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Post by Omni on Sept 21, 2014 20:37:33 GMT -5
Orrin had been dreaming something about cherrywood pie when a sound stirred him from his slumber. Still half-asleep, it took him a moment to identify what it was or where it was coming from. It sounded like a soft voice... distressed... muffled... and famil- Sieg?! Turning over, the half-dwarf could see that it was indeed Sieg. The whimpering was coming from his sleeping bag, and he was quaking. The poor guy must have been having some kind of a nightmare. Not wanting to leave him like that, Orrin quietly called out to his fellow knight. "Sieg?"No response. He tried calling out a couple more times, louder with each call, but the half-elf was apparently wrapped up too tightly in whatever terrors he was having to hear him. Sieg's voice only grew louder and more distressed, and his movements more violent. Knowing that waking a knight - especially one in the middle of a nightmare - could result in a bad bruise (or worse), Orrin wasn't sure he wanted to get too close. Getting up, the half-dwarf retrieved his voulge from the cart. He walked back over near Sieg as he began to shout. He firmly held the polearm near the blade, aiming to prod the half-elf with the handle. "Sieg! Wake up!" Orrin wakes up to Sieg whimpering in his sleep. He tries calling Sieg's name to wake him up. When that doesn't work, he grabs his voulge and calls out one more time as he proceeds to poke him with the wooden end.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 21, 2014 21:01:53 GMT -5
The sudden pressure against his back and the voice that called out to him yanked Sieg out of sleep. However as he whirled towards Orrin, it was obvious his mind was still caught in the nightmare even if his body wasn't. He caught the pole that the half-dwarf had prodded him with, trying to pull it away but unable to do more then jerk it slightly to one side. Orrin was much stronger then the half-elf, even as fueled by terror and adrenaline as Sieg was. He didn't seem to realize this though. Sieg glared up at Orrin, his amber eyes wide and the pupils contracted to mere pinpricks. Every muscle in his body was quaking, and his breathing was wet and ragged from the tears still staining his face. But despite the glare, it wasn't anger with which he looked at his friend- it was fear. Fear, and not a jot of recognition. As the half-elf sat there, fists clenching hard on the end of the voulge, he occasionally whispered softly in Elvish- whether he was speaking to Orrin or himself was not clear, but he seemed to be repeating the same few words over and over again, like a crazed, desperate mantra. Sieg wakes up, but he's still caught in the flashback and mistakes Orrin for an attacker, grabbing the end of voulge and glaring at his friend without any signs of recognizing him.
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Post by Omni on Sept 21, 2014 22:31:49 GMT -5
Orrin had expected Sieg to wake with a jolt, but it was still a touch startling to see him whip around as he did. And the look that the half-elf was giving him... Whatever he had been dreaming must have really been terrifying for him to look as he did. What concerned the half-dwarf was that Sieg didn't seem to recognize him, and just kept muttering in Elvish. It led him to question whether his friend was actually awake at all, or if he was still dreaming and his mind was now interpreting Orrin as part of it. His brow furrowed, he tried saying his name again. "Sieg? Are ya awake?" Orrin's concerned that Sieg might still be dreaming and asks if he's awake.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 21, 2014 22:48:43 GMT -5
Initially, the half-elf gave no indication he'd heard Orrin, save for a slight narrowing of his eyes. But internally, his clouded mind was whirling. Something... something wasn't right. That voice, it was speaking in Kythian, but none of the Elves should have been speaking Kythian. Especially not like that, with a completely unfamiliar accent. But it... it wasn't unfamiliar. Sieg had heard something like it somewhere before. Where? He couldn't remember- still fogged by sleep, he'd regressed mentally to when he was sixteen again. At sixteen Sieg had never heard a Dwarvish accent, and though his conscious mind registered the familiarity, it was not his conscious mind that was in the reigns of control just now. Still, that muddled half-memory was enough to make Sieg loosen his grip on the shaft of Orrin's weapon. He was still shaking, but the fear in his eyes was starting to give way to confusion. "Wh... who?" he whimpered, in Kythian now, letting one arm fall from the voulge and wrapping it around his chest as if he were in some sort of pain. "Where..." Sieg calms down just barely enough not to be treating Orrin openly like an enemy anymore, but he's still confused by the mental regression in his nightmare and doesn't recognize the half-dwarf. He finally speaks in Kythian, asking not-quite coherent questions that are basically just him trying to ground himself in reality.
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Post by Omni on Sept 21, 2014 23:26:45 GMT -5
The half-elf seemed to gradually become less terrified, some of his fear replaced by confusion. That was good. Well, sort of; he was still lost and confused, but at least he wasn't lashing out in horror. He seemed to vaguely register that he wasn't... wherever he was dreaming he was, but it was clear that he was still mostly asleep. It was then that it occurred to Orrin that a weapon was probably the last thing his friend needed to see right now. Trying not to make any sudden movements, he bent down and placed the voulge behind himself. Having let the weapon go, he turned back to the other knight. "Sieg, it's me, Orrin," he said, speaking softly. "We're on the road from Destrier to Haflinger. Ya were havin' a nightmare." Orrin's sure that Sieg's still mostly asleep. He sets down the voulge and, making his best guess at what's Sieg's asking, answers his questions.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 22, 2014 6:50:17 GMT -5
Sieg felt the wooden pole being pulled gently from his grip. He felt a momentary flare of panic again, but he hadn't managed to resume his iron hold on the voulge before the half-dwarf got it away. Sieg flinched, shoulders hitching up like he expected to be attacked, but when the other knight just put the weapon down behind him, Sieg let his shoulders fall again. "Sieg, it's me, Orrin," he said, speaking softly. "We're on the road from Destrier to Haflinger. Ya were havin' a nightmare."A nightmare? That was impossible, it had been so... so real. His chest still prickled from the searing heat of the flames, and in his ears where still the echoes of Beli- The half-elf doubled over, hugging himself and trying to fight back a surge of nausea. He clawed at his arms, as if he was trying to rip through his shirt sleeves to tear the skin underneath. It had been burning, every inch of him had been burning, he'd felt it, how could that have been a nightmare? Just because this... this Orrin... Orrin.The name hadn't really registered for Sieg initially, but thinking on it a second time made something click. He knew that name. Somehow, he knew it, but his mind wouldn't focus on the memory. He clenched his teeth, trying to remember. Who was Orrin? The half-elf's mind presented a vague image of a well lit street, a four-armed man in armor riding a horse and asking if Sieg knew someone named Morgaine. And he'd laughed, because that was the third or fourth time someone had asked him about Mama... "Orrin, Orrin," he sobbed, a rush of relief behind his voice as he said it. "I... I remember, I... But i-it was so real, are you s-sure..." Seig looked up at the starry night sky, as if he expected to see something there. His nails dug so hard into his arms that shirt or not they were probably leaving marks. " Père..." Sieg finally starts coming around. He remembers Orrin now, and realizes what he saw wasn't real, but just enough of the flashback lingers with him that he isn't completely convinced of that.
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Post by Omni on Sept 22, 2014 14:32:51 GMT -5
Orrin watched Sieg tense up, still jumpy from his nightmare, and his eyes still looking half-blank with confusion. Sieg relaxed, and he hoped to see recognition return to the half-elf's eyes, but instead he seemed to panic at a thought, doubling over and clawing at his own arms. "Hey hey! Easy!" the half-dwarf said, reaching for one of Sieg's clawing hands, and for his closest shoulder. In a calmer tone he added "Don't hurt yerself..." The half-elf paused, seemingly gripped by thought. A moment later, a look of remembrance and recognition finally returned to his eyes. "Orrin, Orrin," he cried, relief coming to both of them. "I... I remember, I... But i-it was so real, are you s-sure..."The half-dwarf gave a soft "Shh..." actually grabbing his friend's hand and shoulder. He tried to help keep the hand from digging into his arm too much. At the same time, he held the shoulder firmly, hoping the touch would help calm Sieg and help ground him in reality. "I'm sure whatever it was seemed real, but yer awake now. Whatever it was can't hurt ya." Orrin tries to calm Sieg and help him realize where he is.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 22, 2014 17:06:02 GMT -5
Sieg closed his eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings. The air was cool, far cooler then Corvus would have been this time of year- absolutely frigid compared to the overwhelming heat of the dream. He could still feel a tingling in his nerves, but it was nothing like the agony of being burned alive. Orrin's rough dwarvish accent played in his ears as the other knight tried to calm Sieg down. He felt a large, strong hand grip his shoulder, and a second prise his hand away from his arm. His friend's concern was comforting, and part of Sieg wanted to lean against Orrin's shoulder like an emotional crutch, but he bit back the impulse. The few times he'd let himself do that with the elves of his company back home, they'd just become uncomfortable. His issues were his cross to bear. He remembered now, the nightmare. It happened often, at least twice a week, on rare occasions four or five times a week. Sense was coming back to his mind, though it could not fully push back the bitterness of the memory. He hated it, he hated it so much, hearing that screaming and feeling the searing heat over and over again. And what was worse, now it was keeping Orrin awake... "I'm sorry," he croaked softly. "I woke you up, didn't I? I should've... should've warned you." And there were sad feels.
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Post by Omni on Sept 22, 2014 18:38:29 GMT -5
Orrin began to relax when he noticed Sieg calming down. He was still shaken up, but at least he seemed to be on the recovery. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I woke you up, didn't I? I should've... should've warned you.""Naw, it's alright," Orrin reassured him. "Honestly, I should've expected it. Nightmares aren't all that uncommon for knights, after all." Orrin thought back to the night he learned this, out on the field with Sir Edwin. Not a fun night at all. Turning his attention back to Sieg, he gave his friend's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Do ya think ya'll be alright? Would ya like me to get you somethin'?" Orrin figures he should have expected nightmares, and asks Sieg if he'll be alright, or he'd like something.
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Post by Shinko on Sept 22, 2014 19:43:59 GMT -5
"I'll be fine," Sieg said automatically, trying to fight back the tremor in his voice that betrayed his lie. He wouldn't be and he knew it. On nights when he woke from a nightmare, the taint of it lingered over him like a cloud for hours. He seldom got back to sleep, and when he did it was a fitful sleep that left him as exhausted the following morning as if he hadn't bothered. "In the right side saddlebag there's a small pouch of lemon candies. Sucking on them helps clear my head. I can go-" He started to stand, but he was still shaking badly and a cramp seized his leg. He slipped back down with a soft curse- he'd forgotten the cramping that sometimes happened when he clenched himself into a ball during his nightmares. "Don't worry about me, you can go back to sleep," he said, doing something he hadn't done in months- turning to Orrin and pasting a smile on his face. It was the old smile, the hollow smile he'd used as a mask for years. He didn't wear it often these days- he was trying to be more honest now about his emotions- but he knew that if Orrin got in the habit of staying up with him they would just both be exhausted all the time. Better to let it be. He'd dealt with the nightmares on his own for over a decade, he knew he could handle them. Sieg... dangit Sieg no, that was not in the script you idiot, get back here!
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Post by Omni on Sept 22, 2014 22:29:33 GMT -5
"I'll be fine," the half-elf replied immediately. "In the right side saddlebag there's a small pouch of lemon candies. Sucking on them helps clear my head. I can go-"Sieg had tried to stand, but collapsed before he got too far, muttering something Orrin didn't catch. "Don't worry about me, you can go back to sleep," he said, turning toward Orrin and giving him a smile. There was something... off about that smile. Nevermind that Sieg's reply a moment ago was abrupt, there was apparently something wrong with his leg, he'd been crying less than a minute ago and was still shaking badly; the smile itself brought some concern back to Orrin. Still, he got up, and looked around the saddlebags for the candy. Once he found a pouch, he opened it up and took a look at its contents. Now sure that it had the lemon candy, he walked back over and handed him the pouch. "Here ya go," he said giving the half-elf another squeeze on the shoulder. "Get some rest now, okay? And if ya need anythin', even just to talk, let me know, okay?" He wanted to ask Sieg about it, but if he wasn't saying anything now, he didn't think he'd get much of an answer. Especially after that smile. Still, he figured he could at least keep the option open, hoping Sieg would be willing use it. Sieg's Bluff check to reassure Orrin fails against Orrin's Sense Motive. Still, he gets the candies and tells Sieg to let him know if he needs anything or wants to talk.
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