Kire snorted at his response. “’Glad I could be satisfactory’,” she repeated in a mock masculine voice. “You make it sound like I paid you.” Still, despite her blush, she grinned. Though, the way he had hesitated at her question, like he wasn’t still sure about who she was to him, bothered her a little.

“It’s not like you or I can read each other’s letters, anyway,” she put in, looking sidelong at him, pausing in thought. “No, you’re not,” she said bluntly afterward, looking ahead. “Maybe you should work on that. Because, despite your best efforts, you do still have friends, and keep finding new ones. Loosening up even a little wouldn’t kill you. Seemed to work out great last night, anyway.”

"Wha-" He started to object when she made fun of him. "I told you, this wasn't ... what am I supposed to say?" He asked shortly, wanting to be cross until she continued to talk. He'd forgotten that she couldn't read his languages. He wanted to offer strange solutions, like, Ed could dictate letters in elvish, but he wasn't entirely sure Ed could write or read elvish, anyway.

"What do you mean 'despite my best efforts'?" He asked, pausing in his steps to face her. "And last night, that wasn't," He gestured with an arm. "it wasn't loosening up. That was -" It really wasn't uncomfortable to him, so he couldn't say that. It had been, yes, but he had enjoyed it. "That was you asking for something, and I couldn't say no."

Kire frowned, turning to him. “That—I was joking,” she put in, still frowning as he fumbled and tried to put the words together. Couldn’t say no. “What?” She glared at him, mouth open. “Firstly. You can’t exactly say you have the sunniest disposition, and you do have a habit of making people cross at you. And secondly, what do you mean ‘can’t say no’?” Her voice rose then. “It wasn’t like I was forcing you into it! I thought—I just—I came to you thinking you might understand feeling alone the way I do, but if it was such an imposition then my apologies.” She growled, crossing her arms and looking away, shaking her head.

Ruli's temper surged, and he swallowed, trying and failing to keep it in check. "I couldn't say no! You barge into my room when I'm half asleep, you're half drunk on that wine, looking like you're really not going to leave until you get what you want, and if I say no, then what? You ditch me there? Tell your sister's, cousin's, whoever the fucks house that I need to be removed? Or worse, that I tried to proposition you, instead? You've a whole kingdom at your demand, with or without a throne, I can't exactly piss you off! I know how the nobility class works."

Whatever flimsy attempt Kire had at holding back what was left of her already terrible temper snapped at his response. She turned back to him, livid. “Is that really what you think of me? Gods above, no wonder you’re terrible at friends. You just relish assuming the worst of people, don’t you?” she spat back. She was red for a different reason now, and she groaned into her hands. Some part of her couldn’t resist picturing it from Ruli’s point of view, though. She had been drunk. She was in Elva’s house. He had nowhere else to go. She wanted to be angry—she was—but the thought of him having a valid argument only fueled her temper. “If you think being spurned in bed would make me turn around and hurt people because of it, you’re not quite right in the head. I didn’t do any of those things to the poor bastard who fucked me the first time. You know why it wasn’t such a jolly good time for either of us? He took one look at the scars on my body and I could see the horror on his face. Can’t exactly fuck someone straight after that.”

She had more to shout at him, but it was hard to rearrange her thoughts with her conflicted anger. Disappointment at the way he felt about her, anger at the way he looked at her, fought with the disappointment she felt in herself for letting all this happen. You fucked up, Kay.

"That's my whole point, Kire." Ruli snapped back at her. "I don't know you. We don't know each other. So no, I'm not really eager to jump into something with that level of intimacy with you! I'm fine with not knowing people. I'm definitely fine with people not knowing me, because you know what the last person who got to know me did? When she figured out what I really am, what I'm really capable of? She left! But not before giving me another scar to add to my collection!" He pointed to the burn mark across his collarbone, then pointed in the direction of the Lithilote court. "She can't even say my name, now. Can barely stand to look at me. That is what I get when people get close. So you don't get to be angry that I don't invite you in. I know coming to my bed wasn't easy for you. I do. And I enjoyed it, I'll admit that, but theres a line that we are close to crossing, and it will cost a lot more than your socially anxious discomfort. This isn't Amria, I am not your subject."

“I’m not asking to marry you, all my gods!” Kire said with an exasperated groan, pushing down the well of anger at herself. When he snapped back at her, she glared, her temper making it hard for her to focus on what he was saying, until he started talking about her. Aera. She was silent, fuming, yes, but more and more, it had started to dawn on her why he behaved the way he did. Why seeing Aera was a nightmare for him. And gave her an idea of the darkness that lurked in his past. Kire’s hands clenched into fists. You fucked up, Kire.

“I’m not ordering you around. I’m not asking you to be my subject. Far from it! I’m just—” She covered her face and growled. How did it spiral into this? When she lowered her hands to look ahead, her temper had started to falter, and only confusion was left, and regret. She couldn’t quite regret last night, but everything since. Couldn’t she had just left well enough alone, shaken his hand, thanked him for his time, and they could have forgotten the whole affair happened and went on their way? Why did she feel the need to needle him like this?

She was quiet afterwards, her lips pursed, her words failing her along with her temper. What could one say to that confession he had just given? Where should she go from here? “Alright.” She sighed heavily, rubbing her face again. “Alright. I won’t pry.” She ran her hand through her hair. “So, we don’t cross the line then. Start over. As your friend.” She sighed again. “As your friend, though, I will say this. You can’t keep people away forever. I’m not talking about me. Just—I don’t know. It’ll be long, lonely life if you keep doing that.”

He blinked. Alright, she said. He furrowed his brow and blinked again, straightening slightly. He hadn't expected her to back down, to concede. Alright.
Nostrils flared, he studied her, half expecting her to lash out again the moment he dropped his guard.

Alright.

Ruli cleared his throat, not sure what to say now that the desire to slap her was fading. "Its been a long life already." He said indifferently. "There are worse things than loneliness."
Without another word, he started back toward the tent and their companions, shoving his hands into his pockets. "And the other guy is a prick for being afraid of your scars." He called back over his shoulder.

Kire watched him turn away. She wasn’t quite sure what it was she felt then. Relief, certainly, that the awkwardness was gone, now that they’d lashed out at each other. Relief, too, that it was over. Though that disappointment she had felt earlier hadn’t gone away. She did smile, though, at his parting remark. There was that, at least. She stood there for a few moments longer, arms limp at her sides, remembering that strange warm fluttering she had felt last night when she lay next to him. It’s over, though. Perhaps it wasn’t so bad to just think of it as one good night between friends and leave it at that. She had enough complications in her life.

She walked back to them, pensive. “Lazybones has returned,” Narda declared, a glint in her eye telling Kire the giantess was hungry for details. She could see Nard eyeing Ruli, too before returning her gaze to Kire. “Hey, you’re the one who wanted to hunt for food. You could go back and beg for more vegetable dishes if you want less work.”
“Pfft. Testy little dragon,” Nard teased. “We have some time till the task later tonight, anyway. Might as well busy ourselves.”
“Mm. I’m going to nap. I’m still sore. We’ll talk later, Nard,” Kire said, no longer caring if Ysaryn would tease her about how sore she was from last night.
Narda watched Kire go and pick a spot to lay on, shaking her head. She’d know all the details later, anyway.

Ruli met Narda's gaze without reservation, his expression guarded as usual. Even Ysaryn, crouched beside the fire with her hands busy, glanced up at him, her curious gaze following him. With the three of them crowded around the small fire, Ruli stopped nearby and landed against the tree.
As Kire mentioned wanting a nap, Ysaryn looked between them, but was mercifully quiet. She almost looked concerned as her eyes fell again on Ruli and he pointedly picked at the bandages on his arm.

"We could have gone back to the cliffs, too." Ruli pointed out after a moment. "Come back tonight."
"And let the Raielwen take all the fun? No." Ysaryn insisted. "They are uneasy with us here. Good."
Ruli only grunted in response. He also felt tired after the time spent awake last night, but now no longer dared make his way into the tent. So, instead, he sat where he was and leaned back, folding his arms over his chest. Ysaryn raised her eyebrow, her cheeky grin making a reappearance. "Inside the tent is for resting, you know." She teased.
"I'm fine."
She chuckled at him.

When the hares were cooked, Ysaryn prodded Ruli, who insisted that he wasn't hungry before he dozed off again. Shrugging, Ysaryn claimed his share guiltlessly, as Narda wandered in to wake Kire. Zeke, chewing on his own portion, sighed. "I have no idea how a whole clan can not eat meat."

Narda came out not long after and huffed as she sat with them again. “Her Majesty isn’t hungry,” she said with a mock flourish of her hand, then took her portion of the hares as well as Kire’s. She glanced at the sleeping Ruli briefly with a shake of her head before chewing on her meal. She had scarcely gone halfway through when Kire emerged from the tent, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She took a seat next to Narda, who eyed her suspiciously.

“Is that mine?” Kire asked, pointing to the giantess’s meal. Narda rolled her eyes and gave her the portion meant for her. Kire dug in as if she hadn’t had her own breakfast earlier today at Elva’s. “So, we’ll be burning the thicket tonight?” she said, pausing from her meal. “We’ll have to be careful. Even without magic involved, burning something this large could be disastrous under the worst conditions.” She listed off her ideas and possible strategies, which Narda noted now and then with an occasional grunt. While it was an important conversation, Narda also knew Kire well enough that this was also more for the Wyvern to apply her mind to work and not dwell on what had been bothering her.

“And I’ll need your help with something later, Nard,” Kire added. “Portal-related. I think tearing that world gate apart’s changed mine a bit. I was able to transport people without needing to jump through the portal, myself. Would be bloody useful in a fight if I can master it.”
This time Narda looked at her. “Doesn’t the portal use exhaust you? You said it almost killed you to use it three months ago.”

“Ah, so you do listen,” Kire put in, to which Narda ruffled Kire’s hair hard.
“I pay attention when you tell me you did something stupid, little Wyvernling.”
Kire grumbled and pushed her hand away, though she left her own hair a mess. “You’re right. But something’s different about it this time. I don’t think I’ll be able to use it in the same scale as when I was siphoning the gate’s energy, but it sort of—” she gestured with her other hand, trying to find the words, “shook something loose? I can’t explain it properly, it’s just a feeling.” Kire returned to her meal, chewing thoughtfully and pointedly avoiding looking at Ruli against the tree.

Ysaryn began to reach for Kire's share the moment she heard Kire wasn't hungry, and pursed her lips when Narda claimed it first. A quick scan of Narda's large disposition made Ysaryn decide against arguing for it.
But when Kire emerged shortly after and demanded hers, the elf chuckled, sitting back on her heels to eat comfortably. "Did stuffy elf bring us wine?" She wondered, craning her neck to peer into the tent before she rose to wander inside, intentionally passing by Ruli in order to unintentionally (surely) kick his foot as she passed.
She returned empty handed, muttering what was no doubt some complaint in elvish.

"It was very strange to see." Ysaryn commented to Kire's portal grab. "She is to open a portal near someone and -" She made a quick slurp sound. "suddenly they are in her front. Wetting themself." She grinned, finishing the last of her meal before licking her fingers.
"Talk to Envy." Ruli tiredly suggested from behind them. Ysaryn's kick jarring him from sleep once more, so that he'd given up on obtaining more. He still remained behind and away from the others, though. "Might have some idea of how to help."
Ysaryn eyed him with feline focus from over her shoulder. "Can you do that?" She asked. "Pull through Shadow without going in?"
Ruli's left shoulder twitched. "Never tried."

Kire smirked at Ysaryn’s description of the mage. “My only regret is that I didn’t get to see their faces on the other side of the portal. No—my real regret would be that I couldn’t open the other side of the portal over the ocean.” She turned slightly towards Ruli when he made his suggestion. “Maybe. If he could get a look and feel of what I had gone through with the portal, he could get a better idea—or maybe just a description would do,” she added, looking away again and continuing her meal, not wanting to sound like she was making yet another imposition on Ruli.
“I’m sure Daryll would be thrilled to discuss this, too,” Narda put in. “We could help you practice when we’re back home.”
Kire nodded in response to that, then finished the rest of her food in silence. “I’m going to inspect the area around the woods,” she said afterwards, standing up. “Just going to make sure there isn’t any errant blood magic left on this side. Rest of you better stay here in case something else sends you back to Amria.”
The giantess looked up at her, silently debating whether or not to stop her. “I’m coming with you, Kay,” Narda said, following her. “Have to make sure you don’t plan on burning the whole thing down by yourself and getting yourself in trouble all over again.”
“Trouble finds me even when I stand still, Nard,” Kire said, but made no objection to the giantess coming along.

“Now, Wyvern, talk. Your current disposition worries me,” Narda said as soon as they were out of earshot. “These moods of yours I know come either before or after something disastrous. Which is it?”
Kire didn’t answer immediately, intent on the errand she had put upon herself. But when the giantess nudged her, she sighed. “After,” she answered. She gave an account of what had happened last night, at least a much-abridged version, and the subsequent argument earlier. “Seems like there are no bounds to the things I’ve ruined. My empire fell apart, I’ve lost family, and I can’t even manage to bed someone without it being a complete disaster.” She sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I royally fucked up, over something that shouldn’t really mean anything. How stupid is that?”
Narda let out a breath. They stood still, where they could see the twisted thicket some distance away. “Well. If you are as upset as you are right now, it’s definitely more than just ‘nothing’. Perhaps that sentiment extends to the person who is on the other side of this argument, yes?”
“He’s a friend. Nothing more,” Kire said.
“Was that what you wanted? Or have you not sorted that out for yourself?”

When Kire didn’t answer, Narda continued, arms crossed. “If I may be frank with you. I know you’ve tried a few times, and that we tease you mercilessly about it, but I don’t think you’re the sort of woman who lays with someone for the sake of just pleasure. And you haven’t made peace with that yet. I know you’re sick of being forced to make choices, and also you being, well, you, but in this case, perhaps it is best for you to decide what it is you need, for your own sake. What you need may or may not involve him. You do have the tendency of making things infinitely harder for yourself, as you’ve said.” She patted Kire gently on her shoulder. “Why him?”
Kire sighed, and shrugged. “I thought we understood each other. I don’t know, really. I wasn’t thinking straight, I guess.”
“Hmm.” Narda looked to the woods again. “Now, did you go out here just to be alone, or are we really going to have a look?”

They came back much later after inspecting the perimeter of the woods and finding nothing unusual beyond the woods themselves. No otherworldly creatures attacked them, and no sign of another gate nearby. Knowing it would be a long night, Kire went straight to the tent to take another nap. Narda joined her, and Kire was silently glad to have her old friend around to turn to. While Kire slept on, Narda got up in the afternoon to hunt for a late lunch.

Ruli's slitted eyes followed Kire as she walked away, tempted out of instinct to offer to follow, but Narda beat him to the offer. Bot that he thought Kire would even accept his offer.
When they were gone, he moved to the fire, taking Narda's place.

"You slept with her, didn't you?" Zeke asked bluntly. Ysaryn cackled beside him, which was answer enough.
"Mmmhm." Ruli answered anyway.
Zeke shook his head, finishing the last of his own meat before he sat back, folding his legs. "Are you going to do it again?"
Even Ysaryn glanced up, curious.
"I don't know." Ruli shrugged, thinking about it. "Maybe."
Ysaryn chuckled again before she got to her feet. "I sleep." She informed them before disappearing into the tent.
"For having just got laid for the first time in years, I'd have thought you'd be more upbeat." Zeke commented idly. The sound of chuckling came from the tent.
Ruli inhaled and sighed. "Want to spar?"
Amusement covered Zeke's face for a moment, before he shrugged. "Sure."

By the time Kire and Narda returned, both men were sweating from the effort. Zeke took a swig from his water skin before wiping his brow and nearing the women. "How'd it go?" He asked about the thicket.
Ruli, having no water skin, and not wanting to invade their space, listened from afar before Kire went back to nap. Ysaryn lay awake on her bed roll, apparently kept up by the noise the males were making.

Ruli wandered on his own after a short while later, heading north, though cautiously. He knew the Kartaian territory was to the north, but never knew how far north. When he returned, Narda and Ysaryn were hunting, and returning to the tent revealed Kire and Zeke asleep in the tent. With little else to do, he stoked their fire and lay on his back on the roll across from Kire's.

After their dinner, which considered of another hare and a pheasant, Ysaryn turned her head sharply. "Incoming." She warned.
Within minutes, Aera and two elven escorts appeared, the latter two looking quite uncomfortable outside of their territory. "Good afternoon." She greeted, her eyes sweeping the group, skipped over Ruli, to land on the tent. "I hope the tent has been satisfactory?"
"You're up and about early." Zeke grinned.
She smirked in return. "I couldn't sleep. I came to announce we are gathering supplies to approach the thicket within a few hours."
"So early?" Ysaryn asked with a slight teasing tone.
Aera's smile didn't change. "Do you have any preference to how it should be done, Empress?"

Kire rose a little groggily in time for dinner, but it didn’t take long for her to be alert again. She was much less sore now, and eager to put herself to work. When Ysaryn warned them that the elves were approaching, Kire stood and waited, glad that they were ahead of schedule. She bowed her head briefly in greeting to Aera, then pondered on her question. Kire could already tell this would be grueling work, but she was in the mood for that, anyway. She looked at Aera and suddenly remembered Ruli’s confession earlier; she turned away quickly before her face gave anything away, facing the direction of the woods. “Right, so. I have a few ideas, though I suppose you’d know how to proceed, too. As far as I could tell, the gate is gone, and no blood magic is holding the woods together now.” She crossed her arms. “Ideally we should we working piece-meal on it, break the woods into smaller areas, cut the trees down, and work our way through to control the fire, but that would take time. Unless you’ve got some magic way of doing it.”

“We could cut down as much as we could along the border to serve as a fire break,” Narda suggested, to which Kire nodded, looking like they had gone over these suggestions themselves earlier. “If you have axes to spare, maybe some rope to help haul the logs around, Kire and I could help work on that while the rest of you gather your supplies.”

Once the items they requested had been brought to them, Kire and Narda went to work. Kire let herself get absorbed in her task, quiet unless asking Narda something or giving instructions. Without the blood magic animating the life within the perimeter, the trees had become mostly brittle and dry. Given a few hours and between Narda and Kire’s dragon-strength, they were able to cut down a sizeable amount along the border, taking breaks in between. “I will sleep like the dead after this,” Narda said, stretching and rubbing her hands.
“That’s why you nap before doing work this large,” Kire put in, though she, too, was tired from the work. She paused to sit on the ground for a spell, looking at their handiwork. “Wonder if any of the wolves are still alive? Though none of them came for us yet.”
“We’ll know when the fire gets going,” Narda said lazily, gesturing around them.
“We don’t want to burn down more than these woods you know,” Kire said, amused.
Narda shrugged. “We could cut them down as they flee. Unless you want to go in there and cut them down now, yourself.” She raised a brow when it looked like Kire was considering it, but she thankfully looked like she’d rather wait till the elves were here.

Aera listened, still as stone, as Kire mentioned her ideas and suggestions, and asked for what the elves would be able to provide. "Axes, ropes, and buckets of water, as well as quite a group of volunteers who want to see this dead knot eradicated from our close proximity." Aera answered, smiling subtly at Kire.
Ruli, still sitting near their little fire, didn't turn around, but his annoyance surged. He could earily put magic around the thicket, prevent the fire from spreading, but Aera would never ask. He doubted entirely that she would accept if offered.
Indeed, when Ysaryn asked aloud, "Would Rulitus not be able to make ward around? Like the gate?" Aera stiffened, until Ruli had to quickly shake his head.
"It won't work for a natural element." He lied quickly. He had to shoot Ysaryn a glare to keep her from arguing, as she clearly didn't believe him. She kept quiet, but looked deeply confused.

"The supplies will be brought. If you've need of anything else, Zekiel, please come to inform us." Don't send the elf or him, her tone said. With a polite bend, she turned and strolled back toward the borders, and Ruli exhaled audbibly.
"What was that!?" Ysaryn rounded on him, gesturing.
"She won't accept anything from me, so drop it." Ruli mumbled. "Trying will only lose us their assistance."
"We don't need it!"
"We do. Stop acting selfish." He snapped, passing her by. Ysaryn snarled at him.

A gathering of nearly forty elves arrived, mostly male, each with a barely-contained look of unbridled violence in their eyes. Whatever they feared about these woods settled deep, their desire to be rid of it causing their emotionless facade to break. Aera led them, still wrapped in fine silks, but they were far more closely trimmed, her gloves made of leather. Still, none of the other elves allowed her to so much as tie a knot in any of the rope, and she was force to stand aside and supervise.
She only looked disappointed with Zeke, Ysaryn, and Ruli arrived, the lattermost and the princess doing all they could to put themselves as far apart as possible. The elves went to working hauling the broken pieces of wood into small individual piles that were kept as neatly away from the living and unscathed trees as possible. The rest went to help break down the trees that had yet to be cut down. Ten of them were on standby to run back and forth to their well to refill buckets of water, as much of the soil beneath them was soaked to prevent unintentional spread.

"Empress." Aera said from where she stood on dry floor some feet away. "With your permission, we will begin burning."

“Well, thank the gods we don’t need to do all the work,” Narda commented, once the gathering of elves had arrived. Kire nodded, similarly pleased that they were eager to be rid of the thicket. “You are going to let them work, aren’t you?”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Kire said, watching as they worked to chop the trees they had felled while the others brought down more. “Besides, it’d be interesting to see whether my soldiers or her men have more coordination,” she said with a slight smirk. Narda shook her head, though she looked amused at the remark.
After a while, Aera finally asked Kire if they were ready to begin. “By all means, Princess,” she said, stepping back, though keeping her hand on her sword in case there were other surprises. “Let’s begin.”

The Amrians watched intently as the first fires were lit. Kire remembered the stench of burning back in Cordon, when she and Ysaryn fought their way through the dolls, the stench Ysaryn had smelled when they saw the wolf earlier today. Narda was tense, fingering the handle of her axe, as if waiting for another gate or a pack of wolves to emerge. So far, so good, though. For a while, it seemed that everything was under control, so Kire stood back for a bit, a little closer to Ruli, who had been keeping his distance from the princess. She now knew why, or at least the gist of it, and she could therefore guess why he said what he had said about not putting up a ward around the woods. She already knew Ruli could do it, natural element or not. “This’ll be over soon,” she murmured in assurance, her eyes on the elves’ work.

A pained, wretched howling rose up from within the woods as the fire advanced further in. This time, Kire could smell burning flesh, too. “Nard, ready,” Kire said, unsheathing her sword and stepping closer. The air was thick with ash and fumes the closer they got. The giantess nodded, similarly drawing her axe. While Kire was confident the elves could handle whatever would come out of the woods, it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

The first wolves emerged, their skin and fur catching flame. Already weakened by the fire, they were cut down easily by the elves. When more broke through, Kire and Nard stepped in, guarding the elves and allowing them to focus on the fires and preventing the wolves from igniting more forest. Kire was a little relieved that these wolves weren’t as much of a danger as the first time around; she hadn’t looked forward to fighting them after all the work she and Nard had put in earlier.

The attacks slowed; and after a while it seemed they had either cut down or burned through whatever wolves had remained within. When Kire and Nard stepped back, coughing a little from the smoke, they were covered in dirt. “Yeah, let’s leave ‘em to it,” Kire conceded, wiping down her blade before sheathing it, rubbing soot from her face. “I am looking forward to a nice, long bath later.”

It went well once they began, the elves following Aera's short worded orders to move, to ignite, which flames to mind, when to take a bucket of water. The reek filled the air, and Zeke gagged a little, using his sleeve to protect his face.
Ysaryn, like Narda and Kire, waited, watching, focused. Her eyes glowed in the flames, becoming a brilliant bright topaz as she hunted.

Ruli, standing across the clearing, watched with mild horror, the smell churning his insides. When Kire mumbled to him, he crossed his arms, feeling a chill. "Thanks." He said back, not entire sure what to reply with, only sure that he should reply.

When the howling started, Ysaryn drew her blades, one of her own, thankfully returned to her by Zeke, and the other the Amrian blade, and she pounced with the Amrians when the wolves began to make their escape. Her bloodlust was short lived, however, when she noticed the Raielwen moving in on the abominations, as well, and she quickly put distance between them and herself. Instead, she stood next to Ruli, almost vibrating with forced restraint.
"This'll be over soon." He said, repeating Kire's words to him.
Judging by the swear that came from her lips, it wasn't nearly as assuring to her as it was to him.

When Kire and Narda retreated, Ysaryn was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Its a good look on you ladies." Ruli commented as he took in their soot and dirt stained clothing.

The Raielwen circled the clearing, using hooked rods to pull wood apart as it burned and drag it to other piles, stoking flames, dousing the soil. Even covered in soot and dirt, same as the Amrians, they were entirely kept together, not a hair out of place. Ysaryn's desire to shove one in the mud circled like an animal.
Ruli took of walking without warning after perhaps an hour of watching them work, circling the fires. Not quite coincidentally, Aera approached Kire from the other side. "It appears to be going quite smoothly." She pointed out, gesturing to the flames. "I had anticipated a little worse than the mutated animals. Never before have I been so pleased to be overprepared." Her dark eyes turned toward Kire, another pleasant but small smile on her lips. "Will you and your party be accompanying us back once the fires have died down?"

Kire snorted at Ruli’s comment. “Should look much better on you,” she said back, before turning around to watch the Raielwen continue their work.
“So, which is it? Our soldiers or hers?” Narda asked, grinning. She didn’t bother wiping the soot from her own face and hair.
“Mm.” Kire looked the elves over. “They’re more put together. But ours look better,” she said in an amused whisper. “These elves are rather…”
“Stiff? Inhuman? Bloodless?” Narda said, grinning still. Kire elbowed her, though offered no contradictory argument.

When the princess approached her, Kire cleared her throat and offered a small smile back. “Any time blood magic is involved, count your lucky stars if things go smoothly,” she replied. “I am glad you were overprepared. After handling the world gate’s energy, I’m rather glad this is what we have to deal with here.” She was silent, pondering Aera’s question. “I think I’ve kept them away from Envy long enough. Unless anyone objects, I assume we’ll all be heading back to him,” she said after a pause. “I am indebted to you for all you’ve done for us, of course. Should you need my help, I’ll do my best to give it.”

She fell silent again as they watched the wood burn down. “I find I am rather curious about Lithilote, though,” she said after a while. “It’s strange. The lives you live. At some point in our ancient history, I’m sure Amrians were like you, too. Much longer lives. Steeped in magic. There’s some deep, old magic in your citadel. But now we’re closer to human lives like Zeke’s, though we would still outlive them. Do you miss being around that, or are you content with being here?” She turned to Aera, an apologetic smile on her face. “I’m sorry if the question is rather impertinent. But, like I said, I am curious.”

Aera seemed to shiver at the mention of blood magic, her thin shoulders twitching almost imperceptibly. "Do pass along my regards to Envy, then." She requested. "I do miss him. I'm sure he knows that, but tell him for me anyway, my only request."

As Kire continued, Aera's violet eyes flit back to the Empress, her patient but guarded expression returning. "We are far less steeped in magic than most of our kin, but it does have its hold in our culture. As Envy can do with enchantments and potions, so can we, but we do not have active magics that manifest." Save for her, of course, though she'd always been so suppressant of her powers she avoided mentioning them when possible. "Our halls were made from it, so yes, it runs through our mountain like a slow-beating heart."

"You mean mortals? Men?" She asked, glancing toward Zeke, who still covered his face, his eyes red and irritated. The elf considered the question for a time.

"They make everything more precious, don't they? So fleeting are their lives that they find joy in the oddest of things. Animal companions. Drink. Knitting." Aera said thoughtfully. "I miss my own precious pieces of it, in truth. But-" She hesitated, her expression hardening again. Then it cracked, the corners of her lips pulling down for just a moment. "No. I do not believe I would return if offered the choice. I prefer, I think, to be isolated with my own people. Sure, you'd prefer your own, rather than immerse yourself in the far more temporary life of those here?" Aera asked, glancing toward Kire once more.