Carantathraiel

Wanderers

Ruli rolled his eyes softly at the title again, deciding it was at least better than many other titles he could hold. Or had held, once, in the past.
When Ed knocked sometime later, Ruli rose to his feet to tidy the kitchen, listening as he came in and greeted his cousin. WHen Ed commented on Ysaryn's involvement in the forest work, Ruli glanced his way. The fact that Ed lost sparring didn't surprise Ruli, having little knowledge on the captains skill, but Kire's question made him arch an eyebrow.

Then, again, with her quick kiss while Ed wasn't looking. Having been quite sure her family knew what they were up to, Ruli kissed her back with a furrowed brow, nodding. "After lunch. At the Tower." He confirmed, watching her leave. "Nice to see you, Ed."

After earning his coin for both breakfast and lunch, with a break in the middle to work with Gavin and Envy, as well as hunt down Ysaryn and fill her in on the growing situation in Amria, Ruli crossed over into the Tower room. A second later, Ysaryn appeared, her lips pressed thin and her combat leathers visible beneath folds of dark blue fabric. Her Amrian blades were at her sides, her hair pulled back into a neat braid that forbid a single strand to fall astray.

Ruli rolled his shoulders, wiggled one of his feet to adjust the boot he wore, then started for the door and wandered down the stairs.

Wanderers

"Kire." Ruli started softly. "A dog bite and a poison we not have an antidote to. I have been bitten by worse. And I have survived the poison." He reached over and took her scarred hand in his, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. "Look what happens when you face anything on your own. I'm not the only one facing consequences."
He looked down at his plate and went on eating, though without releasing her hand. "Besides, I shouldn't have to remind you that it's my choice. I don't exactly answer to anyone."

~

"Remind me not to be in town for that apology." Zeke cringed, offering Ed a hand to help him onto his feet. "I might take on Gavin later, help my ego a bit."

Sighing, Zeke gestured. "You heading back down to Kire? How are things going on your side of the world. Uh. Gate?" He wondered. "And, uh, how is Elva doing?"

Wanderers

"No offense, but I don't really consider you to be empress." Ruli voiced. "I mean, you are, but, I see you more as that stubborn woman who shows up demanding cake and research." He smirked at her, taking the meat off the pan and setting it on a plate for her. After rifling about for a moment, he sliced some bread from last night and warmed it, spreading a herbed butter over its soft middle.

"Don't," Ruli sighed, lowering his hands to pause his work when she teased about a title. Gael's voice echoed for a moment in his head, his cold voice confirming that Ruli was her sorcerer. Gazing at her for a moment, he twitched her shoulder. "Actually, no, that's fine. I wouldn't mind High Sorcerer. Taking Gavin on as middle sorcerer, to annoy Daryll." He chuckled, sitting down with the plates across from her.
"Accept the offer. You don't have to do this all alone anymore, you know."

~

Zeke didn't last long at all. Ysaryn was hard to beat when she was in a good mood, and with her viciousness against his bodily aches and pains, he fell quickly, feeling several welts on his limbs already. He limped to the side, grumbling as Ed took his place.
He put up a good fight, but fell, the elf standing over him with her sparring sword pointed at his throat. Her nostrils flared, her eyes narrowed, and if Zeke knew her any better, he would have marked the disappointment on her face.
"Do better." Ysaryn ordered before she turned and strolled off, disappearing down the steps again.
"She is terrifying." Zeke muttered, rubbing his neck to try to ease some of the pain.

Wanderers

Ruli groaned at the sound. "Its worrisome that you'd think she'd knock." Ruli commented ebfore rolling onto his belly. The sheets were damp thanks to their quick workout, glad she was the one going to answer. Not that Ysaryn wouldn't figure out precisely what she was interrupting once Kire was within range of her nose.
But, when he heard a male voice, Ruli straightened, propping himself up on his elbows.

"No, not in here." Ruli answered about coffee. "I can heat up a bit of what we had last night. No, Kire, you're not eating cake for breakfast." He said, scrambling out of bed. He gathered his clothes, half hurrying to the kitchen to ward her off the cake before he gathered a bit of the meat from last night to heat again.
"A forest?" Ruli asked, cutting the pork into strips to toss into a pan. "Assuming people have seen a forest ebfore, what sort of strange? Any details?" He wondered. "Do you want an extra pair of eyes? You know Ysaryn makes a good scout. And I'm a fairly decent back up to have." He grinned, moving the pan over the flames and listening to the meat sizzle.

As she asked about the wards, Ruli nodded, licking his finger. "Yeah. We can make wards that glow, so even those who can't sense them will be aware if anything magic crosses them. Ours glow for Aeron and Zeke." He added. "But, Envy and or Risa will scold me if I don't ask for some sort of compensation. Which, to me, access to random wares is enough. Having rare fabrics will make even Risa shut up."

~

Up in the hilltop, Zeke was standing idly, staring down the southern side to watch the people wander up and down the steps. And Ed, as he climbed up.
"Find her?" He asked, rolling his shoulders in a stretch.

"You!" Ysaryn's voice called across the grass as she approached. She leered angrily at the two of them, rounding on Ed first. "You had to pick now to randomly show up? And you had to bring him to my home? Where Father live?"
Zeke blanked, lips parting. "Uh, well, I uh..."
"Close it!" She snapped, raising the sparring sword she held to point it at him. "You are to eat dirt. You are next." She threatened Ed, before launching without warning into an attack on Zeke, who scrambled to block.

Wanderers

"I'm not seeing anything, you're the one with all the hallucinations." Ruli reminded her. "But, I hate to admit, but it does sound far fetched. How can you see into the futu-oh." Ruli grinned, forgetting his train of thought as she pushed him onto his back. His smile widened, and he brushed his hands up along her back as he pulled her against him. "More research, or no?" He asked teasingly.

~

Zeke pursed his lips, then beckoned Ed to move away from the house, wandering up the steps a bit. "Truthfully, I'm not sure you should be worried. Scindere is ... he's not friendly. Not even to Envy. So, congrats, I suppose you're no different than the rest of us." He sighed, looking up toward the tops of the cliffs. "I'm meeting Ysaryn up there, if you want to meet us after finding Kire. Ruli's house is the one on the end there." Zeke turned and pointed with his sparring sword hilt. "The one with the shutters closed."

Wanderers

"Mmmmhm." Ruli hummed, sleepily relentless in his attentions to her lips, even as she rolled and toyed with his hair. When she began to speak, he lowered his head to her jaw, her throat, enjoying himself until her comment made him laugh. "I would have to agree." Ruli muttered against her warm skin. When she continued and mentioned she'd had more visions, Ruli wasn't surprised, but felt himself raising his head anyway, looking curiously at her. "A strong feeling?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like ... one of the many feelings I gave you last night, or ... not dread or anything, right?"

~

"Kire?" Zeke asked, continued on his route as Ed fell into step beside him. "I didn't even know she was h-oh, that -actually explains quite a few things." He voiced, shaking his head.
"Anyway, you're in for pain, she's cruel, but she states that she drew with Kire, so depends on how you are again her, I guess."

They wandered along the pathway to the large house Ysaryn had claimed for herself and her family, only to be greeted by the horrible smell of Ysaryn's tea. Zeke fanned his hand before his face, then called. "Ysaryn? You're late!"
A hiss answered them, followed by the dark and angled face not of Ysaryn, but her father. His deep red eyes leered at Zeke, aggressively snarling at him, before he looked to Ed.
And blinked.

Ysaryn appeared a moment later, mid sentence on telling Zeke to shut it when she froze, spotting Ed beside Zeke. Then her eyes darted to her father, who was glaring at her. "This is the man!?" Scindere demanded.
"Out. Now." Ysaryn snarled at Zeke and Ed before rounding on her father. "So what if it is?"
"I won't allow my daughter to bed some pale skinned man! After all the things his kind have put us thr-"
And Zeke shoved Ed back outside, eyes wide in alarm. "Fuck." He muttered, clapping his hand over his mouth a moment later, forgetting they would have heard him swear. "Oh, fuck she's going to slay me now."

Wanderers

At her swear, Ruli inhaled, one leg stretching, revealing a knot in his thigh from one position or another last night. Worth it, but he groaned all the same, opening his eyes just enough to see Kire still laying beside him before he closed his eyes once more. Sleep. Sleep was good.

And then she kissed him, and he was roused again. Without opening his eyes, he tightened his arm around her, drawing her close, his lips responding. "Mmmm. Morning." He greeted between kisses, hand wandering her curves.

~

"Oh. Ed."
It was Zeke who spotted him first, the man wandering through the caves with a sparring sword. He looked Ed over, wondering for a moment why he was here. "Ysaryn's in her house. I could take you, if you'd like." He offered, pointing. "I'm on my way. She's about to kick my ass." He sighed, raising the weapon.

Wanderers

As her dress fell, he was tempted, oh so very tempted, to close the space between them, to trace his fingers long her neck, her bare shoulders, to trace the long scars that fell along the length of her back to to curve of her backside. He nearly forgot he had offered her his shirt, nearly looked lost when she turned around expectantly. When he pulled the article over his head, Ruli stepped forward to set it in her hand, and he watched her pull it on, the fabric settling in just the right spot.

Ruli shivered, then grinned. "Get into bed." He said, putting his hands on her waist to direct her onto her bed, crawling onto it behind. "Clothes are coming off soon, anyway, it hardly matters." Ruli said suggestively, felling over her to claim her mouth.

~

For once, in the morning, he didn't wake first. Ruli was sprawled out on his stomach, one arm reaching over Kire, the other bent beneath his pillow. His face was nestled against her shoulder, his breath caressing her collarbone as he slumbered on.

Wanderers

Gods above, Ruli tried real hard not to preen.

When she finished her dessert, he rose with her to tidy homes cooking supplies, popping another mushroom in his mouth. Working the spiced wine bottle, he set it aside, reminding himself to take it home tomorrow, or he'd never see it again. Automatically, he followed her to her room, stopping short when she asked for help with her dress.
"Uh." He said dumbly. "I have no clothing here for you." Ruli pointed you, gently undoing the clasp. "Unless, you know, you want mine." He added with a grin, stepping back once more. "I liked seeing you in my clothes. Almost as good as the dress."

Wanderers

Ruli was amused when she said she was excited, and went back to finishing his meal at last. Waving his hand in dismissal when she offered him a slice of cake, he sipped a second glass of wine as she ate, watching the dessert all but fly into her mouth by some unexplained power. "How convenient." Ruli smirked once she said she could stay. "You sure? I mean, if we get around to any research, I would hate for you to be tired tomorrow."

He gestured. "We're already here. Plus, you bed may be larger than mine, anyway. Not that size is an issue." He froze, hoping she didn't take that comment the wrong way. Clearing his throat, he took another sip. "May as well stay here. No reason to keep going back and forth."