Of Silence and Scars, Chapter 21 and 22

These chapters were shorter and I really am caught up in the story, so I did a double today. I am glad to see that chapter twenty got 40 views in two hours after I posted it! That was cool, made my night :). Anyway, if anyone is on the boards despite the LCS happening, here you go. Enjoy!

XXI It was Sona’s last day in Noxus before she had to leave. The Ionian team was scheduled to face Shurima in the Institute tomorrow. She had stayed the last two nights in Draven’s house recovering from their ordeal with the void rift. He had taken surprisingly good care of her, making passable meals and making sure she was comfortable. Although he did try his hand at casserole… She shuddered. It had taken all of her skill at being polite to not hurt his feeling after that one. Burnt spinach and tuna would haunt her thoughts every meal to come she felt. She smiled thinking back to what she had seen of his house. She had only been on the ground floor, but there were little pictures, and what pictures there were all consisted of Draven and Draven alone. More mirrors hung around the house than pictures. There had been at least three mirrors in a room, one being hung even in the back of his fridge. The oddest thing had been his shower, sporting a sliding glass door that had been converted into a mirror. Once inside the walls were all mirrors as well, showing an infinite line of images showering from different angles. She contemplating turning him in to have his head examined, but shrugged the uneasy feeling off. That was the weirdest shower she had ever taken. Draven only left the house to check with Swain on the status of the interrogation and to visit Darius in his home, being healed by Noxian physicians. He was unconscious for an entire day, awaking this morning at last. She remembered the look of concern Draven couldn’t hide but desperately tried to each time he came home from his visits, and the look of relief when he told her Darius was up. Sona had recovered earlier that afternoon, and asked to see his upstairs out of curiosity, and where he slept. Draven had deflected the question by saying they should meet Darius for celebratory drinks before she had to leave in the morning for the Institute. They were currently sitting in the same run-down bar she had actually become comfortable in since the Pentakill concert here so long ago. Draven looked haggard to say the least. Dark bags under his half-open eyes accented his thousand-yard stare she had snapped him out of three times already. She reached over and clasped his hand, and his eyes snapped open. Clearly he had let his mind wander, she slowly signed a question, asking what was wrong. “Nothing, I am just… tired. I’ll be ok.” He managed a weak smile, but she wasn’t convinced. Her question was put on hold by the arrival of Darius. He wore a tunic of cloth, which did not look right on him. He still wore his armored greaves, but his heavily bandaged arms and neck showed he was not yet fully recovered. He sat down gingerly across from Sona and Draven, and grasping the waiting ale. After many years, Draven could predict his brother’s order. Draven asked, “How’s the body treating ya?” Darius rumbled, “Heh. It’s been better. Right side is still shot for now. Docs say it will be fine in two more days of treatment. Can’t wear my armor at least until tomorrow.” Sona signed she was happy he was ok, and also said she had a present for him. He looked confused as she pulled out a small jar of turquoise paste. She slid it across the table saying it was an Ionian healing salve she had made in her down time and it would speed his recovery. He thanked her politely, then sat and chatted idly for nearly two hours. It was a good feeling, and Katarina even stopped by to harass Draven some and ask for details about their little adventure. She departed after a while and the three sat in awkward silence. Darius looked at Draven for a long time, then downed the rest of his drink to work up the courage to speak his mind. “Uhhh, Draven. I wanted to, you know, thank you for helping me after that monster nearly took me to hell with him.” Draven nodded looking at the table. Cocking a half smile he answered, “You got wrecked by a void zit. Good job buddy!” Darius scowled, “I would hit you if it wouldn’t hurt me more than you. You gotta ruin the moment don’t you?” Draven laughed, “Yup! Warm fuzzy feelings make me sick.” He stood saying he’d be right back and made his way to the bathroom, patting Darius’ bad shoulder as he passed. Darius cringed and rubbed his wounds after Draven left. “Asshole.” He grumbled as he gazed after his brother and turned back to Sona, “How do you stand that guy?” Sona shrugged and said he had hidden qualities. Darius held up a hand, “Hey, hey, hey! I’m sorry I asked, geez. Let’s keep this conversation PG.” He laughed as she blushed and rapidly signed out that wasn’t what she meant, flustered enough that she mixed up a few signs but he got the point. Laughter fading, he said more seriously, “I should thank you too though. For the salve and for healing me. The docs said you fainted after giving me all you had.” She nodded, saying it was nothing and she was just glad he was ok. He offered to repay the favor, and all she had to do was ask. She thought for a moment, then signed slowly. She asked him to look after Draven. He was acting a bit odd and she was worried he might do something rash about the incident. She explained the haggard look and weariness to Darius. He put a hand to his chin, thinking as he listened. “That is odd, I will look after him for you. Though I already do that, he’s like a really big 4-year old. Asshole.” Sona smiled and signed out that Draven was lucky to have a big brother and that he did really care for Darius. She mentioned the concern Draven displayed when Darius had been captured and his anxiousness to get the Hand of Noxus home. She detailed the rage Draven had spun into when Darius fell, and how he had visited twice a day while Darius was healing. She detailed the hidden concern and eventual relief when he had awoken earlier that day. Darius listened and asked, “You saw all of that? He told you?” She nodded, signing that she talked to him a lot, he opened up to her about most things. Darius nodded, “That is good I suppose. He never opens up to me, and I don’t ask. We don’t work that way. I wonder…” He scratched his chin, then fixed Sona with a stern look, “Have you been in his room?” She shook her head slowly, perplexed that he wasn’t surprised. He nodded as if confirming something, “I figured. No one has ever seen Draven’s room. Even if I visit we stay downstairs. I wonder what is up there…” he mused for a moment more, then shrugged, “Anyway, back to the point, Draven is really lucky to have you. You should’ve seen his face after your night in the Shadow Isles. He wouldn’t stop smiling! His attitude has been less obnoxious as of late.” Sona warmed at the thought as Draven returned, “Miss me?” “Nope” Darius answered, passing his brother a fresh drink. They all shared stories for a bit, brothers depicting previous adventures together and Sona liked seeing them laughing together, it was a rare moment. As the night grew darker, Darius bid them goodnight as he lumbered home to rest. Draven took Sona’s hand as they wandered towards his house. She still needed to pack for tomorrow morning’s trip to the Institute.

XXII The rain pounded the side of his house as Draven tossed and turned in the darkness. Troubled in his sleep, the executioner began to sweat as his eyes twitched but stayed shut. The nightmare ravaged his mind. It was much worse than the others, which were occurring nightly since the attack. A dark figure rose to tower above the tiny Noxian, great yellow eyes shone from the darkness accented by a crooked smile beneath them. It leered at Draven, and an army of crystal monstrosities marched out from the curtain of dark, steadily approaching, growing in number with each step. Draven reached for an ax to defend himself, but grasped nothing. He looked down to discover he was naked! Defenseless and tiny, he roared defiance in the face of this power, but his cry came out a squeak in comparison to the deafening marching of the army. Fear wracked his body when the great black form cackled and dissolved into a great wave of black water, washing him away. Sona heard a shout from Draven’s room. She rose slowly and crept up the worn wooden stairs. Draven was rolled and tossed in great surge like a leaf in the wind. Suddenly the water halted, jarring him loose onto a blood soaked plain. Smaller versions of the towering black form stood over carcasses, scanning for survivors. One body moved slightly. This attracted the attention of one of the sentinels, and it swooped over. The body crawled towards Draven, reaching out to him and whispering for help. His mouth stretched wide as the dark claws pierced clean through his chest! He weakly grasped at his chest as he was lifted and consumed by the horror that walked through the fields. Draven backed away, but tripped. He sprawled on the ground, and scurried away trying to find what tripped him. He was stunned to see the broken form of Sona lying on her back. No blood sullied her perfection, but her head sat at an unnatural angle that was disconcerting. Sona opened the door slowly to Draven’s bedroom, trying not to make a sound. She heard a faint moaning. When the door was open enough, she edged inside and saw the writhing form on the king-size bed. Completely free of any covers which all lay sprawled on the floor to each side of the bed, Draven’s muscular frame twitched as he kept moaning quietly. He was wearing pants, but no shirt or socks to hide the sweat hugging his form. Draven’s eyes wide with horror as the monstrosities in his mind began casting fireballs into the field, beginning a wild fire. The petrified Noxian sat and watched as the flames consumed his brother and love, leaving him alone with the demons. He couldn’t believe it, muttering growing to a scream, “No…. No…. Nooooooooooo!” Draven awoke violently, every muscle flexing and straining as he shot upright in bed panting heavily. Sona was sitting next to him, she began gently rubbing one hand along his back to calm him down. They sat silently for a couple minutes, Draven’s breathing slowing down. The rain pattered on the window, filling the gap of silence. Draven ran his hand through his hair while the other one reached around Sona’s shoulder and brought her close. “Sorry if I woke you.” She signed back it was ok, and asked what was the dream. Draven gave her a summary, not caring to relive the details. He said he had been having a lot of nightmares recently. She tried to distract him, signing that he had a nice room. A set of weights and target dummies lined the wall opposite the window and to the right of the door. A bathroom was in the back of the room, with what appeared to be a hot tub instead of a shower, he must have gone downstairs if he wanted a shower specifically. Then she saw a desk by the window. On the desk laid all of her letters to him, but next to that was an assortment of old framed photos. Sona asked if she could look at them, and Draven nodded, heading into the bathroom to wash his face. She floated over to the desk and grasped the first of the pictures. Dust coated the iron frame. The picture showed a teenage Draven with a good deal of acne with a still massive Darius behind him with hands on his shoulders. They were smiling in front of a statue that she didn’t recognize. The next couple of pictures were of either Darius or both of the brothers, all covered in layers of dust. Finally she came across a picture with no frame, it was wrinkled and slightly torn on one corner. But this picture had no dust. She grasped it as gently as she could, and gazed into the worn ink. The picture showed a very young Draven, perhaps 5 years old, getting his hair ruffled by his older brother. To their left two adults stood, the father looked starkly similar to the older of the Noxian brothers. Draven’s voice was slightly rasp as he wrapped his arms around her stomach from behind, resting his chin on her head. “That’s all I have left of them, the others are just pictures of the past. I don’t like being sentimental, but it seems right to hold on to them. I don’t like people in my room usually. I like my own space, you know?” He took a breath and tried to rid the thought of monsters from his mind, he had enough of that for now. A beautiful woman was in his arms and she was leaving tomorrow. She asked if she should leave him in his personal space, she didn’t want to invade. He shook his head and rocked her from side to side slowly while they gazed out the window into the rain. Sona turned and slowly signed, asking how he felt and he shrugged. She asked if she could help somehow. Draven smiled “well, have you ever been midnight hot tubbing?” Sona was surprised and shook her head. “Well we can change that!” She signed she didn’t have a swim suit, he stooped low and scooped her over one shoulder, “Neither do I! Leggo!” He spun her slowly around while walking toward the bathroom, laughing the whole way. She giggled silently, her smile making his entire night.