tilling my own grave to keep me level Who: Cressida Karth & Drake Liu What: The plague'd archer, the second chapter. Where: Shieldwyrm When: Earlier today Rating: Tame Status: Complete!
The arrow missed.
Cressida heaved a shuddering sigh, swallowing her disorientation. Had to hit the target; she almost always hit bullseye. The fever and nausea weren't going to take her down, not a little illness, and she would not miss again. Her muscles screamed as she reached for a new arrow, drew her elbow back further, trembling fingers forcing the drawstring taut. Every move was painful, and the target had been blurry for twenty minutes, but she could make out the red bullseye faintly.
Or was that the red rim?
She wanted to cry, to lay down and curl into a ball, and yet she needed this, couldn't say no to herself because this was just a flu. It wouldn't kill her. Slow her down, but she'd live, and this string of failures left a bitter taste in her mouth, pushed her harder and harder until tears blurred her vision even more. I feel so bad, they meant, but I have to keep going.
The second arrow missed, and the first two tears fell.
The fact that it was freezing outside didn't mean that he could skip running - it just meant that he needed to wear a shirt while he did it. It was fortunate that the exercise quickly warmed him up, and by the time he was on his fourth lap of the hall grounds, he was considering stripping it off.
There wasn't anyone at the archery range, which was good, since Drake was practically an arrow magnet. Most of the time, the archers were good about hitting their targets, but it seemed like whenever Drake made an appearance, they decided a live target was better than a stationary one. But since he didn't see anyone, he wasn't paying attention and barely missed getting an arrow to the thigh.
He frowned and picked up the stray arrow, looking around. Finally, he saw a silhouette. Shrugging, he jogged over, holding the arrow out to Cressida, who looked seriously pale. "You feeling all right?"
The archer's breath steamed when she exhaled, shakily. "M'fine," she returned quietly, looking to Drake as if finally recognizing who was speaking to her. He looked sweaty, which made sense here in the halls, but seeing him only made her feel warmer. A gloved hand drifted up to wipe — smear — the already drying tears from her cheeks.
With another repeat of I'm fine, an admission that didn't sound the least convincing, she reached out for the arrow, depth perception failing as her hand swiped air.
"You're really not," he said, shaking his head and pulling the arrow back. "What are you even doing out here, Cress? You should be at home, in bed." He reached out with his free hand and gently took the bow from her. "Come on."
There was no resistance on her part as she allowed her bow to be pulled from her grasp, hands now free and with nothing to do. Both arms slipped around her middle in a mockery of a hug. "I tried," the archer admitted. "I tried to sleep. But it was so hot," she whispered, dipping her head so that her hood shielded her eyes and swaying on the spot.
Overcome by spiralling emotions, her weakness and the extreme discomfort, Cressida quietly surrendered to her tears.
Drake wasn't the best person around crying people, and this was the second person in less than a month. Granted, Merri's breakdown had been because of a breakup and Cress'... Well. He assumed that this was how some people handled being sick? Drake rarely got sick, and he mostly just moped around, but Cress seemed way worse off than he could ever recall being.
"It's okay," he said, quietly. "Let's get you to a white mage, see if they have anything that can help you sleep, okay?" The bow and the arrow was in one hand and he wrapped the other around Cressida's shoulders.
She tiredly wiped at her eye with the heel of her hand. Her legs felt numb and unsteady, but somehow, she remained standing with the help of Drake's hold. Rest sounded good, if it would come quickly. If she had to be stuck in bed, it was infinitely better for her to be asleep. Exhaling a deep breath, she gratefully leaned into her friend.