Each Day's a Gift and Not a Given Right

[Coryth Elaris]

Though Kaida was right. The whole affair was incredibly taxing on her. Her mind ached badly and her body just as much. Her feet thoroughly frozen to the ground as she tried to pull them free while the Nexu went to attacking Kaida. With her eyes mostly on the Eldorai and keeping up the grand Illusion she'd created, she tried to get her feet free as she reached down trying to pry the ice from her skin.

As the wind in the room increased it was getting harder and harder to keep up the illusion. Harder and harder to keep up with the small details that made the forest seem so real. Trees started to disappear as she had to choose her focus on what she wanted exactly, that being Kaida. The cold was getting to Coryth as time went on hardly able to keep her mind together when she was shivering, and snow collecting upon her skin starting to not only sting but hurt. The cold aching her body. Finally the illusion dropped away, but somehow the little redhead managed to keep herself shrouded in light hiding her from sight.

Taking a couple slow breaths Coryth tried to calm herself as she looked to the Eldorai. About that horde of Nexu? With the forest now gone ... The redhead had room for another illusion. This time, she conjured three ice tigers and with a wave of her fingers sent them to attack Kaida. Two from the front and one behind. Though at this rate, the Illusionist could not last forever. Especially when she was stuck to the ground by ice!

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


The illusions Coryth was using were undoubtedly taxing, but by the same token this also applied to the blizzard Kaida was conjuring up. This contributed to a number of things. For one, although Angelii received training to fortify their mental defences, Kaida was no expert in that. Moreover, it was doubtful that Angelii had faced an illusionist of Coryth's calibre. This meant that the ice tigers would look extremely real to her, despite the fact that she logically knew that that they had to be illusions. Likewise the pain they inflicted would seem very real.


She felt a sense of danger as her Force senses flared up and broke off the attempt to drive a blizzard across the room, though the numbing, bone-chilling cold would remain. Realising what the trigers were trying to do, Kaida leapt high...very high into the air as she jumped over them, though not before she felt a sharp pain tear through her back as the tiger from pounced and sunk its claws into her. Landing behind the tigers upon the snow-covered ground, she reacted quickly as they spun and brought down her yellow lightsabre to chop the head off the first tiger that came at her. Unfortunately for Kaida, the other two were swiftly upon her, having each come from the flank, and she was brought down.


Pinned to the ground as the two ice tigers mauled and tore at her with teeth and claws, she was thrust down when she tried to move and cried out in painful agony when her right hand was suddenly bitten off. Of course, in actuality her hand was still there, but it felt real to her. Likewise the blood that was seeping into the snow looked real. Her shirt was torn as the claws of one of the tigers ripped through it, while the other went for her leg. Desperation, fear and anger came together to produce an explosive mixture as she unleashed her Sciia, pooling her energies into summoning a whirlwind. Abruptly both ice tigers were gripped by the sheer force of the numbingly cold wind and slammed through the air into opposing walls as the whirlwind swept through the room, viciously gathering everything up that came in its path.


Coryth was invinsible and Kaida did not have the mentalist prowess to see through her cloak, but the icy wind was area of effect, so perhaps she would be hit as well by it. Moreover, as the moisture in the air hardened and solidified, icicles dropped down. When Kaida was angry, which she was becoming now as she was deeply in pain, it manifested not in boiling rage, but in plain and simply making everything around her colder...which was what happened in the room as the temperature dropped further and further. White hot pain was coursing through her body due to the wounds inflicted by the tigers, though the cold had the effect of stopping the bleeding and sealing the wounds, for the moment at least.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Kaida's pain rippled across the room to Coryth, throwing her off just a little as she realized the pain she was inflicting. It took it's toll on the little redhead, for hurting people she did not like to do. Hated it in fact, but it was just part of the reality she lived in. The blizzard was tearing at her, her feet painfully frozen to the ground and it was getting harder and harder to conjure such illusions on the scale that she did here. Her feet bare, sore and very much aching, that pain was making it incredibly difficult to keep herself focused. Her concentration was starting to break.

Breathing in deeply and out slowly, she tried so hard to calm herself. Anything to push past the pain she felt, though it wasn't nearly as bad as what Kaida was dealing with. Soon enough the Eldorai's hand would reappear as Coryth could not keep the that part of the Illusion up much longer. The blood faded from the snow as she finally let go of keeping the illusion up on that end. The poor redhead wasn't just shivering, but chattering her teeth as the cold sunk deep down to her bones. In that instance she just wanted the cold to stop, to be warm again.

But the battle was not quite over. As Kaida lashed out with the whirlwind, Coryth couldn't escape it. Torn from the ground where she'd been held, she was thrown high into the air. At last she let go of her invisibility, as she went for a protective bubble to help her with the impact against the wall. Still it wasn't as good as she wanted. The redhead slid down the wall, slumped and groaning as she finally looked up, looking for Kaida again as she was still shivering freezing in the current environment.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


And so suddenly her hand was back. Well, that felt most peculiar to Kaida. The illusion had been so real that she had truly believed it was gone and that she was in pain. For a moment she lost track of the battle as she stared down upon her apparently intact hand, flexing her fingers. Well, said hand was by now covered in snow and frost. The same applied to Kaida's entire body. Contrary to what one might think, being a cryomancer did not make you immune to hypothermia, it was simply less of a problem, but still not something you were immune to.


And so she found herself shivering in the cold, but her mind was taken off that when she heard Coryth fall against the wall and then slide down, slumped. Likewise she heard her groan. It did not take a genius to figure out that the little redhead really needed to get out of the cold now. Kaida...to a degree felt bad about putting her through this. Not to the extent that she felt she should have handled her in a gentler manner, for the short stack of fire was a Master as well and if she had been treated like a fainting blossom she would not have gained anything. Still....she felt kind of bad about causing her pain. Something she never really felt when she put Angelii recruits through their paces.


And so Kaida quickly rushed towards her over the snow-covered, slippery ground. With her no longer pushing the whirlwind it would keep raging for a while, though with reduced intensity and soon dissipate of its own accord. Without a word she picked up the freezing redhead, craddling her in her arms. Kaida was feeling terribly cold, but it might give the redhead some warmth, so she hugged her against her voluptuous body, then quickly rushed out of the frozen training room with her, though she had to kick the door open. Coryth would be taken somewhere warm, namely the medbay. For one it was a lot hotter there and she could get dried off and warmed up.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth was still trying to get her bearings really after having been tossed about as Kaida raced to her. Scooping her up, the redhead didn't even resist in the least. In fact she shifted in the Eldorai's arms and clung to her, for warmth, and a little for comfort after that. Chattering against Kaida she only watched as the blonde kicked open the door.

Still shivering quite noticeably, Coryth only took a small breath and disentangled herself from Kaida to take a seat on one of the nearby beds and quickly wrapped a blanket around her body. Her feet were bright red, and quite painful to even touch much less. Still chattering she looked to Kaida as she pulled her feet up onto the bed, gently crossing her legs so that she could help to warm the frostbitten flesh.

"Holy chit, Kaida. Never been through anything like that." Coryth finally managed to speak. To say she was a bit shocked by it all was an understatement. Never before had she dealt with Cryomancy. Never. And this experience was quite eye opening. "I have no idea, truly how to combat half of what you did to me. Other than to try and break your concentration. But that doesn't get me warm. And certainly doesn't protect me from frostbite, and hypothermia."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Whilst Coryth spoke, Kaida had filled a basin full with warm water. Quickly returning to the redhead, though she took care not to spill any of the water, she placed the basin on the bed and gently moved Coryth's tiny, frostbitten feet into it so that they would be submerged and feel some warmth. That done she checked the woman's temperature, wiping away frost from her skin with a warm towel.


"I'll take that as a compliment," she said dryly. "Tapas is a handy skill against it. It allows you to remain warm in a cold environment, but also to endure in extreme heat, by using the Force. A suit of armour sealed against environmental hazards helps as well. That protection bubble of yours can be used offensively, by the way. Encase an opponent inside a bubble, their attacks backfire. Your illusions were...very realistic. It felt to me like I'd lost a hand."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth sighed softly, watching as Kaida filled the basin and returned to her side. "Never thought I'd feel warm again. So damn cold." She hissed a little as her ice cold feet, met with the nice warm water. For a moment it stung and hurt but soon enough the pain was being soothed away. A smile formed as Kaida wiped the frost away from her skin, still shivering. The woman was being so kind and caring to her. It'd been a long while since someone had taken care of her, instead of her taking care of them.

"It is, in way. Just ... elementalist are rare. I've never experienced that in combat. Never had to face a foe like you did." The tiny woman was slowly, slowly starting to warm up. She gave a small nod, "I've heard about it ... Just never knew someone who could help me to train it. In theory that used with how I mask myself from sight with light ... could make me invisible to even infrared and some droids with those capabilities."

The tiny Master nodded again, "Yeah, they can be that way. Feel exactly like the real thing, if one I put the effort behind it, and two if I can invade my opponents mind to further the Illusion. There's a lot of skills that must be used at once and rely on a lot with the opponent. Like with you and being able to get inside your head just a little bit to make you feel the pain as real as any injury. Trick the eyes to believing." She shook her head slowing, "Seeing is deceiving. Sight being the easiest sense that I can fool. If I can trick the eye, it usually doesn't take that much more to press into the mind and work from there to make the altered reality that much more real."

"The way to deal with Illusions comes in trusting your mind, knowing what isn't real and what is. And secondly, not letting a soul into your mind. Something I could show you sometime if you'd like."

"Also the whole water in the eyes thing ... That was ... most unexpected and maybe even a little mean way to start off." Said with a small chuckle, speaking more in jest than anything else. It wasn't mean. It was just the reality of combat. A reality she did not like.

Then her mind drifted to the one possession she was lacking. "Do you still have my saber? You got that away from me easily enough." The saber that she'd managed to keep her entire life. Engraved with a personal oath to herself. I shall do no harm, seek the weak, feeble, ill and wounded. Above all else, help those who need it most. No matter the side. No matter the cost. A simple inscription that Kaida would no doubt see. It was what had guided Coryth's life for so long.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"Mean? Perhaps, but combat's like that. And I have a reputation to uphold," Kaida said simply, giving the redhead a quick kiss on the cheek. Well, she was sort of mean! Just go ask Elayne Saedaris! At Coryth's question she gave the little Jedi a nod and then walked over to where she had left the unignited lightsabre. It had been dried off and all the frost had been removed.


Taking the lightsabre she passed it over to Coryth. Or rather put it on her bedside table since the short stack of fire would probably not be stabbing people today. Well, hopefully not! However, before she let go of the weapon Kaida obviously saw the simple inscription on it. The words were...very noble, self-sacrficing, extremely idealistic, particularly the part about helping anyone regardless of their side. Kaida could think of a few ways of how that could go badly. It made her wonder a bit about how Coryth's friendship with someone like Kerrigan could work. "Your oath?" she enquired.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"Yes, I suppose it is." A bit of a pink hue spread across her skin at the kiss upon her cheek. "I'm just .. I guess .. almost naive about it. I expect others to play fair because I do. A foolish notion, I know."

Coryth nodded, her eyes dropping to the ground as she thought about those words. "I was .. a bit of an idealistic teenager. Just barely sixteen when I made the inscription." A shrug followed, "If anything now, it just reminds me that to not take a life unless there is no other option. To defend those who truly need it, and help where I can." She frowned a little thinking further into it. "I still heal the enemy if they are brought into my medbay. I can't just let someone die simply because they were on the opposing team. Not everyone has a choice in the side they fight on. And ... an enemy in a medical bay, once healed can offer valuable intel." Another shrug, "But yes, my oath. I'm a healer before I am anything else. Always will be."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"True," Kaida said when Coryth brought up the fact that getting enemy wounded to cooperate probably worked better after patching them up. The Angelii happened to be one of the less mean Eldorai. Yes, less mean! For one, she did not think heretics should be burnt at the stake. Or hanged, drawn and quartered.


"It's idealistic, but very noble. Shows how dedicated you are. Just makes you wonder how your...friendship with Kerrigan works then," she said carefully. There had been...rumours about how close the two women were. Never mind the fact that the press was naturally making up stories. It would probably get a lot worse after lil' Coryth became Exarch.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

The redhead nodded slowly at Kaida's reply. Then the Eldorai went on. "Yeah... I suppose it does. Aside from a few mistakes, my life has been dedicated to healing. Even my attacks, as you noticed aside from throwing you away from me do not physically do harm. I try hard to stick by that."

A sigh came, "Honestly Kaida, it's not come up. And I've never been deployed to the frontlines anywhere. A few scouting missions here and there but little else. Though there was a lot of wandering through Sith temples early on when I was a jedi. I did heal a few of the Sith I harmed then. So, I don't know what will happen or what Siobhan will think if I do so now." A shrug came, "I hope that I don't have to face that choice between friendship and duty. Which may never happen as I'm taking more desk job roles and less involved with the front lines." At least that was what she truly hoped. "Otherwise, I fear a clash will come between the two of us."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"I have some difficulty imagining you behind a desk," Kaida commented. Of course, people did change! But at present she had the impression that sooner or later paperwork would drive the poor redhead nuts. Moderately uncomfortable silence. Kaida understood enough to know how close Coryth and Kerrigan were.


This...would have dictated that she be tactful, but her intense dislike of the woman still shined through. "Kerrigan got thousands of her own people killed on Gehenna. The first battle. And she's a darksider. She may be the force that's better on your side than against you, but we're not friends. Nor will we be. I understand you're close."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"You and me both." Coryth said quietly. The redhead was changing and she knew it. Slowly and steadily she was pooling her resources and planning for her own business. Soon enough it would happen. "I like my work. Love it even. So, being behind a desk is hard, but I'm not as young as I used to be. I can't forever be racing off to heal people without any regard for my own well being."

Coryth could sense the change, the uncomfortable silence between them as well. "Yes I'm aware." A nod followed, "I don't expect you to be friends with her. Not at all. Nor is it right for me to even dream of asking. She's treated me well, helped me work through a lot of serious issues that I've held. One of the few people I have been able to rely on and who was there for me when I needed it most."

Leaning forward she gave Kaida a sweet kiss upon her cheek. "Doesn't change how I feel about you."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


The sweet kiss caught Kaida off-guard, though she certainly appreciated it! It also had the effect of making her drop all talk about Kerrigan. The less words spent on her, the better. Just as well that she did not know about memory sharing and stuff.


"Well, that's actually the matter I'm uncertain about. I don't want to be clingy. You have your life, I have mine. I'm just wondering where we stand at present," she spoke. Having one date did not equal instantaneous love and living happily ever after! "I'm not really used to this."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

"We do each have our own lives. And clingy ... no, you've not been such yet. I would let you know if you had been." Coryth paused and dropped her eyes for a moment as she thought about what Kaida had said. Lay all your cards on the table... Might as well, it's not like another chance like this is going to pass your way any time soon. Looking up with a smile upon her lips, a soft sigh escaped her as she tried to work through to make sure she said everything just right. "Kaida, I really like you. I enjoy your company a great deal. I'm starting to care for you as more than just a friend." Another sigh "I'm not used to any of this either."

"Kaida, I would like to date you, and see where things go. That is ... if you want it as well." Please don't turn me down, please... The redhead uncertain she could handle the rejection from someone she was starting to care for.

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


"Coryth...I...well...," the short stack of fire had the remarkable ability to leave Kaida utterly tongue-tied and turn her into a stammering fool. She was truly a special snowflake. Verily, if she were to be cloned, the Galaxy would not survive the sheer special snowflakeyness.


"I'm not good with emotional stuff. And I haven't really dated before," she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed, but at least she had regained the ability to say complete sentences, so that had to count for something. "Besides, my life expectancy will either be extremely short or unnaturally long. But I really...like you a lot. You actually awaken sides in my I did not think existed. So I'd...like to try with you," and so she kissed the redhead. "No hard feelings if things don't work out."

 

[Coryth Elaris]

Coryth reached out and gently ran a hand across Kaida's cheek as she got all flustered. A soft nod followed, "Believe it or not, I understand entirely." A brief frown crossed her lips, "I've not dated in over a decade. So I understand. The person then was my first love. First .. well, first everything." She couldn't help a brief moment of sadness as she thought back to those moments. "Anyway ... my point is I'm not used to this either. I'm not really sure how to go about any of it if I'm being perfectly honest." Almost funny how the two women were in similar situations in that regard.

The redhead paused for a moment. "You've no idea how happy it makes me to hear that." Wrapping her arms around Kaida, returning the kiss passionately as she ran a hand through the Eldorai's golden locks. Withdrawing, she grinned brightly. Just content in that moment.

At least for her part Coryth was warming up at last, her feet finally starting to ache less and looking almost normal once more. "No, no hard feelings at all if it doesn't."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Picking up on the sadness in Coryth's tone Kaida gave the woman's hand in tight squeeze. There was a story behind this, one that clearly carried plenty of pain, but it did not seem the moment to pry. That said, the ice queen seemed to melt into the embrace as Coryth hugged and kissed her. As the pleasured sigh showed, she clearly liked Coryth's hand inside her golden locks.


"I cannot replace your first love...but I will be there for you. I am very happy with the way things have gone...us...I mean," Kaida looked a bit flustered. "And apparently you possess the magical power to make me tongue-tied and flustered." Never being one for sappy declarations, she deepened the kiss.

 

[Coryth Elaris]

She smiled faintly as the squeeze of her hand. Reaching down, she gently patted Kaida's hand that was still upon hers. "It's alright. And I appreciate that." Stars knew Coryth needed more people who could actually be there for her, in her life and all the hell she went through. "Me as well. It wasn't what I expected but I'm so glad it happened." Coryth chuckled a little at Kaida's next comment. "It seems so." Coryth did have to admit, Kaida being a woman of actions and not words was a hell of an attractive quality. Damn sexy if you asked her.

Finally Coryth came up for air, nuzzling the Eldorai's nose briefly before pulling back, every bit a happy content woman. "You know ... I certainly could get used to this."

[member="Kaida Taldir"]

 

[Kaida Taldir]

[member="Coryth Elaris"]


Kaida took one of the redhead's hand into hers. The touch was a bit awkward, but no less sincere in affection. Kaida's hand was scarred and callused, likewise it seemed that her body temperature was always slightly lower than that of the average person. "I admit I am a bit...uncertain about how to proceed, beyond the obvious I mean." The obvious being crochet, of course.


"I suppose there's no protocol for dating and I'll just have to find my own way." Kaida's jokes were not getting any better, but in any case she settled down on Coryth's bedside. When she thought about it, she felt a bit embarrassed about how little she knew about Coryth. She seemed to be searching her memory for a bit before she finally came across something. "You have a boat, right? Maybe, when things are less chaotic, we can go boat riding. Just don't befriend all the Behemoths or else some of my people might either get paranoid or want to build statues for you."