Campground - Camp Fire

The Shadow had watched the group for some time, curious ever more by the closeness of two of those remaining at the campfire. The Dwarf still slept at the fire, curled up with a keg of rum. He stalked closer, closer, but silent as a tomb. He crept around the fire low to the ground. He had hoped he could learn something new about these surface dwellers by listening to their conversations. A bird rested on his shoulder and chirped pleasantly. He appreciated the company.

This would be good to return to the Master with...but there must be more. I must see the Warden-surfacer...speak to her. He thought to himself, unsure on how to proceed.

"Thanks, Jez,"

She smiled shyly, happy that he was thankful and saw in his eyes that he was not only saying the words. That always confused her when people would say things they did not believe or pretend a lot. Then again Jezarine was not the type to say anything she did not mean if she could avoid it.

"You don't even have to ask. I'd have to be possessed to reject your help."

This brought out a blush again. She seemed to be doing that a lot around Ianto. It felt nice in a way.

"In fact, if I do send you off, ever, then you can go ahead and call a Chantry exorcist for me. That would probably be a good idea. I doubt Royce would ever get tired of you, either. He doesn't look like he's the kind to forget the people he likes. As strange as that is. Or maybe it's a good thing... I guess I'm the one rambling now, huh?"

Jezarine outright laughed at his comment to call an exorcist on him and smiled even more as he said about Royce, "Oh! No no you would never need an exorcist. You're too sweet for demons to want you. I mean... oh that wasn't quite right now was it? I meant they'd get cavaties from how sweet ... oh no that's not right either. I mean ... they would ... oh my ... uh ... oh and there I go rambling again too. I guess we are just a couple of rambling idiots. OH! No no! I didn't mean you were an idiot! I meant I'm ... we're ... you ... I ... well we ... oh no..."

Ianto watched as Jez rambled on, and, sadly, could only manage an amused smile in return. He might have tried to answer her rambling with some rambling of his own, to make her feel better, but he didn't trust himself for talking right now. His voice was too shaky, and he was starting to feel like crap again. He wasn't sure, though, if he thought he couldn't manage to say anything, or if he thought that, once he started talking, he wouldn't be able to stop.

"Jez," he said, still smiling, but too tired to do much else. He raised a hand and put it on her head, tilting it down playfully as he looked at her. "Relax. We are just a couple of random idiots. I'd have to be a real idiot not to see it myself." He paused. Wait... he'd just called Jez an idiot. "[color=red#e6c95cI mean, I don't think that you're a real idio-[/color]" he stopped, his frown slowly replacing itself with another amused smirk. "Alright. Now you've got me doing it, too."

His hand slipped off her head to rest against his knee, and he placed his other hand on the ground, getting ready to get up. He'd been sitting here for too long already, and he didn't want to bother Jez and keep her here. Besides, his legs wouldn't stop shaking if he didn't get up and start walking around.

She watched his face as he spoke to her and wondered what was going on in there. He looked tired and had the feel of someone who was still not doing well due to lyrium addiction.

"Jez,"

"Huh?" She said as he put his hand on her head and tilted it down to look at her. He was smiling, tired and being playful, as much as he could. Jezarine smiled back, a twitch to the edge of her lips showing that she was bemused by herself and him.

"Relax. We are just a couple of random idiots. I'd have to be a real idiot not to see it myself."

A tiny giggle came from her as he spoke thinking about how he agreed so readily where no one else would.

"I mean, I don't think that you're a real idio- "

The frown made her giggle even more, the sides of her eyes crinkling with the humour in it all. He was so cute when he frowned and also when he smiled or smirked. And he was paying attention to her.

"Alright. Now you've got me doing it, too."

"Of course I have. I'm infectious to you it seems." She laughed and put a hand to each of his cheeks, holding him there and looking into his eyes, "Here," Her hands started to glow, "Some energy and cleansing should help a bit. You didn't have as much lyrium as your body seems to require but this should help clear up the tiredness and headaches."

Jezarine smiled gently at him, "I know of this ..." She looked down at their legs with a bit of sadness in her voice, "My brother was addicted to many things including lyrium as well. It's not your fault and it is hard to deal with." Jezarine looked back up into his eyes as her spell ended and she put her hands on her legs just above her knees while kneeling there, her smile returned, "Being a Templar you cannot just stop taking lyrium but you can't do it alone. I've seen too many die that way. It's a long, hard road but we idiots get to stick together."

She shyly blushed again, "Thanks for accepting me."

Ianto stopped in his movement to get up, and he re-took his seat as Jez lifted her hands to his cheeks. A shadow seemed to pass over the Templar's eyes for a moment, and he turned his gaze downward. It passed, however, and not a moment later he was looking back up at Jez, raising a hand to pat her hand that was resting on his cheek.

"Th-," he paused, and for a moment he looked frustrated, and then just gave it up and smiled, his eyes closing with the grin. "Yeah, well, I can thank you from now until the end of days, can't I, and it's not going to make much difference. I'm grateful, though, all the same . . ."

He might have said more, but the warm glow of magic raced into his skin at the point, and he was struck silent. For almost all of his training, he'd been taught to deny the presence of magic, and though his mind was perfectly fine with the practice and free usage of magic (he even liked magic, to some extents), his body was no so accommodating. Already stressed from lyrium withdrawal, the newly refreshed lyrium supply in his body tried to overpower and dull out the magic, but he fought against it, and then, it was as if the internal struggle had never happened. His muscles un-tensed as the magic was free to do as Jez had meant it to do.

His eyes opened a crack as he felt the magic begin to lessen in strength, and saw Jez's gaze turned down to her legs, eyes troubled. His bottom teeth found his lip to worry, but before he could say anything, she was looking back, and lifted her hands to place them on her legs. The last traces of magic warmed him, then dissipated completely. Maybe not good as new, but as close as he was going to get, which was much closer than just a lyrium dose would have done.

A part of him was glad that she hadn't immediately hit him with the 'you should try to quit' line. Of course he'd tried to quite- he still was, in some sense. But when you were all but force fed the substance for almost ten years, it became a hard habit to break. And Ianto had seen former Templars who went through serious lyrium withdrawal- he would rather skewer himself on his sword than end up like that. All in all, there wasn't much motivation for quitting. The little dark elf seemed to understand the fact that addiction wasn't simply a matter of choosing to do, or choosing to not to, and for that, he was more grateful than anything. The last thing he wanted at the moment was a lecture.

But Jez was still looking down, and she had done enough to cheer him up today. His eyes searched around for a moment, reaching for something to say that might make her feel better. Margaid seemed to have run off, and for a moment, Ianto was a little worried that the mage might get into some . . . trouble, while in her high state. He wouldn't worry about it, though, he decided. She could take care of herself. Probably. And her being gone meant he didn't hve to be mushy around anyone else (except, Margaid was maybe one of those people where it didn't matter what you did in front of them, anyway).

"I'm sorry about your brother," he said after another moment of thinking, speaking slowly as he did. He didn't want to pry into something private, so leaving it as something simple like that would probably be a good idea. As curious as Ianto was, snooping was not one of his hobbies- probably because he wasn't fond of people snooping into his own life. "It is hard," there was no denying that, "but I think with people like you, it's manageable. I don't know about your brother, but I know that I probably wouldn't be around without people like you, Jez." He smiled at her, to reassure her that he wasn't quite as down anymore. He was feeling much better, to boot.

"Come on. We should probably start getting the horses saddled up. I guess I'll need to find a horse first . . ." he paused, a small, worried pout taking his features as he put a hand out to offer to help Jez up before he got up himself.

"Th... Yeah, well, I can thank you from now until the end of days, can't I, and it's not going to make much difference. I'm grateful, though, all the same . . ."

The words sparked a slight smile before she had spoken more. Ianto seemed interested in her words, even with the healing spell she used to make him feel a bit better was still washing through his system at a swift rate. It had been slow at first because Ianto had fought it but now her magics could temporarily heal his pain and hopefully keep the withdrawal at bay for longer than he would normally be able to do so.

"I'm sorry about your brother. It is hard but I think with people like you, it's manageable. I don't know about your brother, but I know that I probably wouldn't be around without people like you, Jez."

The man meant what he said and it made her blush. She was always blushing around people but especially around people like him, "Thanks ... uh ... I ..." Jezarine changed direction with her words to keep from stuttering, "It takes time and I know you can handle yourself with some help. You won't ever not have the urges because it is part of you now. All it is tends to be direction and control."

"Come on. We should probably start getting the horses saddled up. I guess I'll need to find a horse first . . ."

Jezarine took his hand gladly and stood, ready for whatever the world had to offer. Well, at least mostly ready but maybe Ianto could help her to be braver as she helped him to keep in the right direction, "Let's find you a cheerful one."