Ruli arched an eyebrow at her when he heard her swear, but he made no remark in response. It seemed she felt the same way Envy often did about waking or being woken. He studied her in silence as she sat upright and coaxed herself into waking further, then demanded he follow her outside. 
[i]Chieftesses.[/i] He grumbled, but followed anyway.

"She did." Ruli answered her shortly, feeling cold as Kire explained to him what she'd been told by the pink-haired elf. So much detail to take in, so much to remember. The half-Kartaian may very well have helped her get out. Why Ysaryn? Why not the many others?
"Oh." Her follow-up question about his practice brought him back to the present. He frowned, though, when she said she wanted practice.
"You ... want to..." Of course she did. Practice made sense. Was logical in the face of what they needed it for. 
Didn't make him any less reluctant.

"A strong memory, then." Ruli said, rolling his shoulders and neck, as if he were about to climb a wall. He inhaled, held it, then breathed out before he slowly held out his hand for Kire's. 

Her skin was warm. Ruli blinked at the soft, soft-tanned skin that coated her real, paler palm. So similar, yet so different. The sun to the dark moon. 
He had considered carefully what memory he would share. For it should be a memory, something he held dear, in order to make the magic stronger, carry his signature. Showing her some false image, or making a telepathic order that took over her mind, rather than connecting to it, wouldn't be the same. 

So Ruli inhaled, squeezed her hand gently, and reached out to her, pouring his memory in.

[i]It was warm. The sun shone brightly, baking the traffic-worn path that made up Ziad's street. The city stretched upward, tall and sun-bleached. The off-white and tan structures were neatly arranged along the edge of the street which curved like a snake in either direction. The figure, Ruli, stood in the shadows between two of them, the air filled with the smell of spices, tart wine, and baking bread. 

"Ruli!" 

A girl's voice called, and Ruli's head turned to see a woman rushing down the side of the street. She was young, perhaps no older than thirteen, her bright gold hair cut short. She wore a sun dress of soft green, the sleeve of one side hanging off her gangly shoulders. She'd grow into her body one day, Ruli's thought recalled like an echo. And with hair like a crown and those beautiful, soft hazel eyes, she'd turn heads. [/i]

Lucky Zeke.

[i]"You found him!"
Speak of the minion, Ruli's amusement raised its head as a second figure approached. He was barely older than the girl beside them, his dark black hair a wild mess atop his head, curls that refused to be tamed and grew like wild ivy. His silvery-grey eyes were bright with more than sunlight. 
The girl turned her head as Zeke stopped beside her, her gentle gaze taking in the sweat that covered Zeke's brow, and she gently swiped a finger across his forehead to pull the unruly hair from his sharp face. 
Even when they'd been young, Zeke was good looking, already striking as a young teen. But he only had eyes for the blonde girl beside him, and she for him.

"What are you doing out here?" Zeke asked Ruli, his voice higher in tone than what Ruli knew now. The cusp of manhood, his voice still changing. 
"Dara's going to open soon." Ruli said, his voice sounding the same in his head as it did years after. He turned his gaze on the shop across the street, to the bakery that had yet to open its doors. He could smell the baked goods inside, and waited impatiently.
"You don't even like sweets." Zeke argued, furrowing his soft brow. 
"He likes the baklava!" The girl argued for Ruli, she turned from the dark haired boy to the blond, her bright eyes glinting. "She had the ingredients for pistachio baklava, you know. I may have asked her to make some for you." Her voice was teasing, playful, and Ruli chuckled.

"Are you sure you're not hiding up here from her?" Zeke asked instead with a wicked grin.
"No." Ruli said too fast, his grin fading.
The blonde clicked her tongue. "Is she picking on you again?" Her thin, bony arms folded over her chest. Ruli noticed, from the corner of his eye, that Zeke eyed her chest, the subtle curves pressed against her arms hinting that her body was also changing. Zeke's stare amused Ruli all over again. "I swear, I'm going to shove her into some mud. Who does she think she is?"
"If I toss her into any more mud puddles, Envy is going to make me do laundry for the next month." Ruli's voice answered, disappointment coating it. 
"Doesn't mean I can't do it." She responded, sniffing. 
Ruli smiled, ever grateful for his friend. She'd taken Ruli and Zeke to her side like siblings, and even if she and Zeke had progressed to the promise of something more than that, Ruli never had a doubt that would ever stop her from being his best friend. Never stop taking his side if she decided Zeke was in the wrong.
She caught his grin and smiled back, the emotion so bright on her beautiful face. She unfolded her arms and extended her hand to him. "Come on. Just because my mom hasn't opened the bakery yet doesn't mean you need to wait out here. I'll take you in through the house, and she'll give you first pick of the baklava!"
Excitement boiling in him, Ruli grabbed her hand without hesitation as she pulled him into the warm sunlight and across the street to the bakery.[/i]

Ruli blinked, dropping the memory. Kire's hand was pressed against his palm, just as hers had been. Warm. Friendly. Ruli furrowed his brow, chest aching some as he pulled his hand free. "I'll start with a few yards. Every time you find me, I'll move further away." Was all he said before he vanished, Walking away to test how well she could track him.