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[Elessar]

"You idiot! Liferoot is poison to Elves! Are you trying to kill him?" Edward was mortified. If the Elf died on his watch there was going to be quite literally hell to pay, and his name would be at the head of the list.

"I-I didn't... He wanted me to! He was begging to be knocked out! What did you want me to do, kick him in the head!?" Tobi had never guarded the prisoners before, and his ignorance showed. The prospect at killing one, especially one as valued as this Elf, was horrifying.

"It would have been better than drugging him! If he doesn't recover we're going to be paying the price!" Edward was a large man of strength, but the thought of what his Master would do if this Elf died was enough to make him visibly pale. As he looked down at the bound and unconscious Elf he could only hope he would live. There was nothing he could do now but to wait.

It was the muffled notes of sound that brought him back to consciousness. Elessar became aware of raised voices above him, but they were meaningless; like distant sounds drifting at the end of a tunnel.

He was floating; unconnected to everything. As he drifted the sounds grew weaker until they disappeared completely. Deeper and deeper he drifted until he found himself trapped in a void. Darkness, never-ending in it's completeness engulfed everything. There was nothing; no light, no sound, no one else, simply nothing.

How long he remained that way he did not know, but eventually the darkness began to lighten. The change was hardly noticeable at first, a flicker in a dark sea. From the flicker grew a flame, and that grew and grew until it was blinding. To the light Elessar closed his eyes, unable to stand the sudden brightness.

It was in this bright light that he heard a voice, as angelic and soft as it had ever sounded in life. "Elessar..."

Well over two hundred years had passed since he had heard it last, but Elessar would recognize that voice forever. "Cristiel?"

"Open your eyes," The angelic voice was suddenly startling close; whispering in his ear, urging him to obey.

The voice was irresistible, but Elessar would never get his chance to follow it's instructions. Before he could force his eyes open against the brightness he was falling. The sensation was bizarre; like being sucked through a straw, only in reverse. Down, down, spiraling into blackness...

Outside of Elessar's consciousness he truly was falling. Thrown through the Gensis portal he descended quickly, tumbling through the air as the portal opened in New Haven. The distance between the earth, and the opening was short, and he hit the ground near the Inn with a sickening thud.


[To be continued...]

[Edward]

Things were getting bad in Edward's point of view. The Elf's temperature had went up, and he had even begun speaking in his fever. Nonsense was all it sounded like to Edward's ears, but he knew it could not be a good sign. The man had guarded Elven prisoners for more years than he could recount, but he had never learned what to do with an ill one. The ones he remembered seeing in the past had shortly been disposed of, but that would not work this time.

He had been given specific instructions that this Elf remain alive at whatever cost.

At whatever cost. From what he saw the only way of getting this elf to live was to get him out of here. How to do that and not loose his own skin?

"It's your fault we're in this mess Tobi so you're going to help fix it!" Edward said, pointing at Tobi and moving to the unconscious elf. "Take your clothes off. Quick."

Tobi looked shocked. "Take my.. what?!" He must have heard him wrong.

Edward was busy stripping Elessar of his clothes. They were stiff from dried blood and overall smelled since the elf had been in them for four months. Now Tobi knew he heard Edward right. "If you think I'm putting those on then you're --"

He was interrupted by Edward shouting at him. "You're going to put those on willingly or I'll put them on your unconscious body!" Tobi wondered if Edward would really knock him out, but he didn't want to take that risk so he started to undress.

Soon the switch was made. The elf was dressed like Tobi and Tobi in the rags and dirt clothes of the elf. Tobi laid face down on the floor and Edward took the unconscious Elessar under the shoulder and led him from the room. Edward didn't know if this was going to work but if he moved quick he might be able to escape. How was he going to explain what happened? He'll figure that out later.

The alarm didn't go off until he was nearly away with the elf, then things erupted into chaos. Edward muttered a curse and picked up the elf. Edward was big and he could carry Elessar. Outside he ran to the portal - which looked more like a hole in the ground - and tossed him in. What happened to the elf now was up to Fate. Edward had his own hide to worry about.

Once through the portal, Elessar fell through the sky and landed on the ground near the Inn.

[B.D. Adams]

The Elf was in dire straights and he had had no hand in putting him in that position. Appearing on the verge of death, or would soon be unless some caring soul came by and helped. Thus far there seemed to be a shortage of 'caring souls'. Not to long ago Benjamin had left the Inn, hands in the pockets of his loose jeans he had started off down the path at a casual pace when something had drawn his attention.

From the corner of his eye he spotted something falling down from the sky and stopped walking. It had been too big to be an animal and from what he saw of it he was pretty sure it was humanoid. The thing had landed not to far from the Inn and he had considered going over to see what had happened. And he did. What he had found was the battered body of an elf laying in an unconscious heap on the ground. It was none of his concern, but as he wanted to see what was going to happen, he decided to stick around. Not close, but off in the trees. That was hours ago.

Maybe this elf was of the sort that could heal without assistance, though that did not appear to be the case. At least the Elfs condition was not worsening at a fast pace. As he watched he contemplated putting him out of his misery. It would be a quick and painless process and in return he would have another soul for his collection.

No.

There wasn't any fun in collecting from something bereft of awareness. Where was the challenge in that? In the end he concluded that the only reasonable thing to do would be to take the Elf to where he could get help. Heal him now so that he could be sport later. Yes. He now had motive.

Emerging from the tree bank the shadows from where he had been slipped from Benjamin as he made his way into the open and the unconscious body. He stood over the Elf, examining him. After this he was going to need a shower. Wherever the Elf had fallen from it was clear that he hadn't seen a bar of soap. Strangely, his clothes were not as dirty as the body and the clothes and the body had two different scents. The clothes obviously did not belong to the Elf.

With one fluid motion Benjamin bent down and scooped up the unconscious Elf, tossing him over his shoulder like a burlap sack. He was fully aware that the Elf had broken bones - he had fallen from the sky - and while his motion may have appeared rough, it was not.


It wasn't far to the Inn and therefore it did not take him long to return there. He paid no attention to anyone who might have been about, knowing them they probably were assuming all sorts of things if they saw him, and went over to the fireplace. There was a couch there and this was where he deposited the body. Bending at the knees Benjamin leaned over the couch and dropped the Elf off on to the cushions.

Now that the body was inside the Inn he was sure someone would find it. To stay and watch now might prove to be entertaining. Straightening up he moved from the couch and sat in the chair across from it.

Then, he waited.

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