I hear the wind call your name [benny]

[ged]

Ged’s breath came in quick gasps, the cool air a blessing on his fevered skin. He ran through the shaded woods, legs moving at a steady pace, even sprinting up the small hills along his chosen route. Ged was a runner, and that was obvious by his stride. His feet didn’t hit the ground so much as they skimmed over it. Ged moved like the wind, the element passed down from his mother that shone through in nearly every aspect of his personality. His hair might make people think he was of fire, his friendliness more suited to earth, and his impish nature reminiscent of water. But Ged was the wind, ever changing, never stagnant, everywhere all the time. He bore down on groups of people like a hurricane, sweeping them up in his wake with a constant stream of chatter, depositing them, befuddled, confused, and exhilarated, when he was through.

As much as the wind loved playing with people—threading through their hair, stealing their breath from their chest, pulling their voices from their lips—the wind always left, dancing off to a new place, a new person, a new friend. The wind spends much of its time playing with people, but much more of its time is spent in between one place and the next, alone, dancing through trees, climbing mountains, soaring through the sky. Does the wind prefer the destination or the journey? They were both special, both exciting, in their own way.

Ged liked people. He liked them, not because he particularly liked being nice and making friends, but because people were amusing. That slight condescension he could usually keep under wraps, and just enjoy spending time with the people who made him want to laugh out loud most of the time. Sometimes, however, it got to be too much. Ged got the itch under his collar, deep down in his bones, a restlessness in his legs, and he found himself looking away from his friends. He had to get away, and spend some time alone. It wasn’t that he felt he had to be apart from people. No, even when Ged was in the middle of a hot, sweaty, alcoholic mess of a party, he still felt apart from everyone else. He wasn’t connected to them, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever feel that connection that everyone else formed so easily. He could pretend that connection, he could feign the emotional bond, but he never truly felt it, not the way other people described.

So Ged withdrew, slipping away to find somewhere he could relax, take a deep breath, forget everyone else, and just feel, just be for a moment. He’d felt the itch early in the morning as he tossed and turned in his dorm bed. The autumn chill was slowly settling into Ged’s bones, and the old fractures and scars ached, keeping him awake some nights. Last winter, Ged had gone south for the winter, and had avoided most of the pain cold weather brought. He avoided thinking of how he would feel at the height of a Canadian winter.

The itch in his bones continued long after Ged left his bed behind with the rising sun, following him through the day as he tried to work on homework, homework he abandoned after he caught himself staring out the window for the fifth time in ten minutes. The itch distracted him when he tried to hang out with one of his many groups of friends, so much so that his friends grew worried and asked him what was wrong. Ged made his excuses, and tried to pay more attention, but the tug was too much, and he’d soon slipped away. Ged knew he shouldn’t leave the school, not so soon after he’d arrived, but he had to do something to scratch the itch. So Ged ran, randomly picking one of the many trails that snaked through the wilderness surrounding the Academy. He thought he knew his way back, but at the same time, he didn’t care if he got lost wandering the woods. He’d deal with that if it happened.

Ged topped a long hill and slowed to a walk at the top. The path ran along a ridge for a short distance, and Ged wanted to take advantage of the relatively even terrain to catch his breath, and maybe also catch a good view. However, the view Ged was approaching wasn’t the kind he had in mind, though it was just as welcome.

The redhead’s jogging pants didn’t make a sound as Ged stepped lightly over the beaten dirt path. The woods had different trees from back home, but Ged had spent long days in the woods with his father. The only things he and his father used to do together was fishing and hunting; essential skills for every growing boy in Henry Jackson’s mind. Ged found them boring, but he’d learned a lot about the woods during those hours waiting on the side of a river, or sitting high in a tree in a deer blind. Ged checked the small mp3 played he had clipped to the bottom hem of the fairly well-fitting t-shirt he wore on his upper half. He’d been running for almost an hour, no wonder he felt a bit winded. Ged remembered when he could run for miles on end without hurting, or feeling winded, but those days were long behind him. At least the general ache in his body was from genuine exercise instead of old injuries. It made him feel normal, for once.

He smiled at the trees around him, eyes focused up, high in the canopy as the wind rustled the branches. The Wind elemental turned his face into the wind as it swept down into the small channel the path carved in the forest. Yes, this was exactly what he needed to stave off the itch. If he kept running, he might be able to make it to the end of the term before the itch got to be too much to ignore.

[]

[ben]

[atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; background-image: url(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff414/breeBURTON/TABLE%20PICTURES/grey.jpg); padding: 20px; border-radius: 60px,bTable][cs=2] i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 1px solid 525252;]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][rs=7][atrb=width,350px,true][atrb=height,400px,true][atrb=style, vertical-align: top;background-color: #c4c4c4; overflow: auto; padding: 10px; border-radius: 25px;] as dangerous as the wilderness was, there was something harmfully peaceful about it. death hid in every corner of the place, a possible bear or wolf waiting to capture its unsuspecting victim. yet despite the chances of death, the idea that you could die with each step that you took deeper into the wilderness, it could be worse. worse how? some might ask and the water boy would reply with two words, harry potter. as terrifying as encountering a predator could be, there was no giant spiders, or minotaurs within the wilderness. in fact, the only thing to be afraid of was typical animals that you could find anywhere, really. anything mythical though? no, you were safe from those, and therefore, in the water boy's head, he was safe. being in a place that screamed to stay out was not nearly as terrifying as it could be, so he concluded, and thus you could find him here often. though, generally under one circumstance. expression. the word excited and haunted the elemental boy. in a world like today, to express oneself openly was to be doomed to verbal death. people who died their hair to express themselves, those who wrote books and short poems to let out the deep parts of them. most did it in the open, because to express yourself means to show the world your true you. however, ben was not so naive. to express yourself also meant to make yourself vulnerable, something the bi boy could not afford. it was hard enough to grow up as an orphan and foster child, only to learn he was bi and could have feelings for guys. that was the hardest, he had quickly decided, to be partially gay, as he called it. he could like girls, something that was considered socially normal, but to also crush on a guy? it was hard to be both, why not one or the other? sadly, ben was not nearly so lucky. nonetheless, the elemental boy was not nearly as cold-hearted as his no outward expression rule could make him seem. in fact, he was considered a social butterfly, easily able to get along with just about anyone, even opposite elements. it was odd how someone could live such a contradictory life, though that is another story for another time. ben's figure leaned effortlessly against a tree within the wilderness. a place that was hidden by trees, but still possessed natural light from the sun to see. upon the boys lap could be found a white notebook, within its pages things ben swore to never show anyone. it was his secret addiction, the thing he did in solitude. specifically, ben drew, or painted. it was his way of expressing himself in a safe manner, so he decided. his way of clearing his head, of allowing himself to centre into bliss. whatever you wanted to call it, this notebook, just holding, made ben calm and relaxed. the colored pencils, or box of water paints that he carried with the notebook allowed him to create something beautiful, safe from the critical world everyone else lived in. in his notebook, he was free to do as he pleased with no consequence... and just as ben had felt safe, for those moments that he let the creativity leave his fingertips, the faint footsteps of another being in the forest made the water boy stop in the middle of expression. his eyes widen like a dear in headlights and his breath staggered. who would be out here at this time of the day? or rather, why would someone be so far into the wilderness? "who's there? his voice asked, shaking. he contemplated hiding his notebook, but considered the possibility of the noise being an animal. was he safe or was he revealed?
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] mister ged <3
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] six three three.
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] ben's outfit
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] sorry for the wait pasta!

this template was made by insert.name.here of Caution.

[ged]

It surprised Ged how many people never looked up. He could spend hours just lying down, watching the cloud pass by, mapping the course of birds and planes as they effortlessly flew overhead. Of course, the sight of the planes was met with a wince and a slight shudder along with hastily averted eyes, but Ged watched every bird with a keen gaze, touched with just a bit of jealousy. If only he could fly like them. He could go anywhere he wanted, do anything, and just fly away whenever fancy touched him. Such was the dichotomy of a wind elemental. His blood yearned to fly and chafed at the binds of gravity and the bipedal form that kept him locked on the ground, forced to travel around obstacles instead of soaring above and over. The frustration fed his restlessness. Traveling could be so much easier, but it wasn’t. He was trapped while he lived.

Sometimes, Ged imagined that was what caused his mother to leave. The mountains of West Virginia were the worst. You had to wind your way up the mountain, then down, and it was impossible to go anywhere directly. All the while, the valleys channeled the wind past Ged as he labored the long way around a mountain or hill the wind so easily and eagerly leapt. When it was flat, it was easier, because Ged could just run and run, chasing the wind and even beating it to his chosen goal. His problem then was where to stop. He never wanted to stop.

Ged reluctantly tore his gaze from the sky as he stumbled on an exposed root. Mundane rules of his physical form reestablished themselves and forced him to pay attention. He pulled the earphones out of his ears just in time to hear a voice call out. He realized his stumble had attracted some amount of attention. The voice asked who was there. Only the wind…

The dreamy smile that lingered on Ged’s lips twisted into a broad smirk as thoughts swirled through his mind, not all of them kind to the possessor of the voice. Ged thought he recognized the voice, and he usually had a good ear for those kinds of things. Sound was air, after all. Benjamin; Ged shared classes with the other boy. He thought he remembered that the boy’s element was water. What was Benjamin doing out here so far into the wilderness? Ged couldn’t hear any source of water, and there wasn’t likely to be any major one so high up on the ridge.

Ged crept forward, silent and deadly. Well, maybe not so deadly since he’d left his knife back in the dorm while he ran. Less smelly too, even though he’d spent the last hour running. The cool autumn kept most of the sweat off his body. Ged abandoned all pretenses after a few steps as he grew bored of his plan to scare the shit out of his classmate. His steps grew subtly heavier, and the sticks and rocks Ged seemed to avoid without trying were suddenly loud underfoot.

“Heya,” Ged said as he stepped around the bend in the trail and therefore into view of the boy under the tree. He raised his hand in greeting, then used it to push his sweaty bangs off his forehead. “It’s just me. Remember? Ged, from class.” Ged realized Ben was trying to hide something in his lap. “Whatcha got there? If it’s porn, don’t worry, I’ll leave you alone so you can get back to your…business,” Ged smirked at the implication of what he said filtered into Benjamin’s consciousness. He was really turning on the charm for Ben.

The redhead quickly approached and craned his head to see exactly what was in the notebook, hopefully before Ben had a chance to hide it. It didn't look like porn, but you never knew, especially with the goody-goody boys like Benjamin seemed to be.

[[OOC: a fart reference and a masturbation joke, all in one post! hope you can relax... ice=broken between Ged and Ben]]

[ben]

[atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; background-image: url(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff414/breeBURTON/TABLE%20PICTURES/grey.jpg); padding: 20px; border-radius: 60px,bTable][cs=2] i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 1px solid 525252;]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][rs=7][atrb=width,350px,true][atrb=height,400px,true][atrb=style, vertical-align: top;background-color: #c4c4c4; overflow: auto; padding: 10px; border-radius: 25px;] the instants before the culprit was revealed seemed to tick by slowly for ben. he was uncertain if he was more afraid for possibly unleashing a secret he had spent his three years at the school hiding, or for the possibility of it being a man-eating beast. sure, he had convinced himself that he was relatively safe in the forest, but when it came down to actual encounters, things changed. he could hear his heart beat in his ears and could slowly feel his hands beginning to pack the water paints and colored pencils away. if he was going to die, or be revealed, oddly he did not want his notebook to be destroyed in the process. he would accept death with open arms and let those left behind wonder why he had kept his artistic side so hidden. from the afterlife, they would never understand, but ben would successfully be able to admit that he had kept a part of him secret his whole life, point blank. however, as the outsider was indeed human and that human being ged of all people, ben's feelings of accepting death had faded quickly. ged and ben had been in classes and as much as ben had told himself to get his feelings under control, he was intrigued and star-struck by ged. it was odd because although ben was bi and had the ability to get with girls, he found his feelings revolving around guys more. with a smile, greeting ged, ben was not one to be shy, especially around people he liked. nonetheless, with ged's comment on ben fooling around with porno, his cheeks flustered a pink color and ben let out a whole-hearted laugh. "hello ged, and no, its not porn. try not to flatter me." he replied easily, though he tensed has ged moved closer to him to get a look at his work. at this point, ben had a decision, show ged and let him be the first to actually know about his secret hobby, or try, possibly failing, to hide everything. in the moments that it took ben to over-think the situation, ged had already made his way to his side and ben's notebook was open to his eyes. a moment of silence passed over ben's lips and he breathed deeply, slowly closing the notebook. "so you caught me, i draw." ben admitted, though he voice was not nearly as ashamed as he thought it would be. in fact, it almost felt nice to let ged in on the secret, despite the chance that he could tell everyone at the academy. thinking quickly, ben wanted the spotlight off himself. "what are you doing out here anyway?" he questioned. ben had heard somewhere the ged was into running, or so some had claimed, but he had never went about to try and prove it. ben loved to run, generally early in the morning with nell by his side, but whether the rumours were true for the wind element, ben was uncertain. remaining silent, ben put the paints and the pencils within his satchel, leaving the notebook out. a part of ben hoped ged would grab it and venture through his artistic side, but a part of him wondered why he was breaking his rule for some boy who probably did not share the same feelings he did. the battles within were always the most difficult for ben.
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] mister ged <3
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] five six eight.
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] ben's outfit
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] oh goodness, lol. i need to reply to other people... but i can't help breaking my list for ged <3

this template was made by insert.name.here of Caution.

[ged]

Ged hadn’t the slightest idea that the pink tinge to Ben’s cheeks might be caused by more than the redhead’s slightly crude joke. He knew crushes, and had a few of his own in the past (he nearly gave his feather a heart attack by declaring he had a crush on then-president Bill Clinton—that man had balls even a five year old Ged could appreciate), but the idea that someone could crush on him? It wasn’t in the picture to Ged. Lust? Maybe. People had different standards once you got enough alcohol in them. But something more than that? Nope, never crossed Ged’s mind. He was far from a teenage heartthrob.

“Not porn? You sure? You could be drawing your own,” Ged pointed out, the words falling out on automatic pilot as his attention focused on the notebook in Ben’s lap. He leaned well into Ben’s personal space. If he had a right arm, it would be leaning on Ben’s shoulder so Ged could get an even better look. The notebook closed, and Ged blinked in surprise as his attention was abruptly interrupted.

“What was that for? I was looking at that,” Ged complained. He plopped down on the ground and leaned back on his hand, watching Ben put the pencils and paints back into his bag. He pouted. He hadn’t meant for Ben to stop. Ged liked watching people create art, be it music or painting or otherwise.

He answered the question easily, eyeing the notebook on the ground. It sat just within Ged’s reach. “I was running,” he said with a shrug, “Wanted to get out of campus for a bit.” His distraction was apparent by the oddly honest answer. Something had attracted his attention, and Ged wanted to see.

Ged saw his chance, and snagged the notebook from the ground. He jumped up and ran several yards away, laughing, “Now let’s see what you’ve been hiding from me.” Opening the notebook was a bit awkward with one hand to hold it and flip the pages, but Ged managed with a practiced flick of his wrist. His run slowed to a trot, then a stop, as Ged’s attention wholly focused on the pages in front of him.

“Man, you’re pretty good,” he commented. Ged sat cross legged on the ground, giving up attempting to keep away from Ben for greater ease of turning the pages. He hadn’t even noticed whether Ben had chased after him or not. He rested the notebook in his lap, freeing his hand to turn the pages, which he did so quickly, barely skimming one picture before he turned to the next. The redhead stopped on one that particularly caught his fancy. His fingers traced the edges of the drawing, and his distant expression was touched with no small bit of jealousy.

Ged’s gaze switched from the picture to his hand, and the constellation of scars tracing their way up his arm. He twisted his arm, catching a glimpse of the long red surgical scar the stretched from wrist to elbow. He should have worn long sleeves, no matter how much he would have sweated on the run. Even when he still had his dominant arm, Ged couldn’t have drawn anything this good. Now? It was out of the question.

Ged turned to another page, burying his own inner thoughts while he looked at Ben’s secrets spread out on the page.

[ben]

[atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,width: 450px; background-image: url(http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff414/breeBURTON/TABLE%20PICTURES/grey.jpg); padding: 20px; border-radius: 60px,bTable][cs=2] i may never sleep tonight as long as you're still burning bright
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,border: 1px solid 525252;]	[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][rs=7][atrb=width,350px,true][atrb=height,400px,true][atrb=style, vertical-align: top;background-color: #c4c4c4; overflow: auto; padding: 10px; border-radius: 25px;] a light laugh followed the continuation of porn and the possibility of ben dirtying his mind with it. shaking his head, he sighed. ben was creative, but not in the sense of drawing naked people. feeling ged's eyes begin to fall onto his notebook had forced him to shut it, despite parts of his body telling him to let someone in, anyone really. as he placed it on the ground, ged's eyes followed it and ben shrugged. "not everything is meant to be observed." he commented to the wind element's complaint. if everything was meant to be taken and looked at, then ben might be in trouble for the aspect of keeping things secret with his creative side. ben's features lightened with the topic of running brought to mind and it was instantly brought to bright mornings with nell. it wa hard to find a fellow early riser, but ben had managed and through runs in the morning, ben had made a friend through nell. "i love to run." he commented, though more absent-mindedly as he thought of times with nell. with further explanation, ben sighed. yes, he had felt that feeling before, the need to leave the campus and be free for a moment. funny how the wilderness was not really leaving the campus though, since it was technically part of it, though ben did not point this out. "i know the feeling. fair enough." he stated, showing he accepted the reply and would drop the subject, unless ged felt the need to share his feelings on running and the beauty of it. once again drowned in his thoughts, ben failed to notice as ged swiftly grabbed his notebook and went running. getting up quickly, he ran after ged, slightly amazed by his speed. was there any surprise the a wind student would run like, well, the wind? however, as ged slowed down and took a seat by a tree, ben slowed his pace, walking until he was a few feet in front of ged. "seriously? such a kiddie move." ben commented more on how ged had snatched the notebook, rather then expressing his slight distaste of him taking it in the first place. with ged's comment on some of the pictures, ben's cheeks flushed bright pink again and he laughed, scratching his head. "i doubt that. they are just scribbles." he stated, not wanting to come off vain. as page after page was flipped, ben could physically feel ged getting deeper and deeper into his personal thoughts, forcing him to move uneasily. kneeling down beside ged, he watched as ged stopped on one picture and look at a long scar that ben had not noticed before. "since your inviting yourself into my personal space, what's the story behind it?" he asked simply, his voice curious as he pointed at the scar. although ben had first felt invaded with ged grabbing his notebook, as ged looked deeper and deeper into its pages, his beating heart began to relax. it was a weird, yet good feeling to have someone actually comment on his pictures. his mom had found an old notebook of his before and had made a comment on how he should not be hiding such a gift, but ben had taken it as a mother just saying what a mother should. hearing that ged, someone ben secretly valued with opinions, say that he liked the pictures gave ben butterflies. was it actually possible he was good as what he did so carefully? he gazed at ged's face, watching his eyes skim and smiled faintly.... possibly.
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] mister ged <3
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] five nine seven.
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] ben's outfit
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,5,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: c0c0c0; border-radius: 10px;] <3 <3 <3

this template was made by insert.name.here of Caution.

[ged]

Ged looked at Ben with a bit of surprise at the other boy’s declaration he loved running. Ben didn’t seem like much of the sporty type, though that was probably just Ged’s prejudices coming through. Arty people weren’t supposed to like sports, at least that’s what Ged told himself every time he tried and failed to produce anything that looked remotely artistic. Sure, he was alright with music, but anything that involved drawing or painting? No thank you. He’d stick to his stories.

It wasn’t so much the running that Ged enjoyed. It was the freedom, the ability to move under his own power, the wind blowing in his face, the burn of his muscles, everything that reminded him he was alive. But Ged kept it simple. You didn’t get inside his head very easily at all, even when he was staring at another person’s soul bared in front of him on paper. “We should run together sometime,” Ged said simply, “That is, if you can keep up.”

The redhead ignored the jab at his maturity level. Ged had fun; it was as simple as that. His actions—antics, some called them—had gotten him into trouble more than a few times. They called him immature, told him if he didn’t take life seriously, he would never get anywhere. Well guess what? He was still here, doing whatever he wanted, and still trying to have some fun, and a lot of people weren’t.

Ged stared at the picture on the page in front of him. It was one of the more abstract watercolors, and Ged couldn’t even begin to try and recognize the person painted there. He didn’t particularly care if the picture was recognizable. It still looked nice. “I’m no judge of artsy stuff,” Ged said flippantly, “But I like it. You should do more.” That was all that counted in Ged’s opinion.

The question about his scar was not welcome. Ged’s gaze snapped to Ben’s face, a cold, almost calculating expression replacing the half-smile of only seconds before. He quickly cooled the expression to one that was much more neutral, but under the surface, thoughts still churned. Ged did not want to answer. He didn’t care for the give and take Ben offered. Taking was just fine in Ged’s book. From experience, however, Ged knew it wasn’t so easy to get people off his back, and he knew Ben enough to know that the other elemental wouldn’t be put off with an obvious lie.

“I broke my arm,” Ged said simply, then elaborated, “Compound fracture. They sliced my arm open and screwed and hammered it all back into place.” He lifted his arm so Ben could see the full extent of the scar. It was as thin as the surgeons could make it, and had healed better than many of the ones scattered over Ged’s body, but it was slightly pink because of its newness and from the recent exertion of running. There was dozens of other scars to ask about; scattered, jagged marks criss-crossing Ged’s pale skin, but the straight surgical scar was the most obvious one merely because it didn’t fit in. It was the only one with purpose to its design.

“Here, you can feel the screws and the plate,” Ged shoved his arm at Ben, fully expecting the other boy to recoil in disgust at all of the scars. He jerked his head at his arm, not having another arm to point the specific place he meant. “A whole section of bone in the middle was displaced, and the end chipped. You can hear the metal clicking if I twist my arm a certain way,” Ged continued morbidly. He bent his arm slightly, twisted, and snapped his elbow straight once again. A loud click sounded from the joint, accompanied by a bolt of pain that shot up Ged’s arm and made him suck in a quick breath to hide the wince.