Carantathraiel

Wanderers

The return of the trio, laden with supplies to house them out in the woods rather than inside the insufferable elven court, was a relief to both of the two waiting in the woods. Ruli remained sitting beside the tree, Ysaryn restlessly wandering in circles, until they drew near enough and began to set everything down. Ysaryn remained circling, observing, while Ruli got up to assist in the building. Once it was up, Ysaryn ducked beneath it, exploring with in as Ruli and the others helped to lay down the blankets, pillowed, and crates of provisions.

"Very nice." Ysaryn cooed. "Think we are taking this home?" She asked with a smile.
"What are we going to do with it at home?" Ruli asked.
The elf shrugged. "Kirai takes us on many voyages. We will find use again."
Both of their eyes turned toward Kire when she approached and asked if she could borrow Ruli. Before he could offer to walk along with her and find a place to speak, Ysaryn floated past Kire. "I will leave you to the tent." She whispered mercilessly.

Ruli rolled his eyes. "She's not subtle." He commented apologetically. "Should've shoved her face first into the snow when I had the chance."
He rose to his feet, rubbing his hands through his hair. "We don't have to stay in here. To talk, I mean. If you want to walk with me, instead."

Wanderers

Zeke chuckled. "It does help when the fanged ones aren't present. This should be a breeze." He answered the giantess as they walked along. With Ysaryn and Ruli both remaining out of the territory, perhaps they wouldn't be met with any resistance and trouble.

When the two fell into a discussion, Zeke instincively fell back, offering them the courtesy of privacy, despite the fact that he couldn't understand a damn word. He didn't want tp pry, even if the look on the blonde's face worried him.
"Your Ring, though." Zeke pointed out suddenly, once it seemed they'd concluded their discussion. "Might want to slip that off and hand it to your friend, or you'll be made to wear the things."

Their venture through the elven woods left them unbothered. Perhaps they were on orders to allow the two to pass, and Kire's sudden appearance hadn't exactly registered as a threat. It was clear they were being watched, regardless, as when they reached the marble court, Aera was waiting. She wore robes of deep purple, her hair swept up again to reveal her ears and the mismatched earrings she wore.
"Welcome back, Empress." She greeted. It was clear she was tired, the inconstant schedule she was keeping in order to offer her assistance wearing on her. "Your disappearance has caused a bit of concern. Shall I assume the rest are well?"
As it was confirmed, the elf nodded. "I am glad to hear that Edward and his soldiers arrived home in one piece." She offered Kire a soft smile. "I am sure your colleagues have informed you already of our agreement in destroying the tainted woods? We were going to wait another two nights to ensure your safe return, but now there is little need to wait. We will head out later tonight to burn it."

Another faintly amused glance to Narda and Zeke, and the game on their persons. "You are of course invited to reside here, but Narda and Zekiel have requested tent structures to be loaned, if you prefer to wait beyond our borders. I would hazard a guess that you would, in order to not leave your other two companions unsupervised. If that is the case, those supplies will be ready shortly."

Wanderers

As they approached, Ruli kept still, watching as Kire and Narda embraced. He glanced toward Zeke, who simply nodded. At least he didn't threaten Ruki's safety should he attempt an embrace of his own.
Ysaryn, likewise, studied the reunion, and her expression lit up at once when Narda mentioned the crew. "Yes!" She said, her hands bunching around her face. Stepping nearer to the giantess, she rambled off quickly in elvish, her excitement radiating off of her. She gestured to the blade, the coat, her fingers, and laughed. "I will enjoy to see them again! Maika is a delight!"

Ruli, his feet planted in the ground to silently reiterate that he would not be crossing the border, looked to Kire as she addressed him. He should have known that was coming. "Yeah." He said, before taking a few steps from the burnt carcass. He was prepared to watch them make their way, until he realized that Ysaryn remained behind.
"I don't want to be threatened, either." she insisted with an indifferent shrug. "We wait here!" She informed the others with a wave.

"I feel I am to be envious, hm?" She said once the others were out of earshot, speaking the common tongue to prevent the sentries from the sentries. "I made offers for weeks. And in one night, you are in her bed?"
"Don't be envious." Ruli sighed, making his way to a nearby tree to sit against. "And she came to mine."
"Oh?" Ysaryn asked, interested in this. "You are too good for a chieftess but not for one with no seat?"
"Ysaryn." Ruli pinched the bridge of his nose. "It wasn't... it's not...." he sighed. "She needed to blow off steam. I was just the candidate she chose."
The elf turned to study him curiously, noticing his expression. "You are unhappy?"
"I'm ... don't know."
"But she could have more steam to blow. Is this what you want?" Ruli was quiet, and Ysaryn waited for a time before she turned back to face the border. "Nothing wrong with wanting her, you know. Or that she want you."

Wanderers

When Kire looked up, Ysaryn flashed her predatory smile, her expression offering no doubt that, yes, she knew. Could smell each of their scents on the other, the lingering scent of desire mingling. Honestly, Ysaryn glad she'd slept so deeply. Sharing a wall with that otherwise would have kept her awake.
"Oh." Ruli said, clearing his throat and sitting more upright. "Yeah. You're welcome. Still glad I didn't kill you." He offered. Jabbing at a bit of his sausage, he put it between his teeth and chewed as Elva questioned Kire. She sounded so ... different. Uncomfortable. He stole glances at the three cousins. Kire had said she had done this once and regretted it, if any of them seemed to catch on based on her behavior, he'd know.
Why did his chest ache so badly?

Still grinning wickedly, Ysaryn craned her head toward Ed with a low chuckle. "Yes, yes, we are off to hunt down you pirate friend and the bitey one. Let's hope they have not also picked up my language, or we won't be able to gossip about them within range!" She straightened and leaned her elbows on the table. "For instance, do you think Narda and Zeck have bedded one another?"
"Stop it." Ruli warned, and Ysaryn rolled her head back again in a laugh.

When Kire all but shrieked at Janes, even Ruli glanced her way before he risked a glance to Janes. The ache snapped back like a punch as he realized that Janes figured it out. Aligned Kire's behavior with something else. Which meant something had gone wrong last night. What are you really losing? He asked himself again as he finished his plate almost robotically. She's little reason to return, now. You'll just be another story for the next time she wanders into some man's bedroom in the dead of night.
That though certainly didn't help in the slightest.

Finally, breakfast was done, and he rose quickly. Ysaryn was much slowly, unfolding herself from the chair with her eyes on Ruli. A feline deciding when to pounce on the cornered mouse. It was only when Ed spoke to her that she twisted towards him, bending at the waist in her own polite bow, as she'd seen the Raielwen elves do out of respect. "Just try to keep me away." She purred at him. "Tell Maika I am returning the blade another time. I like it. Oh, its still upstairs. One moment!" She called as she quickly darted out of the room.
"I-" Ruli said, glancing to Ed. "I promise, I will, but I need to watch her, she might come down with half the manor in her pockets."

They were gone a matter of seconds, each likely taking their own method of travel, before they were in the hall again. Each had their weapons on their belts, and Ruli had his crumbled up and soiled clothing back on, the clothing he'd borrowed from the wardrobe set across a chair upstairs. Ysaryn raised an eyebrow at him, then leaned around to grin at Ed. "I keep, too." She said, tugging at the fastenings of the coat she wore.

It was still quite uncomfortable, but far less than the gate the day before. Ysaryn and Ruli both tensed when they arrived in the forest, each wondering if they'd keep their breakfast down. Ysaryn released Kire's hand and paced in a small circle, her hands on his hips, though she was instantly distracted by the still-clasped hands between Ruli and Kire.
"Oh-oh-oh." She chuckled, and Ruli, finally noticing, as well, gently released Kire's hand.
"Don't." He said, his tone firm. Despite the clear temptation on her face, she obeyed, turning in circles again in search.

"We do not have to go there, do we?" She asked aloud, facing the direction of the elven court.
"We could look at the thicket." Ruli offered. "Split up, maybe. They won't allow me in, so, I'll go into the woods."
"So they are shooting me?" Ysaryn snapped incredulously. "No. We go together. You stand before me."
He sighed, keeping his nerves in check. "I'm not going back in the cage. I'm not crossing their border."
"Then we all go to thicket. Yes? Kirai?" Ysaryn rounded on Kire. Then her eyes narrowed. "Are you doing to yell at me, too, for saying what a pretty rose is you face?" She wiggled her dark fingers over her cheeks.
"Do you smell that?" Ruli interrupted.
"Oh, I smell much o-"
"Not that. Focus." Ruli snapped, turning his head.
Pausing in her teasing, Ysaryn straightened, turning her face in the same direction as Ruli. "Burn." She said decidedly. "Burn and ... Gem-en-ai. They scent. From Cordon."
Ruli turned to glance warily at Kire, fear crossing his face, before he started for the source, following Ysaryn's more perceptive nose.

It was nothing more than the burnt corpse of one of the wolves. Ruli exhaled audibly, crossing his arms. Ysaryn circled it, studying it carefully. "Axe." She said, pointing. "Narda claims this kill. See vine?" She pointed before twitching her shoulders in order to shrug out of the jacket. It was far warmer here than in the Amrian mountains.
"Its tied. They dragged it." Ruli glanced over the wolf, back towards the Lithilote border. "Fuck me, we have to go in there." He grumbled, ignoring Ysaryn's low cackle again.
"No." She said again, pointing once more to a spot behind Kire. "Giantess very easy to spot, yes?"

"You're back!" Zeke called, hurrying his pace as they neared the trio. "And alive!" He walked beside Narda, who outpaced him the moment she stopped slowing her gait for his benefit. Each was clean rested, announcing that they had, indeed, gone to the Raielwen at some point. Each carried a hare on their belt, their weapons drawn, though clean and unused.

Wanderers

Ysaryn glanced sharply down at her hands, one of them holding another clump of snow, frowning at her cold fingers. "Fraust bite?" She repeated, suddenly stepped to the side and peering down, as if to hunt for something lurking beneath her feet. Frowning, she flexed her fingers, realziing that they did ache a good deal from the cold, as did her toes in her boots. The leather was too thin, with no insulation, made to move easily and breathe.

When she heard Kire's voice, Ysaryn looked up and grinned. "Yes!" She proclaimed, flexing her arm to give the snowball a little toss. Until it landed in her palm and crumpled. "Fuck little bugger." She swore at it, bending down to gather more, squashing it in her palms to pack it. Until Kire mentioned breakfast, and Ysaryn promptly abandoned the snow and hopped across the lawn, wiping her hands on her borrowed coat as they stepped inside.

Once inside, she stomped her feet to shake off the clinging snow, glancing up to Ruli with a wicked grin. "I don't see why you dislike it so much." She admitted, stepping up beside him.
"I don't like the cold." He answered, taking a step toward Kire and Ed to follow them to the hall. Ysaryn's sudden alertness caught his eye, and she was staring at him, her nostrils flared, her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. Shit, we smell like one another. Even without the not-so-subtle glance toward Kire, Ruli knew she knew, right then. "Please, don't."
She only laughed, a deep, teasing lilt he'd only heard now and then. "Oh. Later, then."
"No."
"Oh, yes." She cackled, moving away to walk beside Ed.
His face warm, Ruli followed, bringing up the rear, his eyes on the back of Kire's head.

Ysaryn stopped in her tracks upon entering the dining hall, her eyes scanning the room and the dark haired woman with caution. Ruli, likewise, lingered back to allow the family to reunite and speak a moment. He tried not to notice the smug look on Ysaryn's face, wishing very much he could shove her into some closet. Or himself into one.
When Janes turned their attention to them, Ruli lowered his head in a nod, while Ysaryn straightened, drawing herself taller. "Another Wyvern! Pleasure met, Janes." She greeted easily, stepping forward to claim a seat beside Ed at the edge of the group. Ruli suspected she had done it intentionally, not only to enjoy Ed's company, but to force himself and Kire to sit together. Her lingering stare as he sat himself across from Ed, the smirk on her lips, confirmed it.
Bloody elf, he stewed.

While Kire piled her food high with her meal, Ruli pulled small amounts on his own, uncomfortable. The expensive setting, the rich food, the noble family. He made himself eat, though, picking at his eggs, vegetables, and meat. Kire still wouldn't look at him, not that he went out of his way to look at her. Insecurity settled in, and he found himself wondering if her joke about it being bad was because he actually was. What sort of high standards did an empress have? A paladin?

She had promised not to avoid him, not to regret this, but he wasn't sure such a promise would be upheld. Hard as it was, he tried not to be disappointed by such a thing. What was he losing, really? Someone to talk to? Someone to fight beside?
Someone who bore the face of his nightmare.
Ruli pushed a potato around on his plate, a heavy ache rolling across his chest at such a reminder. The moment this morning when he saw her, and not Kire.

Ysaryn sudden cackle drew him from his thoughts, and he looked up to find her staring at him. "I'm sorry?" He asked, glancing around the table.

Wanderers

Ysaryn grinned as he pulled the coat over her shoulders. Tugging her arms through, she sniffed it, feeling the faint scent of him through the fabric, telling her it hadn't been worn in a while. Naturally, she recalled, as he'd been in her own world for nearly a year.
"My thanks." She said, nearly skipping along the hall, slowing only when the first of the servants appeared and glanced their way. Cautious, she watched them, quite unused to the idea of servants, and having people around that saw all but spoke little made her uneasy.

When the doors were opened, Ysaryn inhaled sharply as the cold met her, her eyes narrowing against the blinding light of the terrain. Her pause lasted only for a few seconds, she adjusted her eyes and rushed forward across the entryway, down the steps into the snow, where she promptly stopped. Bending, she looked down at her feet as her leather boots disappeared into the freezing snow. "Holy Gods, that is cold." She voiced, dropping into a crouch. She ran her hands along the soft surface, bending her fingers to gather a handful. Turning her hand over, she watched it melt across her warm hand.

Rising again, she gazed over the town, the children, the smoke snakes that wandered upward. And the smell! Ysaryn inhaled deeply, her nose tickled by pine, smoke, and spices. "I think its beautiful." She admitted as she exhaled, her words leaving in a cloud of mist. "I can see why your sister lives here. And the snow! I imagine it is difficult to fight in. Cold like this would wear a warrior down."

~

She turned around so quickly, and Ruli wondered if she'd forgotten that he was here. Or, more likely, she'd assumed he'd still be asleep. But when she turned around, the angle of her head, for a moment, a terrifying, split second, it wasn't her face that he saw. Ruli inhaled, staring at her, feeling cold again.
"Uh. What? I mean, no. Its just, I wasn't sure you'd..." He raised his hand to brush his fingers through his wild hair, glad that she seemed to have a reason to speak. "Yeah. Breakfast. I was... yeah." Ruli swallowed, turning away as she dressed to offer her privacy. He wasn't sure how she'd feel about him now. If she'd regret it after all, if she'd be open and unashamed. It appeared the latter, at least, was untrue, as she bashfully dressed in a hurry, he gathered by the quick sound of her movements.
"Yeah. Sure. I-I'll meet you there." Ruli said, turning enough to watch her rush out.

How terribly awkward.

Slowly, Ruli sat himself down on the edge of his bed again, resting his elbows on his thighs. The night hadn't been bad. Not in the slightest. There was much of it that he quite enjoyed. But the panic in seeing Akuma's face, if only for a moment, and the rush she'd tried to hide in getting out.
Not that he'd been any better, trying to sneak out before she woke. He couldn't help but wonder if she regretted her choice, afterall.

It was a way to vent energy. She'd said so, herself. A way to cope with all that happened, to spend herself in order to sleep. He was a workout. That was all. Ruli sighed. Now that they were awake, their energy spent and rest obtained, maybe it would be nothing. A workout. That's all.

Slowly, he rose once more and wandered out of the room, making his way downstairs. Kire wasn't around yet, but Ruli heard Ysaryn's voice and wandered toward the source. A servant opened the door for him, and Ruli awkwardly thanked him before he slipped out. "Fuck." He instantly swore, tucking his arms around himself.
Ysaryn, with Ed nearby, looked up from the snowy lawn, grinning wildly. Her face was a lovely shade of purple, while Ed's was red, the chill and wind colouring them vividly. "Morning!" Ysaryn greeted.
"How are you standing in it?" Ruli asked, shivering in front of the door. Then he shook his head. "Forget this, I'm going in. Don't be out he-"
He was cut off by the burst of snow that smacked against his shoulder, chunks landing in his hair and falling down the collar of his thick shirt. Ysaryn's gleeful cackling met his ear, and he turned long enough to shoot her a glare before he slipped inside.

"That was even better." Ysaryn sang as she bent to scoop up more snow in her hands. "I like this. Snow is wonderful."

Wanderers

Ysaryn had slept like a corpse, tucked deep beneath the blankets and curled on her side like an animal in a burrow. A blissful, dreamless sleep that made her feel rested in the morning when she felt the temperature change with the dawn. Still, she groaned and did little more than wiggle beneath the blankets, unwilling to rise.
Until she heard the knock on her door.

Tossing the blanket back, she hissed at the sudden chill that met her skin before she scrambled out of the bed and rushed to the door. She met Ed with a pillow-imprinted face, blurry eyes, and wrinkled sleeping clothes. Not a dress, as Kire had found, but a set of trousers and a preciously warm long sleeved thing. While she hadn't been down to the springs, she'd cleaned herself, her skin absent of any of the odor and from from yesterday.
It took Ysaryn a moment of puzzled, half-asleep staring before she inhaled sharply. "Snow?" She asked at once, turning inside to grab her boots to shove her feet inside them. "We will go?" She asked, her feet thudding across the wooden floor as she rushed back and moved into the hallway with him, starting along the corridor. "I slept so well in the bed here. It would be terrible to live here. I would sleep all day!" She laughed merrily, rubbing the sleep from her face.

~

Ruli's eyes snapped open at the sound of voices in the hall. He was sprawled on his back, one arm tucked beneath the pillow, the other across his bare chest. As he listened to the voices fade, he wondered, only for a moment, why he'd removed his shirt when he remembered.
Everything.
In every satisfying detail.

Not daring to move just yet, he stared at the ceiling, mind surfing through the memories. The sound of her voice, the warmth of her skin, the dig of her fingers into his flesh. The apprehension, too. He recalled the look she'd made when she lay unclothed beside him, her scars on display. Vicious scars, too, that had no doubt been near-deadly in receiving.
He was sure his own face had been the same, the hesitation in knowing his own were on display. The crosshatch of raised lines across his front and back from his years beneath the whip, the hundreds of pale lines across his dark flesh from injuries sustained in fights or torture, the burn scar that tore across his left collar.
He hadn't cared about her. She hadn't cared about his. The night had still been...

Slowly, Ruli turned his head to peer at her. She'd slept with her back to him, the three lines of vicious scars tracing along her back and disappearing into the blankets that covered her. She breathed slow and even, her body limp and relaxed in the soft bed. Still sound asleep.
Carefully, Ruli turned to sit up, setting his feet down on the floor. The chilly air crept over his bare legs and torso. He bent to gather the discarded clothing and tugged them on quickly for warmth, rising to his feet once he was dressed.

It was then that he heard her speak, and Ruli froze, turning to glance at her from where he stood. Hair a mess, as usual, feet bare, but the rest of him clothed. He'd been about to grab his boots, to slip out of the room and find the others, and now felt guilty about the intention of wanting to sneak out. That word she muttered shocked him with hesitation.
"Morning." Ruli greeted awkwardly.

Wanderers

He felt his pulse skip when she stood and came to sit beside him on the bed, his eyes following her. He felt very aware of the thick clothing he wore, and of the softness of the sheets beneath his forearms. She made her promise, and Ruli had no arguement. They had through a lot together. Saved one a other from some harrowing, pain-filled death at least once, each.
It should mean something.

Still, he found himself unmoving. Hesitating. Her choice, her move, and all he had to do was say yes. But his mouth wouldn't open. He could feel the warmth of her, her weight pulling at the blanket folded over his lap, and somehow he felt that it would push her away more if he said no. But he couldn't say that, either.

Inhaling, Ruli twisted towards her, pressing a soft kiss on her lips. She smells of the mineral water from the hot springs, and the spices in the wine. Her lips were soft, and unhesitatingly against his. He broke it quickly, though his lips hovered over hers. He reached behind him to tug the other side of the blankets down, inviting her into his bed.

Wanderers

Ask a blunt question, don't be surprised with a blunt answer. Ruli blinked, still caught off guard by her answer, not entirely sure about what to do with that information. They didn't know one another, so he wasn't sure what to think about her being passed taking a stranger to bed. Even if the compliment to his hands was flattering.

Swallowing, he told himself not to look away, to cower away from the offer. "The last time, you said you came to regret it." Ruli reminded her. "We may not be strangers, either, but..." he trailed off with a shake of his head, unsure of which of the many cautions to finish with. His last encounter regretted him deeply, even if not for his skills in the act, but his magic. Kire already knew about his magic, and didn't shy away. She had powers of her own that were just as frightening.
"I don't want to be a regret. To have someone else avoid me." Ruli admitted quietly, still holding her gaze.

Wanderers

Eyebrows raised, Ruli kept quiet. He wasn't surprised about Ysaryn. The elf was alluring and strong. Even if he'd never felt more than kinship with her, he understood she turned heads. No wonder she caught Kire's eye, too. Kire's admission about the underwhelming man she'd taken to bed made him drop his gaze back down to his wine. A small mix of a reaction rose in him. Pity for the man who had surely been so nervous in servicing an Empress he was now a regret, a related feeling in having such a bad experience in something that it ended all further exploration, though certainly not in that same activity.
And, frankly, a curiosity on if he could do better.

Just as Ruli made to squash that though down, he heard Kire mention a stupid thing to do in the night, and he froze, meeting her gaze. "Kire, I-" he began, shifting to set his still-full mug on the bedside table. No more of that, tonight.
She kept coming back around to that. A way to warm her bed, a stupid decision, a way to cope with the feeling inside her. "Why are you in here?" He asked bluntly.