Pain. Comfort. Numbness. Lost.
Annabel could barely keep track of what happened to her in the following days after her captives ceased the lashings. All she could comprehend were the times she was barely awake trying to drink some water or consume what her body didn't reject. Her body had gone into shock when she passed out after the last lashing and now her entire system struggled to reboot and get itself back into gear. Her body had gone into complete survival mode, running on very little fuel and adjusting to the fact that any source of food had been cut off already.
"Come on Ana...." Ana. The albino failed to remember the last time someone called her by her nickname nor when she gave the O.K. for Eisenar to use it. It could have been somewhere along the lines of her barely being conscious and hallucinating about her assaulter standing right behind the blonde just waiting with the whip in hand. She turned her head weakly towards the soothing hand and felt something cool press against her lips. Water. "You need to drink or eat something.. you're not going to get better like this..."
Somewhere in the midst of her foggy mind, she wanted to scream and try to break free of the numbness that kept her chained to her unconscious void. But her body was simply trying to protect itself and keep itself alive, ignoring the demands and commands of her brain. She had no control over the primitive instincts that, sadly, still existed within humans. Reluctantly, she allowed some of the precious liquid fill her mouth and down her parched throat, bringing both relief and pain to her starved body. The water gave her a bit of energy, allowing her bloodstream to build pressure back up again and bring more blood to her mind so she could think. But it also burned - it burned as it flowed past her throat. It seared every part of her being, like how alcohol killed bacteria in a fresh, open wound. She coughed and choked with the second fill, unable to take any more water. Pain course through her body and she knew the sensation all too well but her mind had grown numb to it. She knew Eisenar was only trying to help in any way possible and Annabel wanted desperately to get better. But she could barely keep track of her orientation - was she sitting upright? Laying down? On her stomach, back, side? Or was she being stood upright and chained up again? Or was she huddled up in a ball? Nothing made sense to her there, let alone being able to think of how to put one foot in front of the other.
"It... hurts..." Amazingly, Annabel could put out a couple of words through her congested cognition. Through her hazy eyes, she could make out her hands and thighs, which meant she was sitting upright. But nothing was clear enough for her to pinpoint details and she closed them again, lapsing back into the darkness that took her away from everything in this new harsh reality.
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"Let her stay in my quarters, please."
"I cannot allow that, she has yet to finish the purification process."
"She's not going to make it if you keep her down there like this. All your efforts will be wasted if she has to keep going through this. Her wounds are infected badly and her body is rejecting any sustenance I try to give her. Please, I can help her recover if you allow me to move her."
"......" Silence. Annabel had barely roused to the muffled sounds, although at this point she could understand what was going on. Eisenar was trying to get her out of here, out of the blasted dungeon where she had been kept for some amount of time. She had lost track of it altogether at this point and gave up on any chance of the Temperance Guardians finding her.
".... God will not be pleased with a change in His plans, but perhaps He will be merciful enough to pardon her sins and allow her to rest in His Haven. Should your plan fail Clara, you shall be damned to Hell for letting her die." Clara? No, this was Eisenar, Annabel was sure of it. This couldn't have been someone else, she had learned to recognize that voice by ear since her eyesight failed her and she had to rely on the only sense that seemed to function better than the rest. A gentle hand lifted up her left arm and around a firm neck. The other hand found itself on her right hip, coaxing her to lean against the other person and she followed its wordless guidance. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she worried about being too heavy but her savior remained sturdy and stable as Annabel took hesitant steps forward with some guidance. She didn't know where they were going, but focused on keeping one foot in front of the other. At times she wanted to just stop and pass out from putting so much effort in concentration, at others she wanted to be free and sprint away and get out of this hellhole despite the fact her body would probably give out with the first step.
"Come on Ana.. You're doing great. Just one foot at a time. I'm here, don't worry." This was definitely Eisenar and the albino felt more comfortable knowing it was her. Just her. The one who had stuck by her side through these painful experiences. Tentatively, she lifted up her right hand and briefly touched the blond's, her Spark immediately reaching out and grasping onto the other's clear, warm one. It must have startled Eisenar to feel Annabel's weakened, fluttering one but at the initiative responded. The Guardian felt a bit more confident, more energetic when their tiny bond strengthened and she took steadier steps now. She could feel the negative energy of her prison fall off her skin the farther away they were. It encouraged her to keep moving forward, to not stop until every bit of it would be gone and she could finally rest from the constant fear of being beaten.
Wearily, she sat down on what she guessed to be a stool and the support around her body dropped slowly. She didn't want to let go of Eisenar just yet, but the woman must have had something in mind because now she was holding Annabel's face up and looking right at her. "You're safe now. I'm just going to treat your wounds a bit now, alright?" The albino barely nodded her head in response and felt whatever tattered cloth left on her torso slip away. Any other day it would make her cheeks burn from embarrassment, but her exhausted mind could care less. She could hear some shuffling around and then felt the same gentle hand on her shoulder.
At the first application of ointment, the pain surged and overtook her mind, knocking her completely back into darkness.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ana woke with a start to the sound of a door closing. Her mind, though not completely clear, was able to think better than before. And things began to take a more solidified form in her eyes rather than blurred images. She was on her back, laying on something soft and covered with a warmth that she hadn't felt in what seemed like ages. A familiar face came into view and she was able to focus on the cerulean orbs gazing down at her. "How are you feeling?"
"Like.... s**t..." Her cracked voice startled her and she noticed her thirst coming back in full force. With Eisenar's help, she sat up in her place and accepted the water brought to her lips. This time only relief came and she drained the entire glass and another. She stared down at her arms for a while, looking at the white bandages that cover them from the palm of her hand up to her arms. It suddenly dawned on her that she was almost completely encased with the same gauze, covering a majority of her torso save her chest where she still wore her bra. "How.... how long have I been unconscious?"
"Two full days. Your body has had some time to recover from the wounds, but it took a long time to clean them. They were infected and it took me a while to sterilize them. But you passed out in the process so it took longer since I had to hold you up at the same time." A bowl of warm oatmeal found its way into Annabel's hands and she took some time to stare at the bowl before finally taking a small, hesitant bite. It went down without a problem and soon enough she took consistent, slow bites to keep her body from rejecting it again.
"And my wounds... how many are there..?"
"....... they're just all over..." Annabel glanced over at Eisenar sitting next to her when she said this, taking note of the flicker that appeared in her eyes. She grimaced inwardly when she heard this and knew why her body was so reluctant to stay up and awake - it ached and burned while trying to heal. So she had gotten a lot worse from the start and now she was struggling to get better again. Setting the bowl aside with much difficulty, Annabel took the blond's warm hand and squeezed it gently, a genuine smile upon her lips. "Thank you for helping me..."
And in return, she received a welcoming smile.
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"So it's been two months since I was taken here?" Annabel stopped in the middle of drinking her water when Eisenar nodded to confirm her question. It felt like it had been much, much longer but her sense of time had been mixed up and muddled around. She fiddled with the glass in her hands and finally decided to finish it off before setting it back down. She had slowly recovered her strength and ate normally now, though getting out of bed stayed out of the question until her torso was healed up. Any sudden movements caused her back to open up which wasn't surprising since she saw just how scarred it became during a trip to the bathroom. "And I can't really just slip out of here can I..?"
"I've tried to before, but you've got as good of a chance escaping as in an airtight container. Your best chance at surviving is to follow the Minister's commands and orders to earn his favor. I don't think he was happy with me bringing you here, but he's let it slide since he's seen you up and about before." Eisenar leaned back on her hands, her leg crossed over the other as she stared up at the ceiling. To Annabel, she found the blond attractive in such a way, but it only registered barely in the back of her mind. She was more concerned with all these... crosses marked along her body now, the most glaring one on her abdomen. She wasn't the only one with it though since Eisenar showed her that she too had it. It looked like they both went through the same exact thing. "You'll be getting your own room soon though, once you've fully recovered."
"What? No!" Annabel covered her mouth quickly at the instinctual protest, her cheeks burning a bright red with Eisenar's confused expression. "I mean you've helped me get better and all, but I have absolutely no idea what this guy wants from me."
"We'll be put on the same team for our jobs from now on though, so I can help you out there. Don't worry, the quarters are just for us to return to after missions and we're not restricted to just staying in them. You'll learn quickly."
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