Carantathraiel

Wanderers

Aera listened, still as stone, as Kire mentioned her ideas and suggestions, and asked for what the elves would be able to provide. "Axes, ropes, and buckets of water, as well as quite a group of volunteers who want to see this dead knot eradicated from our close proximity." Aera answered, smiling subtly at Kire.
Ruli, still sitting near their little fire, didn't turn around, but his annoyance surged. He could earily put magic around the thicket, prevent the fire from spreading, but Aera would never ask. He doubted entirely that she would accept if offered.
Indeed, when Ysaryn asked aloud, "Would Rulitus not be able to make ward around? Like the gate?" Aera stiffened, until Ruli had to quickly shake his head.
"It won't work for a natural element." He lied quickly. He had to shoot Ysaryn a glare to keep her from arguing, as she clearly didn't believe him. She kept quiet, but looked deeply confused.

"The supplies will be brought. If you've need of anything else, Zekiel, please come to inform us." Don't send the elf or him, her tone said. With a polite bend, she turned and strolled back toward the borders, and Ruli exhaled audbibly.
"What was that!?" Ysaryn rounded on him, gesturing.
"She won't accept anything from me, so drop it." Ruli mumbled. "Trying will only lose us their assistance."
"We don't need it!"
"We do. Stop acting selfish." He snapped, passing her by. Ysaryn snarled at him.

A gathering of nearly forty elves arrived, mostly male, each with a barely-contained look of unbridled violence in their eyes. Whatever they feared about these woods settled deep, their desire to be rid of it causing their emotionless facade to break. Aera led them, still wrapped in fine silks, but they were far more closely trimmed, her gloves made of leather. Still, none of the other elves allowed her to so much as tie a knot in any of the rope, and she was force to stand aside and supervise.
She only looked disappointed with Zeke, Ysaryn, and Ruli arrived, the lattermost and the princess doing all they could to put themselves as far apart as possible. The elves went to working hauling the broken pieces of wood into small individual piles that were kept as neatly away from the living and unscathed trees as possible. The rest went to help break down the trees that had yet to be cut down. Ten of them were on standby to run back and forth to their well to refill buckets of water, as much of the soil beneath them was soaked to prevent unintentional spread.

"Empress." Aera said from where she stood on dry floor some feet away. "With your permission, we will begin burning."

Wanderers

Ruli's slitted eyes followed Kire as she walked away, tempted out of instinct to offer to follow, but Narda beat him to the offer. Bot that he thought Kire would even accept his offer.
When they were gone, he moved to the fire, taking Narda's place.

"You slept with her, didn't you?" Zeke asked bluntly. Ysaryn cackled beside him, which was answer enough.
"Mmmhm." Ruli answered anyway.
Zeke shook his head, finishing the last of his own meat before he sat back, folding his legs. "Are you going to do it again?"
Even Ysaryn glanced up, curious.
"I don't know." Ruli shrugged, thinking about it. "Maybe."
Ysaryn chuckled again before she got to her feet. "I sleep." She informed them before disappearing into the tent.
"For having just got laid for the first time in years, I'd have thought you'd be more upbeat." Zeke commented idly. The sound of chuckling came from the tent.
Ruli inhaled and sighed. "Want to spar?"
Amusement covered Zeke's face for a moment, before he shrugged. "Sure."

By the time Kire and Narda returned, both men were sweating from the effort. Zeke took a swig from his water skin before wiping his brow and nearing the women. "How'd it go?" He asked about the thicket.
Ruli, having no water skin, and not wanting to invade their space, listened from afar before Kire went back to nap. Ysaryn lay awake on her bed roll, apparently kept up by the noise the males were making.

Ruli wandered on his own after a short while later, heading north, though cautiously. He knew the Kartaian territory was to the north, but never knew how far north. When he returned, Narda and Ysaryn were hunting, and returning to the tent revealed Kire and Zeke asleep in the tent. With little else to do, he stoked their fire and lay on his back on the roll across from Kire's.

After their dinner, which considered of another hare and a pheasant, Ysaryn turned her head sharply. "Incoming." She warned.
Within minutes, Aera and two elven escorts appeared, the latter two looking quite uncomfortable outside of their territory. "Good afternoon." She greeted, her eyes sweeping the group, skipped over Ruli, to land on the tent. "I hope the tent has been satisfactory?"
"You're up and about early." Zeke grinned.
She smirked in return. "I couldn't sleep. I came to announce we are gathering supplies to approach the thicket within a few hours."
"So early?" Ysaryn asked with a slight teasing tone.
Aera's smile didn't change. "Do you have any preference to how it should be done, Empress?"

Wanderers

Ysaryn began to reach for Kire's share the moment she heard Kire wasn't hungry, and pursed her lips when Narda claimed it first. A quick scan of Narda's large disposition made Ysaryn decide against arguing for it.
But when Kire emerged shortly after and demanded hers, the elf chuckled, sitting back on her heels to eat comfortably. "Did stuffy elf bring us wine?" She wondered, craning her neck to peer into the tent before she rose to wander inside, intentionally passing by Ruli in order to unintentionally (surely) kick his foot as she passed.
She returned empty handed, muttering what was no doubt some complaint in elvish.

"It was very strange to see." Ysaryn commented to Kire's portal grab. "She is to open a portal near someone and -" She made a quick slurp sound. "suddenly they are in her front. Wetting themself." She grinned, finishing the last of her meal before licking her fingers.
"Talk to Envy." Ruli tiredly suggested from behind them. Ysaryn's kick jarring him from sleep once more, so that he'd given up on obtaining more. He still remained behind and away from the others, though. "Might have some idea of how to help."
Ysaryn eyed him with feline focus from over her shoulder. "Can you do that?" She asked. "Pull through Shadow without going in?"
Ruli's left shoulder twitched. "Never tried."

Wanderers

Ruli met Narda's gaze without reservation, his expression guarded as usual. Even Ysaryn, crouched beside the fire with her hands busy, glanced up at him, her curious gaze following him. With the three of them crowded around the small fire, Ruli stopped nearby and landed against the tree.
As Kire mentioned wanting a nap, Ysaryn looked between them, but was mercifully quiet. She almost looked concerned as her eyes fell again on Ruli and he pointedly picked at the bandages on his arm.

"We could have gone back to the cliffs, too." Ruli pointed out after a moment. "Come back tonight."
"And let the Raielwen take all the fun? No." Ysaryn insisted. "They are uneasy with us here. Good."
Ruli only grunted in response. He also felt tired after the time spent awake last night, but now no longer dared make his way into the tent. So, instead, he sat where he was and leaned back, folding his arms over his chest. Ysaryn raised her eyebrow, her cheeky grin making a reappearance. "Inside the tent is for resting, you know." She teased.
"I'm fine."
She chuckled at him.

When the hares were cooked, Ysaryn prodded Ruli, who insisted that he wasn't hungry before he dozed off again. Shrugging, Ysaryn claimed his share guiltlessly, as Narda wandered in to wake Kire. Zeke, chewing on his own portion, sighed. "I have no idea how a whole clan can not eat meat."

Wanderers

He blinked. Alright, she said. He furrowed his brow and blinked again, straightening slightly. He hadn't expected her to back down, to concede. Alright.
Nostrils flared, he studied her, half expecting her to lash out again the moment he dropped his guard.

Alright.

Ruli cleared his throat, not sure what to say now that the desire to slap her was fading. "Its been a long life already." He said indifferently. "There are worse things than loneliness."
Without another word, he started back toward the tent and their companions, shoving his hands into his pockets. "And the other guy is a prick for being afraid of your scars." He called back over his shoulder.

Wanderers

"That's my whole point, Kire." Ruli snapped back at her. "I don't know you. We don't know each other. So no, I'm not really eager to jump into something with that level of intimacy with you! I'm fine with not knowing people. I'm definitely fine with people not knowing me, because you know what the last person who got to know me did? When she figured out what I really am, what I'm really capable of? She left! But not before giving me another scar to add to my collection!" He pointed to the burn mark across his collarbone, then pointed in the direction of the Lithilote court. "She can't even say my name, now. Can barely stand to look at me. That is what I get when people get close. So you don't get to be angry that I don't invite you in. I know coming to my bed wasn't easy for you. I do. And I enjoyed it, I'll admit that, but theres a line that we are close to crossing, and it will cost a lot more than your socially anxious discomfort. This isn't Amria, I am not your subject."

Wanderers

Ruli's temper surged, and he swallowed, trying and failing to keep it in check. "I couldn't say no! You barge into my room when I'm half asleep, you're half drunk on that wine, looking like you're really not going to leave until you get what you want, and if I say no, then what? You ditch me there? Tell your sister's, cousin's, whoever the fucks house that I need to be removed? Or worse, that I tried to proposition you, instead? You've a whole kingdom at your demand, with or without a throne, I can't exactly piss you off! I know how the nobility class works."

Wanderers

"Wha-" He started to object when she made fun of him. "I told you, this wasn't ... what am I supposed to say?" He asked shortly, wanting to be cross until she continued to talk. He'd forgotten that she couldn't read his languages. He wanted to offer strange solutions, like, Ed could dictate letters in elvish, but he wasn't entirely sure Ed could write or read elvish, anyway.

"What do you mean 'despite my best efforts'?" He asked, pausing in his steps to face her. "And last night, that wasn't," He gestured with an arm. "it wasn't loosening up. That was -" It really wasn't uncomfortable to him, so he couldn't say that. It had been, yes, but he had enjoyed it. "That was you asking for something, and I couldn't say no."

Wanderers

Ruli raised his eyebrows at her when she mentioned enjoying their night. His internal masculine pride swept across him, and he inhaled if only to hide the fact that his chest swelled. "I'm glad I could be satisfactory." Ruli said, hoping beyond reason that he at least said that without sounding too boyish.
As she asked about being friends, he glanced her way again, wondering what he considered her to be. He didn't have many friends, none that he really knew he could count on. Not anymore. His and Zeke's friendship was damaged. He and Sid had always been cautiously distant. Ysaryn would likely sell him out for a small fortune any chance she got. He just had Envy. But even the Kartaian would sit back if Ruli's death or something somewhat less permanent meant the survival of the rest of them.
And then there was Kire. Who was like a strange thorn in the sole of his foot that reminded him to look down now and then and realize that he was still walking.

"Yeah." Ruli answered. "You're a friend. Though I'm not so great at those, either, so don't expect to be pen pals."

Wanderers

Second time? Ruli glanced at her again, discovering quite too late that he should have picked up on this. Maybe she meant only the second time with a male. Really, she seemed far more comfortable with females. Ysaryn, in particular. Though, perhaps the elf's relentless teasing would put an end to that.

"No. You weren't." Ruli said with mild amusement, glancing sidelong at her again. "But, I, uh." He swallowed uneasily. "I'm not quite sure we should ... engage again. Though." He ruffled his hair again, remembering briefly the way she'd pulled it last night. "Its just ... we don't know one another. We're not strangers, no, but. I don't think I'm your type, is all. And you're ..." Empress. Royalty. Nobility. "You're from a whole different world."