[center][img] https://i.postimg.cc/qMzbGL2Y/Contest-zip-6.png[/img] [sub]Location: The Road Between the Jail and the Inn[/sub] [h1][i]Part III[/i][/h1] [hr][/center] Tia had to admit that Elio was right – he was indeed a very good windbreak. Walking beside him, sheltered from the winter air by his towering form and radiating heat, she was too aware of her skinny, sleeved arm looped around his. She tried very hard not to shift awkwardly and draw attention to herself as they walked, but she was pretty sure the end result was just an overly stiff and unnatural posture. Tia let in a slow breath, and it formed a soft, billowing cloud as she exhaled. He was just very polite, she told herself. And large. And handsome. Glancing at him out of the corner of, she traced his profile – a straight nose, sharp jaw, high cheekbones… And an idle, relaxed smile beneath eyes that seemed far too bright. Those eyes flicked over to her, catching hers in a way that stilled her breath. Tia’s gaze snapped away, back to the snow covered path. The breeze seemed all the more biting, for how it stung against her warm cheeks. [color=darkorange]“So, Priestess,”[/color] came his smooth voice, jolting her from her thoughts, [color=darkorange]“what calls you to the jail? Sightseeing?”[/color] Humor lightly stained his voice, a quiet invitation to share his joke – but Tia felt it brush roughly against the truth she tried to keep hidden. Hesitating, she thought of Gadez – his ghostly eyes, his gentle smile as he looked at her… his damning words, softly sliding into place like a lock clicking shut, sealing his fate before Dyna hauled him away. [color=lemonchiffon]“Pastoral visit,”[/color] she finally offered. It wasn’t… [i]technically[/i] untrue, but the words tasted too much like a lie on her tongue. She wanted the winter wind to smother them. Elio didn’t respond immediately. For a moment, Tia thought that perhaps her hopes had been answered and he hadn’t heard her. [color=darkorange]“Generous of you, to brave the cold for a prisoner.”[/color] His deep voice was light and conversational – but softer. Almost thoughtful. His amber gaze flicked to Tia briefly and she felt it like a brand. She gave him her best attempt at a polite smile in response, words catching in her throat. But the next moment he looked forward again, back down the path leading them towards their destination. The silence lapsed. Tia felt it settle over her, not quite suffocating, but too heavy to be comfortable. But the mountain beside her didn’t push. He let the quiet sit, broken only by the soft sounds of life that even this winter landscape created – the crunch of snow beneath their feet, the gentle rattle of wind through the pine trees, even the breeze tugging at her hair and blowing past her ears, private sounds only given life because she was there to hear it. Tia let herself sink into the moment – tried to quiet her whirring, self-conscious thoughts as Elio escorted her. Words spun in Tia’s mind, half-formed ideas of what she could say or offer to fill the silence, the awkward space that she’d created by failing as a proper conversation partner because she was too nervous about all her [i]secrets–[/i] Impulsively, Tia turned her face up to Elio, lips parted – only for the breeze to blow her hair directly into her face. Sputtering, Tia stuck out her tongue, trying to pull the pale strands from her mouth. There was a low, rumbling laugh as Elio pulled them to a stop on the path. The heat pooling in Tia’s cheeks only deepened as hard-edged fingers drifted lightly across her forehead, catching the errant hair and pulling it away. Coal-dark met flashing embers as Tia looked up at him, her arm still entwined about his. This all seemed like a [i]terrible[/i] idea, suddenly. The corner of his mouth quirked up. [color=darkorange]“Come on,”[/color] he murmured, eyes still too sharp against the easy curve of his smile. He tilted his head to the side, gesturing off the path towards a row of dark buildings – storage, or barracks, or… something. [color=darkorange]“Let’s get out of this wind for a bit.”[/color] Tia’s eyes widened, panic surging. The heavy silence between them suddenly seemed too warm. Looking between Elio and the buildings – unpopulated, out of sight, [i]enclosed[/i] – her lips parted, her free hand already raising to try and give as [i]polite[/i] a denial as she could – [color=darkorange]“Your [i]hair,[/i] Priestess.”[/color] Tia blinked. Pulling her eyes away from the buildings, she looked back up to Elio to find him holding up a black hair tie, an amused eyebrow raised as he watched her. When… [i]where[/i]…? [color=darkorange]“Maybe your steps would be steadier if it was out of your face.”[/color] Nerves still dancing under her skin, Tia eyed the dark hair tie – then cast her gaze over him, his black hair draping softly over his shoulders. The wind tugged at the ends lightly, a dark strand drifting over his face and cutting across his eyes. He barely seemed to notice it. He was too focused on her, his posture relaxed and his voice easy, as if it didn’t matter one way or another that she decided. She hesitated. But when she looked away from the hair tie and back up to Elio, his smile seemed to grow. [color=darkorange]“Besides,”[/color] he continued, [color=darkorange]“who knows when that prisoner will get a proper visit from one of Aelios’ own?”[/color] Gadez’s face flashed through Tia’s mind – his chattering, his tattoo, his odd gentleness as he always seemed to place himself too close… Refocusing on Elio, Tia found her cheeks warming for an entirely different reason. He waited patiently, thoughtless of the cold that surrounded them. The wind blowing lightly against their skin. The snow dusting against the tops of their heads. Tia bit the inside of her lip. Lifting her free hand to smooth her hair in a self-conscious gesture, Tia glanced at Elio – and again towards the buildings he’d gestured to. Her fingers caught in a tangle woven by the wind. [color=darkorange]“This impression might last a bit. Better make sure it’s a good one.”[/color] She took Elio in again, warnings whispering in her mind. Despite how her sister worried, Tia wasn’t [i]hopelessly[/i] naive. She knew the dangers were real – she had the scars to prove it. The world was a treacherous one, even in mundane ways – there had been risks well before the blight ever claimed a single acre of land. And Elio… Large, imposing, [i]forward[/i], he practically commanded the very air around them. His eyes were still too bright and sharp, as he innocently held the hair tie. But his arm was relaxed, where hers was wrapped around it. And he’d been courteous so far… Tia thought of those she’d encountered in Dawnhaven – threats and nightmares, predators with fangs, weapons hidden in words… not twenty minutes ago, Tia had sealed herself away with two people who by all rights could’ve [i]devoured[/i] her. And they’d been kind. Patient. Gadez was in jail for [i]treason[/i], but Tia knew that wasn’t the entirety of his character. The [i]possibility[/i] of danger wasn’t enough to condemn someone – it wasn’t enough to deny someone the chance to do good. Slowly, carefully, Tia pulled her arm away from Elio’s. He let it go without protest, ever watchful. Something flickered in his eyes, evaluating. The chill bit into Tia’s arm, even through the thick sleeve of her robe. Elio took a step away from her – pulling away just as she had, granting her reprieve from his overwhelming presence. Tia felt the lack of heat immediately, the wind slipping more thoroughly around her, no longer in his shadow. His hand lowered to his side. He still watched her with eyes like embers, waiting to learn how to adjust around her. Another breeze wove around her, tangling her hair. Tensing in the cold, her hand shot up to catch her hair before it could whip in front of her face. When she opened her eyes again, she met Elio’s amused, patient smile with a shy one of her own. Some of the hesitation melted in Tia’s eyes as she looked back at him. It was replaced by something softer – nervously hopeful that she could always rely on the best in people. Finally she nodded. Slipping his hands in his pockets, Elio’s smile grew. He took another step back away from Tia – towards the buildings off the path. Hiding her hands in her sleeves, Tia watched the shifting movements of his broad back with each step. The crunching snow, the whispering wind, cradled Tia with their gentle reminders of life as she followed him.