Here is the second chapter for your entertainment.
CA Productions
Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 2 - The Gift of Technology
-next morning-
When Hyano woke up the next day, she went about her usual morning.
She got up, marking the spot she had been in the book, then walked out of her room yawning as she did. She then walked into the kitchen and was instantly reminded of her... guest. She looked about the room with a sigh. Normally she would go about making breakfast but... seemed that wouldn't be possible. She sighed then started cleaning, mumbling to herself as she did so.
It took the wizard about half an hour but she eventually got it back to working order, then set up the coffeemaker before getting out the things she would need to make chocolate chip pancakes. She felt she should treat herself to something nice after a rather... bad evening yesterday. She honestly hoped Ren was in a better mood today.
Ren has spent the night in the basement and in his anger and frustration didn't yet come up, not wanting to meet her just yet. His mood didn't get all that much better either. Even if he meditated and recovered just a little after a few hours. He was stubbornly refusing to go and see what she was doing, even when he heard all the noise coming from above or the strange scents he never smelt before. Some were intensive and irritated him even more than anything, making his mood even fouler and pulled back even deeper into the darker parts, enjoying the lack of light here the most. This calmed him just a little but not enough to move up. He will not go and behave like nothing happened. He was still angry and will stay so until he figured out what to do with her.
Hyano made her breakfast. A cup of coffee and pancakes. Not a bad way to start the morning... however her mind kept going to the man in her basement... Well kind of a man. She thought a moment before looking around and finding something, then picked up her cup and plate and went down to the basement.
The Nazgul in the basement heard her approach and stubbornly stayed away from her, hissing sharply at the sudden intense stench of her coffee, not liking it one bit, pulling back even more into the darkness. The scent was simply too intense for his sensitive nose, even more than that strange substance she used to make in the tree house.
The wizard didn't turn on the lights, not wanting to disturb him but she did set something down on the table before sitting on the couch, then started drinking her coffee and eating her breakfast quietly.
On the table was another lighter. This one had black and white skull designs covering it and seemed to glow in the dark slightly.
Ren's attention was almost instantly attracted to said item on the table. It had a bright color... yet it was dark in the room... So how is this bright then? He didn't know what that was with the distance he put between them. Curiosity was yet again a great enemy for him but also a great power and with his gaze glued to the item, he inched closer to it, until with a swift motion he snatched it from the table, pulling back from it almost instantly, going back to his little corner -which also held now most of the items he sorted out for himself- to fumble with it and inspected the weird glowing design.
Hyano giggled lightly, watching him. The coffee didn't last long and neither did the pancakes, so after she was done she sat on the couch with her legs crossed.
"... Can you tell me more about you?" She asked him calmly. She wanted to know, despite how angry she had been yesterday, she wanted more than anything to know who this wraith was to her... They were mates right... So had they... Had they ever done anything together like that? Did they love one another? Or did she love him? Was there ny tight connection between them?
Ren realized that what he was holding was a lighter. Another one. With a different design. It looked so strange, yet so interesting with the lights. It glowed on its own. Is this magic as well? But there is no other magic than his and Hyano's. He fumbled with it a little before finally finding that one place where he can make it spit fire. Her question caused him to let go of the little button for a few seconds, looking at her but returned to it quickly. The dance of the fire on the lighter was mesmerizing. The way it moved, it attracted his gaze and made him stare at it almost in trance. However, his attention never faltered. He still kept a good eye on the istar at the table. Her question was confusing. She knew him already, as she showed it many times and now asked him who he was? Was she playing a game and thinks he will fall for it? He wasn't stupid. But he will humor her for now and actually start talking. Not like he had anything else to do.
"Servant of the Dark Lord, Lord of Moria... and now this place." He said matter of factly, stating that he thought he owned this place as well.
Not quite what she had wanted. The facts he gave her were things that she already knew. She knew he worked for Sauron. Anyone with eyes could have figured that out. Moria, she had not known but that wasn't a far stretch either. She knew about the orcs who had lived there at one point but she did not know about the fact she had caused quite a battle there in the past. The fact he claimed this place as his was no surprise either, considering he kept trashing the place. She sighed.
"Can you give me any memories? I had a dream about you last night...At least I think it was you... It was strange, so I don't know if it was a dream or my mind messing with me." She replied as she leaned back.
At this point the wraith's sharp fingers found that little switch on the lighter which lowers and increases the flame that the lighter spits. He accidentally switched it to the side, making the flame become extremely small. He leaned back in surprise at this, and having felt the switch, he went to look for it again. His attention went back to her in the next moment as she spoke and turned towards her briefly, tilting his head to the side.
"What dream?" He knew what it meant of course, Hyano explained the dreams to him a while back that they can be good and bad, that they happen while she is asleep and sees pictures that feel real. However, it would help him if she told him what her dream contained.
"Um... it was back when I was a little girl, I guess... There was this man... We were playing a game of tag, I think... Running around a castle. Every now and again people would yell at us about it but we would just ignore them and keep playing. We ran into a dining hall where I hid under the table. He found me and caught me from behind and started to tickle me. I laughed and I cried out for him to stop... I called him Ren..." She explained to him, wondering if he knew anything about this.
A castle? The wraith tilted his head to the side, watching her for a good minute. He can't remember castles... A stronghold, yes, Minas Morgul... But he can't remember her being there. The first time he saw her was in the forest after the strange silence of his Lord, which didn't yet let up. No matter how silent he was, his Lord remains mute within his head, leaving him to make his own decisions. But Hyano? No... He couldn't remember that. He shook his head at her, having no memories of such.
"No. I wasn't in any castles. Only Minas Morgul. But you weren't there yet." And he doubted she will ever be. The stronghold surely was destroyed by these filthy humans. At this, he shifted his grip on the lighter, touching the switch accidentally, which then set the flame bigger, to its biggest size, making the wraith back up from it, almost setting his cloak on fire. "But we played in the shack... the tree house... and in Moria." He decided to share this with her, although he knew she can remember. She is just playing. He still believed strongly in what he thought was the truth.
Hyano looked down. Maybe that was just a dream, her head playing tricks on her because it was stressed out. She blinked when he lit the fire again almost lighting himself on fire. She debating on telling him to be careful but she assumed based on his actions that he already knew that. She raised a brow at his claim then leaned her head back.
"So there are good memories... I don't remember them, though..." She mumbled more to herself than him, getting a little frustrated. This mental block she had was more than a little annoying. She wished Gandalf hadn't done this to her... though considering what she knew so far, she was probably better off.
Ren did not comment on that but let her be with her own inner turmoil, while he fumbled with the lighter and eventually found the exact location of the switch, lowering the flame's size to the normal one. Now he knows not to touch that part of the lighter. He huddled closer into the corner, getting comfortable and resumed watching the fire the lighter spit, almost in a trance.
"You will run out of lighter fluid if you leave it on too long." Hyano said, not even looking at him. "The fluid inside is easily set on fire. When you press the button it makes a spark that lights the fluid on fire. If you run out of fluid, the lighter doesn't work anymore." She explained to him simply, then finally turned her eyes to the dark creature. "The world runs on technology now. Not magic." She added, thinking he must have asked the question a number of times. She might as well give him an answer.
The word, technology, was... unusual... He tried saying this word over and over in his mind, but just couldn't get it right, so just set on asking it differently.
"What?" He questioned, shaking his head a little, unable to find a meaning to this word. And well, about the lighter... if truly goes empty, then he still had that other one he snatched away from her. In addition, he found a few more hidden away in the house, maybe her stash of lighters... Those are his now and so will it stay. He will make sure to check her stash again once she leaves to do whatever she does.
Hyano raised a brow, then sighed, trying to think of how to explain this to him.
"The world runs off of inventions. Things that work but don't use magic... like the machines Sauron used to make weapons, only improved through the ages." She tried to explain to him.
So they... developed then... Made new inventions to work without magic... This made him look at the lighter, then in the direction where the black box was... He could slightly understand how the lighter worked... After all he saw many liquids that burned. But... how did that black box work? He was about to ask this, forgetting about his lighter, which now was held in his hand, having gone out. However, he wasn't able to even make a sound, as he shrieked in shock and pushed himself backwards even more when he heard a sudden noise coming from somewhere...
The orange istar was about to continue when she heard her phone go off upstairs.
"Bloody hell, who could that be?" She grumbled then got up, picking up her things as she did and went upstairs to grab the cordless. Now that she thought about it… how was she supposed to explain a phone to the wraith?
Why can't this place be like the tree house? Or Moria? Where there were no things going off on their own... The Nazgul waited for her to leave, then after hearing no sound of battle or anything... just her talking... He started inching out, having dropped the lighter and stood up. Despite having metallic boots, he could sneak quite well without making a sound and peeked out, watching as she... was talking to herself?
Hyano was talking into the small device. It was the museum, informing her of what happened. Like she really didn't know already. However, since she helped fund the museum they felt they were obligated to inform her. She rolled her eyes and sat on the couch, not noticing the wraith yet.
"Yes... yes thank you. I understand... No... No... You know what… Sure. Fine. Send me a copy." She said, getting frustrated. The person on the other line was pushing for her to get a copy of a release paper that explained what happened in detail. She was about ready to bite this little bugger's head off. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I understand..."
As she sat, Ren was able to spot the little device she was holding to her head. He wondered why she held her hand so strangely just a few moments ago. He started inching even closer, watching her, coming from behind, only to shrink back a little when he heard the little thing... talk... And she is talking to it? What is this? He tilted his head to one side then the other, not sure what to think, then sneaking closer, he inspected the device in her hand, running his gaze along the weird shape, then slowly reached out and poked it.
Hyano jumped when he poked the phone and blinked when she looked over her shoulder at him. She had lived alone so long, she was finding it easy to forget that the wraith was even there. She raised a brow at him then giggled, realizing his confusion.
"Alright thank you. I will look for the letter in the mail." She replied then said her goodbyes before finally being allowed to hang up. "This is called a phone. It is similar to a TV, only it just transfers the voice." She explained to him. She made a point of keeping a hold of the phone not wanting to have to replace it if Ren decided he wanted to keep it.
The wraith's curiosity was spiked greatly. He reached out to poke it again, not sure what it was. Her explanation was maybe accurate, so he understood that this thing wasn't talking on its own but... how does it work? Unlike the black box, it didn't have a cord leading from its end to the wall... So how does it work again? Wanting to know he reached out to snatch the phone away from her, intending to look at it more closely.
Hyano held it out of reach of him and looked up at him.
"I have your word you will give it back?" She questioned him with a raised brow. If he thought she was about to just give him her phone, he was mistaken. If he did end up keeping it she still had her cell phone but that didn't mean she had to make this easy on him. Besides, it would be funny to see how he reacted to this. How would his pride react to this?
Ren was taken aback by her request of having it back once he took it and by the sudden action of keeping it away from him. Even he didn't know if he wanted to keep it or not... how was he supposed to tell her now? He can't promise anything for now. He also found it offending that she is keeping him away from an item that clearly belongs to him. He owns this place and is his territory, with that, everything that is in it is under his rule and his possession. Even including her. Hissing a little, he reached out again to grab it from her, this time using a little more speed.
At this, Hyano moved the phone again then with her other hand she grabbed his hand and tugged, using his own force to pull him over the couch and onto the floor, then jumped on him so she was straddling him and giggled as she looked down at him.
"If I was that easy the last time I saw you, then I've very much improved." She said a little teasingly. If he had a face she was sure it would be full of rage right now. However, messing with the wraith felt almost natural. She must have done it quite often before.
Well, not exactly. The wraith was more dumbfounded than angry at first, just staring up at her as he somehow ended up on the floor rather quickly in a flash. Indeed he could not remember this move from her. He watched her for a little while, his gaze soon falling on the phone again. He felt a slight anger coming up but it was drowned by that familiar feeling he always had when they played around. He felt entertained. He knew this game wasn't serious instinctively because she doesn't show aggression and because they never went at it seriously. Knowing exactly what to do, the wraith hissed and suddenly reached forward with both hands, starting his secret attack.
Tickling her sides!
Hyano's eyes widened and she broke out into laughter. She had not been tickled since Gandalf left Middle-Earth. She honestly forgot she was even ticklish.
"Ah! Haha Ren st-stop haha!" She laughed as he tickled her, leaning over him, her head resting on his chest and she held her sides trying to wiggle out of his grip. How could gauntlets so sharp make her laugh so hard?
Oh no! Not going to happen! While she laughed and wiggled about, she clearly forgot about the phone, for which the wraith went in the next moment. Releasing one of her sides with one hand, while the other kept up with its work, Ren reached out and tried to snatch her phone once more, using her distraction to his advantage.
The orange istar may not have been paying attention but she did have a hard grip on the phone. When she felt him grab it she gasped, then tightened her grip again before pinning the phone and his hand over his head and laughed a little as his other hand was still tickling her side.
"Not... going to happen!" She said between laughs and smiled down at him. She had a good idea that he could probably bench her easily but that didn't mean she couldn't try.
While it did look like she pinned him, he had much room to move. And with her stretched out like this, her stance became less firm. The wraith didn't waste time to use this, having noticed this the moment she showed this opening. Pulling one of his legs to the side, he twisted his body, sliding his hand that she pinned outwards, unbalancing her further and simply using this he raised his moved leg, forcing her to lean to the side, where he easily swapped their position, with him sitting on top of her, while he had her pinned, straddling her waist. His hands quickly moved to hold down both hands, with his gaze fixed on the phone in her hand...
Hmm...
Hyano gasped as he pinned her, then blinked before laughing and looking up at him. She wasn't about to just give up though. She tried to struggle against his grip. When this didn't work, she buckled her hips up against him before leaning up quickly and grabbed his hood with her teeth and tugged down. She was careful not to rip it but it was mostly to throw him off balance.
He did lean back a little when he saw her lean in towards him but he wasn't fast enough and his hood was indeed caught in her mouth. Hissing in surprise he struggled to keep his balance, despite being fought against, keeping a firm grip on her arms as well. He was forced to lean forward more but lucky for him it wasn't enough to cause any trouble for him, it was more her hips that caused him to lose his balance to an extent but was ready to try and fight it if she tried anything and kept a good grip on her hands.
The wizard giggled, then let go of him just to buckle against him again and tried to struggle using the hand that wasn't holding the phone trying to pull it out of his grip. She was slender, so she was trying to use that to her advantage in this situation. She was laughing as she played with him. Maybe there was some worth to this annoying wraith after all. He was sure fun to play with.
Having sharp gauntlets and boots really pays off in such situations. It means Ren was less likely to slip in any way with them all being planted to the floor firmly. However, the metallic surface also can backfire, creating a more likely slipping chance once the sharp spikes lose their hold on the ground. He was able to hold her down for quite a while before one of his hands and boots decided to lose their connection to the floor and the metallic surface allowed them to slip slightly, throwing him off-balance, combined with the movement Hyano was making.
Hyano took the chance and pulled her hand out from his grip, then smirked before hitting him with a burst of energy, knocking him off of her, then broke down laughing yet again.
"Wow, you really are a trip." She said, using a bit of slang she had learned over the years, not thinking about how he probably wouldn't understand it. She was having too much fun to really care. She then sat up and smiled at him. "You are a lot more fun than I thought you were." She admitted giving the wraith a little credit.
Ren landed with a thud almost next to her, a little farther away on his back, sliding a few inches before stopping and turning to her once more, sitting up swiftly. He showed little care or interest to the word she said, deciding he had a more interesting target. The phone. She might maybe think this was the end of it, the wraith however had other ideas. Not a few seconds later he was on her again, grabbing for the phone once more, this time with slightly more force than before but still wasn't aggressive, continuing their little tussle.
Hyano yelped and fell back as he got on her yet again. This time she put her feet up to block him and tried to push him back.
"Hell no!" she yelled with a laugh. "You can keep trying but you aren't getting this bloody phone, you stubborn man!" She added with a grin as she did what she could to keep the phone out of his reach. He was still a deal taller than she was, so she really had to work to keep the object out of his reach.
Ren did everything in his power to reach the device but knew that from this angle he won't be able to truly claim it with her pushing him away like this. So, leaning to the side, he slowly started to fall towards the ground next to her, letting her leg still hold them apart but at the same time he was leaning forward, actually inching closer to the phone. In the end he fell beside her but much closer to the target he sought and started pushing her downward, watching as the phone came so much closer.
"Eek! Crud. Crud. Crud!" Hyano chanted, seeing she was losing. She thought quickly, then realized something. He wasn't holding her down right now. She smirked, then took her feet off of him, then quickly tried to stand and make a quick run for it. If she was lucky she could run faster than he could think. However, she was never usually that lucky so she expected not to get that far.
While he was not holding her down indeed, Ren was still holding onto her, seeing he was pressing her downwards. Noticing her sudden movements, first his hand slipped from her but eventually tried to grab her in a much better grip. He did everything in his power to not let her get away from him, continuing to push her forward a little, until he was able to grab one of her feet and using it he proceeded to grab her higher, until he latched onto her waist with both hands, pulling her backwards by it.
The young woman yelped as he grabbed her and blushed. Why she noticed now how close they were she did not know. Maybe she was just too riled in the fun to notice. However, now that she did she was blushing. That didn't stop her with trying to struggle out of the grip of the man who was holding her to him rather tightly.
"Damn it!" She said and pouted a little when she realized she wasn't going to be able to get out of his grip on strength alone and using magic was just plain cheating.
Of course, the Nazgul did not stop there, seeing his desired item wasn't yet in reaching range and did not pay any heed to how close they were, being not bothered by it. So, he started pulling her back more, grasping her higher and higher with both hands, first her waist, stomach, chest and finally her shoulders, where he reached out with a hand and grasped hers which held the phone, proceeding to wrestle with her this way, wanting the device from her.
Hyano turned a deep shade of red as he grabbed over her body. It grew even worse when he grabbed her chest.
"Gah Pervert!" She cried out and then elbowed him in the gut with her free arm, trying to do what she could to pull her other hand out of his grip. She had not seen this coming. Not long ago he had done everything to keep away from her, so all this was a little nerve-racking.
Ren of course didn't notice any of this, making the situation far more difficult for the wizard. He felt the pressure and the hit coming from his stomach, knowing she is trying to get him to let go this way but all he did was hiss at her almost mockingly. He was a Nazgul. Pain was something that is foreign to him and simply doesn't exist. Finally, he climbed all over her and sat on her shoulders on the ground, now letting go from her body, he reached out with his other hand as well towards hers and prying her fist open, he quickly snatched the phone away from her.
"Damn it!" Hyano cried out as she lost her grip on the device, then pouted up at him for a moment, a little frustrated she had lost the game... However her annoyance soon turned into laughter as she realized how funny this whole situation had been. She smiled up at him. "Fine fine. You can have the damn phone you hooded prick." She said calmly, giving him this victory... For now anyway.
As soon as she admitted defeat, the wraith let her go and rolled to the side onto his back next to her to look at his prize more closely. It didn't seem to be that interesting at the moment... It had small buttons on it and a screen, had a weird shape... But this doesn't help him with his question of how it works... So, thinking it might help him further, the Nazgul proceeded to poke the buttons with a metal-covered finger, engulfed in his little research, tilting his head to the side as it made various small noises with each poke.
Hyano watched him for a moment, mostly making sure he didn't make any calls she really didn't want to pay for. If he accidently actually called someone she could write it off as a prank call but if he called another country… well… that was a little much. She ended up moving, so her head rested on his shoulder. She didn't say anything, just cuddled up to him instinctively as if it was natural while he played with the device. She was curious how long it would take him to either lose interest or get annoyed with it, since it seemed he wasn't getting very far in figuring out how it worked.
Just as she predicted, Ren's interest and patience was very hard to keep and rarely could stay at one place as well, excluding meditation. He didn't mind however that she cuddled up to him, he was used to it from the past, remembering the times when she would even fall asleep on his lap. Thinking that poking these little buttons won't help him further, he started flipping it around in his grip... until he found that part where the two halves were put together, making the whole phone. Maybe... he can find out more by pulling it apart and looking what is inside?
Thinking of this as a good idea, the wraith proceeded to try and separate the halves.
When Hyano realized what he was about to do, she quickly moved to stop him but it was too late as the phone made a cracking noise, then came apart. She facepalmed at this then sighed, making a mental note to tell everyone to just call her cell phone from now on and to leave the thing on vibrate so Ren was less likely to find it. She would have to live without a cell phone for awhile.
"Has anyone ever told you that you have a short as hell attention span?" She asked in a whisper, deciding that she did not want to disturb his… concentration.
"Yes." The Nazgul replied curtly, tilting his head to the side at the many metallic parts and started poking them, noticing how some parts were loose, while others were very firmly attached to the outer shell. "You." He could remember many times she complained about it in Moria and in the tree house but he didn't take them as serious complaints. This is how he was and he won't and can't change at all. Seems like she will have to adjust. Again. He held one half slightly higher and after shaking it a little, some of the loose parts fell out, letting him inspect them closer. Well, this isn't helping him much... No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get behind how it worked. At least he felt slightly safer, knowing there are no... tiny people hidden in it. Uvatha surely would be able to figure this one out in just a few days, seeing that Nazgul had a knack for inventions. He many times visited him and saw him working on some kind of machines, catapults, armor designs, he even made something like a… giant bow with enormous arrows… His work was interesting, even if he understood little of it. Giving up in about two minutes of 'researching', he simply put the phone down or at least what was left of it and turned his skeptic, yet curious gaze towards the black box...
Hyano noticed what he was looking at and groaned.
"Seriously?" She grumbled, then sighed and pointed to the basement door. "There is a TV downstairs. You can do whatever you want to it. I kind of need this one, though." She said. Both were the same but since she didn't spend much time down there she didn't need the TV. However, she did think it a very big waste of a very good TV. He would just have to deal with it for now.
There is another black box? There where he spent the night? Ren didn't notice it... But no matter. That one can stay as emergency black box if he wanted to see what people are doing there. He left the pieces of the phone lying on the floor before he took course towards the black box here in this room. But instead of fumbling with it, he decided to see what is going on... before he pulls it apart... Locating the remote where he left it last night, he reached out and poked the button that should make it come to life and watched as the screen flashed, revealing a natural documentary about animals in a rainforest. He tilted his head to the side at the sharp noise those birds made and hissing at this, finding it uncomfortable, he slid the remote closer and started to switch the channels, until he came upon another violent movie. He hovered a metal-covered finger above the button, not sure if he was in the mood for it but decided to just switch away and started his endless search for something interesting to watch.
Hyano got up from the floor and cracked her neck. She thought about her next action moment, then leaned over his shoulder and put in a channel. Some cartoons came on the screen. She was curious to see how he would react to the show that looked like it was based on real things yet didn't look real at all. Besides, he had a childish personality so this might keep his attention more than any of the real things that he had been going through so far.
Ren noticed her and turned his hooded head slightly towards her but soon followed her hand as she reached over and pushed the channels until they came to a... strange... thing. All he could do was stare at it first, tilting his head this way and that, not exactly sure what is going on. He didn't know... humans developed like this... or... are these created... or... magic? It looked strange, as if his mind was trying to accept it but yet couldn't. It looked not real, yet interesting. They moved ways a human couldn't and survived falls a human would die from. This certainly amused him.
"What's this?" He asked, pointing towards the unusual forms in the black box. He was unsure what to think of them. It looked amusing but his mind was confused.
Hyano laughed a little, then put a finger up asking him to wait a second. She walked away and was gone for a few minutes. When she came back she had a flip book, then sat beside him and showed him a picture of a cartoon version of herself sitting and reading. Then she started flipping the book. A cartoon version of himself popped up behind her and tapped her shoulder, then while she was looking the other way he snatched her book and took off running.
Now, this was interesting... The wraith watched as the animation played out, and at the end, he took the flip book from her and looked at it closer. When the pages didn't move, all he saw was a drawing but when he flipped the page to the next, it was another drawing. So, was this all drawn? How did she do it again? He held the book the same way as she did and flipped a few pages fast the same way as she did, getting the same results as Hyano showed. His curiosity spiked, he kept flipping them back and forth.
Hyano smiled at this, then got another flip book and a pencil. She sat beside the wraith and started to draw allowing him to see how it was done. She started with one drawing, then made another and another, each one changing just a little bit. It was a picture of a horse that was running.
Ren watched her curiously as he saw she took another book like this but this time empty. Tilting his head to the side, he disregarded the one he was holding and watched as she drew. Well, for a while. After she was done with the second horse, he lost interest and simply went back to the one he had in his hands, flipping it again and again.
When the wizard finished, she looked the doodles over once then yet again handed it to him so he could flip it like he had the last one.
The Nazgul took the offered book eagerly once she was done and like last time, he flipped the pages the same way as she showed, watching as from the still drawing of a horse, it seemed to come to life and run. So, this is how it was done. She is drawing the images... but... why show it to him now? Involuntarily his gaze returned to the strange cartoon and watched it a little, his mind slowly recognizing these figures as drawings, just like this horse. So, where they created this way than through magic? This was unusual.
"Strange mortals." He finally commented, not understanding why they would create drawings of people when they could use real people to do things...
"Eh, kind of. Cartoons can do things people can't. Like get hit with hard objects and not get hurt. It makes for good fun." Hyano said then pointed to the TV right as some TNT blew up. The cartoon character was left completely charred but still alive, then in the next scene it was like it never happened at all. This was a slightly older cartoon but she always liked those better. Comedy back then was just silly and needed less extra flash to get the job done. However Ren wouldn't know the difference because he never saw the change of time. As far as he knew, this was a new cartoon in itself.
The Ringwraith looked when she pointed and watched as the screen flashed, indicating an explosion, seeing the smoke and the small flames that remained... and indeed. The person seemed to survive and move on. Not even a limp or a scratch could be seen on him. The wraith couldn't help but shake his head, finding this unfair as it was created. If damage was dealt then it should be received fairly if the person isn't a wraith... or someone who can counter it. This human however was unable to, yet he came out undamaged.
"This is stupid." He said, shrugging. "If he got hit, then he should be hurt. It is just fair." He was content seeing damage dealt and seeing people suffer with what they got, however this cartoon didn't give him this amusement; instead he got more and more frustrated with it. While he liked to see people get hit or ripped apart, the cartoon leaves out one single detail that it lacked. The clear sign of pain, suffering and the blood. This is what dealing damage and hitting someone is for. So, Ren failed to see the point of this all nonsense going on in the cartoon. Having enough of this, he poked the button again and switched the channels.
Hyano thought for a moment about this. So he wanted to see deadly and bloody cartoons, huh? Sad part was… she could give him that.
"Hold on a second." She said, then reached over, changing the channel yet again and turning on Netflix. She then went through a few things before going to a rather happy go lucky show called 'Happy Tree Friends'. "Here, you will like this one then." She said then got up and went to the kitchen to get herself something to drink and maybe some candy if she had any. She knew all about the gore and guts that came with this show, though, Ren was likely to get confused by what the creatures are he would have no problem with the fact that all the characters are dead by the end of each episode.
Ren was indeed confused at first, noting the... bright colored, smiling, big-eyed... somethings. All he could do was stare at the colorful bunch, unable to believe that Hyano would show him this cartoon. The one before wasn't this... all too happy, so, reached out and slid the remote close to his sitting form and extended a finger to poke the button again but... he stopped when the first death happened. His finger hovered above the button and watched as one of the... long-eared smiling thing suddenly got run over by... something... some kind of... metallic object and there was blood, screaming, gurgling... Surprising... He instantly removed his hand from the remote and kept watching. Now this was his cartoon! He found it amusing how realistic they went through the whole thing. Death was very well portrayed. The little cute things didn't even know what is coming to them. The show however was rather short and started to feel disappointed but soon there was a new one starting.
The wraith was glued to the couch and watched the animals getting slaughtered all over again.
When Hyano came back with a bowl of chocolate covered pomegranates and a bottle of water, she was not surprised to see the wraith stuck to the show she had picked. She found the show a little much for her taste but considering it wasn't real she could live with it.
"So. What do you think of cartoons now?" She asked with a smirk as she popped a piece of chocolate in her mouth right as another one of the furry creatures died yet again. She cringed a little. It was kind of hard to eat while watching this show.
Ren didn't notice her as she arrived around him, just watched as one of the animals lost one of their limbs and blood flowed out of the wound, relishing in its painful screams. Only then did he notice the wizard when she sat down next to him. He sniffed the air at the strange scent that she brought and turned his hooded head for a few seconds to gaze at the food she brought in before shaking his head, disgusted by it and resumed watching the show.
"This is good. The other is useless. Not all of them are good." He said, answering her question, then inched away a little to the side at the stench of that thing she was eating... Why is it that any food she eats has to be this disgusting...?
The orange wizard noticed his dislike for what she is eating and only rolled her eyes at this. If he actually ate she might think of making something he might like but he didn't so she didn't care.
"Everyone has different tastes, I guess." She said, talking about the show this time, then jumped when she heard a bang upstairs. "The hell?" She listened a minute and heard the sound of little children talking. "Must have snuck in through a window." She mumbled, then turned the TV off. She then realized something and smirked. "Hey, want to help scare some kids?" She asked him as she got up to turn off the lights and pull the blinds.
Ren turned his hood sharply at the noise as well, looking upwards quickly and staying dead silent, trying to listen what is going on. However, his gaze soon shifted over to her as she shut down the black box, just as one of those things would have died... it looked so promising... he was about to complain and already started pointing at the screen when she told him about scaring someone. He tilted his head to the side. Kids? Is this some kind of human? Or does she give a new word to something he knows already? It must be it… So, this was this loud noise? People are around? What? He hissed at this and got off the couch hearing the noise of talking, looking towards the stairs where it came from. In an instant the wraith felt a little more alive when the wizard made sure the room was dark and felt his hunting instincts push him, making him yearn for the fear he could cause. This was natural for him to go into 'hunting mode' once the opportunity presented itself. The Nazgul didn't reply to her but his actions spoke louder. He was more than ready to make a few people scream if he could. For now, he stalked towards the stairs but didn't go up. He will wait for the prey to reach them first. Then... they will live through hell, he will make sure of that.
Hyano smiled at her friend, then walked to the kitchen so she would be out the way. If this turned out well she might be able to use Ren instead of the spell she used when children got in her house when she wasn't home. That would save her quite a bit of magic. Any spell she could avoid using was worth it. It would make her time in this realm last all that much longer. She only had so long and she knew that but she only quickened that time by using spell after spell. Like Gandalf, she wasn't eager to leave Middle-Earth. This had been her lifelong home... She was honestly scared to leave if she was honest with herself, however she was eager to see the old wizard and the now grown tree herder she had once cared for. The orange istar smiled at the thought, then waved a hand unlocking the front door so the children could easily run out. Because something told her that they will have a reason to do so soon…
Two children came down the stairs. A boy and a girl, barely the age of eight. They were clearly siblings. The girl was younger by a few years as it seemed. It was obvious which one was in charge of their little adventure as the oldest was in front, dictating the pace of their progress. The smaller of the two however was scared already, her body was shaking and her steps were slow and careful, only speeding up to catch up with her big brother with a gasp when he advanced too much and she was afraid he would leave her behind.
"Danny, can't we just leave? You know mom is going to be so mad." She whined to her older brother.
The older of the two had been dared to go into the house by his friends who were waiting outside eagerly and since he knew she would run and tell their mom if he left her behind, he brought her along but she had yet to stop complaining.
The wrath was pressed against the wall next to the stairs, so he won't be seen at first. Because of his nature and dark magic, he was darker than the darkness in the room, making him slightly visible yet one could mistake him for a furniture at the moment or a statue... or they won't see him at all, seeing they weren't looking to the wall next to the stairs. He listened to their steps and felt their presence as they came down and reached the same room he was in. As soon as they left the stairs, the wraith stalked after them. Despite having metallic boots, he moved easily and silently, having learned long ago how to sneak in them, almost gliding after them like the wraith he was. He smelled their scent and felt the fear of the smallest human, instantly growing hungry.
So... let the show begin and feast upon their terror.
The first thing Ren did was strengthen his aura, spreading that deadly darkness which make shivers run down their spines and created fear, making them panic. But before they could turn, he let out a hiss. First, it was faint, as if coming from silence itself, before growing in volume, reaching the sound of a sharp hiss that an angry snake would utter when threatened. And once they turned, he reached out towards them. His silhouette was visible, letting them see his dark form, and the sharp fingers that were stretched out towards them.
Hyano listened as the children both screamed their heads off. The boy was the first one out the door. The little girl however was frozen at first, shaking with fear before screaming and turning tail, running for the door as well but she wasn't nearly as fast as her older brother. The wizard listened to what was happening, smiling a little. Ren was having far too much fun but so far it sounded safe enough. Scary as hell but safe, which was really all it needed to be.
The wraith of course wasn't yet done. At least he didn't want to. He did start to chase them but had to stop some distance away, seeing they ran out of the door. He didn't really want to be stopped. He relished in their screams, their terror... the delicious fear... now all he needed was their blood. His hunting instinct was awakened and darkness within his form grew... but had to be pushed down the moment they went out of his sight. No... He couldn't chase them further. Better not even bring his hopes up. For one, the way she changed, Hyano surely would stop him anyway. Sounding one more sharp hiss, the wraith turned from the door after staring after the offspring of humans and started for the couch to resume watching that show. He really needed to see blood now... all that lacked was the scent but oh well. Tomorrow is a day too. Maybe for many it would sound strange to wish this but he dearly wanted a thief to come around. At least there would be no excuse and could kill without mercy.
Hyano walked in and looked around. She was a little surprised no one got hurt or worse. Something in her knew it was in Ren's nature to kill those he instilled fear into. She walked up to him.
"If you like, you can scare the kids who come around. Just don't kill them. If kids start turning up missing or any of them tell their parents about them getting hurt here, that will draw a lot of attention rather quickly." She advised as she sat beside him.
The wraith watched the show, sitting on the couch, starting to find amusement in this cartoon and only listened to her advice halfway but knew this rule already. He knew she would say it. Not to kill these... dwarves. Or children as she called them. He sighed long and loud, indicating while he didn't like this rule, he did acknowledge it.
"Also, I was planning on going out later tonight. If you don't plan on changing your clothes you are going to have to stay behind." The wizard added as she cringed when a character lost its head in the show.
Ren's hooded head turned towards her instantly after she uttered her wish to leave. So... she wants to leave and walk about... He was mainly used to her being only around him or in a place he knew she won't harm herself... But he didn't know this world...
"Where are you going?" He asked, wanting to know, after all he thought he had the right to ask, however at the mention of him having to change his cloak for something else... that was out of question. "My clothes stay." The wraith stated, stubbornly declining even the mention of him changing his attire. He wanted to look terrifying... Of course he didn't want to wear those... neutral clothes.
Hyano noted that he seemed alright with the rule even if reluctantly and relaxed. Good. That worked out in her favor. However when he said he would not change she only rolled her eyes.
"I'm going to the mall. It's kind of like a giant market place, only with a lot more to do and if you don't change you can stay here. It may be nighttime when I go out but trust me... you won't get far the way you are." She told him bluntly, then heard a scream and looked towards the screen only to shudder. She really wished Ren had a liking for other things than killing and torture. Well, he does like lighters. She would have to remember to pick him up one from the lighter shop in the mall. She had never thought about it but lighters are actually good collector's items. She might as well see how many different ones she could find since he was basically holding onto them for her.
The wraith only shook his head, clearly not in the mood or willing to do all this.
"Too many mortals mean too much noise, too much light and disgusting stenches. No. I will stay home." Ren replied, leaning back in the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. He might sometimes sneak out, just around his territory to watch the full moon for a few hours but he wasn't too keen to leave his safe lair. The humans are filthy and too loud for his liking. Marketplaces he heard attracted too many mortals. And he hated mortal crowds anyway. In addition, he will never change his clothes. Never! He felt comfortable the way he was. Dismissing the whole topic entirely, he got comfortable and resumed watching the cartoon.
Hyano rolled her eyes. Oh well. As long as he stayed put she was alright with him wearing whatever he wanted as long as he stayed out of sight. When one lives in a small town everyone has a habit of being a little nosy about everyone else and news travels fast. She did not want to go to the mall and all of a sudden overhear people talking about the black thing in her backyard.
"Did you even look at the clothes I got you?" She asked him, pointing at the bag that had somehow been moved to the floor since the previous day.
Ren barely heard her, his attention was on the screaming animal as it was slowly losing its guts. Very slowly... The blood and clear suffering was entertaining for him. When he finally paid attention to her, he turned his hooded head towards her first, as if asking back what she said but eventually his mind gave him the stored information and sharply turned his gaze towards the bag that was on the floor. He only stared at it for five seconds before shrugging and simply returning to watch the show.
"No." Was his curt reply, and it was obvious he didn't care about it either...
Hyano rolled her eyes.
"Of course you haven't." She said a little annoyed, then got up and walked over to the bag and held it out to him. Inside, the clothes were all black. She had not gotten him shoes because she thought the ones he had already were fine. She got him a zip up black hoodie, assuming that was the closest thing to what he already wore. Then there was a black shirt as well with a very detailed skull design on it and black jeans to go with it. She may want him to change his clothes but she wasn't stupid enough to make him change his style altogether.
While Ren did not want to change his clothing at all, no matter how she shoves these things under his hood, that didn't mean he cannot satisfy his curiosity and actually look what she got for him. After a small hesitation and thinking, Ren reached out and took the bag, setting it beside him and started picking at the clothes. The wraith instantly didn't like them. They didn't seem comfortable at all, seemed to be too tight, and likely would stick to his body... And while he can't truly feel pain or pleasure, he felt the things around him and knew if something would stick to him or be too tight. He hated it enough when his cloak gets wet... then it would weight him down and stick to him like it was glued... Now that is uncomfortable. He cared little for the skull but did look at it; this still didn't change his mind about the style itself. The Nazgul, once he finished looking at it all, simply put the clothes down and slid it away from him towards the other end of the couch with a hiss as if disgusted by them, signaling he still won't wear them and then returned to the cartoon again.
Hyano giggled lightly. Well, at least he looked at the clothes. She took the bag and put it back beside the couch, then walked away putting a few things away before coming back and sitting beside the wraith.
"... So, are you still angry with me?" She asked him, ignoring the TV altogether. She decided she might as well change the subject. As much as she didn't like this one, it helped her learn things about the man beside her.
The wraith however didn't ignore the black box but was very much engulfed in it. Her question would have gone unanswered though, if she didn't keep looking at him, so alerting him of being watched. But his senses warned him of the stare and turned his head towards her, staying silent for a few seconds, as if thinking about it. Was he angry? In general or right now? Which one did she mean? At the moment he wasn't angry for sure but in general he was still offended and distrusting for the most part.
"Yes." He decided for this answer, then turned back to the cartoon. Right now the only reason why he isn't feeling angry was because this black box is entertaining him enough, taking off his mind of his inner turmoil.
Hyano sighed and leaned back, first staring at the ceiling in silence for a moment, thinking about this all before turning to look at him.
"I'm not sure I understand why... I mean I kind of get why you were mad about the well... the toy things... but I don't really get what else there is to it." She said honestly and looked over at him, trying to pull out more memories of him but she seemed to have reached a mental block at this point. It was beyond frustrating. She knew she knows this thing she was sitting beside but no matter what, she couldn't get her mind to push more actual memories or feelings about the black clad creature out.
The wraith shook his head swiftly. She was still only remembering this from all the reasons he listed?
"You have a short memory." Those... things... are out of their way and he basically forgot about them already. That is highly secondary if not taken care of by now. Not like he can go back in time by being angry about it and fix it... Being angry won't change anything about this. What still kept his grudge was that she clearly remembers him and yet she didn't even seem to try to get to him. She basically started a new life... Forgetting about her mate, leaving him to his chains... How she told him the white wizard left a while ago… and his mind failed to find the reason why she didn't use this opportunity and didn't free him instead. However, apparently she forgot about this reason as soon as he said them. So, it was pointless to argue about it in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated and angry he became, so set to just ignore it and enjoy what he could of this cartoon.
"You said I should have come for you. The fact is I can't go for anyone I can't remember. If that is what you hold a grudge over, then you really don't get what happened at all." Hyano said a little annoyed. "My memory was blocked. It's like... someone building a dam on a river. The water is still there but it is no longer flowing anymore. When I saw you again the dam cracked... but... but that's really it. I don't remember very much at all. I know I feel comfortable around you but I'm not sure why. So far you have been little less than a prick. You claimed my things, mock me every chance you get and continue to act like I'm some horrible person. Last I checked you said I was your mate... yet you treat me horribly. Honestly, you really suck at this." She told him, then moved to get up angrily, having had enough of this confusing situation he always gets her into.
Ren simply lacked the understanding to such amnesia, which didn't firmly hold onto a person. He knew two things. You remember or you don't remember at all and his mind refused to think otherwise. There is no such thing that you remember slowly again... He never did, this is all he knew. What he forgot stays forgotten and nothing will trigger its return. This is mostly why his kind hated, despised forgetful people, or in this case he behaved intolerant towards Hyano and her magic-inducted amnesia. But this is something he couldn't explain, so he did seem to make her feel unwelcome around him for seemingly no reason.
"If you were not my mate..." He started, and turned his hooded head towards her, staring from within the darkness. "... you would be dead." With this, he simply went back to his black box and kept watching, disregarding her presence, feeling anger once more from this conversation. This should be enough indication that he is behaving 'better' with her than otherwise he would. And today seemed to start good for a change... Oh well...
The comment made the orange wizard freeze in her position, and stay that way for a few seconds, trying to push these words as imagination, but she had to realize that he indeed said them. She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, gripping her fists.
"And if you weren't mine... this probably wouldn't have happened in the first place." She bit back, then moved to walk away from him. She wasn't sure what had happened to cause all this. She didn't know about the battle or how it all started and ended. However she did feel if he had actually cared about her, this likely wouldn't have happened in the first place. A mate was supposed to protect you right? Then why had she spent so long alone? Why was she made to forget him? Because he had failed. He might be giving her hell because she forgot but he failed in keeping them together in the first place.
Both were stubborn that is for sure, however unlike Hyano, who had a good heart and was cheerful, also sought contact with people she cared about, Ren in the other hand wasn't tied to emotions and didn't seek company, thus could stay alone for a whole lifetime if needed. The five thousand years he spent chained up didn't hurt his already dark personality or his mental health. He was ready to keep himself away from her until he felt better about their connection but this could also last a while. He didn't feel like he needed to explain to her anything but she had a lot to say. In his mind that is. He already was thinking about killing her, seeing they don't get anywhere with all this... Might as well get rid of a problem... the rest about surviving this world... well… He will think about that... But for now, he will watch these creatures murder each other in the cartoon.
Hyano went to her room. She was annoyed and angry with the wraith. He didn't understand and that made this all the worse and no matter how she tried to explain it to him, he didn't seem to get it through that nonexistent thick skull of his. She sighed, rubbing her temples, then decided to take a shower. Maybe the steam would help her relax. She wondered for a moment how long it would take Ren to watch all the episodes. She seriously doubted he would watch any of them more than once. That would be far too boring for the wraith.
If he could, Ren would laugh at all the scenes the black box showed him with these creatures. He found entertainment and amusement in others' suffering and nothing will change this part of him. He didn't change since ten thousand years... He won't change now either. He didn't know who drew this but it is like it was made just specially for him.
The woman took a long shower enjoying the warm water on her skin. It very much calmed her nerves though her mind still kept going back to the wraith. She continued to keep thinking, her mind trying harder and harder to get the information that was blocked, that is until her head started to pound. She clutched her head hard, then blinked as she saw blood being washed away on the tub floor. She realized what had happened too late as she blacked out and fell with a thud.
The Nazgul just started to forget about everything that happened and got comfortable on the cough again when he heard the thud coming from a room to the side. He stopped watching the turned towards it, staring at the door. He could scarcely remember Hyano going in there. Perhaps she dropped something. He heard the water going, so could be cleansing herself. According to the many bottles he found she uses a lot of things when doing so. Some stink, others are bearable. However, what his senses picked up was other than that. Blood. He sniffed the air audibly; at first feeling his mind yearn and want more of it after the unsuccessful and blocked hunt not long ago, feeling its sweet scent flow through him. This made him stand and follow it.
Slowly, the door to the bathroom creaked open and the Nazgul peeked inside, wanting to know the source. It was Hyano... and she didnt seem to be that alright like before... She was collapsed, enclosed by the water that poured from above, and…
She wasn't moving.
Hope you liked the chapter.
Well, as you can notice, the chapters returned to their slightly short version of 11k words, because we would like to RP a few more scenes to this and a few more chapters because we realized it seems to be a tiny little short compared to the book before.
But the updates will be undisturbed aside from them happening now every two weeks.
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