06-28-2016, 06:08 AM
Carmelita had rinsed her wounds with the sea water, but like those of Amber that was only good for a mild sterilisation. The gashes on her forearm still bled, though the red of her greatcoat were not too badly stained.
A large leaf made a suitable bowl to catch the falling rainwater, and with a string of grass stems hurriedly wound through small thorn punched holes, Carmelita had a vessel to rinse her wounds with clean fresh water. A low yip escaped as the pain from the wound flared, but sighed in relief as the salt crystals that had been irritating the wound were washed away. She bound her wounds with the small roll of bandages she kept in her pockets for emergencies. There was only enough to just cover the thin lines, which is why she’d not used it on Amber’s more formidable bite wound. Pulling her greatcoat’s sleeves back over her arms, she settled back to rest.
Carmelita had the only active light source amongst their group in the form of her shock pistol, and she released the charged shot into the earth as the darkness of dusk began to shroud the wet grey light of the rain. Lightning flashed, and the sound of thunder quickly followed.
Lying against the cool, damp earth grew boring after half an hour, and sleep didn’t come as easily to her as it had for the secondaries and Amber. Her thoughts began wandering into difficult places, and at the point where she thought of her companion in the last thunderstorm she’d been in she finally decided that anything was better than that. Now was no time for grieving.
She stood, crouching beneath the earthen overhang, and made her way over to where Saber still sat, keeping a vigil over what little she could see through the trees. The only indication the knight gave that she had heard Carmelita approach was a slight shift in her position, making room for the fox to take a seat next to her.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Carmelita offered, settling in and staring out in a slightly different direction. “So I thought you might appreciate some company.”
“You do not need to trouble yourself, Carmelita.”
The fox gave a huff of annoyance, and shook her head.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t say when you’d finish watch. Something’s bugging you too. Might be that some light conversation could keep your mind off it.”
“Very well then,” Saber replied. “I have not seen one such as yourself before. What type of world do you hail from?”
Carmelita tapped a digit against her knee as she thought how to reply.
“We call it Earth, and it has two major landmasses. There are many races which inhabit the world, and we bear resemblance to cousins in the animal kingdoms. There are four main sapient species, one for each land based kingdom.”
“The world itself, though, is split into various nations. I lived mostly in a nation called France, in the city of Paris, but my parents lived in a different country called Spain.”
The knight interjected with a tired, bemused voice.
“I believe I know of your world, then, or at least its mirror. Mine shares your geography, no doubt, and maybe more.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Tell me, does the term ‘Holy Grail’ mean anything to you?”
“It’s a cup allegedly used by Christ at the last supper. There’s a host of legends around it, and it’s been used as a plot device in several books I’ve read. I’m a little sceptical about its existence, but I am from a Catholic family.”
Saber was about to continue when a thought struck her.
“Wait, what species-”
“-race-”
“-race was Christ?”
“Arabian mammalian. The exact details of him vary from writer to writer.”
“Nevermind, perhaps it is better unknown.”
Carmelita gave an amused chuckle.
“My thoughts exactly,” she said. “Besides, I’ve seen too much weird to be as religious as my parents. Once you’ve been possessed by a malevolent Aborigine spirit and experienced pre-Christian culture firsthand the lines get a little blurred, you know? Anyway, what is the Grail to you?”
“The Holy Grail is, was, an omnipotent artefact that can grant its obtainer one wish. It appears irregularly, and when it does there is a ritual combat between seven mages and servants they can summon. I was one of the latter, fighting in the Fourth such Holy Grail War.”
Carmelita turned her head. Saber’s face was completely calm, not a hint of deception anywhere to be seen in the dim light. She thought about it for a moment before deciding to accept it and move on.
“So it didn’t need to be guarded at all? What I wouldn’t have given for that kind of protection for some of the treasure’s I had to protect.”
Saber gave a small hum of curiosity.
“And why were you protecting treasure? Are you some kind of guard?”
“I suppose so, in a sense. I’m an international police officer,” Carmelita frowned and ran her finger over her shock pistol’s insignia. “And we were tasked with dealing with the problems too big for local forces to deal with. Terrorism, corruption, environmental crime, white collar crime and art theft, amongst other issues. I had a near perfect record.”
“Near perfect?”
“Yes.”
Saber quieted at the tension in Carmelita’s voice. It wasn’t that it was a subject of irritation, but instead that there was something that was making the fox sad. Casting about for something else to direct the conversation to, she coughed.
“I am not sure what use we are in this light…”
Carmelita looked out at the forest. Night had fallen as they had talked, and now the deep dark blues and blacks of the night time rain was only illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning nearby, and the steady wash of rain made a loud sound as it rolled off the leaves in the canopy.
“Better to be here than not.”
They continued to make small talk as the storm continued to roll in.
A large leaf made a suitable bowl to catch the falling rainwater, and with a string of grass stems hurriedly wound through small thorn punched holes, Carmelita had a vessel to rinse her wounds with clean fresh water. A low yip escaped as the pain from the wound flared, but sighed in relief as the salt crystals that had been irritating the wound were washed away. She bound her wounds with the small roll of bandages she kept in her pockets for emergencies. There was only enough to just cover the thin lines, which is why she’d not used it on Amber’s more formidable bite wound. Pulling her greatcoat’s sleeves back over her arms, she settled back to rest.
Carmelita had the only active light source amongst their group in the form of her shock pistol, and she released the charged shot into the earth as the darkness of dusk began to shroud the wet grey light of the rain. Lightning flashed, and the sound of thunder quickly followed.
Lying against the cool, damp earth grew boring after half an hour, and sleep didn’t come as easily to her as it had for the secondaries and Amber. Her thoughts began wandering into difficult places, and at the point where she thought of her companion in the last thunderstorm she’d been in she finally decided that anything was better than that. Now was no time for grieving.
She stood, crouching beneath the earthen overhang, and made her way over to where Saber still sat, keeping a vigil over what little she could see through the trees. The only indication the knight gave that she had heard Carmelita approach was a slight shift in her position, making room for the fox to take a seat next to her.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Carmelita offered, settling in and staring out in a slightly different direction. “So I thought you might appreciate some company.”
“You do not need to trouble yourself, Carmelita.”
The fox gave a huff of annoyance, and shook her head.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you didn’t say when you’d finish watch. Something’s bugging you too. Might be that some light conversation could keep your mind off it.”
“Very well then,” Saber replied. “I have not seen one such as yourself before. What type of world do you hail from?”
Carmelita tapped a digit against her knee as she thought how to reply.
“We call it Earth, and it has two major landmasses. There are many races which inhabit the world, and we bear resemblance to cousins in the animal kingdoms. There are four main sapient species, one for each land based kingdom.”
“The world itself, though, is split into various nations. I lived mostly in a nation called France, in the city of Paris, but my parents lived in a different country called Spain.”
The knight interjected with a tired, bemused voice.
“I believe I know of your world, then, or at least its mirror. Mine shares your geography, no doubt, and maybe more.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Tell me, does the term ‘Holy Grail’ mean anything to you?”
“It’s a cup allegedly used by Christ at the last supper. There’s a host of legends around it, and it’s been used as a plot device in several books I’ve read. I’m a little sceptical about its existence, but I am from a Catholic family.”
Saber was about to continue when a thought struck her.
“Wait, what species-”
“-race-”
“-race was Christ?”
“Arabian mammalian. The exact details of him vary from writer to writer.”
“Nevermind, perhaps it is better unknown.”
Carmelita gave an amused chuckle.
“My thoughts exactly,” she said. “Besides, I’ve seen too much weird to be as religious as my parents. Once you’ve been possessed by a malevolent Aborigine spirit and experienced pre-Christian culture firsthand the lines get a little blurred, you know? Anyway, what is the Grail to you?”
“The Holy Grail is, was, an omnipotent artefact that can grant its obtainer one wish. It appears irregularly, and when it does there is a ritual combat between seven mages and servants they can summon. I was one of the latter, fighting in the Fourth such Holy Grail War.”
Carmelita turned her head. Saber’s face was completely calm, not a hint of deception anywhere to be seen in the dim light. She thought about it for a moment before deciding to accept it and move on.
“So it didn’t need to be guarded at all? What I wouldn’t have given for that kind of protection for some of the treasure’s I had to protect.”
Saber gave a small hum of curiosity.
“And why were you protecting treasure? Are you some kind of guard?”
“I suppose so, in a sense. I’m an international police officer,” Carmelita frowned and ran her finger over her shock pistol’s insignia. “And we were tasked with dealing with the problems too big for local forces to deal with. Terrorism, corruption, environmental crime, white collar crime and art theft, amongst other issues. I had a near perfect record.”
“Near perfect?”
“Yes.”
Saber quieted at the tension in Carmelita’s voice. It wasn’t that it was a subject of irritation, but instead that there was something that was making the fox sad. Casting about for something else to direct the conversation to, she coughed.
“I am not sure what use we are in this light…”
Carmelita looked out at the forest. Night had fallen as they had talked, and now the deep dark blues and blacks of the night time rain was only illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning nearby, and the steady wash of rain made a loud sound as it rolled off the leaves in the canopy.
“Better to be here than not.”
They continued to make small talk as the storm continued to roll in.