Elva called an attendant over and gave instructions for food. She turned her attention back to them and pondered Ruli's question. "The stone is a red color, but every sunrise and sunset, it sort of has this glow. Reminds me a bit of carnelian gems, actually."
"You mean like the gems the Gemini are so fond of for their schemes?" Narda asked with a grimace.
"The very same. Daryll kept his alchemy chamber and armory in the basement, and in the uppermost floor there's a circular chamber with eight windows and a door that leads nowhere. That's where the Seer appeared the first time to give Kire her Ring." Elva paused, blowing out smoke. "Daryll would be along later today. He would be able to answer more questions, if you're sticking around, that is."

The attendants came in with bowls of pumpkin soup and plates of meatball with potatoes and roastes root vegetables. They set these aside on a table, along with pitchers of water and a pot of hot tea. "Help yourselves. Ruli, you're welcome to use the room from your last stay if you're not going back immediately. And I'm glad the armor and weapons served you well," Elva commented. "The Northern regions may be a tad rougher that the lowland cities, but they take pride in what they have. They produce good steel."
"Spoken like a true Lady of the North," Narda teased, already starting on her food.

Halfway through their meal, they heard voices outside, and soon Kire stepped in, waving off an attendant's offer of help. "Oh, goodness' sake!" Elva grumbled, standing up to step closer.
"I'm better," Kire insisted, though her expression looked like she could use more rest. "I need food in me. I asked some to be brought in." She saw Narda and her face lit up. "Good news?"
"Good news," Narda replied. "Now get in here, you stubborn woman-- what happened to your hand?"
Kire waved it off and stepped towards her, hugging with her left arm. The giantess returned it as gently as she could.

Kire turned to Ruli and grinned. "Glad to see you in one piece then."

Ruli listened, uneasy at the simliarity between the tower and the gems the Gemini used. He cringed, wrinkled his nose again. The scent of Elva's smoke was oddly comforting though, and Ruli leaned his elbow on the table and propped his head on his fist, listening to them talk. "I get the feeling Daryll and I will have a lot to talk about, interest wise." he muttered. "Didn't you say he'd like Envy?" He glanced to the giantess.

The scent of the food, when delivered, was even better than the smoke. Instead of lulling Ruli into a comforted daze, it roused him, his hunger pulling at his stomach. He did not hesitate in helping himself, devouring the bowl of soup he helped himself to before moving onto the meatballs. "I'm alive." He muttered with a full mouth to Elva. "I like the chainmail, I'll have to look into some should I ever need it again. Amrian steel is already the envy of the city back home. Ysaryn has been strutting about with the blade from Myka like a queen, herself." He grinned, grabbing more meatballs and refilling his water. "The fact that she hasn't stolen the blade Kire gave me is a fuc- oh. A miracle." He censored himself.

Another bowl of soup, another plate of meatballs, and he was inhaling his fourth glass of water when Kire stepped inside. Ruli half coughed on the water, feeling it dribble down his chin, before he managed to set the glass down with what little dignity he had left. "I'd say the same to you, but I'll wait, in case Elva chews your ear off." He commented, gesturing to the food spread out. "I ate most of it, no apologies, but help yourself, you look dead on your feet."

Kire looked hungrily at the table. When Ruli said she could have what's left, she nodded and started on some soup. Elva looked to be puffing out more smoke, like she was just waiting for Kire to get settled before giving her an earful. "The arm is from her Ring, Nard," Elva said. "Just how many of you did she transport?"
Narda paused, thinking it over. "About a third of the front line from our battalion. Twenty at once, plus me."

"TWENTY?" Elva smacked Kire upside the head; Kire coughed out the soup. Kire yelled back a curse, and the two of them fired arguments in Taakalon in rapid succesion. Narda inhaled through her teeth. Elva slammed a hand on the table. "Ten was her limit. Ten!" She said to the other two, about ready to give Kire another almighty smack before Kire grabbed her hand.
"Woman, are you trying to kill me or heal me? Gods," Kire stood to fetch a washcloth and cleaned herself and the table off as best she could. "I didn't have a choice. Either that or the first explosion gets them."
"And if something else went wrong, you would have gotten yourself and them killed, too," Elva stressed, muttering in Taakalon afterward.

Ruli only raised his eyebrows as one cousin assaulted the other, suddenly afraid to move. He'd foolishly assumed her burn had been from the exploding dolls, not her own magic backfiring. Suddenly, much more of what Elva had said made sense. He swallowed, looking from Kire, to Elva, to Narda, and back.
She'd transported twenty, when her limit was ten, and then had crossed into his world and back. Holy Gods. Even he was surprised she wasn't dead.

He looked over to Narda, wondering if she felt as awkward about the exchange as he did, but the giantess seemed half ready to smack Kire herself. The hiss she'd made told him something ... either vulgar or cruel was said. Judging by the looks on Elva's face, the answer was the later.
Ruli remained still, only his eyes darting around the room, before he uncomfortably cleared his throat. "I might go lay down." Give you three time to yell at one another. He rose to his feet, wincing again.

The two paused in their bickering when Ruli excused himself. “Uh—sorry, yeah you go ahead,” Kire muttered, before turning back to Elva. “Now look what you did, yelling in front of him like that!”
“Well if you didn’t overexert yourself he wouldn’t even be here!”
“Oy oy oy, ” Narda shook her head, “if you two keep yelling like that, you’d shake the whole mountainside. Though I am inclined to side with the healer, I must ask, Elva, that you do not add to your cousin’s injuries,” she said, amused. Kire threw out a hand at Narda, glaring at Elva. The back and forth between the three went on for a little while longer after Ruli had left, albeit with much less shouting and hitting, though Elva did smoke up the whole infirmary in her stress.

The bickering had died down, thankfully, a couple of hours later. It was late afternoon by then, and a message had arrived from Janes saying that negotiations had gone smoothly. More good news, which Kire was glad to receive. She had regained some of her energy by then, though not up to fighting strength. Narda pointed out that, for now, the battle was over, anyway, and she needed to focus on healing herself enough to face the captured lords. Kire was a little glum, too, that her sword had yet to be recovered.
At Elva’s orders, she was exiled back to her bedroom to rest up some more until it was time for dinner and another round of medicines for her arm. The Ring was healing the flesh some more, but I was still painful to move. Kire stepped into her room and sank onto the bed with a grunt. All things considered, the outcome of the day had been very good, but she didn’t like how she had to sit back. What good was it to be seen disappearing in the middle of an important fight? She looked at her burnt hand, frowning at it, and at the Ring on her finger.

He managed to make his way back to the hallway full of bedrooms, opened the door to the room he'd last stayed in and barely managed to make it to the bed before he literally fell into it. And slept.

Ruli wasn't sure for how long he lay there asleep on the bed, but when he woke up, he instantly regretted it. The objecting pull in his aching back making him audibly groan. He went limp, wondering if this would be his fate, and he would simply die here. Until he recalled there was a woman in the manor who literally died fighting her enemy, only brought back to life by the son of her enemy. And that same woman had severely burnt her arm rescuing half a damn unit of her men and women.
In no world would he be shown up by her.

Still, he struggled to get up, gritting his teeth as his back screamed at him. First he sat up, sighed, and looked around the room. Whether or not he could move, he was still stuck here until Kire could take him back. He'd spoken honestly earlier, he really had no issue in waiting, but the question of why still nagged at him.
As if on command, he heard the door to Kire's room close, inviting him out of his thoughts. Inhaling, preparing himself, he got to his feet and swallowed another groan before he shuffled across the floor to the door. Then across the hall. Then to Kire's door.
One hand braced on the frame, he knocked gently, sure she wasn't asleep, but one could never know, considering the amount of energy she'd spent.

Kire was still awake when the knock came, and she grumbled, half wondering if Elva had more to unload on her, or if it was time for her to reexamine the arm. With a grunt, she pushed herself upright with her left arm, took a deep breath and got up to open the door. She blinked, a little surprised to find him there, but making a quick judge of his condition, the way he leaned against the frame, she beckoned him quickly inside, offering a seat. “You look worn. I’m surprised Elva hadn’t sent a healer to look you over,” she said as she sat on the edge of her bed. “Then again she was busy chewing my ear off.” She rubbed the back of her head, a little amused, still feeling Elva’s smack.

“If you need to get back, could you wait till maybe morning tomorrow? I hate to admit she was right, but she was right, and I’ve opened one too many portals today.”

Ruli wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, I heard. Or... at least that part." He said, stepping into the room. At this point, he'd take to laying naked in the snow if it would help. As Kire moved to sit on the bed, Ruli made for one of the chairs at her table, getting a strange sense of deja vu as he did. He hissed as he sat down in it, leaning against the back. At once, he regretted coming in here, only because he didn't want to stand up again, and was stranded.

"No, its fine. Tomorrow, the day after, I'm not missing much. Úvano won't fall without me to cook." Ruli looked her over, his blue eyes wandering the length of her arm. "I stupidly thought that was from the dolls." He voiced before his gaze went to her face. "I understand the need to protect your men and get them out, Narda, Ed. But ..." He splayed his hand. "Kire, what the fuck?" He asked in a low breath. "I wasn't in any danger. I certainly wasn't necessary. So ... why?"

Kire chuckled at his response. “I’d been craving that flatbread thing you fed me,” she said with a grin, though it vanished when she noticed him looking at her arm. She glanced down at it too, lips pursed as she listened to him. But then he asked that question—inevitably, really—and she looked sharply up at him, going scarlet. Her right hand nestled on her lap, her left gripped the mattress as she debated what to tell him.

“I don’t know, I-it must have been some hiccup with the Ring, or something. I had no control over it.” She winced, falling silent, not particularly convinced she lied all that well. “Okay. Just—don’t kick up a fuss over this, alright? And don’t tell Envy, please.” She tried to hold his gaze, but her eyes moved, instead, to look at the hearth. “Like I said, it wasn’t intentional at all,” she said, stalling, “it happened really fast: the monsters, the explosions. You know the portal thing takes concentration, even more so when I’m doing something dangerous as transporting a large amount of people.”

Her ears burned as she realized she’d run out of things to stall with. “Right after I transported them, I got knocked back by the force of the portal, towards another explosion and I-I-I thought of…you.” She glanced briefly at him as she said this. “Just that. I thought of you. And not seeing you again. It’s stupid, I know,” she added quickly.

The flatbread? Ruli wanted to question her for that, considering it was the most bland and basic thing he could make, and little more than something to accompany the real meal.

There was also something about the look on her face when he asked why he'd been brought here, and the body language as she answered him. A hiccup. Liar. Ruli thought noticing the way she couldn't meet his eyes. And, while he was very intrigued about her request not to tell Envy, his nodded, inviting her to continue.
To that.
Holy Gods.
Ruli blinked. Then swallowed. Maybe it wasn't what he automatically assumed, and that she only thought of him because, ... maybe his wards would have been a help. Maybe he could have gotten her out safely, like he'd done with her in Cordon, yanking her out of the collapsing mine before it crushed her.
But then she added the last portion, about how she thought about not seeing him again, and Ruli felt his mouth went dry. "I-" He began, then faltered. "That still doesn't really answer my question." He admitted. He didn't move, mostly because he didn't want to lift his arms.
"You changed your mind." He added suddenly. "A few months ago. I felt you come to Úvano. Er, the city. But you left."

Kire forced herself to look at him straight on when he replied, dismayed and embarrassed when he said her explanation wasn’t really an answer for him. Is he going to make me go on and explain it? “Uvano?” she said, the word clumsy on her tongue as she stalled again, the word sounding vaguely familiar. “…oh. You named your city that? Why…did Ysaryn—never mind, tell me later.” She sighed. “I think I need to lay down for this conversation.” She eased herself backwards and half-flopped back, staring at the ceiling so she didn’t have to look at him.

“I did. Show up, I mean. But I just…I didn’t really have a reason to, besides to visit. And, well, you.” She rubbed her face with her left hand. “But I left because I wanted to keep my word to you and Envy. I did want to go up and knock at your door but—you know. I couldn’t think of another excuse to be there. So I left.”

He made a face when she asked about the name of the city, considering she made it sound as if she understood it. And mentioned Ysaryn, who was the reason for the name, in a way. He didn't pull at the line of questioning, focusing instead on the one he really wanted to know, about her random visit to the seaside cliffs before she abruptly turned around again to leave.

Him. To blow off more steam, he knew without needing to ask. And there was that mention about Envy. Ruli's brow furrowed. Her word to him was that she would have a legitimate reason to visit, not just him. What would she have been ask by Envy? Why couldn't he tell Envy about this?

Silence circled them. Ruli wasn't sure what to say, but somehow felt the silence was worse. He cleared his throat and naturally when to shift, only to immediately regret that idea, as well. Exhaling, he settled back into the chair, reminding himself not to move. "So." He said, still uncomfortable. Still not sure what to say. What to ask. "Today, you just ... wanted one more lay? Die satisfied?" Ruli frowned at her. "I can't tell if I need to be insulted or flattered."

Kire felt her headache flare up along with her temper. While his words weren’t entirely inaccurate, they rankled at her. “I mean—I did miss that,” she said, frowning, “and I told you it was stupid. But do you honestly think my last thoughts before a doll and a portal exploded in my face would be about just fucking you? Gods,” she sighed, her voice going small, feeling a little panicky, “you’re really going to make me say it.” She fumbled for the words in her mind before she spoke again. “I…do care about you, you know. Somehow. It’s not like you’re just a talking dick on two legs to me—well, you are a bit of a dick—you know what I mean.” She blew out air noisily. “I can’t help how I feel.”

Her argument made him feel thick. He knew men, in general, were often thick and needed things explained to them in the simplest of ways before they could understand it, but for most things, Ruli hadn't been one of them. Until this. Until her. Kire made him feel stupid.
Stupid for the fact that she had to say it. Stupid for the fact that he still didn't really understand. Stupid for the fact that he had to ask "Why?"

He raised his arm to wave his hand, tensing at the action. "No, I mean. Fuck." Ruli arched his back, trying to fight for a little more mobility. "I get that you and I don't shy away from each others scars. And that you don't have easy pickings as ... you. For people to let off steam with. But... me?" He asked, puzzled. "I-" he bent his arm to squeeze the bridge of his nose.

"Nothing I saw here is not going to erupt into a fight." Ruli realized before he pushed himself to his feet, hating every movement. "I need to see your cousin. Get some rest." Ruli unintentionally ordered, shuffling toward her door. "Point me in the direction of your kitchen, and when I can walk again, I'll make a whole plate of flatbread. And knock on your door afterward."

Kire frowned, though she wasn’t sure, really, if she was angry, or upset, or humiliated at the admission, or a mix of all these. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but feelings don’t seem to be the most rational thing in the world,” she said, throwing her left arm up at the ceiling. But he conceded that any more talk from him—and, by extension, her—was going to erupt into another fight, and she clammed up, letting him talk, admittedly relieved for the reprieve. “Go back down to the infirmary. If she’s not there, she might be in her library. It’s right next to the infirmary. You can ask her or the attendants where the kitchen is.” Flatbread? Was that a good sign? Or was he just preparing to let her down easy?

The infirmary was empty save for some attendants and healers who were tidying up. Narda wasn’t there, having been given her own chambers to sleep in. Upon seeing him, the healers approached, telling him they had just been given orders to examine him, ready with ointments and ice wrapped in layers of cloth. At his question about the kitchens, they gave him directions to make his way back to the Great Hall and head to the leftmost hall from there. “You can ask someone when you get there if you get lost,” one of them reassured him.

He left, closing her door behind him and made his way to find Elva. Instead, he was met by her healers, and despite his knee-jerk reaction to decline and care for himself, he obeyed and let them look him over. It was only a bruise, though his muscles were horribly sore, so after the ointment was rubbed on his back -the action of letting anyone touch him and his scarred back made him visibly uncomfortable- and he was offered ice, Ruli left again, nodding in thanks to their direction.

Only, he went back to his room, the ointment already working and his body tired from shuffling about. Ruli made it to his bed, lay down with the ice propped onto his back, and slept again.

Near dinnertime, he woke once more, giving his body an experimental wiggle. Much better. Ruli sighed, relieved, and made a note to ask Elva what was in the ointment.
But he was cold. The ice had melted, soaking the cloth, his clothing, and the bed beneath him. He'd forgotten that important detail, that ice melted when it warmed. Groaning, Ruli got up and peeled off his wet tunic, trading it for one from the wardrobe. He was half certain it was the same one as before. He tugged it on, then a pair of thick breeches, and slid on the boots again before he stepped out.
After catching a servant to request new bed linen, insisting that he hadn't had an accident, he found his way to the kitchen.

He introduced himself as a guest of the Empress, and explained her desire for flatbread, and wondered if he could borrow ingredients for it. Once allowed, he set to work, standing in a corner to mix, knead, and shape the dough. The softer actions of it, at least, far more gentle on his aching back.
It was an easy recipe, at least. Ruli's most difficult task was trying to translate then sniff out the spices and herbs he wanted, aware the manor cook was watching him curiously.
He made enough for a dozen hand-sized breads. Leaving several for the cook and the others in the kitchen to try before he shuffled through the house again.

To Kire's room. Ruli knocked gently again and opened the door, peering in before he spoke in case she slept. "Delivery." He said, shifting to present the plate of bread. "Do I just toss to you like a tossdisc or may I come in?"

Kire woke with a start, mumbling in Taakalon and throwing a curse here and there. The headache had abated somewhat, but it took her a couple of moments to realize who was on the other side of the door and why it suddenly smelled like freshly-made flatbread. “I’d eat it either way, but do come in,” Kire said, getting up from the bed, taking the plate from him and sitting down properly on a chair, warm plate on her lap. She couldn’t help the small smile when she looked at the bread, and she gingerly tore a piece from it, chewing on it. “I was wondering if you could replicate it,” she said. “Do you want to split it?”

She set the plate on the table in case he did want some. After a thoughtful silence, she said, “Well. I did tell you it was a stupid thought.” She chewed on some more flatbread, glad that it offered some distraction. “Thank you for this, though.” She watched his expression, wondering what he'd say, preparing herself for him rejecting her for her confession.

Somehow, he had the mental image of her catching the bread with her mouth if he tossed it. But he said nothing about it as he stepped in and handed her the plate. He sat beside her, letting her eat. When she offered, he took half of the one, nibbling at it. "Ingredients were tougher to find. But it's a simple recipe. Almost every kitchen as what's needed."

When Kire went on, Ruli glanced at her. "Its ... I don't know. Not stupid. Just. A need." Ruli offered. "No, you can't always help feelings, and I feel like you're not going to forget about it just because I don't understand." He offered a shrug.
"I think dinner might be soon, these should go decently with what I saw on the stove. Most of what I imagine is cooked here would go well with it. Few different spices, and it'll go with everything. It's a good poor man's food."

Kire smirked. “Yeah. Gods know I tried,” she said with an apologetic grin at him. “Is this you helping me eat my feelings away then?” she said, though her tone made it clear she was joking. She listened to him talk about the food and it just proved the point; she found it oddly charming. “I do like bread a lot,” she said, chuckling, “precisely because of that. Goes with everything. Nice and simple. Comforting.” She looked him over. “How are you feeling? You’re moving better, at least.” She had a bit more of the bread, a little assuaged when he reassured her he didn’t think too poorly of what she felt for him. “Again, don’t tell Envy this, but he did…have a talk with me, six months ago. About being careful. About this,” she said, gesturing vaguely. She wasn’t sure if she should ask him about what it was that Envy had felt in him. “I assume he didn’t tell you?”

"You said you wanted the bread." Ruli said informatively. He gestured, as if to say 'so I made you bread'. He tore off a small.piece of his, chewing it thoughtfully. "Whatever is in the ointment they gave me, I want to know. And I slept with an ice pack on my back. It melted. I forgot ice does that. My bed is soaked."

When she brought up Envy, his gaze shot up, staring Kire down. "He did what?" Ruli asked, his voice sharp. "No, he didn't. What did he say? You mentioned some promise you made to him. Did he ask you to leave me alone? Careful about what, exactly?"