Illumin0sity

Journey to the East

Elann's words brought question to Noah's face. He tilted it, looking down at her curiously as she looked up to him in innocence. The pinning was to keep her from tickling him, as it wasn't something he was particularly fond of. He disliked that the reactions, the laugther, was almost purely involuntary, that he couldn't control it. He withstood it with Elann though, knowing it was in play and he liked playing with her in the grand scheme of things. Tickling done by her would not produce the same reactions should one of his siblings do the same. If they were to, the reaction from him would've been far more violent than a little transition of pinning and change of control.

"Different how?" he asked in reply, pausing as she suggested they go downstairs. He looked towards the cracked door, peering through it for what he could see of an empty hallway lit by the same candlelight as in the bedroom there. He looked back down at her, ignoring her worry for favor of her words on his father. "What did you think he was like?" he reinforced his question with another one, asking for an answer. It was probably clear to her that she wasn't getting out of his hold or from up under him until she answered his inquiries in full. Only then would she be free to tickle him until he was dressed adequately. Due to the trailing of her voice announcing her worry, he wasn't ignorant to what she may have thought his family would think with her lingering upstairs. The care in him though, for what they thought he did with his bondmate, his wife, was of little concern to him.

Journey to the East

The cool metal of Elann's earrings touched his skin, the coolest things that did since his feet tread the plain floor of Donovan's bedroom. Unlike downstairs, it held no rug, just the wooden slats lain atop the stone floors that made up the house. Noah hummed warmly in agreement to Elann's words, confirming that he may have gotten too comfortable if it weren't for her gentle threats tickling away at his skin. Her threats bore fruit and results though, causing the Kelvic to reach for her hands, sliding off her back, and grabbing her by both wrists.

"No," he murmured, trailing in a soft whine, "stop that."

He figured she wouldn't fight against his strength, though his hold on her was far from harsh and absolute. Noah used his body to roll over again onto his stomach, this time with her beneath him, and stayed true to holding her at the wrists. He adjusted himself to straddle over her midsection and collected both her wrists in one of his hands before holding them over her head. He used his now free hand to prop himself up, hunched down over her, so that he wasn't hurting her wrists by bearing down on her with the whole of his upper body's weight.

"I'm awake," he said, shimmying so that his weight was balanced over his knees pressing into the bed's mattress rather than crushing Elann beneath him. Despite the commanding and dominating position he had over her now he refused to be rough, remaining relatively gentle throughout.

"You met my father?" he asked then, fully opening his eyes and blinking to adjust them to the orange candlelight in the room and to focus intently on her beneath him. "Do you like him, my father?"

Journey to the East

Noah was none the wiser to Elann’s near silent approach. The window had been pushed open, allowing the cool mid-spring air to flow inside the room. His frames outwardly radiating heat was barely dampened by the cool breezes caressing his nearly bare frame. Over time he had become sensitive to hearing Elann’s voice, and so as she spoke his loving name he groaned softly in reply, eyes not cracking just yet.

He felt her hand on his back as he stirred, the peck at his ribs bringing him to life further still. He turned onto his side and then rolled onto his back, eyes opening to Elann as she spoke again in informing and in question. He closed his eyes again after looking her over in his haze, mostly because her hand came into his hair to comfort him all the more.

He didn't answer her yet, reaching up to take her hand from his hair to hold in his while resting it over his chest. His breaths remained deep and lazy as he kind of slid away again for a moment, his mind reminding him of her question and presence. He stirred again and cracked his eyes open once more, setting his sights on her.

“Love,” he said sleepily. He hadn't been sleep long enough for grogginess to seep into his voice, but the low lazy and deepness of it remained.

Noah reached out to her with both hands and grabbed ahold of her, pulling her, perhaps unexpectedly, onto him. Though the movements were rather quick, the landing wasn't hard enough to hurt either of him, especially with the deeply comfy bed beneath him and now them. He wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling his head into her neck and planting a lazy kiss there in the crook of her neck.

Journey to the East

Viktor raised a hand to dismiss Elann’s apology. “No worries,” he said in Fratava understandingly. “It was a long trip from Syliras to Zeltiva. I’m happy to have both of you here and to have him home,” he said quietly. “It’s nice to finally meet you as well.”

Viktor, while he wasn’t the bulky and boisterous man Elann may have imagined, he was still larger than the average man seen in Syliras. He was larger still than both Ryon and Noah, and they were a bit taller than the average man as well. Neither of them were angrily bulky, encumbered by muscle. They were mostly streamlined, any muscle they had was toned and sculpted from years of activity. Any strength they possessed may have been surprising to those that underestimated them. As it were, they were fibrous muscle jampacked into tall and almost lean bodies, Noah’s being the leanest of all. Upon see them all transformed into their feral forms, Elann would begin to understand.

“Viktor, why don’t you go change and come back down for dinner,” Isabella said, gently tapping on her husband’s arm. The man nodded, waving a slight goodbye to Elann as he backed away to saunter out into the main hall, finding his way up the stairs.

“Could you go wake Noah up and see if he has the appetite to eat with us?” Isabella continued, turning to look at Elann. “When you’re all back we can start dinner.”

“Josie said she wouldn’t be able to get away from the tavern to come sit down with us,” Aimee informed, pulling away from Elann as well. “I went down there and it was packed full of sailors.”

Isabella nodded in understanding. “Alright. We’ll just save her something for when she gets home tonight.”

Journey to the East

Ryon shook his head at Elann. “With only a few months left in the apprenticeship, I help him out with some of his large projects and commissions. I take small jobs by myself with him watching over me,” he told her..

With Isabella’s return, and the table being sat, Ryon started to move the dishes over to the the center of the table. It was quite a long dining table, enough seats for everyone and a few guests when they came over for dinner. Elann was the only guest as of now though, meaning a few other seats would remain empty after everyone sat down. Elann would begin to discern that the pie wasn’t that of dessert, but was another entree, a pie filled with chicken and vegetables. The stew itself was made up of onion and hare, something resembling what Isabella cooked in Elann’s home but with meat added instead of just onion flavored broth. The bread had been sliced by Ryon and stacked on a few saucers collected in the middle of the table near the large bowl the soup had been ladled into. The remains within the pot went back onto the hearth’s grate while the flames were poked and spread out like the oven’s had been.

Isabella looked over everything and nodded, satisfied. Ryon looked towards the archway as the front door sounded, opening, two pairs of footsteps marching inside for a moment before they died down, those entering taking their shoes off at the entrance hall. Softly treading, Aimee’s figure reentered the kitchen and alongside her came another man. It was easily ascertainable he was Viktor, his height and mane of hair along with the gruffness of his finished beard announcing as much. His hair came down to his shoulders in wavy browns akin to Ryon’s own with the darkness of Noah’s shade with the occasional flecks of blonde that dressed Noah’s hair in the summer. It seemed all the children so far had his eyes, pale and blue like cold steel. The only thing denoting his possibly elderly age was the silver streaks along the front of his maintained style, the youth in his face seemingly unperturbed aside from slight wrinkles and folds. It clear both Noah and Ryon took after their mother in terms of facial construction while Aimee shared Viktor’s longer face.

He was dressed simply in socks and basic trousers with his shirt thrown over his shoulder. Though he had long ago stopped sweating from work, his fringe and edges of his hair were lain flat near his hairline.

Viktor’s dark, thick brows, angry seeming, rose as his wintry gaze settled on Elann there in his kitchen. There was a cant of his head as he took the fullness of her small frame in, looking over to Isabella who had stayed very much put until his sights were on her. Once their gazes met she moved over to him, smiling and embracing him. He embraced her in return. While they hugged in greeting, Aimee continued into the kitchen, smiling at Elann and grazing her hand over the Benshira’s shoulder before taking a position right beside the girl.

Isabella and Viktor shared a kiss before they both turned to face Elann, Viktor’s hand playing with the the blonde strands on his wife’s head. Isabella took Viktor by the hand and brought him across the way to Elann before parting from him and moving towards Elann, resting her hand on the Benshira’s other shoulder.

“Viktor, this is Elann, the one you’ve heard so much about,” the matriarch said, speaking softly.

Viktor nodded slowly in understanding, taking his time to look over Elann in relative quiet. “Hello,” he finally said, his voice low yet whispering. “So, you married my baby boy?”

Journey to the East

Looking into the bond, Elann would discern a mixture of emotional downness and physical tiredness, weakness in Noah, something brought up from still fighting off his sickness yet going through the transitioning to being at home again. Mostly, he was just tired and would’ve been asleep in Donavan’s bed already if Elann didn’t say she wanted to see his room. It wasn’t a bother to show her, for he wanted to, but it just delayed his brief pre-supper nap. Eventually she’d feel their bond fade to little more than the buzz denoting that he was asleep, falling that way soon after his head hit the pillow.

Ryon doubled back to the oven, sticking the paddle in again to pull out the loaf of bread, putting it on the same rack with the pie. He did it while he listened to Elann, finding it interesting she was wanting to start a business potentially. He leaned the paddle back against the oven and moved over to the pot again, partly because of Elann’s reminding. He hadn’t forgotten but didn’t keep track of just how long it had been since he last stirred it. He took up the spoon and dipped it in, slowly cranking his arm around and around, his ears perking to Elann’s question.

“I’m finishing up an apprenticeship with the local blacksmith. This is my last year, a few months before I’m done and can work full time. I get about half the day’s pay. I do that in the day and I’ll go help out in the tavern at night to bartend from time to time, usually it’s when Josie just wants a break, which is hardly ever,” he told her. “You’d think she was a horse, how much she works.” He laughed at his joke, unsure if it was lost to Elann or not seeing as his back was to her.

Ryon tapped the spoon off to the side of the pot and set it down on the counter, doubling back to the oven in order to grab the poker off to the side. He squatted down and opened the door to the oven’s fire, poking and spreading out the logs so that it would begin to cool down. He rose and started to prepare the coffee next. From the archway came Isabella running a hand through her hair as she shuffled back towards the hearth and oven and Ryon. She surveyed the pie briefly to make sure they were satisfactory before taking up post at the pot, Ryon moving aside naturally.

“I’m glad everything’s about done,” Isabella commented, gesturing vaguely towards the pie and loaf of bread. “Ryon, could you move this for me?” she asked, tapping the pot with the spoon before she moved towards the smoothed out stone water basin and dropped the spoon in some of the gathered water. She turned to face Elann, smiling briefly then nodded towards the girl. “I like your earrings, dear. You really got prettied up for this get together.”

Going to the hutch, Isabella started to gather plates and cups, moving to set the table rather quickly. She’d deny any help Elann may have had to offer, saying that the Benshira was a guest and not in charge of supper on this night, therefore she didn’t have to lift a finger. After doubling back a few times the table had been set, cloth napkins spread out at each seat with saucers and bowls on the side. Utensils had been put in their proper places, as did a ladle and cutting knife for the bread and pie.

Journey to the East

“Don’t mention it,” Ryon welcomed her plainly.

Settled onto the counter, he hunched over after picking up his teacup and saucer, holding it there in front of him, hanging. Listening to Elann, she would see his brows raise and quirk in the slightest ways, something akin to Noah’s own when he heard or saw something interesting. Before he could speak though, Noah roused and rose, the chair’s sounding against the wooden floor before sounding again as the eagle pushed it back into its correct spot. He came to Elann, scooping a hand underneath her chin to grasp her cheek on the other side of her face lightly. He leaned in, whispering, “I don’t feel well. I’m going upstairs to lie down for a little while,” before kissing her lightly on the temple. He went back to the table and grabbed his tea then went through the archway into the main hall, eventually heading up the stairs.

Ryon waited until Noah was through the archway, peering at Elann and him over his teacup as he sipped. He settled it back into the saucer then spoke, saying, “So, you’re a little bit of everything: guard, seamstress, rugmaker, and a huntress.” He paused, giving her a harder look. “What do you plan on doing here? New town, new path, and all that or whatever they say. You could do pretty much anything, especially with the University, if you’re the learning type.”

He set his teacup off to the side and hopped down from the counter, moving over to the oven and grabbing the paddle leaned against the side. “You could be a huntress full time, there are plenty of those here and they’re needed, seeing as without them we’d hardly get any game meat into the city. You wouldn’t be a lonely woman around a bunch of men either, there’re quite a few women hunters in the city.” He stuck the paddle into the oven, pulling out the pie and setting it onto a prepared rack sitting on the counter. “I dunno, I’m just rambling, making conversation.”

Journey to the East

“Alright, well, I'll make you a cup of tea now and I'll start on the coffee next,” Ryon said to Elann, packing the holder with loose leaves before steeping it in one of the filled cups. There were four cups in total, one for Elann, Ryon, Noah, and Isabella when she returned.

He had turned his back to Elann as he was pouring and steeping the tea, only hearing her footsteps as she quietly moved closer to the hearth and him. When she spoke his ear wriggled in the slightest bit before he turned to look at her where she was situated.

“Jocelyn works in a tavern by the docks. We have co-ownership with one of our family friends, a sailor who is often away, so we take care of it when he's gone,” he answered. “Jocelyn works there with momma, more than us, mostly seeing over the girls who work there. Right now the other owner is on the trip with Donavan to Mura.”

He turned to face her entirely, two cups in hand. He walked up to Elann, closely, and extended one of the cups between them for her to take. When she took it he moved away from her towards the table and rounded the back of Noah's chair, setting the cut gently down in front of the napping eagle before patting him lightly on his curly head until he stirred. Noah let out a small groan, asking ‘what?’ causing Ryon to point to the teacup.

“It'll wake you up,” Ryon said, moving the cup a little closer to the rousing Kelvic.

Noah scanned the interior of the kitchen, noting his mother's absence and Elann’s new position before he took his cup in hand, drumming his fingers on the hot sides. Ryon returned to the counters and looked into the cupboard, bringing down tea saucers and handing one to Elann. “I forgot about these, sorry,” he apologized to her.

Withdrawing from her, he settled back onto the counter, hoisting himself up to sit atop it with his tea off to the side, cup on one of the saucers. “So, what's it that you do?” he asked, peering searchingly at Elann, looking for something that would give away her preferred profession before she spoke.

Journey to the East

“I’m sure,” Ryon parroted.

“Ryon,” Isabella piped up, “care to watch the pot while I run upstairs?” Once her son had nodded and moved to where she was, Isabella dismissed herself and went out into the main hall, her slippered feet sounding up the stairs as she went.

After a moment a second pair came as Aimee journeyed down. She appeared in the archway and then the kitchen draped in a darkly tuned dress shaded with purple. To her waist was a satchel of jingling gold tied and in her hand was a small sack. Her hair was up in a bun atop her head, though it was apparently still damp. She adjusted the large neckline that revealed her shoulders and clavicle and fiddled with the belt around her midsection. Much like the others, she found herself garnished in a few rings and a small necklace.

“I’m going to run to the tavern to give these candies to the girls,” she told those present, her eyes looking over Elann and then the napping Noah. Ryon had his back turned, stirring the stew, so he just brought the spoon up and waved without looking. “Is Josie working late tonight or is she coming?”

“She’ll be down there, why don’t you ask her?” Ryon returned, tapping the spoon on the edge of the pot.

“You’d think you’d treat me nicely after I was gone for so long. Didn’t you miss me?” Aimee asked, flashing Elann a smile even though she was talking to her brother.

“You weren’t gone long enough to be missed, my beloved sister.” He turned to face the kitchen, showing a cheeky smile to Aimee.

“I’ll remember that next time I decide to go out of town,” she replied dryly. “Right, I’ll be back in a few, don’t eat without me.”

“No promises.”

“Elann, make sure he doesn’t eat without me.” Aimee knew very well that if Ryon really set his mind to it he’d disregard any warning Elann would give, but this was all in play, which may not have been discernable to Elann because of the seemingly forceful way the Kelvics were talking in.

Aimee doubled checked herself, patting any pockets she had and making sure she had her coin purse and sack of goods in hand before turning, waving a goodbye to Elann in the process. Soon after she disappeared from the kitchen the front door opened and close, giving renewed quietness to the house interrupted by the flames under the oven crackling and the pot boiling. Eventually that too was disturbed entirely by the kettle whistling to announce boiling water.

The whistling made Ryon’s face wince since he was so close to it, making him hurriedly move to pull it out of the oven and set it on a cloth potholder so it wouldn’t scorch the countertop. He then moved to retrieve a collection of mugs out of the cupboard and then grabbing a few loose leaf tea holders.

“Did you say you wanted tea or did you want to wait for coffee?” he asked Elann, looking over his shoulder at her and waiting for confirmation before he started the rest of the preparations.

Journey to the East

“Knowing Zeltiva,” Ryon started, “there’ll be a few people who’ll walk by and see a good time and just join in.” He smiled to himself at the thought, his nose wriggling to take in the conglomeration of smells in the kitchen. “Is Jocelyn coming to dinner or is she working?”

“Josie said she’ll be working late tonight, so it’s likely we won’t see her until at least the fourth bell of the morning. You know she has to clean up after the shift and all that. She’ll be pretty swamped, as I know she wanted to be here because Noah’s back, but the docks just got a few ships in and you know the sailors,” Isabella explained, moving towards the oven to set the spouted pot on it.

Ryon grunted in acknowledgement, unfolding his arms to twirl one of his rings over his finger thoughtfully. Noah settled into the chair, laying his hand and head on the table and closed his eyes, quickly finding himself in a state of half-sleep.

Outside in the main hall a sliding door could be heard opening, the near-silent pattering of Aimee’s barefeet coming across the floor and rug until she appeared in the opening of the archway, a towel around her body and her hands coursing through her still wet hair. She simply poked her head in, Ryon looking to her briefly before she was gone, her feet padding out into the hall again and then up the stairs.

Ryon’s sights set on Elann then. “You know, it’s hard to imagine that you’re married to Noah. I mean, I hardly thought him the type to get into a serious relationship, let alone with a woman,” he said, looking Elann up and down. “You must be pretty magical to do all that, reining him in.”