Lastland (Stormris) Oneshots

Kindness Repaid

Iris slunk through the night-kissed forest. It was the best time to hunt and gather. Not only was it the quietest and most peaceful, but one never knew what they might stumble upon longer after the rest of the world—

"What in the Realm?!" Iris nearly fell flat on her face, literally stumbling upon something. It was hard. Stray metal?! That was always worth a pretty penny, or useful to her own work since she tended to live alone, on the edges of civilizations so she could come and go as she wished.

Oh, nope, NOT stray metal, she smiled. It was armor, but there was something still inside of it. The figure shifted slightly in response to being tripped over, but Iris could tell from the feeble action, and the iron tang she was now smelling in the air, that this soldier was on death's door.

Poor thing... she clicked her tongue sympathetically. Even though her kind—creations of "G.M." the "Father" of a small band of Gifted Mutants—were at odds and at war with Humans, especially Fighters like this one, Iris was not without empathy.

I know I probably shouldn't, but... Her face twisted in a rueful smile as she shook her head knowingly at herself. I'm a bleein' heart, just like her!

Her eyes darted down. She could see more clearly how mangled the poor soldier's armor was. Whatever mutant got her got her good.

She'd HATE me if she knew what I was! Iris chuckled, biting her tongue. It was like an inside joke with herself. Nevertheless, she crouched down and took a careful grip on the soldier's armor, tugging her slowly away. The body thrashed again, but was too weak to do anything else.

"Shhh... Don't worry, consider this a truce..." Iris absentmindedly comforted the other woman. "We can pick up our grudge some other time..."

The soldier—whose Ranger name was Storm, as Iris would learn once she woke up—was more than happy to take Iris up on her offer, at first. From the beginning, Storm was a most difficult patient.

"What have you done to me?!" she snarled upon waking up in Iris' bed.

"Patched up your wounds and given your medication for various infections, illnesses, and other ailments," Iris replied with a glib smile.

"What did you medicate me with?!" Rather than be grateful, Storm only doubled down on her suspicion. Having expected such behavior, Iris found it amusing rather than hurtful. She was accommodating, and over time, it changed Storm's heart and mind about her, at least to some degree.

"So, what do you want from me?" she one day growled over breakfast, unable to look Iris in the eyes.

"For you to get better, go home, and perhaps request your people be a little gentler with mine?" Iris teased, purple eyes flickering as she never took them off her Human guest. She was half-joking, half-serious. She'd saved Storm out of the goodness of her heart, but it was beneficial to have someone that could help her broker peace between their kinds rather than war.

There would always be some level of tension, Iris understood the way competition and balance worked, but wherever collaboration was an option, she was willing to try. Storm, at first, was not, but she hated feeling in debt, and she was not a woman without honor anymore than Iris was.

"We're not just gonna roll over and submit to you!" she warned, pointing an accusatory finger at her savior.

"Good thing I didn't ask for that," Iris smirked back. "Though it is an amusing thought," she added with a wink, and Storm recoiled. Iris laughed at her visceral reaction, and although Storm recoiled again, it was inward this time.

She's... got a nice laugh... I never really noticed...

Coming up on a week, Storm was finally well enough to go home. "Ah, should you ever return, could you also bring sheet metal? I need new tools," Iris muttered quickly, gesturing to the small pile outside the front door of her woodland hut. In truth, she didn't need it. Her fellow Gifted were her connections. But she knew that Storm didn't like feeling in debt, so maybe if Iris gave her something actionable...