Breaking the Chains (Felix)

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Giselle laughed at his comment. It was a good hearty laugh. Perhaps something that she had not done since her enslavement, Giselle relished the feel and the sound. It was new and refreshing, sort of like the spring after a long, hard winter. She deserved this, this new way of seeing life and being free. Everyone did. But Giselle couldn't risk anything at the moment. Not only was she simply a human, but she could be classified as 'wanted' now.However, this was something that Giselle had waited a long time for. It was the sign of a new beginning for the woman.

Her eyebrow raised, teasing him. "Oh really now? I don't suppose you have any intention of actually doing that.." she murmured, a challenge along with amusement in her eyes. Giselle was a sex slave, but hey, she had no intentions of getting into it with Dirk. He was a protector, a friend, just barely. The woman stood up, heading over to the fridge, before looking back at Dirk. "W-what? What happened? What does that mean? Why.. why are you alone in your mind?" Giselle shut the door of the fridge, walking over to him. "Why doesn't she leave you alone with women? You have to tell me.. No, I apologize. Only tell me if you want," Giselle murmured, eyes lowering as she stepped away from him. "I'm going to take a bath. I'll be out later.."

She entered the bathroom, sighing as she shut the door. Slipping off her dirty clothes, the woman set them on the side. She could wash them, and borrow a t-shirt or something from Siris later. Settling into the bath, she scrubbed herself down thoroughly, before starting on her hair. About half an hour later, the tub w as emptied and Giselle stepped out in a towel, throwing her clothes on the washer. She made her way into the bedroom, beginning to look for a t-shirt that she could use as a dress or something. Finding the best she could get, the woman threw on a black SlipKnot t-shirt, that came down to about midthigh. From there, she rummaged through his drawers some more, and then throwing on a pair of shorts, though she had to roll them up several times to make them go down to knee length. When she had fixed everything up in Siris' bedroom, Giselle combed her hair and emerged. "Go ahead, the bathroom's yours if you want it, Dirk."

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Everything happened so fast, that Dirk had no time to explain things before the door shut to the bathroom, leaving him standing there by himself, "Heh, I was only kidding..." he muttered. Helping himself to the couch, Dirk flopped onto it and relaxed for the next half our. Staring dumbly at the ceiling and wondering at what she said, was she serious? Nah she couldn't have been... could she? Dirk nearly had fallen asleep when the door opened and Giselle slipped into the bedroom looking for clothes, he had barely caught a glimpse of her back as she disappeared. "Ach, most normal tubs are much to small for me, but I suppose I could do with a cleaning.

Dirk took his turn with the tub, as he had guessed, he stood higher than the shower head and had to hunch over to wash his hair and face. A very uncomfortable ordeal that left his upper back feeling stiff from being bent over so long. However it was nice to be clean once again, yet now he was without clothes. Certainly he could not put on his dirty ones, and the new ones he bought days ago were still damp from being stuffed in his bag. Leaving the bathroom with a towel, Dirk quickly switched rooms and ran through Siris' dresser, trying to find a pair of pants that fit him. Sadly Siris and Dirk were several pant sizes different and Dirk sighed. 'Rotten luck...' He muttered under his breath as he left Siris' room and sat down on the couch in his towel.

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Giselle had smirked when he reentered the living room. "You know.." she sighed, as though she were about to give the man some sort of wisdom, "If you want me to sleep with you, try better than that." Giselle got up, looking at Dirk for a moment, then smiling and ruffling his wet hair. "Okay, come on. I'll make dinner later, I suppose. But for now, I guess relaxing is just fine. Thank you, Dirk." She blinked at the man, dead serious in the turn of a dime. "Thank you for freeing me."

From there, Giselle plopped down next to him again deciding not to get something to eat for now. She yawned, stretching out a bit. It was an easy-going style that she felt right now, before curling up into her usual ball. It was a force of habit for the woman, something that had begun when she was taken. "So.."

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Dirk was dumbfounded by her yet again. Try harder? He wasn't trying at all. It wasn't his fault that he could barely get a pair of Siris' pants beyond his knees, it wasn't... well it was his fault for leaving his clothes packed away soaking wet in his bag, but he hadn't exactly planed to have a shower either. The idea of cooked food was a welcome thought in Dirk's mind, but so was relaxing for once since meeting Giselle, as he pulled the leaver on the side of the couch that let down the back and kicked out a foot rest. Settling down into the soft squishy fabric as his body relaxed, he stared dumbly at the blank T.V screen for a few moments before Giselle spoke.

"Trega is a suspicious one, she doesn't trust me alone with anyone, cause I have the worst luck for getting into trouble remember. But it's different when it comes to women, I think Trega gets jealous sometimes, or it may be envy. She thinks that I'm going to outrageously flirt with every one I meet." DIrk rested his head against the back of the couch and looked at the ceiling. "I didn't even notice her leave, I'm worried cause usually that means shes in danger, but shes a big girl and can take care of herself... I just hope shes okay and says something soon."

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"It's understandable, you know," Giselle said, watching the man get comfortable. "Well, you two have that special bond. Considering that I'm a woman, I think she may be a bit jealous. I can understand that. If she wants me to back off, I won't take offense to it." The woman stretched out as well, roating so that she was laying down on the couch, her feet near his lap, a couple of good inches away. Giselle looked up at him, before closing her eyes. "If she's in trouble, and we don't hear from her, how will we know what happened?"

Sure, Giselle wasn't too keen on Trega. But the dragon wasn't out to get her. Besides, she was also more than just a friend to Dirk, and the woman understood and respected that. The two hadn't gotten completely on the wrong foot, but neither had been on the right foot, either. Giselle could try again, though. She would, not only to make her living easier, but out of respect for the other female. Giselle Arched her back, before hearing it pop. She sighed, smirking to herself. She had confused Dirk, and that had amused her. But for now, the time for games were done. Or.. were they? "Well, you haven't flirted with me, so I see no reason for Trega to worry."

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He was silent for a moment, churning his thoughts and turning them into the right words. Trega and he did have a unique connection with each other, no secret could Dirk hide from his partner, for it was how it were in the days of old when men and women connected with dragons to become fierce warriors who stood for peace and justice. A dragon had to be sure the one they choose was the right one for it, for sometime they trust their lives to these people. "I don't believe she is jealous, but envious of the fact that I will find someone, and have children, while she is likely to find no other dragon, and if she does will they share the same fate to live their life as dwarfs of their own kind?"

There wasn't any real need for Trega to worry about Dirk, he was capable of fending for himself before she hatched. Flirting with her, the idea crossed his mind once or twice in those conversations where he thought; how harmless could it be for him to pass one innocent little flirt, and received a mental slap from Trega. Do not make things complicated Dirk could remember her saying. "I know she shouldn't, we know each other better than we know ourselves. She knows that I wouldn't take advantage of a situation just so I could get into bed with you... unlike the silver tongued thief I know, but he does a lot more than just help slaves get their freedom."

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Giselle nodded her head. It would be a harsh life for Trega, she assumed, no matter what little happiness or good fortune would be given to her. Personally, the woman thought that Trega should be happy and just keep trying. There was no reason not to. "I see. I hope that she does find happiness, though. After all, everyone deserves it." The woman sighed, looking up at the ceiling. It was nice just to relax here. However, there was that hunger again, and the woman rose from the couch, looking in the fridge until Giselle found some more food to eat. It was some sort of cheese, and she sliced it up, before grabbing two slices of bread and a pan. About ten minutes later she rejoined Dirk on the couch, grilled cheese in hand and mouth.

"Well, I don't think too highly of Siris," Giselle said, "But I think he's okay. I would have never met him if I weren't a slave, but hey, he's feeding me. So I can't really hate the guy."

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The smell off food set off Dirk's empty stomach, that slice of pie seemed so long ago now, with a loud growl and that familiar pang in his belly. Rubbing his stomach, Dirk waited until Giselle had sat back down before springing from the couch and going for the fridge, gazing in it for something easy to make. Finding a large bowl of leftover stew, Dirk tossed it into a pot and warmed it on the stove. Somehow sitting there watching as steam began to rise from the pot, Dirk thought of the expression A watched kettle never boils. His eyes began to wander around the room, falling upon a few golden trinkets that were hastily stashed under a pile of news paper. "Aye, its probably a good thing you don't think to highly, he has a big enough head as is." Dirk said and pulled picked up a golden bangle to study it. "Siris grew up as an orphan, he doesn't know when or where he was born. He grew up figuring the rich had all the power in the world to help the poor and suffering, yet they stick their noses up like they were on a higher level of existence. So... Siris began to steal from them, gives everything to the poor, gives slaves like you the chance for freedom, when people are marked for death, he makes them disappear forever..."

Setting the bangle down, Dirk stirred the pot a few times before dumping it into the same bowl, added a few late seasonings as Siris tend to make things bland, and continued as he stirred them into the stew. "He may put seem like a rude, distant, tough individual, but deep deep down inside, hes crushed under evil memories, broken and fragile to the slightest blow, sometimes I wonder how he gets out of bed and faces the world... at least he tries." Dirk became silent, buttering a slice of bread to go with the stew, he sat back down next to Giselle and began eating.

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Giselle smiled at Dirk's explanation of Siris. It made her think of childhood tales, of princes from far away lands, from when she was younger. "You make him sound like a perverted sort of Robinhood," she commented on such, smiling to look at him. Dirk then sat down next to her, and Giselle didn't even need to make room for him this time. "Well, you're right. He does try, and that's the whole thing of it, you see." Giselle smiled again, watching him take a bite of the bread, before continuing on in her own sandwich, smiling to herself slightly.

"He does try, in the very least. And though at times I have a feeling that he'll be a bit too much, or a bit too strong in some ideas or aspects, he's a good guy. He is a darker, twisted version of Robinhood, I suppose, but in this city, everything is darker, Dirk. There's more twists and turns that you can imagine, and here is a safe place away from them. It's too dangerous for my liking; in here is much, much better."

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At the comparison of Siris to Robinhood, Dirk gasped, sucking in a piece of a bean he nearly choked on it. His face turning red, the coughing and sputtering eventually gave away to a happy giggle as the warrior pounded on his chest, looking at Giselle with his mouth hanging open as he made sure air could still get to his lungs, “Like I said, he has a big enough head already. If it gets any bigger he won’t fit out the door!” With another few pats to his chest, Dirk continued to eat, pondering on Giselle’s words.

At least Siris tries, what could Dirk say about himself? Since the first incident, Dirk had never tried once to explain his troubles to Giselle, even if the woman had said she would listen. Dirk feared that if she knew about the monster, chained beneath his devil-may care attitude, the rage that boiled within him, so hot that sometimes Dirk felt as though he were burning from the inside, the never ending cry for destruction and mayhem. But it was not his rage that he feared from, it was what the rage had done to love. For Dirk had never spoke of fond memories of spending time with a loved one, only hinting to it a few times during the brief telling of his past. Perhaps he had yet to experience such things, but it seemed unlikely. During those long periods of silences between conversations, Dirk would often stare off into space, with a warm smile across his face, appearing truly happy in such a daze.

Similar to this very moment, as he glared intently into his now empty bowl, trying to find some kind of meaning within the leavings. “Aye this place is a safe place. Unfortunately we can’t spend all of our time hiding here. We gotta find you a home, maybe I can teach you a few things to help protect yourself… I’m sure Siris will be willing to part with some of his hoard… wherever it is.”

Getting up once again, Dirk set his bowl in the sink and stretched his arms with a yawn. “Well I’m not sure about you, but I could sure use a nap. What would you like, the couch or the bed? The bedroom has a nice view of the street, the couch…. A nice view of an expensive TV…probably stolen no less.”

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She watched him splutter on his food, amused and confused at once. However, Giselle shrugged it off. Of course Dirk had secrets; everyone did, even Giselle herself. She still hadn't told him of her life before, and fdor some odd reason, she felt as though she never would. The woman set her plate on the table beside the couch, hunkering down within its folds once more. She was warm, for the first time in a while, despite her lack of clothes. She still had to wash her white ones..

"I know," she said softly, almost regretting saying the words. There was a tinge of sorrow hidden in her voice. "I wish we could stay here. It's a nice place, safe.. a good change." Giselle closed her eyes, sighing again. Upon his words, she laughed. "I'll take the bedroom, if you don't mind. You can have the tv, tell me what's going on.." She smiled, though it was faint. "I'll just block the windows." Despite how safe she had felt before wandering through the streets, Giselle hated to do that now. She would pull the curtains over the windows when she went in, that was her plan. It was simple, but it held a lot of meaning behind it. She obviously wasn't ready for life on her own just yet. Giselle didn't connect to the world as she once used to do.

The woman opened her green eyes, looking up at Dirk. "I suppose that you'll want some peace and quiet now, eh?" she rose, taking both of their plates into the kitchen area, washing them and putting them and the utensils away. "Wake me if anything interesting happens, won't you?"

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"Hm? Oh... er... No, you don't have to be quiet for my benefit. But..." Dirk looked down at the towel tied around his waist, he certainly wasn't going to sleep in just a towel. Shuffling through his bag, Dirk found the rolled up new pair of jeans and ducked into the bathroom once more to quickly hop into some pants. Returning a moment later looking grimly down at the damp jeans he now wore, the crotch, pockets, and most of the legs were still dark with water. Dirk fidgeted in them, shaking his legs and hoping around like a fool. They may have been wet, but at least he had some kind of clothing on.

With a flop onto the couch Dirk stretched again, his feet hanging off the end as he puffed up a cushion and made himself comfortable as could be wearing wet pants. He felt reluctant to fall asleep even though he certainly needed it. For the distant relationship they had, Dirk enjoyed Giselle’s company; it was nice to talk to another human, and the silence bothered him. Usually Trega was there, now there was nothing but empty space, the longer it went on the more Dirk began to worry about his partner and what could have happened to her. His thoughts became muddled as he fell asleep, and eventually they turned over into that horrible dream. Over the next while Dirk began to toss his head forth and back, screwing up his face, obvious that whatever he was dreaming was not pleasant. Eventually he started to murmur and groan disjointed phrases as the dream became worse, far worse than any other time before. ”No… no don’t… let her go… kill… I’ll kill you monster… I’ll never… no… no…” Suddenly he snapped awake and jolted upright with a yell, ”ROSE!” Sweat ran down his face, he looked devastated, as if he had just found out a loved one had passed away. Glaring at his hands as tears ran from his eyes, “No… Rose…”

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She had been up when he yelled. In truth, Giselle had found it funny when he pulled out the wet pants. However, the former slave wasn't going to contradict the man. If Dirk didn't want to find some clean pants, then Giselle wouldn't pity the guy. She smiled to herself as she curled up in bed, drawing the curtains as she had said she wuld. The female human had curled up underneath the covers, snuggled toghtly under them. It wasn't long before she arose again, yawning, feeling refreshed now that she had slept somewhere vaguely human. She smiled as she grabbed a clea pair of pants for Dirk, heading out quietly to find him sleeping.

Giselle threw them on the back of the couch, the jeans laying there limply. he would find them when he wok up. The woman had turned to straighten up the kitchen when she heard mumblings, and Giselle turned to watch Dirk, frowning slightly, before the woman raced to him, shushing him gently, sitting next to the man on the couch, hands on his face, gentle and careful. She blinked as he screamed, jumping slightly. "Sssh, don't cr, it was only a dream.." Again, there was a motherly ton to her, and the woman wiped his tears, feeling as though that this had something to do with his untold history. She brought his head toher shoulder. "It's okay, you're awake, everything's fine.."

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There was very little reaction from Dirk when she spoke to him or even when Giselle wiped away his tears. Dirk sat there looking stone faced at the wall, the tears ceased to flow but welled up in his gray eyes, turning them glassy, red eyed and puffy. He was trying to hold himself together and failing miserably, for the moment his head touched Giselle’s shoulder, Dirk would wraps his arms around her body hugging her tightly and begin sobbing into her shirt, his body shaking along with his shuddering breaths.

“I’m sorry.” He managed to sob after a while. “I didn’t mean to… didn’t mean to, I’m sorry… I… I killed her. I killed her… the woman who choose to be with this dumb… barbarian, rather than that smart mage. The only person who believed that I was a true warrior and not some battle hungry lunatic, who loved me with all her heart, and I who gave her mine to. I loved her so… so very much. I swore with my very life that… that I would protect her until the very day that I could no longer pick up a weapon… and I… killed her… I killed her! This is my burden for the rest of my life, I killed the very woman I loved, I took her life with these hands because I was so blinded by rage that she was an enemy not the woman I loved!” Dirk would not speak again, but in his head he shouted over and over again for his partner but received no reply.

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The shirt that was not her own was soaked by the time Dirk had even begun his tale of the past, of what had truly been burdening him. Her chin angled uwards to rest on his head, and Giselle only continued to stroke his hair, gentle and comforting in her rhythmic pattern. The woman stayed silent throughout his recounting of the past, and though Giselle pitied him, she did not cry. "She forgives you, Dirk. If there is an afterlife, or reincarnation, or a heaven, she will be there, waiting for you. She loves you, and will continue to love you, no matter what." The woman brushed her cheek against his, her heart going out to him. So this was what was truly troubling this man, from the very beginning. "Do you understand, Dirk?"

She smiled, though it was faint and she knew that the man couldn't see it. "We all make mistakes, Dirk; some are just larger and more consequential than others. I cannot say that I understand how you feel, because I don't, and I have no intention of lying to you. But do you think that she would enjoy seeing you suffer like this, to be alone, even with your dragon, to simple wallow in your grief? You and she both deserve to mourn, but moving on is essential. You'll go crazy, Dirk, and you don't deserve that." Giselle cared for the man, partly out of duty, but as well as the fact that he needed a human to lean on, not only a dragon separated from society.