Do I Look Like A Damsel In Distress?

Chaos mock glared at Sol over the whole 'unheating' business. She looked at the pot. She went to the 'kitchen' part of the cabin and started opening drawers. She was looking for oven mitts. She opened the next drawer and viola, there they were. She picked them up and stared at the cabinets. They were so interesting. Sol found pots, pans, plates, and silverware. And now oven mitts Chaos swore they weren't there last time though. Maybe the drawers were magical.

"Immortality potion, please." Chaos said jokingly and opened a drawer. A bottle - a bottle that she was sure wasn't there before- lay down. It was filled with brown liquid. She picked it up and upon closer inspection, frowned. Vanilla.v"Tease" She muttered at the drawers and through the bottle back in.

Chaos headed for the table and slowly took the lid off. Steam coiled out and she took a step back. Once them mini-sauna attack was over she moved closer. It looked good, she wondered where Sol found- she sighed mentally hitting herself in the head. She had been in the city for way too long.

Chaos put some of the meat on a plate and sat down. She ate slowly, lazily, not conscious of what she was doing. She was focused on other things. Besides her dreams and injuries, her knives were still with the archangels. That was her number one priority. She needed those knives. She thought about ways to get them back as she ate. She glanced at Sol. Teasing her with a nap, he would, she mentally joked.

[Solemn Creed]

Shortly after Sol closed his eyes he reopened them, except he was no longer in the cabin. Another dream.

Sol was in a jungle and it was hot as hell. There were bugs everywhere and some seemed as big as a man's head. He reached up to wipe the sweat off of the back of his neck but was surprised when he felt no hair.

Sol reached up and took off the hat he was wearing. He ran his hand over his head, still surprised by his buzzcut. Sol had always prefered to keep his hair at a relatively long length, for a man anyway.

A voice whispered to him from somewhere to his side [glow=blue,2,300]"Sir, did you hear that?"[/glow]

Sol looked over and saw a soldier. Then it hit him. The memory was from his tour in Vietnam. He looked around and saw the rest of his platoon. He was first lieutenant Solomon Johnson of the United States Marine Corps and if his memory was correct this was the day his entire platoon would be ambushed and slaughtered.

Chaos finished eating and cleaned up, as well as she could without a sink. She sat down and thought about something she could do. Cue light bulb flashing over her head. She let her wings burst out from her back and curled them around herself. She pulled a section of her wings and out popped a small preening comb.

Chaos's wings were much like bird, and needed to be kept clean and healthy. Preening worked the best. And since her wings were pretty dirty it would take some time. The preening comb looked very similar to her knives designs. It was also silver, but instead of a big blue sapphire, she had many small sapphires dotting around the comb. The comb part itself resembled jaws, opening and closing. They were hooked at the end to help pick out dirt and parasites.

Chaos grabbed the first feather and gently closed the comb around it before gently pulling it away from the feather. She shook out the dirt and did it a few more times. Then she started on the next one. Preening was a very simple process, but because Chaos had so many feather and they were larger than a birds, it took time. Though her comb was slightly larger to accommodate an angel's feathers, it was still very time consuming.

Chaos paused her ministrations to steal a glance at Sol. She wondered what he was dreaming about. She hoped he wouldn't get hurt. She didn't know if he could also come out of dreams with injuries, but she'd rather not see that. After all, they still didn't know what the cause of it was. Chaos looked at her scratched up hands. She sighed and continued preening.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol had indeed heard the sound. It had been the sound of men sneaking through the brush. Sol opened his mouth to warn his men when he heard another sound, then his world exploded.

Sol was on the ground with something on top of him. He opened his eyes, he hadnt realized at the time that he had closed them, his vision was shaky and he couldnt see clearly as if someone was shining a bright light in his eyes. Sol's ears were ringing and he couldnt hear anything.

Sol groaned. His entire body hurt. His shirt was shreaded and his chest studded with shrapnel. Sol's hearing slowly came back and he could hear screaming and machine gun fire. He must have been hit with a grenade, the private next to him must have taken most of the damage.

After brushing the intestine off of his legs Sol curled up into a ball and waited for it all to end.

Chaos was done with her whole wing. It had been a while and Sol hadn't made a peep. She started on the other wing, working feather by feather. Preening was such a pain. Her arms were starting to ache. She just happened to glance up at Sol and had to do a double take. He was...bleeding. Chaos noticed as little cuts began appearing on his neck and his lower arms. She immediately dropped the preening comb and rushed over to him. Was he getting hurt in his dreams too now?

Chaos sunk to her knees to be more face to face with him. She called his name. She touched his cheek. She cupped his chin and pulled his face up. "Sol? Sol, are you okay? Can you hear me?" Chaos said pressing a hand to his chest. She pulled it back as if she had been burned. she looked at her hand; it was stained red.

"Sol?! Sol! Wake up!" Chaos said afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him. His face seemed okay though, but her hands were bloody. He was bleeding way too much. What the hell was going on in his dream? The blood was seeping well through his shirt and she didn't know what to do. She panicked.

She pulled the shirt over his head, blood smearing his cheek. She gasped. His chest. It looked like a war zone. She wadded up the shirt and started dabbing at the millions of tiny but deep cuts. It looked like something had been embedded into his skin and then taken out. Her hands were covered in blood and he still wouldn't wake up. He was going to bleed out.

Chaos dropped the useless t-shirt and brushed her hair back. Blood smeared on porcelain skin. She didn't even notice. She took a deep breath and pressed her hands into Sol's chest, ignoring the blood. Her hands began to glow and the blood began to retract back into his body. Chaos sighed in relief. She focused harder, pushing more energy into his body. The cuts were all gone. She leaned back for a second and took a breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them she almost cried in frustration. The cuts were beginning to open. In frustration and desperation Chaos punched Sol in the shoulder. Hard.

"God Dammit! Wake up, Sol!" She yelled. He stirred. The bleeding stopped.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol opened his eyes and this time he was greeted by the sight of the cabin and... Chaos' face? She looked alarmed. He tried to get up but felt pain in his chest. He looked down and saw he was bleeding. The shrapnel wounds from his dream! The thing that had happened to Chaos had happened to him now.

Sol winced. [glow=red,2,300]"Well. That stings."[/glow]

Sol stood up and looked around for his shirt. He groaned when he saw it was soaked in blood. That was another thing he would have to take care of. He couldnt believe that now he couldnt even take a quick nap with out waking up full of holes!

Luckily, thanks to his demonic healing, the bleeding had more or less stopped. Sol looked at Chaos and reached up with one blood smeared hand to brush back his hair. [glow=red,2,300]"You dont suppose you could heal me again? I would really appreciate it. Oh, Im sorry if you were burned by my blood. Its pretty hot due to my heritage."[/glow]

Chaos gave a weak, worried smile when Sol opened his eyes. She pressed her hands against his chest. Her hands glowed. She was losing a lot of energy. It was weird. She never lost energy like this, it was almost as if the energy was being taken from her. After a moment she pulled away with a stuttering breath. She sat down across from Sol. His chest was as good as new.

"Sorry, give me a minute. I healed you earlier while you were asleep too. Kinda knocked the wind out of me." Chaos said laughing weakly.

Sol mentioned something about hit blood being hotter. He was staring at her cheek. She pressed her fingers to her cheek and winced. That hurt. It wasn't intense. It was more of a sunburn. Now that she realized the burning, she looked down at her hands; they were glowing red. She grimaced. Oh well.

"I always hated sunburn. Don't worry about it though. What we should be worrying about is what the hell just happened. You were covered in tiny holes. What was going on in that dream of yours. I could've mistaken you for a hemophiliac with the was you were bleeding." Chaos said surprised at how much blood was actually lost.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol smiled his thanks to Chaos when she healed his wounds. There was something about being swiss cheese that he just did not enjoy very much.

After she healed him, Chaos looked so exhausted. She said something about trying to heal him while he was still asleep and Sol shrugged. He was worried about her though, Sol would not want her to hurt herself while trying to help him. He could never live with himself.

[glow=red,2,300]"You should sit down and eat some more. You look really tired."[/glow]

Sol took a deep breath. [glow=red,2,300]"I was having a dream about back when I was fighting in the vietnam war. I just got hit by some grenade shrapnel."[/glow]

Chaos shook her head at the suggestion to eat. She didn't want to move. She was just so low on energy. Usually when something like this happened she slept, but this time she had to figure something else out. She needed to finish preening, she looked at her right wing, the one she hadn't gotten around to. It looked so gross and dirty compared to her left one. It made her feel unbalanced. Her head shot up though when Sol mentioned fighting the Vietnam war.

"That would definitely explain the shrapnel. Why be in the war? Any specific reason?" Chaos was a little be interested. Not so much the war as she was to why Sol had been in it. He didn't look like the most patriotic person.He looked like the type who picked his own battles instead of fighting others. She felt her eyes droop and pinched herself.

"Could you just do me a big favor and go get my preening comb? I dropped it over by my chair. I need to keep myself busy or else I'll collapse." Chaos said and yawned. She pinched herself again. Preening wasn't the most exciting activity, but it would be enough to keep her awake.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol shrugged. [glow=red,2,300]"I love the United States of America. Its the greatest country on Earth. I have lived there since I helped found Jamestown. Every war the U.S has been in, even before they were the U.S, I have fought in it. Ive been in a few others as well."[/glow]

Sol nodded and went over to pick up her comb. Once he did he handed it to her. Sol had never understood why angels' hair never got tangled and was always perfect, but they still felt the need to preen their wings.

[glow=red,2,300]"Although to be fair, I always make sure Im an officer. Being a grunt is just beneath me."[/glow]

Sol was worried. If Chaos fell asleep because of her exhaustion then she might not wake up from her next dream. Or she might wake up to weak to heal herself. Sol would be forced to watch her die. He shook his head. Best not to think such thoughts.

Chaos smiled as Sol spoke about the U.S. There was just a sort of warmth in his voice. It was nice. Chaos, personally, had never been one for wars or permanence. She liked all sorts of countries like Ireland, Germany, Russia, Japan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia especially. She loved the desert. However, she didn't visit much.

"I've never been dedicated to one country. There are so many great ones out there, it's hard to just pick one." Chaos said sighing happily. She loved traveling the world.

Chaos took the preening comb from Sol gratefully. She picked a feather, brushed threw it a couple times, and them wiped off the dirt from the comb. She repeated this process as if she wasn't even really there. Which she wasn't. Her mind had floated of somewhere. She thought about something not related to this huge mess. She thought about Germany.

Germany was one of Chaos's favorite countries. Especially in November. All the festivals and parades and balls they had. They were so amazing. There were so many old traditions, it was hard to keep track of them. She remembered going to the balls, dressed up, and getting lost in the sea of colors. It was such a great place. She briefly wondered if Sol had ever been there. He might not enjoy it, but it might be a bit of fun to see his reaction.

"Have you ever been to Germany? It's absolutely dazzling in November." Chaos spoke in a dream-like voice, never taking her eyes from her wing.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol shrugged. He had been all over the world. Sol just hadnt found any of it that interesting. Then came the allure of the New World over the Atlantic. A challenge to carve something out of nothing was what attracted Sol in the first place. After all the work he went into helping everything get started it all just felt like home to him.

[glow=red,2,300]"I helped build the foundations for America. I have never worked so hard on something in my entire life. After i poured so much of myself into that land it just felt... like home. A part of me will always be there and unless Im with it, I never feel whole."[/glow]

Sol nodded. He had been to Germany a few times. Couldnt really say he favored the place. [glow=red,2,300]"I have been to Germany. Its okay. I have a few bad memories there though, so its not my favorite country."[/glow]

Help build the foundations of America? That's pretty big. Along with everything else he's told her, Chaos was pretty dumbfounded she had never heard of Sol before. With everything that he had done, she wouldn't be surprised it he was known by every single person. She wondered why she hadn't heard about him until now.

"You've done all these things, survived mass horror, and you're a founding father of America. How have I never heard of you?" Chaos asked and ended it with a big yawn.

Her hands were getting slower. They paused frequently. She blacked out from time to time. She was exhausted. She had no energy, couldn't heal any wounds, she couldn't even keep her eyes open. She was useless like this. She stopped her preening and put the comb away. She turned to Sol fully intent on staying awake long enough the tell him.

"I'm officially useless. I have to sleep. I have absolutely no energy left. Sleep will help me regain it faster. I need to sleep. I just need you to do me a favor. If I make any moves or appear to have any cuts, wake me up. Now waking me up is very simple. I'm usually a light sleeper so just bumping me usually wakes me up. However if it doesn't work, my face is pretty sensitive. Only cause I hate people sticking their hands in my face. Poking me in the forehead should wake me up and please don't resort to any violent methods unless I'm dying a slow painful death and you're putting me out of my memory." Chaos said. She didn't wait for Sol's response. She was out, falling to the ground and not even feeling it.

[Solemn Creed]

Sol shrugged. A standard action for him, apparently. [glow=red,2,300]"Wouldnt it be a funny coincidence if the United States government noticed they have a citizen who has been alive for over four-hundred years and still appears to be nineteen? They would probably get suspicious and begin looking into my activites. Suffice to say, It wouldnt end well so I change my name every so often."[/glow]

Sol noticed Chaos moving slower, and slower as she preened her wings. Her eyelids kept fluttering as she attempted to force herself to stay awake. Finally she fell asleep, falling on the floor.

Sol sighed and picked her up. He set her down on the bed and put the covers over her. He walked outside briefly to grab more wood for the fire. Once everything was tended to Sol sat down and prepared to wake Chaos in case her dreams began to harm her.

The first thing Chaos noticed was that she was not in her dreaded forest. However, she didn't know if where she was was better or worse. She was lying on cold concrete. She opened her eyes, but didn't move, keeping her ear to the ground. She felt horrible. Her body hurt everywhere. She slowly pushed herself up on weak and bruised arms. She heard clanging. She looked down. She was chained to the floor by her upper arms and ankles. The area around the chains was red and rubbed raw.

She looked around for any indication where she was. It was a small concrete room. There were no doors or windows. Nothing, but cold gray concrete. She had never seen this place before, but it struck a familiar chord. She couldn't figure out why. She looked at herself again. Even her clothes weren't the same. Her white clothes were gone and she was dressed in a black shirt and black shorts. There were rips and holes telling her they were very old and worn. She brought a hand up to rub her head, but was jerked back by the chain. She sighed.

How did she get it here? There was no sign of any openings what-so-ever. How long had she been in here? Her nails were dirty and her hair was tangled. Her wings weren't out, but when she tried to push them out, they didn't budge. She frowned. She layed down, so she could reach her back with one hand. She felt around for the little bumps indicating her wings were hiding just beneath the skin. Nothing. Chaos lifted her shirt and looked for the tattoo of a Celtic knot she had gotten on her hip. Not there either. She looked for any scar she might've had. Her skin was clear of them. She tried to heal her rubbed-raw ankle. Nothing.

Chaos felt like she was hit by a freight train. She was human. She became frantic and pulled at the chains. She couldn't be human. She was born an angel. What is this? Suddenly she felt eyes on her. She turned to see a man. He looked familiar, but she had never seen him before. Long brown hair, forest green eyes, perfect skin. No, she had never known anybody like this.

"What's going on? Where am I? Who are you? Why am I human?" Chaos uttered the last one sadly. She didn't want to be human. Being an angel wasn't exactly a walk in the park, but she managed. She could never be human. It wasn't her. The man walked over and crouched down to her level. He smiled, but it was not a very nice smile.

"You are my slave. You disobeyed me earlier and you've been punished for it. You disobey me so much; like you crave the attention. As if I don't give you enough. You are in a concrete room, in a basement, under my house. Who I am doesn't currently matter; I'm known as Master. And as for being human, well you've always been human. You were born a human and you shall die one." The man spoke with fake softness. Chaos wanted to attack him.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if I'm disobeying orders it's not for attention. It's because I don't take orders. Not from anybody. And I'm not human. I'm an angel. I was born one and I plan to die as one." Chaos said and the man lifted his hand as if to strike. Chaos flinched. She paused. Why had she done that? She never flinched at people. She hit back. The man chuckled.

You flinch because you are used to being hit, you are submissive. Chaos hissed at the word as he spoke it.
"And you are far from any angel I've heard of. You're more of a animal. But animals can be tamed too." He said dismissively and Chaos tried to launch herself at him, but was pulled back roughly by the chains. She winced.