Michellin

Wanderers

"Gods definitely not,” Kire said, wrinkling her nose at his question. “I am the last person who wants to relive that feeling again. Just—stop short of when my fight with it begins.” She took his hand, feeling the warmth of his skin, and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, she was wearing armor on a clear day in the middle of a ring of hills. It had been cold, despite the sun shining full on her and her armor, and she remembered the feeling of using the portal for the first time to traverse worlds. Not a good sensation to have, especially right before expecting a fight. In one hand she carried a long lance, in the other a shield. Her newly-forged sword hung from her belt, an expensive magical artifact Daryll had made for her at great cost.

The Seers had sent her to another world for her first great quest. A test, she knew. A Paladin was more than just a guardian for her own empire, and the Seers wanted to see just how much she was willing to do for people who weren't her own. This world wasn’t too different from Amria at first, until she saw that it had seven moons, which she could still faintly see on the horizon. From the old stories about dragons back home, she figured that a lance was the proper weapon to deal with giant serpents.

Then one of the hills stirred.

The Bakunawa, the people of this world called it, but unmistakably a dragon. Eater of moons, enemy of the sun. It was both everything she thought it would be, and none of these. As sunlight shone upon its large scales, it glimmered like a fire opal, many colors dancing like refracted rainbows on its serpentine body. Its head looked like a cross between an iguana and a viper, and its large eyes were black, with red irises that resembled a bonfire in the dark. She hadn’t realized she had been gawking at it for such a long time, because the dragon didn’t pay her any attention at all. Either it didn’t see her, or didn’t think much of her. She didn’t blame it. She looked insignificant next to it as, one by one, the hills shuddered to life until all the "hills" revealed themselves to be segments of its whole body. She remembered thinking she just might die by the end of this, because this was an impossible task. It could swallow her whole, and it was beautiful.

I can’t, she thought, eyes wide at the sight. How could one fight a dragon? It was practically a god on earth. She shared blood with it, if this was the same kind of dragon that used to rule Amria. Her heartbeat thudded loud in her mind, her body filled with a feeling she couldn't pinpoint. Fear, yes. But also, the closest she had probably gotten to something like belief.

Kire opened her eyes again, though her gaze looked as if she was still far away. That awe and fear, the excitement in her body, still remained, though was quickly fading. Alongside this, too, another flash of false memory: Ruli sitting across her in a bath. Why that? Kire rubbed her face, shaking the strange scene from her mind. It seemed so mundane and unrelated to what she had shown Ruli that it was almost funny.

“I’m probably the only Amrian alive today who’s seen a dragon,” she said wistfully, distracting herself from the vision.

Wanderers

Kire grinned through her blush. “You really did, yes,” she answered, holding his gaze before she looked back down at her dinner again, though at his comment about where to go next, particularly about holing up in the North with warm wine, she went crimson once more. He cleared his throat though, so she had probably just misinterpreted what he had meant. “Right. Yes.” She smiled at his offer to bake for the cousins. “They would go ballistic. And hopefully help tide them over till we come back. They’d been cross with me for some time because I couldn’t see them, and honestly I was a mess after the usurpation. I didn’t know how to comfort them when they needed it most. So, lately, we’d made sure to eat together again as a family as much as possible for dinner, for a start. And the ‘no war talk’ rule, too. They’d been through so much already.”

She went into idle talk in between eating her meal, asking about what else he had eaten here, and what other places they had considered besides this one. “Could we walk at the beach for a bit after?” she asked as she finished her food, before moving on to the last few sips of her drink, making a note to ask him to have dinner with her again here sometime. She almost said the next one should be on her, though she didn’t want to be overly presumptuous and make him feel pressured to do this again. Then again, he didn’t object to seeing more of Amria with her, but she wasn’t sure how much to press her luck.

Later, just like what she did at Úvano, she pulled off her boots and walked along the water. It was still warm despite the approach of twilight, but the water was nice and cool, the sand soft under her bare feet. “That was a really nice meal. Good choice,” she said, grinning as she wiggled her toes in the sand. Now and then she would fiddle with a shell with her big toe, watching it roll around in the water when the waves came in. She was thoughtful, pondering something as she looked back out at the setting sun. “Do you want to see what a dragon looks like?” she asked. “I mean—you showed me those bits of memory from your childhood, and I’ve been unintentionally getting weird visions into your life. Consider it a trade?”

Wanderers

“Tower cake,” Kire repeated, already imagining it. “I’d love to try that sometime. You’ll have to remind me to save some for the little ones, though.” She chuckled a bit at that. For some reason Kire wasn’t too surprised when he confessed to not liking sugary things, though when he said he liked cinnamon, she grinned. “It does make sense, yes. The signature seems to depend on some aspect of the magic-wielder’s personality. Like with Envy with the scent of tobacco and desert flowers. After I left Gavin with you and Envy the first time, when I came back after three months his signature had changed a bit. Much more distinct from the other Gemini, like he was coming into his own as a person.”

She then blushed, suddenly remembering something. “You know, I couldn’t touch, much less eat anything with cinnamon for a couple of months after I last left without getting a vivid recollection of when we—you know. Which meant I couldn’t drink any of that spiced wine again without blushing furiously.” She grinned, ears red at her confession, before bent her head and went back to her meal, chuckling a little incredulously at herself for saying that out loud. “They thought I was trying to cut out alcohol. Anyway.” She cleared her throat. “If you’re open to it, after the war, and things have settled down, we could have cake. And I’ll show you around. You’ve only ever seen the North, and two battlefields. Ed’s already got an invitation to Ysaryn too, so I’ll be coming back and forth for that, I imagine. And Narda won’t forgive me if she doesn’t get to talk to Envy again.”

Wanderers

Kire pouted at him when he mentioned being dragged into the portal, but smirked afterward. “Risa seems the kind of person with whom you wouldn’t ever want to agree even when she’s doing you a favor,” she commented, remembering her first encounter with the haughty princess. “Not that I was much better when I was younger. I was much more obnoxious back then than I am now—I think? Young Empress, chip on her shoulder, newly-crowned, newly-orphaned. Toxic combination.”

She thought over his answer, though, particularly about not having much of a choice except to see the war through. “Alright. But know that your hands aren’t completely tied. Just let me know if you think you want out, and I’ll take you and Gavin back home. I think even if you didn’t stay for the whole campaign, once you teach Daryll how the wards work, it’s manageable. After the war council, we could—” She looked up suddenly, wrinkling her nose. “Look at me go on about work while at dinner. See? I’m not very good at this, either.” She clicked her tongue, then had a bit more of the sweet drink.

“The important questions then. What kind of cakes can you bake?” she asked, grinning. “Precy teased me that Etta and I are alike. Near-bottomless appetite, and a fiend for sugar. The impulsiveness she seemed to have gotten, but hopefully she doesn’t take after me too much. Either way, I should warn you that she’d probably badger you about that next time she sees you. It has been a while since we’ve all had a celebratory dessert of some sort.”

Wanderers

"Conditions? No, I haven't been told yet," Kire said. "What kind of conditions?" Once Ruli explained it, she nodded. "Makes sense. I would have asked for something similar." She tasted the shrimp and vegetables next while Ruli pointed out that it was the lad's decision to make.

"I suppose. Yeah." Kire huffed. "He hasn't been given a lot of those. Hopefully we both don't come to regret it. But I guess that's the risk of making choices. If he changes his mind, I can take him back home, " she added, shrugging a shoulder as she continued with her meal. "And you?" She said after a while, "are you really alright with getting involved in someone else's war? You have a good, quiet life in Úvano without some Empress coming along to interrupt it. As much as she greatly appreciates the help, of course," she said, smirking at the last sentence.

Wanderers

"Huh. It does, doesn't it?" Kire said, thinking about it, wondering what kinds of cakes he could do. I sound like Etta, she thought, amused. When he explained the house, she looked down at her right hand resting on the table, at the Ring on her finger. "I see. Very strange." How could these visions show her scenes that were definitely false but contained truths about Ruli? Was this still a reaction to his Touch, or something else?

Their food arrived, and Kire cooed at the sight of their plates. "We don't get these this big," she said, impressed, pointing at the shellfish with her fork. She cut into her food, thinking over his question. "I want to visit even when I don't have any pressing business," she said after having a bite of mollusk. "So far, I know I've been terrible at that, but I would like to visit just to see how everyone's doing. Being around you all, it feels like being around my own friends back home. It's nice to be around people who didn't know me primarily as Empress of Amria." She smiled at that. "Besides, don't want Envy thinking I only come around to take his foster sons away on dangerous adventures, after all." She smirked briefly at that, then remembered Gavin, sighing. "I don't know how wise it would be to bring him."

Wanderers

Kire absentmindedly flexed the fingers of her scarred hand as she looked around. "At the very least, seems like a place that'd keep you entertained," she commented. "I bet it has many a tale to tell."

Kire narrowed her eyes at him at his remark, then tried not too laugh when he stammered, finding it too oddly adorable to take too much offense. "I knew what you meant. And I rather like that you're not good at this. That makes two of us." She waited while the woman set their drinks down, then took a sip. "Oh. Gods. That's good," she muttered, taking a few more before looking back at him.

"Give yourself some credit. Starting with this drink, you're off to a good start. I've a terrible sweet tooth." She grinned, raising her glass at him. "To us being two awkward idiots." She took one more sip then set it down, not wanting to finish it all off before dinner arrived. Already she could feel that warm buzz setting in.

Wanderers

The first sensation Kire registered was the humid air, then the feel of fine white sand under her boots. She paused for a moment, taking in the unfamiliar sight. “You’ve really taken to the seaside, haven’t you?” she noted with a smirk when he announced they were in Pokos. Not that she could blame him. Besides the heat, this beach was so different from Cordon, Uvano, or even the beaches back in Amria. There were places that fit the description, but she had yet to sail to them, herself. As she observed the trees, trying to identify the few of the jungle plants that looked familiar, she followed Ruli towards the town. Kire tugged repeatedly at the neckline of her shirt, fanning herself with it. “I might have slightly overdressed for this,” she said, chuckling. A few minutes of walking and her cheeks were already flushed.

The town itself had such a different character from the others. She liked it, though, especially how colorful everything was, and she could see how this place had been a candidate for the refugees. She stood outside the green building for a moment, admiring the windows before following Ruli inside. Upon going through the door, the smells from the spices and seafood greeted her, and she felt her stomach growling. She snuck a peek at the other tables, hoping to get a preview of what dishes to expect before sitting down at the table Ruli led her to.

As the thin woman approached, Kire spared the quickest of glances at the machete hanging from her hip before smiling at her, listening as Ruli ordered for them both. To Ruli’s whisper, Kire grinned. “I won’t be surprised if it is. I can see it.” She could easily picture Narda, Maika, and the rest enjoying their stay here. “What’re the specials—oh, you know what, I’ll wait for it.” She rested her left elbow on the table, her chin on her hand. “I can understand why you considered this place. Though it’s much warmer than any place I’ve ever been to before. But I suppose you’re much used to the heat than I.”

She looked at him, smirking a bit. “This might be the first time someone’s asked me to dinner like this,” she said after a pause.

Wanderers

Kire turned to him right before he spoke, then laughed a little at the startled chicken. “I’m nearly always hungry,” she said with a grin. “But yes. I’m good with having dinner now.” She tilted her head in thought. “As much as I’d like to try more of your cooking, I figured you might need to sit back for a while and let someone else cook. And going somewhere else for dinner means nobody else would badger either of us, if you want more privacy,” she added with a shrug.

Wanderers

Gavin grinned wide when Ruli asked if he wanted to help, stepping inside before he even verbalized an answer. Chuckling at himself, he took the engraving kit and sat by the table. “He’s not happy about it, mind,” he clarified. “And he says I should stick with you for safety. I don’t mind that if you don’t.” He pushed these thoughts aside for now, though, and concentrated on working on the charm with Ruli.

--

“It is a beautiful language. Difficult to learn. But I hope you don’t mind my saying that I still love cursing in my own language,” Kire grinned, then her mouth dropped open at Ysaryn’s teasing. She swatted at the elf’s arm with her left and dropping her boots in the sand. “I didn’t learn it for that! I—it’s not like that!” Which wasn’t entirely true. Kire blushed, pouting, standing ankle-deep in the water but feeling suddenly warm nonetheless. But having no other retort, she sighed, shoulders sagging. “I don’t know. It’s like fumbling in the dark. But—I suppose that’s not entirely a bad thing, figuring things out between us.” She looked out at the sea, hands in her pockets. “Of all the people…I just had to be attracted to the most complicated man on earth. Just my luck.” Still, she had a smile as she said that.

--

Gavin and Ruli finished the charm by a little past noon. Hungry, Gavin stepped outside, stretching, heading for the elves’ mess hall to tell Envy the charm was done. Kire was there, too, but only briefly, wanting to take a plate of food and eat by the seaside. Knowing what lay ahead—the war council, the verdict on the traitor lords, and their siege of the Capital—she wanted to take as much idle time as possible before her return to all that. Afterwards, Gavin went to finish as many errands around the city as he could, both so he didn’t leave any unfinished business behind and to make up for his decision to leave. Kire, meanwhile, went to see the house she’d stayed at and saw that it had been repaired. She took a brief nap, waking up in the late afternoon to explore the rest of Úvano, still quite amused by the name.