[@Hokum]

A quick hand tugged at the rogue's cloak as an attempt to hold her in her tracks.  Even now, the warmth from the unexpected kiss tingled at the suture marks lining his lips.  He really never thought this action through, but now, staring at the woman once more who was no older than he was, Ren felt that he should express something.  People, even the monks flinched at the sight of the memories which stitched his past together-- the twisting scars always made men avert their eyes in misplaced politeness.  They never asked about the scars for anyone knew the horrors behind it.  But, Devlin was different.  This was the first time that someone looked at his wounds without disgust; this was the first time that someone laid their hands upon the tapestries of torment which shaped Ren into who he was now.

Then, there were those sudden yet small smiles which clenched his insides.  He could still see the rabid restraints she yanked upon these split-second bits of joy.  How he wished to just express that she should let go of her hesitations, but he knew that the scars which littered her life at the massacre at Despiun would continue to haunt her forever.  In the eyes of most, she deserved no happiness as she would carry the bloodied remnants of an entire village with no real chance at redemption.  But, Ren questioned, was she not allowed a moment of respite from the nightmares which might torment her forever?

Meanwhile, a peculiar sense of happiness washed over him in a very long time, and a burst of hope swelled inside Ren as he believed that after years of helping people, maybe he also needed a little bit of help himself.  The sudden awkwardness of the situation dawned on him, and Ren let go of her cloak as if something scorched his fingers.  Under the lone drops of moonlight floating down from the stained-glass windows above them, after a long time, Ren found it difficult to look someone in the eye.  Ren prided himself for his honesty and lack of deception when it came to interacting with others.  If someone asked him for the truth, he found no problem in telling them how it is.  But, at this moment, he wondered what kind of prickling secret his heart hid within him which made this woman before him so hard to deal with.

He held up his hands, motioning for her to wait a while as he went over to his cabinet.  He opened a drawer, pulling out a small brown pouch which jingled with a mixture of silver and gold pieces.  He held her hand before placing the pouch on it, and then, enclosing her fingers over the small wealth he had.  Before she could do anything else, Ren backed off before raising his hands again.  He pointed at her, and then, grinded his fists together before holding up a lone index finger.

[i]'You choose to work alone,'[/i]

He opened his palm to her and then wagged his finger before making a slicing motion down his hand while a lifting motion followed.  A gentle smile accompanied his actions as he tried to express that while she chose to shoulder the world's shadows on her own, there was nothing wrong with getting a little help from time to time.  This was his village, too, after all.  If what Devlin said was true that her 'nemesis' (whatever in Heren's name that meant) skulked around here, then, perhaps Ren could also defend the village.  The lad had no idea where this newfound courage stemmed from, but this different perspective of being willing to fight for something and...  not just escaping from the storm...  felt refreshing.

Perhaps, he had run away too many times now.  The Warmth House.  The Merchant Union.  Ren's gaze fell on Devlin once more, and he sent a silent prayer to Heren in gratitude for the bravery this woman instilled in him.  With the plethora of emotions welling inside him, Ren picked out one that stood out the most:  impending gloom.  At the thought of her imminent departure, the lad felt something akin to sadness.  A certain sting of worry also stabbed at him when he thought about her getting caught (not that she would be caught easily, if Tavas had anything to say about it).  So, he did what he knew was best 

He quickly grabbed another piece of paper, rapidly writing on it before giving it to Devlin.

[i]'It's late.  Guards are alert due to incident.  If you want, stay the night here.  You saved my life.  This the least I do for you.'[/i]

However, he became flustered at the idea that probably he was forcing too much on her.  What if she did not like sleeping?  What if she was not even tired in the first place?  As such, he quickly wrote another note to amend what he thought was an error in his logic.

[i]'But, if you no intent to rest, then, we can stay at Bell Tower.  The stars be beautiful there.  It also gives good view of village if it helps your mission.'[/i]