A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: The Unholy Potato on 01-02-2013, 02:19:28</h2>
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				Title: <strong>A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>01-02-2013, 02:19:28</strong>
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				"Let's go camping," they said. "It will be fun," they said.<br><br>In fairness, the trip <em>had</em> started out fairly well. Even for an avid non-camper like Oliver Chase, spending a week and a bit away from the rest of humanity, save for a few friends, had its appeal. The inevitable return to civilization, with its debts, obligations, schedules and, admittedly, creature comforts, loomed on the horizon, but for the first few days, at least, he ignored it. He had planned well enough to avoid any scrambling after the trip ended.<br><br>The trouble started when Bea decided to go ahead, complaining about not making it to some landmark or another. Then Chaz and Henry had decided to catch up with her, rather than slow down to keep pace with the two slowest members of the little expedition. Finally, Oliver had twisted his ankle. At the time, it had been hilarious and ironic, in an agonizing and humiliating way. After all, who better to get hurt than the person most qualified to deal with an injury?<br><br>Oliver wasn't laughing anymore. Hours had passed since Emily jogged off to locate the others, and the sun had started to set. The little glade they had picked for him to wait in wouldn't make a terrible campsite, but Emily had been carrying their tent. Still, he still had a sleeping bag, plenty of food, and a fair amount of other camping supplies. He could make do.<br><br>As he awkwardly tried to set up camp, he wondered what had become of the others. After all, Emily and he had picked this this particular glade for its easily recognizable features, both externally and internally. The hilltop clearing even had a lightning-split oak tree and a freaking fairy ring. What else could you want, as far as distinctiveness?<br><br>And, well, if worst came to worst, the Canadian wilderness was big, but it wasn't infinite. His cellphone and GPS weren't working so well right now, but he could probably hold out for a good long time. The weather was nice enough, at least, and it would supposedly hold for some time. Not that he wanted to find out whether or not that was true.<br><br>It would, he reflected as he half-limped, half-crawled about, trying not to aggravate his injury, make a decent story, if nothing else.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>14-02-2013, 04:45:36</strong>
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				A large vermillion moon shone bright in the cloudless, dusky violet sky. A scattering of twinkling stars finished the scene. At least as it was seen from between the boughs of the think foliage. The babble of a stream could be heard off in the middle distance. Rustlings in the trees and brush marked the passing of natural creatures. This was a quiet place. A forbidden one. There were no people near.<br><br>Now when there was so clearly a faerie ring. The people of this land were a superstitious lot and put much stock in tale of olden times. Faerie rings meant danger. For every so often a Fae would pop forth from them, and Fae were dangerous. Brighton was not the most accepting of places. For here was the land in which those who feared magic and had somehow been dragged along anyway to Sakura had made their stand and found their safe haven.<br><br><hr><br>The night air was warm as Jessa made her way surreptitiously from the bedroom window. Her parents would kill her if they knew what she was up to. Possibly literally. What she was about was considered anathema. Going to the Faerie ring, seeking communion with them. It was considered an act of evil. She didn't see it that way. This place was too restricting. Too rigid in their ways. She wasn't the first to have thought so.<br><br>She fell to the ground with a small "oomf" and got to her feet, dusting herself off with a small grimace. If stains took her mother would wonder where they had come from. Not that she was young enough to be under anyone's thumb, but given that she had as of yet to marry, she was still considered the ward of her parents and would be until the day she married or the day they died. If it was the latter, she would become the ward of her nearest male relative. She didn't like that thought.<br><br>Part of why she made these clandestine trips was in an effort to gather the courage to go away. To run away and never come back. She'd heard tales of other lands from the merchants that came through her town. Always human. Tales of Elves and Dwarves. A world of magic and adventure. A world much broader than the one that she lived in now.<br><br>How she longed for those far off places.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>17-02-2013, 02:46:46</strong>
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				Eventually, pained and fatigued by his injuries, Oliver dragged himself over to the old split oak tree and collapsed against it. Unsurprisingly (if somewhat depressingly), he had managed very little. At this rate, it would take him many more minutes, or perhaps even hours, to finish collecting materials for his fire.<br><br>He sighed in irritation, both at himself (for getting into this mess) and his friends (for failing to get him out again). Left without anything else with which to busy itself, his mind turned again to what might happen if he were never found. He wouldn't walk for at least another day, which was inconvenient. But his ankle didn't look so bad to assume that it'd take any longer than that. After walking became am option, though, the question would remain of whether or not it was the correct one. If his friends made it back to civilization before he did, moving would make it harder, if not impossible for them to retrace their steps and locate him. But then again, perhaps something had happened to them to keep them away?<br><br>Within minutes, boredom and uncomfortably reflective thoughts (both about himself and his situation) pushed him to move again. He would ration out his food and try to figure out how long he could last, either staying sedentary or on the move. It wouldn't truly help his condition or aid his decision-making process, but it'd need to be done sooner or later.<br><br>Of all the embarrassing things to fail at, standing up is fairly high on the list. As such, Oliver's cheeks were burning with helpless shame when, on the fourth attempt, he finally managed to get to his feet. A moment later, upon realizing that his position wouldn't truly help him, thanks to the damage to his foot, he swore aloud, his voice harsh and angry. He should never have gone on this damn trip!<br><br>His judgement clouded by frustration and impatience, he took a limping half-step, testing to see if the injury had subsided at all. The step turned into an awkward hopping motion as he realized his mistake. With another snarled curse, he tumbled forward, and directly into the little ring of mushrooms.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>26-02-2013, 05:06:40</strong>
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				Jessa had only been gone about an hour when she started to hear odd sounds in the trees. At first she thought nothing of them. After all, it wasn't so unusual for there to be creatures about at night that one never saw in the light of day. Unlike her more superstitious kin she in no way believed that all, or even any of them were demons or demon spawn. In reality, she didn't really believe in demons. Barely believed in the Fae after all her useless attempts for that matter.<br><br>She walked slowly int the clearing, dropping to her knees beside the ring, one hand slowly passing over the edge.<br><br>"Creatures of legend,<br>Creatures of lore.<br>Hear my plea<br>Heed this score.<br>Forth, I do summon thee,<br>Come now, commune with me." The whispered the words, barely above her breath, in no way expecting any more a result this time than she'd had any other, but then something new began to happen.<br><br>It started with sudden, complete silence. As if a large predator stalked the woods and all it's prey was smartly in hiding. It grew then to a feeling in the air. A thickness to it that attempted to steal Jessa's breath from her lungs. Then the light began to form. A diffuse glow at first, growing steadily brighter as it focused itself in the middle of the ring. As the light brightened, it began to take form. A humanoid one.<br><br>Jessa fell onto her backside, mouth hanging a gap as she realized that finally, after all this time, she'd done it. She'd performed magic, and summoned a Fae through the ring. Then, just as suddenly as it had all started, the light was gone and there was sound in the night again. This time when Jessa slumped to the ground it was from an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. As her eyes began to adjust to the light, she realized that there was indeed something, or perhaps someone in the circle. It was of no matter at the moment though, because she promptly lost consciousness.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>27-02-2013, 04:00:46</strong>
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				While his fall didn't end quite as quickly as it should have, the odd, almost weightless feeling that passed over him was quickly replaced with the very real (and painful) sensation of hitting hard-packed earth. "Fuck. Ow. Oww," he moaned, curling slowly into a semicircle of pain. When he finally managed to overcome his own pathetic pain tolerance, he dragged himself into a half-sitting, half-lying position. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He just couldn't ... wait ...<br><br>As the pain faded into a dull ache, he glanced around more actively, first up at the dark sky and trees above him, then slowly downwards. This didn't look like ... Yeah, the girl was definitely a new touch.<br><br>"Oh, come on," he grumbled. "I'd better not have busted my head open. Because this is some seriously stereotypical premortem-hallucination-as-metaphor stuff. Wooo the forest represents my lost potential: dark and unknown. The girl represents ... yeah, okay, whatever. Less talking to myself more doing stuff."<br><br>Wincing with every movement, he dragged himself up onto his knees, cautiously working his way forward by moonlight. A human-sized object had been fairly easy to spot, but tripping again now would just be dumb. "Are you alright?" he asked, just before she slumped over. "Hey! No, woah. Don't pass out on me. Not okay." His cautious crawl increased in pace just a bit, though he remained vigilant against menacing tree roots or shrubs.<br><br>Once near the girl, he glanced her over intently. If she had any obvious wounds, that'd be the place to start. Or maybe it had been his involuntary appearing trick that spooked her into a faint? Hm. He'd have to figure out what was going on later. Assuming that he wasn't, of course, just bleeding to death with his head split on a rock, as he couldn't help but think made the most sense.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>27-02-2013, 04:17:46</strong>
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				Jessa wasn't unconscious for long, thankfully. At least, she didn't feel like she'd been unconscious for long. She wasn't overly chilled. Who, or whatever she'd managed to summon however had made their way to her. They were saying something, though she could not understand the tongue, hover close. She couldn't help herself, she screamed.<br><br>Soon after the scream left her throat she scuttled backwards on her bottom, quickly until her back hit a tree. Somehow she'd done it. She'd summoned someone...<br><br>Now that there was more distance between the two of them, she took a moment to smooth strands of dark brown hair that had escaped from her unruly braids back from her eyes so that she could get a proper look at the fellow. He didn't really look threatening. In honesty, he looked hurt. It could always be a trick, the Fae were a tricky folk. Her own curiosity and general pigheadedness had her crawling back towards him without a word, her eyes playing over him carefully.<br><br>Beyond some odd clothing, he was exactly like one of her brothers, in the general sense. The same human build, the same eye, the same ears. There was nothing preternatural about the fellow at all. She stopped just within arms reach, and lifted a hand to touch his face, curious to see if she could.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>27-02-2013, 06:38:22</strong>
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				Oliver recoiled in unison with the unfamiliar girl as a scream tore its way out of her throat. He didn't dart away, however, after the initial instinctual jerk backwards, he didn't move. Better to let her set the distance between them and not offer even the impression of a threat. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone low and cautious. He held his hands out towards her slowly, palms out in a hopefully-universal gesture of nonviolence. His own injury could wait, at least for the moment. If she was hurt, he'd be able to do a little something, at least. It'd be nice to feel useful.<br><br>He remained still as she crept back towards him, though his posture shifted a little bit. What was so fascinating about him that she had to stare like that? And why didn't she say anything? He didn't voice his questions immediately, however. He could wait and watch for at least a few moments before spazzing out.<br><br>His reddish-blond hair was, by this point, fairly matted with dirt and grass stains, and his blandly blue eyes watched her with at least as much suspicion as she directed towards him. He might be some foreign sort or another, but he was certainly human.<br><br>For his own part, Oliver was still a bit distracted to heavily analyze the girl opposite him. Day changing to night and all of that. "So, uh, do you know where we are?" he asked. Her slow approach got a little bit more attention, and he pulled away when she attempted to touch him. "Hey, uh, ask first please?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>09-04-2013, 18:51:41</strong>
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				Jenna's hand dropped as the man in front of her pulled back, and her face took on an apologetic expression. "My apologies," She said softly, though she doubted he would understand her with that foreign tongue of his. She sat back on her heels then, head cocking to the side as she brought a hand to her chest, patting it lightly with the tips of her fingers. "Jenna."<br><br>She pointed to him then, stopping just short of touching him. He didn't seem to want to be touched, which was all well and good except someone was going to have to touch him to deal with his injury. Maybe she could get him back to the village. Surely the healer would see that he was human and help him. Then, even if he was as human as he appeared, he was an outsider. Outsiders were not met well here.<br><br>She was all he had. It was her own fault though, she'd summoned him here. So he was her responsibility. First order of business would be to find a way to communicate. Without that they were out of luck.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>14-04-2013, 06:38:50</strong>
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				Words, words everywhere but not an ounce of comprehension on either side. Then again, perhaps Oliver was being too uncharitable to himself and the girl. She had read his obvious reaction fairly well, at the very least. The good old point and grunt method might work.<br><br>Despite himself, Oliver grinned slightly and let out a little amused snort. Now that the uncertainty was fading, the situation just felt comedic more than anything else. Something odd had happened, to be certain. But now the encounter was unfolding like a sociologist's impression of first contact with an alien species. Surprise, kid, somebody showed up in your back yard. Time to take them home and feed them Reese's Pieces. Hopefully they just wouldn't get to the second half of the movie where the government showed up and tried to take the corpse away. Unlike E.T., Oliver rather doubted that he'd be coming back from the dead spontaneously.<br><br>He nodded at her chest-tapping, and replied with a mimic of the motion and a slow, slightly over-pronounced "Oliver." He stared at her gormlessly while she pointed, trying to figure out what she might mean, but eventually just shrugged and dug in his pockets. A quick and depressing check of his cellphone and GPS later, he turned his attention back to her. Whatever she wanted, he'd have to give it to her<br><br>He held his hands out towards her again, then uncomfortably pushed himself into a leg-and-two-hands squat. From there, he worked his way up against a tree, leaning with his injured leg only slightly touching. He waved his hand towards her, and then back towards himself, making a quizzical but ultimately wordless noise in the back of his throat. Hopefully she'd get the gist of what he was trying to communicate, but in either case, it'd be largely her charity - or responsibility - that got him anywhere now.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>12-06-2013, 19:05:52</strong>
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				"Oliver," Jenna repeated brightly, pointing at him as she said so. At least she knew how to refer to him, or so she hoped, that was something at least. She watched as he consulted some alien looking devices and then seemed to deflate even more as he rose to his feet, favoring one leg. That was something else, if it was just a turned ankle or something equally simple, she might be able to tend to it herself, though sending him on his was would likely be a death sentence here. No, she'd have to go back to town and get proper clothes at the very least. Likely a horse as well. Actually regardless of what was wrong she'd need those things. Even if he was hurt beyond her ability to mend him, she couldn't bring him to the town healer, the town healer would know he didn't belong. An idea began to form.<br><br>"Stay here," She said, holding up her hands in a staying motion. "I need to go get some things," She gestured back towards town, "Then I'll come right back," She gestured back towards them then pointed at the ground. "Just stay here," She repeated, holding her hands up in the staying motion again. "Right back," She held up one finger in a just a moment gesture and then turned and loped back through the woods, not bothering to see if he listened. She moved more cautiously as got back to town, eyes alert for anyone who might be&nbsp; about in these early hours of the morning. Luck was on her side and she didn't encounter anyone. <br><br>It was easy enough to nick some clothes off of an unattended laundry line. Getting a horse would be harder, that would require getting past stable hands. It would have too, except when she made her careful way into the stable, there was no one about. Jenna thanked the goddess for her good luck, and quickly, quietly got a saddle on the most docile horse she could find. She was thankful now, for the lessons she'd managed to sneak when her family wasn't looking. <br><br>Her good luck lasted only until she was on her way out of town. <br><br>"That horse isn't yours girl," Jenna, whirled on the guard, eyes wide. "You're not stealing a horse now are you little girl. You're parents will be giving you a hiding for that, after I'm through with you."<br><br>"Please," Jenna started, tears leaking from her eyes, she had to think of something, quickly. Then she had it. "I wouldn't Sir, but my family, they do horrible things. I have to get away from them sir. I think they're consorting with the Dark One!" She only hoped that he couldn't see who he was speaking to very well in the low light or he'd never believe her. An accusation of witchery was the surest way to start a commotion in town though. "I heard them speaking of sacrificing my innocence to the Dark One." The fear that laced her voice was very real, if not for the reasons the guard would think. "Please, I'll the bring the horse back, but I have to go Sir. They have horrible powers and if I stay here they'll steal my will from me. I don't want to the be the Dark One's bride Sir!"<br><br>The look of fanatical rage on the guards face was all it took to tell her that she'd won the day. "Of course, go to the next town over, we'll come find you when it is safe and you can come home again. I trust that you'll take good care of that horse girl. I'd send someone with you, but it sounds as if we'll need everyone here."<br><br>She just managed to hide her incredulous laughter until she'd gotten out of ear shot. Apparently even she had underestimated how fanatical the people of her town really were. As soon as they figured out what had happened though, she was going to be in a great deal of trouble. Probably an accusation of witchcraft, at the very least. She'd intended to leave as it was, but not like this. Like this she'd never be able to come back. Like this she would be hunted and thrown on a stake. Then, if anyone found out she'd summoned someone from a different place she'd be hunted and thrown up on a stake anyway. She only hoped that her new charge appreciated the amount of trouble he was putting her through.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>21-06-2013, 04:24:32</strong>
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				Stay there he did, if not exactly happily. "Yes, okay!" he said, doing his best to mirror her enthusiasm and only partially succeeding. His ankle had started complaining very vocally about being … something. Maybe the fall had hurt it worse than he realized, and he just hadn't noticed it previously.&nbsp; Maybe it was just being whiny about him moving around a bunch, even if it wasn't doing any of the heavy lifting. Trying not to reveal his discomfort – it wouldn't do to trouble the girl even more, if her communications had, in fact, meant "I'm getting help" and not "You look tasty" – he raised a hand to wave goodbye to her and smiled encouragingly as she departed.<br><br>Once she had disappeared into the forest, his idle imagining rapidly became something much more sinister. He had no way of knowing exactly where he had ended up, and he certainly hadn't gotten as good of a look at the girl's features in the darkness as he would have liked. Certainly not enough to report her to the proper authorities if things took a turn for the worse. <em>If</em> there were any authorities to whom he could report her. Unless he'd unknowingly been unconscious for a long time, he doubted that he'd been moved outside of Canada. Not that that really told him whether or not he was in a worse position now that a few moments ago. It all came back down to what that girl was planning. Or, well, he was being rude (though perhaps accurate, as he had no way of knowing her real name) by thinking of her as "that girl." She had given her name to him, if only her first name. <br><br>The language gap still bothered him, though. What had she been brought up speaking, if they completely couldn't understand each other? Deciding that it'd be better not to leave such things to chance, Oliver began painstakingly wriggling his way deeper into the forest's undergrowth. There weren't any promising-looking bushes nearby, so he settled for a particularly deep shadow between a pair of trees within easy hobbling distance. Though, if she did return with a butcher knife or something, he'd only buy a few seconds.<br><br>As he lurked in the darkness and her absence stretched longer and longer, he realized that, more than her turning out to be some sort of bloodthirsty killer, he was afraid that she might not return. He liked to think that he'd survive out here, if she simply disappeared, but she seemed like a nice enough sort. As childish as it might be, being alone in the dark was a terrifying prospect.
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>23-06-2013, 03:05:44</strong>
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				The glade was empty when she returned.<br><br>"Oliver?" Jenna called, as loud as she dared, looking about to see if maybe he'd just moved around a bit. The first lights of dawn were beginning to break through the foliage overhead. They needed to get going before the town figured out which of its daughters was missing.<br><br>"Oliver!" She called again, a bit more urgently. "We need to go!" She knew the likelihood of him understanding her words was small, but maybe, if he was within ear shoot her near frantic voice would get through.<br><br>Where was he? Had he really been some Fae creature, gone just as quickly and silently as he had come. If she'd just sacrificed her ability to go home for nothing...
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				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>24-06-2013, 23:46:35</strong>
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				Cautiously, sheepishly, and, most of all, carefully (with an aim of not hurting his leg), Oliver limped his way back out from his hiding spot, one hand tightly gripping the trunk of the tree behind which he had hidden. A bit more tightly than he had intended, it seemed, as he lurched towards her horse with a small scrape across the palm of his hand. He thumped heavily against the horse's flank with a quiet cry. Praying that he hadn't spooked the creature, he scrabbled for a saddle with which to steady himself (or, failing that, her leg).<br><br>He looked up at her, face a mess of conflicting emotions. But, despite the many contenders, relief and joy won the day, his face lighting up with a huge smile. Of course, given his already battered condition, he simply looked desperate and deranged, for all he knew. Pushing such concerns to the back of his mind, he said, "Jenna, you came back, thank god." Even knowing that the sentence would have no meaning to her ears, he felt a smidgeon better for having said it.<br><br>The bizarreness of bring a horse out here struck him suddenly. But then, if there weren't any good roads nearby, a car wouldn't much help him. And he barely trusted the girl to carry him. (Though, of course, you never knew. He'd seen stranger things.) If she was a horse breeder or trainer, hopefully she'd have a phone back at her house or ... horse farm? Was that even the right word? Ranch seemed more accurate.<br><br>If, on the other hand, this area was so rustic that a horse was the only option, he'd be in a bit more trouble. Still, best not to leave a gift metaphor in the mouth. After a second's hesitation to judge how best to attempt getting up behind her, he made his first, scrambling attempt to mount. Predictably, it failed.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>26-06-2013, 04:35:53</strong>
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				Jenna returned Oliver's smile as he said whatever it was that he said. Given that he sounded grateful and her name had been involved, she assumed it was his way of thanking her or something similar. So she replied with, "You're welcome, but we must move quickly." It wasn't until he tried and failed to get on the horse that she realized the problem that they were facing.<br><br>His leg as hurt, so he couldn't very well support himself on one while getting the other foot in the stirrup to lever himself up. Nor was she quite strong enough to pull him up. What they needed was a mounting block of some kind. She put her hand up in a stopping motion before he could try again and hurt himself, dismounting herself. Maybe if she wrapped whatever was hurting, the support would help him stand on it long enough to mount?<br><br>Without a word, she dropped to her knees at his feet, reaching for the pants at his injured leg. If allowed, she would lift them to get a good look at his injuries, poking prodding, looking for any protruding bone or bits that were out of place. 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>28-06-2013, 06:25:18</strong>
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				Jenna's tone, despite the slight current of impatience and worry that he believed that he heard beneath its pleasant exterior, cheered Oliver beyond words. Not that his words, or hers, were particularly useful to the other, at the moment. She smiled prettily enough, but at the moment, he'd have been just as happy with an ancient, withered face giving him the same. She clearly didn't want him worrying, even if she might be.<br><br>Her dismount surprised him a bit, and he involuntarily took a half-step back before stopping himself with a hiss of pain. Still, what else had he expected her to do? Haul him onto her horse with one hand? He watched her intently as she closed the small gap that remained between the two of them, and made no move to interfere with her inspection.<br><br>While no bones poked through the skin and no great quantities of blood soaked his skin, the joint did look rather awful, even in the odd, red light of the moon. It had swollen significantly and turned a rather appalling color of purple. The young man hadn't respected the injury, and it had worsened. Even now, he watched at her with more curiosity than concern. Still, it only significantly pained him when he put pressure on it, so it couldn't be that bad, could it?
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>29-06-2013, 03:15:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A frown creased her brow as Jenna examined his ankle. The injury clearly wasn't as bad as it could have been, but the extent of the swelling and bruising worried her just a bit, but nothing felt particularly out of place under her fingers either. Not that she would necessarily know what exactly she was feeling for if it was subtle. In any case everything seemed to be where is should be, so wrapping it couldn't hurt, could it?<br><br>It was times like these that made Jenna glad for petticoats, and she went to work on them with her eating knife, cutting strips to use. In the process, she ended up flashing a bit of one shapely leg, but she was a bit to preoccupied to care. Under normal circumstances, she would have been mortified, maybe she would be later. Right now, they were losing time.<br><br>Her strips cut, she moved to brace his leg with her torso, so that he wouldn't fall when she wrapped his ankle. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>29-06-2013, 19:35:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				So she did have a knife, after all. It sudden appearance disquieted Oliver for a moment, but when she didn't turn it against him, and instead began seeing to his leg, he relaxed again. Now that he had a chance to look a bit more closely at her garb, particularly that ... whatever it was that she had under her normal clothes. He'd never been an expert in women's clothing, though, so it might be a perfectly normal, if rarely worn, undergarment.<br><br>Stealing a guilty glance at Jenna's leg, he leaned back for her to begin binding up the swollen leg, occasionally letting out little groans or hisses of pain. While she did her part to keep him steady, he also gripped cautiously at the horse beside him, not wanting to make her support his full weight in the case of a fall. The horse nickered at him, shaking its flanks and waving its tail, but it failed to kick or trample him. Oliver figured that that was close enough to acceptance for his purposes.<br><br>Once Jenna had done her best to cover the injury, he crouched down, using one of his arms to support him and leaning against the horse to inspect her work. She'd done well enough, or so it looked. And he could very well deal with it one-handed. He unsteadily stood again, then looked intently towards Jenna, gesturing toward the horse She'd be the one directing it, after all. She'd want to mount up, wouldn't she?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>10-07-2013, 21:48:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Instead of mounting the horse, Jenna took its reins in her hands and after looking around for something appropriately high, started leading it towards a natural rock formation a bit farther into the woods, she kept the pace slow, so that Oliver could continue to use the horse for support in his walking. With his injury he'd probably need the saddle more than she would, though it was a horrible oversight on her part not to have stolen a saddle with a pillion. This one wasn't really designed for ridding two, and could conceivably cause some balance issues for the one outside of it.<br><br>'You could always sit in his lap,' Jenna blushed at the thought. She'd never been that close to a male she wasn't related to in her life. Even controlling the horse from behind the saddle would be more intimate than she was accustomed to. That's when she realized something, as hard as it may be for him to keep his balance, especially if he'd never ridden before, she couldn't sit behind him. Not when he was taller than she. 'Guess you're just gonna have to sit in his lap then.'<br><br>Her cheeks flushed, Jenna made her way around the rock, trying to find some way that he might actually be able to get up it with his ankle in the state it was. If they could get him up there, then he would simply be able to drape himself over the horse's back and mount that way, no harm to his ankle at all.<br><br>Dubiously she looked back and forth between Oliver and the rock formation. There were hand and foot holds, she would be able to get up there, even in her skirts, but would he with his injured ankle?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>14-07-2013, 07:22:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				While Jenna's indecision was impossible to miss entirely, Oliver decided it best not to make obvious his realization. The saddle, which had received a few glances, certainly looked a little small for two people. That was probably what was on her mind, then. She must've had a relatively sheltered upbringing, given the pretty flush that he spotted on her cheeks as she moved through patches of moonlight. Or maybe she was just naturally shy? Neither was wrong of her, of course, but despite his efforts to suppress it, a corner of his mouth angled upwards in amusement. She was clearly trying to save ... well, if not his <em>life</em>, then at least a bunch of time, suffering and fear alone in the wilderness.<br><br>Though, he supposed, that was easy for him to think when he didn't have much pride left to protect. Injuring himself and immediately becoming useless, despite his doctoral training, had raised the bar a bit on what might embarrass him.<br><br>Despite the difficulty of it, Oliver gamely limped after her as she began to circle the large stones, trying to figure out what she sought. When he finally realized what she had in mind, he nearly cursed at himself in frustration. When had he become so clueless? But the angry self-insult went unsaid, for fear that his savior might interpret it as directed at her.<br><br>He sized up the nearest spur of rock for a moment, as though it were an unfriendly hoodlum or wild beast that he was planning to tackle. He'd done some rock climbing in the past, and while his invalid leg would slow him down, the whole jagged, irregular formation looked easily scalable. His first two attempts resolved themselves into false starts, with him grabbing at the stone and pulling himself off the ground only to carefully lower his body back down again. As such things sometimes are, however, the third time proved the charm. Arms shaking with strain and injured leg held away from the rock at an uncomfortable angle, he slowly and uncertainly dragged himself to a height from which mounting the horse would be quite easy, indeed.<br><br>After a moment to pant in exhaustion on the rock (during which he realized just how badly he could have aggavated his ankle, had he fallen), Oliver pushed himself to the edge of the outcropping. Then, with a clumsy flop, he pushed himself onto the back of the hapless, stolen horse below. Even as he awkwardly righted himself, giving Jenna plenty of time to mount the horse, if she so pleased, Oliver couldn't help but feel an irrational joy at this tiny victory. Still, when all the world but one near-stranger conspired against you, every little step forward ought to be treated with appropriate respect.<br><br>Only once Jenna had gotten up onto the horse did Oliver realize the two details he had forgotten: not only did he not know how to ride a horse, but he had no way to communicate that to the girl in front of him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Phoenixrisen</strong> on <strong>05-08-2013, 23:23:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was nearly painful watching her charge struggle up the rock facing though Jenna was happy that he was resourceful enough to grasp what she'd expected without prompting, she hadn't been overly sure how to explain without words. She stood at the mare's head, keeping a firm grasp on her bridle to keep her steady as he made his ungainly way up onto the horse's back. There was no hiding the lightening of his expression as he managed to do for himself. She could only imagine how helpless he must feel at the moment. What thoughts would be going through his mind.<br><br>The incongruity of the situation hit her as she mounted up behind him. He was significantly taller, and even assuming he knew how to ride, with his ankle hurt controlling the horse wouldn't be the easiest thing even. Unless of course he was one of those brutes that sawed at and did everything by the mouth. He didn't seem like that type though. She sighed, and slipped quickly from the horse. She didn't like the idea, but she would have to put herself in his lap. So, quick as could be she scampered up the side of the rock facing, and hoping the horse would stay still moved to slip herself in front of him with an apologetic grimace.<br><br>She dearly hoped that he wouldn't mind too much. After all, the only other option was to limit their pace to hers and lead the mare. The needed a bit more speed than that if it was at all possible. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: A Fish Out of Water (Phoenixrisen and The Unholy Potato)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>The Unholy Potato</strong> on <strong>09-08-2013, 03:14:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He'd had pretty girls pushed up against him before, and often enough in an explicitly teasing fashion. As such, Oliver managed to mostly conceal the variety of feelings and urges that sprung to life as Jenna took the reigns from him. (If only metaphorically, of course. She'd been wise enough not to trust him with her horse in the first place.) Still, that 'mostly' did require a bit of wriggling and shifting to avoid an embarrassing incident. Odd that his libido pounce on him at this, of all times. But days in the Canadian wilderness, the presence of an attractive young woman and the all-too-real feeling of another body against his all added up.<br><br>And there he went, mentally rearranging his vocabulary. She'd been a girl just moments before, why did he have to go and switch nouns and adjectives just because she'd gotten so intimately close to him. And what made the contact 'intimate?' <br><br>He spluttered aloud (if rather quietly) at the inanity of his own mental monologue, only to wince and blush as he realized he'd let the noise slip. Too much time sleeping uncomfortably in little bags and walking around aimlessly. It'd addled his brain.<br><br>Well, she'd noticed him now, no doubt. Might as well make the best of it. He gave Jenna a somewhat exaggerated grin, a thumbs-up, and made a waving motion towards the front of the horse. Hopefully she'd get the gist of it and get moving.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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