Natalie pushes the bacon around the pan, it’s smell filling the small space. She glances over at Kayah’s sleeping from, and allows herself a smile, and begins humming an Ul’dah marching tune.
Kayah stirs in the bed and makes a soft sound. He stretches, then winces, his hand moving to his head, feeling the bandage. His eyes open and he smiles across the room at Natalie, the unlikeliest cook. "G'mrn'g..." he murmurs, before sitting up in bed, wincing again. He sniffs, then sniffs again, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "Natalie", he says, his voice soft. "Are you... *cooking*?"
Natalie almost drops the pan, her ears sticking up in alarm. Instead she moves it away from the heat, "Kayah?" she says as she turns and rushes towards the bed, "Gods... kayah" she shouts as she gently takes him in her arms, her body somehow mustering tears from some last reserve.
He stiffens as her arms go around him, then he relaxes, his own arms slipping around her. He'd always been impressed with her strength, but today she felt frail. Spent. "Hey", he quietly exclaims, "no tears! Nat!"
Natalie sniffs, and wipes her eyes with a forearm, "I'm sorry... I have no right" she says softly while getting up slowly and moving back towards the stove, "I know you don't want to see me here" she bites her lip, "But it's my fault this happened, and my responsibility to ensure your safety, once you've recovered you can leave me and go where you wish"
He lays back down in the bed and stretches, inhaling sharply as his ribs let him know what a mistake that was. "Nat", he gasps, slowly letting himself relax. "Thal's Balls, Nat. What if I want you here?"
She pauses, and looks at him incredulously, "Kayah I...." she looks at him open mouthed, "You told me last night..." she begins before shaking your head, "You must not remember what happened" she turns back to the stove, "Your wound was worse than I thought"
Kayah chuckles painfully, scratching at his ribs. "Which wound?" he murmurs. "I feel like I'm all wound. What happened, anyways? I remember getting hit, and a woman's voice... Then I woke up here. Closing his eyes and inhaling through his nose, a faint smile returns to his lips. "I remember smelling you..."
Inspects the bacon before sliding it onto a plate. "I was hoping you could tell me" she says as she retrieves a bowl of eggs from the table, "I came upon you after the attack had already happened". Natalie waits for the fat in the pan to regain heat, and then begins cracking eggs into it. "Kage might have known... but he's out of contact"
He opens his eyes at the sound of his friend's name, then closes them again. "Kage..." he murmurs sadly. "He was running. Upset. His date... Nat", he says, opening his eyes again. "You and his date? You and Denn?"
She presses her lips together sharply, and turns to face him, an artificial smile plastered on her face "Yes Kayah, Denn and I made love, mere moments before I met you" she says, with a strange cheeriness, she turns around and takes the eggs off the heat, and deposits them on the plates. "So feel free to despise me" she says as she drops a steaming plate of food in his lap.
"Get better, and get the hell out of here, I've heard limsa is nice this time of year, you should try it"
.
Kayah growls and pushes the plate aside, sitting up and swinging his legs out of the bed. He sits there for a moment, steadying himself. "If you wanted me gone", he says, his voice hollow, "you should have... Nat, what is this?"
She bites her lip and attempts to push him back on the bed, "Kayah... we can argue when you're recovered, it's just that..." she sighs, "You're going to hate me once you remember it all, so I just want to get it over with. I don't want any false hope" she mutters.
He furrows his brow, incomprehension on his face as he struggles to remain sitting up. "Nat", he gasps, finally letting himself be pushed back onto the bed, "Why?"
Natalie looks away, "Eat Kayah, you lost a lot of blood" she presses a fork into his hand, "Eat and I'll answer whatever you wish"
Kayah picks up the plate and stabs at an egg. "Nat", he says, narrowing his eyes. "What happened? Talk to me."
She crosses her arms, "Start eating, and I'll start talking"
He cuts a piece of egg, curses as the fork slips in his clumsy fingers, then lifts it to his mouth. "Okay", he says around a mouthful of egg, "start talking". After swallowing he cuts another piece of egg, suddenly ravenous. He stops, the bite half-lifted to his mouth, watching her. Her back turned, arms crossed. "Do you hate me that much, Nat?"
Natalie steadies herself, and begins "I found you dead on the cobblestones of the royal court" She suprised herself with how easily she said it. She starts to continue, but is affected by his words, biting her lip, "How could I hate you kayah" she mutters softly.
He shakes his head, eating another bite of egg almost without his teeth touching it. "Then why, Nat?"
She sighs and turns around, "Why what Kayah?" she says, trying to keep her voice steady.
Kayah gestures with his fork, his voice rising. "What do you think, Nat? While I was buttoning the jacket you bought me for this ball, you took Kage's date by the hand and..." his voice breaks and he sets the fork on the plate. "Which of us do you hate, Nat? Me? Kage? You? All three? Why'd you do this?" He continues, holding himself up with his elbows and looking over at her. "Were you tired of me, Nat? Were you just bored? Did you think ... I remember. You said it was Kage's fault for bringing a fickle date. Is it my fault, too?". He grimaces at something and reaches into his ear, plucking out a linkpearl and setting it on the plate.
"We had an agreement" she says with more calm than she feels, "One that you agreed to" she looks down at the floor and exhales, "But think what you will, as I said you can be rid of me once you are well." she looks at him and forces a smile, "So think of me what you wish, arguing about it will only hamper your recovery"
He exhales through his nose. "We had an agreement", he says, his voice defeated. "I agreed to it. So... it is my fault, then. Fine." He sets the plate aside and sits back up, struggling out of bed. "I'll get out of your hair, Nat", he says. "You wanted me to get the hell out of here, I might as well start now."
Natalie seems pained at that statement, "I'll be outside" she says quickly and bustles out the door, "Eat your eggs, the sooner you recover, the sooner you'll be rid of me". "You're not going anywhere" she says over her shoulder, hoping saying so will make it true.
He howls in rage and throws the plate after her. Eggs splatter on the wall as the plate shatters, the linkpearl spinning away.
She closes the door and leans against it, breathing heavily. The house is part of lighthouse on the rocky Limsian coast. She swallows her anxiety and watches the waves, the cries of the birds. Finally she grabs her fishing rod and casts her line off the cliff, trying to take her mind off of what just happened.
Minutes later Kayah, struggles out of bed and takes a few tentative steps. He makes his way to the door and out. Ten steps up the path, he wavers and sinks to his knees, then collapses on the ground.
Natalie turns, her heart catching in her throat. "Gods kayah" she yells, throwing her rod aside, "What are you..." she runs over to him and attempts to help him to his feet. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" she asks angrily.
He shrugs off her hand angrily, glaring up at her. "You want me out of her", he growls, "I'm getting out of here. Now get the hell out of my way."
She reaches out a hand to soothe him, before pulling it back. No, she thinks, she has lost that privilege. "You can't" she says in an attempt of spite, "You're too weak" she steps away, "Sit there for all I care" she says with her back turned as she fights to keep her voice steady, "But the only way you'll ever get back to civilization is by regaining your health, and the only way that is happening is if you get back into that bed"
Kayah struggles to sit up, his face livid. "I'm not staying anywhere I'm not wanted!" he roars, then clutches his head, rocking back and forth. "Gaaahh... Let me get the hell out of here, then you can..." , he groans, "then you can fuck whoever you want. That's what you want, isn't it?"
Natalie turns around her face marked with grief, "For fucks sake kayah please, just get into the bed" she chokes out, "That's all I want, for you to get better. You can hate me from in there. You can curse me from it, but please, let me get you back inside" she pleads.
He tries to stand, fails, then looks around, his eyes blazing. "I need a stick", he murmurs. "Get me a Gods damned stick, Nat"
"No kayah" she says softly, shaking her head.
He makes a bitter face and shakes his head. "For what it's worth, I don't hate you, Nat. Now get me a stick."
"No" she repeats, slightly more urgently.
He roars now, a vein standing out on his forehead, throbbing where it goes under the bandage. "GET ME A GODS DAMNED STICK!"
"YOU CAN FUCKING YELL ALL YOU WANT, IT''S NOT HAPPENING" she snaps and screams back at him, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU HOBBLE OFF AND DIE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD"
He laughs, a cruel, bitter sound. "What are you going to do, Nat? Beat me up to stop me? You've already done enough of that." He leans forward, toppling onto his hands and begins to crawl, painfully, up the path.
She takes a deep breath calming herself, "I'm going to wait for you to pass out, and then I'm going to carry you back to the bed", her face is hard as stone "And tie you there this time"
He crawls slowly up the path, sweat beading on his face, panting with the effort. "No", he gasps, pain in his voice. "No you're not..."
She follows him slowly, tracing a hand over his back and tapping into the aether of the sea, the shore, as she sends soothing waves of water aether into his body. She can only manage so much with her limited skills, but the energy flows in and out, calmly and relentlessly. Erasing his anger, his pain, his consciousness.
He stiffens as her hand touches him, the aether flowing into him. His eyes roll back into his head and he turns, falling onto his back with a soft "Fuck..."
She watches him for a moment. his crumpled form, the tracks his fingers had made in the dirt, as he scrambled desperately away from the cabin, away from her. Her face finally betraying her anguish, she lifts him gingerly and carries him back into the house, placing him on the bed. She turns to a cabinet, finding a line of rope. She stares at it, for what feels like an eternity. Then finally she shakes her head and slowly closes the cabinet. She instead locks the door, and drags a chair in front of it. She simply watches him for a moment, her eyes following the rise and fall of his chest, then her own head begins to droop and nod, before falling.
Kayah stirs in the bed and makes a soft sound. He stretches, then winces, his hand moving to his head, feeling the bandage. His eyes open and he smiles across the room at Natalie, the unlikeliest cook. "G'mrn'g..." he murmurs, before sitting up in bed, wincing again. He sniffs, then sniffs again, a lazy smile spreading across his face. "Natalie", he says, his voice soft. "Are you... *cooking*?"
Natalie almost drops the pan, her ears sticking up in alarm. Instead she moves it away from the heat, "Kayah?" she says as she turns and rushes towards the bed, "Gods... kayah" she shouts as she gently takes him in her arms, her body somehow mustering tears from some last reserve.
He stiffens as her arms go around him, then he relaxes, his own arms slipping around her. He'd always been impressed with her strength, but today she felt frail. Spent. "Hey", he quietly exclaims, "no tears! Nat!"
Natalie sniffs, and wipes her eyes with a forearm, "I'm sorry... I have no right" she says softly while getting up slowly and moving back towards the stove, "I know you don't want to see me here" she bites her lip, "But it's my fault this happened, and my responsibility to ensure your safety, once you've recovered you can leave me and go where you wish"
He lays back down in the bed and stretches, inhaling sharply as his ribs let him know what a mistake that was. "Nat", he gasps, slowly letting himself relax. "Thal's Balls, Nat. What if I want you here?"
She pauses, and looks at him incredulously, "Kayah I...." she looks at him open mouthed, "You told me last night..." she begins before shaking your head, "You must not remember what happened" she turns back to the stove, "Your wound was worse than I thought"
Kayah chuckles painfully, scratching at his ribs. "Which wound?" he murmurs. "I feel like I'm all wound. What happened, anyways? I remember getting hit, and a woman's voice... Then I woke up here. Closing his eyes and inhaling through his nose, a faint smile returns to his lips. "I remember smelling you..."
Inspects the bacon before sliding it onto a plate. "I was hoping you could tell me" she says as she retrieves a bowl of eggs from the table, "I came upon you after the attack had already happened". Natalie waits for the fat in the pan to regain heat, and then begins cracking eggs into it. "Kage might have known... but he's out of contact"
He opens his eyes at the sound of his friend's name, then closes them again. "Kage..." he murmurs sadly. "He was running. Upset. His date... Nat", he says, opening his eyes again. "You and his date? You and Denn?"
She presses her lips together sharply, and turns to face him, an artificial smile plastered on her face "Yes Kayah, Denn and I made love, mere moments before I met you" she says, with a strange cheeriness, she turns around and takes the eggs off the heat, and deposits them on the plates. "So feel free to despise me" she says as she drops a steaming plate of food in his lap.
"Get better, and get the hell out of here, I've heard limsa is nice this time of year, you should try it"
.
Kayah growls and pushes the plate aside, sitting up and swinging his legs out of the bed. He sits there for a moment, steadying himself. "If you wanted me gone", he says, his voice hollow, "you should have... Nat, what is this?"
She bites her lip and attempts to push him back on the bed, "Kayah... we can argue when you're recovered, it's just that..." she sighs, "You're going to hate me once you remember it all, so I just want to get it over with. I don't want any false hope" she mutters.
He furrows his brow, incomprehension on his face as he struggles to remain sitting up. "Nat", he gasps, finally letting himself be pushed back onto the bed, "Why?"
Natalie looks away, "Eat Kayah, you lost a lot of blood" she presses a fork into his hand, "Eat and I'll answer whatever you wish"
Kayah picks up the plate and stabs at an egg. "Nat", he says, narrowing his eyes. "What happened? Talk to me."
She crosses her arms, "Start eating, and I'll start talking"
He cuts a piece of egg, curses as the fork slips in his clumsy fingers, then lifts it to his mouth. "Okay", he says around a mouthful of egg, "start talking". After swallowing he cuts another piece of egg, suddenly ravenous. He stops, the bite half-lifted to his mouth, watching her. Her back turned, arms crossed. "Do you hate me that much, Nat?"
Natalie steadies herself, and begins "I found you dead on the cobblestones of the royal court" She suprised herself with how easily she said it. She starts to continue, but is affected by his words, biting her lip, "How could I hate you kayah" she mutters softly.
He shakes his head, eating another bite of egg almost without his teeth touching it. "Then why, Nat?"
She sighs and turns around, "Why what Kayah?" she says, trying to keep her voice steady.
Kayah gestures with his fork, his voice rising. "What do you think, Nat? While I was buttoning the jacket you bought me for this ball, you took Kage's date by the hand and..." his voice breaks and he sets the fork on the plate. "Which of us do you hate, Nat? Me? Kage? You? All three? Why'd you do this?" He continues, holding himself up with his elbows and looking over at her. "Were you tired of me, Nat? Were you just bored? Did you think ... I remember. You said it was Kage's fault for bringing a fickle date. Is it my fault, too?". He grimaces at something and reaches into his ear, plucking out a linkpearl and setting it on the plate.
"We had an agreement" she says with more calm than she feels, "One that you agreed to" she looks down at the floor and exhales, "But think what you will, as I said you can be rid of me once you are well." she looks at him and forces a smile, "So think of me what you wish, arguing about it will only hamper your recovery"
He exhales through his nose. "We had an agreement", he says, his voice defeated. "I agreed to it. So... it is my fault, then. Fine." He sets the plate aside and sits back up, struggling out of bed. "I'll get out of your hair, Nat", he says. "You wanted me to get the hell out of here, I might as well start now."
Natalie seems pained at that statement, "I'll be outside" she says quickly and bustles out the door, "Eat your eggs, the sooner you recover, the sooner you'll be rid of me". "You're not going anywhere" she says over her shoulder, hoping saying so will make it true.
He howls in rage and throws the plate after her. Eggs splatter on the wall as the plate shatters, the linkpearl spinning away.
She closes the door and leans against it, breathing heavily. The house is part of lighthouse on the rocky Limsian coast. She swallows her anxiety and watches the waves, the cries of the birds. Finally she grabs her fishing rod and casts her line off the cliff, trying to take her mind off of what just happened.
Minutes later Kayah, struggles out of bed and takes a few tentative steps. He makes his way to the door and out. Ten steps up the path, he wavers and sinks to his knees, then collapses on the ground.
Natalie turns, her heart catching in her throat. "Gods kayah" she yells, throwing her rod aside, "What are you..." she runs over to him and attempts to help him to his feet. "Are you trying to kill yourself?" she asks angrily.
He shrugs off her hand angrily, glaring up at her. "You want me out of her", he growls, "I'm getting out of here. Now get the hell out of my way."
She reaches out a hand to soothe him, before pulling it back. No, she thinks, she has lost that privilege. "You can't" she says in an attempt of spite, "You're too weak" she steps away, "Sit there for all I care" she says with her back turned as she fights to keep her voice steady, "But the only way you'll ever get back to civilization is by regaining your health, and the only way that is happening is if you get back into that bed"
Kayah struggles to sit up, his face livid. "I'm not staying anywhere I'm not wanted!" he roars, then clutches his head, rocking back and forth. "Gaaahh... Let me get the hell out of here, then you can..." , he groans, "then you can fuck whoever you want. That's what you want, isn't it?"
Natalie turns around her face marked with grief, "For fucks sake kayah please, just get into the bed" she chokes out, "That's all I want, for you to get better. You can hate me from in there. You can curse me from it, but please, let me get you back inside" she pleads.
He tries to stand, fails, then looks around, his eyes blazing. "I need a stick", he murmurs. "Get me a Gods damned stick, Nat"
"No kayah" she says softly, shaking her head.
He makes a bitter face and shakes his head. "For what it's worth, I don't hate you, Nat. Now get me a stick."
"No" she repeats, slightly more urgently.
He roars now, a vein standing out on his forehead, throbbing where it goes under the bandage. "GET ME A GODS DAMNED STICK!"
"YOU CAN FUCKING YELL ALL YOU WANT, IT''S NOT HAPPENING" she snaps and screams back at him, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU HOBBLE OFF AND DIE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD"
He laughs, a cruel, bitter sound. "What are you going to do, Nat? Beat me up to stop me? You've already done enough of that." He leans forward, toppling onto his hands and begins to crawl, painfully, up the path.
She takes a deep breath calming herself, "I'm going to wait for you to pass out, and then I'm going to carry you back to the bed", her face is hard as stone "And tie you there this time"
He crawls slowly up the path, sweat beading on his face, panting with the effort. "No", he gasps, pain in his voice. "No you're not..."
She follows him slowly, tracing a hand over his back and tapping into the aether of the sea, the shore, as she sends soothing waves of water aether into his body. She can only manage so much with her limited skills, but the energy flows in and out, calmly and relentlessly. Erasing his anger, his pain, his consciousness.
He stiffens as her hand touches him, the aether flowing into him. His eyes roll back into his head and he turns, falling onto his back with a soft "Fuck..."
She watches him for a moment. his crumpled form, the tracks his fingers had made in the dirt, as he scrambled desperately away from the cabin, away from her. Her face finally betraying her anguish, she lifts him gingerly and carries him back into the house, placing him on the bed. She turns to a cabinet, finding a line of rope. She stares at it, for what feels like an eternity. Then finally she shakes her head and slowly closes the cabinet. She instead locks the door, and drags a chair in front of it. She simply watches him for a moment, her eyes following the rise and fall of his chest, then her own head begins to droop and nod, before falling.