[M] Gelid Seraph [Ashen & Argon Jaden]

[Ashen]

Shion's words stung more than the flames that kissed him. Iggy turned away, knowing this would all be a conversation for later. He walked back towards Mira, who was still watching with wide eyes. She asked Iggy a question that he knew he couldn't answer, and, hoping Shion had not heard her words, he dealt her a swift end.

Iggy met with Shion again. He didn't know how to breach the subject. He wasn't fire resistant, not quite, but how could he explain what had just happened? He became fascinated with his hand and started picking away charred skin, watching as it fell silently to the ground. At every angle, he appeared like a corpse, but already underneath the ash his skin was starting to heal far more quickly than was humanly possible. He brushed the soot from his face and cleared his throat. "We should get going," he suggested. "It would be best if we can get to them before tomorrow so they can't raid the city. She can't have come from far, not on foot."

His voice was neutral, though there was the slightest quiver underneath. Were they really about to run into the whole band of fire mages? Iggy wasn't expecting it to all happen so soon. He watched Shion, wondering if he were really ready. How long could Iggy protect him? Would he need protecting at all? He turned his eyes towards the road and began walking west. "How long until we get there? Do you think Silver could help out?" He figured as long as he kept talking Shion wouldn't be able to ask.

[Argon Jaden]

Shion could feel the eyes on him, but he pretended to ignore it. He was rationalizing with himself, trying to find the source of anger and disappointment that was filling him up. Unhealthy thoughts should be eliminated. He glanced at Iggy and shook his head, sighing when Silver nipped his fingers.

"She's reluctant to carry a person, let alone two, but at least she's carrying the bags." That's as much as they could get out of the stubborn mare, despite the fact that she seems to be warming up rather nicely to Shion. The youth side-eyed Iggy, assessing him quietly. But it was obvious what the silence meant. It was obvious that he was upset.

The adrenaline going down, he could feel the exhaustion seep into his bones. The tiredness of the morning mixing in with the exhaustion from a few minutes ago was making him slightly dizzy. He exhaled softly and moved on, pulling the map out and making a quiet gesture that they should move. The brooch that kept his hair out of his face, the last heirloom from his family that he was allowed to keep, was blackened at the edges. As if sensing the damage done to it, the uouth pulled it out and tucked it in his bag, before glancing at Iggy once more, wordlessly telling him to get going.

[Ashen]

It was soon very obviously Shion was not going to be talking. Iggy silenced himself and continued on, feeling the overbearing pressure now between them. There were a million thoughts a minute running through his mind, but he could say none of them. What could he say? Shion didn't know everything, but even with the speculations he was surely making, Iggy knew nothing would be the same again.

The pair started off towards their destination silently. Igshi seemed especially concerned with Shion, and even Silver occasionally poked at him with her nose. Iggy found himself trailing behind, more alone now than he had ever been. He recalled his days before the guild. A nine-year-old child, his family lost and his will to carry on wavering; not even then did Iggy feel as isolated as he did in the moment. By every account he should have been dead, yet Shion didn't appear the least bit glad that he was still breathing. Maybe, he thought, he should have died. Everything would have been much simpler if he had.

They traveled for hours on the open road, thankfully not running into any distractions. The silence drove Iggy mad, so he had full conversations with himself in his head. He plotted what would happen when he saw them, the pitiful band of abominations who had killed his best friend's family. He formulated the apologies he'd give to Shion, the way he would go about explaining all this. By the time they reached the village, it was past nightfall, and they were both exhausted. He assumed the fire mages were staying somewhere near town, perhaps just outside of it, and that they would attack first thing in the morning. Alerting the authorities of town wouldn't work; no one would trust a couple of kids, and Iggy didn't want them to take this from them. He knew he had to watch the end of that tribe, and he wanted Shion to be the one to bring it about. For now, all that was left was to wait.

"I suggest we sleep outside." It was the first thing either of them said in hours, and Iggy's voice cracked in the middle. He hadn't realized how nervous he was, but now he could clearly see his hands shaking. He hid them behind his back and looked up at the starry sky. "We both need it, and the sun will wake us up hopefully before any damage is done. We can confront them when they get here and... go from there." He looked to Shion, painfully aware of the risks of this mission. Finally this revenge was coming to an end. Would they be able to make it? He had no idea what would happen tomorrow, but he was terrified. Iggy cleared his throat. "Are you... ready?"

[Argon Jaden]

Thankfully, the walk was quiet, allowing Shion to sort his thoughts and feelings on the matter. He didn't really liked the results, but was it selfiah to feel that Iggy thought nothing more of him than someone to protect? Enough that they were not allowed to share burdens? He hoped not. It made his self-worth feel lower than what he thought it was. At the same time, he was just glad that Iggy was okay, but the secrecy had hit him hard.

And the exhaustion.

By the time they decided to camp for the night, there were slight tremors in his knees and Shion's fingers were trembling from the tiredness that seeps through his veins. Wordlessly, he helps set up camp, only glancing at Iggy to show that he was listening. He pressed his lips together. Was he ready? To what? To face the murderers who killed his family? Does Iggy really think he can't handle himself? He took deep breaths as he unpacked, before his fingers came into contact with something. Wordlessly, he pulled it out, curiously looking at the wooden animal lying in his palm. A whittled chipmunk. His eyes softened.

"Am I... being a burden to you?" He asked softly, letting the words out in a soft whisper. He wanted to know. Shion knew that he could handle anything. Has been, had been for the past years. Revenge and ending livea, while it stained his hands, had long since lost their hold on him. He knew it would come to this at some point. He never even knew why Iggy wanted to help him, why his best friend was far more eager than he was.

Shion sat down, shaking fingers running over the chipmunk's head. "If you're worried that I won't be able to handle them, I can. A mage with an arrow in their skull is no threat." He says softly. That's what they were to him. Another hunt. Prey.

He sighs, tucking the chipmunk back and gathering some extra clothes. "There's a river nearby." He murmurs, before picking up his things and walking off, the family brooch tucked against his palm. He needs to settle his thoughts once and for all, needs to make plans. His fingers shook and his body trembled. But for now, he needed to make sure his body and mind were both well rested.

[Ashen]

Iggy expectantly watched as Shion chewed on his question. The kid grabbed something from his pocket, and when Iggy recognized it he had to look away. That stupid chipmunk, the one he had carved Shion for his birthday; it seemed like he'd started that projects years ago, now. In truth, the chipmunk had been a backup plan. Iggy hadn't known if he'd be brave enough to actually start this journey. And now where were they? The mages were nearby, and tomorrow they were going to stop them once and for all. The thought made Iggy dizzy, and for several agonizing moments, he couldn't even make sense of Shion's words.

A burden? Iggy thought back to what he'd said. Where did this accusation come from? What had he done wrong this time? Iggy turned away, wondering how to respond. After a moment, he said, "No. When you were killing yourself with magic, yes, absolutely. But now... No. The opposite, really. It's because of you that we're even about to do this. You'll finally get your revenge that you deserve, and think of all the people we'll save. And I'd never have come all this way, I'd never have bulked the courage for this if you hadn't been by my side. No, Shi, you're not a burden, you're an inspiration."

They started towards the river. Iggy watched his friend, noting the lack of emotion. He knew Shion normally wasn't the most expressive, but now he especially could not read him. What was going through his mind? Were they right to take on such a large task with secrets between them? "Shi." Iggy stopped walking. He turned towards the river, a short distance away. "Listen, um." Iggy waited until Shion stopped walking before he continued. "Tomorrow, I'm sure a lot of things are going to go down. I don't know what kind of traumas are going to resurface from seeing them, but I know you can handle it. You can handle this and so much more. You've always been like that. But just... Whatever happens, no matter how carried away I may get, I want you to finish them off. Do not let me take that from you." The tears at his eyes were daggers, and Iggy hoped Shion did not see them. He did not know how to explain them. After a long pause, he finally looked to Shion, and with a serious expression prompted, "Okay?"

[Argon Jaden]

Shion stared at him quietly, once more giving no input. The lighting made it hard to see the exact expression on his face, but his blue eyes were blank. "Okay." He said simply, turning away to shed his clothes off by the water's edge. The cold skin hit the marred flesh on his body, but he barely flinched at that before ducking into the cold water, eyes downcast and in deep thought.

"Why is this important to you? And don't tell me it's because of me." He spoke after a long while, looking completely defeated. "You're not telling me everything, and it annoys me. I don't-" He paused, watching his tone. "You know I don't pry, and I won't, but give me this at least. Tell me everything. I told you mine. It... just didn't seem fair. To me at least."

He understood mostly, but there were so many spotty areas, so many blank areas. Why was Iggy so fascinated with him getting his revenge? Why was it so important? Why can't fire truly hurt him? At the thought, he winced, reaching for the marred flesh on his back and legs, curling in a little. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pry. You can just forget it." He murmured under his breath, sinking in until only his head was above the water. They had a long day tomorrow.

[Ashen]

Iggy sat by the riverside, only poking his feet into the water. He knew he had to wash off, to wipe away the ash and soot from his skin, but his hydrophobia had him lingering for now. He thought on Shion's question, trying hard to determine what was running through his friend's mind again. There were dozens, hundreds, of unasked questions, but Iggy still wasn't sure he could answer the one hanging in the air. He tucked his knees under his chin and sighed. He had to say something, but what?

"It's important to me that you get your revenge," Iggy replied quietly. "That's of course a big point. You're like a brother to me, and I'd want peace for my family. If ending these assholes will give you that, then of course I'd do whatever I could to achieve that goal. But... You're right. It's not the only reason I'm out here." Iggy inched into the river. He took handfuls of the chilling water and washed his skin, scrubbing away the blacks and browns and yellows that always seemed to taint his pale skin. His eyes were trained on the water as he plotted his next words. "Like I said, my family was taken from me too. Our stories are different, but they're similar. The fire mages killed my family, and I will never forgive them. While I want you to finish them off tomorrow, if you hesitate, I will absolutely get my justice. I just don't think people like that can go around terrorizing people like this. It's been going on so long, and it's time they were brought to an end. Others have tried and failed, so I guess I just feel like... Well, with you, there's nothing I can't do, and I know we can do this."

The young man was silent as he shivered under the chilled water. Burnt skin fell away, drifting down the river and away from the walking corpse from where they came. Underneath, his skin was healing, almost already back to his normal color. He rubbed at his pinkish skin, at his freckles and the dirt littering his whole body. When he finished, he sat back down and weakly rubbed at his arms. "I know I'm being unfair," he continued. "I know, I know, I've been unfair since the day we met. Look, Shi, I just need you to trust me. That's probably really hard right now, and I understand it, but I promise, I swear on my life, it will all make sense tomorrow. After we deal with the tyrants, after they're all suffering at our feet... That's when I'll tell you everything. Right now, I just... Know that you have my undying loyalty, and I can only hope for yours. I don't think we'll defeat them any other way."

[Argon Jaden]

Again, Shion was quiet, but he nodded wordlessly. That was what they agreed upon and Shion would keep his word. His body trembled in the cold water as the grime and soot washed away completely, causing him to sigh softly at the sensation. Slowly, he rose from the water, too tired to cover himself or his scars up, and made his way towards his things. What little clean clothes he had left, herbs and salves. He sighed, feeling ghost pain slither upon the exposed burn marks. It made him shudder. Quickly pulling up his pants, he glanced at Iggy.

"Bathe properly." He said, a light tone of acolding in his voice. It was obvious that Shion had forgiven him, and would hold him to his word. But it was also obvious that Shion wouldn't change the way they've always been. "Clean up better." He said simply, taking a seat beside Iggy and made a go ahead motion with his hand. He knew Iggy was afraid of the water, but the poor lad needed the bath. All that soot and grime might make older wounds infected. And also, it just seemed fair, so here he was, keeping watch, with a towel hiding his scars, so his friend could clean up before they take on whatever it was they would be facing tomorrow.

[Ashen]

Shion didn't reply, but Iggy knew he was chewing over his words. He felt awful for giving his friend so little to work with, but sharing too much now would jeopardize their whole mission. He had to keep up this facade, had to play pretend just one more day. Iggy was sure he could do that.

He jumped a bit when Shion scolded him. Iggy rolled his eyes and turned away, though a smile returned to his face. He was glad Shion sounded normal again. This would be their last night of normal, and he at least had that to treasure. "Yeah yeah," he muttered in response, lazily throwing more water onto himself. To appease Shion, in part because he felt bad and in part because he knew he did need the cleanse, Iggy scrubbed at his skin, sinking into the water to remove the impurities and returning the color to his once blackened body. When he finished, he stepped out of the river shivering. Brushing wet hair out of his eyes, he looked pointedly at Shion. "Are you happy now?" he teased. "Give me that towel. It's freezing here."

After he dried off, Iggy turned to Shion. "We ought to get to bed," he suggested. "I know I'm not normally the one to suggest going to sleep early, but we've got a really long day tomorrow I bet. We need all the rest we can get." He looked out at the moon, shifting under her watchful eye. "Hey Shi?" he said quietly. "Thanks, yeah? For trusting me and everything. We're going to do great tomorrow, you'll see, and I want you to know... It's been a really great journey. My family may be dead, but I'm glad I got a new one with you." He plopped down on the grass underfoot and yawned. "Right. We should catch some shut eye. Goodnight, Shion."

[Argon Jaden]

The youth just watched him in mild amusement, tossing him his towel and snickering at the right times. He was usually far more vocal than the occasional grubts and nods, but talking didn't really seem necessary at the moment. His mind was running.

It wasn't that Shion was suspicious, but he couldn't help but think of reasons. His blue eyes stared at Iggy curiously, but he said nothing to betray his thoughts. At the notion of sleeping, he nodded, sitting uo from his position and walking over to their camp. He double checked his things.

He had more than enough arrows for tomorrow. All he needed was to aim. His body throbbed with the events of today and he sighed, laying out his sleep space and looking up. Was he ready for all this? Shion mulled over the words.

The phantom pains throbbed sharply on his old burn scars, making him sit up abruptly and hiss, waiting for it to pass. No, he'll be fine. Shion shivered, glancing over at Iggy. He sighed, flopping back to the ground to rest while his back tingled sharply again. He was used to it though.