[IC] Journey to the East

[Illumin0sity]

Noah was a creature of curiosity and he didn’t hold much outside of the realm of interest. Each thing was under scrutiny by him and it didn’t take him long to disregard them, both in his eyes and in his mind. Elann hadn’t been cast aside, if he thought her uninteresting he wouldn’t have approached her as he did the first day they met. To her, he was blunt in his asking of questions, hard in the way he interacted with her, only softening once the brief period of assessment was over. She had captured his interest, Matilda making sure that it was cemented by asking Noah to help Elann to her room. Should things had been differently, it wouldn’t have mattered if she was only five doors down from his in the same hall.

As it were, she had captivated him in several ways, and he thought she was indeed a striking figure to look at, just not in the way she so desired. Noah played particular attention to the eyes of the people and things he encountered because they often denoted motivation before anything else reacted. Elann’s eyes appeared lost and confused the day he met her yet the shine in them didn’t necessarily dull because of it. The quavering perseverance he saw in her irises that day remained with him throughout their time together from their visit to the orphanage onwards.

From the eyes came the rest of the face, the way her nose was shaped, the bridge and the slope downward to the soft bit and flaring out to her nostrils. Next came the small space between her top lip and the bottom of her nose. The curve of her lips was created by the constant skittering of his pencil between the rare glances he looked back to her. Having seen her face for long it was essentially burned into his memory, he could never forget it no matter what, and therefore noticed whenever anything was different on her visually.

Noah’s pencil, once started, never ceased in its movements. Like he did when he was hunting, he played the drawing a few steps ahead, calculating each fast jerking of his fingers that seemed to do a lot yet nothing at all in the same time. Each flick of his wrist produced a small line, the speed of which it was produced told of his confidence. He didn’t hesitate, only looking up to make sure Elann hadn’t moved from the spot she lay. He had deemed her interesting enough to draw, and he said he would think about getting into drawing again once Aimee, his mother, and Elann talked to him during one of their dinners.

It had been years since he picked up a pencil and drew anything and it was apparent to him. Elann hadn’t seen him show his capacity for art at all, but there was a dormant skill in the way he moved and in what he drew. Like Elann essentially taught herself how to use a bow, he had taught himself how to draw from a few years of practice.

Noah continued on her face, pencil turning out into larger strokes as he worked on the rest of her body as it lay there before him. The pallet was included as well, the vague design of what she lied on there in the image as well. Once the framework was established his pinky came and acted as the blender for his marks, a technique picked up by watching another artist in Zeltiva who was his inspiration. Young Noah didn’t actively approach the man in the slightest, simply watching him from a distance as an incognito eagle, a bird on the rafters.

The chimes ticked by, sound being only emitted from their breathing, his pencil scratches, his pinky rubbing, and his vague hums of consideration, unless Elann talked, that is. Finally, he tucked the pencil into his palm and compared his drawing to what Elann actually looked like by letting his eyes flick between her in the flesh and what was on his paper. He turned the journal around then, leaning in to show her what he did and how it showed a great deal of likeness to her in the flesh.

[snelss0]

The lumbering wagon train carried on through the day, and each bump and divot had come to be so familiar to them that neither the artist nor his subject seemed to pay any mind to them. Everyone had settled into the mood that this was life, a bumpy divoting existence, and where at first people complained, now it was just all faded out. Elann's only movement was the small shifts in the wagon, but then she would slide right back into where she was mindlessly.

The wagon train was loud, but she didn't hear it as she thought to herself. Chimes ticked by, and not even Noah's altering from the charcoal scratching to the use of his thumb drew Elann's attention. While her eyes were set upon him in a steady hum of love, they were focused elsewhere, likely into the canvas behind him, but she didn't know. Her eyes were set on things in her mind, processing thought, and there she remained until he shifted in his completion.

It seemed he evaluated the picture, taking multiple small glimpses to her. Elann's eyes focused more on him and a very subtle look of anticipation grew on her face. Patiently she waited to see the hand or her eyes he drew, but was surprised when it was actually her, laying there, on the bed of rugs. An intense focus came upon her eyes in shock at it as she hopped up onto her knees.

"A on Laouru," she said as a joke as she sat up to view it closer, her hands on her knees like a little kid begging for a treat. She brilliantly looked up to him with a huge smile and said, "You are fantastic! I thought you might be good, but not this good!"

She lovingly clung to his knees with her hands and kissed him there repeatedly more than a few times. In her happiness, she wanted to push him to do more, but she also didn't want him to feel pressured like she had done before.

"What made you think to draw me?"

[Illumin0sity]

Elann reacted in a way Noah couldn’t predict, joking that she was fiery before complimenting him. He smiled at her smile, not the compliment, and recoiled a bit as she clambered him, hands on his knees, to peck away at his clothed knees repeatedly. It happened far faster than he expected and he failed to understand her kissing in that place, thinking it humorous and odd. Elann pulled back though, asking what spurred him to illustrate her.

Noah spoke truthfully, “I liked how you looked there. I haven’t been able to do anything else, really, and I said I would think about drawing again in Syliras, remember?”

The answer was simple but honest in the way it was told. He studied her face, searching it for the way she would take his words. She held features he found interesting, most notably her eyes, but her hair and skin were appealing as well. He had studied the nuances of her being, the way her body curved and how her frame was built. He was able to see her naked being after all so long and committed it all to memory. He felt confident enough to draw her without even needing her to pose, she was the object of his fascination and one of the sole bearers of his affections.

Noah looked at the picture again in his lap, the pencil set off to the side on the floor as he had braced himself for her advances. He wasn’t overwhelmed by her, just shocked she reacted in the way she did. It wasn’t extreme, just sudden.

“Do you really like it?” he asked, really hoping her compliments weren’t given for his ego’s sake.

[snelss0]

Elann knew her excitement probably frightened the bird, but she was being herself. He wanted her to be the way she was, not some reserved caged bird, and so when she saw the drawing, she naturally reacted. Elann was like a chipmunk, wild and fast at times, but mostly just active. She talked constantly, was rarely ever sitting when Noah was, and almost always had something going on. Even her previous laying there and being peaceful lasted maybe a few minutes before she had completely attached herself to him.

She was not a chipmunk, not his prey though. The Benshira had an otherworldly peace to her that she could slide into as well as a deep passion for things. She was not flighty like the creature of the trees, she stood to fight those who fought her without crippling fear. Noah had seen her attack and kill multiple bandits that night and she didn't seem half as affected by it as she was by seeing the families who had lost people.

A nod was given showing she remembered, and remembered she did. She wanted him all the more to take up art, but she had said her peace and he would do what he wanted. The last thing she wanted to do now was make him feel like he had to do art. She -loved- the way he felt inspired to do it just now and if she could have him do all his art that way, it would make her very happy.

Noah may have braced for her advances, but they didn't come. She was content there at his knees, clinging to them gently and having already kissed them a few times, she now just lingered there, staring at the picture.

"Of course I do! It's beautiful. Does your sister know you can draw like this? Goodness!" She was reserved, but excited. Her natural instinct was to pounce him like a wildcat and kiss him repeatedly, clinging to his shoulders, but Noah wasn't that type of man, and she was learning to love him in a way that appealed to him so both could mutually share their affection. She figured perhaps that was what Caesarion had against her. He must have shared some form of loving that Noah responded to that she just had not given him. Her finger played at the paper's edge, not smearing the drawing any, but like him exploring her, she incorporated touch into the feelings, showing her enjoyment of it.

[Illumin0sity]

“Yes,” he replied. Noah fluttered around the journal, flipping a few pages towards the front of the book.

The journal he had was old but it didn’t look it. He kept it under good care, kept it locked away and unexposed to the elements of time. His trunk held all things precious to him, and the journal was it as well. As he was flipping Elann could see various drawings of unfinished things, things that once had his interest but lost it as he had begun drawing. He was highly critical of himself and of the objects that managed to keep his attention. There were a lot of still life items from piles of gold to fruit on a table to the fireplace with an active flame. The framework had been laid but the bulk of the project failed to come through.

Finally, he came to a series of portrait drawings, many of them busts viewed from the perspective of the shoulders upwards. This wasn’t so far in his history to denote a beginner but these were better than what he had just drawn, the lack of practice over the years catching up to him. He came to a page and stopped there, turning the book over to face Elann. The image depicted a younger Aimee, her face being smaller and less defined. Her hair wasn’t as long, bid away in a braid, her eyes pale with large pupils. There was detail, shine, and shading. It wasn’t masterful but the Kelvic’s attention to detailed aided him immensely when it came to how his hands translated his sights to the page.

“She asked me if I wanted to go to the market with her and father,” he said, explaining the story behind the picture. “I remembered her face like this and drew it when we came back home.”

The Kelvic’s memory was near photographic, able to denote and recall features down to small details. He needed it when going over his territory, when choosing where he wanted to hunt and which trees he was most comfortable perching in.

Noah turned the journal to face himself again, flipping through it more. He set it on his lap as he looked through the old pictures, slowing as he came to another image depicting a nude woman lounging over a couch. The focus was on her face but there was detail in her hair, breasts, and the curvature of her upper body. The edges were darkened with heavy smudging, the light coming from another place in the picture. He kept flittering after that, coming to the end and then closing the journal.

“I’m glad you like it,” he softly said, resting his hands over the now closed book.

[snelss0]

From the sounds of things Noah had shared with his sister his ability to draw, and as he went through the pages, she would make him slow down so she could see even the partial pictures. It wasn't that she loved him and that was why she enjoyed the picture, but much like the farm, it was something she had never much experienced in the desert. She lingered on his knee, eyes evaluating each turning page as he went along until he got to Aimee's portrait.

The quiet look on her face dissipated and was replaced by a bounding smile as Elann shifted in excitement where she set. She didn't have words for how good it was, but as she looked up into his eyes and sent love through their bond, he could tell she was fascinated by it. He explained the image, showing how just from memory he was able to draw it with such fine detail.

"Very impressive," she stated, "She looks so much younger there. Still gorgeous."

He began flipping more and she once again slowed him down. At the woman lying naked on the couch, she was not expecting to see it, and immediately her mind began to race. He had been there, seen her in her nakedness and had drawn her that way. Elann didn't understand it as art and instead figured it much as how he had seen her, as someone or something interesting to draw. He flipped through the rest of the pages and commented that he was appreciative of her enjoying it, and she nodded in response. She backed away from his knees finally and lay back down.

With a closing of her eyes, she just had to think. She knew Noah was not the type to think lustfully after the woman, but why did she lay there naked before him. He had sex with her on their wedding night and hadn't seemed entirely lost in the act- had Noah been with another woman before? She didn't know, but did it really matter?He was with her now. Since the excitedness faded slightly after the portait of the naked woman, he could deduce she had seen something unappealing in it, but her bond was quiet of the emotions that would usually come from jealousy or anger. Instead, she was thinking and just laying there in silence. She eventually imagined it was something she didn't understand and she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah hummed cheerily at the image of his sister. In the few years it had been since the drawing was initially created Aimee had grown speedily. It was the same for him. The first few years of his life were met with explosive growth spurts that nothing could explain. The only fact of the matter was he was a Kelvic and the reaching of sexual maturity happened by the time he was four years old. He was a teenager then, growing still in terms of appearance. He left his nest, so the speak, when he was six years old, coming to Syliras then. It had been three years since then but his birthday had just passed again in the past winter, though Elann didn’t know that. He was ten years old now, his aging slowing considerably because of the dire-kin’s blood running through his veins. His age was unknown to Elann as well, having not been asked as much.

Elann’s reaction to the picture was anticipated by him, though he hoped it wouldn’t have happened at all. He hadn’t forgotten about the picture or the night he drew it. He wasn’t seeking it out when he was flicking through his drawings but he forgot just what else lay inside his journal in the excitement of wanting to show Elann the rest of his work. To him, the picture didn’t mean anything in the way it meant something to Elann. It was but a drawing of a woman, a brothel-maid.

“Elann,” he carefully spoke, gripping the edges of his journal in unease. “What’s are you thinking about?”

The question was asked in the want for an answer, a want to hopefully ease the new burden on Elann’s mind before it festered into something else. She had eased away from him and lay back down on the rug-bed with not even a word. Her mind seemed heavy like it did the day he brought the letter of her father’s disownment to her, she resembled the sight of a weighed down soul. It didn’t settle well with the Kelvic who was fluttering with nervousness now.

[snelss0]

Age wasn't important in Elann's culture so much as it was for a man to be able to provide for his family. Noah and her both worked, but even if she didn't, he could likely find a way to support them. Elann didn't know exactly how old he was, but she knew from his mother how old he likely was. It was strange to her at first finding out, but by that time she had already come to love her bondmate.

Come to the picture, Elann's ease away went noticed as her mind was more focused on her thoughts then emotions. His voice pierced them and she hummed acknowledging his question. She was in fact like when she had heard of her father disowning her, but to a much lesser degree. She finished her thoughts and said something that probably would surprise him.

"I have been thinking since our conversation on the brothel..." her fingers played nervously over the bedding as she lay her head down into it. "I shouldn't worry about what others think. I think my rush to judgement was to preserve the sanctity of our bond and marriage in others eyes as well as my own, but I trust you. Even seeing that you were there, remembering the intimate details of that woman there as if she were me, I don't think you would betray us in mind or in action. I don't want to restrict you from having fun, and I do wish you could do it some other place, but I don't see any reason you can't go with your friends if you want. Just...please don't sleep with any of those women and don't get too drunk so that you can't have restraint."

[Illumin0sity]

Noah waited anxiously for Elann to reply to his question. The words that came as she finished her thoughts were surprising to the Kelvic. She seemingly took on his outlook of the world, not caring what witnesses to his actions thought. It was really none of his business what they thought, and if he let it get to him it would only ruin his fun, dampen the enjoyment of what he liked to do.

Noah’s anxiety eased but he was conflicted. His glance fell from Elann to the journal in his lap, his hands still playing over the edges, though no longer filled by anxiousness. He had already resolved himself to no longer go to the brothels if it would cause problems but Elann was giving him something new to consider and was presenting him with conditions he could agree with. He would never indulge in the women there now that he was with Elann. The one in the drawing had asked him upstairs with her, wanting him for the fact that he was good looking alone. After their deed had been done he asked to draw her and she agreed, letting his quietness charm her though she was much older than he was at the time, older than Elann was now as well.

Atop that, he wasn’t much of a drinker. Ale during meals was enough for him but he didn’t like the feelings that heavy consumption of alcohol brought; they dulled his senses and diluted the acuteness of his gaze. He held onto his senses because they helped him survive and he felt paranoid and vulnerable when he didn’t have them at their peaks. He had made the mistake once before and hadn’t escaped the wrath of a hangover when he was younger. The memory of his pounding headache was fresh in his mind still, even after all these years, and he couldn’t fathom drinking to that point again, especially now since Elann asked as much of him.

“I won’t,” he promised.

Even as he spoke he thought it still doubtful he would readily accept an invitation if the first thing told to him about it was a trip to a brothel. They were a hub for entertainment in the city and a few of the clubs held multiple floors for different reasons. Zeltiva was a city rich in culture and entertainment played a large part in exposing the citizens to the various sects inhabiting the city. Just as there were playhouses there were also taverns and inns ripe for fun to be had.

Noah took a breath, completely easing the tension that built up in him in anticipation for Elann’s reaction to his drawing. It meant a lot to him that she changed her way of thinking, no longer seemingly utterly rigid against his own opinion. Before, where there hadn’t been any arguing with her on the matter, there was now a compromise. He appreciated it. Noah truthfully had begun to take Elann’s total refusal of the brothel issue as meaning she didn’t trust him. It hurt him and hurt his own trust with her. Up until that point, up until their fight, he trusted her near implicitly. It was nice to hear she did trust him enough to allow it even if his mind had been essentially made up about the issue.

“Here,” he beckoned, setting the journal aside.

It was his way of calling her to him and his lap was open to her. He partially wanted to totally banish the chance of his unfaithfulness from her mind in the act.

“I never would do that, you know?” he questioned.

[snelss0]

It was considered such a bad place to go in her culture, into the tent of a woman by the side of the road. They often would bring down households by their actions, getting pregnant and claiming legitimacy. It was crippling to see some men fall into that, and those who were married could even be stoned if caught, so likely they would give bribes to the women. It was just embarrassing, and to Elann, all that negative connotatively with it translated to the future problems one day she could have if Yahal ever made her a prophetess. Still, she had to do what was right by her husband and knew he would remain true.

She had been trusting of him the whole time, knowing he wouldn't betray her, knowing he wouldn't lie with another woman while there, but she was realizing at the point of their argument that she didn't really know him very well. She thought she did, but she knew the man she had made him into, not this man. So to hear him say he wouldn't was a comfort to her. He called her to his lap and willingly and readily she came to him, snuggling sideways in his lap and curling up so he could hold her there.

His words assured her and she nodded in response.

"I know. I didn't believe you would. I've just seen so much of how bad those places can be to families and I really really didn't want people to see us like that."

She would then go into about four different stories about how men would meet with women along the way and how they would take them into their tents, have fun with them, but then keep belongings of theirs and then when they got pregnant, they would claim a portion of the tribe to themselves and then would explain how everyone looked down upon that family after that.

"Granted I know it isn't the same, but I just didn't want people to think of us like that...I wanted them to think of us as the ones who enjoy the festivals and parades, not the brothels and seedy places. That's why I didn't want you to go, not because I didn't trust you. I just...I guess like you said, it doesn't matter what they think. Before Yahal, you and I are pure and faithful, and he knows that. That's all that matters to me."

"Does that make sense?" Elann lightly brought a hand up to cup his jaw as an endearing gesture.

[Illumin0sity]

It seemed just like how he would come when beckoned by her, she did the same when beckoned by him. He held her there in his lap, his hands coming together over waist facing around from him as his arms pulled her into his warmth and bare torso. He listened quietly to her explanation, watching her lips as they moved, drifting to her eyes, and then leaning in enough to smell her hair subtly, playing it off as a passing kiss on the temple, as she recounted the stories about unfaithful men in her tribe and how their mistakes could mean dire consequences.

Noah’s head inclined upwards a bit as her hand came and grasped at jaw. “Mhm,” he hummed. It was reassuring to hear her say it was because of her own cultural and religious reasons for not wanting him to go, it was necessarily for a personal reason, he didn’t believe. Then again, the more he thought about it, went back to how he found it hard to tell where she began and Yahal ended, he wondered if there was a personal reason at all. It was then he made the assumption that Elann personally was almost defined by what her culture was or how Yahal would view something, it had shaped her after all.

“It makes sense,” he said earnestly.

Playfully, he pulled away from her hand and angled his head down to nip at it. He knew he wouldn’t go unless asked out by his friends, if they remained in Zeltiva any longer. He sought to change the topic now, to bring lightness to the heavy thoughts that nearly soured the good time between him drawing her and going through his drawings with her. She did inspire him to draw, her striking features, the ones that captivated his interest without fail, were jewels to him and he felt as if he wanted to capture them, encapsulate them on the paper so she could see what he saw.

In teasing his hand threatened to tickle at the side he was holding her on but they stopped, hoping they at least drew a smile from her. Afterwards he kissed her caringly on the brow, squeezing her a little in his hold.

“What else do you want to maybe do in Zeltiva?” he asked, opening himself up for more questions to what exactly could be done there and what couldn’t.

[snelss0]

Noah could be so sweet sometimes that it made all the other times where he was silent or tense with her seem like nothing. He nipped at the fingers of her hand, not drawing a smile from her yet, though he would notice a twinge of happiness in her. Also her fingers played threateningly with his mouth, tempting him to nip at them more, yet on her face she was silent still, adding to the playfulness by her feigning ignorance.

His continued playfulness at her sides made her squirm in his arms and she elicited a betraying giggle before biting her lips, as if trying to remain silent, but after he kissed her on the brow, she soothed from her thoughts and enjoyed the closeness of his squeeze. The tighter it came, the more she would feel comforted.

Like a little kid in his arms, she rest her head on his arm and looked up longingly to him as he asked her what else she wanted to do in Zeltiva.

"Is it possible to raise chickens? I wouldn't mind raising some chickens. Hmm...maybe go to the beach? If you fly Kites, I'm really good at fighting kites. If there is a river...ummm, maybe you can teach me to swim?"

[Illumin0sity]

There were times in their relationship, even before they were a couple, where he would seek her affection in these ways. Noah liked to be held, petted, and kissed in the way she kissed him. When he wanted it, she usually knew. There were times where he would even seem restless, fidgeting before he worked up the nerve to follow her around her home because she never seemed to sit down long enough to catch the cues he was giving off. He learned to be more obvious, even going as far as calling her name at some points just to bring her attention to him. He supposed he was easy to miss due to his quietness, and he enjoyed that aside from the times he wanted to be noticed and shown physical love.

Elann’s first question made him smile. It was funny. He nodded, licking his lips. “You can raise chickens in most of the yards,” he informed. “We can go to the beach too. That’s my favorite thing to do, I miss the beach, and, yes, I can teach you how to swim.”

He tilted his head looking down at her then. “You want chickens?” he asked curiously, then he smiled in his own amusement. “What if I get hungry and you aren’t around? Can I eat one?” While Noah was joking he was also being utterly serious. He wouldn’t hesitate to take down one of their chickens if he had the mind too. To him it just seemed like he could have the thrill of the hunt in his own backyard and the hunt, in a way, was fun.

He also thought it odd seeing as Elann had a fear of animals. Her fear hadn’t gone unnoticed by him, he could see it and feel it in the way she barely petted him when he hunted for the first time with her. He also observed it in the way she was initially afraid of Aimee when she saw the wolf as an actual wolf for the first time. Were chickens supposed to be different for her?

[snelss0]

Elann was pretty oblivious when it came to nonverbal communication. She had to be in the mindset, such as earlier that morning where the two were taking cues from each other, but as she went about her day, she never would notice them. Upon him calling out her name, she was always more than willing to do whatever was wanted or needed though.

He licked his lips then as she wanted chickens and she squinted because it almost seemed like he thought it funny. Her squint faded almost immediately as he spoke about the beach. She perked up and nodded to him.

"I'm deathly afraid of water, so be very slow. Like...maybe learning to swim in a stream or puddle would be better to start out," she joked, bringing a smile to her face and brightening despite the dim light of the wagon.

"Mhm," she answered brightly with a soft smile on her own face as she was correct that he found something amusing out of it. It ended up being not that she was to keep chickens, but more that he wanted to eat them. She chuckled.

"Well, only if they are old or we have too many. I'd prefer we use them for the eggs, but if we raise the chicks and breed them on purpose, sure. Then you can eat some of them. I think I'll have a minimum number of chickens we can keep...adult chickens!" she specified with a smile to him just incase he was getting ideas, "...And then the rest you can eat or hunt or do whatever you want to do with. Just save me the feathers for my arrows."

She then hummed affectionately and pressed lightly into his chest with her cheek. Her cold hand came up to his jawline again and she sat, basking in the scent that made him him, that made her comfortable.

[Illumin0sity]

Elann joked and Noah laughed, it was but a two-part chuckle, but it was his. His smile remained as he spoke, “You can’t learn to swim in a puddle,” he pointed out cheerily. “Maybe we should just throw you out into the ocean.”

He was kidding but the idea, the image in his mind alone, made him smile all the more. Noah learned the swim in the ocean near the wharfs with the aid of his two brothers. He had no choice but to learn if he wanted to hang out with them when they were younger; anything they did, he did too, and more sometimes just to show he could make his own fun, his own way, as well.

Elann explained the would-be chicken situation to him, saying he could do what he wanted with them so long as he didn’t kill below the minimum number of adult chickens Elann would set. He found it funny still that she had to specify they had to be adult chickens. Noah did get devious ideas of leaving just chicks in the steads of chickens just to get around Elann’s rule. He was a predator, he had to be smart to get what he wanted.

“Okay,” he agreed. Elann’s terms weren’t difficult to agree to, it would be showing restraint when he had a particular taste for poultry that would be hard.

For an avian Noah ate an awful lot of other avians. Aimee had called him a cannibal, and he saw the irony in it, but chasing another bird was often more entertaining than going after a quick moving hare or squirrel.

After agreeing with Elann, he drew quiet and settled into the rocking of the wagon. It wasn’t hard to hear the creaking of the entire caravan’s cars but it had become but a background noise after their weeks on the road. There were only two more weeks left and he was getting anxious to see Zeltiva again. Talking with Elann about it only made him more excited for his hometown, to show Elann the city he adored and missed, the coastal city with tightly woven rooftops, a maze of roads and alleyways, a great amount of people, and the holder of his childhood.

He was also enjoying the moment with her there, thankful that the scare Elann gave him because of the drawing didn’t actually turn into a disagreement. On the contrary, it turned into something of a compromise, him agreeing to another set of Elann’s terms without much hesitation. Noah knew what he would and wouldn’t do against her, knowing she wouldn’t have to worry about him being unfaithful or becoming blindingly drunk.

Noah nuzzled into her cool hand, letting the moment further deafen him to the sound of the wagon wheels going around and around. The sound was almost soothing now, something akin to rain coming down just outside of the window. It was far from a quiet shooshing, he had just been so conditioned to it by this point it didn’t seem to matter. He pressed down a bit, kissing Elann on the top of her head. She had still made him tired and now that they were lulling away he didn’t mind falling asleep then and there for a nap.

“Do you want to lie down?” he asked, nodding to the bed of rugs she made.

[snelss0]

"Nnn..." Elann whined as she burrowed into him, hiding her face from his playful cruelty. "You are going to give me nightmares," she joked, though in part it was probably true.

Elann fell under a spell of peace and comfort in his arms and it was evidenced not by the low rumblings that Noah gave, but by little moans of comfort through her nose. They were short little almost whimpers amidst her breathing and only would come out when the wagon bumped and let them sneak out.

Though he was warm, her feet were freezing like her warming hand, and as he pressed down a kiss onto her head, she almost didn't respond, taking a moment to rouse from the lulled state she had been put in.

"Hmm? Oh yeah."

She slowly rose, enjoying the ability to stretch her back from the curve of his arms and she flopped down into the bed much like she would hop up onto hers at home.

"Are you coming too?"

She beckoned him with her eyes of love, hoping he came to lay next to her. There was nothing that made her feel as empty and as cold as Noah having essentially ignored her the past week. This was therapeutic and she didn't want it to end.

[Illumin0sity]

In the time it took for Noah to speak again Elann was already dozing off, staying true to her word of him apparently tickling her to the point of exhaustion. It was endearing and he felt a protective sense over her there as she was lounging into his body. He had her in his hold, her head on the bareness of his chest, and the tiny whimpers of her contentment, they were all adding to the guardian sensation in him to keep the one he loved comfortable.

After he did speak, she rose, stretched, and then fell onto the bed, turning to face him and request for him to lie with her, her eyes meeting his. He nodded to answer her, yawning as well but failing to cover his mouth before he moved the tiny ways towards the bed of rugs. It was simple to slide down next to her and be comfortable there. Lying on his left side and facing her, he welcomed her back into his warmth with a sleepy face.

The afternoon was going well so far; they had got along well enough to physically enjoy one another and maintained the sense of understanding until this moment where they were going to nap. He wanted the next two weeks to go by just as smoothly, today having instilled him with more hope for the future.

[snelss0]

It was good to feel the emotions that had been hidden away from her for such a long time in her mind, but it also was good to feel things like hope returning to her husband's heart. It had never left hers as she had forgiven him of any wrong doings she felt he had done, them being based off her own will to press him to be something he wasn't. Even so, she would likely have forgiven him even if he had chosen to hate her or worse. She was a loving sort of person and let the emotion of love rule her life. It was that quality that Yahal saw pure in her and what he saw leading her to faithfulness. He would have made her his champion by now, but love is tested, faithfulness is tested, as is purity. Elann was in those trials now.

Far be it from Elann to be Yahal's warrior though, and it was why Zulrav's chosen Stormwarden was her mate. The two had been brought together by their own wills, but were seen good to at least Yahal who saw Noah as someone who would bring that fighting spirit out of Elann. His wild nature, something that Zulrav adored, was just the right tool to show her things of his world, such as hunting, swimming, and in a family full of predators, it was likely fighting would come as well.

Elann lazed with her husband and bondmate, pulling close to him. She nuzzled up into his chest and then upward to his neck to show her love before coming back down to lay at his side. She scrunched up a pillow under her and made sure he had some pillows too so as not to be injured or uncomfortable.

When they were settled, she would fall asleep up against his chest, her light breath warm despite the cold of her feet, legs, and hands; all of which naturally were pressed up against him and rapidly stole heat from him. As they lay, the wagon would hit bump after bump, divot after divot, but it only lulled her into a deeper sleep. Unlike Noah and many of the other people, she had not slept in until afternoon, but was up with the sun. For that reason, even if he were to rouse her, the most he would get from her was some unintelligible speech before she'd close her eyes again, and would actually be a little pissy if he tried repeatedly to wake her.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah draped his arm around Elann, resting his hand over the small of her back as she nuzzled into him and sapped his heat from his skin with her cold extremities. Believe it or not, it was a feeling he missed, her coldness on his hotness, because it meant they were close enough to even touch in that way. Opening the way for her to expand upon the space she had in his heart was a hard thing, but nothing she did so far had uneased him, scared him, or made him unsure if it was the right decision to make. He wasn’t pressuring himself to let her invade him, his hurt wouldn’t let him do that. He was letting her find her way back, his mind judging her actions to see if they followed the words of promise she spoke.

It took Noah a little longer to fall asleep. He hadn’t drunk any of the herbal painkiller in a full day now, but the warmth and love of Elann’s affections and their interactions dulled his ache enough to be comfortable in falling asleep and sharing his bond with Elann. The rolls of the wagon had to be passed off as something else, something rocking and soothing enough to lull the Kelvic into sleep. He was the opposite of Elann, when they hit a bump or divot in the road he was roused slightly from his doze that deepened in time. Eventually, he did fall asleep entirely in what depth his mind allowed him to drift into.

Two bells passed before Noah woke up again and, when he did, Elann didn’t stir despite his shifting to regain his comfortable position. Aimee hadn’t returned, staying true to her word, she was going to walk that day. In his half-wakefulness, the male wondered if it was some form of avoidance or if she was recovering from the apparent consequences of her magic used yesterday evening. He had no way of knowing until he asked but the last thing he wanted to do was peel himself away from the bed and try to find her.

As it were, he let himself be taken by the lazes of sleep again until evening began to fall and his waking mind was disturbed by the wagon’s rocking and creaking and jumbling. Elann was still sleeping at his side but his head was starting to hurt from his own heat and the lack of water in his system. He hadn’t drunken any tea before sleeping and all he had was the remains of Elann’s water from that morning.

He tried his best to slip away from Elann without totally waking her, rising to sit up and scratch his head before laying the palm flat against the side that was throbbing. His waking eyes found the pitcher of water she kept inside the wagon for such situations, next to the tea, in the corner of the wagon near their things. Like he basically crawled into the bed to lie beside Elann, he did the same to crawl towards the pitchers and the few cups that were theirs to begin with. There in the corner he sat down with his back to Elann and the rest of the wagon, working slowly to put himself a simple cup of water together.

[snelss0]

From the moment Noah left her side, she began to become cooler, however under the heat of the fur blanket he got her, the warmth soon returned. In her mind, she could consciously feel him slipping away, and the light sleeper that she normally was told her it was time to wake up. Her body however was groggy and terribly sleepy, not only from the emotional drama over the past couple days with the death's of people, but the rekindling between her and Noah. It wasn't all emotional or mental, but physical as well. Her body was sore from their quick spat that morning and she was extra sleepy because of it.

His willingness to keep the bond open added to her pain and so as her mind willed her to wake, and her body intended her to sleep, her mind won out, mentally having to deal with the pain. It was not extreme, but present, and as soon as her eyes began to crack open, she had all but mentally pushed away the nagging aches. Her hands were pressed against her pelvis upon waking - a subconscious effort to keep them warm - and as the sounds of water were being poured, she silently stretched her hands upward into a little squealing, full-body stretch.

"Mmm..." she moaned quietly as she flopped back down as if dead. A good ten seconds later she finally breathed again and her left hand came to rub the sleepiness from her eye. It was followed by the right, lagging a full three seconds behind, and then she sat up and turned onto her side. A short moment later, she looked straight to Noah in the dimness of the interior and almost looked mad at him, or it was a very intense squint to try to see him, and then she flopped face first into the pillow. Her body was contorted, and finding it uncomfortable, a few moments later it straightened out so she was lying on her front with her arms tucked in at her side, taking pressure off her chest.

Another audible feminine groan could be heard from inside the pillow and her butt began to shake as she jiggled her leg as if thinking. It paused, then jiggled again, then paused, and jiggled no more.