Calling Ella Erransmith!

(Yeah! And aw, sorry to hear that. You can always tell me if you want. It might help to talk about it.)

Nathan’s mouth opened as another ten lashes was brought to an end, and he ended up vomiting nothing but water onto the ground. His stomach tossed and turned with pure agony, panic, and dread, a mixture that nearly drove him back on his knees again. He waited for his next round, but nothing happened.
Was it over?
A gloved hand dug roughly into his hair and pulled him back so the crowd could see his face. He whimpered softly as the world spun, causing nausea to rise back within him. Warm, wet blood made his dry lips sticky, and he, trembling, tried to close his eyes. His assaulter stopped him by prying his eyelids open.
“How… how did you do that?” The guard with the weapon actually sounded confused. “Get out of my head, filth-blood! Pulling these sick pranks… I… you’re wrong. It’s sickening, but I… I can’t…”
Nathan wanted to sob in relief when the weapon hit the ground.
“I’m… sorry? Why am I sorry? You’re disgusting! You… you…” he trailed off. “You didn’t deserve to be born, you don’t…”
“Kill him!” someone shouted. His whole body seized in fear when the crowd followed, starting a chant about killing the muddled-blood. He tried to reach out to what little magic he had, but he was already close to passing out as it was.

(Thanks, maybe another time)

The people surged forward, and Dara panicked, her tense body accidentally broadcasting her emotions to the crowd. Fear and doubt seeped into the heads of those nearest to her, and though it hadn’t been planned, it gave her exactly the distraction she needed to dart forward, snatch the young man from the grip of his tormentor, and take off in the other direction with him in tow.

She was much stronger than she looked, her body conditioned by years of taxing work, which she used to her advantage, ducking down side streets with the mob falling behind. “Are you alright?” She called to the young man, pulling him around an abandoned warehouse.

He looked at the girl who’d stolen him away in utter confusion, ignoring the stinging, screaming pain of his raw wounds for just long enough to get a grasp on what was occurring. The stranger had saved him, if only briefly. He wiped his mouth, then shuddered.
“No, ‘m not,” he slurred, spitting blood onto the stone under their feet. He pressed his cheek to its cold surface and tried to catch his breath. His heart was hammering through his lungs.
He wanted nothing more than to sleep. If he could collapse, he would, but the adrenaline was still telling him to go until his legs failed him. Instead, all he did was keep himself upright, shivering, until his gaze briefly focused back on her face.
“You’ve gotta take me back to ‘im.”

“Are you insane? He’ll bloody murder you!” Dara’s eyes darted from building to building, ensuring that they were safely hidden. Giving him a worried once-over, she removed her long wig in one swift movement and cast it to the side— it would only make her more recognizable. “Here, just let me—“ Her chest heaved as she took in large gulps of air, her sudden sprint having taken a lot out of her. “Let me help.”

“They’ll kill you,” he muttered softly, voice muffled by the back of his hand. The blood had dripped into his beard. No matter how much he tried to scrub off, there was always more. He gave it up to give her a tired, gravely serious look. Her hair was shorter than it’d been moments prior, or at least he thought it was; he was having a hard time differentiating between reality and what his swooping, dizzy vision picked up.
“You’re so… tha’ was dumb, savin’ me. I coulda taken it. He was almos’ done. ‘sides, what can y’do now? Iss cold, ‘n I’m… so dizzy, I might…”

“You’re welcome,” she muttered under her breath, pulling a hand through her short, tangled hair. Spinning on her heel, she did another quick sweep to make sure there was no one there, this time reaching out with her mind to detect any brewing emotions. There were none; they were safe. Dara sighed, pulling a clean handkerchief from her pocket and tossing it to the stranger. “The crowd was hungry for blood. You would have gotten out alive.”

Snow had started to fall heavily around them. Nathaniel’s faint heartbeat sped up with hope as white flakes drifted over the red marks he’d left like footsteps. No one would dare try and find them in a blizzard, much less after a scene like that. They’d spend quite some time trying to convince themselves that they’d let him escape in order to reassure the public. No official wanted to spread the word that a crazed, violent filth-blood was running around, twisting people’s minds.
Lucky him.
“Better dead,” he coughed weakly, pressing the handkerchief to his lips, “than livin’ like this. Can’t afford a doc. My sister’s one, but it’d be hard to get there.”

A muscle in Dara’s jaw worked as she turned away, rolling up the sleeves of her chemise. “Good to know that you didn’t appreciate me dragging you away,” she told him over her shoulder, voice dry. “And I could probably afford a doctor for you. Or— how far away is your sister?” Her voice was careful, betraying nothing of the real reason she was helping him after this point. “We’d make it.”
(Sorry Sorry I thought I’d replied)

“Iss not that. ‘m jus’ sayin’ that you put yourself in danger.” His breathing was growing more raspy and slow by the second. He needed to get somewhere safe. “Our house is three minutes walkin’ distance. The time’s not the hard part. Gettin’ there means walkin’, ‘n I really can’t do much more of that. ‘m already close to passin’ out as it is.
It wasn’t a lie. With every passing moment, he could feel himself slipping further and further to sleep. Honestly, he was just tired. Maybe resting wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He would just take nap in the snow and take the pain away.
“You’ve done enough. I can get outta this. Thank you.”

Dara ignored his final statement, taking hold of his arm and closing her eyes. She inhaled, and felt magic rush through her bloodstream, raw and powerful and unstoppable. Reaching out with her mind, she sifted through the mixed colours of his emotion, past terrified yellows and traumatized burgundies until she had a firm grasp on his exhaustion. Reading emotions was the easy part, but twisting them? That was decidedly more difficult, not to mention taxing, and she'd already done so on a mass level with the crowd they'd left behind a few streets down. Wiping a snowflake or two off the tip of her nose, eyes still firmly shut, Dara drew on her reserve of magic, mouth twisted in concentration as she poured everything she had in altering his exhaustion and painting it a calmer, more energetic shade of chartreuse.

Pulling away, she sagged against the wall, chest heaving from the exertion. "Better now?"

Nathan felt a burst of energy within him. It didn’t take away all of his pain, nor did it solve his injuries, but he felt calm enough that he could walk. He wasn’t tired anymore. With a gracious, relieved sigh, he pushed himself up onto his feet. His head turned to the side to observe the girl and give her a thanks. When he saw her face, he stopped cold.
“You were the one who did it to the guy,” he whispered, shaking his head, “you made him change his mind. I can’t believe it. This is insane. You saved me, and now we’re… never mind. Thank… thank you. Did it wear you out? You can rest if we make it to my house. We don’t have much, but we’ve got enough blankets.”

“I’ll be fine..” Dara mumbled, straightening her back. Her temples throbbed, a sensation she was more than used to, but she definitely wasn’t too tired to walk or run. “At your.. at your house? You’re okay with me staying?” She tilted her head in question, evidently confused. “I assumed.. I assumed you’d want me to leave.”

“Of course. You saved my life. The only problem is… well, my sisters aren’t going to be too happy, and I’m going to need a lot of care. It’ll be a couple of days. You can leave whenever you want, but you may want to stay low. People might be looking for you.”
He thought about touching her arm to comfort her, then decided against it. Feeling regret, he turned to look around. Based on their surroundings, he assumed that it was a near straight line in front of them.
“But if you want to go, we should go now. The snow will only get worse.”

"Staying low is what I do best." Dara gave a grunt, rubbing at one of her aching temples. "Alright, let's get out of here. Lead the way–" She paused, a furrow appearing between her brows. "I don't actually know your name.. I'm Dara, by the way." An Irish accent hinged off of each word, something reminiscent of British mingling with the words as well.

Nathaniel vaguely heard the undertones in her voice. Interested, he tilted his head to the side almost unconsciously, but settled back when she stopped talking. With a cross of his arms and a look towards Dara, he walked a few stumbling steps ahead of her, offered her one of his cracked, crimson-stained hands, a small twitch at the corner of his mouth an indication of his mood. He found it incredible that she could make him smile even when the rawness of his skin stung in the frosty winds. She seemed to be full of surprises.
“Thank you again, Dara,” he said, slurring his words only slightly now because of the saliva and blood in his mouth, “it’s really great to meet you. I’m Nathaniel Clarke, but you can call me Nathan. My sisters will be very grateful that you saved me; we shouldn’t keep them waiting. Come on, let’s hurry.”

For a split second, Dara’s hesitation was plain on her face before she gave a smile and shook the hand he’d offered. “Pleasure to meet you too, Nathan. And yes, we should go.” She let him lead, wave upon wave if exhaustion hitting her as they ducked into side streets, kicking up snow as they went. The cold nipped at her heels, urging her on, and snowflakes drifted down from the overcast sky to land on her nose. Overall, the neighbourhood was quite a pretty sight.

Nathan trekked with her for a couple of minutes forward, scoping the area for people, and stopped every now and then to take a break. The snowflakes only fell faster every time he’d pause. He urged both of them forward despite his condition, knowing halting for real would mean going back to the state of mind in which he wanted to lay in the below freezing piles of powder at their feet.
Before much longer, he came up upon a small, crooked house a little closer to the outskirts than the middle of the city. The shingles on the roof were peeling off, the paint was flaking, the bushes outside were sparse and wilting, and one of the windows was cracked. It wasn’t much to look at, but he still sighed with relief when he saw it.
He came up to the reddish door and knocked. It swung open tor reveal a dusty floor, pale eggshell walls, and a girl who looked nothing at all like Nathan. She had large, angular jade eyes that narrowed when she saw them, black hair down to her waist, and pink lips. She looked like she hadn’t spent a day on the streets.
“Nathan?”
“Bella,” he said softly, “I need your help.”
“Nathan, what’s- is that blood?”
“This is Dara.”

Dara stepped out from behind Nathan, raising a hand in greeting. A neutral, relaxed expression was plastered to her face, but her eyes, exhausted and spent, gave the act away. "Hello. Dara, pleasure to meet you. Your brother needs immediate medical attention; can we come in?" She didn't bother beating around the bush, rather went straight to the point without missing a beat.

Belladonna, with a hefty groan, put a hand on her slim waist and pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She moved aside for them to enter, and Nathan ushered Dara inside.
“Anna,” she called sharply, “get my room set up. Nathan’s home.” Her eyebrows screwed up in concentration. “And get some snow from outside, will you?”
“Sure,” came a humming, strong voice from somewhere deeper in the house. There was a rustling sound as someone got up and presumably did what she asked.
Her pointed gaze turned to her brother. “Come down the hall. The lantern’s by the kitchen.”
As soon as he staggered to the connected living room and kitchen into the bright lights, his sister froze. She ducked around him immediately to his back. There, she brushed a finger lightly across his wounds. He audibly gasped.
“Oh, Nate, how are you still standing? This looks like it hurts. You need to- here, sit down.” She helped him to the ground and whipped her head around. “Anna, I changed my mind. Bring it in here!”

(Did I make my response too hard to reply to?)

(If so, should I rewrite it for you?)

(oh not at all, I'm sorry if I'm coming off as reluctant, I can be slow to reply to roleplays, especially since I'm in a lot
Sorry ):

Dara stood to the side, watching the scene unfold before her eyes. She shifted and bit her lip, rubbing anxiously at her forearm. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked tentatively, watching Nathan with concerned eyes. "I could re-stimulate any exhaustion he might have so that he falls asleep while you work on him, if that would help."

(Oh ok no that’s fine sorry if I seemed pushy)

(it's not a problem, it's my fault anyway)

Her gaze flickered to Dara in interest. She looked like she was pondering the idea and figuring out whether it’d work. With a quick shake of her head, she knelt next to Nathan, who’d hunched over with a groan.
“You look exhausted. I already have one patient, and there’s no need for another.” She pushed her hair back with a quiet noise. “Besides, I need him awake. We have to talk about what happened.”
“What happened is that I screwed up, Bella,” he muttered gruffly, “and got myself caught trying to get some more food. We’ve been low lately.”
“Of course you screwed up, you big oaf. You’re as clumsy as an ox,” she teased.
A girl that had the same hair and complexion as Nathan approached from down the hall with a bucket full of bandages and supplies in her arms. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Dara, but she said nothing. Instead, she set the stuff down and whispered something to her sister. Belladonna mumbled something inaudible back while rummaging through the container. The girl, Anna, Nathan’s other sister, stood to face Dara.
“You should stay the night. It’s awfully cold out. Here, I’ll take you to the guest room.”

Hesitation flickered across Dara's features. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude." She sagged against the wall, unable to properly support herself for much longer. "I'm Dara, by the way– and I don't want to put you in any danger, I don't know if anyone saw my face back there."

Annabeth smiled cheerfully. “Dara—that’s a lovely name, by the way—of course it’s alright. You obviously helped him out in some way, seeing as he’s home safe, so you can stay as long as you’d like. Besides, if we threw you out for being a danger we’d have to throw this dummy-" she pointed at her brother, “-out as well.”
“You do look really tired,” Belladonna said, not even looking up.
“It’s settled!” Without even giving her a chance to speak, Annabeth, thrilled, shoved Dara forward into a nearby doorway. Inside was a room with similarly painted walls, a basic carpet, a fireplace, an old bed, and an empty nightstand with a lamp. She twisted the switch of the lamp. The whole room flooded with cozy yellow light.
“How’s this? I can get a fire going to warm you up. It must’ve been frigid out there!”

(Oh my gosh I’m sorry wait was that too pushy I forgot I read once that people don’t like it when you make their character do things)

Dara, slightly shocked and wide-eyed, turned in a full circle to get a good look at the room. This was luxury compared to what she normally had– what on earth had she done to deserve this? Was it really okay for her to stay? "It's– It's perfect," she managed, "I don't know how I could possibly thank you, I'd be happy to sleep in your shed if you want me to."

Clearly more than a little surprised, Annabeth went still. She hesitated for a moment awkwardly. Multiple feelings crossed her face, and the one she finally decided on, sympathy, made her look softer than she’d first appeared.
“It’s… no problem. Glad you like it.” With all the sincerity she could muster, she widened her smile. “I know you’re tired, but would you like something to eat? How about water? I can’t offer you tea or much more than that, but we have some crackers, peanuts, and dried fruit. Nathan finished all of the meat we’d had yesterday, so he’ll have to… well, I guess he can’t go hunting for a while now can he? Oh well. Anyway, anything sound good to you?”