driftfleet | THE PLANET MINGLE

[Cassandra tenses when she's pull closer, but it's not out of embarrassment. It takes her a moment to see that Mal's come back to her senses, the abrupt change in scenery from illusion to reality happening faster than Cassandra can register with her attention so focused on Mal. But Mal is back to herself, at least for the moment, and so she relaxes.]

You didn't. That's all that matters.

[Her tone isn't particularly gentle, but it is forgiving. Mal could have made a better decision and stayed on her ship. Or hell, she could have stayed on Cassandra's ship if she would have felt better knowing Cassandra was right there. But it's not the worst mistake Mal could have made. It's as much a reminder for Mal as it is for Cassandra.]

[Cassandra twists her arm around in Mal's grip to hold her by the forearm and helps her straighten up. She looks up at where the sky should be (both to look and to give Mal a moment of privacy) and sees nothing but black, the sky lost behind the canopy.]

Waiting around for daylight isn't going to do us any good this far into the forest, and I don't have the mind to sit and wait for someone to find us. [Her attention turns to the ground, down where the earth has been clearly disturbed by their footsteps. Signs are not likely going to be this clear the further along they go and it will be difficult without the hallucination overlaying the forest to recognize where they are.] We should get moving.

[She looks at Mal again.]

As soon as you've caught your breath.

[The fact that Cassandra's forgiven her - instantly, effortlessly - means more than one might think. Mal isn't used to asking for forgiveness, but she makes mistakes so often that she needs it more often than not. It feels as though Cassandra understands this without needing to be told, that she comprehends how difficult it is to ask, and is willing to make the sacrifice.]

[When Cassandra gives her space, a few moments to breathe and regroup, she looks down at her feet, reluctantly reigning in her massive headache and the sense that her personal space is being invaded by every tree and animal in the vicinity. It's not really enough time, but it's all she's going to get, and she takes it and hangs on with both hands, ferociously and tightly.]

[Listening to the Seeker's voice grounds her, both in time and in space. There is no riot here. No one is going to harm her, except maybe the forest itself. She's in good company.]

[She can do this.]

[With a solemn nod, she straightens up and takes a step away from Cassandra, regaining her space, giving Cassandra space as well.]

Let's go.

[Once assured that Mal will be able to keep up, Cassandra leads the way.]

Stay close.

[It's not a stony silence that follows seeing as how Cassandra is not particularly angry with Mal, but it is silence all the same. Progress back is a lot slower than it had been getting out that far and that deep into the woods and for the most part, Cassandra is simply concentrated on finding the correct path back as well as keeping an ear out for any incoming trouble. She doesn't bother with remaining hopeful that they won't run into any, only prepared in the event that they do. Cassandra didn't come out this far unarmed, her personal sidearm holstered on her hip. Thanks to the augment and some practice with the extra jobs she's taken on, Cassandra's a decent enough shot. Although, quite frankly, she'd much rather have her sword and shield than anything else, but those seem particularly hard to come by in space.]

[The silence doesn't last forever though. She eventually glances over her shoulder at Mal.]

Did you come down to this planet by yourself?

[Mal doesn't stumble this time. With the flashsides pushed aside for the moment, she feels fairly confident in her ability to stay herself for a little while, at least until they get back to the ships. She does wish it was a little brighter out, though. Even with her superhuman vision, she can barely see her hand in front of her face, much less a few feet in front of her.]

[She looks up at Cassandra when she speaks, a little sheepish.]

I did. I wanted to see . . .

[Everything, something in the back of her mind whispers, everything there was to see. And there is so much. She just wish she hadn't gotten lost in her own mind. This wouldn't seem like such a stupid decision if she'd kept control of herself.]

[Her head whips around at a sound, a cracking of branches. It sounds huge. What the hells is that?]

[The branches breaking has Cassandra's immediate attention. The wildlife during the day had been large although clearly more prey than predator and more intent on keeping their distance. Even those that could feasibly be predator had been content to keep their distance from the new arrivals to the planet. But this planet seems to have a very important balance and it seems to react. In fact, Cassandra has little doubt the feeling gnawing away at the pit of her stomach this whole night has been in reaction to their presence on the planet. Even if not directly tied to that, there's still the chance that this creature isn't curious, but hunting.]

[She stops walking at the sound, but doesn't freeze. She assesses. She can't see that far away through the dark to make out shapes, but she can at least follow the sound with her eyes. Cassandra unholsters the gun at her side, keeping her movement slow and careful. She nudges Mal lightly with an elbow to take the torch.]

[She keeps her voice very low.]

Can you see it?

[Almost without realizing what she's doing, Mal takes the torch from Cassandra's hand and holds it out forward to see. Her night vision isn't doing any good here, that much is plain. She can't see the beginning or the end of the creature they're looking for, lost as it is in the pitch-blackness of the forest.]

Nothing.

[Her voice resonates with frustration in the relatively small space between the trees. Everything seems to be hemming in and getting ready to swallow them whole, the forest itself coming alive to drive them out.]

It's huge, whatever it is. I can--

[She can smell it. For a moment she freezes, then strides forward, her head cocked up, nose in the air. Musty, with the coppery scent of blood. She can no more walk away from that than she could stop her own constant hunger.]

[Cassandra watches Mal start to move forward, brow furrowing in confusion as to what it is she's exactly trying to do. At first, Cassandra thinks she might be trying to get a visual on what's out there. But two steps turn into three, four, and--no, no that's not what Mal is trying to do. Whatever it is she's trying to do, it's a bad idea and it's going to potentially put both of them in more danger than they are. Cassandra lurches forward after Mal, reaching and grabbing at Mal's arm.]

Mal, [she hisses, a quiet growl.]

[She starts the second Cassandra touches her, turning to look at her with wide-eyed surprise. She hadn't even realized she'd gotten as far as she has. Another brief pause, and she sniffs the air again. It's still very strong, but not strong enough that she loses control.]

[She almost says sorry again, but thinks - no, best not. The only way to appear truly penitent is by changing her behavior.]

It's coming, [she whispers, not sure how she knows it, but - she just knows.]

[And then the rustling grows louder, and it emerges.]

[A great gray wolf, low-slung and thick-furred, its eyes glinting in the dark of the forest. Despite herself, Mal bares her teeth at it, snarling.]

Andraste's tits!

[It seems each time Cassandra thinks this situation could not get worse, it finds a way. If there was ever a time to blaspheme, it's right now.]

[A wolf of this size and aggression is nothing new to Cassandra. She had seen wolves like this before in the Hinterlands. They had been driven mad by a demon and terrorized the farmers to the point many had fled only to be caught in the conflict between the templars and mages. But that was a very different fight. The wolves worked together as a pack and Cassandra had more people to rely on than a vampire who could lose control. And it is now abundantly clear what Mal was trying to do just a few moments ago from the flecks of ruddy spittle now coming off the beast's jowls as it growls at them.]

[Cassandra pulls Mal behind her. Running isn't an option. The wolf would run them down or they would only get themselves further lost. But Cassandra is not chancing Mal getting even a drop of blood right now. She's too precariously teetering on that edge as it is. She would actually kill someone for a sword right about now as she doesn't trust a single bullet to do it. Nor her accuracy at this range.]

[Her heart is pounding already, but Cassandra keeps her breathing as slow and even as possible, eyes and gun trained on the wolf. For a moment, it's a standstill and then the wolf lunges. Cassandra lowers the gun, moving as fast as she can manage to the side and either shoving or pulling Mal along with her. Having missed its targets, the wolf is already whirling around, but not before taking a shot to a shoulder that's enough to slow it down for at least a second or two.]

[At least Mal is aware that she's on the verge of losing control. She's willing, for now, to keep holding back, to stay behind Cassandra until this is taken care of. But it nags at her, that she's so useless, that Cassandra is having to save them. She's going to have to make it up to her.]

[As the wolf approaches, Mal keeps her nose in the air, scenting at it as it comes closer. Maybe she can figure something out about the beast, find something to help . . . but for now all she can tell is that it's eaten recently.]

[Apparently it's still hungry.]

[It whirls around again, making its way towards them, and Mal digs her fingers into Cassandra's shoulders.]

On your left!

[It's coming back to them and it's angrier than before. A small part of Cassandra had held out hope that it would have decided they were more trouble than they're worth after the shot, but luck's never been that much on her side. At the very least, Mal is remaining present, she's watching Cassandra's back. The wolf lunges fast, too fast for Cassandra to take another shot, but they remain unscathed.]

[Cassandra glances around and behind them and sees immediately what the wolf is doing. It's backing them slowly towards a large tree. If the roots don't trip them, they will run out of space. They need a solution and fast. Only one really jumps out at Cassandra and she's not really a fan of it. They need to separate and present it with two targets instead of one.]

Next time, move away from me.

[Whether it fixes its attention on Mal or Cassandra after that doesn't matter too much. They just cannot get backed into a corner and Cassandra can only hope that Mal is able to hold onto herself long enough to put this thing down.]

[She glances at Cassandra, nods. Waits for the wolf to charge again. This, at least, is something she can do. She knows how to run.]

[When it lunges again, she takes off, headed for the other side of the roots. She's faster than Cassandra, but the transition is making her less coordinated, and so she ends up taking about the same amount of time to cover the same distance.]

[The wolf hesitates in its attack, shifting its gaze from one to the other of them. Then, slowly, it turns and begins to chase Mal.]

[It's not such a bad thing, actually, that Mal cannot go quite at full speed. It keeps the wolf from breaking out into a complete breakneck speed after and allows Cassandra to keep up even with a slightly slow start after the wolf's made up its mind.]

[Cassandra reaches for the wolf, making grabs for its tail a few times, but only grasping at air before she can finally latch on and get a firm grip. For a few steps, she stumbles, but quickly regains her balance. Using the tail as a guide, she's able to pull herself up close enough to press her gun against its pelvis. After a few pulls of the trigger, the wolf lets out a succession of pained screams as its back legs are rendered essentially useless and crashes to the forest floor. Cassandra doesn't let go in time and falls after it, but rolls herself away.]

[Mal skids to a stop just ahead of the wolf, climbing halfway up one of the roots and glancing back to Cassandra as the wolf collapses with a pained cry.]

Cassandra?

[It takes a moment to spot her in the dim light, but when she does, she makes a beeline for her, circumnavigating the injured animal with careful steps. Once she's at Cassandra's side, she gives her a quick once-over and nods crisply. She's fine.]

[Glancing at the wolf, she frowns slightly. It's almost a shame. It's not as though it was the animal's fault they were out here to antagonize it.]

[Cassandra pushes herself back to her feet with a grunt. She's a little dirtier than she was a moment ago and she'll likely have some bruises, but she's in one piece and she can still walk. That's all that matters for the moment. Except there is one other thing.]

[She walks past Mal over to the wolf. It's in too much pain at this point to be much of a threat. Still, Cassandra would rather not take chances and carefully positions a foot over the wolf's muzzle to keep it closed. With no pleasure, she puts it down. It may have just been trying to kill either one of them a moment ago, but she will not leave it here to suffer.]

[Cassandra steps back a few steps, looking at the wolf in the dark before she holsters her pistol. Now that the battle is over the adrenaline is already starting to seep away from her. She strides back over to Mal and sits right back down beside her. A moment to catch her breath before she tries to figure out how the hell to get them out of the forest and back to the ships.]

The next waystation, I'm finding a sword. I don't care if I have to make the damn thing myself.

I'll make it for you.

[Her way of apologizing, again; she knows she's been more trouble this trip than help, and she wants to make up for it. She resolves to get started on that mysterious courting thing as soon as vampirically possible. Cassandra definitely deserves it.]

[She nudges her in the side after a moment of silence, her gaze still on the animal's corpse.]

Thanks.

I should have let it eat you and kept going on my own.

[Cassandra's gaze is also on the wolf ahead of them, but she's smiling some because she doesn't need to be thanked. Whatever Mal is exactly to Cassandra, she is a friend. On top of that, Cassandra made a promise. Those are all more than enough for Cassandra to go looking for her and to protect her.]

[Mal grins.]

What, into that forest? You'd have been bored out of your mind. Killing monsters, that's old hat for you. You need me to keep you entertained for more than a minute.

[She's really glad you're here, Cassandra.]

[Cassandra rolls her eyes, hiding her widening smile. She places a hand on Mal's shoulder as she pushes herself back up to her feet because she's caught her breath, but doesn't want to give fatigue a chance to settle in. Mal gets a rough shove the moment she's not actually using her as leverage to stand.]

Maker only knows where we are at this point, but staying here isn't going to do us any good. We should keep moving.

[She's almost bowled over by the push, but bounces to her feet grinning, thrilled at the gesture. It's teasing, fun, even after all of this nonsense that's mostly her fault. She ducks towards Cassandra as if she's going to shove her back, then dodges back and bounces on the balls of her feet, all half-delirious excitement.]

I'll follow you.

[She'd follow Cassandra anywhere.]

[It's good to see Mal in lifted spirits. When Cassandra first found her, after the frenzy and delirium had passed, she was (for good reason) ashamed. But Cassandra had no intention of adding to it. There was no point in berating her for what she already knew. But that she's able to hold it together and smile is a good sign. It's a great sign, in fact.]

Keep up then, or you can find your own way back.

[Cassandra is fine with taking the lead. At the very least, she's vaguely aware of the direction the chase with the wolf had led them in. They had to move around trees every now and again, but the direction was ultimately in just one. It's a matter of figuring out just how far it is they had managed to get away from the original path which would be naturally much easier said than done.]

THE PLANET MINGLE

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