[M] What Once Was Lost [Namingtoohard & Ashen]

[Namingtoohard]

Whilst his attempts at talking the stranger with the gun down weren’t quite the distraction that she had been hoping for, Natalie couldn’t help but feel heartened by the fact that Luuk hadn’t frozen. She doubted that he were truly trying to talk the man down, given the circumstances. It seemed far more likely that he had come to the same conclusion as Natalie herself, and was trying to provide her with the opportunity to make a move that would allow them to escape relatively unscathed. Hopefully she wouldn’t let him down.

That said, she couldn’t help but feel a little torn when her student willingly stepped in front of her, placing himself directly in the path of the gun’s barrel. On one hand, Natalie couldn’t help but admire that Luuk was willing to place himself in harm’s way to try and protect her, even if her assessment was correct, and it was only to serve as a distraction. On the other, she was older than him, and the teacher here besides. It was her responsibility to look after him, not the other way around, and Luuk intentionally placing himself in harm’s way made her sick to her stomach with both worry and guilt. Natalie tried to fight the feeling down, but it looked to be a losing battle. All the more reason that she act, as quickly as she judged safe, and take advantage of the opportunity that he was trying to provide her with.

Now that the gunman’s view of her was at least partially obscured, and his attention was seemingly focused on Luuk, Natalie risked a small, shuffling step backwards. She held her breath, waiting for him to yell out for her to stop, or for the gun in his hand to spit hot death, and was relieved when nothing happened. Had he actually not noticed, or did he think she was merely afraid? Natalie didn’t know, but either way, she intended to take advantage of his oversight. She chanced a second small step, and then another, and another, slowly shuffling backwards until she was backed right up against the coffee table. With her gaze still fixated on the stranger and her hands hidden behind her back, she ran her fingers across its surface blindly, searching for a pen or a brush or anything else that she could use.

After a few seconds of blind probing, her hands closed around a discarded marker – originally just another forgotten part of her home’s ungodly clutter, but now, a precious tool that very well might just save their lives.

With her hands still hidden behind her back, Natalie set about the task of drawing the sigil she wanted on the inside of her palm. Working blind was dangerous, but with a gun pointed at them, it suddenly seemed the smaller risk to take. Natalie felt that she had little choice but to trust her own ability, her own experience, and hope that her hands weren’t shaking badly enough to ruin her plans. Thankfully, the sigil that she planned on using now was simple enough. Hopefully so much so that she wouldn’t screw it up now, at such a crucial moment.

Once she was done, Natalie would crouch down as slowly as she could manage, before pressing her palm into the floorboards underfoot. Like always, the ink on her palm seemed to bleed into its surface, darkening a small area around it. Nothing seemed to happen at first, each second dragging on for what felt like an eternity as she waited to see if her efforts would bear fruit. The cold hand of doubt reached into Natalie’s chest, grabbed her heart, and squeezed as the moment dragged on. The silence was broken only by the harsh words of the gunman, who had finally noticed – or simply had enough of – Natalie’s strange behaviour.

“Hey, you! What do you think you’re-“

His words were cut short as a tremor seemed to run through the entire room, accompanied by a loud crack, causing all of its occupants to stumble. Natalie would straighten up, a satisfied grin on her face. Her aggressor, by comparison, seemed a touch uncertain now. He’d glance around the room briefly, before brandishing his weapon at Natalie anew.

“What did you do?”

Whilst Natalie didn’t have the time to respond, the answer to the stranger’s question would become clear enough. Almost as soon as the man had finished speaking, the very ground that they were standing on gave way. The floor itself collapsed inwards suddenly, dumping all three residents into the apartment below in a shower of wooden splinters, plaster, dust, and pieces of Natalie’s furniture.

Natalie landed hard on the floor below. Having been the only one prepared for what had just happened, however, she was the first to recover. She had been lucky and avoided landing on anything, and despite the pain, it seemed that everything still worked. She staggered to her feet and started stumbling towards where the gunman had fallen, coughing and spluttering all the while. Natalie threw herself at the man as soon as she was close enough, falling atop him and grabbing at his wrists.

It quickly became clear that the gunman was physically stronger than her, but he was both hurt and dazed, and Natalie had the element of surprise on her side. She’d manage to knock his gun away, sending it sliding across the floor and out of immediate reach. Even then, she’d continue to struggle against the man, seemingly determined to subdue or incapacitate him completely.

[Ashen]

Luuk was certain the other occupants of the room would hear his heart drumming against his chest. He could only pray he looked more composed than he felt as he stared down the man who would take his life. No, he couldn't think like that--but how could he not? With the gun trained on him, with lifeless eyes boring into his soul, what chance did he have of making out of this alive?

But behind him, he heard the cautious footsteps of the real target. Natalie had some kind of plan. If he could just keep this distraction up a little longer, would they be able to get out of this mess? He forced his gaze back to the gunman's face, trying to keep his own expression neutral. When he noticed the gunman's eyes going for Natalie, Luuk made some movement, some sudden flick of the hand, a sharp step; anything to bring the attention back to him. He didn't even know if it was worth the effort. Was Natalie really planning on saving them, or was she just trying to get away? She wouldn't leave him here alone, Luuk believed in that. But whatever she was planning, he just hoped she'd execute it soon. He would not be able to keep his composure for long.

But finally, the man pulled his attention away from the terrified student. Luuk dared to glance back, to see if Natalie had figured out something. Before he could guess at what she'd done, the floor started to shake. An earthquake, here? Coincidence could not have granted such a blessing; this must have been Natalie's doing. What she'd done had only aggravated their assailant, however. Was Natalie trying to get him mad enough to fire? But then the earthquake grew stronger, and Luuk felt himself falling. The earth was swallowing them whole, and as they fell, he could only hope Natalie would be safe during this.

He hit the ground, hard, and winced at the pain that rose from a new wound in his back. He'd landed on something sharp, and it didn't take long for the thick liquid to pour towards his waist. Dazed, he frantically looked around for Natalie, for the gunman. His own coughing fit drowned out hers, but he still saw her make her way towards the stranger. Luuk struggled to stand; was shaky on his feet. He tried to swallow the pain. Natalie needed him.

The gun, at least, was no longer in enemy hands. Natalie was holding him off, but from the looks of things, she wouldn't be able to for long. Luuk stumbled towards the two, but his eye caught on the jet black thing half-buried by the vanity they had been working on. Panicked, Luuk grabbed the weapon. He held it awkwardly, afraid of the power now in his hands. He pointed it at the gunman, but his hands trembled. Would he be able to...? Did he even know how to work this thing? What if he hit Natalie by mistake? Swallowing, he lowered the gun, and he approached the two, knowing his inaction would likely lead to death.

So rather than firing, Luuk did the next best thing. He swung the gun, smacking the man across the nose, twice, thrice. Luuk didn't know where the violence in him came from, nor the strength, but by the time he was finished the man had stopped fighting Natalie, and speckles of his blood were on the weapon. Luuk stood there, petrified. Had he just beaten a man? Was he dead? It was unlikely, but the possibility shook him. His grasp on the gun tightened, and he looked to Natalie. "We... should go," he suggested, quiet, as if afraid of his own voice. He looked to the gun, too dangerous, too red. He couldn't leave it here, not when the man could pursue them. So he clutched it tightly, and on his stumbling legs, he silently left behind what he'd done.

[Namingtoohard]

Even though she had disarmed him already, Natalie continued to grapple with their assailant. She groaned softly as the two of them struggled against each other, determined to win out before he could get his bearings. Natalie didn’t know who he was, nor could she be certain why the man had decided to come after them, but none of that mattered right now. It didn’t matter how much pain she was in after that fall, or what she had been forced to do to her apartment. She wouldn’t stop, couldn’t stop, until she was certain that both she and Luuk were safe again. In the short term, at the very least.

For all her good intentions, however, it quickly became clear that Natalie was fighting a losing battle. She hadn’t been quick enough, or strong enough, or had seriously underestimated the man. Regardless of the reason, he was quickly beginning to overpower her. Within seconds, the man had gotten a hold of one of Natalie’s wrists, even whilst his other hand pushed at her face. She had a few seconds at best until he managed to throw her free, after which he would inevitably move to reclaim his fallen weapon.

And then Luuk was there. Her student had apparently managed to retrieve fallen gun without Natalie realising, engrossed in their little struggle as she had been. The first she knew of his presence was when she watched him smash his new weapon across the man’s face. Her attacker’s nose broke under the impact, and Natalie felt a few specks of blood splatter her face and forearms. The man went limp beneath her – either unconscious or dead, though the former seemed much more likely. Inwardly thankful for his timely intervention, Natalie sat back on her haunches, and let out a shaky breath. It took her a few seconds longer to unclench her fists, after which she’d finally turn her attention to Luuk good and proper. She responded to his words with a simple nod of agreement.

“Right. We…we should get out of here, before anyone realises what has happened. We’ll go to my car. See if we can find somewhere safe to hole up” Natalie answered, once she trusted herself to speak. She tried to calm herself. To sound calm and steady, even if she didn’t feel it. Her voice sounded weak and steady even to her own ears, however.

She climbed to her feet, and was pleasantly surprised when they didn’t immediately buckle underneath her. Natalie made for the front door, and had almost reached it when a sudden thought made her pause. She glanced back over her shoulder and surveyed the wreckage for a moment, her lips pursed into a thoughtful frown. Her eyes would pick out a familiar-looking cabinet, now bent and broken. Temporarily abandoning her ideas of a speedy escape, she began to walk towards it, carefully picking her way through the ruins of what had once been the ceiling…or the foor, she supposed, depending on your perspective.

She knelt down once she reached the cabinet, and spent a few brief moments sifting through the wreckage. It took her a few seconds of purposeful digging, but Natalie would eventually find what she had been looking for – a small wooden box. One that had been sitting on the shelves in her apartment, until just a few moments earlier. Relief flooded through Natalie, and she clasped it to her chest for a brief moment. A quick glance was all she needed to tell that it was very much worse for wear. The lid no longer sat properly, one of the hinges was twisted and bent, and its wooden surface was now marred heavily with scratches and chips. The main structure seemed to be intact, however. She simply had to hope the contents were too...and hopefully in slightly better condition. When she straightened up again, box clasped in her arms, she felt a little more stable.

"Alright. Let's go."

Leading the way, Natalie would slip out the front door. She’d make certain to close it behind her, before leading her young charge down the steps and out onto the street. The mage remained silent throughout, mind swirling as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened, and make sense of why. It was only when they had reached the pavement and found her car that Natalie patted down her pockets with a free hand, and realised her mistake.

“Ah, fuck. I didn’t have any of my stuff with me when he came in, and I didn’t think to grab it on the way out. My keys, my phone, my purse…”

Her gaze would drift up to the complex that towered above him, her expression pinched. Was it worth going back for them, or were they better off just taking the subway? Covered in blood and dishevelled as they were, the two of them were bound to attract attention, but it didn’t have to be for long. She was yet to decide where they might go, but right now Natalie was content to deal with one problem at a time. She was also yet to realise that some of the blood covering Luuk was his own, given how messy and disorganized things currently were, though it was only a matter of time.

[Ashen]

Thought had abandoned him. Luuk could feel his legs moving him out of the wreckage, away from this place that had once looked like a home, back onto the streets, but his mind was stuck elsewhere, in front of that man, swinging a weapon he never thought he'd see with his own eyes. That couldn't have been him, beating that man--right? But who else would it have been? His grip around the gun tightened. Held up to his chest like this, he was hardly concealing this new weapon. Someone was bound to call the police on him like that, especially with the blood on his face, dripping down his back. They would take him away, strip the freedom he had just earned--and wasn't that what he deserved, now?

But when Natalie spoke again--had he even heard her the first time?--he blinked the world into focus again. She had forgotten her things inside her apartment...? Luuk cast a glance towards the front door, face paling. He couldn't go back there. He couldn't let her go back there. She could return when the coast was clear, maybe, if it was ever clear. Right now, Luuk knew he had to get the hell away.

He grabbed Natalie's hand, still clutching the gun with his other. He couldn't find the right words, couldn't find any words, so instead he would lead her. He started for the train station, but after only a couple minutes of walking he stopped. Wouldn't the other passengers be wary? Wouldn't someone stop them, try to find out what was wrong? And what was he doing still holding this? Luuk fumbled with the gun, awkwardly shoving it into the waistline of his pants, at least mostly concealed. He didn't know how bloodied his back was. He shook his head. Walking would take too long; they had no other choice.

Luuk couldn't remember the walk from Natalie's apartment to the train station being so long. His pace quickened, though his pain advised against it. If Natalie spoke at all, he certainly wasn't in the headspace to hear her. He silently led her to the train station, bought the tickets for the train back to his dorm, and paced while he waited. They were safe, but Luuk was still processing it all. Everything had happened so fast. Was this his fault? If he had never met Natalie, would they be in this situation? Why couldn't he have been okay with not knowing anything about his parents? About this magic? About people trying to kill him? But now, no matter what, he knew he couldn't forget any of it.

If anyone had noticed the two of them on the train, Luuk certainly hadn't paid them any mind. The gun sat awkwardly against his stomach while he sat, reminding him of its presence. When the train pulled up to his stop. He was quick to get up and start away from the public eye. He could only assume Natalie was following him as he led her through campus and to his dorm. It was only when he was inside his room, door firmly locked behind him, that his reality finally caught up with him.

He was back at his dorm with Natalie. Without warning, he'd brought a woman back to his shared living space, after they'd nearly gotten killed. She had nothing, no phone or wallet, and he had taken her away from her home. Luuk turned to her sharply, disbelief caught in his throat. "My god," he murmured, "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-- Did we...? Are you okay?" Finally a coherent question. Before she could answer, Luuk lifted his shirt and pulled the gun from his pants. "What--?" he started, struggling to find the words. He looked back to Natalie. Taking a moment to catch his breath, finally, he asked, "What was​ that?"

[Namingtoohard]

It was only during their short walk to the train station that the adrenaline began to bleed away, and the reality of everything that had just happened finally began to sink in, leaving Natalie feeling empty and lifeless. Her gaze was distant and hollow as Luuk went through the routine motions of buying the tickets, and getting them onto the correct train. Some small part of Natalie’s mind whispered that she should be the one doing all these things. That it was her responsibility, as Luuk’s mentor, to be the one who looked after him. And yet, she found herself unable to focus, as memories from days long past rose from the corners of her mind, both unbidden and unwelcome.

She remembered having to do this once before. Running away. Being forced to leave behind everything she owned, and everything she loved, for the sake of survival. She remembered hearing fresh news of dead friends and family. She remembered the way they had looked afterwards, those that she had managed to see in person. She remembered creeping away in the dead of the night to try and argue for her life, fighting an uphill battle against people’s ingrained and well-demonstrated prejudices. And she remembered watching any sort of recognition fading from the eyes of those she had cared for, time and time again, and she performed both her greatest and most terrible of works.

Natalie had known this outcome was a possibility, when she had decided to reveal the truth to Luuk. She had thought that she was stronger now, or that she had less to lose. That if she failed, then it wasn’t worth her being here anyway. So why was she struggling so much now, after the fact? Even worse, how was Luuk going to cope with this situation, that threatened to destroy the life he had spent years building for himself? Would he resent her for dragging him into all of this after all? If something happened to him…but no. Nothing would happen to him. She’d make sure of it.

Something vaguely resembling cognisant thought returned when the two of them approached Natalie’s dorm. She finally seemed to stir a little, drawn out of her stupor as she took in the unfamiliar sights, and realised where they were going. At long last, she finally focused her attention on the things that actually mattered, and began turning over the pieces of their current predicament in her mind. When the two of them were finally ensconced within Luuk’s dormitory room, Natalie quickly helped her to a seat on the bed, hugging her small wooden box to her stomach. She didn’t trust her legs to support her at the moment. When she spoke, her voice felt equally shaky, though there was no avoiding the use of that one.

“I suspect,” she started, before immediately cursing the quiet uncertainty in her own tone. “That one of the people who wanted our kind dead all those years ago found out what I was doing, in trying to train a new apprentice. Though I have no idea who, or how. A random stranger just so happens to walk into the apartment of the only two mages left in the country, and pulls a gun on them without saying a word? No questions asked about money? Call me a sceptic, but I doubt it’s a coincidence.”

“The real question is what we’re going to do about it. But perhaps I’m getting a little bit ahead of myself” Natalie added after a brief pause, a wan smile flickering across her features. She finally turned her attention away from Luuk to observe the rest of the room, as if she were only just seeing it for the first time now. “In any case, I think I’d rather avoid staying here for any longer than necessary. If someone out there really does know what we’ve been doing, then I don’t imagine it will take them long to find us here. As soon as they realise their initial plan failed, they might try and come after us again.”

How would such words sound to Luuk’s ears? Would just lofty conclusions be seen as mere delusions and paranoia, or would everything he had just witnessed be enough to lend credence to her musings? Natalie had no idea. Truth be told, Natalie would have loved nothing more than to be mistaken. But until they knew for sure…well, it seemed better to prepare for the worst, considering the stakes.

[Ashen]

As Luuk stood in the middle of his room, panting, the events of the past couple hours replayed in his mind. He had gone to Natalie to deliver his paper, to work on his magic, all things that now meant so little. As the adrenaline drained, pain blossomed across his back. He pulled his shirt over his head and turned it over. A red stain now bloomed across a quarter of the shirt. Luuk winced when he saw it, then tossed it aside, not wanting to deal with it yet. He tried to feel the wound, and his fingers came away bloodied, though not too severe. It would easily heal on its own, but he barely had the mind to clean it now.

He kicked the chair from beneath his desk and collapsed into it. He listened intently to Natalie's explanation, though his gaze was elsewhere, suddenly scrutinizing the state of his room. If he’d been expecting company, he might have cleaned up a bit, called Frankie—ah. If his roommate were to come in on this now… He’d cross that bridge when he got to it, if he got to it. It didn’t cross his mind that Natalie might have been paranoid about any of this; as she spoke, Luuk knew their lives were in danger.

“Then we should leave.” His words were logical, but he wondered how possible this suggestion was. His life up to this point had been relatively normal, and he had been scheduled to graduate in mere days, to go out into the world an educated man, find a good job that he’d love… And now what? Was he supposed to give up on such a life just because this secret had been exposed? To whom? Who would seek to destroy them like this? Luuk looked to the gun, taunting. Whatever it took, he couldn’t go back to who he was a few hours ago.

He shifted awkwardly. “Where do we go?” He scanned the room again, this time wondering how quickly he could pack the essentials. If he disappeared now, he’d miss his own graduation, but everything he’d worked for, all that he was, was within him. He didn’t need a graduation, or the paper they would likely mail to his foster mother. He was lucky, then, that he hadn’t found work yet; less to leave behind. Luuk got up again and started pacing, reaching for things he could bring with him: a laptop, a gaming console, some books, framed photos. He stopped himself to turn back to Natalie. “And what… do we do?” he added quietly. “We can’t just run from them forever, right? Sooner or later we’ll have to figure out what all this is about, and do something about it. They can’t just make us leave like this.” Though he spoke boldly, he was ready to keep leaving, as long as he didn’t have to face another situation where his life was on the line.

He sat down again, overwhelmed. Was it even safe to plan while they were so panicked? Was it safer than waiting, perhaps until someone caught up to them? His eyes gravitated towards the gun. “You should take it,” he mumbled, though he made no motion to pass it to her. “I don’t think I can hold it anymore.” He blinked hard, willing himself to look at anything else. “I think we should calm down, first,” he said shakily. Could he even calm down, now? “I don’t know if I can think of a plan. Unless you’ve got an idea?”

[Namingtoohard]

Luuk was unsettled. That much seemed obvious, given the tone of his voice, and the nervous restlessness that seemed to have taken him over. The way he kept standing and sitting, the way he paced back and forth, all seemed like solid enough evidence of that. And who could blame him, after what they had just experienced? Natalie wasn’t feeling particularly calm herself at the moment, and she had the benefits of prior experience to draw upon. Even so, Luuk’s mentor tried to steel herself, or at least steady her tone. Even if she wasn’t feeling particularly confident at the moment, she would just have to try and fake it. If that would help Luuk relax, then maybe they’d both have the chance to settle down and think.

Her gaze drifted over towards the gun when Luuk mentioned it. Natalie set her precious little box aside and rose, taking a few steps over to where Luuk had left the gun. She glanced down at it briefly, but made no move to touch it herself. She wasn’t feeling up to that. Not just yet, at the very least. Instead, she placed both of her hands on the desk and gazed out the window in silence for a moment, as if casting her attention over the greater campus. In reality, she was just trying to buy herself time to steady herself. To think about what she could possibly say. There was no need for Luuk to know that, though.

“We aren’t going to run forever, Luuk. Just long enough to buy us some time. Just until we figure out what the hell went wrong, and the best way to fix it.” Natalie tried to keep her voice steady this time, with a small amount of success. She had at least one idea already as to how they might get a little bit more information, but it was one that she’d rather not resort to unless absolutely necessary, and so she kept it to herself for the moment. “Once we’ve managed to catch our breath, you’ll pack a bag with any essentials and we’ll get back on the subway. Go find a cheap motel that neither of us have ever visited before, where they won’t know to look for us. Somewhere we can think. Plan out our next move without having to worry about them kicking in our door again…in the short term, at the very least.”

Natalie seemed to find some measure of control the longer her speech went on, as if the mere act of talking out her ideas was convincing her that they were possible. Feeling a little bit steadier than she had a few moments ago, now that they had some semblance of an idea as to what came next, she finally trusted herself to do something a little more active. Natalie turned and strolled over to the same chair that Luuk had been sitting in just a few moments earlier. She grabbed the backrest and dragged it into the middle of the room, so that it sat between them.

“But first, you’re going to sit, and I’m going to have a look at whatever the hell it is you’ve done to your back. Neither of us are going anywhere until we can be certain that you’re okay. And before you try and argue, we wouldn’t exactly be conspicuous out there if you’re bleeding over everything” she added. Whilst she spoke, Natalie pointed at the chair with one hand, practically demanding that he obey. How had she not noticed earlier that he were bleeding? Natalie didn’t know, but the thought was worrying, for reasons all its own.

“With any luck, we still have a bit of time before our new friend comes to, or his employer realises that he hasn’t returned, so we might as well make good use of it.” Her words contradicted her earlier statement slightly, but her priorities had shifted, now that Luuk had drawn attention to his injury. Either way, she hoped that this was the more accurate assessment of the two. “Do you know if there are any first aid supplies anywhere around here?”

[Ashen]

Luuk barely heard Natalie’s words, distracted as he was, but the severity of them pulled him back to reality. They would stay somewhere new, somewhere away from here, somewhere safe. He nodded imperceptibly, already trying to think of the hotels he’d passed on his errand trips around town. It had never been something he’d needed to consider, but now, he wondered just how much was riding on their decision. If they didn’t move, or if they moved somewhere too near, too obvious, what would happen to them? A shiver ran down his spine. The sudden pressure he felt was suffocating, and though he’d always thought he’d handled stress well, Luuk suddenly was struggling to breathe.

Just until we figure out what went wrong. He stopped and watched Natalie, tried to find the answers to his unasked questions in her face. Had this been his fault? The question returned to him, insistent. He repeated all of Natalie’s warnings to himself, all the stories about their people, about what happened, about what could happen. Had he ruined something, somehow? He’d followed her words, hadn’t told anyone about the magic he wielded, but it was possible someone had overheard them discussing it, maybe. As different possibilities of varying likeliness shrouded his thoughts, Luuk struggled to find any explanation for this, anything that made sense in this now nonsensical world.

The sudden movement of the chair drew his attention, and he turned to Natalie with a question in his eyes. “What I’ve done to my back,” he repeated quietly. That wasn’t how he had remembered it, but now was not the time to point blame for something so insignificant. “I’m fine,” he assured, though he walked over to the chair and dropped into it. “It was just when I fell, I think I landed on something, but it’s not too bad. We have more important things to worry about.” Though the dulling pain stretched across his back, the actual wound was much smaller, extending only across a shoulder blade. He’d been cut by something sharp, deep enough only to make a mess. The pools around it seemed darker against his pale skin, seemed worse by the way the shirt had spread them, but his wound was no longer bleeding heavily. Before Natalie could get much a look at it, Luuk was up again, moving to his bed and kneeling by it to retrieve a deep container stored under it. He wordlessly pulled out a first aid kit from it and walked back to the chair, mumbling quietly, “I’m fine.”

It had been a gift from Karen when he’d moved to campus for the first time, and though he hadn’t had many opportunities to use its contents, Luuk had replaced the creams and expired tablets every year. He took some bandages from the kit and handed them and the kit itself to Natalie. He gave his back to her again as he awkwardly drooped across the back of the chair. When had he last been fussed over like this? Natalie’s kindness felt misplaced between the events of their day, but he was thankful for them. He turned to look at her from over his shoulder. So busy worrying about him; he wondered what she was thinking, what thoughts she was ignoring to tend to him.

He turned back around with a shake of his head, then took out his phone and pulled up a map. As Natalie cleaned his wound, he bookmarked several motels. “How far should we go?” he asked, scrolling out to expand his search. Without a car, they were limited in where they could go, lest they pay hefty fees in public transportation or walk long distances where the trains failed them. Going back for Natalie’s car would benefit them, but not now; Luuk knew there was no way he could do that now. He handed his phone to her, showing her the list of bookmarks he’d chosen. “Do you recognize any of these? We can book a room online and head out…” He looked around the room again, at the things he’d need to pack, the things he’d need to leave behind. Everything was happening so fast, but with all at stake, he didn’t have time to mourn his belongings. “As soon as we’re ready,” he finished quietly.

[Namingtoohard]

The feeble attempts Luuk made at brushing aside her concerns were met with nothing but stern silence, and an unconvinced expression that made it all too clear Natalie wasn’t going to relent. The knowledge that he had been hurt and bleeding for so long only served to help reaffirm Natalie’s convictions, and convince her that tending to his wound was absolutely the biggest priority right now, lest the situation worsen. When presented with the first aid kit that Luuk had fortunately had the foresight to keep nearby, Natalie would spend a few brief moments rattling through the contents, taking quick inventory of what she had to work with, and only then would she move to take up a position behind Luuk, turning her attention to the wound in full.

A quick glance was enough for her to tell that the wound was no longer bleeding quite so heavily, which made for a good start. Natalie had completed a first aid course years ago, and whilst she hadn’t had much reason to practice her skills outside of a classroom in recent memory, one thing she did recall clearly is that bleeding was always to be treated first. Satisfied that she had a little more time yet, the mage decided to start by cleaning up around the wound, so that she might better see what she was doing in the steps to come. She plucked a tube of saline solution from the first aid kit and quickly cracked the seal on it, before drizzling it over the wound gently. A spare bandage held in her other hand made quick work of the coagulated blood that had spread across Luuk’s back, away from the incision itself. The saline solution would help to serve as a disinfectant in some limited capacity too, though Natalie suspected that it would sting a little.

Once it was clean, Natalie spent a little time focusing on the wound itself. The cut was smaller than the amount of blood had led her to expect originally, but she was having some trouble accurately judging its depth. It didn’t look as if anything was stuck in the wound itself, which was another plus, but Natalie wasn’t quite as confident in that assessment as she would have liked. Would a bandage do in the long term, or would stitches be required? As she puzzled over the question, her gaze slowly drifted to the box she had carried with her all this time. The contents could certainly help her here, but…no. Now wasn’t the time.

Her musings were interrupted when Luuk spoke next. Natalie would hastily set down the tube of saline and reach out to take his phone when it was offered to her, dirty bandage held suspended in her other hand. She’d flick through the options at a slow and clumsy pace for a moment, before catching herself. Sternly reminding herself that she had more important things to do, Natalie would reach out to hand it back to him. The searching would give him something to do while she worked, and he was doubtless better with technology than she was.

“Lets try and narrow it down a little. What are our priorities at the moment?” Natalie spoke out loud, turning the question over in her mind as she plucked a clean bandage and a dressing from the first aid kit. What did they realistically need most, in the short term? Would more crowded areas help them better blend in, or only raise the chances someone spotted them? So many questions, so few plain answers. Thankfully, the next part of her treatment was simple enough, leaving her with enough attention to try and consider it.

“Try and find somewhere within walking distance of a public transport. We’ll want to go far enough from here to avoid being found easily, but close enough to come back here or visit my apartment, if necessary…though I’m not quite where exactly to draw that line. Having some shops nearby would be a big help, too. A shopping centre would be ideal, but I’ll settle for any sort of phone retailer, to start with…oh, and a bank would be good.” Even while Natalie spoke, a few basic ideas were quickly springing to mind. Nothing so complex as to constitute a proper plan, but a few steps they’d want to take in the near future.

She placed the dressing she had picked up earlier over Luuk’s wound, and began wrapping the clean bandage around his shoulder and back under his arm awkwardly with her free hand, trying her best to keep as much pressure on the cut as possible. Things began to run a little more smoothly when the bandage was tight enough to hold the dressing in place itself, and Natalie was able to bend both her hands to the task. After just a few more moments of work, the dressing was secure, and she’d tie the bandage off before tucking the knot back underneath. It wasn’t pretty, but it would do for now.

“Alright, you’re good to go.” Natalie stepped away from Luuk and the chair as she announced that her work was complete. “Pass me the phone, if you haven’t found a place yet. I can keep looking while you start to pack. Just let me know if you need a hand grabbing anything.”

[Ashen]

Luuk was surprised at Natalie's efficiency at all this. She was quick and thorough with dealing with his wound, and she was outwardly calm and ready to pick up and move, even this quickly. He wondered if that was because of the years she had on him, the life experience that he had yet to gain, or if she was used to this because of who she was, who she wasn't allowed to be. He tried to swallow the thoughts, not wanting to think of what she had gone through and, by extension, what he might have to get used to. Instead he focused on anything else, on the sting of liquid entering his wound, of the dozens of lodgings on his screen he was tasked with scrolling through.

A small nod was the only indication he gave that he had heard her. Luuk narrowed his search according to Natalie's specifications. Luckily, Gloucester was a big enough city that stores and banks populated every street corner, so as long as they didn't stray too far, public transportation would be easy and they'd be able to find a convenient place. He found a few places not far from bus or train stations, then thumbed through the online reviews of each as Natalie finished dressing his back. When she was done, he handed the phone back to her to look over the list, much smaller than before.

Now that he wasn't in danger of bleeding on everything, Luuk retrieved a clean polo shirt from his closet and threw it on. He shoved the bloodied one into the trash, then buried it under papers and wrappers already there. He spilled the contents of his backpack onto his bed, then refilled it with what he considered his essentials: his wallet and identification, important documents, his laptop, chargers, and a safe full of "rainy day" cash that he tapped into far too frequently. Next he packed toiletries, clothes, tools. He pulled a duffel bag from his closet and filled that too. By the time he finished, his room was still half-furnished. He was leaving so much behind, but he knew bringing too much would be an inconvenience, and he could come back for the rest later. Or, he hoped.

Everything packed, Luuk took his phone back from Natalie and booked a room at the motel they'd chosen. He only informed Natalie afterwards, not wanting her to fight over finances at the moment. "I booked three nights," he informed her. "We can extend our stay later, but I thought keeping it short for now would be smarter, at least until we have a more solid plan, and while we're still..." On the run, his brain supplied, but he didn't want to say the words, as if doing so would make them more real. He shook his head. Luuk went to the trashcan and tied off the bag. "I'll be right back," he said, and he disappeared down the hall.

He was careful to keep the blood hidden as he took out the trash. It was a short walk outside and to the dumpsters, but paranoia followed him the entire way. What would he say if someone found him? Just act normal, he reminded himself. You live here. Lived here. With the trash discarded, he took out his phone, and he opened to a new text message. He and Frankie had never been friends, but Luuk felt he owed it to the kid to tell him that he was disappearing, and to not worry about him. But shaking fingers hovered over the keyboard, and he found himself at a loss for words. Frankie would ask why, why Luuk was leaving and why he was leaving his things, and Luuk didn't have an answer to that that would make sense. Maybe it was better to not involve him at all, he thought, and though he knew it was better this way, guilt snaked up his throat as he put his phone away and returned to his room.

He didn't acknowledge Natalie, only took up his bags and headed back out, locking the door behind him. To get to their motel, they would need to take a train and walk for several blocks. His Maps app told him they'd arrive in half an hour, thirty whole minutes of panic and paranoia. What if they saw that man again, the man who had threatened them? How many of his allies stalked the streets, looking for them? Luuk tried not to think about it. He looked back to make sure Natalie was following him, and he made his way back to the same station they'd come from.

While waiting for the train to arrive, Luuk shifted awkwardly. "Natalie--" he started, but he didn't know how to continue, how to form the questions he was dying to ask. Was it stupid of him to pick up and follow this woman this quickly? No, Luuk decided, the threat was real, had been waved in his face; he needed to leave. He turned back to Natalie, and a sole question slipped past his lips: "Who are​ you?"