The Queen's Quarters

These quarters have a much larger difference than the King's Quarters. There's much more furniture here and no window on the northern wall. In the western part of the room, there's a wooden closet and a polished redwood dresser. On the opposite wall is a bed, covered in pink and mauve sheets. Finally, on the northern corner of the room is a polished white oak mantle with a locked jewelry box on top of it.

Justin apparently doesn't relax well. Even in such plush surroundings as these. Especially not without his coat-- confiscated as soon as tactful by a servant to be taken aawy and burn... ahem, cleaned. He doesn't quite seem himself in a sorcerer's robes, perched on the edge of a horribly overstuffed armchair, staring out across the room.

A loud knocking is suddenly heard at the door.

Justin stirs himself, silently, to the door, and opens it, perfunctorily. "May I help you?"

Laitarne steps past Justin into the room, "I'm here to see the 'patient'."

Justin steps past Laitarne, further into the room. "Ahh... I see. Have they thought how to wake her, then?"

Laitarne says: Well, I'm going to try my hand at just that.

Razz is lying on the bed, still as ever. The only change to her appearance being that someone has had the mind to change her into a simple gown.

Justin frowns faintly. This /is/ stretcher-bearer number 3, yes. Didn't seem like much of a doctor then. Still doesn't, really. "Your hand... ahh... by what method? I was given to understand they'd tried most everything."

Laitarne steps over to the bed, looking down at Razz with his ice blue eyes, "I have a few more... esoteric talents that the clerics at the clinic do not."

Justin folds his arms, mostly unconvinced, but... well, dammit, paranoia is tiring. Nothing he can do is likely to harm her, that he can't stop him from. "...alright."

Laitarne places the palm of his hand down against Razz's forehead lightly.

Razz doesn't respond. Seems to be too deep in her coma.

Laitarne closes his eyes, and allows himself to slip into her mind.

Justin sighs, quietly. Joy, it's going to be /that/. He shuts his own eyes, and attempts to focus his own meagre psychic awareness, to watch what this strange man is doing.

Razz is still heavily coated in that thick, white mist. Curled up with her eyes closed, hiding in the comforting recess of her mind... but wait. Something's here. Slowly, her eyes open, and she lifted her face, almost sleepily. Who's here...?

Laitarne's presence, very much like a dark icy collection of shadows, approaches Razz, 'What is it that you desire?'

Razz's defenses are next to none, her mind still fragile from the recent events that she had gone through. Therefore she felt no pain as an alien presence intruded into the depth of her mind... Merely, an odd sensation. She looked up at the strange man in front of her, yet never spoke a word. "Who are you?" She asked, in a sweet, childlike voice.

Justin can observe little of what is going on, unskilled as he is. A meeting of the minds, so to speak? Not actively harmful, yet, at any rate. So. Wait and observe.

The collection of shadows seem to chuckle quietly, 'That is not important now. What is it that you desire?'

Razz's soft, inquistive expression did not change. "Who are you?" She asked again, clearly unwilling to relent until her question has been answered.

'If you must know... Laitarne Tesaia, of the Sacred Order of Heavenly Knights.'

Razz smiled softly. "What are you doing here?"

'I am merely here to help.'

Razz cocked her head slightly. "Help what?"

'You, of course.'

Razz made no further inquisition, but held the strange man in a curious gaze.

'I ask again... what is it that you desire?'

Razz's small smile diminished, and her eyelids dropped, and she sank her head down her knees again, surrounded by her slim, pale arms.

'Why do you recoil from my question?'

Razz kept her head down. "I don't like you," came the muffled reply.

Justin has nothing to contribute, as yet. In fact, the quieter he stays, the less likely he is to disturb either of them and fork things up. Yep. Mmhmm.

'What do you intend to do with the power 'that woman' has given you?'

Razz still did not lift her face up. A woman granted her power? She doesn't know what he's talking about...

'You have become a pawn... in a much larger game than you can realize the scale of.'

Razz's arms tightened around herself. The white mist that envelopes her swirled, and became thicker, and thicker.

Her soft, melodious voice echoed, "I don't like you..."

'Why is it that you say that?'

"I don't want you here... You're so intrusive... You have something on your mind... You want to take something from me... I can feel it... I can feel it..."

'Do you think that anyone else is any different?'

"Yes....."

"Wino... and Justin... They're not like you..."

'Child-like naivity... Everyone wants something. You are a means to an end, I'm afraid... A pawn...'

"No... that's not true... not to them..."

'Oh, but it is...' Laitarne's cold dark presence seems to resonate through Razz's mind. 'You are... different, are you not...? They know that...'

Razz's being refused to show itself from behind the heavy curtain of mist. "Everyone's different..."

The gathering of shadows most definately seems to be laughing now, 'But not in the way that you are different...'

Razz's voice sang through the curtain of mist, steady, yet soft. "What do you want...?"

'To help you. Soon enough you shall be in possession of power. A power that could change the world. But what will you do with that power? Those all around you will try to manipulate that... to try to use you for that power...'

"I want... I want to be safe from Crulath..."

'But can those who you have placed your trust in keep you safe from this Crulath...?'

Razz's voice continued. "And you sound just like him... I don't want you here..."

'The condition you are in now... it seems that they could not protect you, could they?'

"Who are... they?"

'Those who you have placed your trust in... The stubborn boy across this very room from us for instance, I believe he called himself Justin.'

"Justin... protects me... He helps me..."

'Protects you? Laughable... Look at yourself now. How well have you been protected?'

Razz's voice turns somewhat angry. "It's not his fault..." A bright light starts to shimmer behind the thick, white mist. "I. Don't. Want. You. Here."

Justin doesn't much like the tone this seems to be taking. Razz is drawing tighter into herself, while Laitarne pries ever more persistently at her. And... oh man oh man. /That/ bodes nothing but ill.

'Keep in mind what I have said... You are a means to an end, and nothing more.' 'But what is this... a new power... latent...'

Razz's voice seems to change - a voice much unlike one that would belong to a young elfling like herself. The white mist starts to part, yet nothing could be seen, save for a bright, searing light. "You are not welcome here," the voice echoed, the light growing brighter with every passing moment. "You would do well to leave, Laitarne Tesaia."

'Hmph... my warning and attempt to help has been responded to with threats... Very well... But you would do well to heed my advice.'

Justin toys with the idea of interfering now, but... decides to let the Holy Knight take what's coming to him.

The voice boomed, a merciless, bitter tone. "Before they banished me... They placed these seals upon myself, because they sought to protect the world from me, and could not destroy me... You, are a fool to try and slip under these seals, the only thing that protects you from my wrath!"

Laitarne's presence floods out of Razz's mind, and his eyes snap open... but as he takes his hand from Razz's forehead, he seems to concentrate, an attempt to draw this power out of her comatose form.

Razz's eyes snapped open, and she screamed, and heaved herself upward, and sank her teeth savagely into Laitarne's hand.

Laitarne growls, an uncharacteristic fury filling his ice blue eyes, as he swings his hand and throws Razz.

Justin did /not/ fall asleep during that whole boring affair. Honest. See, look, he's already in motion, catching Razz before she's more than left the bed, and producing his blade from wherever he hides such things. "That will be quite enough, thank you, /sir/."

Laitarne regains his composure, glancing down at his hand, "There. She's awake."

Razz's form was tossed from the bed, and she tumbled to the floor, her body still much too weak to sustain itself for such a fall. But her expression twists into a snarl, and she growls at Laitarne.

Laitarne says: Hmph... Count yourself lucky that I don't deem her rabid and put her out of my misery.

Laitarne levels his cold gaze at Justin.

"Good work there, Laitarne, I knew I could count on you to do what was necessary." says Kaze from the doorway, his frame reclined against that of the door, one foot propped up on the opposite side of the frame, his cloak left open and his right 'arm' hanging loosley at his side.

A white light flashed from Razz's eyes as a crackle of smoke suddenly flared up from her hand, but she winced, and the light diminished as soon as it had came.

Justin steps away from Razz, takes a more proper hold of his broadsword, and sets it, with supreme care, on the bed. "I'll thank you to," without pause, he diverts himself from Laitarne to Kaze, "kindly remove your aide from the room, if I may make such a request. He doesn't seem to be doing any more good for her."

Kaze stands up straight, brushing off the front of his cloak as he enters the room, a sidelong glance cast at Laitarne.

Laitarne smirks down at Razz darkly, before turning towards the door and straightening his longcoat, "I have other things to attend to, your Majesty."

Kaze nods slightly, still absently working his way towards the bed, "But of course, you are excused. Thank you for your hard work, Laitarne."

Razz's face seems to loose some of its hostility as she has shocked by an unexpected pain from her hands, and she sits on the floor, her expression bewildered. Psi sense forgotten, she groped around the floor with her hands, trying to find out where she is.

Laitarne steps out of the room.

Kaze looks over at Razz, a worried expression on his face, "Is she alright?" he asks, all the while edging his way towards the head of the bed.

Justin smiles coldy. "And... thank you for your assistance, yes, Laitarne." His expression fades quickly as Razz's questing hand finds his boot, and he turns and kneels, taking her hands. "Are you alright?" he repeats, similarly concerned.

Razz pauses, as a familiar hand takes hers. Sense and memories came rushing back to her as her mind clears, and she clings to his hand. "...Justin?" She croaked, her throat dry from lack of moisture.

Kaze quickly reaches under the pillow and pulls out two, small 'pellets', half gold, half glass. The glass half of the pellets seems to be filled with a strange silverish liquid, he quickly pockets them and walks over to a nightstand, grabbing a glass and filling it with water, then handing it to Justin.

Justin nods, and relays the glass of water. "Glad you're back with us. It wasn't at all a sure thing."

Kaze sits down on the edge of the bed and watches the two curiously, his head tilted slightly to the side.

Razz kept on hand on Justin's, and takes the water with the other. She drains the glass, thristy, as she always is when she just woke up after some tramatic incident had occurred. Having finished her water, she sets down the glass and latches onto Justin with her other hand as well. Recalling different voices in the room, she turned her head over, her unseeing eyes passing over Kaze without registering him, of course. "Who else is here?"

Kaze speaks in a subdued tone, his voice curiously lacking it's usual 'cold' quality, "My name is Kuroi Kaze. A simple person whom just wished to help your friend Justin see to your well being."

Razz's eyes pulls itself back upon the source of the voice, but she remains silent as she awaits Justin's answer.

Justin nods, again. "Yes. Kaze, our host. Your host, at least. We moved you from the clinic earlier today. Thought it'd be quieter here." He casts a significant glance at Kaze, and out the door through which Laitarne left.

Razz kept her eyes on the source of the strange voice. "Clinic? Why was I in a clinic?"

Kaze shrugs helplessly, "It got her awake, You really can't complain on that field. I hadn't intended for him to come in here, actually... But thats besides the point. I do humbly apologize for his transgressions."

Justin opts, as always, for the whole truth, and nothing but. "You miscarried. Lost an awful lot of blood. And... Crulath knows where we are, or where we were two days whence."

Kaze shakes his head, a bit of disbelief seen on his features, "You'd make a horrible politician, Justin."

Razz's face fell, and went blank. "I lost it?" She murmured.

Justin doesn't have to take that from Kaze, king or no king. "Would it have been less of a blow if she found out later? From some faceless medico?.. ...Yes. There wasn't anything I could do. We could do. There wasn't even anything /Crulath/ could do, and he tried. Preserve us all from whoever layed those seals on you."

Kaze laughs again, his hand coming up to push his hair back and out of his eyes, "My my, a snappish child, too. No, it wouldn't have been better, but some of us are goverened by the great skill called tact. It would have been just as well to bludgeon her over the head. "Welcome back to conciousness! Let's SHOCK you out of it as fast as possible." My my... Would you like the maids to get her some clothing? I'm sure that robe is a bit cold." Kaze says this last part absently as he lifts one of the pellets from his pocket and taps it against the bedframe, the liquid inside glows a soft white then calms down yet again, he then nods and slips that one into a seperate pouch.

Justin is not in the mood for this. Nope. Why must they all taunt, 'child'? 'Boy'? He's got 80 years on the man. At least. To call him tactless... the very /nerve/! Ahem. He's right, but oh well. Just to prove him wrong, he lets the needling pass, and nods to the serious suggestion. "Ah, if you would..?"

Kaze stands up and motions to a nearby servant, whispering to her and giving her directions and what to grab, he then turns to Justin and nods his head, "The clothing will be gotten. I will leave you two for now, I'm sure you two will have much to speak of. If you need anything, just ring the bell on the nightstand over there. I do wish to give you two a proper welcoming when you are up to it."

Justin nods, and performs the nearest approximation of a bow possible while seated. "Thank you."

Kaze nods then bows to Razz, "And be well, lady Razz." he then turns and walks out the door, his hand idly flipping the second pellet in the air as he turns down the hall whistling to himself. A servant closes the door after he exits.

Justin debates, rather pointlessly, whether he ought to put Razz back on the bed, or wait until she gets up herself. Hopefully she'll make the decision for him soon enough.

Razz remained quiet through Justin and Kaze's conversation, her hands clinging limply to Justin's hand and robe. She heard the man leave, and she reached a hand down to feel at her stomach. A dull ache answers her, but she no longer cares.... Drawing in a deep breath, she releases a heavy sigh, and seems to collapse in on herself. There is nothing to say... nothing to say at all....

Justin doesn't blame her. He knows in every way that's possible exactly the grief she's suffering. Silent comfort isn't going be worth much, but it'll be a damn sight better than anything he could say.

Razz closed her eyes. If she had the strength, she would be bitter, burn with hatred, maybe, perhaps. But she doesn't. She's just... so... sad... and it's sapping away all her strength... That all she can do is just to be still... and try not to feel anything... Not feel the emptiness in her belly...

Razz slowly lays her head against Justin. There was a nice place, with a comforting mist... It was a nice place that makes her forget all the pain... She wants to go back there... And slowly, she drifted back to sleep.

Justin relaxes. Almost. As much as he relaxes ever, perhaps. The chill of the floor eventually penetrates, however, so-- carefully, now-- he lifts Razz, moves her to the bed. Waits... until he's sure she isn't going to explode again, then resumes his seat at the bedside.