Michellin

Wanderers

Kire, too, swore mentally, sensing Envy too late. As Ruli spoke to him, she tried, and failed, to discern what he had overheard, or what he felt about whatever it was he had been able to catch from their conversation. The closest to any clue or insight, perhaps, was the probing question. “Warming myself by the fire,” she answered. “Myka pushed me into the water.” She patted Ruli on the shoulder as she got up. “I’ll go catch Nard for you.” She grinned and winked at Ruli before heading off to chase down the giantess.

She returned later with Narda in tow, who looked frustrated at her friend for dragging her back rather than talk to Ruli until she saw Envy. Gladly, she sat beside the Kartaian, looking out at sea and describing the way the horizon looked with the last rays of light. Elva, too, came back not long after with Zeke.
“I see now why Kire likes visiting here so much,” the healer remarked. “You know. Besides R—ow!” Kire flicked her ear hard.
“That’s for hitting my head in the infirmary,” Kire said, leering at her. Elva quickly pinched her arm hard, cursing in Taakalon. “OW!”
“Still too slow, little cousin.”
“Fucking bully. Why did you even become a healer,” Kire muttered.

“Don’t listen to her, Zeke,” Elva remarked. “Everyone back home knows Kire is the biggest bully around.” She grinned, before stretching her arms, yawning. “I think I’ll go lay down at the Tower, though. Thank you for the walk, and if you need my help with anything, bother Kire and she’ll let me know,” she said to Zeke, before turning back up towards the caves.

Not wanting to go back just yet, but not wanting to go to her house here, where she was sure Ed and Ysaryn were enjoying their night thoroughly, Kire fed the campfire and lay down not far from it, sleepily looking up at the sky, vaguely listening to the conversation between the Kartaian and the giantess. She didn’t mind falling asleep here, forgetting, at least for the night, being Empress and Paladin, and just being herself.

Wanderers

Kire laughed softly at his explanation about Envy's insistence. "He's too nice, that elf," she remarked, though she frowned when he told her about Elva. "She did? She never told me." What he said next, however, gave her pause. She was quiet, considering it. "When you say it wouldn't be a problem anymore, you mean because we aren't going to be doing anything under her roof, or that our--" she frowned, not really sure how to call it, "--arrangement stops? Not that I want to presume anything, just asking. I mean."

"But if you don't want to continue, I'll leave it be." She blushed, rubbing her nape. "Shame. Last time was really good." She chuckled.

Wanderers

Kire felt some relief when she felt his hand on her arm. At least he didn't push her away. She squeezed him gently before pulling away, then appeared indignant at his description of her. "Incredibly stubborn? From where in the worlds did you get that idea?" She chuckled afterward, crossing her arms as she shook her head. "That's a pretty accurate assessment. Except the snoring. I will contest that."

She rubbed her arms, trying to get more warm. The fire helped, but the night was getting colder. Still, she somehow didn't want to leave yet. "Two stubborn, blonde idiots who care for their families to death. We're practically indistinguishable. Except you can actually cook." She smirked. "I'm surprised Envy was the one who pushed you, given his attitude towards us. But, all the same, I'm glad you came."

Wanderers

Elva nodded solemnly. "I can understand that," she affirmed. "Something that devastating will always change you. I've had many--encounters-- myself, prior to that. And I haven't had any man since. I do hope, though, that you get to be able to have that again, now that you have a new home." She beamed at him, before looking ahead, down the beach.

---

Kire saw how he looked away, heard the tone in his voice as he insisted he was okay. "Being alive and being alright aren't always the same thing," she said softly. When he went on to say what he had been thinking of during those moments, her lips parted. That he would accept death so she would live, she didn't know what to say to that, as waves of emotion took over. Guilt, for the most part. And a feeling she couldn't explain. But that he cared this much made her heart swell with that strange warmth.

Unsure if he would welcome the gesture, she raised her hand to rest it on his shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to go through that," she murmured. She had apologized before, that night in the hot springs, but he had been so out of it before. "I..." She faltered, her words failing her. Instead, she leaned forward and hugged him, though not too tightly.

Wanderers

Elva nodded. “Mm-hmm. Snow-capped during the colder seasons, which is what it is for us currently.” She went on to describe the Northern provinces for him as she walked by his side. “Maybe Sid and I could exchange notes about our practice. I’m always on the look out for new methods and such.” She looked at the man beside her. “So. Ruli says you used to be good at talking to ladies,” she teased, smiling cheekily. “If awkwardness was part of that arsenal, it’s not too bad. You can work that in your favor, it can be rather endearing.”

--
Kire sighed, looking sleepily out at the water as she hugged her knees, her last conversation with Gael echoing in her mind. While what Ruli said was hardly an absolution, it was a little comforting. “Okay. I’ll take it. Last thing I want is for one more person to hate me for who I am, I guess. I can take it, but it gets—tiring.” An understatement, she knew, but it would suffice for now. She glanced at him briefly, considering his question.
“I still have this Ring. I’m still Paladin. I imagine I’ll still be sent on quests. Or find myself chasing after them. It’s not like I’m abdicating all my responsibilities. Just….” Her voice trailed off, her gaze watching the waves. “I was given the crown because of a disaster. I’ve done many things I deeply regret. I’ve fought—” she paused to think, “—at least two great wars within my sixty years of rule, and several battles between that. I’m tired of war, but I always seem to be running headlong into one. I’m tired,” she repeated with a sigh, “I’m tired of failing to keep my country peaceful. Maybe the crown is cursed for as long as it sits on my head. It’s time someone else had a hand in it, let someone lead who isn’t just good at being a wartime Chieftess.”
She shook her head, fidgeting with the empty bottle. “But if you meant, if I did let go of everything tying me down…hmm. I’ve always wanted to travel. Probably why I have pirates for friends. Seven hells, might even be one. Definitely can’t be a cook to save my life.”

She chuckled before she fell silent again, listening to the sounds of the ocean, the wind that chilled her through her damp clothes. “You know, you’ve taken a lot of damage for someone you say you ‘don’t know well enough’.” She turned to face him. “Are you doing alright? That poison…” her voice trailed off again, knowing he was reluctant to even speak about it. “I know you said to forget the matter, but—” she sighed, “you nearly died. I—we were really worried. Especially if this was something you’d encountered before.” She looked down at her scarred hand as she spoke. “I can’t imagine dealing with that pain alone.”

Wanderers

Kire chuckled when he told her about Envy’s threat, and his confession about parties. “Eh. I can’t blame you, really. Why’d you think I wanted to go to the beach afterward?” she said grinning at him before looking back out at the horizon. “I appreciate the thought, though.” She lay back, crossing one leg over the other, though she would get up now and then for a sip of wine.

Narda, spotting Kire and Ruli conversing, declared, “Seems like a nice time for a walk,” pointedly looking at everybody else.
“Mm. I think Ysaryn and I will go have our own ‘walk’,” Ed said, nuzzling Ysayrn’s neck, grinning after her alluring whispers. Elva laughed in delight, having been a long time since she had seen her brother be his flirtatious self.
Daryll and Gavin looked at each other, both feeling rather awkward. “Er—want to talk more alchemy back at the Tower instead?” Daryll offered.
“Yeeah. See ya,” the lad said; the two had barely left the vicinity of their camp before launching into another debate about how best to organize his chambers.
Which left Elva and Zeke. “So. Walk?” she asked, offering her arm.

“Wow. They’re really not subtle at all,” Kire remarked, looking around to notice everyone had gone. She shrugged and lay back again with a grunt, silent as she watched the sky grow darker and the stars slowly coming into view. It still amazed her that, once she crossed the gate, the stars would be different above her. She did the same thing the last time she was drunk on this world, tracing new constellations as she looked up. “I’m going to abdicate my throne. Maybe in five years. Or after I have made a proper transition,” she said after a while, still looking up at the sky, though her hand had fallen to her side. “Even before the Gemini attacked the Capital, fifty…sixty years on the throne is long enough.”

She sat up, emptying the bottle beside her. “Whoops. I’ll get you another,” she promised. “Anyway. I got a question for you. D’you think I’m one of those nobles? Like you said before?” There wasn’t anger in her voice, only genuine curiosity, and perhaps a little anxiety.

Wanderers

The girls laughed when they saw Kay fall into the water, with the older cousins laughing as Kire made her way to shore. “I am going to murder you, you fuck—er, Myka!”
“Kay!” Pres exclaimed, giggling even more as her cousin failed to censor herself. Jan tutted disapprovingly, though she didn’t make much of a fuss, while Elva just kept laughing.
“Perhaps you need to be pushed into the water, too,” Ed commented, grinning toothily at Ysaryn, holding out his hand to ask for a drink next.
“Well, I sure as hell won’t be the only one wet here,” Kire said, pouting, before turning to Etta and Precy, an evil grin on her face. The girls immediately caught on and started running, shrieking as Kire caught up with them, dragging them both into the water.

Myka laughed as she returned to join the rest of them, watching Kire play with her younger cousins as she sat down on the sand. “She doesn’t get to do that very often, does she?”
“None of us do,” Elva put in. “I’m glad she found this place, and friends here. Not that her current set is insufficient, mind you,” she clarified, to which Myka merely shrugged as she continued drinking. “But I just mean she needs more people and spaces to be herself. Gods know how heavy the burden of a crown is, and that Ring of hers, too. Is it true, about the execution the other day, Ed?”
Ed frowned. “Not exactly beach-side conversation, sister,” he reminded her, reluctant to think about it, himself. He had been to executions before, had seen death, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. “But fine. Yes. Thirteen lords by the axe, and Gael by burning.” He frowned as he said that, staring out at sea.
Gavin, who had been keeping quiet because he was too full and wanted to drink in peace, looked at Ed, unnerved a little at what he said. Burning…it was one thing to execute somebody, another to find the most excruciating death for him. No doubt the man deserved it, but Gavin understood why it would be an awful thing to witness, nevertheless.
“And she asked for that, specifically?” Elva said. Ed nodded, taking a swig of wine. “Gods. No wonder she’d been under a dark cloud till the celebration started.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of anything similar, after Earnest,” Ed murmured, sinking into silence afterward. Elva, too, was quiet after that.

They sank into idle chat while Kire walked the beach with Etta and Precy. After a while, they returned to join the others, the girls having gathered a fine collection of shells and pebbles to take back home. All three at this point were slightly shivering from the cool air and wet clothes. “We really should have planned this better,” Jan said, brow raised as she looked them over, “none of us are dressed properly for the beach, and we didn’t bring food.”
“Aw, c’mon,” Myka said lazily as she lay back on the sand, head rested on her hands. “Wouldn’t kill you to be spontaneous now and then.”
“Which was the point, Jan,” Kire said with a soft laugh, sitting near Ruli and getting a bottle to drink from,
“This family only seems to swing between ‘Too Uptight’ and ‘Too Reckless’,” Daryll remarked, already flushed from the wine. “For instance, deciding to suddenly get married just to seal a powerful alliance without telling the Empress.”
The cousins laughed as Jan blushed, frowning at them. “Fine. But if we’re coming back here, we’re doing it properly.”
“Yes, mum,” Kire teased.

Sunset came, and they admired the view, the grownups pleasantly warm from the wine while the girls stayed close to Elva and Jan for warmth. Narda joined them, smelling of tobacco and herbs. “A fine sight, that is,” she said. Even Jan had no complaints, though soon she stood up and excused herself, wanting to get back to Ulrich and to take the girls home.
“I’m coming with,” Myka said, waving goodbye to the others. “We got our own celebration at the ship, and they’ll kill me if I miss it. Ta. Next time, you aren’t missing it either, Empress.”
“Duly noted. Next time I’ll push you into the sea and helm the ship,” Kire called, grinning. She watched them as the girls said their good nights and headed back up to the portal. She took another sip, then glanced sidelong at Ruli. “Y’know, I thought you wouldn’t come at all today,” she said.

Wanderers

“Trust me, nobody can see the logic in his system,” Kire replied, grinning.
“Oy, I don’t see you complaining whenever you need enchanted armor,” Daryll retorted.
At Envy’s question, Elva clicked her tongue. “Ach. I left them at my infirmary. But Daryll should have a stash of his own somewhere. Would you mind, dear?”
“Also, wine. I was shortsighted,” Kire said, swirling the bottle she had already opened. “I accidentally spilled some of these contents—into my mouth.” The girls laughed at that. Daryll looked like he did mind a little, but given that they had guests, he shrugged, nodded, and went to fetch them from downstairs.
“Oh, are we gonna see you properly drunk today?” Myka said, grinning mischievously. “Did you know she got so drunk once, she puked into a vase in the Palace.”
“Hey!” Kire pouted.

--

Already, the smell of the seaside made Kire grin. Jan and the girls being the only three who haven’t passed through the gate yet, she watched them carefully to see if they needed to adjust or were reeling from it, but all three were fine. “You heard the man, careful ladies,” she said.
Myka and Daryll were last out, carrying armfuls of liquor. “You and Elva owe me,” Daryll called out.
“Owe you? You pilfered that from the Palace stores!” Kire called back. She walked up to Ruli and wordlessly handed him the unopened bottle in her other hand.

Elva snorted, saying nothing; whenever Daryll was at hers, he would sneak off herbs from her stash, himself. She handed the box to Narda, winking at the giantess, who chuckled. “If you’re not joining them at the beach, I’ll keep you company for a while,” Nard said to Envy. “I have missed smoking with you.” The healer grinned, patting Narda on the arm before she joined the others, taking some of the load off Myka and Daryll.

The girls gasped when, finally emerging in the Northern side of the hills, they got a view of the late afternoon sun. “Careful,” Kire reminded them, and they nodded, though they could barely contain their excitement as they made their way down to the beach.
“Alright. I admit it. It is lovely,” Jan remarked, smirking at Kire.
“I do get things right, now and then,” Kire smirked back.

Down at the beach, the girls took their shoes off and giggles as they walked along the sand, picking up shells and chatting about the day. Kire had already pulled off her boots on the way down, walking ankle deep in the cool water when she finally made it all the way to the beach.
“I haven’t been down to a beach in ages,” Elva said. “I missed this. The mountains are beautiful, but the sea is something else.”
Ed loosened the top buttons of his shirt. “Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since we’ve al been together on a trip like this.”
“A very long trip, eh?” Kire remarked, grinning.

Myka was on the way to the dock, already feeling at home. “Hey Kay, c’mere, I want some of that wine.”
Kire sauntered up to Myka, who took the bottle from her and slung her other arm over Kire’s shoulder. “Remember that time when we first became friends?”
“The day we met?”
“Naw. Day after,” Myka said, smirking.
Kire’s face brightened. “Ah! Yeah, wasn’t that the day after we tracked down the Wench for the first time, and captured some slavers with them? And the next day, we celebrated out at the deck, and you and Narda push—”
Myka gave her an almighty shove straight into the water. “Sounds about right,” she grinned, looking down at Kire as she took a swig of wine.

Wanderers

Myka grinned at Ruli’s response. “You lot—well, you lot, including me, anyway—being at the high table is bound to raise a few eyebrows already,” she said, sipping on the wine before starting on her own meal. “But over the years, she’s let her hair down in public—figuratively speaking—bit by bit to not care.”
Kire raised her brow at the conversation, amused. “There’d be people in here older than you, or maybe even Envy,” she said with a smirk.
“Oh, right! Don’t Amrians live longer than other humans?” Gavin put in.
“Between three to four centuries on average,” Kire replied, cutting into her meal, before her attention was diverted by another lord striking up a conversation.
“Hm?” Elva looked down at Etta, who wanted to whisper something to her. “Ah. My little cousin here is curious about elves and how long they live.” Both Etta and Precy were looking curiously at Envy. She introduced them both to Envy, and promised the girls they’d be able to have longer conversation later, after dinner.
“Oh, and after dinner I could show you the alchemy chamber, if you like,” Daryll said to Envy.
“Can I look, too? Though Envy might throw a fit if he saw how you normally organize your stuff,” Gavin said, snickering. “He’d definitely give me a long lecture if I left the alchemy chamber the way you do.”
“I have a system,” Daryll insisted.

Kire snorted at that, before turning to the cousins beside her. Edward looked to be relaxing much better now that Ysaryn was beside him. Jan, too, seemed to be doing a little better. “You’re both coming later, right?”
“Mm-hmm. Wouldn’t want to miss it,” Ed said, smiling at the elf beside him. Already he couldn’t wait to relax with her later. “Jan, you should, too.”
Jan looked hesitant. “This gate is safe, right Kire?”
“They made it here in one piece, so yes,” Kire replied, amused. “You’ll like Úvano, Jan. We’ll bring along some wine.”
“Perhaps for a drink, then,” Jan said. “Ulrich and I still have some business to discuss.”
“Business? Today’s a celebration day,” Kire said, pouting a little bit. “But I suppose drinks are as good as I could get.”

The meal continued much the same way. Kire though had to give her attention to her other guests as well, something she’d always thought was a disadvantage at big celebratory banquets like this, her attention divided too much to give any one person enough of her time. As the banquet wound down and the festivities for the rest of the guests continued outside, Kire grinned, telling the others to wait for her and whoever else needed to change into comfortable clothes at the Tower. The girls, too, asked permission to come along just to see Úvano, and Kire nodded.

“Finally, I can get changed out of this ridiculous jacket,” Daryll muttered once they had arrived, unbuttoning the doublet as he rushed upstairs to his room. “Be back down!”
“You goin’ like that, Nard?” Myka asked, grinning. Narda shrugged.
Ed had come along, though he didn’t bother to change, while Elva was fanning herself. “Is it hotter or cooler over there?” she asked. “I’ve been in the mountains too long, I think.”
“Yes you have,” her brother replied. “But there’s a cool sea breeze there, at least.”

“Okay, back,” Daryll declared. “You lot are all coming down, I take it? Alchemy chamber and armory tour?”

Kire, Jan, and the girls returned later, with Jan and the girls wearing simpler dresses, and Kire wearing travelling clothes. “Where is everybody?” she said, looking around, carrying two bottles of wine with her.
“If you lot are staying there to drink, that may not be enough,” Jan said, raising a brow.
Pres made a face. “I dunno why you like the stuff so much, Kay. It’s bitter.”
Kire laughed, ruffling her hair. “Ah, they’re down at the basement, then, I hear them coming up.”

Wanderers

“Way ahead of you, Envy,” Gavin said, grinning, and maybe salivating a little, as he looked at the food served at the long tables in the Great Hall. Different kinds of roasted beef, pork, and fowl, delicacies brought in from different parts of Amria. Not even in Cordon had Gavin seen a feast this lavish.
Narda guided Envy, describing everything to him, and now telling him about the food laid out for the guests. “We made it through without anyone starting trouble, if that’s what you had been afraid of,” the giantess said, patting Envy’s arm with a grin.
“Mmhmm. Time to eat. And yes, I’ll be joining later. Empress’s orders, after all,” he said, chuckling. “As for what I’ve been up to these past few days, I can assure you, it wasn’t as interesting as my time with you,” he added with a cheeky grin. The thought of the execution day, however, put a shadow over his thoughts of the past week. He set that aside, putting on a smile for Ysaryn as he stepped forward to fetch a cup of wine for the both of them.

Kire was dying to go around and catch up with people, but for now she had to stay at the high table. Already she was looking forward to the gathering at Úvano, where she could be much less formal. “Now, where’s my wine?” she quipped, making those standing nearby chuckle. Attendants went around pouring wine for those who had not fetched some for themselves, and Kire raised it in a toast to start off the feast. She paused, having a prepared salutation to start with, but instead just said, “Go stuff yourselves,” prompting laughter among the crowd.
Elva, too, laughed softly at that “That’s more like Regular Kire than Empress Kire. There was a time she wouldn’t so much as let a hair fall out of place when she started taking her Empress duties seriously.” She turned to Zeke. “Now, what are these good things they’ve told you about? And don’t worry, I do like to be flattered,” she added with a wink.
Etta and Precy giggled at their older cousin, before Etta gasped, tugging at Pres. “Who is that, beside Miss Narda? Is he an elf too, like Miss Ysaryn?”
“Huh. Not used to seeing Narda being escorted by someone who could match her height,” Elva said, grinning. “Come on, I think Her Majesty is calling us to the high table.”

The high table was large enough to fit the Empress’s family along with her designated guests and friends. Jan had Ulrich to Kire’s left, while to her right Ed led Ysaryn to sit beside him. Further down the table after some lords and ladies, Envy had Narda and Daryll on either side, the latter looking like he would burst with all the questions he wanted to ask Envy. Elva had the two girls between herself and Myka, followed by Ruli, Zeke, and Gavin. “I’m glad you all could make it,” Kire said, grinning down the table. She had been somber ever since the execution, and this was the first time she had smiled in earnest since that day.

“Well, can’t say no to Her Grace, you know,” Elva replied, grinning back as she raised her goblet to Kire. She looked drunk already with the blush on her face, though that had more to do with her being unused to the temperature down at the Capital, especially while wearing more formal attire.
“Gods, sometimes it’s still a bit of a shock seeing Kay all done up like that, as if this isn’t the same woman who would drink with a ship full of pirates and curse just as badly,” Myka said to the off-worlders beside her. “If these other nobles had any idea the kinds of shenanigans she’d get up to, they’d all be blushing.”