Carantathraiel

Wanderers

Ruli nodded along, having heard the name Jan earlier. He focused on the way she described Elva's marriage was 'wasn't' happy, rather than 'isn't', and could hazard a guess that it had been dissolved. Plus, the remark about Elva keeping her bed warm was a giant clue.
"Frankly, I assumed you ... preferred something else." Ruli admitted quietly. "Ysaryn, Narda, Myka, they are all, erm, well. It doesn't matter, as I was mistaken."

He fell quiet on the other matter she'd brought up, that the idea of being put together with someone for the sake of business or breeding. "Its common among elves." Ruli said after some thought. "Arranged matches. Not always marriages, but. You know." He turned his cup in his fingers. "I think the freedom of choice is something people take for granted. You being you, what you are, or, will be again once you chase the slimy bastards out of your home, I'm sure it doesn't make it easy. But I hope you get to choose. As Ysaryn says, I hope you find someone worthy of you."

Wanderers

Ruli shrugged, unfolding himself from the bed long enough to take the offered mug, unable to decline since it was already poured. When he was settled again, he embraced the mug with his fingers, glancing out toward the windows. Blizzard. He only knew the word from other mouths, but knew it to be terrible. Hell, even the snowfall outside was too much for his desert-bred body.

He glanced back to Kire as she answered his question about Elva, catching the way her eyes fell on the bed beside him. His mind stopped as he gaze at her, suddenly very much aware that they were alone and drinking. But, no, that couldn't possibly be what she meant. Empress or no, they weren't close, and she had already explained that the last time she reeled from danger and near-death, she fell under someone she came to regret.
Ruli cleared his throat, his eyes falling to his cup. He couldn't tell if he felt warm because of the wine, bath, and blankets, or if it was something else. To busy himself, he took a drink of his wine, which had in fact, cooled enough to teach him that temperature did matter with this particular recipe.

"And you other cousins?" Ruli redirected. "How many of them are here?"

Wanderers

"Idle hands invite trouble." He offered. "Envy used to say that alot to me when I was younger. It fits, I suppose, in what you've just said. When you slowed down and it caught up to you." Ruli said nothing on her comment on falling into bed with someone she regretted, having no desire to pry into that portion of her past.

When she realized her cup was empty, he gestured to the jug on the table. "More, there. Can't promise its as warm as it should be, but wine is wine." He admitted. "Never had it warm, though. I'll have to look into it for home." Standing long enough to pull down his blankets again, Ruli sat further back into the bed and folded his legs, tucking his bare feet beneath him before pulling the blanket over his lap. "It seems pleasant here, though." He offered. "Family nearby, I'm sure theres a nice view. Even if you hardly seem the type to lay back and bask in nothing. Has Elva had to yell at you about punching all her trees down?"

Wanderers

He exhaled, sitting himself back down on the edge of the bed when she waved at him. Her comment on Ysaryn had him nodding in agreement; even the elf's tongue was sharper than a few blades he'd come across. As she explained her current emotional state, listing the need for company and the possible need to punch a tree to pieces, Ruli watched her carefully. "You're not here to yet at me, then, are you?" He asked. "The elf next door might be more more satisfying if you need to throw punches, too. So long as you offer to spar in the snow."

Ruli shook his head, not understanding the excitement about the frozen waste outside. As Kire continued, he considered the question, folding his hands in his lap. "I'm not entirely certain its caught up to me, yet." He admitted after some thought. "Though, while you were resting after the gate, I kept looking up. To your sky. Your constellations. It made me feel ... a little homesick."

He pursed his lips, glancing at the wine on his table as if cursing it for his loose lips. After a moment, he glanced back down to his hands, grateful for the thick clothing helping to keep him warm. "It might hit me a few days from now, when I wake up back home to the sound of the sea and be reminded of the roar of the gate while you destroyed it."
His head tilted back at last, and he peered at her. "I'm glad you survived that." Ruli admitted. "I doubt anyone would have forgiven me if it had failed."

Wanderers

He'd barely melted into the warm and soft mattress when he heard a knock on the door. He opened his eyes, letting his eyes adjust once more to the dim light of the fire-lit room. He should get up and open the door, be courteous, but he hardly wanted to move. This bed had claimed him.
Closing his eyes again, Ruli sighed and forced himself to flex his arms, pushing himself upright. "It's open." He said, as he gazed at the floor and decided he wasn't going to leave the bed to see who it was. Perhaps only a servant to collect the food he hadn't eaten. He'd insist they leave the wine, though, he doubted it would spoil if left here through the night.

It wasn't a servant though.

"Kire." Ruli said, rising to his feet afterall as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. He pulled the blanket, a half-assed attempt to make the bed. "Is, uh. Everything okay? Ysaryn isn't st-stealing, is she? I asked her not to."

Wanderers

Ysaryn smirked at her, looking very pleased with the outcome of the conversation. Ruli only rolled his eyes, turning back to face away from the tent, until Myka subtly mentioned him. "Admit it, you're glad to have met me." He quipped. "A little upset in a routine is good for the soul."
"I am keeping the blade." Ysaryn told Myka with a wink. "Gives me extra reason to find my way back. And I will show you all proper way to cook squid." She turned her head around toward Kire. "You have squid here, right? Yes, because you know them?"

Ysaryn remained in her chair picking at her food again, while Ruli lingered outside, idly chatting with the other Amrians, Myka's crew, and often finding his head tilted back to peer at the stars. Not a single thread of familiarity in them. It was a Gods honest different world, different universe, everything. He inhaled, feeling rather tiny, as he stared up at the black.

"No, I'm with Ed. You keep your portals to yourself." He insisted to Kire when she emerged and offered him the different options in regards to travel. "No wonder you handled my method with such grace. Yours is like being pommeled by a tornado and earthquake at once."
She extended her hand to him, and Ruli gazed at it for the span of three heartbeats before he reached out for it, his thumb wandering over the raw skin on her finger. The Ring had burned her, the magic so powerful its containment overpowered her body. "Watch that." He advised quietly, before he pushed his conscience into hers and felt the warmth of the hearth she pictured. He could smell the ash in the fire, the lingering odor of some sort of mulled wine, and a tobacco that reminded him of the box Kire had brought for Envy.

Stepping into the room itself amplified the scents, and the moment they were physically in the hall, Ruli filled his lungs with all the scents. "Right as a blade." Ysaryn answered Ed's question, turning in place to spy on the room. The afternoon spent eating, drinking, and resting herself had pushed the minor trauma to her brain aside, and she hadn't felt anything in the Walk here.

The hurried footsteps had both Ysaryn and Ruli turning cautiously, each stepping aside in sync in order to allow Ed the space to embrace whom they presumed to be his sister. The moment she realized there was no danger, Ysaryn turned to wander and explore, halted only by Rulitus, who grabbed her belt.
"No." He said firmly, and she grinned wickedly at him.
But, obedient, she turned back around, hands clasped behind her back, rocking back and forth from ball of the foot to heel as she looked around.
"Mm, yes." Ysaryn purred when they were introduced to Elva. "Now very convinced all Amrians are handsome."
Ruli only grinned toothlessly. "Please to finally meet the woman behind the name." At once, she demanded to peer at his arm, and Ruli's eyebrows rose. He didn't move as she approached, clearly apprehensive despite Kire's assurances that she was a master healer. "Uh." Their conversation twisted, and Ruli, having dropped attention for only a moment in anxiety, wasn't sure if Elva was offering them the kitchen or cellar to sleep.
Until Kire asked about wine, and he sort of hoped they were simply taking a detour.

Once the siblings departed, Ruli and Ysaryn followed the cousin, the former keeping an eye on the elf to make sure her hands didn't creep into anything they shouldn't. She did peer longingly out every window they passed, her expression illuminated with curiosity. At once, Ysaryn settled over her mug and the plate of food, her eyes still turned toward the windows. Ruli, still apprehensive, remained standing, his hands wrapped around the mug he drank from.
"I want to see the snow." Ysaryn admitted. "Is it as cold as said? I want to know for my own. Do you not?" She turned toward Ruli, who gave a small shake of his head.
"I'm fine inside." He stated.
She growled. "Is a whole new world, Rulitus, and snow!"
He looked every bit like his answer was unchanged, glad for the interruption of Elva and Ed. When Elva turned to thank them, Ruli offered her a more relaxed smile, bowing his head.
"Should we tell her the 'getting here' wasn't really part of the plan?" Ysaryn chuckled at Ruli.
"No. And hush." He answered. "Now that you are here you'll get to see snow."
She inhaled sharply. "You will let us outside tomorrow, yes?" She requested pf Elva eagerly. "I want to see what it is!"

The others left, and they were beckoned along the corridors, each silent and creating mental maps of the layout of the place should they need it. When they met the upstairs windows, Ysaryn idled, peering out happily, bending and twisting to try to see through different angles. "It is pretty!" She cooed, touching the glass and watching the heat spread from her fingertips along the cold surface.
Ysaryn didn't hesitate in slipping into her given room when the door was opened, circling the room and exploring the wardrobe curiously.
Ruli nodded. "Thanks. Goodnight." He said, watching her slip away before he stepped into his own room.

He went right for the table, finishing his current mug of wine and taking a bit of meat before he rifled through the wardrobe. He picked out a bit of what would fit and provide warmth, then returned to the table to continue eating and drinking. After a while, he slipped out of the room with an armful of clothing and asked one of the servants about a bath.
After the twisting walk into the underbelly of the manor, where the air only grew blissfully warmer but far more humid, Ruli was led to a hot spring. Wet footprints on the ground announce that someone, likely Kire, had only left recently. After looking around to make sure no one was present, including the servant who led him, he undressed and sunk into the hot water with a groan. Mindful of his bandages, he washed and rinsed, lingering for a few minutes to enjoy the heat of the water as it soaked into his limbs.

When he left again, now dressed in the warmer clothing that hugged him delightfully, he felt entirely drowsy. The mulled wine, the hot water, the long day, all of it weighed on him. As soon as he was in his room once more, he muttered a thank you to the servant, though he wasn't sure in which language. After a final mug of the wine, he pulled back the covers and fell into bed.

Wanderers

Ruli flashed her a toothy grin as she patted his shoulder. "Yes, but I would rather not attempt it again." He admitted. "But, Envy will be beside himself when you tell him. He's probably going to demand to see the memory of it. I'll try to block out the overwhelming fear." Slowing his pace to match hers, he and Ed each walked alongside of her. He glanced over the woman's head to eye the male cousin. "So, she does this sort of thing alot?"

Ysaryn turned her head when Myka appeared, instinctively brushing her not-so-long-anymore hair over her shoulder. An empty gesture, now. "I do not know." The elf admitted. "I did not know she would look at a male out of choice, and I have never seen him smile before. Where I display my sharp teeth, he hides his." She clicked her teeth together in a mock-bite, grinning at Myka. "She trusts much. I think she is teaching him to do the same."

As they reached the tents, Ruli branched away from Kire, allowing her into the food tent with her cousin. He stood to the side of the entrance, watching the way the Amrians now studied their empress. Ysaryn held no such reservations, strolling in and helping herself to more of the meat left out for them. She plopped onto a chair and braced her feet on the table, her ankles crossed. "Kirai, I do not mind staying." She insisted. Ruli glanced in through the flaps, looking indifferent. Stay or go, he hardly cared.
As Ed mentioned that she promised to join the reclaiming of her throne, the elf grinned wickedly. "Not unless you want war between you and mine." She teased. Hopefully. "I want their blood, Kirai. How many of my people were broken and worse for them?" A soft growl emanated from her throat. "I am owed."

"Narda and Zeke both can care for themselves." Ruli offered. "If they're smart, they'll have gone back to the elves for shelter."

Wanderers

Ruli tucked his hands into his pockets, watching the woman before the gate with acute interest. For a moment, he tore his attention away to offer it to Myka, who returned his sword. "I know." He answered. "Thank you."
Fastening the weapon to his belt again, his pale gaze returned to Kire as she waited, hesitating. She should be nervous. He thought to himself. It would be far more frightening if she wasn't afraid. He watched her test his magic, mildly amused to see her wiggle in place, her feet glued to the soil beneath, her body erect as if there were a rod planted behind her. Ruli inhaled, studying her, waiting for her to make her move.

The area filled with light quickly, and eyes squinted to peer at it as best they could, staring into the blinding void of vicious magic. Ruli tightened his hands into fists inside his pockets, clenching his jaw as he watched her struggle. Every instinct told him to rush forward and help, but with the magic rearing in such a way, his rushing in would do nothing but put them both in danger. Breathing slowly, he kept his eyes on her, waiting for any sort of sign that she wanted out.
The others shouted at her, and she demanded that they remain back. Ruli obeyed, meeting her gaze when she looked to him. He could see the hesitation in her eyes, but the determination to see it through overpowered her and she looked back around. Breathe. He thought desperately.

It seemed like hours. Ruli counted his breathes, watching Kire as she became this supernatural glow in the middle of the chaos, and little by little the gate shrunk. And then the wards began competing with one another, the earth cracking beneath them. Ruli bent his knees and turned his gaze away from Kire at last, meeting the leer of one of the Gemini mages. The look on his face told Ruli that they realized now he was no vagabond fool, and they were annoyed.

The Amrians launched into position, moving onto the Gemini to make them tear down their wards, only the Gemini made no attempts to listen. Ysaryn, blade drawn, stood beside the others, her teeth bared as she shouted obscenities in elvish at the Gemini nearest, his wide eyes on her sharp canines.
Again, Kire took it upon herself to rectify the situation, ordering her men to stand down; Ed had to all but pull Ysaryn back, the elf still snarling at the Gemini. Portals opened around them, the terrified screams lifting into the air as the Gemini were sucked through, save for the one Kire decided to take hostage.

Holy Gods. Ruli blinked as he watched her. So many thoughts rushing through his head at once. She was brave, clever, selfless, and dangerous. So much more, but the danger of her held his attention.

She demanded to know how to break the Gemini wards on threat of death to the poor screeching man in her arms, and the moment the words left his mouth Ruli took off. "Ysaryn, with me." He shouted, tearing through the warded area to. Ysaryn tore through behind him, and he passed along quick information in elvish, what to look for, what to do, relying on her better sight.
Sure enough, she pointed and launched herself, and Ruli followed. One attribute down, they moved to the rest, tearing the ward down bit by bit until he felt the air lift, freed, and his own dominated the area.

Just like that, it was over.

Ruli turned toward the clearing in which Kire stood, remaining still what Ysaryn jogged forward. Ed ran to his cousin, offering her water and, once he could stand to touch her over-heated body, her cloak. Ysaryn let out a low laugh of relief, bending to brace her hands on her knees. "She's crazy." She laughed, watching Kire.

With Ruli remaining back and out of the way, Ysaryn strolled forward to stand beside Myka, smiling down at the limp mage. "He smells like he relieved himself." She pointed out, craning her neck to look for a dark spot on is trousers. "Is this what Gem-en-ai is? All shaky-body?" The elf nudged his limp leg with her boot. "Elves in my tribe have more backbone before they're old enough to hold a blade."
"Its a good thing he has little backbone, Ysaryn." Ruli pointed out from where he stood. "Look at the damage their wards did. If he hadn't caved, the earth would have."
Ysaryn straightened to look around, her gleeful expression sobering. "Fine." She conceded, turning back toward Kire and Ed. "Back to tents? Food in her belly will help her face to normal colour. Sit well." She said, patting her own belly.

Wanderers

Feeling the tap on her shoulder, and being offered the blade, Ysaryn straightened with eagerness, clutching the weapon and weighing it in her hand. The weight of it was quite different from her dual blades, the metal sturdier without being too dense. With a purr of satisfaction, she flexed her arm, stepping away from the others to test its grace in a swing. As Ed spoke, her eyes moved up to his handsome face, and another crooked grin blossomed. "Oh, Wyvern." She clicked her tongue at him. "You would be lucky to have me. The fight is irrelevant."

With a wink, Ysaryn turned her back to him, stepping beside Myka to question her about the blade; who did it belong to, how old was it, what sort of person was it created for. Her words were choppy and quick in her excitement, the elf even pointing to the other blades held by the other women to ask about them.

Ruli followed soundlessly, his eyes distant as he planned and calculated still. It was a benefit of the appearance, at least, that the Gemini would doubt his ability. They would allow him to watch without fear, even watch him work with a sneer without ever guessing that he knew what he was doing. Let alone that his magic may be countering theirs. As they approached the gate once more, he glanced to his right to the nearest of his ward stones. The wide ring of them wasn't complete, the wards not yet activated; all he had to do was adjust the one his eyes fell upon by a few inches and his magic would be active.
First, he wanted to watch the Geminis.

Which was apparently what Kire had in mind.

As she remained still, watching the mages work with the leer of a predator, Ruli wandered, watching them work as he circled, sure he looked like someone trying to learn rather than someone trying to overpower. He hated the hum that emanated from the gate itself, his bones answering it in a low thrum now that he'd been through the damned thing. The violence in the magic sent his teeth on edge.
When they closed their circle of wards, Ruli felt the world grow thinner, the air strangled. He swallowed and moved toward Kire as she approached the gate.

"If I ever ask for all of your blood, go ahead and assume I'm trying to murder you and murder me first." Ruli muttered quietly, hoping to dispel the anxious look in her eye. He fished a small leather pouch, lent to him from one of the Amrian's who had accompanied him earlier. "It will be less than a dog bite." He promised, then, taking her hand gently. Her skin radiated heat, which he found oddly comforting. Opening the leather pouch, he adjusted it beneath her arm. "Last chance to back out and take my blood instead." He offered, meeting her gaze for a few seconds before he reached down and removed the dagger from her belt, positioning himself so that the Gemini's were out of the line of sight. "I hope they can't scent blood like animals." He muttered.

Twisting her wrist, he pressed the blade to the outside of her palm, careful to avoid the tendons beneath. "Squeeze." He instructed, shifting the pouch beneath to catch the droplets. He counted silently before he gave her a nod. He slid the dagger's tip inside the pouch to mix the blood with the contents, which, as Ruli crouched at Kire's feet and reached inside, turned out to be dirt. "Put your feet where you'll be most comfortable." He instructed before he set the blade vertically into the dirt between her feet. The blood-dirt mixture on his fingertips, he dabbed at her right toe, drawing a line down into the soil, then repeated it on her left. He drew a line between them, pinching his fingers to create a rune between them, the moist dirt a single line, touching the sharp edge of the half-sunk dagger.
Finished, Ruli straightened and stepped back, glancing her over. "Done. Just wait for a few minutes for me to set my wards. Don't move the blade until you're done. And if you feel like this is something you can't handle, shout. I'll break you out." He ordered quietly, trying not to look too overly concerned.
But, really, he'd never tethered anyone into the center of a magical cataclysm before.

Strolling away, he backtracked toward the stone he'd placed, turning to nudge it forward with his foot. He knew it settled into place when he saw the slight shift in Kire's posture knowing full well she could smell the trace of his magic coating the area. A useful thing to have, that ability of hers.

Wanderers

"I can hardly wrap my head around it. But you, you're literally in one. I suppose its slightly easier for you to comprehend." He realized. "If you're still having trouble accepting it, there's no hope for me."
As she rose, so did he, politely nodding as she departed. "Good ni-er. Day, then. Rest well." He said. He remained standing, loitering for perhaps five minutes after she'd gone to follow and make his way to his own room.

~

Ysaryn's expression instantly lit up, her eyes widening. "Yes. And yes." She answered without hesitation, flashing her wolfish grin. "While I feel I could take on Gem-en-ai with my two hands, I do not want to get that close. Sword is better." She nodded. "And if you retake Chieftess seat without me, you will have elf-wrath to face!" Ysaryn said firmly, prodding Ed in the chest with her finger. "You're wearing the same face as Envy whenever he doesn't want us to do something dangerous. It is not your choice." She sniffed, facing him directly with a glint in her eye.

"So yes, Maika, I will take blades. If they sneeze in wrong face, I am taking my blood payment." Ysaryn grinned again, eyeing the shorter woman.

~

Ruli lowered his head in silent acceptance of her trust. He wanted to be flattered, but considering it was trust in him or in the mages responsible for so much destruction already, he couldn't preen too much.
Still, he felt a little flutter of gladness.

"I wouldnt mind help in gathering stones." He admitted. "We'll make a wide perimeter, maybe we can even close in their own wards." He said, rising to his feet. "Just a few people who can understand me. I want an estimate on the diameter of the gate, to judge the parameter, and if each stone needs to be within ...."

He trailed off as he slipped outside the tent, turning and heading away from the tents and toward the edge of the clearing. He calculated in his head, muttering now and then, trying to sort out what he would need and in what quantity.

Circling through the trees with the Amrian's help, Ruli found armfuls of stones that would do. Sitting down in a tent, he asked for a quill and paper to jot down his notes. Whether or not the others tried to speak to him, he wasn't sure, as he was so focused on the task at hand and the time limit they had. He asked to head for the gate, the Amrian's guiding him as close as they were comfortable before returning with him.

At some point, he remembered to eat, Joined by Ysaryn, who poked and prodded at the Amrian cuisine before taking her fill of meat and drink. He sat down over his notes, planning the recipe and requirements to bond Kire to the ground for the duration of her portal.

When summoned for the meeting with the Gemini, he cleaned off his hands and followed, standing idly by as Kire spoke to them. As she lay down the fact that she would be using her own mage atop of their magic, he felt several pairs of eyes move to his face. He was sure he looked a pretty picture; bandaged arm, one sleeve ripped off at the shoulder, blood spattering the rest of his tunic and trousers, his hair ... well, that never behaved anyway. Still, he tried his best to stand tall and meet their gaze without blinking.

The term 'sorcerer' nearly made him crack a smile, though. Never in a million years would he consider himself a sorcerer, but there likely wasn't an easy translation for what he considered himself to be.

"No matter." Ysaryn said with a wicked grin. "I am sure spending a night here will be well worth it. I am in no rush." She promised, glancing to not only Ed but Myka and the others. Pirates and a military unit of women. Nothing could be dull about that.