Fallen Sphinx

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:32 am

A desperate jump from a rooftop, wings barely keeping her aloft.

Another roof comes up, slamming into her. She tumbles, momentum carrying her along.

Another edge. Her wings don't carry her anymore, barely breaking her fall onto the street.

Blood. She barely notices. One of her wounds must have ripped open again from the drop.

Every breath burns in her lungs as she keeps walking. Have to keep walking.

Her legs give out. Stairs leading down. Just a little further. Dragging herself into a basement.

She collapses in a corner. Safe. For now.

She passes out.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:31 pm

It was as if the nightmare had become real again. It wasn't her life that she knew this from, and yet it somehow was. The sight that greeted her as she descended into the basement twisted a knot in her gut.

"No... not... not again. I can't be too late again..."

She rushed to the sphinx's side.

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:37 pm

Unlike back then in the future the Sphinx was still breathing, if weakly so.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:52 pm

"You're going to live, damn it. You're going to live..."

She muttered, trying to blink back tears as she checked the sphinx's wounds.

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:59 pm

Some of them were deep but partially healed and certainly not mortal, that much Harbinger had made sure of. The exertion of her escape had made them worse, but nothing life-threatening with some care.

It seems for a moment her eyes flutter and she tries to say something, but no sound makes it past her lips before she passes out again.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:06 pm

She'd been prepared for this possibility, and had brought some meager medical supplies from Paladin's hideout. Without a word, she began the work of cleaning and dressing the wounds.

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:14 pm

She doesn't quite wake up all the way but as Sam moves her around to attend to her wounds her eyes slowly open and she whispers out a confused "Sam...?"

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:18 pm

"You're... you're not her, are you?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:21 pm

"Of course I'm me..." she mumbles.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:22 pm

"But you're not her."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:27 pm

But she has already drifted off again.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:31 pm

"Damn you..."

She continued her bandaging.

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:40 pm

After a while Atropha wakes up. She doesn't seem to remember her brief moments of consciousness as she seems confused about the bandages as she weakly pushes herself up.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:42 pm

"Take it easy, there. You're not going to want to move just yet."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:46 pm

"You came back..."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:56 pm

"And you weren't who I'd hoped you'd be."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:04 pm

She sighs. "Of course not."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:05 pm

"Doesn't mean I'm about to let you die, though."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:12 pm

"Thanks... Still haven't found her then?" she asks, sounding... hopeful?

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:13 pm

"It's like she isn't even in the city. What did you do to her?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:19 pm

She smiles a bitter smile. "What did I do to her... That's a good question."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:23 pm

"Would you rather be back where you were?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:28 pm

"Yes but that seems impossible now." she says wistfully, obviously talking about something other than her stay with Harbinger.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:34 pm

"Go ahead, ask me how much patience I have of late for people who are short on answers."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:39 pm

"This place gets to you, doesn't it? You won't find anything but misery here."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:41 pm

"But you were still content to send her here, and that's something I'm not sure I can forgive you."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:46 pm

"I don't expect you to..."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:47 pm

"And you couldn't possibly know what it was like to find you like this."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:51 pm

"I didn't intend you to..." she says quietly.

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:52 pm

"You don't get out of this that easily."

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:55 pm

"Of course not." she laughs harshly. "Nothing's ever easy."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:06 pm

She shook her head, standing up and heading for the stairs.

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:19 pm

"Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before--consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves. And oftentimes to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray's in deepest consequence."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:49 pm

"Macbeth, is it now?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:57 pm

"You have every reason to hate me and I can't help you. You shouldn't be here. This place is like a disease."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:01 pm

"What do you mean you can't help me?"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:06 pm

"I can't help you find the Nailah you're looking for."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:06 pm

"You're the one who bloody did this to her!"

by **Atropha** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:16 pm

"It was inevitable. I didn't mean to be the one to do it. Everything this world touches falls apart and becomes twisted. Even the ones who fight it become tainted. Like Paladin. I'm sure you'll run into him eventually if you stay here."

by **Samantha McManus** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:18 pm

"You need to start making sense quickly, because from where I'm standing you knocked her out and tossed her in here."

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