As Aera spoke of the magic that presented itself in her people, though in less magnitude than other elves, Kire bowed her head a little, concentrated. The scent of moonflowers did linger strongly around the princess, along with a signature she had yet to pinpoint. She scarred him, she thought. That must have something to do with it. She didn’t pry further into that, though, but she did note Aera’s description of the magic the mountain held.

She listened to the princess’s thoughts on the lives of mortals, then met her gaze when Aera returned the question. “Of course I like being around my own people. Everybody does, I suppose,” she said after a while. “But like I said, I think we have far too much in common with their lives rather than those of immortals. In between, yes, but. That search for meaning, that need to find contentment—it’s invigorating. There are people back home with lives as short as theirs. It’s a good reminder, to hold close what is dear to you, and also a reminder to learn to let go of things when necessary. Admittedly, that part’s rather difficult for me to do,” she added with a chuckle. “As much as I sometimes curse the burden this Ring had given me, it has, at least, let me see so many wondrous things, and meet people I never would have otherwise. Even without it, I can’t imagine a life spent just within my Capital, not seeing the rest of the wider world. Danger and complication sometimes has a way of coming to me, whether I move or stand still, so I might as well move.” Kire shrugged. “But. To each their own. Your choice may be different from mine, but we’ve lived under different circumstances.”

Kire turned her attention back to the fires, determined to see it through until the last of them had died down. The elves were quick and efficient with their work. There were a couple more wolves that had come out, but Kire hadn’t bothered to meet them, seeing the Raielwen deal with it, themselves. By the time the night had deepened and the fires had gone low, Kire couldn’t wait to leave and clean herself off. Once it was safe enough for her to approach, she walked over to the parts no longer touched by flame, just to make sure nothing else sprouted out of the ground, or no strange runes suddenly appeared. Husks of the dead wolves littered the burnt ground, and now and then she would catch glimpses of Amrian armor, some bearing the Wyvern crest, a few others the Gemini insignia. Her lip curled at that, that they would sacrifice their own for this kind of destructive power. She remembered the feeling of her fingers digging into the mage’s neck, the utmost temptation of snapping it with her bare hands still strong in her memory.

“I suppose we must take our leave now, if you don’t mind,” she said, after she had completed her inspection of their handiwork. Unsure about how the elf princess felt about shaking hands, Kire bowed her head respectfully. “Thank you once again for all that you’ve done. I’m sure you’re looking forward to going back to your old schedule,” she added with a grin.
“Thank the gods,” Narda muttered; she had been standing a ways away from the smoke, and now she approached to say her own farewells to the princess. “My thanks for accommodating Zeke and I will we waited for this slowpoke to return,” she added, grinning at Kire, who elbowed her with a frown.
“I came back in a day, Nard. I’d say that was speedy service to get back to a foul-mouthed brigand like you.”
Once everybody was ready, Kire and Narda stepped back with the others, bracing themselves to Shadow-Walk. Kire took Ruli’s hand, Narda on his other side.

The smell of the sea greeted them when they emerged in the quiet cave. Kire breathed it in, glad to be away from the smell of burning. Narda, too, looked much happier. “Well maybe I would avoid meat for a night after smelling all that,” the giantess muttered.

Aera listened with the same stillness, her eyes dark despite the glow of the many fires. She knew Kire had a point, had reasons to enjoy spending time and forming relationships with those with far shorter lives. And Aera had her own fondness for it. She remembered the passion her late husband had expressed, the urgency in the way he needed to express it. Watching the others in the tunnels of Ziad grow so quickly, age so fast.
Some things she would never witness again, here. It was a small, dark ache that she always ignored. It was safer to be stranded here, where nothing ever happened that was unintentional or unexpected. At least to her. After everything that had happened.
Judging by the scar that marred the empress's face, and the stories and knowledge of these horrible monstrosities beneath their fires, Kire had her own horrors. We’ve lived under different circumstances.
"Yes. We have." Aera agreed.

She meandered away again, supervising her people. Ruli wandered back, silent but thoughtful looking. Ysaryn sidled up to him, her arms folded over her chest, and they watched the elves and the fires. When at last the embers died down, devoured by the moist earth and starved for things to continue destroying, their goodbyes were said.
"I am sure you are eager for proper accommodation and meals." Aera replied without the least bit of sarcasm. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Empress Akire, and I am glad we could be of help to you. However, do not take this the wrong way when I say that I hope we do not cross paths for a while. After all you and your family has endured, I hope you find some reprieve." She bent in turn to Narda, Zeke, and even Ysaryn, who mockingly copied the princess. But Ruli, Aera glanced to for a moment, never meeting his gaze. Instead, her eyes fell on his left shoulder.

The moment they were back in the dark and chilly caves of New-Ziad, Ysaryn raised her arms as if in victory. "Oh, not me. I will still eat a whole shark." She announced, running her fingers through her short hair.
"Not too loud, you'll wake the elf." Zeke warned, and Ysaryn clamped her hands over her mouth.
"Oh." She whispered, wide-eyed. "Will he want some of the shark?"
"Go to bed."
Chuckling, the elf waved. "See you in morning." She threatened before she vanished out of one of the many underground paths.
"Likewise." Zeke said, raising his hand. "I hope you're expecting some rest before you return to your world? If not, then farewell, and I'm kind of with Aera. I wouldn't mind not seeing you for a while."

Even Ruli wasn't sure if he was joking or not. The blond watched his former friend disappear before he realized he was now alone with Kire and Narda. Suddenly very aware of how he was standing and sure it wasn't normal, he cleared his throat. "Good night, then." he said, staring for his house.

“Good night,” Kire said, then turning to Narda, who had been watching her. “What?”
“Nothing. Was just curious if you’d follow him,” she said, grinning. Kire slapped her arm. “Hey!”
“Come on, I want a bath, and I’m going to bed. And no waking me for the sunrise, either.”
They found their way to the house Envy had provided for them when they had come back with Ed a couple of days ago. They took turns with the bath, both eager to wash the grime off and sleep. Kire, laying in her bed, heard Narda’s snoring not too long later, and she willed herself to go to sleep just as quickly. But now, when everything had quieted down once again and she was alone, every time she closed her eyes she remembered Ruli’s body against hers, his warm breath, his lips, the smell of cinnamon… Sleep, gods be damned! Kire thought, covering her face with her hands and growling in frustration into them.

Sleep did come, though not till an hour after she had been lying down in bed. Thankfully no dreams of Ruli or nightmares about the woods or the gate. And Narda, to her credit, decided not to bother her when she rose early. The giantess left the house quietly to make her way outside where she could find a good view of the sunrise. The seaside air always put Narda in a good mood, and she wandered alone, down to the beach, walking barefoot as she took in the cool breeze. After a while, she made her way to the mess hall, hoping that Envy would be there for breakfast.

The Ziadi on the cliffside city were still hard at work; at dawn they'd wake and burst into life, sweeping, washing, clearing debris, repainting shutters on their newly washed or replaced windows. Zeke was seen occasionally, freshly washed and redressed himself, wandering the stairs to help others, gathering his own crew of young men and a few women who weren't entirely sure what to do in regards to keeping busy. He set them to work, clearing the many flower beds along the cliffs to be replanted, mending furniture, carrying crates up or down.

By the time sunrise had come, the whole cliff side was illuminated in the golden light. Flavoured smoke rose from many of the homes, the largest from the messhalls, as people went to work on feeding their families and those without. On the southern side, where the Ziadi resided, Ruli was in charge of the cooking, busy and sweating as he bent over the low-burning flames. He juggled flatbread, scrambled eggs, a skillet of spices, vegetables, and crumbly sausage, and a small pot of some sort of orange-hued sauce. He didn't look up when Kire walked in, too preoccupied with making sure his eggs mixed right as he poured it into the vegetable skillet.

It wasn't until he caught her from the corner of his eye that he did glance up, pausing in his work. He stared for a minute, recalling the moment last night when, half asleep and cold, he'd rolled to seek her body warmth and felt what could have been disappointed to find his bed empty. "Morning." He said simply and safely. He gestured to his cooking. "Nearly done. They're cooking something else on the otherside. Something elven. So." Ruli shrugged, offering her a bit of the warm flatbread, which smelled deliciously of garlic and melted cheese.

Kire rose shortly after sunrise, peering with a frown at the shafts of sunlight that lit up her room. After much grumbling, she left her bed and fixed herself up. The night had been cold, and it was a wonder, given her restlessness, that she had fallen asleep at all. Finding that Narda had left, possibly to catch the sunrise and to look for breakfast, she went outside to do the same. Admittedly, the view of the cliff side was breathtaking in the light of the new day, and she spent a few minutes just gazing over it, feeling the pleasant breeze blow in from the sea. As she made her way down, careful not to be in the way of the already busy Ziadi, she could smell breakfast cooking from the many homes around her, which helped wake her up a bit more. Though she guessed that Envy would most likely be in the other mess hall, Kire hadn’t spent much time in this side yet. Whatever was cooking over the fire had her curious, anyway.

The aromas that filled the mess hall did not disappoint. She found Ruli in the middle of cooking and stood near the doorway a little awkwardly, wondering if she should turn back and go to the elven side after all. But her stomach growled at the sight of the flatbread and sausages, and she decided she wasn’t going to leave until she’d had a bite of everything. She found a spot to sit in and was about to make her way towards it when he had spotted her and offered a greeting. “Morning.” She tore herself some of the offered flatbread and stuffed as much of it in her mouth as she could, cheeks puffed up as she eyed the eggs and vegetables on the skillet. “This is really good,” she said, when she’d finally swallowed the food in her mouth.

Still a little sleepy, she stepped back to watch him work, chewing thoughtfully on more flatbread. “How’s your arm doing? And what’s that?” she asked, pointing to the small pot of sauce.

The other Ziadi, perhaps only six of them seated around the low tables, their arses settled on cushions or short stools, eyed the scarred woman curiously. Few recalled seeing her a few times around the city while having no idea who she was, or why she was often armed. They knew she wasn't one of their guards, but had often seen her speaking with Zeke, so in order to avoid any trouble, they decided to politely ignore her.
Save for the smallest of them, a young girl of about nine who pointed at Kire's sword. "That's pretty!"
Her mother quickly tugged on her arm, muttering low to scold her child.

"That." Ruli said, mildly amused. "Is a Ziadi recipe I picked up. Blend of cream, herbs, and spicy peppers. Often used on breakfast meal andd poultry dishes. Here." He tore off a bit of a piece of flatbread before him and dipped it into the sauce before holding it out for her. "Mind you, its hot."
He tore off a second piece of his bread and did the same, chewing on it without bother. He was used to the spices, from having lived in Ziad and eating them for so long. "The idea is to make sort of a pita dish with the bread, fill it with the egg and vegetables, and then add a little of the sauce. Here, try it. It'll fill your belly and keep your mind sharp." He offered her another flatbread, setting the mixture skillet aside to be served from while beginning on another. He sat more comfortably, bent to dive more vegetables and sausage. "Narda passed through here, earlier. I sent her to the otherside. Figured she wanted to try to woo Envy a little more."

Kire listened to him explain what the sauce was for and almost helped herself to it immediately. When Ruli offered a bit of the flatbread with it, she took it readily and put the whole thing in her mouth. Her cheeks reddened, and she almost coughed it out. "Yeah, that was hot," she said after she'd swallowed, chuckling a bit. She then did as he suggested, filling the bread with eggs and vegetables, though she definitely put more than just a bit of the spicy sauce.

She ate, albeit a little clumsily, as he explained where Narda was. "She's rather charmed by him, yes," she said, amused. "Narda can be very suave when she wants to be. Think I'll give her some time alone with him then." She ate in silence for a while, glancing at him now and then. "Much more suave than I ever will be," she said after a while. "I can be rather thick when it comes to things like that. And," she paused, weighing her words. "I think I handled our talk rather poorly. I'm sorry."

He couldn't help but grin at her coughing. "I warned you." He pointed out. A few of the Ziadi snickered; it had always been a delightful thing to see foreigners attempt to eat their exotic recipes.
Still, she gathered more, and Ruli grinned, glad she hadn't been deterred.

"Envy is pretty charming. The calming aura about him, despite his appearance." He said, continuing his work. He tossed the vegetables and spices in the new skillet, stirring and sniffing to see how it came along. Just as he was about to add the eggs, Kire apologized, and Ruli paused to glance up at her.

"You're hardly the only one." Ruli pointed out. "I think we're both a bit shit at it. Sorry. Sorry!" he added a second apology to the mother eating with her child, who whipped her head around to glare at him.
Clearing his throat, he continued. "Truth, I ... I know I'm impossible to really get along with. But I also don't really intend to change that. So, I don't know what you are looking for, but it's likely not me. Not, I mean, not that I am assuming that you're... ah, never mind." He sighed.

Kire fanned her mouth now and then, but the sauce was growing on her. She paused, however, when Ruli offered his own apology. She kept a quip about him admitting to being a hard man to get alomg with to herself, not wanting to make things worse again. His fumbling over his words in the end was rather amusing to her, though.

"Like I said yesterday, it's not like I'm looking for a husband. Or wife," she added, smirking briefly. She sucked a bit of sauce from her thumb, thinking over what he said. "How about... we get along alright as is, and we both could use a night like that now and then? As I've mentioned, it's bloody hard for me to find someone to bed," she said the last part in a low voice in case the mother threw them more dagger looks "and after having a taste, I'd rather not wait for the next hundred years for another. But, of course, that's just me. If you stand by what you said yesterday about not carrying on, I'll leave the matter be." She paused, then pointed at the food. "Though if you throw in some food now and then I wouldn't mind that at all." She grinned, only half-joking.

Ruli raised his gaze again, but didn't respond at once. His eyes, instead, looked about the room, to the the Ziadi who sat over their meal, a few not even slightly subtle about eaves dropping. He cleared his throat and mixed in the eggs, stirring for a few seconds before he pulled the skillet off the fire and set it aside. Gathering another bit of flat bread, he rose to his feet and moved toward the door. "Come on." He beckoned, slipping outside.

The sun warmed his back in contradiction to the chilly wind as he climbed the steps toward the crest of the cliffside. He glanced at Kire after the first landing, swallowing the bit of bread he'd stuffed into his mouth. "So, to be blunt, you want me to be some cross-world booty call?" He asked cautiously, wary of another fight. "Or, you're not going to ask me to move to Armia are you? To keep in some chamber until I'm needed?" Ruli at least smirked, attempting to relay his playful tone despite the genuine inquiry.

Ruli shoved more bread in his mouth to think. "I want to be flattered, but, amicable or not, its ... weird." He took another glance in her direction as they continued to climb, nearing the top of the stony peninsula. "But, I also sort of understand. Having difficulty finding someone to overlook certain aspects, or ignore them altogether."
As they reached the top of the cliff, the stone gave away to soft golden grass that waved and danced in the ocean breeze. Much of it was crushed down from repeated foot traffic, the paths some unintelligible design that offered no insight into which direction the wanderer went the most.
"How about, if you're here for a reason, other than that reason, we'll see." Ruli offered.

She followed him out, but not before tearing off a bit more of bread, making a note of telling Narda about it later. It was pleasantly cool outside, with the warmth of the sun and the meal she had just had keeping it from being too chilly. As she chewed on the last bit of bread, she looked up at Ruli, trying to gauge his reaction to what she had just asked. Kire raised her brows at his blunt wording, then grimaced when he joked about asking him to move to Amria and stay in a chamber like some concubine. "Gods no," she said, glad that he was just jesting about that.

"And alright. I acknowledge that it's a--weird arrangement," she said, climbing up after him. "I do feel weird asking, believe me." She paused as they neared the top, then turned around to look out at the sea as he spoke. As awkward as the topic of conversation was, at least the view was a great distraction. "And to be fair, I'm never not here for an important reason," she said, hands clasped behind her. "Though I hope next time I'm here, things won't turn out too violent or dangerous." She pondered on his offer for a few more moments. "I'm good with that. Best I could hope for, really, " she said with a small smile. We'll see. "Do we shake on it?" she joked, returning the playful tone he had earlier.

She looked back out to the view, watching the Ziadi at work, or returning from early morning tasks to eat breakfast. A familiar face climbed up towards them, a piece of flatbread in his hands as he chewed sleepily. "Oy," Gavin said, seeing them up ahead, "that's my spot."

"I don't see your name on it," Kire said, smirking. "Hello, lad."
"Hello yourself, Your Majesty," Gavin said with a grin, then nodding in greeting to Ruli before yawning. "Zeke really made me earn breakfast today," he said, stuffing his face again. "How'd the trip go? From what I've been hearing, pretty eventful few days."

"Understatement, but yes. Eventful," Kire replied, suddenly remembering she had hinted at his existence to the Gemini. Would they try to look for him? Will they demand I bring him? "And you? Still would rather stay here and put off coming back with me?"
Gavin looked at her, thoughtful. The desire ro see Amria was there, she could see, but when he looked to Ruli, then around them, he seemed to have pushed the desire aside. "We just moved here. They need all the hands they could get," he said with a shrug. "Are you gonna see Envy?"
"In a bit. Narda's still romancing him, I think," Kire said with a chuckle. Gavin's expression reminded her that he and Nard didn't have such a great first meeting.

When she asked to shake on it, he wrinkled his nose a little. "That's just worse." He muttered to her, but he cracked a smile. "No, no shaking on it. Just, I don't know." Ruli chuckled with a shake of his head. "If any point this becomes too weird, just speak up, I suppose."

Their conversation was, thankfully, interrupted by Gavin, who strolled up just then. Ruli shifted his shoulders, turning slightly towards Gavin. "How's he been since we've gone?" He wondered, having had worried about the Kartaian.
As Kire and Gavin discussed his plans for returning to Amria or remaining here, Ruli turned his head to gaze over the city below. Gavin wasn't wrong, there was still alot to be done. And, if Kire was going to return, they needed to get to work on the house they had offered to her and her companions, whomever they may be in the future.

"And who is this?"
Ruli's eyes immediately rolled into the back of his head before he turned around. A woman who appeared to be about thirty eyars old strolled toward them, her body toned and kept with care, wrapped in a soft golden strapless dress that the wind toyed with. Her hair, a rather muddy sort of auburn with uneven bangs that cut across her forehead, was wrapped up thickly in a spiral, kept with a floral headband. Her face was lined in makeup, khol around her mossy-brown eyes, her too-small-lips painted a bright red, and her overly large hooked nose brushed with a powder in an attempt to make it look less noticeable. Unfortunately, in Ruli's opinion, there was no way to achieve that. "Morning Risa."
"It's Princess Risa, or your Grace." Risa said sharply, stopping some feet away and foling her arms over her abnormally large chest. Aside from her nose, it was the only part of her that could qualify as curvy. "And oh good, you're back. Does that mean the elf is back? I have a requirement."
"I'm sorry, to which elf are you referring? There are so many."
Risa inhaled, straightening her back , which made her look like a ruffled parrot. "You know the one. Saren."
"Ysaryn." Ruli corrected. "She might be back. In case she's otherwise occupied, could you perhaps ask one of the Ziadi women to join you?"
Risa's eyes fell on Kire and at once, disgust rippled across her face. "Oh, Gods, what happened to you?" She demanded, sneering. "No, doesn't matter, I can't take you with me. I can't have anyone looking like you at my side."

“Eh, well you know how he worries,” Gavin said, answering Ruli’s query about the Kartaian. “The herbs Kire brought back helped his nerves a lot, though. Pretty good herb, too,” he said, grinning wide. Kire smirked, shaking her head as she looked the lad over. In the relatively short span of his stay with Envy and the Ziadi, he really had changed. Hair kept unkempt, plain clothes, and a manner that was now much more at ease with other people. Even the way he spoke seemed to have loosened up. Good. The scars of his ordeal as someone forced into blood magic would remain with him a long time, but it seemed that being here really was doing him good. If she took him to Amria and exposed him to his kin, it might reverse all that. She was about to ask him something else when some other person intruded upon them.

Immediately, the impression Kire got of the woman was that she reminded her of so many ladies and lords’ mistresses back at Amria, the kind she would try to spend as little time with as possible. The kind, definitely, that would talk about her and scheme behind their backs the moment the Empress wasn’t in their presence anymore. She kept quiet as Princess Risa spoke to them, or at them. Her features wouldn’t have been too lamentable if it hadn’t been accompanied by an even uglier attitude. If this and Aera are the only princesses he’s met so far, no wonder he has no love for the highborn. Kire was sure the woman would simply ignore her, and she exchanged glances with Gavin, who looked like he was biting back a remark of his own, too. But the princess just had to turn her attention to Kire, and she raised an eyebrow at the insult.

“Ahh, the Princess Risa, we meet at last,” Kire said, putting on a big grin and giving her a mock curtsy, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “Do you mean this scar? Alas, when you’re an Empress, sometimes you must survive assassination attempts. Comes with the territory when you’re on the highest seat of power. Since you asked, I can tell you how I got it.” She smirked, moving the skin beneath her scarred eye, making the scar ripple and stretch. “We had been fighting an invasion, and I was surrounded, Your Grace. Just as I had felled a brute twice my size, he swung his sword and just caught my ugly little face, just so. There was so much blood streaming down my face, Sire, and still the monster was on his two feet. So I skewered him with my sword. Split him open from his cock to his neck. His guts spilled everywhere, it was a right mess.”

Gavin looked sideways at Risa, then at Kire. He held no fondness at all for this princess, especially with the way she treated everyone else around them, so he could only barely contain his glee at Kire’s response. Having been forced to be around highborn lords as Ikegai’s slave, he felt if he had to follow nobility, he’d choose Kire any day rather than this lot. He was torn, however, between wanting to diffuse the situation and letting the obnoxious lady stew.

Ruli struggled to keep his expression neutral for once, his eyes going slightly wide as Kire replied to the princess with such veiled venom, even if it was entirely deserved. Risa, for all the gruesome details Kire departed with in her presence, looking simply bored. Her skepticism only cracked when Kire mentioned the horrible details of skewering her enemy, complete with her foul language.
"We don't have empresses here." She said, matter-of-fact.
"She's not from here." Ruli pointed out casually. "She's actually from a different world altogether."
Risa only shrugged a shoulder. "Then she's still not an empress." She tossed her hair head as if tossing her hair out of her face. "The elf? Sometime today please."
Ruli tried to smile politely. "I'll be sure to pass along the message."
"Will you? Because last time I didn't see her for several hours."
Ruli only shrugged his shoulders indifferently.
Risa scoffed. "Whatever." She flicked her arms impatiently. "Just send her to me, preferably before lunch, or I'll be back."

As the woman turned and strolled back to her little palace, Ruli turned to glance at Kire. He read her expression for a moment before he stuck out his hand. "Yeah. Let's shake on it. That ... that was beautiful."

The moment Risa left, Gavin doubled over in laughter. Kire grinned at the lad, then turned to Ruli, brow raised at his extended hand. She smirked and clasped it, then gave another curtsy. “Thank you kindly, m’lord,” she said with the same exaggerated politeness she had given Risa earlier, before giving it a firm shake. “Oh, I had other choice words. I wanted to say sorry for how the gods arranged her face, but I figured I didn’t want her fouling up the rest of your day if she took that to heart,” she said, smirking.
“Can I steal that line, though?” Gavin put in. “Save it for a rainy day.”
“You’re welcome to it,” Kire replied with a grin, before she huffed, shaking her head. “She reminds me of some nobleborn ladies back home that I’m not particularly fond of. She’s extremely lucky Narda wasn’t here. I doubt the giantess would take that insult with just words.”
“Aw. Too bad,” Gavin muttered, then gestured behind them. “If you’re heading to Envy, I’ll come along, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. Might as well go now; I want to see what they’re cooking there, and how well Narda’s getting on.”

“So, was it true, then? What you told her?” Gavin asked as he walked with them.
“Oh no. I tripped and fell on an axe,” Kire said, smirking. “Yes, pretty much the truth.”
“So your Ring could heal you, but still leaves the scars?” he asked.
“Something like that. I mean, if I put my mind to it, I can devote all the healing energy to clearing everything,” Kire explained, “but especially when I need as much power as I could get for the strength and portals, or just to keep me alive, I limited the healing to just putting me back together to function properly. Back when I got this injury, it was day in, day out, constant fighting. I had no time to worry about looking pretty. But there was another assassination attempt that was worse than this.” Kire grimaced. “I took a poisoned arrow to the shoulder. Stupid mistake on my part, really. There wasn’t a healer nearby, and I hadn’t tried healing myself from poison before. Feels like the Ring boiled my blood clean as it cleansed it from my body. Kept vomiting for days, then couldn’t speak for a week. That was especially nasty.”
Gavin cringed, clicking his tongue.

“But there are a couple of scars the Ring couldn’t completely heal from, too, even when I tried,” she continued, tapping her Ring finger. “This burn around my Ring finger happened when I destroyed the world gate the other day. Then the dragon scars on my back. Seems like the Ring couldn’t trump dragon-magic, I suppose.”
The lad turned to her then. “You’ve got to tell me more about the gate. And the dragon—I mean, if you want to, and if you have time,” he added quickly. Kire wondered for a moment if it was wise to tell him about the gate ordeal, but figured anybody would be curious about these details, Gemini or not.

When they entered the caves, Narda and Envy were already there. “Ahh, good morning, sleepyhead,” she greeted, grinning. She looked at Gavin, who hesitated to approach. “And to you too, lad. Keeping well?”
“Eh—yes, thank you,” Gavin stammered, still hesitating for a few moments before stepping closer.
“Good morning, Envy,” Kire greeted. “Has Narda been bothering you?” she teased.

Her dramatic little curtsy made Ruli smile again, and he waved at Gavin in a dismissive way to say he shouldn't ask. He chuckled as they started down the stairs toward the little cave network once more, listening as Kire explained the power her ring held in healing her injuries. He'd forgotten about the healing properties when he told her to keep an eye on the burn on her finger. Such an easy thing to forget about. And the causes behind the scars he'd seen; the three long lines down her back were from a dragon. The circular wrinkle on her shoulder from an arrow. That one, at least, he knew by sight. But a dragon?

When they claimed shelter in the caves and spotted the two tallest people in their population, Ruli smirked at Envy, who grinned just at hearing them approach. "Oh, an absolute bother." Envy answered at once. "So much I'm half inclined to insist she remain here so that I might put her to work. All the talk about oceans and sea corral, clearly she is not busy enough in Amria."
He turned his face toward Narda. "Honestly, though, I do appreciate your company over breakfast. I really enjoyed your tales of sealife."
"Envy, we live on the coast, now." Ruli pointed out slowly.
"But its not the same." Envy insisted. "Here, I can smell and hear it, and when I decide to venture down, I can feel it, but when I hear about it from any of you, its nothing compared to the beautiful picture our Amrian friend here paints for me, without the use of magic!" Envy smiled, enthralled. "I'm going to kick myself for asking, but you're not leaving soon, are you?"

“Yes, please, take her off my hands and put her to work,” Kire replied, chuckling, “she can do the work of ten men but chooses not to. Such a travesty.”
“Speak for yourself, Your Royal Arse,” Narda scoffed, before turning back to Envy, her hand on his arm. “I had a splendid time as well, and honestly wish we did have more time for more idle chat. I can assure you, however, that I will be back for more, and will badger the Empress over there to take me back for a visit. There’s only so many conversations I can have with that one, and she gets too seasick to stand riding the ship for too long. Why do you think she has such a terrible temper?”
“I have a terrible temper being around you constantly, is why,” Kire quipped back before turning to Envy. “Yes, we’ll be leaving soon, but I figured before we go, you’d like an account of what had happened while we were gone. Plus there are a couple of Ring-related things I’d like your opinion on. Also, if I don’t say goodbye to Ysaryn properly I fear she’d scratch my eyes out the next time she sees me.”
“Tempestuous little firecracker, that elf,” Narda said with a chuckle.

Kire chuckled along with her, then turned to Ruli. “You said Envy might like a look at what the gate had been like. Would you mind?”
“Aw, wait,” Gavin said, a little disappointed, “does that mean I don’t get the details?”
“I’ll tell you about it, don’t worry,” Kire said, then paused, thinking something over. “It might not be the gate that had brought you here. I’m not sure. But the one we got rid of had only flared up as early as nine months ago. If it had been around for longer, the Raielwen would have known about it.”
“Ah.” Gavin tried to hide his disappointment. “Would still be interesting to know more about these gates. Not that I’d open one myself, of course,” he clarified, looking at Envy.

Their playful banter amused Envy, who smiled and chuckled in response. Though he did raise his eyebrows and nod when Kire mentioned the wrath of Ysaryn. "Oh, she would." He voiced. "Last I heard she was with her father on the docks. I think they were arguing, but it could be that they just speak enthusiastically to one another."

As Kire asked about Ruli showing Envy the gate magic, he nodded, and stepped forward. Envy held up his arm and Ruli grasped his thick forearm, the two going still for a moment. Envy's unseeing eyes went wide in reaction, his lips parting. "You're far braver than I, I would not have volunteered to stand in the middle of such a thing." He expressed when Ruli let him go and stepped back. Envy follwed Ruli for a moment, looking curious.
"Do we know that Gavin is from Amria?" Ruli asked. "What if he was born here?"
"And you never should." Envy chipped in about Gavin and never wanting to open a gate. "By the looks if it it would rip you apart, and I've grown quite fond of you." The Kartaian extended his arm in Kire's direction. "Come. We'll discuss your Ring, I find my curiosity cannot be settled." He turned toward Ruli. "Would you mind going down and seeing if we could borrow Ysaryn?"
"Risa wanted her, too." Ruli informed the elf with a frown.
Clicking his tongue, Envy shook his head. "Probably to take into town. Well, bring her to us first. Ysaryn at least enjoys our company."
"We think." Ruli added before turning to walk away.

Envy, agreeing with him, shrugged and led Kire into the end of the caves where his chambers were still being set up. A little bit more furniture was settled here, with thanks to Gavin and Rab. In the larger, circular chamber that he'd claimed as sort of a parlour was lined with cushions and a few tall but narrow tables. Envy seemed to know where each was, as he gestured to a set to his right. "If we could sit there?" He requested, directing himself before carefully sitting, his back to the stone. "So. Ask away."

Kire pondered the question of Gavin's origin. "That's likely. But there is the question of his sire, of course." She turned to Gavin. "I'll tell you about it later, alright?"
Gavin sighed. "Alright."
"I could give the lad the short version," Narda said. "See you later then."
Kire watched Ruli walk away before turning to Envy and going with him to his chambers. Though there was still work to be done, it at least looked homey.

At his request, Kire sat opposite him, cross-legged. "So, as you saw in the memory, I was able to do things with the portal I hadn't been able to before," she began. She rubbed the burn mark the Ring left behind. "Partly I think because some of the energy from the gate got absorbed by the Ring, and because I 'broke it in', I think I might be able to manage pulling or pushing things through the portals without me needing to jump through, myself. I was something if you had any ideas about how to practice that. I obviously have no gate to siphon energy from anymore."

"Yes, I saw that portion." Envy said, settling himself and reaching into his pocket. He withdrew his cigarette box, but didn't open it just yet. "I can't pretend that I know all of what your Ring is capable of, but I can't imagine such a thing would need to be broken in. Perhaps it is you that was broken in, instead. Skills grow with use. Magical devices may grow more or less powerful, but ultimately it is the user that decides which."
He withdrew a cigarette at last. Carefully, he held the cigarette between his pinky and thumb, using his index and middle finger to hold the striker. His other hand swiped his match across the striker. With practiced precision, he held the cigarette to his lips and used his fingers to guide the match to light it.

"There is a way for us to do the same with our Shadow Walking." Envy said after he'd shaken the match to snuff it out and inhaled deeply. "Rather than use moving through the symbolic tunnel, we either push something through or reach and grab something. Imagine seeing an arm appear out of no where to grab an apple off a tree or even just an apple flying out of no where and landing before you." Envy chuckled. "But its difficult to do. Most don't both with it, because of the risk. Any hiccup in concentration can sever the magic and severely damage the mind. Like Ysaryn, for instance. She filled me in on her little hiccup in the woods, which resulted in the loss of her hair. Quite unhappy with that, she is." Envy added with a sigh. "I had to give her a lecture on the recklessness, as we're lucky a headache and shorn hair was all she got."

He paused to enjoy another lungful of tobacco. "Now, your portals, I imagine, are similar. A matter of concentration. Ruli's enchantment to keep you rooted to the spot no doubt helped, but now that you know it is possible, you'd like be able to manage without." He fell quiet for a moment, then inhaled. "I want to ask a blunt question, if you don't mind. In his memory, I felt something in his mind that was ... odd." He voiced. "I want to ask how you feel about him?" Without being able to see, his clouded eyes fell on her, focused. "I told you, when I first found myself in Ziad, hiding underground so many decades ago, that there was a child who found his way to me. Starving, broken, hopeless. He is still cracked. Time has not healed all wounds, Kire, so I must beg you to tread lightly. I know, having raised many children, that telling people to avoid something often leads to them diving for it, so I can't ask you not to go down this path as much as I would like to. Instead, I want to ask that you be sure before you follow it."