Elementalist

10

"Who exactly is Chase?" Stephanie asks breaking the tension fraught silence.

By then Ethan is the most able to answer the question. "Chase was a companion that was with Talon. He was an incredible healer. Part elementalist, part something other, we aren't sure what. But if there was something that needed to be healed he could heal it. Any illnesses including cancer and all other illnesses. Usually blindness and other physical ailments like that as well. Breaks, unless incredibly severe weren't a problem either. Had it been in this time, he would have been able to heal AIDS, and all autoimmune diseases as well. He was the most compassionate and kind person I've ever met."

"It was Chase that saved Ethan's life after he was shot. He should have died from blood loss at the very least," Jet adds in.

"He healed my emotional problems as well. The pain and anger from what my father did to me." Ethan tells her in a soft voice.

"Chase and I were childhood friends. We left home, our community, when the hunters attacked one night. We were separated from our families and started looking for them. We found them one by one and buried them all, or at least what we could find of them." Talon says and tears are falling down his cheeks as well.

"By that time we had become close, closer than brothers even. When we found Ethan and Jet we'd been together for more than a century." Talon is lost in his memories and so doesn't see Stephanie's jump of startlement.

"Chase cared for Ethan diligently until Ethan was nearly completely healed. He healed everything that he could." Talon looks at Ethan, "He told me that there was more wrong with you than just your physical issues and that he was afraid that you wouldn't be fully healed. He was worried about you, but never said what the other problem was. He said that if you wanted me to know then you would tell me.

"Sounds like a great guy," Stephanie says softly, not wanting to break into their memories at this point. She wishes that she could meet this guy. "What happened to him? I mean, why isn't he here now?" She just hopes that she isn't ruining the mood but at their response she knows that she did.

"Bianca." Jet spits out viciously like the word is acid.

Stephanie takes a step back from Jet at the venom in his voice. She looks at the others a little scared and lost. She doesn't like the feeling in the room now. There is a tension, an anger, hatred that hadn't been there before.

"Bianca came with her little sister Apple, they were the only survivors of an attack on a small witch community. She was a wind rider like me, but could add some water so she could do some storms, but it wasn't very strong.

"She was beautiful though, and both Chase and Talon fell for her, fell hard." Ethan tells the confused girl before him.

"When she chose Chase I backed off. I just wanted her to be happy. She was, they both were for some time. Then something happened.

"Apple had been like a little sister to us all. Something we all needed I think. We all had lost family and it helped having her there." Talon takes up the narrative but he's fighting tears while he does so.

"For some time they were happy. They were even talking about getting married, then suddenly Bianca announced that she was leaving and taking Apple with her. No one was more shocked than Chase. He didn't understand what happened, one day they are talking about marriage and the next she tells us that she's leaving. Nothing we could say would change her mind.

"She took her sister and left. The next day, we were attacked by hunters. Chase was caught and before we could get him away, we were just getting into position, they killed him. They were laughing, talking about how the bitch was right. We didn't know what female they were talking about until they actually said her name.

"She betrayed us and because of it, Chase died." Talon spits out angrily.

"I would never betray you." Stephanie says backing up from them all. She wipes tears from her eyes. She'd rather die than betray the only people to ever show her any warmth.

Ethan comes over to her and enfolds her in his arms. "We know, you aren't like her. You aren't anything like her."

Stephanie somewhat relaxes in his arms but the expressions on Talon's and Jet's faces make her stiffen again. She shakes her head and pushes out of his arms. She gives Ethan a weak smile. "You might believe that, but these two don't. Thank you, all of you, for sharing your stories with me. If you are planning on leaving in the morning you should probably go pack."

The three look at her astounded. They hadn't expected her to be so cold to them after they told her about Chase. 

They start to leave her room. "Talon, wait just a second, please." Stephanie asks as the others leave her room. She wipes her eyes, this will likely be the last time she sees them. The last time for a long time at least.

"What are you going to do with the property when you leave here?" Stephanie asks softly, Talon is still hurting, she can feel his pain.

"We'll be abandoning it, since it won't be safe to return to. Why?" Talon asks a bit defensively.

Stephanie winces a bit before looking him in the eye. "I have a way to save you some money so you don't lose out on all of it. You will need to release or rather donate the property to the city and use it as a tax write off. It won't be the same as selling it, but it will make it so you will be untraceable afterwards."

"What about the house?" Talon asks a little less hostilely.

"If you will trust me, I will take care of it. It's the least I can do for you all." Stephanie says with tears in her eyes.

Talon caresses her face, "Of course I trust you, Stephanie. I have done so almost immediately after finding you. It's not you I don't trust, it's me that I don't trust. From the first I was attracted to you, wanted you. I couldn't let the others around you because they were attracted to you as well. I didn't want them to lose control and harm you and since I had a hard time staying away I knew they would as well.

"Because of that I, we, are losing you." Talon gently holds her face and smiles before slowly lowering his face to hers and kisses her. "Do what you wish with the house, consider it yours. I would do the paperwork for it, but neither of us will be here long enough to do so and it wouldn't be safe for you to stay here."

"Make sure that everything you wish to keep, or they wish to keep is out of the house when you leave tomorrow." Stephanie warns him before kissing him again.

"We will. We will give you a ride into town, to where ever you wish to go, if you want. There's the bus station and the train station..." Talon trails off. He doesn't want her to leave them, but can't say any more without it feeling like he's pressuring her.

"Thank you, I would appreciate that, Talon. I just want you to know, I would rather die than betray any of you."

"I know, we all know that. I wish that you would reconsider and stay with us, but we will respect your wishes. We'll leave early so you will want to finish packing and get some sleep." Talon gives her one last kiss then heads out the door. "Good night, Stephanie. Sleep tight." Then he closes the door gently.

Stephanie collapses onto the floor in tears. She doesn't want to leave them.