Michellin

Wanderers

Kire grinned, seeing how much the Kartaian enjoyed the treat of a cigarette. She could imagine him getting along with Elva and smoking the day away. “From what we could tell, the lands around this mountain are very conducive for farming and supporting a new community. My hunting excursions usually yielded satisfactory results, there’s steady water, and the mountain helps shield you both from excessive heat and, I imagine, other weather extremes. Just a matter of managing the land properly while learning how to not drain it of resources.” She gave him a summary of the conversations they’d had last night, as well as an account of their journey around Cordon.

Seeing Envy’s expression at the mention of the princess, Kire remembered Ruli’s own distaste for the woman. “Just worried, I suppose. For now, I’m glad to know she isn’t taking too active a role, if she isn’t up to the task in the first place. You probably don’t need me to tell you to watch out for her, should she suddenly throw her royal weight around.” She looked down at her hands, already looking a little less swollen than they were when she woke up. Kire frowned down at them, shaking her head slightly. No, she wouldn’t bring up what she felt at Cordon until she had a second chance to look around and be sure. “Did Aeron like the sweets? My cousins usually do, and frankly so do I. That back would’ve been much fuller had I not been picking at it before giving it to you.”

Wanderers

Kire sat up with a string of curses in the Amrian and common tongue. She had been up late, expending her anger and frustration in the forest, knowing she was going to regret it the next morning. And regret it she had. She had put the Ring back on late, and now she woke to feel her hands still healing from the damage she had inflicted upon them last night. Kire moved them experimentally, then cursed again, glad none of her cousins were around to add to the scolding she was already giving herself.

Still, with the Ring helping along, she would probably be ready to help with the heavy labor by afternoon. Yawning, she walked towards the main chamber and passed Zekiel. Not quite sure what kind of mood he was in today, she stood aside to let him pass and gave a short greeting before going on towards the main chamber, smelling tobacco. Given this, and his general demeanor, the ‘flavor’ of Envy’s magic made sense to Kire now. “Good—morning? It’s morning, right?” Kire smiled. “Enjoying Ruli’s souvenir for you, I see. Not sure if you’ve been told, but we brought back coffee, too.”

She gently moved her fingers as she spoke, her Ring throbbing with a dim blue light. “Might be a few hours before I could throw myself back into work, but we’ve made a good start with the supplies yesterday.” She glanced about, wondering where Rulitus or Ysaryn were. “Rulitus mentioned there was a former princess here? She’s not making any sort of important decisions about the refugees, is she?”

Wanderers

Kire smiled when Ysaryn described the kind of cooking she liked, letting her go on. She liked how Ysaryn was so carefree in moments like this, despite what had happened to her. Kire liked being around that. She glanced at Ruli as he and Ysaryn conversed about farming, listening in as they talked about how best to use the wood from the trees around them. He was the exact opposite of the elf woman, a cloud following him wherever he went, bearing the weight of past sins. She remembered how Ysaryn had warned her about him, and Kire sighed. Within herself were these two, and it seemed a constant battle to waver between their two attitudes, between light and dark, between looking forward and trapped in the past.

She hadn’t immediately noticed Ruli falling behind, swamped in her own brooding, until a few more moments later. “It’s getting late,” she said, wondering if it was his tiredness or something else. “I’ll go wander off for a bit longer by myself if you don’t mind, the coffee’s hitting me harder than I thought.” She smiled at them both. “Thank you for all your help today.” She paused, hearing herself, and almost laughed at her own remark; Kire made it sound like she had been the one who asked for their help to go to Cordon. Cordon…who are you hiding in there?

When she walked away from them, though, her mirth had died, the frown returning to her features, deepening as her mind went to her strange encounter earlier at the port city. Gemini. Bastards. The more she thought about that aura, brief yet unmistakable, the more her rage grew. It didn’t help that it might have been a brief trick of the mind. Her hands curled into fists. Kire twisted off her Ring, secured it in her pocket, and threw a punch at a nearby tree. Pain jolted up her arm, but she didn’t care; if anything, it fueled her fury. If I get my hands on any Gemini bastards here…

Next morning, there would be one whole tree’s worth of wood added to the pile of lumber they had already brought back. Kire was asleep in her room in the caverns, her hands red and slightly swollen.

Wanderers

Kire raised her eyebrows at Ysaryn’s outburst. From what the elf had told her about the suffering of elves in Cordon, she could guess that Lord Itallo had a big hand in it. It didn’t surprise Kire much to learn that a nobleman was a terrible man. She was glad for the distraction Ruli offered, and Kire stood with a huff. “I’m coming along.” She had been meaning to help with the constructions too, anyway, and after getting warmed by the fire she was raring for a walk. She walked in silence beside Ysaryn as they made their way outside, the night air still cool but not too chilly anymore.

The land around the mountains was lush and fertile, which Kire had already noted when she had explored the area while hunting for the refugees. She would point now and then at spots she thought would be a good place to build, or to set aside for farming. At one point, Kire nudged the elf gently with an elbow. “I’ll bring back as much squid as you want,” she said quietly, giving her a small smile, hoping the thought and the exploring had steered the elf’s mind away from thinking about Lord Itallo.

Wanderers

Kire had to stifle a laugh at his response. He really was like a cat. “Rain can be rather annoying, I suppose, especially if you’re not used to the cold. Other times, it can be refreshing.” She turned her attention towards Ysaryn though the moment she heard the elf’s voice. Kire grinned. “It was an enlightening experience,” she replied, likewise sitting by the fire after Ysaryn had vacated the spot next to Ruli. “Yes, we were caught in a storm. Not too strong, actually. Cordon was in the middle of a festival, too, so lots of food. Heart festival? You might know it. The fish and squid were excellent.”

Not wanting to spoil Ysaryn’s mood, Kire left out her brief moment of panic as she recounted what they’d done for the day. “We’ve gotten lots of good lumber, though the best is for Lord Itallo ,” Kire added, taking on a mocking, pompous tone at the end. “Do you know anything about him? You mentioned something about a council of men ruling over the city. He seems to be on top, or quite near it.”

Wanderers

“Let’s go back,” Kire replied. “Festival would go on for several more days, seems like, from what I’ve heard earlier. Royal weddings and all that.” She paid for their meal, and walked with him back to their wagon. “Let’s take the coffee and tobacco back to the caves first before we return this thing.” By the time they had returned it to the warehouse and started their trek back, the dark weather was almost upon them, blown closer to the mainland by sea winds. Upon reaching the wall, a light shower had already begun, and Kire wrapped her arms around herself. “Should’ve dressed better next time,” she muttered.

It was late afternoon, going into twilight. After getting a little wet from the drizzle, the cool night air chilled her. “How thrilled will Envy be, eh?” Kire remarked, smiling. Despite the worry earlier, Kire was pleased at the outcome of the day. Maybe it really was just my paranoia. Already she could imagine how much of an improvement on the mood would be to smell freshly-brewed coffee in the morning, even if only temporarily. It had that effect on her during this past half-year’s more exhausting days. She glanced at Ruli before bending to pick up the sack of coffee beans to bring to the pantry and organize. “The way you looked earlier, when it started to rain—do you like rainy weather?”

Wanderers

“She sounds lovely,” Kire said with a snort. “I’ve had my fair share of meeting haughty noblewomen.” And I’m sure they felt the same about me. Kire’s mouth parted at his comments about Amria. Did Envy not tell him? She was about to explain, then stopped herself. Next time. This was the most conversation they’d had together ever since meeting, and bombarding him with that while surrounded by strangers listening in on the details might be too much for the moment. Like dealing with a skittish cat. She looked idly at the sky, the both of them sinking into thought.

She heard the rumble of distant thunder. “We may need to put the rest of the supply run on hold,” she commented, gesturing at the horizon. “No wonder it’s particularly cold today. Do you want to head home?” A part of her was itching to stay, see if she could conduct a search, but she wanted to be at full strength for that, in case things went sideways and she got more than she bargained for in her investigation. Besides, while she hadn’t been recognized as Akuma just yet, it was no guarantee that it would hold true for the rest of the city. They’d barely been here a day, after all.

Wanderers

Kire watched him eat, staring, fascinated, at his teeth. Elves were one thing, but Ruli looked to be human except for those teeth. And the shadow-walking. Was he part elf? Or were there just some people who had features like his? Knowing he wasn’t particularly keen to answer her personal questions, she kept her wondering to herself. She almost laughed when he made a face at the squid. “You might like it better in a stew. I didn’t think I’d like it, what with the black ink mixed in with the sauce and all, but it was surprisingly delicious. Especially when you have squid full of eggs.” Kire’s eyes unfocused for a bit, like she was already imagining eating the stew. Clearing her throat, she pointed at the squid he had left untouched. “If you’re not going to finish that, can I have it?”

She sipped on the rest of the hot soup as he spoke, nodding when he talked about the difficulties of finding homes for the two groups. At his comment about a throne-less princess, Kire stopped and raised a brow at his expression. “Is it all princesses that you don’t like, or just this one?” She smirked a little over her bowl. “Can’t say I’m all that surprised. Royalty can be very stubborn. Especially when you take their seat of power away. I’m sure she’s stewing over that.” She finished sipping from her bowl and set it down before speaking again. “But if she knows what’s good for her people, a halfway decent leader should know when to cut their losses. A year more of mountain-dwelling as a refugee and let’s see if she hasn’t sorted her priorities out by then.”

She rested her chin on her hand, fingers drumming against her cheek as she thought it over. “Not in this worl—place, no. But back home, yes. Like me, I trust majority of my people wouldn’t have heard of the existence of elves of any sort, save for fairy-tales. There are communities here and there of people who, ah, don’t come from Amria, so it’s not unheard-of. It’s a long story. Point is, there are plenty of places like that back home. Transport, however, is going to be tricky, as you can imagine.” She huffed. “And on top of that, when I’m back home, I have to worry about my own set of refugees and exiles, myself. It will take time, and a lot of planning.”

Wanderers

“The man in the shop was definitely making my skin crawl,” Kire put in, “but this is different. And—I’m not—it might be Ikegai, it might not be him.” She crossed her arms as they walked, lapsing into silence, still trying to sense any lingering auras that could have caused the alarms in her head to go off. “He studied, or stole, much of the magic he knows under my enemies back home. So they’d share some signature traits. It felt like that.” Kire gestured with a hand, frustrated even as she explained. “But you know the feeling of waking up so suddenly your nightmare bleeds into the daytime, just for a moment?” She must sound a little mad, but he already looked at her as a madwoman anyway. “So far, though, nobody seems to have recognized my face. They might not be here. Maybe it’s something else.”

Food first, then. “Or maybe I’m just hungry,” she muttered, a feeble attempt at levity. “There.” She found the place she had been looking for and went straight for it. “Do you have any soup? Two bowls, thank you kindly,” she asked after ordering three sticks of skewered fish and squid for herself while waiting for Ruli to decide what he wanted to try. The moment they got a place to sit down, which was really just some repurposed wooden crates for chairs and tables outside the establishment, Kire tore into her meal. When the bowl of soup arrived, she took a few sips almost immediately, burning her tongue a little bit. Gods, that was good. “I hope Ysaryn finds a nice place like this for her own people,” she murmured halfway through her meal. “And for the people of Ziad, too.”

When another set of patrons took up places near them, Kire listened in on their chatter. Mostly talking about the festival, what they had been looking forward to. When one of them mentioned Lord Itallo, Kire listened more closely. The festival was a celebration of love, from what she could hear, and this Lord Itallo was preparing for his wedding, which will become the main event for this year. “Some exotic beauty, I hear,” the other patron mentioned. It’s always ‘some exotic beauty’, Kire thought, shaking her head a little.

Wanderers

Kire returned the sword to its scabbard, but she still held it tight. She could have sworn she had sensed Gemini magic, but there was no longer any trace she could follow, as if she had imagined it all. That didn't reassure her. Months ago she had been like that, overly sensitive to the presence of Gemini blood-magic, to the point of sensing in everywhere. Kire rubbed her face. She didn't like that she wasn't sure.

Ruli seemed to have spotted something else, though. Running around the city like a madwoman chasing after phantoms wasn't going to be productive. She would have to look into it later. Huffing, Kire walked after him, still visibly on edge even as they entered a rather dank establishment. Pawnshop, it looked like.

Confused, she didn't immediately catch onto why Ruli was buying her jewelry, then remembered him mentioning that he needed this for the enchantment. She put on a smile as a front, and went over to pick. "Isn't he just thoughtful?" she said to the man rolling her eyes. She found a band, silver with no stone, and she made a show of admiring it. The man raised an eyebrow at her. "Does he look like he'll spend anymore for me? He's too miserly; look at his boots," she 'complained' with a sigh. Then, something occured to her.

"Do you sell gems like rubies, quartzes, carnelians?" She smiled. "Not that we can purchase now. But for the future. Take them to a nice jeweler and all that when we could. finally afford it."
The man, who looked like he found the two customers a tad too strange, shrugged. "Not of late, but there should be soon; the Lord's mines usually are a good source. The work had halted for a time, some mishap or other, but they've gone back to work recently."
"Ah. I'll keep that it mind." It wasn't particularly conclusive; she knew many lords and ladies who had mines that supplied a large part of their wealth. She still couldn't shake the feeling she had earlier.

She was silent even after they had left. "I thought I felt-- something familiar," she said after a long pause. "Similar to the traces of Ikegai's magic. But I didn't get a good enough sense of it to know whether or not it was just me being paranoid." She sighed, frowning.