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“How exactly did you two become bonded?”
Rose swallowed hard at the drink already in her mouth and if Rhapsody had a drink in her mouth it more than likely would've been spat across the table, drenching Omen in the process. The question drifted from Alkar who was only half sober at the moment and barely managed to keep from irking August who reluctantly joined them at the Tavern table. Ezra, Omen, and Finn were also at the table and the tension was thickening by the second after those words were slurred.
Rose cleared her throat, eyes darting between August who was firing off eye daggers at Alkar and Alkar who kept looking between her and Rhapsody. “Wha—um, what uh...why are you asking?”
Alkar shrugged, a careless gesture formed from such a serious question. “You mentioned it the day you got here shortly after you two met up. What I don't get is that not one of you is a vampire or a werewolf. So. How? And I know for a fact I'm not the only one who wants to know.” Smug was the finishing tone in that sentence, lobbying a grin around the table at everyone else to match his words.
Rhapsody sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It is a fair question, Rose. This would be part of 'getting to know each other', non?” The only reason they were all sitting at a table together tonight was on Rose's insistence that they 'learn to become friends' or in some of their cases – better friends. Rhapsody had no idea what she bribed August with to get them to agree to sit with the current group at the table but she was sure it must've been good. No, knowing August? It must've been absolutely fantastic.
Rose tittered in her seat, crossing her ankles as she worked the side of her lip between her teeth. “Yes, but are you sure you want to answer? I have no problems telling the story but I know how you are about personal things and nothing really gets more personal than that...”
Giving a reassuring smile, Rhapsody reached over to squeeze Rose's hand. “I'm sure and it would've come up sooner or later. So, let's answer and get rid of some of the nerves I feel around this table, yeah?”
Nodding, Rose returned the gesture and addressed everyone else. “Ok, well, you see. What had happened was...”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A Lich had been summoned in the middle of the city and while the Hunters and Enforcers had won the fight, Rose had been critically injured. Barbs fired from the Lich's finger tips as a last ditch effort before their head was taken and Rose used herself to shield the witches helping in the defense of the city. One of the barbs pierced her chest, causing her to fall to her knees as Rhapsody looked on in horror. She wasted no time in grabbing Rose, not looking back as she made a race against time.
Rhapsody raced up the hospital stairs with Rose in her arms. “No, no, no! You're gonna be ok! I promise you're gonna be ok! Stay with me, Rose!” Her pace quickened as she rounded a corner, making her way to one of the operating rooms.
Rhapsody set Rose down on the operating table as her friend began to slightly convulse. She assessed the damage as she heard footsteps rapidly making their way toward them. Rose's beautiful skin had begun to harden and gray as the veins in her body thickened with the poison from the barb. Her once vibrant eyes started to turn milky, void of life as the effects took hold. Rhapsody racked her brain for any and every thing she knew about Liches. At the rate her skin and eyes were changing, she knew she had little less than fifteen minutes to stabilize Rose. If she couldn't or was unable to, her friend would turn into the very fiend they just fought.
Rhapsody started to remove her armor, biting back tears as each layer pulled back revealed more of her friend's physical torment. “It'll be ok, Rose. Stay with me, ok? It'll be ok.”
Finally, she saw where the barb was lodged – in her chest, right above her heart. Rhapsody's stomach sank to her knees. The location of the injury meant that now she had even less time than she originally thought. The poison was moving too quickly through her bloodstream and she was already losing her fast. Going to pull out the barb, a booming voice stopped her.
“Don't! If you do that, the rest of the poison will release and we will lose her for sure!” The Healer stopped short of the table with the Enforcer General and another Hunter flanking them.
They quickly checked over Rose, assessing everything Rhapsody did before they turned to her apologetically. “I'm sorry, there's noth---”
“No! No, there has to be something! There has to be...” Rhapsody made her way closer to Rose who was trying to smile at her, raising her hand to cup Rhapsody's cheek once she was near. Rhapsody gave her hand a gentle squeeze, wondering why she found it so hard to see all of a sudden as she felt wetness trail down her cheek.
“D-don't cry. I'll be ok, you'll see. You'll...see...” Rose's eyes fluttered closed, head lulling back as she lost consciousness.
“Let her go, Hunter. You heard the healer. Nothing can be done. Her energy is too corrupt and she is beyond saving. She needs to be killed before the final changes can take place.”
Rhapsody turned toward the Enforcer sharply, a verbal strike on the tip of her tongue before stopping just as suddenly. “Wait, say that again.”
“I said let her go--”
“No, after that.”
The Enforcer let out a dramatic sigh, waving their hand as their eyes narrowed. “Her energy---”
Rhapsody let out a short laugh and nodded. “Yes, that's it. That's how I can save her!”
The Hunter and Healer shared confused looks as the Enforcer looked just as bewildered. “What are you going on about?”
“Get out,” Rhapsody grounded out, her mind made up.
“Now hold on just a---” the sentence was never completed as Rhapsody quickly shoved everyone out of the room and barred the door. “No one is allowed to come in here. I'm doing an energy exchange. This could be the only way to help her.”
She ignored the yelling and screaming protests as she made her way back to Rose, yanking off her blocking charms. Doubling over with the pain that was coming off of Rose in waves, she limped back to the table and looked down at the woman who had become so dear to her within such a short amount of time. Her breathing was shallow but quick, hinting at the transformation which was just moments away. If she was going to do this she needed to do it now.
“I'm sorry. I'm sorry you never got to voice your opinion on being saved or how you were saved. This, what I'm about to do it...it has a very good chance of making us closer to each other than you could possibly ever want to be. And I'm so, so sorry for that. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
Tentative hands reached for her, cupping her face as Rhapsody allowed her aura to fill the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
“And I forgave her when I was better. Not like there was anything to forgive, of course. I mean, she could've just given up on me like everyone else wanted to. But nooope! Not our Rhapsody. She fights to the very end.” Rose smiled and took a sip of her drink, looking to Rhapsody to fill in the details she could not.
Rhapsody found the silence pressing, afraid to even venture beyond her blocking charms the tiniest bit to see what the mood was. She could take a very good guess, her hand wrapping around her glass as her thumb absently rubbed the rim while she spoke.
“It took six long, unsure hours of plucking and pulling the corrupted parts of her Aura away before her features returned to normal.” Rhapsody offered quietly, looking only at the table. “I took what was bad and replaced it with my own energy, section by section. Glossing over every tendril until I was certain there was no more malice before I moved on to the next piece. It was the most painstaking, nerve racking thing I have ever done with my abilities.”
Rhapsody turned to Rose who was already looking at her, a smile gracing her features which only got bigger as Rhapsody gently returned it.
“And before you ask, the answer to your question is yes. Yes, I'd do it again.” She huffed out a laugh as Rose's arms went around her in a tight hug.
“I love you too, Music!”
Rhapsody kissed her cheek before letting her go, eyes finally looking at the ones who listened to the story. “But now you know how we became 'bonded'. I can always feel her presence, tell where she is. Obviously, the closer she physically is the more details I get but I can also feel what she feels as she feels it.”
Rose nodded, taking another drink from her glass. “It's a two way street. I can sense her and feel her emotions as well. It's great for letting me know when a certain someone hasn't slept in three days.”
“Tattle tale.”
Rose batted her eyes innocently over the rim of her glass. The sentence had the desired effect she was looking for: Ezra immediately leaned in to find out how often this happens, how severe it was, etc to try to give her something after they were done for the evening. Finn said nothing but his eyes were full of concern as they glossed over Rhapsody while she answered Ezra's questions. Omen and Alkar begun asking Rose more questions about the bonding experience which she happily answered as she looked to August who was sipping from his wine glass in contemplation.
August had inquired about the bond they heard about in a casual manner but Rose knew August better than that. She let them know that it wasn't just her story to tell and that they would have to show up to at least one of these occasional friend meet ups before she got Rhapsody to share the story with her. August let out a sigh, walking away and closing the door to their office. Rose had thought that was the end of it until they asked what time she'd be at the Tavern tonight.
She caught August's eyes, giving them a winning smile which turned into a grin when their eyes softened before turning her attention to Omen and answering his question. While she hoped that this set August's mind at ease to the relationship between Rhapsody and herself, she also hoped that it eased the minds of Ezra and Finn. They had already approached her, getting advice from her on ways to try to show Rhapsody that it was ok for her to like them as much as she did so that something more romantic could blossom between the three of them.
Rose felt that tonight made it clear to everyone that while there was no romantic attachment between the two of them, and there never had been, they were still quite close. But, as with most things, only time would tell what sharing the story of their exact relationship would do. As always, Rose hoped for the best while she knew that Rhapsody would plan for the worst. They balanced each other out like that.
Rose would have it be no other way.