Yaviks had escaped, just barely, into the cosmodrome. With a skiff and a servitor to pilot it, she could have gotten far, far away from the territory of the Devils where she’d been kept for months. She should have, especially after she was sure that Ryziks was probably dead. The Devils weren’t known for mercy, after all, and that rumor held true when she’d been kept by them for those months.

But she didn’t go very far, as much as logic would tell her otherwise. The dreg held her position near the borders of the Devil’s territory -- not in it, of course, but close. Sure, Yaviks had a skiff and some supplies to go away... But where? She didn’t belong anywhere on this worthless planet, and she was scared to try and make a jump to Venus in a mere skiff. She didn’t belong anywhere, so there wasn’t any point in pretending like she had a destination. The Cosmodrome’s bitterness was the closest thing she had to a ‘home’ on Earth.

The dreg was out scavenging, trying to find any scraps of interesting things to bring back to the old building she’d holed up in, when something caught her attention. Between the strange clean snow, there was a scented tinge that she recognized. Blood. Instantly, her senses were on alert, and part of her wanted to dart back to where she’d come from. Curiosity killed the dreg, after all.

But of course, she pushed forward, carefully. It wasn’t long before she could see the drops of blood visibly, a trail that dotted the snow. She moved carefully, following it for a few long moments before her gaze found the end of it; An eliksni’s form that was laying, collapsed in a snowbank. The could see the colors of the Devils’ house on them, and --

No. It couldn’t be.

Her head swept back and forth, trying her best to make sure that no one else was around. Was this some sort of trap to lure her out? No, surely Devils wouldn’t bother tracking down someone like her; a mere dreg without any real value to them. She pushed forward, approaching the bleeding eliksni quicker now.

Docked. Abandoned. Bleeding from a crudely bandaged arm.

It was no other than Ryziks. She knelt down, unable to process the fact that it could possibly be him for a few seconds. What were the chances. A hand moved forward, almost scared to touch him, like something was going to reach out and bite her. But she did, placing her hand on his shoulder and shaking him.

“Ryziks?’ Yaviks hissed at him, casting another glance around quickly before she spoke, louder. “Ryziks!” His form radiated heat, in a way that seemed wrong. But that at least meant he was alive... Right?

[akai-diyablo]

Hearing her laughter… he supposed he would have rather heard it under different circumstances, because this kind of laughter was not the happy feeling one. He watched her as she leaned back against his nest, a sad smile on his face. Her last words made his smile falter, however, and he turned his head away.

“The arrogance and ignorance of someone who thought himself more than worthy of his title.” He answered in a low voice. The man he used to be would have scoffed at the very idea. Falling in love with a dreg -with anyone, really. Love had been weakness, a distraction. But as he saw some of his comrades with their chosen mates, happily interacting and being affectionate, something had formed in him and his mind had instantly been drawn to Yaviks.

He wanted her as his mate, and he knew he could have taken her whenever he wanted. But in his confusion, he’d let the opportunity slip. He wasn’t sure how this whole courting thing actually worked mostly. That, or he was too nervous to say it out loud until now, but he’d hesitated, and now he was paying the price. He had to let her go because he loved her. He couldn’t watch her suffer any more.

“Yaviks… I want you to know that I do care for you. It… It may not seem like it at times, and was not the case in the beginning but… I have changed since then.” He took a moment to lay back as well, stretching his arms a bit. He decided he would keep the undersuit on, as he would need to quickly armor up in the morning, and the idea of changing in front of Yaviks made him… uneasy, for some reason.

His eyes blinked at her slowly, wanting nothing more than to roll over and hold her close, protect her from the world. However he knew she was stubborn and would resist. So instead he just took a moment to take in every detail of her, from the tone of her skin to the glow of her eyes and every feature in between. It would be the last time he’d get a chance to do this. His eyes scanned hers for a long moment, a frown coming to his face.

“I could be dead by this time tomorrow…” He muttered, shifting so that his elbow rested on the nest and he propped his head up with that hand. “But knowing that you are safe… I could die a happy man…”

[yaviks]

Yaviks' face twisted from it's look of sarcastic laughing, to a more unsure expression, staring up at the ceiling as Ryziks spoke to her. She could feel his eyes on her, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. To speak in response to what he said. She felt torn, and she hated it. Things felt so much easier, much more black and white, when she could say that she hated Ryziks. Now... things had changed. Gotten serious all of a sudden.

After a bit, she moved to cover her face with her hands, letting out a long breath against her palms. "I guess this is it, then. Tomorrow I'll...." She trailed off. She would be free, if he wasn't lying to her. And yet, at what cost? Would Ryziks really be killed for this? For protecting her?

After that, Yaviks didn't say anything else. And eventually, despite all the strangeness of the situation, she managed to doze off, more exhausted by what had happened than she'd realized. Who knows how long had passed, but it wasn't until long into the night that she found herself startled back awake.

The room was rather dark, and it took her a minute to realize where she was. She felt alert, but unsure why... it was like she'd heard a noise, but as far as she could tell, the room was completely--

 Her thoughts drifted off, hearing a sound again. Faintly, from the other side of Ryziks' door. “Ryziks!” Heart speeding up, she found herself reaching out, grasping for the larger eliksni as the sounds increased. "I think someone's trying to get in!" She hissed, shaking him slightly.

[akai-diyablo]

He shouldn’t have been surprised when Yaviks didn’t believe him. It wasn’t shocking to say the least, considering how he had treated her before, when she first came into his squad. He glanced at her, looking like a mix of annoyed, insulted and hurt. By now he was down to his cloth pants and under suit and he took in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly.

Now that he wasn’t wearing his heavy armor and felt a little more comfortable, he sat down on his nest, next to her, and he kept his eyes to the floor. He had a feeling in his gut that things weren’t going to be very peaceful soon. He wished that he didn’t have to tell her under these circumstances.

“If I were only messing with you, would I have killed one of our own? All for a petty prank?” He kept his voice low before turning his head to her. “And you should have figured out by now that I’m not like most of the Captains. It might have been like that at first, but… things do have a way of changing.” Love had a way of changing people.

He expected that she would have a reaction like this, and for a while he was considering not even telling her because of it. But now he was in too deep, probably about to get into a lot of trouble. It could potentially mean his death at the worst case. If that was going to happen, he figured she should at least know why he’d been trying to court her all this time.

“Yaviks… they will figure out about what I did sooner or later. It could mean my imprisonment, or death… I do not intend to drag you into this any further.” A pause. He didn’t want to do this, but there was no telling what might happen should she get dragged into the situation too, and be punished along with him somehow. He couldn’t bear the thought.

“…I will take you to the southern borders.” He whispered, sounding as if the very idea of it was the cause of great agony. “I can provide you a servitor of your own if you wish, and you will no longer be under my command. You will be free again…”

There was another pause as he let that sink in, and he meant it for sure this time. He would let her escape before she could be dragged into this any more, even though he didn’t want her to leave his side. It was for her safety, and with his mind made up, he gave a nod. Then he blinked at her sadly. He wanted so desperately to wrap his arms around her and tell her it would be okay, but he knew he couldn’t. She didn’t feel the same way he did. However, he did lean toward her, slowly so he didn’t startle her, and he placed a quick kiss to her forehead before drawing away just as quickly. He then stood, clearing his throat and keeping his back to her.

“We will leave in the morning. I suggest you stay here in the meantime. It’s too dangerous out there for you.”

[yaviks]

Yaviks' eyes were on the ground. Deep down, she knew that it probably wasn't a joke. This sort of thing wasn't exactly the kind of joke Ryziks seemed like he would play, something that opened him up and gave him weakness to her. But at the same time, despite his words to try and prove it, she had a hard time grasping the fact that someone like him could honestly want someone like her.

However, when he continued to talk... her eyes moved back to him, widening as he told her he would take her to the borders. It almost sounded too good to be true, and she searched him for any hint of deception. His face just looked sad, though, something that she never would have imagined seeing that day he'd first captured her.

Her eyes were still on him as he leaned forward, and Yaviks leaned back just barely as she felt the brief kiss against her skin. Even after he pulled away, the feeling lingered for a few seconds, strange and foreign to her.

Suddenly, she moved to cover her face with her hands. Maybe it was tiredness from all that had happened, or nervousness even, but she found herself beginning to laugh.

Even as the sound began to roll from her chest, she knew it probably wasn't appropriate. Especially considering the fact that every bit of it reminded her of her pained voice and her bruised throat. But ti came anyway, and she found herself leaning back against the fabric of the next before she pulled her hands away.

Staring up at his ceiling, she blinked her bright eyes slowly. "I can't believe this." The dreg half whispered. "I just..." A small breath in and out. "Oh man."

Part of her knew she should be happy then. All she'd wanted at the beginning was to escape, to go back on her own. And while it had never gone away completely (she hated the damn Devils), she'd given up on the idea for the most part.

Now, though, as she thought about the idea of being completely alone again, she couldn't help but feel almost scared. “How did I get caught up in all of this.”

[akai-diyablo]

Perhaps part of him wanted there to be some reason, some cause to why that Vandal thought he needed to kill her. It would have given him something to work with other than ‘he just felt like it’. Some reason as to why he needed to stop it. Perhaps Yaviks knew something that needed to be secret. But no, there was no reason. He just murdered another Devil because he was going to murder Yaviks. That was his reasoning now and it really wasn’t that good.

But then her question came, and it startled him greatly. But only because he realized that if it had been anyone else, that would have been the case. He would have let them fight for themselves and maybe intervened if things got too out of hand. But when he saw it was Yaviks, he couldn’t control his rage, and he couldn’t stop the blade from reaching the Vandal’s throat once he’d separated them. He killed an ally for her. In her name. But she was only a Dreg, and he had been a Vandal. He murdered the strong to protect the weak.

Did that make him weak?

“I…” He trailed off, not knowing what to say. However, before he could say anything more, or say anything to cover up or divert the conversation, there was a buzzing noise. A signal that someone was at his door. He tensed, staring at the door for a moment with wide eyes and he probably looked scared for a second.

“Stay here…” He muttered before cautiously moving to his door and punching in the code to unlock it. He had to remind himself to breathe. Nobody was in the corridor that they were in, right? Had anyone else been there? He couldn’t remember, all he knew was the blind rage and the killing. He took a deep breath and let the door open, revealing a fellow Captain. One that he spoke with often.

“Ryziks, I must speak with you.” Came the voice of his comrade and he nodded dumbly. “Something has been discovered nearby, someone murdered. Considering that it was near here, I was wondering if you knew who could have killed one of my men.”

Ryziks had to fight his damnedest to keep himself from passing out right there. And he slowly shook his head. “I.. I did not see anything, Vikkis. I was here…” He trailed off, noting the gaze of the other captain shifting to stare behind him, probably at Yaviks, sitting on his bed, alone with him….

His eyes narrowed when Vikkis gave him a look. “It’s not that, we were just speaking.” He rumbled, faking annoyance over his terror of being caught. “Now if that is all you needed..?”

A nod. “Yes, I will continue to ask around. Do not hesitate to tell me if you know or learn anything, yes?” Ryziks gave a nod, unwilling to verbally lie to his friend. At that, Vikkis turned away and began walking to question more people. And Ryziks let the door close with a heavy sigh as he relocked it and turned back to Yaviks. He could have sworn he saw a glare in the other captain’s eyes before he left and that scared him.

Slowly, he stumbled back to where Yaviks waited. They’d already discovered the body -that was no surprise, it was difficult to ignore- but he had a sinking feeling that someone was already connecting the dots. If that was the case, he wasn’t going to have much time. And so he took a moment to remove some of his armor. That was when he noted that there was some blood on it. Not much to draw too much attention, but it wasn’t hidden very well and obviously was not his blood. He felt his breathing go ragged at the sight. Had Vikkis seen it during their short exchange?

“…I have to tell you..” He muttered, almost to himself after his chest plate came off. More specks of blood revealed. “If it were anyone else, that would have been the case. I would have let them fight at least, though I doubt I’d let it get as far as being killed. But you…” He swallowed nervously, removing his gauntlets.

“…I killed him because I love you…”

[yaviks]

Yaviks honestly didn't even expect him to answer her question, especially when someone came to the door and distracted the both of them. As Ryziks went to answer, Yaviks stiffened. Her heart beat heavily, fear that something bad was going to happen.

Her eyes saw the form of the other Captain only briefly before she dropped her gaze down to her own lap, leaning forward a little in hopes of hiding any signs of the fight that would show on her. She sat, so rigid it may have been a bit suspicious if the strange Captain looked at her for too long, listening to the exchange.

Her breath rushed from her chest as soon as she heard the sound of the door close once more, tension releasing from her like a flood. Even so, she felt like things weren't going to be very good for a while. The fact that she still didn't understand why the vandal had come after her in the first place made her nervous... were there motives behind the action that Yaviks didn't understand?

Somehow, she had a sneaking feeling that it wasn't just a random Devil being an asshole, as likely was that was.

His voice came again, and her bright eyes darted back up to look at Ryziks. For a second, she was confused as to what he meant, having already forgotten that she'd asked him the question before their visitor. But then, he spoke more, and she realized.

Even so, she wasn't expecting the final words that came from him. Instantly, her face visibly scrunched, looking at him with absolute confusion and disbelief shining in her gaze.

"What?" She gasped out after a long second, mouth hung open after. Her mind was racing, trying to grasp the concept. But she felt like there was no possible way. So, not knowing how to react properly, Yaviks grew defensive all of a sudden, her eyes narrowing.

"Are you messing with me?" Her voice was still strained, but she forced it out anyway. "Why would you say something like that?"

No. There was no way he could actually be telling the truth in that moment, in her own opinion. "Captains like you... they don't fall in love with dregs!" There was a slight squeak to her voice at the end.

[akai-diyablo]

It wasn’t her words that soothed his mood, even if it was just ever so slightly, but instead it was the coughing. For the first time this evening, he noted how submissive she looked. She was afraid, probably confused and maybe even still in shock. He realized quickly that staying upset about it would make things worse, and so he took a deep breath. Willing his mind to slow.

After his moment was over, Ryziks looked down at her. His eyes were softer now, calmer in her presence. She’d unknowingly tamed a beast and he reached a hand out, slowly as to not startle her, and placed it onto her shoulder with a gentleness that nobody had ever seen from him in public.

“Are you okay, Yaviks? Do you need to sit down?” He asked, ushering her toward his nest. He had a feeling that she was probably more shocked than anything, and maybe her neck would bruise, but he saw no outside wounds on her person from what he could see. He saved her just in time it seemed. Fortunate for her, and yet unfortunate for the man who tried to kill her.

But he would do it again if it meant saving her once more. But he shook that thought from his head quickly as he made her sit down on the end of his nest. He stared down at her, a little confused. He had to get a reason as to why that Vandal was doing what he did. And Ryziks tilted his head, still looking down at her.

“Yaviks… Why did that Vandal attack you?”

[yaviks]

It seemed like all at once, Ryziks' entire aura seemed to change, somehow shocking Yaviks. Her eyes followed his slow hand, almost as if she wasn't sure if he was trying to trick her with the motion. Her body stiffened when he first touched her, but when the dreg quickly realized that he wasn't going to harm her, she slowly relaxed.

She almost declined his offer, but before she even had the chance, he was already guiding her towards his nest. Honestly, she was too tired to resist at that point, sitting down once they got there, letting the soft surface give her at least some comfort.

Her eyes looked up at him for a moment, but they shifted to the side a bit. "I don't know." She answered honestly. "He just.. came out of nowhere. Pushed me down--" Another few coughs came as she spoke, straining her throat a bit, but it wasn't as bad as the time before. "-- I tried to get away, but I..."

She trailed off, feeling stupid, embarrassed. What kind of eliksni was she? Honestly, she should be dead with how weak she was against even a vandal.

"Ryziks." She said his name, almost hesitantly. No "Captain", or "Sir", but his name and only his name. "Almost anyone else would have made me defend myself, and let me just die if I couldn't..."

She rolled her shoulders, but then they slumped a bit. She dared to look up at him. "Why didn't you?"

[akai-diyablo]

For a long moment, all he knew was rage. The vandal that had decided to try and kill her was dead in seconds, having suffered a strike to the throat from his blade. Yaviks was safe now, but Raviks was likely to get into trouble for murdering another Devil.

A low hiss came from him upon hearing her words and he took a deep breath to try and clear the red from his vision. He then turned to her, bearing his fangs slightly.

“Would you rather it be you lying dead on the floor?” He hissed, fists clenched as he fought to calm down again.

Ryziks wasn’t easy to truly anger, but walking around the corner and seeing someone trying to kill her… He only remembered charging forward and then he had a body lying at his feet.

With a soft growl, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her along through the halls. He needed to get them out of there before anyone else showed up. The first place that came in mind was his quarters and as such, it wasn’t long before they reached it and he was opening the door.

Then he pulled her inside quickly and made sure the door was locked. Then he turned to her, eyes narrowed dangerously.

“You will tell no one of this. Understood?”

[yaviks]

She flinched back away from him when he spoke to her, the remaining anger still obvious in his form. As time had gone on, Ryziks had grown much kinder towards her than she'd ever expected. But now, seeing him with his fists clenched in front of her, sharp teeth flashing, she remembered back to the first moment she'd "met" him, the strength he'd had when he'd held her against her will. For the first time in a while, she was terrified of him.

Yaviks probably would have tried to move away from him when he went to grab her, but the event had made her slow and exhausted, so she didn't have a chance before she was yanked up and Ryziks began to drag her down the hall. For the trip, she just obeyed his direction, but as soon as they got to his quarters, she pulled away from his grip.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she swallowed painfully and found herself nodding. "I won't tell anyone. Please just--" She half-whispered, painful coughs suddenly breaking from her throat. It took a moment to contain the fit, but when she did, she gasped a few times before managing to finish. "Calm down."

Part of her was afraid to even say such a thing to an angry Devil, but it had already been said, so there wasn't any taking it back. Her eyes flicked down to the ground, waiting quietly. Her usual sass was long gone after the event, at least for the time being.

[yaviks]

@akai-diyablo - 46. Your muse commits murder to save mine.

Yaviks' body shook as she gasped painfully for air as she leaned against the wall, tears burning in her eyes as she blinked. Her hands came up to her neck, the air filling her lungs that she'd been denied only moments before by the strange Devil who had tried to strangle her seemingly out of nowhere.

Only feet away, the body of said Devil was on the ground, motionless, blood pooled around a gaping wound that had ended his life in seconds. And above that form, Ryziks, who had arrived just in time to inflict the blow.

Breath finally caught up with her, her voice was weak and croaky from the coming bruises on her neck. "Y-you, you killed him!" She gasped, moving her arm quickly to wipe the stupid tears from her eyes.

Yaviks was relieved, but terror still shone in her eyes from the scene, and the viciousness she'd witnessed. He'd saved her life, but also, it was a reminder of how strong Ryziks was, and how easily he could do the same to her.

[akai-diyablo]

For him, the entire trip was just filled with unease. He should have accepted the eastern border patrol over this, but he’d taken patrol duty three times already. He thought a scouting mission would be a nice change of pace, but with the ever growing sense of dread rising in him… he wasn’t so sure anymore.

Still, the trip wasn’t a long one, and he gave a quiet order to let the skiff land. A single hand came up to grip a handle to keep himself steady while the skiff turned into the landing zone. He watched as Yaviks moved to a window, and the sense of unease came back with force when he heard her report on what she saw. Ryziks took a breath in an attempt to calm his nerves, and a low rumble came from him when he exhaled.

“Whatever is driving the Kings away is probably inside there. This area is above a series of underground caverns that lead into the mountains. It’s likely hiding there.”

“Captain, if I may.” Came the voice of Hexiks, another one of his most loyal and most trusted. “Perhaps it would be easier to split into groups, that way we could cover more ground, and the leaders could stay in contact through radio signal.”

“It’s a good suggestion, Hex, but we don’t know what we’re facing. I would much rather keep us all together for now. You know how I feel about losing people to things like this.”

At that, the Vandal have a soft hum. He’d nearly forgotten the mission that Ryziks was put on under the previous captain. The only reason he was Captain today was because there were no contestants left when he returned from the mission. Hexiks was just a dreg, just recently recruited when it happened. He remembered a broken, half-conscious Vandal being pulled from a skiff, covered in blood and who knew what else. Turned out his Captain ordered them to split into three groups to track a lone guardian. Nobody else made it back. He was very lucky to have survived.

Ryziks then moved to the cockpit of the skiff, ensuring that their landing zone was safe and so that he could grab his own modified weapon: It was akin to a shock blade, but instead had a dark rod in the center, leaving a normal blade on the other end. On the ground, the entire weapon stood about four inches below his shoulder. He strapped the weapon to his back and took a hold of his shrapnel launcher before turning back to face the crew. The skiff gave a lurch as it came to a stop and the exits hissed open.

“Everyone out, the sooner we start the scouting, the sooner we go home.” And with that, he shifted to the nearest exit, and let himself fall downward toward the snowy ground below.

[yaviks]

They set out, holding together as a group like Ryziks decided. Yaviks strayed towards the edges, keeping close but not immediately in the thickest part of the team. While part of her knew she should probably be sticking a little closer to the front, she didn’t feel very comfortable there. She’d rather be on the edges, where she could look around the best.

At first, there didn’t seem to be anything. They were moving towards the general direction that Yaviks had seen the shady figure, but there weren’t any immediate signs of danger. Coming onto a rather large series of rocks, Yaviks made a grunt as she hoisted herself on top of them, climbing with ease until she was on top, squinting her eyes in attempt to find anything from her new height.

And then – there! “Something’s coming up on the left!” She cried out, her voice rather shrill as she said it so that it would carry. Instantly, she began to scurry down, not even taking the time to confirm what exactly the blurred form was. It was coming in fast, and she couldn’t help but have a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach as she raised her pistol towards the direction it would appear.

[akai-diyablo]

At the question, Ryziks lifted his head. His eyes narrowed at her stance, noting the subtle changes but saying nothing about them. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in the short time he was gone. But he shook his head after a few seconds.

“Not quite. We still have a couple minutes to wait for the rest of the squad to return. However the Skiff is ready so if you wish to choose your seat and store your things, you are welcome to. As second in command for this mission, you get priority.” A pause. “I was also looking at reports about the place that we are scouting. They say there is some Hive activity, but not a whole lot. We are still confused as to why the Kings are backing off. And if the Kings themselves are backing away… We must exercise a lot of caution.”

In truth, he was nervous for this mission. The Kings were a strong and mighty house, with many strong and brave warriors. If they were backing away from whatever was at the borders, then it had to be something terrible. Part of him regretted that he accepted the mission, even more so that he did without checking the reports in detail. He let his curiosity get the best of him and he feared that his team was going to pay for it.

He feared that Yaviks was going to pay for it.

Shortly after he spoke, though, something caught his eye. He turned his head toward the entrance to the docking bay to see two Vandals standing there. One of them was part of his squad, the other most likely not. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as he watched them lock their primary hands together and let their heads bump in an affectionate manor. It was painfully obvious that they were likely lovers, possibly even mates.

It almost made him sick with envy.

It was a long moment before he tore his gaze away from them. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of delivering some bad news, should he return and the Vandal did not. “Go board the skiff, I will make the call and will join you shortly with the others.”

It was then that he called out to the others, and Hexiks specifically, making the Vandal lift his head and bid his lover a quick goodbye before joining the group. Ryziks was pleased to see that everyone had returned on time and he watched as they boarded the skiff. He was soon to join them after they were all on board and he moved between them to the front of the skiff where the pilot was.

With everything in place, it was time to start their mission. So he took a deep breath, willing himself to forget all of his worries before he gave a nod.

“Lets go.”

[yaviks]

Yaviks' gaze was turned to the side a bit, listening to Ryziks, but also passively thinking about what she'd been told only moments before. She nodded just a bit at his words, wondering briefly as well what could be so valuable that the Kings were backing off.

In all honesty, she wasn't familiar with earth... politics. At least, not too much. Growing up on Venus, most of what she knew of the earth houses had been stereotypes and rumors. Devils-- sneaky, untrustable, deadly. Kings -- noble, secretive, but also just as devious at times.

"So we have almost no idea what we're supposed to be going after?" The dreg found herself mumbling quietly, immediately wondering if she was going to get in trouble for back talking. But when she looked back towards Ryziks, the Captain seemed to be distracted by something, and her shoulders slumped with a breath of relief.

When she was given the order to board the skiff, Yaviks quickly scurried away. The ship was mostly empty when she climbed on, giving her at least a minute of peace to put her small bag of belongings away in a storage area before others began to swarm onto the skiff to take their places.

Once everyone was settled, Yaviks found herself sitting on the floor, towards the front where Ryziks was. Just being there made her nervous, separated from the majority of the team. She wasn't used to having any sort of authority, and unlike many eliksni that lusted for any shred of power they could get... the idea of others depending on her made Yaviks' stomach crawl.

Her eyes wandered to Ryziks, who gave orders to the pilot as the skiff began to rise up off of the ground. Her mind again drifted to what Tyxis had said to her before, about the group's plan. She could hear them chattering away behind her, the other soldiers talking among each other casually, as if they weren't plotting a murder.

"Devils." She breathed so quietly, no one could probably hear them. Even though Winter and Wolves had still been tough houses as well, she never would have found herself plotting against a superior like they were.

The trip to their destination didn't take as long as she expected it to. It wasn't long before she could hear the orders given to land, and the skiff began to circle in towards the ground to find a place to set down. Shifting back to her feet for a moment, Yaviks pulled herself towards a window, holding onto the edges to keep herself balanced as the skiff moved.

Eyes scanned the land below, finding nothing but rocks and snow at first. But then, she could have sworn she saw a flash of movement, a shadowy figure dart backwards into the shadows of what looked to be a cave opening. Yaviks' eyes narrowed then, speaking.

"I just saw something dart into a cave." She spoke, not even sure if Ryziks or anyone else was actually listening to her.

[sixpenceee]

[akai-diyablo]

“Our plans shouldn’t concern you, Yaviks. We’re willing to let you go free instead of returning to the Ketch. We can say you died in the report if you like. And everyone is in on this except the Vandals, but they wouldn’t bat an eye if they didn’t know we were the ones who killed the Captain.”

Tyxis gave a scowl though. Honestly he was giving her the chance to be free again. He wasn’t sure why she’d want that life but she seemed more fond of it rather than her life in the House of Devils.

“Even if he’s stronger, there’s more of us. We could overrun and overpower him in seconds with our numbers alone and he wouldn’t even see it coming. If you choose to help us, then I can promise that you’ll be set free once again.”

Honestly though it didn’t really matter. If she refused, they could always overpower her too, kill her and say the Hive did it or something. They truthfully didn’t need her, but…

“It’s not a secret that Ryziks has some fondness toward you, Yaviks. I was thinking we use that to our advantage. Have you distract him before we shoot him in the back while he’s unsuspecting, or distracted…”

Just as the dreg finished speaking, however, Ryziks himself emerged from the skiff, eyes on a data pad in his hand. His deep voice called for Yaviks, not bothering to look up and see the circle of dregs that had gathered. Tyxis took a second to stare at Yaviks with narrowed eyes.

“Give it some thought. You’ll never have to see any of us again if you choose to help.” Was all he whispered before letting her to see their Captain again.

[yaviks]

Yaviks stared at the other dreg while he spoke, eyes suspicious as he continued to speak to her. She didn't trust him one bit, despite his attempt at speaking all smooth to her. On one hand, if he was telling the truth, it could be her way to get out of here. Away from the squad.

But for one thing, she didn't believe for a second that he would let her go. He was already plotting against his leader, and she had a feeling that he would turn on her, too, as soon as he had a chance.

And besides that, another thing. Where would Yaviks go right now if she was released? Back into the colds, barely surviving? She'd had a broken servitor at her old camp, but she didn't even know if it was there now, or if it was, how to even find that camp after how long she'd been stuck with this team.

Her thoughts were cut off before she even replied when she heard her name being called. Quickly she stiffened up, head turning towards Ryziks before a low trickle of a growl came to her throat. All she said to Tyxis as she left was a sharp. "We'll see."

She crossed her arms as she made her way over to Ryziks, eying him quickly before her gaze drifted to the side. "Are we ready to go... sir?" She half-grumbled, her irritation towards him low as her mind was distracted by what she'd just been told. “The others are... restless.”

For now, though, she held her tongue and kept the details to herself. She didn't trust Tyxis. She didn't trust Ryziks. The former stray didn't trust anyone but herself, and she had to choose whatever option would help her more in the long run.

[akai-diyablo]

@yaviks

“I am sure some of you have heard of the mission that has been scheduled for us. I am satisfied to see that all that I have called on have arrived.”

A line of soldiers, all under his command. Most of them were dregs, with a couple Vandals that were talented in using their long-range rifles. However his eyes lingered on only one of them: Yaviks.

The captain paced slowly in front of his men. The skiff behind him rumbled and hissed as it was being prepped for their journey. His eyes snapped from the unique dreg and onto another notable one: Tyxis. Of course, when he heard that Yaviks was joining them, he had quite a bit to say. And was losing his spot as the Captain’s most-favored all the while. By Tyxis was a good soldier, seemingly loyal. He simply didn’t look forward to the conflict that was about to be unleashed.

“As you are all well aware, I am the source of leadership on this mission. However, there is one of us who is well suited for surviving in the wilds. As such, Yaviks has been put in second-command. Her advice on survival will be held in high regards.” He could already see the shock in the others’ eyes. The rage and disbelief in Tyxis’. Ryziks’ own eyes narrowed as he continued on.

“It is a strange change for all of us. However I will not tolerate any sort of disrespect toward her on this voyage. Anyone who is caught or reported to have broken this rule will be executed on sight.”

There were a couple grumbled affirmatives. He ignored it and snorted quietly. His eyes fell onto Yaviks again for a moment.

“The reports say that the House of Kings is retreating from a specific area of the borders. We suspect Hive are the cause of this. Our orders are to scout out and make sure it actually is Hive, and to wipe as many of them out as we can within the next two weeks. Those who survive will be offered a potential promotion, and as such, an increase in Ether supply.”

That got a few heads bobbing, and the distaste for Yaviks had suddenly been mostly forgotten. Save for, of course, Tyxis. It wasn’t a secret that he had badly wanted to take the place of second-in-command. There was also the rumor that he vouched for the Captain’s affections, and Ryziks wouldn’t doubt that. He simply had no liking for the dreg.

Ryziks took a breath. “Well. If nobody has questions, our skiff will be ready to leave in ten minutes. Gather what you feel you need and do it quickly. Anyone not ready will be left behind.”

With that, he turned, heading for the skiff. And the others instantly dispersed, a few running off to find some items of importance. However, a small group of dregs formed off to the side a distance away. One of which consisted of Tyxis and they all had sour looks on their faces as they muttered to one another.

Tyxis couldn’t help the slight smile, though. Ever since his captain had brought that stray into their group, he’d been… distracted. The dreg could tell that Ryziks was trying to focus on the mission but he didn’t miss the way the Captain’s eyes lingered on Yaviks. He was still being distracted and it was almost too perfect.

“Tyxis,” One of the dregs whispered to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are we still going through with this…?”

He gave a nod. “Yes. It’ll be even easier now that he’s so distracted…” Then he raised his voice a little, calling out: “Yaviks! Come here! We want to talk to you.”

He waited, watching to see if she would approach, and when she did, he gave her the darkest look a dreg could possibly even manage. His hands clasped together and his teeth flashed into a devious smile.

“It is no secret that you dislike our Captain. His fondness for you could be very… useful. We are willing to let you in on our plan, but you must keep it a secret.” He glanced around then, making sure none could hear before leaning in toward her.

“We plan to murder Ryziks on the mission. Make it look like an accident, or like the enemy did it. With him out of the way, we get our promotion… and you get your freedom back.”

[yaviks]

Yaviks arrived on time, mostly because she had learned over the years that you were never late when your superior called... wanted superior or not. She stood in the line of soldiers, her eyes shifting to look down the line a bit as Ryziks talked. When she heard her name, however, her body stiffened up straight and her heart sped up, half panicked hearing herself singled out before she realized it wasn't for a bad reason.

She couldn't believe she was given any sort of power on this mission. She supposed that the reasoning was good enough -- she had survived on her own for months -- but at the same time, Yaviks had never been in charge of anything serious in her life beyond her own actions.

The attention shifted off her soon enough, and she relaxed a bit more, passively listening to the words spoken as she glanced down at the ground. They were dismissed to prepare, and her hand went up to grab at the strap of her bag of supplies, already gathered and ready to go.

The dreg was thinking quietly to herself as she waited, hearing her name spoken by another subordinate. Her head quickly snapped towards Tyxis, a flash of distaste forming in her stomach when she realized who it was that spoke to her. Her eyes narrowed a bit, but she slowly came closer anyway. Ryziks had said to be wary of the other dreg, and she definitely was. Especially the way he seemed to be trying to buddy up to her with his body languages. But either way, she listened.

And when he was done, her mouth hung open a little bit in disbelief before she snapped it shut, letting a fakely amused huff come from her. "What else should I expect from Devils." She murmured to herself, eyes flicking up and down Tyxis' form.

"And I suppose you think you'll be the new Captain, or such?" She asked him, crossing her arms as she tilted her head, seemingly unamused. "Besides the fact Ryziks could probably rip you in half in a heartbeat, why do you think I'd ever trust someone like you?"