Carantathraiel

Wanderers

"In part, yes." Ruli responded when Narda asked if he was here for Envy. "Mostly to see if he was up. Which I doubted. So also in part to see how well behaved." He smirked, eyes glinting. If he had to wake the Kartaian, he'd had no trouble being on his bad side.

"Kire's waking the others for breakfast. You know the empress and food. And the dark elf and food. Frankly, if we don't feed that one I'm worried she'll eat a villager." He hoped he was kidding. "I'll wake the brute. Am I taking you anywhere after? You have that look in your eye Zeke gets when he's after someone." Ruli asked, starting toward Envy's room and pausing to watch Daryll.

Wanderers

He arrived in the same spot of Narda's house yesterday, the smell of coffee. Their mixtures were slightly different, stronger here, he learned. Which hopefully explained why Kire had so many cups in Úvano.
"Hello? Anyone up?" He called, making his way.
He was met with one of Narda's employees, who led him to where Narda and Daryll were, as the latter was rolling a scroll. "You look hopeful, did you find a lead?" He wondered.

A swift glanced around the room told him the Kartaian was not present. "Still sleeping? Wait, did he tell you not to take him, right?" Ruli wondered. "He's grumpy in the mornings."
But, Ruli considered something. "I wonder how nice he'd be to you. Considering he actually likes you." He said with a grin that amtched Narda's earlier one.

Wanderers

"I don't know, I'm sure not very long," he answered about sitting up. "but I am sure we'd have heard something if anything happened." He arched again, then twisted slightly before getting to his feet. "Envy will be fine. He's in good hands. I'll grab Narda, and see if he's awake after we eat. Would you keep an eye on Gavin while I'm out?" He wondered, running his fingers through his hair to comb it. Once it was tamed, he pulled it back and tied it in a bun. "You know he wants to go into the forest."

Wanderers

Ruli blinked, and turned his head.
He wasn't aware he had sat up hours before, and remained upright. Had no collection of the singing or the voice in his head. In that blink, he had only just woken, unbothered.
"Yeah." He answered. As he turned towards her, his spine ached from his time sitting in such a position. "Nng, I think I slept wrong." He complained, arching his back to stretch.
"You look rested. No dreams?"

Wanderers

He smiled, peering at her as though he could see her face, lovely even if she claimed she wasn't. She promised not to eat his tongue, and he grinned wider, anticipating her movements this time, leaning gently against her. Her touch, the caress against his scarred cheek, the arm she wrapped around him in a gesture that was more than friendly, far more intimate.

When she broke back and spoke, he exhaled, unaware he'd been holding his breath. He could feel her warmth, smell her skin, and the soap she'd last bathed with. "I -" He began, trying to put words to it. "I think we should go inside for some tea. Or I might keep you here all night."

---

He woke to the sound of voices.

As if in a trance, Ruli sat upright, his eyes unfocused, his head turning. It was so quiet, but the singing. It was lovely. Outside his room. Maybe outside the inn. He couldn't tell. Listening to it made him feel... peaceful.
Slowly, he shifted, turning to put his feet on the floor. Don't get out of bed. Ruli felt his eyes blink more than he saw the world dim for a moment. Slow. Heavily. He wasn't sure who had spoken the words, but, unlike the voice, it made him uneasy. Cold.
Suppose the bed was warm. Maybe that was why he shouldn't get out. Stay in bed. With her. The fighter.

So Ruli remained, sitting upright, eyes open, yet unseeing, listening to the song.

Wanderers

Full of surprises. Envy didn't quite comprehend that bit, as it was hardly surprising in his own world that no female ever looked at him in the way he would guess in the way Narda now looked at him. The smell of her skin told him of her nearness before she touched his chin, then his lips. Envy went still, not quite so used to such an intimate touch, nor the chill that swept along him afterward.

And then the kiss. Tender, cautious, like a small bite of a meal you're not sure will be delicious. But he found it to be very much so. "Is that it?" He asked, then blinked. "No! I mean," Envy put his fingers to his brow. "Sorry. Its only ... catching Zeke and Ruli with their women, looking as though they're trying to devour one another's tongues, I find this was far nicer than I was expecting." The elf explained. "I liked it. Yes. I would love to experience more. Just, please don't try to bite off my tongue."

Wanderers

Her words had their own magical effect on him as Envy felt a warmth of gratitude and pride course through him. Ruli, hating having to speak about his own past, never asked about Envy's. And Zeke, growing up with the ever tight-lipped Ruli, never bothered to wonder if Envy was less closed on such a topic. While he had never been ashamed of his past, it was nice to be complimented by the first person to ask about it.

However, when Envy opened his mouth to respond and found Narda asking about making a move, the elf froze. "Uh." Envy stammered, blinking pointlessly. His free hand rose to run through his loose hair. "Just .. I mean, yes. But so long as you're okay with being my .. first kiss." Envy could almost feel the heat run across his face. "Not exactly the foreplay type, my people. I've never practiced."

Wanderers

He chuckled again. "As far as I know, yes." He answered about his sister. "She is the reason that I only have one ear. And I have a scar on my torso from a poison-coated blade she shoved between my ribs. There is no love lost between us. I think she actual loathes me for surviving." Envy smirked.

"Violence is more than a skill, for the Kartaians. Its a way of life. If you don't smash a slaves head against the cavern floor until they stop breathing, or throw your fists against another Kartaian until he is ripped apart by onlookers, you're weak. Unworthy. After a while, I noticed that none of the others looked as ill as I felt after blood was shed. I realized I didn't have the same instinctual adoration for it. And, after that, I knew it was only a time before the others sensed it as well. Knowing how cruel they are in their lessons, I left. Stole away in the night. I was hunted for a time, but I had picked up a bit of knowledge in my days of avoiding conflict. I was able to make myself a shelter beneath the desert sunlight, and those who tried to follow were burned until they gave up. I think they figured I would die there."

Envy traced his fingers along the back of Narda's wrist, feeling the soft hairs on her forearm. "So, I suppose it wasn't so much a turnaround for me. Just, more of finding a place I didn't have to hide who I was. Shortly after reaching the city, I met Ruli, and helping to take care of him felt natural. When Zeke joined, it felt more like a family than I had ever known."

Wanderers

Envy grinned softly. "He worries. Don't resent him for it. I still worry every time Ruli and Zeke run off." He pointed out. He didn't always approve of their actions, either. Like this relationship with Kire. But that, at least, seemed to be going well.

"I don't have much to tell." The Kartaian admitted. "I have a twin sister. She's crazy. Father is unknown. Mother died in some raid." He shifted his shoulder. "What would you like to know? I can't promise a long tale. I haven't lived among them for a very long time. The majority of my life has been with the family I chose."

Wanderers

Envy beamed, withdrawing his magic from her mind in order to enjoy the simplicity of her company, her warmth. He closed his eyes, listening to her voice, filling his lungs with her scent as it mingled with all the flora around them.
"I would gladly accept tea anywhere, if you're involved." He answered earnestly. "My room, your room, the roof. So long as you keep me from falling off." He mused, his fingers running gently up her arm. "Do you live here alone? I find I know little about your immediate family, save for you outgrew them quickly."

---

He grunted, opening his eyes a little more. While he'd waited, his mind had gone back to the tent, to the details he'd let slip. The wound he wanted to scar over again. Envy always insisted speaking helped them heal faster, hurt less often, but Ruli had always dismissed the idea.
Until he'd told her about what he'd been long ago. And the shame had dimmed, even if only slightly.

But this. No, it could wait. She had enough to face already without having to worry about his issues. The details of his broken life.
Rolling, Ruli draped his arm over her as well, tugging her closer.
And slept.