Day 4: On the hunt (James & Moira)

[jamesthorn]

James isn't okay. He is bleeding. His head hurts again, and his leg is throbbing near his ankle, like he ran through some barbed wire. Danger, I'm in danger is the first thing he thinks when he opens his eyes, blinking back the blurriness in front of his face. It feels like he's been drugged, but it may just be that his body is overcompensating for the massive pain he has in his left ankle and his chin is now bruised from where he hit it on the ground while being dragged away. The last thing he remembers, from being taken, he remembers the anger, fear on Moira's face, but she couldn't reach him.

If that wasn't bad enough. James attempts to move now that he's awake, but he finds that he is tied up, both hands bound behind his back with rope that digs into his skin. There's a wall to his back, keeping him from falling over. Slowly, he takes in his surrounds, licking at his bottom lip, it's swollen and crusted with dried blood.

All the lights are dimmed enough that he can't make out much of his surroundings, but he knows he is alone. Who knows when whatever took him will return to finish what it started...

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[chasingtwisters]

Moira manages to cast a glamour over herself before quickly following whatever took James. When she gets closer to the large, hulking forms dragging him away like a piece of meat, she starts to make out their forms and she swallows, trying not to let her fear overwhelm her. They look like trolls, something straight out of Tolkien, complete with clubs by their sides. That must have been what they struck him with, she thinks, keeping to the shadows as she follows them down one of the most winding paths they've come across in the labyrinth so far.

She curses when they reach a room at the end of a tunnel, a small one that she doesn't know how they all squeeze inside. She hates that she has to bide her time and wait, but she doesn't want to make any sudden movements; she's no good to James injured herself.

After what feels like hours, which she doesn't know for sure because she's lost all sense of time down here, the trolls finally march past her, grumbling in a language she can't understand but making crude, obvious enough gestures to inform her that they definitely plan on eating James. So she has to move fast.

She enters into the dim room and finds it eerily quiet. She thinks, perhaps, the trolls have gone to hunt for seasonings for their new prize, and she shudders. She turns until she finds James, tied up and pressed against the wall like the meal he is about to become. She hurries over.

"James, can you hear me?" She asks, working instantly on the ropes around his hands, sending out little flickers of embers from her hands to eat away at the bindings. "We have to get you out of here, they're most likely going to eat you."

[jamesthorn]

On instinct, James recoils away from the feeling of something clutching his shoulder even though he going to be too exhausted to put up much of a fight. He thinks to himself, this is it, this is how I'm going to die. Pity. Except it's Moira's voice he hears, speaking to him, telling him to get up, but he may also just be dreaming her up because he is out of it. But then she unbinds his hands with something he doesn't even see, and he isn't quite sure how to react properly to his sudden and amazing change of fortune. He is relieved and just happy he isn't about to die, and he thinks he is hugging Moira. Yes, he's hugging her. Because maybe somewhere in the back of his mind he thought she was dead, and there was no way out of this.

But they can get out of here. They can make it home. Somehow they are getting home.

James doesn't understand. He knows something took him, but he never got a good look at it. "Who is they?" he asks, letting her go. He tries to stand up on his hurt ankle, hopping just a little so he doesn't press down too much weight. "Nevermind. Let's just go."

[chasingtwisters]

When she releases his hands, Moira isn't expect any response of any kind, except for maybe a brief, gruff thanks. So when James throws his arms around her, she is caught completely off-guard, unused to such affection from a man who scowls all the time. She finds herself hugging back, though, because a) actual physical contact with another human being is wonderful and life-affirming, and b) because she's actually really glad to see James alive and in one piece. (Which she'll have to dwell on later, because they do need to get the fuck out of here.)

"They are actual trolls, drooling chins and clubs and all," she says, "and you are not walking on that ankle, come here."

She reaches over and leans an arm under his shoulder to help keep him upright.

"Ready?" She asks.

Of course, that is when she hears the sound of loud, returning footsteps.

[jamesthorn]

"Of course. Trolls," James says, like, why didn't he consider trolls. His ankle hurts too much to fight Moira offering him her shoulder to lean on, and he's just going to ignore how he feels slightly helpless as she gets her arms under his to bear some of his weight. For once, though, he is thankful she's here, which he never thought would happen.

"Yeah. Let's go--" He says, knowing that his injury is going to slow them down. It's unfortunate that snarling, growling sound he remembers when he was dragged away, comes back, filling the entire room. He wraps his hand around Moira's arm tighter, because they should move. "What the hell..." James has a good look at the creatures, ugly and nightmarish, but he tries to walk anyway.

[chasingtwisters]

"Because after killer bees and Medusa, why not, right?" Moira asks sardonically, secretly relieved James still has his wits about him. She's worried about his ankle, and whether he is harmed more than he's actually letting on. She actually thinks she cares about his well-being, and it takes her by surprise.

She tightens her own hold under James' arms as she feels his own hand tighten. They can never actually have even a few moments to themselves without something wanting to kill them.

"You idiot, are you actually trying to walk right now?" Moira scowls at him just as the trolls make their grand appearance. There's about four of them, ugly, large things with even nastier looking clubs. But Moira is a witch, and she is damn tired of running and having to fear for her life.

"Okay, stay here," she commands, helping James to sit against the wall before rushing in front of him, arms out as she calls upon every bit of magic she has within her.

"Hey assholes," she calls out to the trolls as flames start to form in her fists. "Nice try, but we're not for eating!"

She hurls both flames at the group of them before lunging in after them. She thinks she might have lost her goddamn mind.

[jamesthorn]

Excuse James for wanting to run away from the giant human-eating trolls. But he isn't really in a position to argue back especially after Moira leaves him. His body is tired and even weaker than he thought. All he could do is watch Moira march up to the trolls like the crazy woman she is. What the hell does she think she's doing? She's crazy, she's crazy, she's crazy, he keeps thinking as the trolls notice her.

"Moira....!" James is shouting just as she hurls fire, or something like it, from her hands, her goddamn hands, and he's never really seen that much magic this up-close. He shields his face from the brightness of the flames hitting the group of trolls, feeling the heat from her attack.

While it's incredible seeing someone throw fire, all it appears to do is piss them off. Suddenly they lunge for Moira, roaring in anger. James doesn't know what to do; he's afraid for her, for himself, judging the way his heart is racing in his chest. He just hopes that Moira knows what the hell she's doing.

[chasingtwisters]

Moira hears James call out behind her, and it almost warms her heart, recognizing the concern in his voice. She's determined to see this fight through, though, and so she keeps steadfast, even among the deafening roar of the thoroughly angered trolls.

"Shit," she mutters to herself when her fire doesn't work exactly as planned. No matter; she has other tricks up her sleeve.

Of course, she realizes this the moment the trolls lunge for her.

Well, fuck that, she thinks, using her boiling anger and concentrating it into her magic. She thinks about the fact that both she and James were taken from their lives into this hellhole to fend for themselves. She thinks about the fact that they have already faced so many goddamn monsters. She thinks about how these nasty trolls took James and almost ate him. She snarls. She closes her eyes as the trolls descend upon her, and before they can even land a single blow, she's shot them all back with a sudden burst of turquoise light.

Luckily, none of them manage to hit James. The light only stuns them, however, and she needs to act fast if she wants to end this permanently.

Drawing on a significant amount of magical energy, Moira quickly spins what looks to be a web of silver between her palms. She hurries as she spins it in her hands, molding the shapes from thin air, or so it appears to the casual observer. When she finishes, she has a bow and several arrows, one for each of the trolls.

She wastes no time, launching the first arrow at the nearest troll; it strikes him directly through the heart, The second tears through the troll's throat; the third finds himself with an arrow through his forehead. Finally, with a graceful spin, she strikes the last troll in the eye.

[jamesthorn]

James stares at the scene in front of him, mouth agape in shock, glancing around at the bodies spread around the room. Seconds ago the danger was imminent, but that's when Moira had offered up an spectacular display of magic and fighting skills, even James could admit what she'd done was incredible.

Part of him is impressed because he's never seen anything like that, ever. The other part of him is suddenly exhausted, his brain no longer up to the task of living through these life-or-death situations. After awhile it becomes more trouble to fight than anything else, but for now, once again, they have survived.

He leans his head back against the wall and eases himself back down to the ground now that there's no need to leave because really his leg is killing him. "I don't know what the hell that was..." James says, unsure how to say good job on the magic without choking on the words. He does the best he can. "But thanks for coming back for me."

[chasingtwisters]

"You're welcome," she tells him, surprised by the amount of things left unsaid in his words. She can tell he is really grateful, and maybe even impressed, at her display of magic. The thought is oddly pleasing to her in a way she's not sure she can define right now. Mostly, she's relieved that they're both alive to see another day, even if it does end up being in this hellhole. She also realizes she owes him just as well. "I couldn't leave you behind."

She catches sight of him wincing and makes up her mind.

"Come on, I'll carry you," she informs him, leaning down to speak with him. "We need to see if we can get out of here. In the mean time, here."

She blows a dusting of pink across James' leg. It won't cure him, but it should ease the pain and discomfort, even just a little bit.

"Now, you get a choice: bridal style or sack of potatoes?"

[jamesthorn]

Couldn't leave him behind? James frowns at that because he knows that isn't true. She could've left him behind based on their history, and he doesn't think anyone would've questioned it. But he understands what she means, and he needs time to understand this slightly new dynamic between them.

Especially after she offers to carry him, like, literally. "What if you just leave me here and send a rescue crew," he counters, reaching down for his leg, after she does something to it, which he would've protested if the pain hadn't eased.

[chasingtwisters]

Moira knows that admitting to not being able to leave James behind is loaded with meaning she can't begin to decipher right now, but she also knows that, at some point, the two of them will have to deal with it, whenever they get the hell out of here.

"What if you shut up and let me take care of you so you don't get eaten by extra trolls?" She counters, raising an eyebrow that dares him to argue with her. Like hell she's leaving him alone in this place. Either they remain where they are or they try to find an escape. Moira's not letting James go through any sort of hell on his own.

[jamesthorn]

Pausing at her choice of words, James furrows his brow in thought. He doesn't need anyone to take care of him. He tells Alex that all the time. And now Moira of all people is saying the same thing, and he thinks, or hopes, maybe it's just because of this place, of his hurt ankle, and not more than that. He can't even fathom more than that to be honest. It's ridiculous notion.

"Just--" James shakes his head and sighs. "Okay. Help me up," he says.

[chasingtwisters]

Moira doesn't know why she's so determined to take care of him. It's certainly more than this place and his broken ankle, and the thought frustrates her beyond belief. Since when did James' well-being mean so much to her? It's unsettling, yet the feeling refuses to leave. Goddamn it.

"Well, now I know you're in pain because you're not arguing," she says, leaning down and all but sweeping him up into her arms, tossing him over her shoulder because it's easier that way. "Let me know if I jostle you or anything hurts, okay?"

[jamesthorn]

"Yeah. I'll let you know," James says, sarcastic. Though it's harmless, without as much bite too it. "As soon as I regain my dignity." He is going to tell Demetri about this, and he's going to laugh.

[chasingtwisters]

"Would you rather lose your dignity or your life?" She points out, taking no offense from his sarcasm, actually rejoicing in it because it indicates that James at least still feels like himself. Still, a tiny part of her is just a bit gleeful at carrying James like this.

[jamesthorn]

"At this point, not really sure." James isn't sure escaping this place is worth all this. "Do you even know where you're going" he asks.

[chasingtwisters]

Moira rolls her eyes, but she has to admit, it's nice to fall back into this old routine, bickering with James as though they weren't trapped in hell. Except that she suddenly remembers and goes back to being on high alert, even with James bitching over her shoulder. "I don't actually, because I left the map on the table by my bed when I transported us both here to some kind of labyrinth without David Bowie and his magical pants. Now shut up, I think I hear something."

When James finally quiets down, she thinks she hears a faint buzzing.

"Oh fuck no," she groans.

[jamesthorn]

James' ears perk up at the sound of buzzing from a distance, from something else meant to kill them both. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asks the universe. He is tired. He misses Grant's stupid Cornettos at this point, and Alex's ability to annoy him five minutes upon reporting to work. He wants to see Demetri, and he wants to sleep in his own bed. His ankle hurts. He needs a bath, and he wants food. He is tired.

"Look, we need to get out of here," he says, shifting so that Moira will put him back down on the ground. "Before the trolls, you said you may be able too..."

[chasingtwisters]

Moira carefully eases him on the ground as the buzzing starts to get louder, ears perked not unlike her cat form as she tries to guesstimate the distance between them and whatever is trying to kill them this time. "Well, this damn place doesn't give up, I'll give it that. Come on."

She loops an arm under his shoulder, hoping he can keep up with the pace she's setting, brisk while trying not to cause him more pain. This is beyond ridiculous, she thinks, weary, in desperate need to see her family and friends, to have a goddamn beer without having to think if it's poisoned. And she's tired of this place hurting her and James. She's tired of having to fight for her life because of the asshole that sent her here.

"I know," she says, recalling what she said about finding a way out. "But first we need to, oh holy shit."

She brings them to an abrupt halt at the sight before them: thousands of beautiful, seemingly cute pink birds swarm around the empty bones of another troll. The buzzing is coming from the clash of their minuscule teeth against their beaks. Moira feels the remaining color draining out of her face.