"I'm not sure. I was trying to- to see if I could attune to whatever reached through him but I... It almost felt like something beat me to...."
She trails off at the sight of the pendant. There's a strange somersault of emotions in her gut. Anger is the quickest and easiest impulse, fury that someone who isn't Evandrin or Zerxus or at least part of the Ring would dare... But that's just it: no one would dare.
It's very hard to breathe. Like something heavy is sitting on her chest and making her work for each inhalation.
"Fuck," she whispers. Reaches very tentatively toward the necklace. She wants to confirm, verify somehow.
She touches it, and that burning white glow she felt before in the corners of the stranger's mind surges. Blinds her as the stranger--Neal, Zerxus said, didn't he?--stirs.
He opens his eyes, but they aren't a pure bright blue. There's a hazy smokescreen of amethyst in the iris and the white, winks of green.
He--Evandrin, not Neal--takes in a slow breath and smiles brokenly at Laerryn, even as he searches for Zerxus's hand. "Hello, stranger."
Laerryn takes several steps back, the frost of shock rushing through her. That's not a demon, not an illusion.
"Van?"
A pained smile, before he's looking at Zerxus again. "I didn't know if the... the pendant as an anchor would work, but it seems to. There's another problem though, I-"
He grimaces, has to stay silent a moment until the wave of pain passes. Then he goes on with a gasp. "It hurts him when I do this."
no subject
She trails off at the sight of the pendant. There's a strange somersault of emotions in her gut. Anger is the quickest and easiest impulse, fury that someone who isn't Evandrin or Zerxus or at least part of the Ring would dare... But that's just it: no one would dare.
It's very hard to breathe. Like something heavy is sitting on her chest and making her work for each inhalation.
"Fuck," she whispers. Reaches very tentatively toward the necklace. She wants to confirm, verify somehow.
She touches it, and that burning white glow she felt before in the corners of the stranger's mind surges. Blinds her as the stranger--Neal, Zerxus said, didn't he?--stirs.
He opens his eyes, but they aren't a pure bright blue. There's a hazy smokescreen of amethyst in the iris and the white, winks of green.
He--Evandrin, not Neal--takes in a slow breath and smiles brokenly at Laerryn, even as he searches for Zerxus's hand. "Hello, stranger."
Laerryn takes several steps back, the frost of shock rushing through her. That's not a demon, not an illusion.
"Van?"
A pained smile, before he's looking at Zerxus again. "I didn't know if the... the pendant as an anchor would work, but it seems to. There's another problem though, I-"
He grimaces, has to stay silent a moment until the wave of pain passes. Then he goes on with a gasp. "It hurts him when I do this."