Recovery cave once more

~she smiled and cuddled against him taking a deep breath of him. She always felt safe with his arms around her. From all that happened today it wasn't long and she was out like a light.~

~He gently stroked the side of her face as she started to fall asleep, then once she had fallen asleep, he waited another few minutes before slowly and gently removing his arm, and standing up. He walked over to his boots and sword belt, putting bothon, then walked quietly out of the cave doing his shirt up.~

~He wasn't sure if Artimus would know she was asleep or not, so he sent a very quick mindlink to him.~

"I'm done playing with my new toy." ~Then he walked to his horse, mounted it and headed off back to Grorr.~

Artimus was lying in a heap at the base of a tree in the small clearing. The sleep he'd managed to catch hadn't refreshed him much, and the mindlink woke him up instantly. He fumbled for his sword, then realised two things.
Firstly, he didn't have his sword with him, and secondly that Tiberious was mindlinking; he wasn't actually here.

The excursion of moving so quickly made him wince as he'd used his bad arm to reach for his weapon. He lay back and looked at Indis.

Tiberious says to say goodbye.

He hadn't of course, but he knew full well what Tiberious had meant. He rolled himself into a ball to make himself warmer. It was cold out here tonight.

Of course, we could go back to the fire now... He knew he didn't have to worry about Jade being hurt longer. Tiberious really did seem to care.

~she nodded and flickered in and out changed her clothes~

"Yes lets get you warmed up. I need to heal right if you are going to continue with Jade training." ~she leaned down and kissed him~

~she looked at art~

"Does Jade seem ok?"

~she hated moments like this she so wished she could keep him warm but she was barely keeping it together. Knowing what she about willow. She wanted to try to get her and art together. She knew he need someone warm and alive. and could all she couldn't. He was going to have to move on and be with someone else. She would be there but being so limited. Only him and Jade could see her. Not sure if anyone else could.~

"Art...you know I will always be apart of your life. I think you really need to think about maybe moving on with someone warm and alive. I will always be here cause am haunting the pendent. But I just.." ~she sighed even tho she didn't have to she just didn't know what to say. Ever since the in counter with willow this had been on her mind.~

He nodded his head in reply to her question about Jade.

I think so. Tiberious actually seems to care about her, so I can't imagine him hurting her.

He stood up and stretched, picking his clothes up and starting to dress. What he really needed was a dip in the lake to clean himself, but he could od that tomorrow when it wasn't so cold. He stopped as Indis brought up a new topic. He listened, dressing slowly, feeling his blood turn to ice. Was she suggesting....? He turned to face her.

I can't.. I won't leave you! I don't need someone alive, I need... you. He reached out and touched her face, stroking her cheek.

I don't care about keeping warm, I just care about having you. We're two sides of the same coin, no one else can do what you do for me.

Gods he hated talk like this, he always ended up saying the wrong thing. He looked away from her for a moment.

I didn't mean it like that... He knew she was annoyed at his jokes about her being like a puppy or a sandwich lady - and he hadn't meant to make it sound like that again. He had meant, she completed him. These days he seemed to be getting angry at the slightest thing, but she had a way of calming him down, of putting him at ease. That wasn't the only reason he needed her, but it was one of them.

His mind started working. Why was she bringing this up? Was she planning on leaving him? He knew she had been intimate with Lenny; had she decided she'd rather be with him and was trying to let him down gently? Or was she just sick to dea.. bored of his constant anger and had had enough?
Was his curse kicking in again? He always managed to push the women in his life away. Was he doing it to Indis now?
Well if she wanted her pendant back...
He sighed. He'd been alone before, he could be alone again.

((OOC: Yay for Paranoid Art ))

~she looked at him~

"I know what you mean. I always know what you have meant even if it comes out wrong. I just want to make sure your happy. I am not going anywhere. I am always with you. As long as that pendent is around you neck."

~she could see his mind work~

"My captain. Stop being paranoid about me. I am around as long as you want me to be. I never want to leave your side. But am just saying if you think you did to at some point want to be with someone alive.. I would never be angry with you about it."

He visabily relaxed as she basically said she wasn't going anywhere. He didn't want to lose her, he couldn't lose her...

You just make sure you don't go anywhere... He put his arm around her and started walking towards the cave.

I'll never even look at another woman. he smiled at her, but alreayd his mind was thinking about the two women with green eyes. He'd come so close to betraying Indy with one of them, and the other one.. He suspected if she told him to jump, he'd be asking her high before he realised it.

Let's go see what sort of state Jade has been left in.
He couldn't feel anything from her, he guessed she was sleeping. And with him having left, well he bas back to his old ways.

~she smiled softly has he place his arm around her.~

~she chuckled~ "Oh you can look at them. Cause I know I get to go home with you."

~she nodded~

"Am sure she is fine. You not getting anything from her are you? if your not she is probably sleeping."

They arrived back at the camp site; the fire was almost out due to lack of attention. He glanced at it, then to the cave, then back to the fire. He knelt down and added a few more logs to it, poking it with a large stick and letting it once again take hold. There that should be alright again in a few minutes.

He got back up and walked into the cave. Jade was asleep, wrapped in a blanket.

He didn't disturb her, he just walked back out the fire and remade the bed he had had earlier, lying down and pulling the blanket over him.

See, who needs living flesh to keep me warm when I have a blanket and a fire?

He grinned at her, but inside he was agreeing with what she said. It would be nice to feel a warm touch once again.

~she smiled at him as she watched him get cozy. she sat by the fire just far enough to make him cold.~
"I will stay here and watch over you."

He smiled at her once more, before feeling himself fall asleep.

His last thoughts before sleep took him were that he needed to do something to warn them of people entering the area. Tiberious had managed to sneak up on them far too easily.

Then sleep took him and he thought no more.

~she woke up and looked around she had hoped he would have changed his mind. and sighed as she sat up and grabbed her shirt and slid on her pants. she put up her hair and walked outside. Seeing her mom sitting by her father she smiled. and walked over to her boots pulling them on~

"How is he doing?" ~she stirred up the fire and placed a few more pieces of wood on it. she then went down to the lake and threw some water on her face. and then decided to check around the camp. She stopped for a moment and touched her necklace and ran her hand around it.~

~she smiled see jade She then noticed the necklace and saw the engaving... oh god..art is not going to like that.~

"He is doing fine. I will change his dressing when he wake." ~she ran a hand over his head as she watched her walk to the lake~

He awoke, feeling a little refreshed, but still not totally relaxed. He was still half dressed, although the fire was going again. He blinked his eyes, getting them accustomed to the early morning sunlight before looking at Indis and smiling.

Morning.

He glanced around.

Is she awake too?

He sat up, too quickly and pulled his shoulder again. He winced and put his hand on it. It was healing well, far faster than normal, but that was down to the blood.

~she smiled down at art~

"Good morning my captain. Yes she is. She went down by the lake. Do you want to go wash up down there then I can redress your wounds."

~she decided to not say anything about the necklace.~

~she ran her hand over the necklace and felt the inscription. she grinned for a moment. then realize that her father was going to flip out. she reached around and realized there was a tiny lock. He had put a collar on her...she took a deep breath. and picked up a few pieces of wood along the way back to the camp and stacked it next to the fire.~

"I see someone is awake. How you feeling? " ~she went to sit across from the fire and them~

He nodded and stood up, moving towards the lake. he put his arm around her again as they walked.

I was serious when I said I don't want anyone else. I came back for you, and I've got you. I don't care that your... Just being with you makes me complete.

He saw Jade heading their way and smiled at her.

Morning.

Then he spotted that thing around her neck and frowned. What was that?

What's that? As they got closer he could see the engraving on it.... Oh hell no...

He tried to keep his voice from sounding angry.

What in the nine hells are you doing wearing that?

"It was a gift from Tib." ~she looked at him.~

"So am a keeping it on. course am pretty sure its locked on me."

His eyes widened.

Have you seen it? Are you really happy to be a possession, to be...

He couldn't find the words to say what he wanted to say, and he stood there for a moment not finishing his sentence.
He'd promised her he would try and tolerate the man's presence in her life. He could, but not when it was proudly labelled every time he looked at his daughter. He shook his head.

Fine. Leave it on. It's your decision. Just don't start getting paranoid when people give you odd looks.

~she smiled as he said what he did.~

"I love you my captain. You complete me too." ~she saw jade and braced for it. and yep art went off~

~she looked at jade then back to art and held him.~

"Lets get you cleaned up love."

~she looked at him pleading with him with her eyes.~

"Dad yes I like being his. Its nice to have my own. You have mom and I have Tib."

~she turned to walk away~

"Paranoid.. that would just make me even more like you." ~she walked back to the camp~

He saw the look in his wife's eyes, and knew she was trying to hurd him away from... whatever she thought he was going to do. He despaired of them both at times, but let Indis push him towards the lake and let her undress him and remove the bandages, before he stepped into the water to clean himself.

He was silent through it all, thinking about what he had said. Jade had made sense, in a strange way. He shouldn't keep pushing her, else she really chose between the two of them, and Artimus was fairly sure he would lose if he kept pushing.
Maybe he could buy her something to cover it up?

He lay back in the water, floating on the surface; or at least just below it - thinking back to what people, namely Tiberious, had said to him about his relationship with the Mage. He had kept advising him to stop seeing her, that it would end horribly badly. And he was right. But at the time he couldn't see it. And the more Tiberious pushed, the more Artimus was determined to make it work.

He sighed floated back towards the shoreline.

Did I over-react there?

~She smiled softly at him watching him from the shore.~

"No. You acted like a father. Wanting to protect his daughter. But you told her how you feel about it. So now you are going to have to let her figure out if she wants to keep it . and your going to have to not get on her about it. Or you may push her away and am pretty sure you don't want that. I know you missed her growing up. She would have been your shadow growing up. " ~she chuckles~ " I would imagine she would have been sitting on your foot as you tried to walk away wrapped tightly around your leg. Or copying things you would do like when you would practice your sword or any defenses. With her one regret I have is not being able to have her here the whole time."

He wasn't sure he could have coped with her doing all that as a small child. He'd have probably have got a cage to keep her in while he practised, to keep her out of harms way. He wasn't good around children.
Yes, the cage would have been the solution.

He stood up in the water and moved into the sun to dry off.

Did you ever meet Floyd's son?

~she smiled as she watched him and moved closer to him as he came out of the water.~

"I don't believe I ever did. If i did i don't recall at the moment."