As soon as her hands cupped around his neck, Ezner found himself instantly relaxing. A soft sigh escaped his lips, and his eyes closed a bit. One of his own hands reached up, laying over one of her own. As her forehead touched to his, he could smell that perfume of hers that he loved.

In the barest whisper, "I know."

As she touched his wrist, Ezner started to flinch, but held himself in her grasp. A memory came forth, of his mother touching his raw and bleeding skin after their owner took the chains off of him as a young boy.

"My mother was there when the chains were taken off."

This was said both sadly and as a fond memory. He and his mother were not allowed to be close, she wasn't really allowed to be a mother. Still, she mattered a lot to him.

Ezner nodded, and in response to him sharing what he was thinking, "I will." It had been said to him as an order, even if not given in such a demanding way. And Ezner's tone said that his answer to it was as much of a promise as the one he'd given earlier.

Ezner turned now, smiling softly. "That would be nice too." His hand slid down her own, and just as she so often did to him, he intertwined his fingers within hers, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

He led her down the road, taking the appropriate turns. He didn't speak much on this leg of the journey. They passed the Order of Adunih, and began following along a small stone wall, marking the border of what looked to be a large park. At this end of the park was a small copse of trees surrounding a small pond. As they followed along the wall, a large house, finely crafted, came into view.

And Ezner's hand gripped Elisabeth's just a bit tighter in response. He slowed as they came upon the gate to the park. And that was when Ezner came to a stop. He pushed open the gate, leading them upon a path up toward the house. But he stopped out in front of the house, not yet stepping onto the porch.

"This is my house. It scares me. It makes me lonely."

He reached down into his boot, pulling out a small pouch that had a few coins in it. It jingled lightly, and he reached in, plucking out the iron key, and returned the pouch back to his boot.

"Ready?"

This was said as a warning, a way to both protect her and bolster himself. This house terrified him, made him feel empty and alone. And he didn't want her to feel those things too.

She heard his whisper…but it wasn’t enough for her. He had been alone for a while and that thought tore her up, that she hadn’t been there to help him when he needed it. But she was now, and nothing was going to stop her from being a force of good in his life. Someone he could count on. Elisabeth’s hands remained over the tattoo, breathing deeply in and out before speaking again. “When you start feeling the tattoo affecting you, stop…take a deep breath…and remind yourself of something that doesn’t represent anything to do with the experience you had. Anything. Something small that you can conjure up in your mind. Something that when you think of it, makes you happy. Every time. Like, a flower…. or a book. It must be meaningful to you though.”

His wrists, she saw him flinch, but her hands had continued their path. Gentle fingers slowly worked warmth against the scars. It was that moment she felt a familiar sensation from the trials of their first meeting. It had been the first time in her young life that Elisabeth had ever felt the power of true rage. Regardless of Ezner being freed, that storm was still there, questioning why he had needed to live that life at all. Why anyone needed to. Her sapphire eyes found his, fingers still comforting as her voice conveyed her thoughts. “Same thing. You can pick a different memory or thing…but sometrial, I promise you, these scars will no longer bring you pain.”

He had replied to her comment about telling her what he was thinking in an odd manner, so clarification, she felt, was needed. “I want you to tell me things because you want to, not because you feel you need to. You do not need to tell me anything. I will never force you to do that.“

Smiling as she felt something against her hand, finding his fingers tangling with hers, and a soft squeeze. Giggling a bit, Elisabeth gave him a warm smile. “Hey, that’s my move. I suppose it’s alright if you borrow it ever now and then."

And they walked together, hand in hand, until he led her to a gate and large house. Eyes lifting at the sheer size of the place, Elisabeth silently wondered why he would have been given such a large place, having come from what he had. His sentiments only confirmed that belief. The young woman completely understood now the problems he had been facing in her absence. “Oh Ezner…I’m so sorry. I think I understand now. But, I will help you make this better.”

She allowed him to open the door but refused to let go of his other hand. No. He needed to feel her presence and know he wasn’t alone. Squeezing his hand hard, she nodded. “Ready. Let’s face it…together, shall we?”

Her smile was warm and bright. Maybe by being with him, she could bring a bit of light to the darkness his home had inflicted on his soul.

Ezner listened dutifully. But what was meaningful to him? Was there anything? Elisabeth, of course, Faith, obviously. But was there anything else? Anything that wasn't a person? Ezner's eyes showed the sad confusion when nothing came to mind. Of course there was nothing else meaningful. Slaves' only value is their connection to their owners. He'd only just become a person. He had no good memories, he had nothing of importance to him.

All he had was the tattoo, the scars, the memories.

And where her storming eyes found his, there was just deep, endless pain. There weren't tears to accompany them, simply a view into the soul of someone who hadn't even existed an arc ago, and knew it. And all he could whisper out was, "I'll try."

He was quieter now. He was still so exhausted from all the trials of fitful sleep, and while he loved talking with Elisabeth, as she was the only one he did so, his anxiety of what was to come only made him grow more silent. The more tired he became, the more anxious he became, the more he slipped back into the habits he'd carried his entire life.

Now that they were in front of his house though, he just felt so small. And then her firm hand squeeze cut through the silence in his head. He took a deep breath. And then another. And another. As he did every single trial when he came home from work. Only this time, he wasn't alone. His other hand began to move up toward his neck, and he caught it, elbow raised high. Keeping his eyes closed, he squeezed her hand firmly back. This feeling, these two hands, giving each other strength, was what he focused on. This feeling, the feeling of her hands on his neck, these feelings were what he wanted to hold onto. And his hand dropped back down, reaching out for the knob.

The door swung open on creaking hinges, into a small entryway. Ezner opened his eyes, stepping across the threshold, pulling Elisabeth along with him into the entryway. There was no carpeted floor or rug to greet them, nor brilliant chandelier. The house was beautifully crafted but it was fairly abandoned of adornment. Ezner's heart began to race, and he began to start pulling on her hand more insistently his pace looking to meet his pulse. He just wanted to keep his eyes down, get to his bedroom, get cleaned and get changed, and get out. He started tugging her toward the stairs that led to his room, pulling her across an open double door that led into a large room.

The large room had large white sheets covering what one could assume was a bunch of furniture. In the center of a heavily wooded wall, a large fireplace. And every wall that didn't have floor to ceiling windows was filled with equally sized bookshelves that were recessed into the walls. And every single one of them was completely empty. The room was dusty, the air still, but it was clear that it was a gem and point of pride from a previous owner.

A library without a single book.

Squeezing his hand after he said he would try, she smiled and spoke some words to him. “Blankets. Breakfast. Blue. You have more things of happiness than you realize, Ezner.”

She watched him change before her eyes. It had been obvious from the start that he was struggling, but the closer they got to the house, and within the house, the more distant he became, more he slipped into the man she knew before. Elisabeth wasn’t going to let that happen. Squeezing his hand again, she leaned into him, trying to let her words pierce whatever darkness he found himself in. “You promised to never be lost from me again. Come back to me. I’m here.”

Once they entered the house, the man with her began to race through it, pulling her along. Her sapphire eyes noted the effect it was having on him. Before long, in the room that was clearly an empty library, she stopped, forcing him to stop and turn to face her. Elisabeth was there to help him and help she would. Her voice was soft, perhaps even a whisper. “Stop. You are running through here…and I understand why. But you don’t need to. I agree – this place is much too large for you. You’ve been alone. You aren’t anymore though. I’m right here, standing in this house with you. You can feel me. You can hear my voice. You can see me. Ezner, you need to start understanding that. Think about what you were enduring when we first met versus right now. You found me. This is a good thing.”

She wasn’t sure how much he would understand, but she made a decision then and there, but remembered suddenly that it wasn’t her decision to make. It was their decision. “I think that you should collect enough clothing that you can stay at my house for the time being. It’s obvious you need some rest. Once you feel better, we can figure out how to deal with this house. But that’s just my opinion. I need to know how you feel about it. But not now. Let’s get your clothing and go back to my house. Once we had some food and are able to settle, maybe you’ll know what you want to do?” Her hand was still within his, giving him whatever support and warmth he needed.

Elisabeth had forced the panicking man to stop and face her. She'd see the anxiety clear as trial upon his face, his eyes downcast, both in shame and fear. Ezner, the man who was perpetually still from his arcs of standing as such as a slave, was fidgeting, unable to stop moving. This was not that man. This was a shell, a shade, an echo of him. And he heard her whispering to him. But his eyes never found hers.

But still, he listened. He always listened when she spoke. And as he did, his hand reached out, finding hers, holding it softly, barely there, but still, needing that small sliver of a physical connection. Everything she said was truth. Facts. But right now, Ezner's heart was pounding in his ears, as it had been for many trials since he'd begun to live here.

When she finished, he nodded. But he didn't speak yet. His head lifted, his eyes still not finding hers as he tugged on her hand gently pulling her into a tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around her own, trapping them to her sides as he squeezed her firmly. He was making sure she was there, truly and fully there. He wanted to feel as much of her as possible, to know that he truly wasn't alone. That he wouldn't still be alone the moment he turned away.

And he drew strength from her contact.

Still holding her, he took a deep sigh, stepping back. "Come, please. I want to show you the ro.." he stopped himself, correcting, "My room." He gave her hand a firm squeeze, having found it again, and began to pull her along, walking softly this time. He still had a racing heart and anxiety upon his sleeve, but he was tamping it down. Up the steps they went to a landing, and he took her through a door into a hall. All through this hall, it was clean, free of dust. But every door was firmly shut, save for two at the very end. He led her past the doors he'd opened once and never again. He led her past the bathroom he used, complete with a large, ivory tub as the centerpiece, and through the door to his room.

And once in there, he relaxed, a bit. It had very little adornment. A large bed befitting a king or other noble, with a big, fluffy, blue blanket, a large hearth tucked into the wall, ashes showing it was used regularly. A desk against a wall, and a window that overlooked the length of the property. "This is... my first room."

He went over to the desk, pulling open a drawer. He reached inside, grabbing a slip of paper. He turned, handing it to Elisabeth. On it, in oversized scrawl, messy, not following any semblance of orderly lines, was the alphabet, in Adult and Child letters. And at the very bottom.

"My name is Ezner. My friend's name is Elizabeth."

Sighing softly, Elisabeth realized that she still wasn’t reaching him. Why did she have such trouble helping those she cared about? It never worked the way she needed it to. The young woman wanted magic words that would take his pain away. Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them away before he had the chance to see them. He didn’t need her tears anymore.

In the past, he had always given her his eyes. That was the way she knew he was listening to her…but he refused now. His hand found hers though and before she knew it, his arms were around her, holding her tightly as if she would vanish again. Elisabeth closed her eyes and just allowed him to take whatever he needed, gently setting her hands against his hips, speaking softly. “I’m here, Ezner. I’m not going anywhere. I promise I’m here.”

When he released her, he still wouldn’t look at her but at least he was speaking, and his pace had slowed. They were going to his room apparently. Squeezing his hand back, she followed him through the massive house. Nothing really made an impression on her besides the sheer size of the house and how lonely he must be without. Reaching her other hand over, she clasped his between both of hers, squeezing hard. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here for you.”

As soon as they arrived in his bedroom, she noticed that it seemed to be the only room lived in. The blanket. The fireplace. But he pulled her over to the desk and showed her the paper. Letting her hands slip over the surface, Elisabeth smiled. Taking the paper from his hand gently, she quickly found a writing instrument and set to work.

While some would have corrected his work, changing the ‘z’ for an ‘s’, she wouldn’t have changed a single thing about it. Not in a million arcs. Folding up the paper, she created a straight line directly below his sentences and wrote her own in a beautiful, flowing script.

“My name is Elisabeth…and Ezner found me.”

As she promised to stay with him, as she apologized again, Ezner realised that he'd already forgiven her. And as he did, his eyes found hers again, and his hand reached out, to gently hold her cheek, wiping away a tear that had escaped her with his thumb. He looked deep into her azure eyes, and he smiled. "I'm glad we found each other again."

He watched studiously how she folded it, making a perfectly straight line. He watched how she wrote her beautifully scripted line. And he began to speak, slowly.

"Muh... my nam... name. My name is..." Then he recognised the next word as one he'd practiced often. "Elisabeth!" His voice reached a cheerful tone, and he looked over at her smiling. Actually smiling. "And Ezner!" He beamed again, "Fo.. foooo..." His nose crinkled up and his brow furrowed as he deeply concentrated. "Foooound. Found! Found me."

"My name is Elisabeth and Ezner found me."

He folded the paper in a mostly neat line, just as she had done earlier, and he held it close to his chest. This was the first gift he'd ever received, from Elisabeth, from anyone. He looked down at her, happy tears filling his eyes, "Thank you..."

He pulled the note away, opening it, looking at it, memorising every loop, swoop, and swirl. He pulled a small, leather bound travel journal out of the desk. He opened it up, and then folded the note into a smaller version of itself, tucking it inside a hidden pocket in the cover, barely distinguishable from the fold in the binding. The open page showed a much more recent version of the alphabet, written a bit more neatly, smaller, and staying upon a straighter line than the note he'd written for her.

Then he closed the journal, returning it back to where it had come from. "I've never gotten a gift before..." He gave a goofy, loose smile, running his hand through his hair from his brow heading backwards, his eyes on hers.

Elisabeth had to admit – no one affected her like Ezner. He had, without even trying, found a vulnerable place in her heart. She wasn’t sure how it had happened either. Maybe it was because the young woman had felt so helpless, powerless to assist him in his previous situation. Maybe it was because they had met before any of the changes in her life had happened. When she was with Ezner, she was still that frightened girl in a new city that with no friends. He had seen the truest form of Elisabeth, which was very unlike the version that he saw before him.

Could he see the difference? Did he sense how different she was?

She knew inside the vast change…and also knew that eventually, she would have to confess things that scared her. How would he react to some of the things she had done?

There was no point worrying about it though. He was there and that was all that mattered right then. As his hand slipped up to her cheek to wipe the tear away, Elisabeth was reminded of their first meeting. With no reason to trust her, he had done the same thing and comforted her. He had lived horrors and yet, Ezner had been there for her. It was then that his eyes found their way to hers and he voice spoke. She didn’t need to hear his words – his eyes told her everything she needed to know. She wanted to say something in return but didn’t quite trust her voice.

She listened as tried to sort out what she had written. Elisabeth loved the excitement in his voice as he sounded out the letters and figured out the words. He held the letter close to his chest, claiming it to be a gift…which gave Elisabeth an idea. Looking around, she found another sheet of paper and quickly composed a letter. Folding it up, she handed it to him, smiling. “Something for you to work on in your spare time…but don’t read it now. Wait for a moment when you are feeling unsure.”

Ezner smiled, taking the second gift she'd given him, looking down at it, an excited and curious grin growing. Then he nodded, obeying her command to not read it now. He set it down on the top of his desk. Then he fixed it so that it was perfectly centered and straight. He made sure that it was just right.

"Thank you, Elisabeth."

Then his stomach grumbled loudly, and he remembered why the two of them were here. He moved over toward his trunk at the foot of his bed, kneeling down before it. He looked up at her, "Could you tell me a story from while we were apart? I would like to hear about what happened... outside... of the safehouse I was in."

He flipped the latch on the trunk, and creaked the chest open. He reached inside carefully grabbing the neatly folded shirt that was on top of the stack on the left, the perfectly straightened trousers on the right, and the small clothes and socks folded in the middle. All of his clothes were in the natural colors of the fibers, undyed, lower quality made but at least not filled with holes. He set the outfit on top of the bed, closing the trunk once more. It was clear there was no consideration for fashion or matching of the clothes. Ezner always worked from the top of the pile down to the bottom until it was laundry day. Then he'd repeat the process again.

Once that was done, he gently grabbed her hand and took her through the door into the connecting room, which happened to be his bathroom. It was just as neat and pristine, though still unadorned, as the bedroom. The large, claw foot ceramic tub in the center of the room was filled with cold water. Ezner filled it every morning from the tap. It was always so cold, and he dreaded it, already feeling goosebumps forming on his skin.

Still, he needed to get cleaned.

Undeterred, while still listening to what Elisabeth might be saying, he reached over his shoulders, grabbing his shirt. He pulled it up and over his head. As the cloth rose over his back, it revealed the many, deep and faded scars from whips that crisscrossed his back. It also revealed a man no longer starved, his ribs slightly visible, but now more protected by muscle.

He set the shirt on the stool next to the tub, and preceded to bend down, removing his boots and socks. Then he untied his trousers, and slid them down, standing there in his small clothes before slipping those down too. Once he had all the clothes in a pile, he knelt down picking them up, and moving back toward the door he and Elisabeth had come in on, depositing them in the hamper next to the entryway. Then he walked back to the tub, taking a deep breath to steel himself, before slipping a foot into the cold water.

A gasp escaped his lips as the water bit into his skin. He was quick to submerge himself, knowing it didn't get better, only worse. Once he was seated in the water, he grabbed the rough bristle brush and soap, and began to scour at his skin, going through his usual cleaning routine, all the while, listening to Elisabeth.

As he moved over to the chest, her cerulean eyes followed him, curious to see what he would do. Elisabeth watched as he pulled out his clothing and laid it out, just so. It was easy to see that he was not well versed in colors or anything – and why would he? It was of no matter. That was something easily taught.

When he took her hand and led her to the ornate bathroom, her eyebrow arched a bit, unsure why she was being taken there. That became perfectly clear as he began to disrobe. Elisabeth’s first instinct was to turn away to give him privacy, but the fact was, he had brought her in there. He wanted her there, for whatever reason. She could not know that slaves often had no shame about their bodies but given enough time, the young woman would probably figure it out. All she knew in that moment was that he wanted her with him, and she wouldn’t deny him that or give him any indication that she was uncomfortable. She did a brief pass over his body to make sure that he looked healthy, which he did. Other than that, she tried to keep her eyes elsewhere without attracting too much attention to the fact that she was.

And he wanted a story. Oh boy.

Elisabeth had stories. A lot of stories. But most of them were not stories she really felt Ezner would appreciate right then. Oh, well, I visited some caverns that were filled with flame monsters that were intent on wiping out Rharne…or maybe I was burned alive trying to pass my Defiance initiation? The young mage was certain those would not be well received.

What the Beneath could she actually tell him? Broad strokes.

“Well, went to a formal Ball? It was open to everyone in the city and I had never been to something like that before. Really, all you do is dress up in fancy clothes, eat and talk to people. I knew a few people there, so it was alright. I danced a little, but I am not very good. I am sure I probably stepped on toes more than anything.”

She watched as he slipped into the cold water, shivering in response, realizing how cold the water had to be. Elisabeth searched her brain for anything else she could say that might have a positive impact on the situation. “Oh, I went to Viden. It was nice to go back there and visit for a bit. I think I’ve finally realized that while I will always have fond memories of the city, I can make new ones anywhere. I went to Scalvoris after that for a time. A lot of new experiences there. And then I came back to Rharne and you found me.” Ending on the positive note of them reconnecting hopefully would distract him from the fact that there were very large gaps in her stories.

Ezner scrubbed at his skin roughly, getting every bit of grime and muck from his skin. He made sure to clean out beneath his fingernails, scrubbing his hair and face thoroughly. And he listened. And he let his mind work as she did.

'A Ball? I wonder why Mr. Dey didn't go. That sounds like something he would've liked.'

'No, it wasn't open to everyone...'

'"All you do?"'

Those last two stung a bit, but he kept it to himself. He knew she wasn't saying those things intentionally. She wasn't the only one. The people at work, people from the Order during his time in the safehouse, they all had slips of the tongue like that. He couldn't blame them. People simply don't think of slaves often. It was understandable.

Still, it hurt to hear.

'She knew people there. That's nice. I wish I knew people too.'

There was another few pangs of loneliness and self-consciousness. He didn't really know how to get to know people. Elisabeth was the only person he really knew, and he still only barely knew her.

'She dances? I would like to dance. I've never danced before. Good to know to not step on toes.'

For some reason that reminded him of when he was a child. He would serve his owners dinner, and if he ever accidentally bumped them or touched them while trying to ladle soup, they would whip him and make him do it again.

'I would like to go to Viden. She said it was beautiful, back on the trial we met.'

'I wonder if she will be weary of traveling so much. Will she be staying here for a while?'

And when she said that he had found her, a smile grew upon his face, one she would be able to see despite being behind him. Ezner finished bathing, climbing out, walking over, grabbing a towel. He dried himself off quickly and efficiently, then using a second towel nearby, dried the floor where he'd been walking. He hung them both back up neatly, getting them just exactly straight and perfect. Turning back toward Elisabeth, his smile was still there.

"Sounds like you've traveled a lot. It makes me happy to know you had nice journeys."

He reached out, gently grabbing her hand, walking into his bedroom again, "Whereabouts in Scalvoris did you go? I was born in Almund and it was the only city I knew. And not well, just our neighborhood where I ran errands mostly."
Ezner quickly got dressed. "I'd like to go back. Slavery is illegal there now. I wonder if my mother is still there."

Then he turned, his eyes a bit brighter, as he looked her right in her own, "Would you like to go there with me, sometime?"

'Because I would like that.'