The Bright, the Burning, and the Wicked

Four

Juniper Valo

Juniper tackled Baze to the ground, hands wringing around his neck as tight as her strength would let her. He was wearing a dark turtle neck, covered with a high collared coat which made it difficult to squeeze the life out of him. Her knees grazed the frozen earth and the cold seeped into her bare feet, the frost curling around ever inch of her body. She should've been used to it by now, but the harsh Eshrian weather still made her tense up in a silent agony.

Baze chortled in surprise under her grip, kicking out his legs to try and buck her off him. He hit her in the ribs and pain spiked through her bruises, both old and new, and her fingers loosened. Baze threw her off him with ease, her being far too thin and weak to put up much of a challenging fight. She snarled in annoyance, gaining a mouthful of snow as she faceplanted into a pile of it. She did, however, feel a twinge of satisfaction at Baze's wheezing breaths.

"Damned woman! Why the hell are you attacking me for? I'm not the one who put you in here!" He shouted, rubbing his neck as he pulled his collar closer to his skin. "Hell, I just got you out!"

"Only took you four hellish years!" She shouted, voice hoarse from the lack of use. She seethed at him with as much poison as she could muster and stumbled back to her feet. Her body wobbled for a moment before she managed to steady herself. Baze had grown incredibly tall, much to her displeasure. His height dominated her own and she gritted her teeth in annoyance. Still, he wasn't quick enough. Not for Juniper, anyway. She lunged for him again and he fell back down to the ground with a pained grunt. 

Juniper used her weight to pin him down, making sure he wouldn't be able to throw her off this time around. Baze sputtered out a mouthful of snow. "Would you stop doing that?!"

"You've got some nerve, showing your face now, after all these years." She told him, face dangerously close to his. She eyed the knife at his belt. She could use that; it had been a while since she had properly held a weapon.

"I don't know why you're so hostile." Baze leaned back to avoid her hands around his neck, his dark skin contrasting against the bright snow around them. His green eyes bore into her own and she sneered, wanting nothing more than to claw them out. 

"Four years, you didn't even bother to visit." She spat in his face.

"Figured you didn't want to see me."

"Damn right, I would've clawed your throat out." 

"I don't see the problem then!"

She seethed and got off of him, feeling woozy. When she was stronger, had a couple good night's rest and devoured an entire table worth of food, she would fight him and win as she always used to do. All those years not a word from any of them. Maybe her anger was misdirected, maybe Baze was right, he hadn't been the one to put her in there after all, but he had hardly put up much of a fight when they took her kicking and screaming. She bristled. He hadn't even had the courage to even look her in the eyes. 

"Fates," Baze groaned and got back to his feet, shooting her a glare of annoyance. "If you want to rip someone's throat out, take your anger out of him. It'd do the whole world a wonderful favor." He muttered and brushed off the snow from his coat.

Juniper followed his motion, glancing behind her shoulder where a figure was leaning beside the train, watching the scene with careful eyes.

For a moment, her breathe caught in her throat, tightening dangerously so. It was as though the world had stopped, and Juniper had reverted back to a wild, vicious creature. "You." She whispered. Casimir didn't move, watching her like he was observing a feral animal. He looked the same, after all these years, pale skin and dark, uncombed hair. His eyes had changed, however, now holding a new spark beneath them. Something dark. Something dangerous. Something that made her pause in her tracks as a jolt of wariness to shot up her spine. There were whispers of wickedness beneath him now.