Illumin0sity

Journey to the East

Aimee drew quiet, seeing as her words did little to shift Elann’s disposition and attitude towards birthdays. Elann turned to Noah so Aimee stood up and took the dwindling bag of caramels back to her trunk. She swapped out the candies for one of her books, eyes glossing momentarily over the collection of memoirs Elann gave her in Syliras. She retrieved the book and doubled back to her bench to sit down once again. Aimee brought her knees up and rested the spine of the book there as she refound her place from the last time she picked up the book.

With his hands over hers, Noah waited until his forgiveness rekindled the embers in Elann. Her smile returned which told him as much. She accepted him telling her it was fine, saying she wouldn’t forget his next one, also saying he could throw her in the water if she did. He grinned, envisioning himself tossing Elann off the end of a wharf. With summer coming up, and him planning to teach her how to swim, she would at least be able to tread the freezing waters she was thrown in if she forgot again. All that was thought with the assumption he’d want anything to do with her for that moment.

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll throw you into the water if you forget again.”

Noah pulled her her hands and rested them on the bottom of his chin, adding to the sense of forgiveness. He didn’t kiss them, just brought them into his space to say she was welcome and he was still open to her. He leaned back next, relaxing before bringing one of his own hands up to his temple were the ache flared up in a pang. Noah looked at Elann through a wince, communicating the increased pain in his head.

“Can I have something to drink, please?” he asked of Elann.

Journey to the East

Noah flexed his lips in a smile when Elann looked at him after her explanation. Like Aimee, Noah thought the entire thing bizarre but had information on the dangers Elann once faced in Eyktol, being told as much by her.

“That’s so... pessimistic,” Aimee said. “I would think, even in the desert, birthdays would be looked upon with happiness. It could mean you’ve survived another year in one of the harshest places imaginable. You survived twenty years in the desert, it’s amazing, even if you didn’t do it alone!”

Noah calmed down Elann’s excitement. She looked away from him and back to Aimee, where the wolf met her gaze before she revealed she forgot Noah’s birthday that year. Aimee’s jaw was slightly ajar at the revealment, she wondered if Noah was hurt by his birthday not being remembered, but seeing as Noah hadn’t been celebrating for the past three years and how long Elann went without celebrating one, it probably just seemed like commonplace in their household. Then again, Noah urged her to celebrate her birthday yet didn’t urge for his own, the wolf was confused.

“I thought you’d remember,” Noah quietly said, causing Elann to turn back to him, saying she didn’t mean to forget. Apologizing, she sought forgiveness for her lapse in memory.

Noah looked at Elann with consideration in his eyes. He was hurt she didn’t remember, hoping she’d urge him to celebrate his birthday like he did hers, it obviously was a big deal to him, or at least he thought that was clear enough. He licked his lips before they parted.

“Worry not,” he forgave in Fratava. “I’ll have more birthdays, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, it’s fine. Besides,” he went, shrugging, “it’s not until the end of the year, like I said.”

Noah patted her hands with his a few times softly to denote that he wasn’t harboring any ill feelings towards her, though his face was placid. He hoped she wouldn’t forget his birthday again or any other important dates to him.

Journey to the East

Noah noticed Elann’s change of mood as she spoke up, wishing they had done more for his birthday. More would’ve been leagues more than the nothing they didn’t do. The day was during the dead of winter, which was a reason his past three birthdays had been so drab. Winter in Syliras was always a heavy hitter, usually slamming the city with snow, ice, and wind only to linger through the early weeks of spring. Noah hated it personally but did feel all the more guilty that he hadn’t been celebrating three years worth of birthdays, he felt as if he was doing his mother a disrespect seeing as she made sure each of him and his siblings’ birthdays were special.

“How could you think they’re bad?” Aimee question, the statement was incredulous to the wolf. “Birthday’s are supposed to be wonderful and reflective, not bad. Why do your people think they’re so?”

The pitch in Aimee’s voice got higher as she prattled on. She was clearly shocked by the information for her own birthdays were always happy, some of the happiest days of her life. Nothing could bring her down when her birthday was approaching, and the same could be sad for Noah. It was why he insisted Elann celebrate her own birthday, a date he’d never forget.

Elann turned to Noah and attempted to excite him for his birthday that year. It was the mid of spring and his birthday wasn’t until the tail end of winter, something he wasn’t particularly thinking about, nor did he really think about it until the snow fell and the temperatures plummeted. The way she went about attempting to excite him was more off-putting that comforting.

“Too much,” he muttered, lowering his hands to steady over hers. “You can’t do all of that in a day; I don’t want to fight or hunt.” He paused, smiling softly. “You want to go to the beach in winter? It’ll be cold, you hate the cold. The parties are personal, we do whatever we want and I want to eat food and desserts and candies on my birthday.” He shrugged. “Or not, it’s not until the end of the year anyway, I may change my mind.”

Journey to the East

Combating Elann’s creeping hands was a secondary focus of Noah’s, his own balling up to press the knuckles against his hot face. He gave Elann a sidelong glance as she teased him. Given his imagination it was easy to imagine his family and Elann donned in robes in a dark room surrounding him as he sat at a table, singing to him for his birthday as they held candles. It was eerie and for some reason he imagined them in red robes with large hoods that shadowed their eyes. It was a terrifying sight in his mind and it showed in his wide eyed look at Elann as she sang ominously.

“You’re terrible,” he whispered from behind his hands.

Aimee continued giggling with the caramels in her mouth, throwing another in before retying the bag and setting it on her side. When her giggles subsided she let out a final breath.

“What’d you do all those years you were away?” she asked, rolling the candy around on her tongue.

Noah shrugged. “I didn’t do anything. I went hunting, that’s it.”

“Even this year?”

Noah shook his head. “I didn’t do anything this year. I was with Elann.”

“Why didn’t you tell me!” Aimee urged. “We could’ve done something special for you while we were there.”

Noah shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter, it’s just a year.”

“It’s three years! You know how momma feels when we don’t get to celebrate our birthdays, she hates it.”

What Aimee said struck a chord in Noah, making him grow quiet as he looked at Elann. He didn’t know the reason for their mother making such a big deal out of their birthdays but he knew they meant a great deal to her, so he felt guilty for not celebrating the last three years, even if they were small. It would’ve been easy to fly to Zeltiva in the two years he wasn’t with Elann, but he didn’t do that either.

Journey to the East

Aimee smiled politely at Elann speaking of her dreams and wishes as a little girl. She couldn’t exactly relate to what the Benshira dreamed of, yet was glad that some form of her dream would be attained thanks to their mother. What the wolf suggested was still an inkling, she didn’t know if the party was being prepared for sure, she knew her mother though; Isabella would move mountains for her children. Elann was a child by extension of Noah and was now under the same protective umbrella. Even if the other siblings didn’t exactly like her they would protect her fiercely because she was Noah’s wife and would do a great deal for her because they would be doing Noah a favor as well.

Noah was steadily sucking on his candies as they dwindled away in his mouth. He had retook the candies Elann took from him, minus the one she ate, and rolled them around his in palm with the tips of his fingers, listening as Elann and Aimee talked. He met his bondmate’s gaze when she looked at him, pointing out the parts of the celebration he would be thankful to be missing. He nodded in agreement. When he did live in Zeltiva he may have enjoyed the large extravagant party as a bystander and participant. He disliked being the center of everyone’s attention vehemently, all except Elann and those close to him.

He eyed the candy Elann played on her lips, taking it as the taunt it may have been intended to be. Noah cursed his wound all the more, knowing he would’ve been able to put up more of a fight to keep the candies away from her if he wasn’t injured. The sharp pain in his side was the only reason she got her victory, and if he was going to be particularly mean he could’ve tossed them all into his mouth greedily. It wasn’t above him.

“He hates being sung to for his birthday too,” Aimee pointed out, laughing. “He used to try and hide under the table when we would start and would turn beet red. It was the funniest thing, even when he was older too and supposedly full grown.”

Noah scoffed as Aimee continued to giggle at the memory. “I don’t like it,” he whined. “It’s weird. It’s like a cult chanting or something.”

He was turning red there, his cheeks tinging in the rosy hue as his hands crept up to touch the heat in his face. He felt several degrees hotter than he already was as he recalled the memories himself.

Journey to the East

It was news to Noah that his brother faced potential death. The initial revealment that Ryon had been involved in one of the unregulated underground fights didn’t bother him, what did was knowing his brother had been beat up severely. Aimee wasn’t one to divulge news if she didn’t think it necessary and important, so the fact she informed them of the shape Ryon was in vaguely was enough to tell Noah that he did nearly lose a brother. It wouldn’t have been the first time such a thing happened, Ryon was one to aim to prove himself in situations, even the most dire.

It was weird having Elann push the candies around by poking at his cheeks. Despite the sensation, he remained smiling because he was managing to bring Elann out of the gloom she was in. Aimee continued to talk in heaviness while Noah was attempting to uplift his bondmate with goofy actions and antics. They seemed to be working, though when he presented the sweets to Elann’s only to withdraw them once she actually went for them, he was concerned he went too far. She was suspended in a moment before realizing his playful nature, flooding him with relief.

Noah was having fun with her, pulling the handful away a second time, forcing her to throw herself across his lap in order to keep up with his movements. He jerked away from her, to his own dismay, sending a pang of pain through his song that made his breath catch in his throat, his face maintaining the wide smile though it was tinged with clear discomfort. He laughed through it, conceding to Elann as his winced eye reopened to show the brightness in them. It was his own fault and he was having fun, so he didn’t let it dampen the mood.

When she took however many of the candies she wished to take of the three Noah resettled him as the ache in his side died down. He moved to kiss her temple and whispered, “I love you,” before looking towards their luggage, mostly just wanting to finally be in Zeltiva so they may unload it all and be done with traveling.

“You know,” Aimee perked up from the other side, “I bet momma’s getting things ready for that party of yours, Elann. That’s the only reason I can see her leaving outside of wanting to be with father. It’ll be a big coming home party and a wedding feast, how’s that sound? I bet that’s what it is.”

Journey to the East

“He got beat up pretty badly, so I guess that’s what’s preventing him from going to them anymore,” Aimee said. “There’s that and he also was seeing the girl that would become his fiancee, the one I told you that was found in bed with another man.” Aimee paused, rolling the caramel around over her tongue to the opposite cheek. “Seems like none of us have luck with our bondmates, at least the first ones.”

As the candy dwindled in size Aimee popped in another, shifting her eyes between both Elann and Noah. The Benshira was Noah’s second bondmate, giving reason for Aimee to point as much out. Aimee herself had been through a few small bonds that meant very little and few that were rather devastating to her, so she knew the rule she put out was more so Elann didn’t feel bad about being a second bondmate to Noah.

Elann nasally whined at Noah’s mocking, causing the Kelvic to smile as she buried herself into his chest, her chuckled breaths hitting on his skin. He hummed thoughtfully as she revealed what was on her mind and what drew the weighted breath from her. He felt bad for her in the moment, wishing she could be with her family. Truthfully, he didn’t like they were going to see the whole of his family while she would be missing hers. In his thoughtfulness he rubbed her gently over the back as he met her gaze, then followed her hand as the finger pressed into his cheek at the hard candy.

Goofily, he smiled, pronouncing the candies all the more against her finger. It was done to cheer her up. He considered the other three caramels withheld in his other hand and presented them to Elann, open palmed for her to take. If she went to grab one though, he would move his hand away in teasing a few times before relenting and allowing her to have one.

Journey to the East

“There are matches like that in Zeltiva too,” Aimee revealed. “They’re underground, meaning they’re held on East Street in alleys and in cellars. I hear they’re by invitation only and apparently Ryon’s been to one of those as well.”

Noah sucked on the two caramel candies in his mouth as the two women went back and forth on the fights. His eyes flicked between the two when it was their turns to talk, though his mind was meandering around to envisioning the fights themselves. He was drawn to Elann as her hands went back around him, giving him a little flinch in fright as he was wasn’t paying attention to her since Aimee spoke up again. He looked at her as she settled around him and he settled from the momentary scare.

Noah saw her chest puff up in charging of the deep sigh that came, one that caused his head to curiously tilt in question as she looked past him out of the wagon. The hand not holding the candies came up to wrap around her in kind before he leaned in and placed another kiss on her, this one on her cheek instead of the corner of her mouth.

In mirth, he mimicked her, taking a deep breath himself to out in the same fashion she did hers. Instead of looking out of the wagon he looked to her, wondering if she would manage to catch ahold of his playfully mocking nature. He took it on in order to pull her from whatever labored her breath so, hoping she could catch onto him.

Journey to the East

Noah peered at Elann behind him and smiled, the hard sweet in his mouth protruding from his cheek above one of his dimples. It didn’t bother him to be called a liar, the wag of Elann’s finger and tone of her voice seeming all too playful to be serious in the moment. He failed to see harm in his own lying in that moment as it brought him sweets from his sister, one of the closest people to him like Elann.

He turned more towards Aimee and Elann as the wolf stood before the two of them. His legs fell from the bench and the soles of his feet touched the floor. With one hand he put another sweet into his mouth before using it to draw the blanket back over him to keep his midsection covered as his legs stuck out, the cool air from outside flowing against his bare skin.

“They don’t,” Aimee answered Elann as Noah sucked on his caramels. “People die sometimes, but it’s rare.” She shrugged, it not being a big deal to her. “There are rules and the fights are stopped before anything bad can happen.”

She went back across the wagon and sat down on the opposite bench, shoving her own blanket off to the side as she wasn’t using it anymore. At Elann’s side, Noah was peering at her through a sidelong glance, wondering what she thought of the revealment. He had seen some of the fights before but never participated. It was news to him that his brother fought in them which led him to believe that Ryon was stronger as well, which was to be expected after three years.

Journey to the East

Elann’s description of the temple only made Aimee want to visit the desert city all the more. She had been outside of Zeltiva very little and cursed how far away all the cities were in comparison to Zeltiva’s own coastal station. What was a plus though was Zeltiva’s ability to host transport ships to most of the places. It was a matter of time and money in order to get to where she wanted to go. However, she didn’t know how she would survive for nearly months on a ship, she could barely sit still for a month trip via caravan from Syliras to Zeltiva. At least with a caravan she had the freedom to walk around outside, the same couldn’t be said for a ship at sea.

“I’d like that,” she revealed about the rug. “If you have time, I’d appreciate it. I’ll put it in my room, or my own house if I have one by that time.” She showed Elann an appreciative smile.

Noah looked to Elann a the creeping sense of yearning in their bond. It was some of what made him want to kiss her, thinking she was yearning for affection from him, for he didn’t see her stealing glances at the sack of caramels in Aimee’s hand.

“I could win before,” he pointed out. “Just not all the time.”

Even as a kid he was moderately strong, though he always held more combative wit and agility than brawn. As Elann thought, he had been practicing on reading his opponent’s movements before they happened. As a kid or teen it was much less practiced than presently, seeing as he hadn’t gotten his own capacity for hunting yet. Elann had seen his ability to read others when she attempted to playfully avoid him in her apartment in Syliras, and how he knew where she was attempting to bolt before she moved in full.

“Aimee, give me one,” Noah went, the Fratavan tone seemingly harder in command than in asking.

“Say ‘please’,” she returned, fishing around for another piece of candy to plop into her mouth.

“Please.”

With that, Aimee rose and closed the distance between the two benches, presenting the open bag to Noah once arrived. He reached in and pulled out three of the rounded caramel candies, stealing them away into his palm before taking a fourth out of the bag to put into his mouth.

“You said one,” Aimee fussed.

“I lied.”

Rolling her eyes, the wolf presented the bag to Elann as well, figuring that Noah wasn’t going to share what he took without being asked.