Michellin

Wanderers

Briefly, she furrowed her brow when Ysaryn said she had threatened Ruli. Afterward, Kire met her gaze solemnly, her own lingering only for a moment before turning away to look at the stream. So she heard. She let Ysaryn say her piece, understanding how that must have felt, especially given what she had already been through. It reminded Kire how tenuous the peace was among those that lived in the caves. “He’s right,” she answered when Ysaryn asked, “I know you are not the enemy. I’d like to think that it is clear to me who is and isn’t.”

Her mind went back again to that conversation the two of them had about Ruli. “You really don’t trust him, do you?” Kire still believed that, much like most of the people here, Ysaryn and herself included, his outlook on others was coming from a place of inner pain. Sid’s story about him, though leaving out many of the details, had said as much. She sighed. “I’m sorry if we made you doubt our trust in you.” She paused, then added, meeting her gaze again, "I hope you know I'm not your enemy, either."

Wanderers

Kire likewise squinted at Zeke, relieved she was mostly finished with her bath. Not long after he left, though, she heard Ysaryn’s voice and chuckled softly to herself. After Zeke had walked off downstream, Kire stood and made her way to the opposite direction until she spotted the elf. “Good morning. Unless you didn’t sleep too well,” she called, stopping a respectful distance away from the stream and sitting down, rubbing her damp hair. The bath had helped wash some of the tiredness away, and Kire hoped it would stay that way later when they head back to Cordon. “What was that about, last night? Why was he apologizing to you?” she asked. She looked up, then chuckled. “That’s one apology more than I’ve ever gotten from him so far.” The smile disappeared into a thoughtful look as she waited for her answer.

Wanderers

Kire straightened up when she heard the elf tease her, and she had to stifle a laugh. She was about to tease Ysaryn back when Ruli, who had apparently also been staying awake, whispered an apology to Ysaryn. Why? Though by now she was used to Rulitus somehow finding ways to make himself the center of someone’s frustration, his apology, and the elf woman’s subsequent response, hinted at something serious. Kire huffed. As if I didn’t have enough things on my mind to keep me up all night. “Rest,” she muttered, never mind that all three of them obviously had trouble doing that tonight, “if you’re going to fight, wait till morning.”

Morning came, and she had only slept for a few hours. Kire got up before she could change her mind and decide to sleep in, brewing coffee and bathing quickly in the cold mountain stream. Hopefully Ysaryn hasn’t killed Ruli yet. Or given him another nosebleed, she thought as she dried her hair in the early morning sun. Gods, that man is asking to have a target painted on his face. She shook her head; it wasn’t like she was any better.

Wanderers

Kire listened to him explain how Ysaryn and Zeke coped, and she understood that very well. On to the next thing that needed doing, don’t let your mind wander enough to paralyze you. Kire being here, tracking down a murderous fugitive and rebuilding the community he had decimated at the same time, was proof enough of that. She nodded in agreement to his assessment that Ysaryn was really herself. She smirked briefly when he said that Kire was too imperfect to be a doll like Akuma and went on to explain what he meant by it. “A lot of people don’t like me precisely for those things you had just said,” she remarked. It was oddly comforting to hear those words from Ruli, that a man who wasn’t particularly keen to have her company would vouch for her character.

She chuckled when Ysaryn walked into the kitchen in time to hear Ruli’s comparison to her. “I am likewise not complaining,” she remarked, grinning at the elf as she watched her wash the plate. “Looks like Envy has no complaints about your cooking.” She stood up and stretched. “That was a lovely meal. Thank you, milady Ysaryn. I’m going out to replenish your firewood and then rest. Then to Cordon bright and early tomorrow,” she added, addressing Rulitus for that last one. She smiled at Ysaryn as she walked out of the caverns.

As she went about her task, Kire thought about her ever-growing list of promises to the people of Ziad and to Ysaryn. As with her problems back home, it wasn’t enough to just kill her targets and be done with it. If this Gemini or Ikegai had wormed their way into the messy politics of Cordon, as well as made dangerous allies with the Kartaians, she could potentially leave behind an even bloodier trail in the aftermath of her quest. And we’re looking at a full-scale war, worse comes to worst. First, she needed to find out just how much influence Ikegai had in the port city.

Even after Kire had finished gathering firewood, her mind wouldn’t rest. Deciding to spend the night here and reserve all her strength for whatever may come tomorrow, Kire had gone to the sleeping chamber to turn in, but instead stayed up, leaning against the cavern wall, turning the possibilities over in her mind. But before I could plan, I need information, she reminded herself grudgingly. As experienced as she was in battles and politics, Kire also knew she was fighting against her own instincts to rush in, put her own neck in the line and brute-force her way through a problem. “Gods, what a mess,” she whispered to herself.

Wanderers

“I don’t know.” Kire ran her hand through her hair in frustration. “I’ve never encountered elves before, let alone how they’d react to blood magic, save for that one corpse in Ziad, so I have no idea why he’s doing this to them. I don’t know if they’re all just mad and get off on their taboo experiments or if there is some grander purpose or design to everything.”

When Ruli described the person he had seen in Cordon, Kire grunted. “That sounds like the Gemini Ysaryn described. Someone close to Itallo, and a Gemini, too. Unless there’s more of them, though I’d rather not that be the case.” She sat down, leaned against the cavern wall, sighing as she closed her eyes. His next question, though, made her snap back in attention towards him. She considered it, glancing at the entrance to see if Ysaryn was on her way back.

“She seems within the acceptable bounds of ‘eccentric’.” Kire gestured vaguely towards the entrance. “It’s hard to judge ‘rational’ versus ‘irrational’ when you’ve experienced pain recently. I feel like if you’re too calm, too normal, in the face of great adversity, something must be wrong with you.” A thought occurred to her, and she looked at Ruli, measuring his expression as she spoke. “Did you ever wonder if I was a doll, like Akuma? I'd be surprised if you hadn't considered that yet."

Wanderers

When Ysaryn left the kitchen, Kire’s expression went serious. “Honestly, I want to go back tonight, even if by myself.” Kire rubbed her nape. “She told me how she remembered the Gemini. One of them was around when she had been taken. They’ve been taking the elves to make dolls.” Her anger flared back then; she would have disappeared then and there to go back to Cordon to hunt them down. Don’t be rash. “But I’d rather find out what I could first during the day before diving into the thick of it. They’d be more alert during the night, I’d presume. Gods, how did a Gemini get here? Did they arrive with Ikegai?” That disturbed her; if there were more blood mages to aid her enemy, opening a world gate would be within reach. “This Itallo, he’s the head slaver around Cordon, it seems. And he must have a hand in this Gemini business, if they’re taking elves. Bastards. Looks like I’ll definitely be staying for his wedding.”

She huffed, crossing her arms. “Forgot to ask, see anything worth noting while you were buying tools?” Not that she had expected him to sniff out information on her behalf, but anything that had to do with Itallo right now was of interest to her. “Ysaryn described him as two-faced, so he must be a popular lord around there.”

Wanderers

Kire grimaced at Ysaryn’s summation of the many suitors she had turned down. It was a rather blunt rewording, but Ysaryn hammered the point home better. “Maybe when someone tries to court me again I’ll tell them they’re ‘not worth the mating’,” she said, grinning. She put her empty bowl away and listened to the exchange between Ysaryn and Ruli, chuckling a little at the elf’s cheekiness. “Are you afraid he’ll cook better fish?” she teased her back. She gestured at the tray, silently offering to be the one to clean it.

“What’s next on the agenda for the supply run, Ruli?” she asked as she went about cleaning up the utensils Ysaryn used to cook earlier. “I’d like to start looking around for clues.” She left the rest unsaid, that Ysaryn’s flash of memory had given her something to go on. “We could go earlier, get that business done, and take up the rest of the day to hunt down leads.”

Wanderers

Kire listened as Ysaryn answered her question, nodding as she understood. She chuckled at her description of her mother’s role as mate. “You would make a great chief, mate or no mate,” she commented in between mouthfuls. When Ysaryn asked her about being “almost chief”, Kire nodded, glancing for a moment at Ruli before looking at the elf again. “Like a chief. Not anymore. Not like before.” She gave a small smile. “Many wanted to marry me. I didn’t like them. Many still do, but not as much, and even then I still don’t want to marry any of them. They only want to be ‘chief’, or want me to be indebted to them. They’re not courting me to be with me, and I have no time to waste on that.” She smirked and shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve seen many unhappy marriages. Seems like I risk a lot to be tied down.” She paused, then showed her right hand. “Let’s just say I am married to my job.”

She grinned, then bent back over her meal, finishing it. “Gods, that was good. I wish I had half your talent in the kitchen. Hey, did Envy like it?” she asked, finally acknowledging Ruli.

Wanderers

“I don’t doubt that, either,” Kire remarked with a smirk at her comment about her potential suitor, then looked behind her at Ruli. She clicked her tongue at the state of his nose and tunic, then turned back to look at Ysaryn’s cooking. “First pick? I’m honored,” Kire said, grinning. “It’s been a while since I’ve had good crab.” She found a bowl to use and picked stuffed crab and squid, though she didn’t touch her food until the rest had been divided up. Once Ysaryn was ready to eat, Kire pulled off the silver ring and secured it in her pocket. Given the commotion her new face stirred, and with Ysaryn eating with her, Kire felt it pointless to use it now. If he’s going to make it difficult to have either face around here, anyway, I’d rather be myself.

She ate quietly for a while, savoring every bite. “Seafood really does taste better from coastal settlements,” she said, halfway through the meal. “Your hands are magic.” Then, realizing how that sounded, Kire blushed a bit and went quiet again. “So whoever you choose has to challenge your father? And he becomes chief?” Kire shoveled another mouthful before continuing. “Can you become chief?”

Wanderers

Kire broke into a genuine smile when Ysaryn reminded her of her prowess in the kitchen. "Can't wait to taste your cooking." She looked sharply behind her, hearing the commotion, then shook her head when Ruli walked in."Indeed." Kire watched him stalk off outside to clean himself. "That's a great look on you," she called out after him before turning back to Ysaryn. "Boys. And they say women are fickle and emotional." Kire rolled her eyes. "It's like he doesn't want forgiveness."

She stood aside, watching Ysaryn prepare the food, admittedly hungry. At some point she remembered how foul-smelling the elf's tea was, but thankfully the seafood didn't smell anything like that. And just as Ysaryn used this time to distract herself from reliving that horrific moment, Kire resolved to put it out of her mind till later. "You know, back home, old folks would comment that you're ready for marriage when you can cook properly," she commented with a smirk. "Probably why I can't settle down."