Rystelle

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

Three weeks had passed since Shawn and Olivia moved in together. Winter was in full swing now. The Walkers were frozen solid, the snow was piling up, the days grew colder, and the nights grew longer. Their life together was simple but pleasant. Days were spent working to build up a store of gear and food. Olivia had found a food dehydrator and she started making jerky of whatever she and Shawn could catch. Fish, deer, wild pigs, rabbits. Earlier on they had visited some libraries in order to find maps of Canada and the US to help them on their journey. They also took a few books on survival tips and other subjects that would help them, as well as some novels to enjoy. When not working they would relax and enjoy each others company. They talked about their plans for the future, about their pasts, about the now. They'd sit and read together, had meals together, even played in the snow sometimes. Olivia recalled a snowball fight when she had managed to peg Shawn square in the face. He had chased after her, shouting that he would get his revenge, and when he caught her he shoved a handful of snow into her face. It was cold and fun, and afterwards they went home, curled up with a blanket, and had some hot tea. Olivia had fallen asleep with her head on Shawn's shoulder that night, worn out as she was by their winter fun. Shawn had become an irreplaceable part of Olivia's life. She could no longer imagine what it would be like without him around. Every day their trust grew deeper and her love for him grew stronger.

"I'm going out," Olivia called to Shawn as she pulled her knit hat onto her head and over her ears. "I'll be back as soon as I can, and before I get out of radio range I'll key in. I love you." So saying Olivia wrapped her arms around Shawn's shoulders and gave him a kiss. Then she gathered up her gear and head out. She was headed off to Central Park to do some more hunting.

The city was quiet except for the sounds of Olivia's feet crunching on the new snow that had fallen last night. Already more of the delicate ice crystals were beginning to pile up as she sky let loose its burden. Her breath formed a cloud in front of her face as she breathed out, and the icy wind turned her cheeks red. Olivia tugged on her scarf with one gloved hand to pull it farther up her face. It was cold, and yet it didn't seep into Olivia's bones as the cold back home in Mississippi had always done. Probably because it wasn't so humid. When Olivia neared the point where her radio would no longer be able to reach Shawn's, she stopped to call in. "Alright, love," she said cheerfully over the radio. "I'm about to go out of range. I love you and I'll check in when I get back in range. See you when I get home." She listened for his response, and once they had said their goodbyes she switched off the handset. Olivia pushed farther into the city.

Central Park had become a graveyard of trees. No greenery remained, with the exception of a few perennial pines. The pond was frozen over and buried beneath a layer of snow. Benches and lamp posts served as markers, drawing an invisible line that Olivia did not dare to cross unless she should wander onto the pond only to fall through if the ice was too thin to hold her. Instead she stayed toward the tree line. That was where she needed to be anyway to get the animals. She had laid out several traps in the previous week and she was going about checking them now. If her traps had failed then she would see if she could catch something the old fashioned way--by tracking it down herself. The first three traps were empty with no tracks left in the snow. The fourth one, however... The noose was empty, but the trap had been snapped and there were rabbit tracks in the snow. What really worried Olivia was the fact that there were human footprints there too. At least three pairs at that. It was clear that it was human as it couldn't be Walkers for numerous reasons.

Someone had found one of her traps and they had taken her kill. Who was to say that there weren't more of her traps where she had caught animals, only to have them stolen. It was a dog-eat-dog world now, but Olivia was still pissed off that someone was taking her and Shawn's food. At the same time she realized that she and Shawn were no longer alone in New York. They hadn't seen anyone else these past three weeks, but now here were some signs of human life. They were going to have to be extra careful from now on. In fact, Olivia thought it would be wise to leave now and get back home to tell Shawn about what she had discovered. There could be people nearby at this very moment. She made to stand up from where she had been kneeling in the snow to inspect her trap. That was when Olivia heard the click of a gun's hammer being pulled back. The sound was close in her ear. She could feel the barrel of the gun poking into the back of her head through the padding of her jacket hood.

"Lay your weapons down," a voice commanded. Adult male. At least in his thirties. She looked out of the corner of her eyes. There were two more on either side within her peripheral vision. One had an ax, the other a knife. That was all they seemed to have.

"Now," the man barked when Olivia failed to comply immediately. Slowly she set down her bow and arrows, gun, and bowie knife. "Put your hands behind your head and stand up slowly." Her heart was beating fast, but not in fear. She knew what she had to do.

Quickly Olivia dodged backwards, slipping past the gun to grab hold of the man's arm and yank him forward and off balance. As soon as he began to fall she pulled a knife from her boot--one that she kept hidden and never kept sheathed. She leaped up, swinging the knife as she went, using her momentum to drive it into her attacker's skull. He was dead before he hit the snow. The other two leaped after Olivia, but even as she had killed the gunman she had taken his pistol. Once, twice she shot, sending a bullet boring into each man's head. Then they too fell dead into the snow. They would never arise as Walkers, their brains destroyed either by bullet or blade. Olivia felt no remorse for killing these men. She had seen the look in their eyes. They had known she was a woman and had had plans for her. Well, their plans would do them no good now.

Olivia pat down the bodies of the three men she had just killed and took anything of use they had. The gun, ax, and knife all went into her belt. She took the extra ammo the gunman had, grabbed the lighters and matches they had with them, and took back her rabbit that hat yet to be torn into. Olivia left them there, not caring to dispose of their bodies. She needed to get home and fast. However, she took the time to remain hidden and forced herself to take longer, winding routes on her trek back to the docks. If anyone else had seen her in the park she didn't want to give them an easy time to track her down. As soon as she was in range, Olivia radioed in to Shawn. "There were some complications. I'm coming home now," she muttered into the radio. "Going dark for the moment." Then she shut the handset off again. Soon, however, she was home.

"I'm back," she called out as she pushed her way through the door. Olivia closed it behind her, set her bow against the wall, shrugged off all her gear, and started to take off her jacket that now had fresh blood spatters all over it. Her expression was blank, but there was a bit of a hard look in her eyes. She had been like that the entire way home. However, when Olivia saw Shawn her entire disposition changed. She finally allowed herself to feel the fear that had tried to creep into her mind when she had been cornered by those men and thought her worst nightmares might be repeated. Wasting no time at all, Olivia let her jacket fall to the floor and she ran to Shawn. She threw her arms around his shoulders and pressed her face into his chest as her body trembled against his. Olivia wasn't crying. Not yet. But she was close.

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

Having been alone for so long and being on the move almost constantly, Olivia hadn't really thought of the idea of having an extra spot to stay in case something happened once they settled down in Canada. Shawn's suggestion of finding a camper and hiding the boat was a good one. Olivia agreed readily, glad that he had thought of it when she had not. The idea that they might not be able to grow much was a bit worrisome though, but they could always build a green house. With a greenhouse they could grow fruit and vegetables year round. That was something they were going to have to find though--seeds to grow. Olivia also agreed that they needed to get some maps saying, "I think we should do that soon then. Perhaps take tomorrow to rest, and then go searching the libraries the day after that."

When Shawn began to reflect on her question of what they were to each other, Olivia listened patiently. Lovers. She had kind of thought of that herself. When not meaning just the physical aspect of a relationship, it felt deeper than the terms 'girlfriend' and 'boyfriend'. Olivia had felt a weird saying it aloud, but when Shawn spoke the word it settled into her mind and just seemed right. She smiled happily at his words, her smile changing to a bit of a grin when she saw him blushing. Shawn was simply too cute when he got embarrassed. But then his next words had her blushing. "You're not so bad looking yourself," Olivia teased, giving his hand a squeeze. Standing up with Shawn's hand still in hers, Olivia came to a stop in front of his chair. Taking his other hand in hers she pulled him up and out of his chair. Wrapping her arms around Shawn's shoulders she leaned up on her tip-toes to place a loving kiss on his lips. Breaking away from the kiss, she beamed up at him and said, "Come on, handsome. Let's go get some rest." Taking one of his hands in hers again, Olivia led Shawn into their new bedroom. She crawled into the bed which was now clean and smelled a lot better than before. It was chilly and so Olivia snuggled up close to Shawn, draping her arm across his stomach and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Mmmm, you're nice and warm," Olivia hummed happily as she cuddled up to him.

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

Olivia blushed at Shawn's words. "I could say the same about you," she said with a smile. Gladly she put her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. Shawn's hands were much bigger than hers, yet they fit together perfectly as she laced her fingers with his. His hands were a little chilly from the shower, but with her hand in his he should soon warm up. Olivia was still marveling at the fact that she was no longer alone--more so because not only was she not alone, but the man she was with, Shawn, was now her love. "I think we should pick a place to settle down before we head up there," Olivia started, trying to concentrate on the matters at hand. "Sure, we have plenty of time, but I think if we have a set place in mind right now--maybe with a backup or two just in case--it'll make our goal seem real. Wherever we go we'll need somewhere to live. We might be able to find a house, or if necessary maybe we could even build one. We're going to need to be able to defend it, and we're going to need a way to get food and fresh water. I'd really like to go somewhere more isolated, more toward the forest or mountains, but maybe with a town close by so we could go and get supplies when we need it. During the warm seasons we can farm, and we can keep hunting and fishing. If we can get the stuff necessary for it, maybe we'd even be able to can some of what we grow or catch."

As she spoke, Olivia began to envision what she was talking about. Her and Shawn somewhere in the near future in a cabin at the foot of some mountains. One summer evening he'd come home from checking traps or something like that and she'd be canning the vegetables they had grown. He'd wrap his arms around her and she around him. She'd ask him how his work went and they would just talk and enjoy each others company. Maybe they'd even have a dog sitting at their feet, begging for attention. It would be a rather simple life with plenty of hard work, but it would be a pleasant one life with the two of them together. Maybe some years in the future... Olivia banished the following thought from her mind. It was far too early to even be thinking about children. For now she and Shawn needed to work toward a stable future. There was a question that popped into her mind though, and Olivia turned to Shawn with it. "Shawn?" She asked, feeling puzzled. "What would you call us? Would it be boyfriend and girlfriend or what? Most of the stuff--things, words, terms--from before the outbreak... A lot of it seems strange now. Foreign. What do you think though?"

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

Olivia had been waiting patiently for Shawn's return. She was scootched down in one of the remaining chairs, her head on one arm rest and her legs dangling off the other. She kicked her legs back and forth, her feet thumping against the chair, humming contently as she occupied herself in simple ways like playing with her braid and brushing the loose hair at the end over one of her palms like a paintbrush over canvas. When Shawn appeared Olivia smiled. His hair drew her attention. It was a little shaggy, but she liked it. Olivia swung her legs around and sat up before pushing herself out of the chair. She meandered over to Shawn and reached up with both hands in order to run her fingers through his hair. It was soft to the touch. Smiling again, Olivia gave Shawn a quick peck on the lips before she wound her arms around his shoulders. "I like your hair," she commented. "It's shaggy, but it makes you look cute."

At his questioned she let out a hum. For the past two days they had slept together either in her boat or his. Now they had a new home that they shared, so why not keep it up? "How about we just share the bedroom?" Olivia suggested. Her question was straight-forward and innocent, not meant to be provocative. Not that she wasn't having some rather... heated... thoughts of her own from time-to-time. She was just trying not to dwell on them too much because she realized that if she tried to act on them now she would get scared and would shy away. For now Olivia was more than content to have her arms around Shawn and his around her, to kiss him and be kissed. Gentle, easy things that didn't scare her. It wasn't that Shawn scared her--just the memories she had of a dark night. Shawn himself was... Well to Olivia he was simply amazing. He was both cute and handsome, sweet, always a gentleman, smart and handy. Olivia sure as hell didn't know how to work with wires, so earlier she had been admiring how Shawn had been able to take care of the ship's electrical components so easily.

"Two nights in a row we slept in the same bed--or on the same bench," Olivia said. She shrugged and added, "Don't see much reason to change it, unless you'd rather sleep separately. Oh, before we go to bed though I was hoping we could talk more about what we should do when we get to Canada. Would that be alright, Shawn, or are you too tired?"

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

The Sunseeker:

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

While Shawn worked to cut out unnecessary power draws, Olivia worked to clean everything in the boat. One of the first things she did was drag the mattress, blankets, and pillows out onto the deck to let the cold air kill any germs and help get rid of any lingering scents. Then she proceeded to clean chairs and table surfaces, counters, the floor. Anything and everything they weren't tossing. During her cleaning spree Olivia wound up getting hot, despite the chill of winter. At first she only put her hair up in a bun and stripped off her jacket, but eventually she was forced to pull off her sweater and the long sleeve shirt she wore under that. In the end she was left in her jeans and a tank top, sweating as she worked to scrub years worth of grime out of their new home.

Once the boat was finally clean enough to her liking, Olivia sat down in one of the chairs feeling thoroughly worn out. "That was a lot of work," she sighed as she used the back of her hand to move some loose hair out of her face. "Now that the boat's cleaned up, I think it's our turn to clean up. I feel like I just waded through a river of mud. Yuck. How about you go first, Shawn?" Olivia had suggested it to be polite. After all, he had worked hard today as well and she didn't want to appear selfish by insisting that she get the shower first. He talked her down in the end, suggesting she get washed up first. Eventually she agreed. Standing up she walked past him, stopping to give him a light kiss on the cheek and whispering, "Thanks, love," with a grateful smile. Some time later she returned, all washed up and feeling refreshed. Olivia had put on some clean clothes--sweatpants and a t-shirt with long johns underneath since it was almost time to sleep. "Your turn," she informed him as she brushed out her hair and tied it in a braid.

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

Olivia watched Shawn head down to the docks, hoping it wouldn't come down to her having to leave without him. She stayed hidden, hyper-aware of her surroundings, keeping a close eye on time every time Shawn disappeared into a boat. Whenever Shawn seemed to take just a bit longer than she thought he should her heart began to pound wildly. Was he alright? Had he been attacked by a Walker or had be been captured by some other people? She worried about him. She didn't want to lose him. Once or twice Olivia almost made her way down to the docks to find Shawn, but shortly after he would always come out of the boat, relaying what information he had. When he finally returned to her observation spot, Olivia let him speak his piece before she grabbed hold of the front of his jacket. She could smell the Walker that he had killed, but for the most part she had grown accustomed to it so she wasn't much bothered by it when she pulled Shawn down and gave him a fierce kiss. "You worried me a bit," she explained, releasing her hold on his jacket but letting her hand continue to rest on his chest. "I almost came down there myself when I thought you were taking too long. I'm glad you're alright, Shawn." She gave him another kiss, this time gentler. "Come on, cowboy. Let's go pick out our new home," Olivia said with a smirk, patting his chest.

In the end they decided on the Sunseeker, a small yacht measuring 150 ft long. It was big but still pretty fast with plenty of space. Lots of space. The boat was like a floating house, which suited Olivia just fine. They would have to get rid of some things--extra furniture that wasn't necessary--in order to lighten the boat and make room for their own supplies. The boat would require cleaning as well. Olivia wasn't much looking forward to that since there was so much to clean, but once it was clean and they were all settled in she knew she and Shawn would both be happy. He helped her down off the boat and onto the dock. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, Olivia smiled and said, "Thank you, dear. Let's head back now. We still have plenty of work to do."

It didn't take long to move Olivia's things onto Shawn's boat. What did take a while, however, was the wait until nightfall. Until then they were free to relax and talk and do as they pleased. Once night came they took Shawn's boat--now laden with their combined supplies--out to the ocean docks. They waited out at sea for a time, watching the docks until they were sure it was safe. Finally they brought the smaller boat up to the dock alongside their new home. Taking care to be as quiet as possible, Shawn and Olivia began to transfer their supplies from the small boat to the bigger one.

Flames of War ( Rystelle x Ragnarok)

When Ragna apologized for leaving her alone, Lydia shook her head profusely. Hugging him tighter she told him with her voice no higher than a whisper, "It's not your fault. You had things to do. I'm just glad you're here now." She didn't blame him for his absence or what happened. It was not on Ragna that the demon had tried to rape her. It was on the demon alone. Still, when Ragna held her face so she could see his she noticed how his eyes seem to glow. Lydia had seen them like that before, but that had been on their first night together when they had rescued that girl from a group of demons camping in the woods not far away from Termina. Now his eyes held an deep anger in them and his words were thick with hatred. That he would be so furious for her sake, that he was so protective of her and cared for her even beyond the bonds of the Oath he swore to her... Lydia couldn't help but feel immensely grateful, and somewhere deep inside, in a part of her that was not still terrified, she was happy too.

He left her then for a bit--but just a bit--and she heard him roaring his order throughout the entire household. In the minute that he was gone Lydia put on the fresh tunic that had been meant for her. She needed to wear something that covered more than the towel did. The tunic, with it's long sleeves and hem that fell about her thighs halfway to her knees, would do for now until she could get fully dressed. Lydia was no longer shaking nearly as bad, Ragna's words having soothed her nerves somewhat. However, when he came back and embraced her once more she clung to him as if her life depended on it. Her arms wrapped around his massive shoulders and she returned his kiss, begging silently for him to show her that she no longer had to be afraid.

After they broke the kiss Lydia lay her head against Ragna's chest once again. She nodded wordlessly at his assurance that he would make sure that the demon who had done this suffered for it. His words were vehement. One could argue that Ragna's demonic side was showing more than his human side, but Lydia would disagree with that. In her travels as a sword for hire there had been several times when she had tracked down rapists. Lydia did usually not condone torture or brutal deaths, but in some cases the halfing, protector of those who could not defend themselves, made an exception. Rapists were one of those exceptions. Those men and women that Lydia had caught she tortured and killed in the most brutal way possible. She would be lying if she said that those deaths hadn't given her a twisted sense of pleasure, but after the fact of the deaths it was the victims that her heart went out to.

Now even after Lydia herself had almost been a victim, part of her wanted to hunt down that demon herself and tear him limb from limb. But at the moment she didn't have the strength of heart to follow through with that dark wish. Lydia didn't even consider telling Ragna not to kill the hated hell spawn. Even in her shaken state she wanted justice to be done, and Ragna was willing to do it on her behalf.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, her voice still small and quiet compared to the usual sureness it held. Looking up at him, she beseeched, "Will you stay with me for a while, Ragna? I won't keep you the whole night if you have work still do be done, but will you stay with me for just a bit longer? Please?"

What Is Left -- The Walking Dead

The night was busy but pleasant. Olivia and Shawn worked to sort out everything they had salvaged, organizing it and putting it away nice and neat. On their maps they marked out the places they had hit up and then marked where they wanted to go next. They discussed the various ways they could get up to Canada and made several plans for each path in case things went awry somehow. Olivia's philosophy was that it was better to have too many plans than to not have any at all. After Shawn and Olivia were satisfied that they had done enough work for the night they decided to relax. She stayed with him that night. They had dinner and talked of anything and everything. For a while they watched the snow through the windows. It was coming down heavily, the temperature was starting to drop drastically. Olivia hoped this meant that the Walkers would freeze solid again, giving them an easier time of traversing the city. Of course there were other threats too--namely other survivors. Olivia had met no one else other than Shawn so far, but that didn't mean there weren't more people out there.

Olivia fell asleep in Shawn's arms as she had the night before. When on her own Olivia's had only ever slept for a few hours at a time in what was more of a light stupor than a deep sleep. Even when it was time to rest she always had to be aware. Here with Shawn, however, Olivia was able to sleep deeply without worry. Her dreams were peaceful and uninterrupted. Come morning, she woke and stretch before curling back up with a content sigh. Shawn wasn't awake just yet so for a time she was able to just watch him sleeping peacefully, one hand tucked behind his head, his other arm still wound protectively around her waist. Olivia couldn't help but marvel at the fact that such a sweet guy loved her and wanted to be with her. It still felt unreal, but it was indeed very real and she thought her heart might burst with joy. Carefully she leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek, one hand rubbing his chest gently. "Come on, love," she prompted him softly, giving his cheek another kiss. "The sun's almost up. We have to get up and start our work." For a little while Shawn refused, simply pulling her closer so she couldn't leave him and their warm bed. Eventually he finally agreed to get up. "Dress warmly," Olivia told him, her hand on the knob of the door leading outside. "It's going to be a cold day. I'll be back soon. We can have breakfast and then get going."

After getting what she needed from her boat, Olivia made her way back to Shawn's boat. If today went well they would have a new boat that they would share and live in together until they could make it to Canada. Olivia was excited at the thought. The day was extremely cold though, so she knew they'd have to move pretty quickly. Just the short walk between their boats and back had her face flushed red. After a light breakfast the two head out together. Shawn and Olivia didn't walk hand-in-hand, but they did walk close together. As Olivia hoped all the Walkers had frozen over again. She killed any she came across, prompting Shawn to do so too. The less Walkers in the world, the better. When they came close to the ocean docks, instead of heading straight there they instead made their way into a nearby high-rise building. Olivia wanted to scout the area from afar before they approached the boat, just in case someone had claimed it, or in case anyone happened to be nearby for any reason. She stood there on the roof of the building, binoculars lifted to her face. They watched for an hour and a half, but Olivia could see no sign of life. Lowering her binoculars, Olivia turned to Shawn and said quietly, "I think it's clear. Just in case, I think one of us should remain hidden and come for backup if something happens."

Flames of War ( Rystelle x Ragnarok)

Lydia had been crying for a time now when she heard the resounding footsteps pounding on the floor of the bedroom. Afraid that the demon she had sent off might be coming for revenge, the halfling quickly scrambled to the side of the tub where she had dropped the holy dagger. She snatched it up and climbed out of the tub, ready to defend herself if necessary even though she was soaking wet and without even a towel. Lydia had only used her sealing spell on a couple of occasions. She wasn't exactly sure how strong it was, but she hoped it would hold. Then Ragna's voice came through the doors and she uttered a cry of relief.

The spell dropped and Lydia rushed to the door. Opening it, she peered around but only saw herself and Ragna. Knowing that it was just the two of them, she felt safe enough to fully open the door, exposing the fact that she fact that she no longer had a towel or clothes to cover her. Although Ragna had seen her like that before, Lydia suddenly felt very self-conscious. She made to retrieve her towel from the floor where the demon servant had discarded it. As she set her dagger among her other things to pick up the towel and wrap it around her, the halfling's hands shook visibly. Hell, her entire body was quivering. Lydia was trying desperately to keep from crying. She didn't want to cry in front of Ragna. Not now. Not here.

It was no use. When Lydia turned back to Ragna and looked up into his face--familiar, scarred but still handsome, and kind to her--she burst into tears again. She closed the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around him as she buried her face into his shirt. Through hiccups and sobs Lydia managed to tell Ragna what had happened while he was gone. She hated these feelings. Being scared. Feeling weak. Lydia was just glad that she had been outraged, mostly at being compared to the elves for whom her hatred ran deep. That she had a holy weapon and knew a few holy spells had helped as well, but if Lydia had initially frozen up she knew exactly what might have happened. She was just glad that Ragna was here now. She knew that she shouldn't cling to him like this when they were in his manor, but at the moment it was something she simply couldn't help.