[IC] Journey to the East

[Illumin0sity]

Elann answered Aimee’s question as the wolf sat down to suck on her caramels. She tucked one away into her cheek, humming at Elann’s question. “I’ve always wanted to see Yahebah,” she admitted. “My mother said it’s beautiful, almost one of her favorite places to have visited when she used to travel. We have some Benshiran made rugs in our home because she liked them so much, that and she says they’re better made than Zeltivan rugs.”

She went back to sucking on her sweet, watching and listening as Noah voiced his own doubt in his abilities. Aimee knew she was the same in some ways, feeling that when she messed up she was no longer worthy of the task. It was a temporary feeling because her sense of determination would come back within the next day or two in order to spur her back into practice. She’d sometimes manage to surprise herself in hitting an otherwise hard note or fluidly falling into the next step of a song that once avoided her entirely. She hoped with time Noah’s own sense of determination would return, she figured he’d have to take down some other avian in order to feel satisfied and on top once again.

At first Elann’s reassurance did little, but she brought up boxing and how she wanted to witness that. She squeezed his bicep, causing his gaze to look to that spot before her. It was a weird feeling she just did and it showed in his curious face. He appreciated her faith in him, leaning back a small ways to kiss the corner of her mouth to show it.

“In the summer, there are local fighting rings,” Aimee informed from across the wagon. “Sometimes Ryon participates in them with Donavan. A long time ago, my father fought in them too.”

“I forgot about those,” Noah returned, eyes glancing to the bag of candies in his sister’s hand.

“I figured as much, which is why I’m bringing it up. Maybe you’ll want to go into one of them or, at least, see what they’re about.”

[snelss0]

"It's very beautiful, particularly the temple. It's situated in such a way that there is a beautiful open courtyard of smooth white stone where the people gather and worship. Then inside the temple, it is lined with gold and facing east, so when the sun rises it hits the inside and shines brilliantly, illuminating the entire courtyard with a breathtaking golden light."

"We do our rugs differently, different knots. They both good, but I think ours are more durable, and a nice rug can have illusions and amazing affects that don't seem possible just by tying knots. I'll have to make you one. It might take me a bit though."

A brilliant quality rug could take a year on her own without a loom. Who knew if her work in Zeltiva would have a loom and if it would allow her to do personal work.

The sweets Aimee had looked mightily tempting and Noah would feel that temptation in Elann, even though she didn't appear to have it outwardly. Her squeeze and compliment on her husband brought her a kiss and she grinned as he smooched the corner of her mouth, obviously close to a giggle. Public signs of affection made her giddy, but she was telling the truth. She thought the world of him and really knew he would and could protect her if at all possible. His ability to fight was strong, she had no doubt.

"Do you think you could fight your brothers and win right now?" she curiously asked innocently. He had certainly been training constantly. If nothing else, he would give them a little bit of a shocker when they saw weak little Noah come into the ring and display some skill.

[Illumin0sity]

Elann’s description of the temple only made Aimee want to visit the desert city all the more. She had been outside of Zeltiva very little and cursed how far away all the cities were in comparison to Zeltiva’s own coastal station. What was a plus though was Zeltiva’s ability to host transport ships to most of the places. It was a matter of time and money in order to get to where she wanted to go. However, she didn’t know how she would survive for nearly months on a ship, she could barely sit still for a month trip via caravan from Syliras to Zeltiva. At least with a caravan she had the freedom to walk around outside, the same couldn’t be said for a ship at sea.

“I’d like that,” she revealed about the rug. “If you have time, I’d appreciate it. I’ll put it in my room, or my own house if I have one by that time.” She showed Elann an appreciative smile.

Noah looked to Elann a the creeping sense of yearning in their bond. It was some of what made him want to kiss her, thinking she was yearning for affection from him, for he didn’t see her stealing glances at the sack of caramels in Aimee’s hand.

“I could win before,” he pointed out. “Just not all the time.”

Even as a kid he was moderately strong, though he always held more combative wit and agility than brawn. As Elann thought, he had been practicing on reading his opponent’s movements before they happened. As a kid or teen it was much less practiced than presently, seeing as he hadn’t gotten his own capacity for hunting yet. Elann had seen his ability to read others when she attempted to playfully avoid him in her apartment in Syliras, and how he knew where she was attempting to bolt before she moved in full.

“Aimee, give me one,” Noah went, the Fratavan tone seemingly harder in command than in asking.

“Say ‘please’,” she returned, fishing around for another piece of candy to plop into her mouth.

“Please.”

With that, Aimee rose and closed the distance between the two benches, presenting the open bag to Noah once arrived. He reached in and pulled out three of the rounded caramel candies, stealing them away into his palm before taking a fourth out of the bag to put into his mouth.

“You said one,” Aimee fussed.

“I lied.”

Rolling her eyes, the wolf presented the bag to Elann as well, figuring that Noah wasn’t going to share what he took without being asked.

[snelss0]

Elann happily hummed as Aimee said she wanted a rug. It would give Elann great pleasure to make one for her sister. It would be worth a considerable amount of money as well just incase she ever needed money. Some larger rugs of high quality could be sold for as much as a low quality house. Such rugs would take more than a year if she herself was doing it, but a nice room rug would be just right for the Kelvic sister of hers.

"Alright. Who knows what time either of us will have when we get to Zeltiva? I will definitely try to make you one though.

Elann's desire for her husband was a constant thing in her, sometimes greater than other times, but this was a yearning for candy, and while it felt the same, as he thought about affection toward her, she glanced his way and continued her scratching, this time moving upward to his neck.

When Noah asked for a sweet, Elann watched as she brought them over for him and Noah blatantly lied. Elann tsk'ed at him in disapproval.

"Liar..." she titled him playfully and wiggled a finger at his ear to flop it back and forth as a toying punishment. When Aimee offered her one, though she had a desire for them, she shook her head.

"No, but thank you."

Elann was tempted to use the command of her bond to make her brat of a husband give her one of his stolen ones, but in the end, she just laid across his back, her head and body resting up against him as she slid into a hug from behind.

"Do they fight to the death in the fighting rings, or is it just a friendly competition?"

In some of the tribes there were small scale gladiatorial combat, as if people weren't dying enough in their small numbers.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah peered at Elann behind him and smiled, the hard sweet in his mouth protruding from his cheek above one of his dimples. It didn’t bother him to be called a liar, the wag of Elann’s finger and tone of her voice seeming all too playful to be serious in the moment. He failed to see harm in his own lying in that moment as it brought him sweets from his sister, one of the closest people to him like Elann.

He turned more towards Aimee and Elann as the wolf stood before the two of them. His legs fell from the bench and the soles of his feet touched the floor. With one hand he put another sweet into his mouth before using it to draw the blanket back over him to keep his midsection covered as his legs stuck out, the cool air from outside flowing against his bare skin.

“They don’t,” Aimee answered Elann as Noah sucked on his caramels. “People die sometimes, but it’s rare.” She shrugged, it not being a big deal to her. “There are rules and the fights are stopped before anything bad can happen.”

She went back across the wagon and sat down on the opposite bench, shoving her own blanket off to the side as she wasn’t using it anymore. At Elann’s side, Noah was peering at her through a sidelong glance, wondering what she thought of the revealment. He had seen some of the fights before but never participated. It was news to him that his brother fought in them which led him to believe that Ryon was stronger as well, which was to be expected after three years.

[snelss0]

While Elann didn't like it when people lied, it was not as though he was lying to destroy someone. There were degrees of the action that she did permit, and it was a matter of the heart. Her rebuke of him was playful, but let him know gently it wasn't okay to lie. He wasn't a child (well kind of) and she figured he knew as such.

Noah slid from her grasp and straightened himself out on the bench to be fully sat up on it. Finally she could get in closer to him and she inched up until she was right up against him, sucking the heat from him.

"It sounds like it is organized at least. They have matches outside the city of Yahebah, but they are illegal and almost always are to the death. Usually involving slaves of some sort. I've never been to them."

If she had, there was no doubt she would have known what a kelvic was and that they fought there violently versus man or other kelvics.

Elann snaked her hand behind Noah's back and continued to lightly play along his scars with light scratches. The weather outside made it darker inside the wagon than on a normal sunny day, but she liked it darker. It reminded her of being in the tent with her mother. The thoughts of fights back home then trailed to her mother and her eyes rose to view Aimee as she sat there. There was a longing in her heart, strong in power as she thought to her mother and let out a heavy breath before settling into silence to look out the back of the wagon and into the falling droplets.

[Illumin0sity]

“There are matches like that in Zeltiva too,” Aimee revealed. “They’re underground, meaning they’re held on East Street in alleys and in cellars. I hear they’re by invitation only and apparently Ryon’s been to one of those as well.”

Noah sucked on the two caramel candies in his mouth as the two women went back and forth on the fights. His eyes flicked between the two when it was their turns to talk, though his mind was meandering around to envisioning the fights themselves. He was drawn to Elann as her hands went back around him, giving him a little flinch in fright as he was wasn’t paying attention to her since Aimee spoke up again. He looked at her as she settled around him and he settled from the momentary scare.

Noah saw her chest puff up in charging of the deep sigh that came, one that caused his head to curiously tilt in question as she looked past him out of the wagon. The hand not holding the candies came up to wrap around her in kind before he leaned in and placed another kiss on her, this one on her cheek instead of the corner of her mouth.

In mirth, he mimicked her, taking a deep breath himself to out in the same fashion she did hers. Instead of looking out of the wagon he looked to her, wondering if she would manage to catch ahold of his playfully mocking nature. He took it on in order to pull her from whatever labored her breath so, hoping she could catch onto him.

[snelss0]

"Oh no...that would be horrible if he lost. I can imagine that those fights pay well, but I still just can't imagine someone wanting to be in a fight like that, even if you are competent."

Elann drifted off in thought of her mother and was roused from it only momentarily by her husband's movements to wrap around her and plant a kiss on her mouth. She hummed in enjoyment and settled back into her thoughts, but then his sigh came and her eyes shot up to him. He had a playful look on his face and she could realize he was toying with her. She must have let out a longing sigh or breath that he now was mocking.

"Nnn," she nasally whined as she burrowed into his chest with a slight chuckle. "I was thinking of my mom. We would sometimes sit in the dark like this in the tent in mornings before we felt like lighting the lights inside or opening a flap. It gets cold in the desert at night, so we would be under blankets and sometimes just be talking about silly things before bothering to work."

Aimee would have read about her parents in Elann's journals and known what the Benshira had to go through. She may even have had a better perspective given her reading into Elann's past a bit and seeing how much she loved them, but it still plagued her to think of them occasionally.

Her eyes scanned over her husbands face once more and saw his ridiculous cheeked candies and she brought a cool hand up to lightly poke at the bulges there as though they were a mushy button.

[Illumin0sity]

“He got beat up pretty badly, so I guess that’s what’s preventing him from going to them anymore,” Aimee said. “There’s that and he also was seeing the girl that would become his fiancee, the one I told you that was found in bed with another man.” Aimee paused, rolling the caramel around over her tongue to the opposite cheek. “Seems like none of us have luck with our bondmates, at least the first ones.”

As the candy dwindled in size Aimee popped in another, shifting her eyes between both Elann and Noah. The Benshira was Noah’s second bondmate, giving reason for Aimee to point as much out. Aimee herself had been through a few small bonds that meant very little and few that were rather devastating to her, so she knew the rule she put out was more so Elann didn’t feel bad about being a second bondmate to Noah.

Elann nasally whined at Noah’s mocking, causing the Kelvic to smile as she buried herself into his chest, her chuckled breaths hitting on his skin. He hummed thoughtfully as she revealed what was on her mind and what drew the weighted breath from her. He felt bad for her in the moment, wishing she could be with her family. Truthfully, he didn’t like they were going to see the whole of his family while she would be missing hers. In his thoughtfulness he rubbed her gently over the back as he met her gaze, then followed her hand as the finger pressed into his cheek at the hard candy.

Goofily, he smiled, pronouncing the candies all the more against her finger. It was done to cheer her up. He considered the other three caramels withheld in his other hand and presented them to Elann, open palmed for her to take. If she went to grab one though, he would move his hand away in teasing a few times before relenting and allowing her to have one.

[snelss0]

When Aimee said that he got beat up pretty badly, she assumed it meant he won the match since he wasn't dead. It was likely Noah almost lost a brother that day.

There was a burden in her heart for Ryon as Aimee mentioned his fiancee. There was a shrill spike in her of guilt as Aimee mentioned that they never had luck with their bondmates. Her correction relieved it, but it was too late to not affect her. The reaction was small, hardly noticeable, particularly with thoughts of her mother on her mind, but it was there. She felt guilty how she had added to the perception that they didn't have good luck with their bondmates, even if she had corrected to say the first ones.

It was only Noah's goofy smiles that roused her from her silent gloom, making a game out of sliding the carmel back and forth along his cheek by pressing on either side of it. When he offered her a candy, immense joy flooded their bond, yet when he stole it away from her, it was like her world was shattered. She sat there stunned for a moment until she realized he was playing with her and then would grasp for it again. After the second time, she would be diving across his lap to grab his arm and even would go so far as to even bite his knuckle playfully until he gave up all the sweets. He was seeing her competitive side, but it was all in fun.

[Illumin0sity]

It was news to Noah that his brother faced potential death. The initial revealment that Ryon had been involved in one of the unregulated underground fights didn’t bother him, what did was knowing his brother had been beat up severely. Aimee wasn’t one to divulge news if she didn’t think it necessary and important, so the fact she informed them of the shape Ryon was in vaguely was enough to tell Noah that he did nearly lose a brother. It wouldn’t have been the first time such a thing happened, Ryon was one to aim to prove himself in situations, even the most dire.

It was weird having Elann push the candies around by poking at his cheeks. Despite the sensation, he remained smiling because he was managing to bring Elann out of the gloom she was in. Aimee continued to talk in heaviness while Noah was attempting to uplift his bondmate with goofy actions and antics. They seemed to be working, though when he presented the sweets to Elann’s only to withdraw them once she actually went for them, he was concerned he went too far. She was suspended in a moment before realizing his playful nature, flooding him with relief.

Noah was having fun with her, pulling the handful away a second time, forcing her to throw herself across his lap in order to keep up with his movements. He jerked away from her, to his own dismay, sending a pang of pain through his song that made his breath catch in his throat, his face maintaining the wide smile though it was tinged with clear discomfort. He laughed through it, conceding to Elann as his winced eye reopened to show the brightness in them. It was his own fault and he was having fun, so he didn’t let it dampen the mood.

When she took however many of the candies she wished to take of the three Noah resettled him as the ache in his side died down. He moved to kiss her temple and whispered, “I love you,” before looking towards their luggage, mostly just wanting to finally be in Zeltiva so they may unload it all and be done with traveling.

“You know,” Aimee perked up from the other side, “I bet momma’s getting things ready for that party of yours, Elann. That’s the only reason I can see her leaving outside of wanting to be with father. It’ll be a big coming home party and a wedding feast, how’s that sound? I bet that’s what it is.”

[snelss0]

Elann could feel the subtle pulls of pain in her husband as he finally conceded. It was deserved, being the butt that he was, and she finally was victorious, even if by him letting her win. Immediately she popped a candy into her mouth out of the three she took from him and sat up from her position in laying across his body.

As she moved to sit next to him, he stole a kiss on her temple and told her he loved her. Warmth spread through her whole body as the love invaded her from him. It was funny to hear his "I love you" as well because of the candies in his cheeks or mouth at that point. Almost as if by reward, she reached for his hand and gave him the two remaining candies back. It was her way of saying that she loved him too, as he could feel through their shared bond.

The bond continued to radiate increasingly as she nestled up next to him and into his arms. She gently caressed the arm that got hurt as if to soothe him and give him comfort as Aimee spoke, even if it meant reaching across him in a hug to do so.

Aimee perked up and spoke of the party, causing Elann to smile brightly, a light in the gloom. Stuffing the candy into her cheek, she was able to talk once more.

"Honestly, I have had a dream since a little girl of a fabulous wedding party. I think every girl in our tribe does, but really, I'm going to be happy with anything at this point- even if it is just us three and a small bit of food. I'm thankful for anything you all wish to give me and Noah."

She looked up to him as it was his party as well.

"I'm sure he's glad that we aren't doing it my way...particularly the part where everyone surrounds him and sings at him."

She giggled then, looking to her husband's eyes for his face for his reaction as she brought the candy to the edge of her lips, almost as if a taunt for him to show her victory. He wouldn't be able to take it from her as she would be quick to sneak it back in, but her lips would taste like the candy.

[Illumin0sity]

Aimee smiled politely at Elann speaking of her dreams and wishes as a little girl. She couldn’t exactly relate to what the Benshira dreamed of, yet was glad that some form of her dream would be attained thanks to their mother. What the wolf suggested was still an inkling, she didn’t know if the party was being prepared for sure, she knew her mother though; Isabella would move mountains for her children. Elann was a child by extension of Noah and was now under the same protective umbrella. Even if the other siblings didn’t exactly like her they would protect her fiercely because she was Noah’s wife and would do a great deal for her because they would be doing Noah a favor as well.

Noah was steadily sucking on his candies as they dwindled away in his mouth. He had retook the candies Elann took from him, minus the one she ate, and rolled them around his in palm with the tips of his fingers, listening as Elann and Aimee talked. He met his bondmate’s gaze when she looked at him, pointing out the parts of the celebration he would be thankful to be missing. He nodded in agreement. When he did live in Zeltiva he may have enjoyed the large extravagant party as a bystander and participant. He disliked being the center of everyone’s attention vehemently, all except Elann and those close to him.

He eyed the candy Elann played on her lips, taking it as the taunt it may have been intended to be. Noah cursed his wound all the more, knowing he would’ve been able to put up more of a fight to keep the candies away from her if he wasn’t injured. The sharp pain in his side was the only reason she got her victory, and if he was going to be particularly mean he could’ve tossed them all into his mouth greedily. It wasn’t above him.

“He hates being sung to for his birthday too,” Aimee pointed out, laughing. “He used to try and hide under the table when we would start and would turn beet red. It was the funniest thing, even when he was older too and supposedly full grown.”

Noah scoffed as Aimee continued to giggle at the memory. “I don’t like it,” he whined. “It’s weird. It’s like a cult chanting or something.”

He was turning red there, his cheeks tinging in the rosy hue as his hands crept up to touch the heat in his face. He felt several degrees hotter than he already was as he recalled the memories himself.

[snelss0]

Elann's competitive side slightly continued as Noah rolled the candies in his hand between his fingers, her own lightly pestering his to screw him up, though it wasn't her immediate focus at the time. She was more busy telling him of his hate for being in that situation with the wedding party, but when Aimee began to express how he hated being sung to on his birthday, she focused on her attack more.

"Aww," she sounded in comment as she sat up from her attack to comfort her husband in his embarrassment. He was turning red as it was and began his whining.

"We are all going to sing it for you for your next birthday, and we will sit you in a chair and sing it around you while we all dress in robes and have candles in our hands."

"Happy birthday Noah," she sung in a creepy tone to him in the pattern Syrliran kids would celebrate their birthdays.

She was enjoying her torture of her husband, and had a brilliant smile on her face as it was bringing life to an otherwise dreary day. They had not gotten stuck yet thankfully, but who knew as the day carried on? She wanted to make sure he knew she was just kidding and it showed on her face.

[Illumin0sity]

Combating Elann’s creeping hands was a secondary focus of Noah’s, his own balling up to press the knuckles against his hot face. He gave Elann a sidelong glance as she teased him. Given his imagination it was easy to imagine his family and Elann donned in robes in a dark room surrounding him as he sat at a table, singing to him for his birthday as they held candles. It was eerie and for some reason he imagined them in red robes with large hoods that shadowed their eyes. It was a terrifying sight in his mind and it showed in his wide eyed look at Elann as she sang ominously.

“You’re terrible,” he whispered from behind his hands.

Aimee continued giggling with the caramels in her mouth, throwing another in before retying the bag and setting it on her side. When her giggles subsided she let out a final breath.

“What’d you do all those years you were away?” she asked, rolling the candy around on her tongue.

Noah shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. I went hunting, that’s it.”

“Even this year?”

Noah shook his head. “I didn’t do anything this year. I was with Elann.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Aimee urged. “We could’ve done something special for you while we were there.”

Noah shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter, it’s just a year.”

“It’s three years! You know how momma feels when we don’t get to celebrate our birthdays, she hates it.”

What Aimee said struck a chord in Noah, making him grow quiet as he looked at Elann. He didn’t know the reason for their mother making such a big deal out of their birthdays but he knew they meant a great deal to her, so he felt guilty for not celebrating the last three years, even if they were small. It would’ve been easy to fly to Zeltiva in the two years he wasn’t with Elann, but he didn’t do that either.

[snelss0]

Elann thought it was very cute how he hid behind his hands and whispered to her. Aimee's giggling made Elann smile as she watched her husband and how his sister questioned him. When Aimee urged her whine at him Elann wondered inside just how important these birthdays were and sat up from him, but kept her eyes on him.

She remembered vaguely how he freaked out at her for not going out for her birthday and how he had turned it into a wonderful day. Elann felt somewhat guilty as she watched him, feeling the chord struck in her husband.

"I should have done more for your birthday," she commented, expressing her guilt.

With a quick look to Aimee, she added, "We don't really celebrate our birthdays. They are considered a bad thing, so I didn't really think to do it for him."

"If we can, we will have a big birthday for you this year," she said, looking back to him. "One that will make up for those missed. It can have...fighting, food, hunting, candies, pastries, lots of decorations, and then at the end, we can all go to the beach!"

She eyed him with her wild eyes, showing her rousing excitement, hoping to get him thrilled in the event, particularly because of her own desire and want to see him happy.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah noticed Elann’s change of mood as she spoke up, wishing they had done more for his birthday. More would’ve been leagues more than the nothing they didn’t do. The day was during the dead of winter, which was a reason his past three birthdays had been so drab. Winter in Syliras was always a heavy hitter, usually slamming the city with snow, ice, and wind only to linger through the early weeks of spring. Noah hated it personally but did feel all the more guilty that he hadn’t been celebrating three years worth of birthdays, he felt as if he was doing his mother a disrespect seeing as she made sure each of him and his siblings’ birthdays were special.

“How could you think they’re bad?” Aimee question, the statement was incredulous to the wolf. “Birthday’s are supposed to be wonderful and reflective, not bad. Why do your people think they’re so?”

The pitch in Aimee’s voice got higher as she prattled on. She was clearly shocked by the information for her own birthdays were always happy, some of the happiest days of her life. Nothing could bring her down when her birthday was approaching, and the same could be sad for Noah. It was why he insisted Elann celebrate her own birthday, a date he’d never forget.

Elann turned to Noah and attempted to excite him for his birthday that year. It was the mid of spring and his birthday wasn’t until the tail end of winter, something he wasn’t particularly thinking about, nor did he really think about it until the snow fell and the temperatures plummeted. The way she went about attempting to excite him was more off-putting that comforting.

“Too much,” he muttered, lowering his hands to steady over hers. “You can’t do all of that in a day; I don’t want to fight or hunt.” He paused, smiling softly. “You want to go to the beach in winter? It’ll be cold, you hate the cold. The parties are personal, we do whatever we want and I want to eat food and desserts and candies on my birthday.” He shrugged. “Or not, it’s not until the end of the year anyway, I may change my mind.”

[snelss0]

"In my culture, we know death is near to us. If it isn't bandits and starvation, it is the heat of the desert. The day of our birth is important, the days of cleansing are important, when a girl first gets her period is pretty important as are our festivals. Religious holidays are always important, but repeatedly celebrating a day each year just because you were born is not something we think about. If anything, it reminds us more of our impending death, so when Noah first told me about how you all celebrate them, I was kind of off-put by it, but it was fun, yeah?" she asked, looking up to her husband with a smile. "I had fun. That was a good day."

Noah stated the things that he wanted or didn't want, and she nodded slightly. He was calming her down, obviously not responding to her excitement. It seemed her ideas were not appealing to him and she dropped her eyes from his smile. Looking to Aimee, she mentioned what was on her mind in that moment.

"I forgot his birthday...I think with all the events that were happening in the winter life just got consuming for us, and he didn't seem to say anything about it that I remember..."

She then looked to her husband again and tilted her head.

"I didn't mean to forget it. I must have just gotten lost and not thought about it. I'm sorry," she confessed in apology to him with a burdened heart. Her eyes sought his forgiveness but didn't know if he would give it.

[Illumin0sity]

Noah flexed his lips in a smile when Elann looked at him after her explanation. Like Aimee, Noah thought the entire thing bizarre but had information on the dangers Elann once faced in Eyktol, being told as much by her.

“That’s so... pessimistic,” Aimee said. “I would think, even in the desert, birthdays would be looked upon with happiness. It could mean you’ve survived another year in one of the harshest places imaginable. You survived twenty years in the desert, it’s amazing, even if you didn’t do it alone!”

Noah calmed down Elann’s excitement. She looked away from him and back to Aimee, where the wolf met her gaze before she revealed she forgot Noah’s birthday that year. Aimee’s jaw was slightly ajar at the revealment, she wondered if Noah was hurt by his birthday not being remembered, but seeing as Noah hadn’t been celebrating for the past three years and how long Elann went without celebrating one, it probably just seemed like commonplace in their household. Then again, Noah urged her to celebrate her birthday yet didn’t urge for his own, the wolf was confused.

“I thought you’d remember,” Noah quietly said, causing Elann to turn back to him, saying she didn’t mean to forget. Apologizing, she sought forgiveness for her lapse in memory.

Noah looked at Elann with consideration in his eyes. He was hurt she didn’t remember, hoping she’d urge him to celebrate his birthday like he did hers, it obviously was a big deal to him, or at least he thought that was clear enough. He licked his lips before they parted.

“Worry not,” he forgave in Fratava. “I’ll have more birthdays, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Besides,” he went, shrugging, “it’s not until the end of the year, like I said.”

Noah patted her hands with his a few times softly to denote that he wasn’t harboring any ill feelings towards her, though his face was placid. He hoped she wouldn’t forget his birthday again or any other important dates to him.

[snelss0]

It showed on Elann's face that "Pessimistic" took a second for her to search what it meant. She had heard the term before but was not so familiar with it. It was after all her second language still.

"I know, well we kind of do that with our festivals anyways, so we don't really think to do it with a birthday."

Elann shrugged, showing it wasn't largely on her mind. What was however, was her husband. She hadn't really even thought about his birthday until now, and it was revealed to her that he thought she would remember. She could feel the drudged up feelings of his past emotions on it and how he wished she had remembered. Was she really such a horrible wife and bondmate? It was only Noah comforting her that brought her any peace. He didn't say he forgave her, but his actions and words said he did. The small emotions of sorrow in their bond that came from her slowly began to fade in his comfort and where there once faded a smile, one now slowly returned.

"Alright. I am not going to forget this one. And if I do...you can...throw me in the water."

Which to her was the worst thing someone could do to her. She didn't know how to swim and being wet was not something she enjoyed entirely either; when forced at least. Though really she intended to have a birthday party for him when they got settled in a new place. He would have his birthday party, even if it was just the two of them, and it would be a surprise.