Carantathraiel

Wanderers

"I'm going to make you swear that again when you've renounced your crown." Ruli said pointedly. "Make you swear as Akire the Paladin. And then, when you've gotten too fat on cakes to do that anymore, make you swear as Akire the Woman-Who-Would-Not-Leave." Ruli smirked. As she finished her plate, he grinned, genuinely glad she'd enjoyed the meal, before he tilte dhis head toward the cake.
"Go one, then. You've been eyeing it all night." He reached forward to gather her dinner plate, lifting it onto his own and rising to set it aside. He returned with a serving knife, offering it to her before he took his seat again.

"I made it with citrus. Bit of orange and lemon, so its tart, not just sweet. I might even have a slice."

Wanderers

"Dancing is over rated," Ruli commented. "And sewing and cooking I have covered." He chuckled, using his fork to push some fallen rice back into his squash. "I like math. Numbers. Cooking is just numbers to me. Same with alchemy. Recipes make sense to me."
As she mentioned burning down a kitchen, he frowned. "We'll start you off on the beach, then. Can't burn the sea down."

Finsihed with a squash, he leaned back to drink, looking around the house they sat in. "Tell you what. Let me know ahead of times when you'll visit, I'll have dinner to welcome you, either here or in the mess hall, and I'll send you back with a cake." He pointed at her. "You have to promise it makes it to the little ones, or deals off."

Wanderers

"Pork isn't as easy to find here, but I'll make sure to suggest we invest in some pigs." Ruli said thoughtfully. "not like I can't easily travel to where its cheap, though." He realized with a grin. "And no, you don't have to pay for the house. Just bring things for trade or something. Wine. Cloth. Things of that sort."

"How are you as old as you are with no inkling on how to cook? Or, is that the privilege of being ... you?" He wondered cautiously. "I don't intend to sound like a prick, asking. I'm genuinely curious. You can make coffee, so you have that going for you."

Wanderers

"Well, I mean, you're free to bunk with Risa." Ruli smirked at her, taking another drink before digging into a bit of salad, probing around for the chopped nuts within. "I'm sure she'd appreciate the company. After all, you would make her feel super good about herself." He said jokingly, knowing full wall Risa would wind up tossed out of the castle within a week.
"No, this house can be yours. Though, now that I know the set up in your kitchen, I may wander in here now and then if I feel the need for more than grilled meat."

Another sip, and he went back to his squash, watching Kire from across the table. "I ... " No, don't ask it. "I want to know your favourite dishes. Beside cake, as you seem easy enough to please there. So, next time, if I don't screw this dinner up, I can make something you like."

Wanderers

"Yeah," Ruli began carefully. "No offense to Ed, but putting Ysaryn in that sort of potential position is a horrible idea." He warned, shaking his head. "Not that I doubt Ed's ability to keep her sticky fingers out of empire business, but she's not really a team player."

When she mentioned Ulrich's son's, Ruli met her gaze, wrinkling his brow. Gods, that sounded horrid, too. His sons had given Ruli an uneasy feeling. Mostly the third one. The older two seemed about as ready to rule as Ruli was.
"I suppose once you've abdicated, we'll have to officially offer you a home here. Unless you want to live in the palace. Seems far too large, if you ask me."

Wanderers

"Because people are draining." Ruli commented. "Plus, I've seen you in meetings, it took all your strength not to bitch slap everyone, so I can understand why you're exhausted." He added with a grin over his shoulder. He gathered the last of the supplies and sat across from her. He grabbed the wine and uncorked it, pouring them both a glass.

"I wasn't going to say no. I just had to go into town and buy a few things. I don't know if you noticed that my house has no food in it." He shrugged, sipping his wine before biting into a squash. "With just the role of paladin, you won't have to deal with all that, right? Or, I suppose you'll abdicate to a family member, so will you still attend?"

Wanderers

Ysaryn chuckled, flushing proudly. "He behaves like it has been a few years. I enjoy him." She declared with a smile, strolling up the last bit of stairs and into the small courtyard of Kire's house. She opened the door, then glanced down at Kire as her stomach growled. Another chuckle.
Then she turned her head and called into the house. "Whatever you're cooking, it smells great."
"I know." Ruli answered back, before appearing around the corner and grinning at them. But the moment he caught sight of Kire, his smile vanished, and he ogled. "Wow." He stammered. "Thats, uh. Thats a much better look than the fancy stuff."
Ysaryn grinned crookedly. "Looks like you're going to be cleaning the house tomorrow."
"Get out."
She laughed, winked at Kire, then turned and sauntered out.

Ruli cleared his throat. "So, uh. I .. my kitchen isn't really equipped for baking cakes. No oven, so. I ... yeah." He greeted awkwardly, taking a final glance over Kire's dress before he turned and went back to the kitchen.
The cake sitting on the table was small but elegantly decorated, whorls of bright orange decorated the pristine white icing, and the scent of oranges filled the air among the aroma of dinner. Which, glancing over, was stuffed squash, filled with spiced meat and rice. A bowl of salad and another with warm bread sat beside the cake. "Did you bring the wine? It'll go well with the meal, I made sure."

Wanderers

Ruli watched her go. He hadn't meant dinner tonight, but now that it was happening, he felt excited. Despite the disaster that was their last dinner attempt, he was glad they were doing it again. He turned toward his house and jogged up the stairs, needing to gather the ingredients from the next town over.

When Kire crossed over that evening, it was Ysaryn who found her first, the elf sitting in the chamber just beyond the gate. "Well met." She grinned toothily. "I am hearing you are here for a meal? Maybe a bit of dessert?" She said the last word with a flick of her eyebrow.
With a chuckle, she fell into step, walking with Kire. "He make me clean house. I demand to know why."

As they stepped outside, the Ziadi side of the cliffs were bathed in purple shade, the air still warm and humid. It smelled heavily of smoke from all the lit fires, the aroma of cooked fish. "So, is this a good thing? Rulitus refused to answer."

Wanderers

"I would day your remorse makes you better. But I don't have much ground to stand on." Ruli said sheepishly. "Maybe Gavin is your salvation. The last of the Gemini. The ally. He can help to mend the bridges, I don't know. This sort of advice is better from Envy. Not that you asked for it." He shrugged again, hands back in his pockets.

There was another question he wanted to ask, but he had no idea how to ask it. How it made him sound. So he stared at the sea, thinking. "Can I make you dinner done night? I'll promise cake."

Wanderers

Ruli turned away from her as she turned to face the ocean, letting her speak without the weight of his stare. Her words made a few things more easy to understand. Ikegai. Gael. Gavin's presence here.

"Not an excuse, but not a condemnation, either." Ruli said. "I guess we're both trying to fight for redemption. Maybe that's why we run headfirst into danger. If we die, at least we will have died trying."
He shrugged, then sighed. "How do you feel now, about the executions. Not just the act of it, but what it means."