In the darkness Raven felt claustrophobic. It seemed to be pushing down on her, squeezing the breath from her lips. She blinked as two fragile hands, those pale fragile hands that she'd seen so often. "It's time to go home little bird." Raven looked up at her sister. Still twisted by the demonic taint, but there was something, something so very soft about her features today. "Come back to us. We're all waiting for you."
Light seemed to drag Raven from the stretch of darkness and yank her forcefully away from her sister. Before she even realised she was fully awake she rolled over and threw up, the bitter taste of bile made her shudder. "I feel like shit." She scoffed flopping back. "I must be in hell." Her eyes barely focused, unable to fully adjust to the light. She was aware that someone moved in the room to stand over her.
"Well hate to let disappoint you." Kormac leant down and grinned at her. "We'd started to wonder if you'd ever wake up."
Raven raised a brow, realising he no longer wore his armour, but a loose fitting tunic, he looked tired and unshaven and she laughed. "Are you sure, you look like hell too." The act of laughter made her wince and she groaned.
"Careful, Eirena and Auriel did what they could to heal you but." He looked guiltily away from her. Raven remembered the pain in her face, the dull ache that lay thee now. Her hand hesitantly reached up and brushed along the left side. She didn't need a mirror to feel the long gashes from her forehead, through her eye. No wonder she was having trouble focusing on the room, the eyelid was mangled, but the socket was sealed up and she could feel her eye moving around, her fingers continued their journey across the scars, they ran down her cheek. The memory of choking on her own blood flashed into her mind, the scars finally finished at her lips. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I will have to thank them." She carefully sat up. "How long how I been lay here?"
"About two weeks." Kormac held her arm, trying to steady her as she stood up.
"Thank you." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for helping me after the battle, I don't let just anyone carry me you know." She laughed.
Kormac shook his head. "I didn't, I could barely stand up myself. One of the blades from that cage pierced through my leg after I tried to break free." Raven looked at him in surprise. "Tyrael was the first to find you, he refused to let you go even when everyone else believed you dead."
Raven looked down at her feet and tensed her muscles. "I think I got it now." Kormac hesitated, but let go of her, he didn't move far from her and she felt him move forward to help every time she stumbled forward, but eventually she remember how to walk and made it through the door. As she entered the hall of the keep there was a ear piercing cheer and someone flung there arms around raven. She stumbled and winced.
"Sorry." The enchantress quickly let go and stood back. "We're so happy to see your awake, I..We were so worried about you."
Raven smiled and leant against the wall, being blind in one eye was going to take some getting used to, but to hear and see people so happy to see her felt good, she scanned amongst the faces, noticing two missing. "No Lyndon? Or..." She paused. "Guess the angel could look me in the eyes...I mean eye." She jokingly corrected. She wasn't sure why but something felt, no this wasn't disappointment. She refused to believe that she wanted to see him there.
"Lyndon slipped off sometime last week." Kormac answered still hovering over her. "Tyrael left for the High Heavens with Auriel after she healed you to the best of her ability." Kormac hesitated. "He requested to become the Arch Angel of Wisdom, but I don't think he wants to be an angel any more."
Raven wasn't surprised by the news, she was surprised that he'd returned as wisdom, it made her chuckle. "Guess he actually must have learnt a something while travelling with us." She sat on a barrel and smiled. "hows about we all drink to the destruction of the prime evils and to Sanctuary!"
Raven was surprised, the last time was was in the city of Caldeum she'd barely taken notice of the beauty of the place. She tightened the scarf and hood as people tried to peer into the dark shadows that hid her face. It wasn't that the scars made her uncomfortable., but it was easier to stay antonymous. People knew the scars, some would approach her and cheer her name, but most feared her. She was marked by the prime evil himself. She approached a market stool and browsed over the trinkets on there, Raven almost laughed as something climbed up for leg and onto her shoulders. She stared into the golden eyes of the melanistic ferret, she chuckled as he waved something shiny front of her face. She reached up and took it from his tiny paws. The necklace sparkled in the sunlight, the four aquamarine gems splayed out a silver dragon fly.
She tilted it and admired the way the after noon sun bounced off each of the gems. "You're quite right, it is rather beautiful in this light." She turned to the merchant. "How much for it?"
The merchant seemed to think for a moment. "200 gold coins to you lovely lady."
Raven smiled, 200 gold was an alright price. She couldn't be bothered to haggle in this heat she nodded and handed the coins over. She smiled and placed the necklace in a pouch on her hip. She looked up at the sky and moved a hand up to scratch behind the ferret's ear. It was hard to believe it had been so long since she fought Diablo,almost a year now. Most of the scars had healed up, not just on her but the world around her. She'd travelled with Eirena and Kormac for some time, up until the wedding. She frowned slightly and covered her mouth with the scarf again and pushed through the busy streets to the gates and eventually back out into the desert. She was happy for them, but it was time for her to finish her own journey, it would take so long to get home. She wasn't heading directly home, she wanted to collect a few things as souvenirs, things she hadn't thought of getting the last time she passed through these places.
She sighed, by the time she'd set up camp night had already started to fall. She'd made camp next to a small oasis of water. With the lack of demon attacks recently she'd had time to relax her guard. Not too much though, she stripped away her pale tunic and pants after laying down a few traps, just in case. She hadn't realised how much she ached until she sunk into the water, the only item of clothing she still wore was a belt, on which a small cross bow hung along with a few bottles. She laughed as the ferret bounced across some rocks and sat above her playfully batting at the water trickling off the edge of the rocks like a waterfall. She undid the belt and placed it on the rocks, just below her companion.
The water tumbled over her and Raven ran her fingers through her hair, it had just started to brush her shoulders, she'd stopped keeping it short a little while ago, it helped hide her scars, or at least that was her logic for letting it grow out. Scars. Her body was dotted with them, most had faded with time. Her hand brushed over the scar below her left breast and it paused there momentarily, it still gave her trouble even now. She picked up one of the bottles and pulled the stopper from it, immediately she inhaled the sweet smells of spices, cinnamon, nutmeg. She let the oil trickle onto her hand and began to rub it into her skin. The black ferret began to show awkwardly and began to chatter to her.
"I'm aware Merlin, I've already taken the necessary precautions." As if to punctuate her sentence there a cracking a grunt followed by a splash of water. Someone had set off one of the traps. Raven grabbed her crossbow and waded to the damp hooded figure and tossed back the hood with the tip of the loaded bolt.
Tyrael had a split second to gain his bearings before he found himself staring at the loaded crossbow. The first thought that crossed his mind was why she hadn't pulled the trigger, that was hastily pushed aside when he looked up and past the weapon. He quickly diverted his eyes away. How was she able to just stand there naked without feeling embarrassed, and the smell of spices was almost intoxicating, he pushed hazy images from his mind.
Raven watched him and lowered her bow. She gathered her belt and waded past him. "They told me you took the place of wisdom." She grabbed her tunic and pulled it on as he got to his feet. "A wise man wouldn't sneak up on a woman that doesn't want to see him." She smirked. "He'd also try not to look like he's obviously following her." She knelt down next to the fire and patted her leg, Merlin darted from his perch up onto her lap. She smiled and rubbed behind his ear. Tyrael was silent, she perhaps wondered if she'd imagined him for a split second.
"Wisdom is learning things you never knew before." She heard his slosh through the water and back onto dry land, he'd hesitated behind her before moving to stand opposite her, he frowned removing the soggy cloak he'd been wearing. Raven glanced over the armour he wore beneath it, it was quite remarkable how it reflected the fire. She returned to making a fuss of the ferret. "Or sometimes realising things you should have known."
She shifted uneasy. His presence so close made her uncomfortable. Why had he come to her now after all this time, she curled her upper lip slightly She wasn't as angry or hurt as she was, but some wounds never fully heal. She felt a pain of pain in her chest, she rubbed the scar. "Why are you here, Tyrael?"
"I'm not sure." She met his eyes for a moment. "You left the Keep before I got word you'd woken up. By the time I got there you had disappeared." He looked at the fire and sat down resting an arm on his raised leg. "I wanted to make sure you were safe."
Raven heard something that sounded like sincerity in his voice, but all the angry emotions flooded back. "Well as you can see I'm fine." She snapped. "Now piss off!" She wasn't fine, anyone could see that, she was balling up her hands into fists so hard that the knuckles went even paler that her usual skin tone.
"No your not." Tyrael stared at her through the fire. "You haven't be fine since we first met. Every time anyone asked you about how you were feeling you clammed up." Tyrael's expression and tone had changed. She could hear anger and frustration in. "When any of us tried to get close to you, you pushed us away. I may have fucked up but at least I admit it."
Raven was taken by surprise when Tyrael swore, she'd never heard him cuss, but the curiosity only lasted a second. "If your in the mood for sharing.." Within a split moment she was close enough to him that she could see his eyes. "What was it you saw that day in hell, what was it Cydeae tempted you with."
Tyrael stiffened as she closed the gap between them, the smell of spices seemed to fog his mind, "It was nothing." He said clearing his throat. She moved closer still and ran her hands down his arms.
"Was it a fair damsel in distress." She whispered, there was a glint of something in her eyes that he couldn't placed, he froze completely when she leant forward and placed a kiss against his cheek, then another along his neck. He placed his hands on her arms. "Raven.." He felt a hand brush over his cheek and he closed his eyes for the briefest moment almost savouring the moment. He could hardly breath with her so close like this.
"Did you think I didn't see the way you looked at me that evening?" She mimicked her sisters words. She hadn't noticed it herself, but she grinned. "the way you looked at me, weakened by my wounds, tired. You thought you could save me?" She whispered against his ear in such a taunting way. He gripped her arms tighter and pushed her back and away from him.
"Raven!" He snapped, forcing her to look at him. His eyes flicked over the scar on her face, he brushed his hand over it pushing her hair out of the way. "I wish I could change they way things played out." She pulled back from his hand, her hair fell over the left side of her face and she traced the scars.
As if to try and correct the situation, she scoffed and moved back to her place. "Well now you've seen me you can go. I'm quite capable of looking after myself, angel." Raven lay down, resting her head on her arms watching the flames. She heard Tyrael move, but not get up, she cursed him in her mind. Stubborn fool. Yet some part of her was thankful he didn't leave her. She closed her eyes, in truth being that close to him like that, even if she was taunting him, felt good, it felt right.