poisonangel | Slipping away

After discussing the forthcoming rescue I got this idea in my head. Perhaps, some of it will become canon and perhaps none at all, but it grabbed me and made me write it, so here it is.

Characters: Yozak and OOC Anissina
Rated:: PG13

A box. A fucking box. Six sides and a Conrad in the middle.

It was horrific. Her mind shoved the thought away whenever it threatened to resurface, but it was never quick enough. She always saw how small it was and she heard his ramblings whispers and frantic pleas. He spoke to them, but he didn’t really believe they were there. How many times had he spoken to his “rescuers?”

No, she wouldn’t think about Conrad in there. If she focused on him inside the box she would be no help getting him out. She cursed her inability to pick the lock or muster even an ounce of maryoku to break him free. They were too close to a large supply of houseki, and it was all her shielding could do to keep her from being poisoned, using her abilities was out of the question. But she had tried anyway. Her body still stung with the effort as she and Yozak made their way back to camp.

She would have ripped the box apart with her bare hands if the guards hadn’t been making their rounds. But they were, and Gurrier was in no position to make decisions. It was strange seeing him like that--shocked, sickened, lost, panicked, and utterly frozen in place. She had hissed out his last name several times and finally used his first before he even acknowledged her presence.

There was little time left before the decision to fight or flee would no longer be theirs. She chose to flee. They had done their reconnaissance. They knew where Conrad was being held and they had enough information to get in and out with him next time. She grabbed Yozak’s wrist and pulled the man dressed as a maid behind her until they were out of harm’s way.

Neither of them had spoken since leaving Belal’s palace. They would be back soon but not soon enough for her tastes. It made her sick. She wanted to get him out of that box. No amount of logic or strategy could convince her otherwise. They should have stayed and fought their way out, but they didn’t and they just needed to get back as soon as possible to plan his real rescue. And if she walked another step she was going to cry.

Turning abruptly to Yozak, she flung her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. He was already shaking when she touched him the way he had been ever since they heard Conrad call out Julia’s name in that weak, hopeful voice. He didn’t stop shaking, but he did wrap his arms around her shoulders. She couldn’t help but tense, and some part of her mind expected him to crush the life out of her, but he didn’t. He just held on and they stood in the dark woods, still wearing ridiculous dresses and clinging to each other and weeping.

Soon they would untangle and utter harsh words about how no one was ever to know. They would return in silence, ready to free the man in the box. But for just a minute longer, they held on to each other to keep themselves from slipping away.