Kaitlyn found herself leaning against a tree when she awoke. Night had fallen and the embers of a campfire could. She looked around and saw Emil leaning on the same tree.
Memories of what she assumed to be the previous day rushed back all at once: the falling off the donkey, being surrounded, being looked at with lusting eyes, and parts of the fight. The sound and smell of seared flesh, though she heard them nearly every time she fought, was something she still hadn't gotten used to. That sound, and those smells still made her queasy, and doing that to living beings was something she'd hoped to never become used to.
She remembered five men. She'd taken care of an archer that fired at Emil, and wondered how Emil had managed to dodge the shot. Then there was the chase, and while she was occupied with one, the other got behind her. Now she could remember freezing, being unable to act as cold steel was pressed against her neck. The only other time someone had gotten so close was Emil, and she'd done exactly the same thing.
She placed her hand on her throat where the knife had been pressed. She distrinctly remembered that feeling, as if a single drop of blood was drawn, yet there was no sign of such. It felt as if nothing had happened at all, physically, at least.
Kaitlyn remories caught up again. Next was Emil's gaze, that glare, filled with a momentary hope: she watched it shatter, giving way to pure destructive intent. It was the moment he must've realized she was unable to act. It was a look she'd never seen, even when they fought upon first meeting. There was the feeling of something passing by her at a dizzying speed, water trailing in its wake, cold and decisive for all who were deemed an enemy. She never touched it, but she could certainly feel it as it passed and the being behind her shuddered.
There was a sound there too, or at least she believed that there was. She couldn't remember it, and she didn't try very hard to do so. She got the impression that it was best not recalled.
Her thoughts drifted back to Emil's gaze, that murderous, decisive stare that held no mercy, and only the intent to end an existance by any means necessary. She trembled at the thought, which was immediately followed by remembering an unexpected warmth spreading across the righ side of her face. In her mind's eye, she saw red on her clothes, and had come to the realization that her face was covered with blood after she wiped her face and her fingers returned red.
The man behind her, who'd stood at least a half head taller, no longer fell within her line of sight. She'd caught the glimps of his head on the ground, and remembered Emil's face. Her memories stopped there, save occasional moments of warmth, the feeling of being carried, and the occasional indecernable grumble.
She glanced around again, and one again, her gaze fell upon Emil. Before she knew it, she was pushing off the ground, trying to put distance between them, screaming all the while.
Emil shot up, weapons ready, glanced at her, and then at their surroundings. Moments later, he turned to her. "Miss Kate?" He moved toward her trying to calm her down.
He was met with glowing eyes and fireballs. He'd somehow managed to avoid them, and withdrew several paces. "Miss Kate, calm down!"
Her barrage of fireballs, now alongside sobbing continued. She barely heard him, and only saw him as the murderous person from earlier.
She puased as Emil seemed to stop for a moment, and then shreiked as he approached again, left eye aglow. She hurled another fireball at him, directly at his face. Where there should've been a collision between flame and flesh, resulting in the sound of searing meat, came the sound of hissing, as if a fire were being put out.
Indeed, to her amazement, smoke momentarily covered Emil's face where a fireball should've been, and he continued rapidly closing the distance between them. She hurled more flames, and surrounded herself with a wall of fire. Even so, he just kept coming.
She scrambled backward across the forest floor, scooting on her hands, feet, and butt, as required. Anything to keep moving, until she inevitably ran into another.
Emil frowned, "Sorry about this, Miss Kate."
Fear and confusion ruled her thoughts as Emil moved ever closer. A steady 'hiss' and what felt like a vibration of bubbling water could be felt. He was close, very close, too close. It was the closest they'd ever been. She flailed as his arms wrapped around her. She felt his breath on her ear, its water-laced coolness contrasting with the warmth she felt from her own.
She heard the sound of a single drop of water, then a second, and a third. Each time she heard it, she felt a wave of calmness wash over her, breaking through her fear and anxiety. By the third drop, there were only quiet sobs, and his embrace. She could feel it, or more precisely, not feel it, the presence of malicious intent.
He moved away once her breathing settled. "Pretty sure I just singed the new clothes you got me. Sorry about that."
She paused and looked at him, really looked, as he apologized. She calmed herself and summoned a small ball of flame into her hands, holding it up and out so she had light to inspect him.
"How... but... I... you? Huh?"
"Those are all words, but they don't really make any sense in that order."
"I threw a fireball AT YOUR FACE! It HIT YOU... IN THE FACE! You're pefectly fine! How is that..." She froze. "I threw a fireball at your face?! Gods, I.. I'm sorry, I... Seven hells!" She found herself flailing again, stammering an apology that could in no way make up for attempting to turn a human into barbacue.
"...But... you... you... killed him."
"May I remind you that you call me 'Assassin' quite often?"
"I do... but, you... killed him."
"He was going to do more than just kill you. Death alone, would've been a mercy for you."
"But..." Kaitlyn found herself staring at Emil. "That face. You looked like you... wanted to kill him." She looked around again, trying to figure out how to put distance between them, She ducked behind the very tree she'd collided with, and peeked around it. Emil, for his part, did not seem intent on moving.
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him dead."
"So, you murdered him?"
"They were going to murder us. I would've been lucky with just death, you, not so much. We haven't gone this far just to die to some random thugs. They're lucky only 1 of them was outright killed."
Kaitlyn heard the words, and generally understood what they meant, but was failing to comprehend how they fit this situation. Emil looked exasperated as he glanced in her direction, "You seem to be having a hard time understanding this."
"That you killed a man, yes. I get that. That they wanted to kill us, sure. That merely dying would've been a better situation for me if we didn't walk out of that, i'm still coming to terms with. It's just, that face... It was... terrifying."
She heard a sigh, "Miss Kate, I'm not going to apologize for protecting you. I'm not going to apologize for choosing your life over someone elses. And again, I must remind you that if I wanted to hurt you, if I'd truly wanted you dead, you would not be hiding behind tha tree right now. You would not have woken up screaming, you wouldn't have survived a single night, or out first meeting. I'm gonna go back to sleep. Moving those injured idiots, the body, and hauling their weapons, and you, was tiring. Try not to kill me, alright?"
Kaitlyn stood, peeking from behind the tree, as Emil returned to their original tree, leaned against it, and fell asleep nearly instantly. She stood there, watching for a moment, feeling like a plaything that was utterly at his mercy, and allowed to live by his whim. That being said, he still hadn't tried to harm her, and staying together was safer, for her at least.
She sighed, opened her canteen, and took a long drink. "Alcohol would be wonderful right now."
She heard the clunk of something hitting the ground near Emil. She glanced at it, and saw that it was his flask. She tiptoed over and picked it up, then heard quiet mumbling, "No fire... this time."
She stared at Emil again for a moment, in astonishment. "He's asleep, right?" When no response was received, she glanced at the flask and back to Emil. This repeated itself a handful of times before she twisted off the cap and took a few long gulps.
The fireball moment. Gosh.