Aara cups his face in her hands. "Goddard, it doesn't matter. Yes, Gath is rude and insufferable and he makes being around him physically painful, but if he's what you want..." She makes a pained face. "Just don't come to me smelling like him. That would be unforgivable."
Goddard smiles. "I don't know if I can get him to actually say please or thank you or anything else nice, so, would complete and total silence be acceptable?"
"Civil would be an improvement," she says with a deep breath. "But I'm not going to care either way. I'm tired of putting you in the middle of childish feuding because he's awful. Can we go inside now, or do you want to continue making a spectacle?" she teases.
Emotionally drained and still sore from her morning fights, Aara sits in a comfortable armchair near the window in the common room. Opening the book again, she smiles at a well-done drawing of her above the title.
She turns to the first page and hands it to him. It has each of their names with their date of birth and date of disappearance. "It's Arabyan, but that's our names and dates- minus your birth year and Gath's date, since I didn't know it and it wasn't in my notes. At the bottom it has the year of printing. It's the year after we left Koroush."
"How can that be? I knew time could move differently but that fast? Wait...does he know how to travel back?" He curls up in his seat again. "Do you...want to try to go back at all?"
"He offered to find a way, but I can't. Look at what they've done. Koroush built us tombs. There's an epic chronicling our journey. They've made peace...I can't destroy that. I can't leave you," she adds.
She curls up in his chair with him. "That's the most important reason. Second is that I'm pretty sure I'd get myself killed either by a god or an angry mob who doesn't know half elves exist," she laughs softly.
"I don't want to go anywhere you're not." She opens to the end of the book, showing two large tombs side by side covered in flowers. "Look, we have fancy tombs next to my Ustadh."
"Mine has my mark on the door in ebony and garnet," she tells him, pointing it out. "Yours has a scythe and some magic symbol in silver with amethysts. Rayya and Koroush did well, I think."
"It's mostly mine, but turns into ours. It starts from when I was a little girl, not long before my brother Tarik died on the docks. Ali and Siba must have filled in that part. Then there's my journals- I'd left a copy of them with Koroush- and letters to Rayya and Siba. It's all here, right up until we parted from Koroush in the desert. And yes," she adds, "the poem is told just as unbelievably as it happened."
"A little, but only because I realized that part of our lives is over. And the poem is really sad at the end. It says that we walked hand in hand into an unknown destiny, never found but never alone."
Goddard laughs. "I didn't mean that exactly. But maybe part of it isn't as made up as I thought. You do what you want to do. Doesn't matter what some gypsy or whatever says."
"I told him to wait a day or two," she explains. "I'm curious to hear how he got here, and what he's been doing in Araby for a year." She giggles. "And apparently I have to have a talk with our friendly neighborhood bartender. He might be working his way to seducing you."
She rolls her eyes and wiggles in his lap. "Please don't try and tell me you know how to handle this. I handled yesterday's event perfectly, and you were a wreck." She bats her lashes up at him.
"As a human, I felt like I had to be greedy. As we discussed before, things are different now. Not that I'm ever going to stop being greedy," she laughs, nibbling his earlobe.
"I was talking with Aaron. And I did tell you I was going out to get it, I just didn't plan to get distracted." She smiles and toys with his hair. "You're so paranoid, nuur'eni."
Gath's eyes turn to Aara and before he can say anything, Goddard stops him. "If you can't say anything nice, then shut up."
"I see. Well, my lord, since you seem safe here, my services are not needed and my company is certainly not wanted," he says flatly before he turns and leaves.
"We all have to live together," she mumbles. "I have tried, Goddard. I thought he and I were friends, but I don't know what happened when we got here. He's...prickly. And I explained what happened yesterday."
She jumps up and runs to her room, closing the door behind her. Opening the box, she smiles at the blood red ribbons Two must have bought for it. Silk was a good choice, she muses. Stronger than leather and it won't break as fast.
After changing into a black shirt and pants, she gets into her armor quickly, lacing the ribbons through it. After braiding her hair, she ties on her leather mask and looks in the mirror.
"Good gods..." she breathes. "It really is gorgeous." Going back out, she holds her arms out. "What do you think?"
"I know! It was custom made forever ago, but whoever ordered it never picked it up and it's been a display ever since. He only sold it to me because I got new scabbards and sheaths to match." She turns to show him the harness holding her scimitars. "There's a short cloak to match with slits so my harness passes through instead of bunching. It's much easier to draw this way."
"Are you sure about that?" Her eyes crinkle above her mask. "My experience with gypsies has been pretty good. Nobody else ever gave me a charm against undead."
"It does. Oh speaking of looks and assassin and such, that spell that you can do that you won't admit to quiet yet, Gath figured out how to draw what I'm going to call temporary tattoos. You could have something every day if you wanted."
She glances down demurely. "But fun nonetheless." Opening her eyes wide, she looks up at him. "I'm sure if I had those kinds of lessons I'd .earn some magic..."
She grins back and steps closer to kiss him. "I don't have to ask you for the magic kind, either," she tells him. She snaps, and her fingers spark like she'd used the potion he'd given her weeks ago in the Empire.
"Nuur'eni, we had just argued, and I was talking with her and telling her I didn't know what you'd been talking about. That's when she showed me." She puts a hand on his arm. "I wanted to surprise you, that's all."
"And even after we reconciled, at least I thought we did, you still didn't tell me. Instead you tried to convince me I didn't know what I was talking about. I am indeed surprised."
"I know you're smart lecai," he sighs, feeling terrible. "Magic doesn't necessarily have to do with smarts. It's about practice and persistence and I know you would excell at that too. I just wanted to be there for you. For all those times I told you that you would explode...you could finally do something you wanted to do."
"When it occurred to me what must have happened, I almost came to you anyway, but I wanted to see your face when I showed you the first time...I just didn't expect you to be so upset. I'm sorry, hyati."
Goddard claps. "Very good lecai. A master of putting out every light. I'd suggest you all practice together but I have a feeling that wouldn't go very well."
"I didn't mean for them all to go out. But maybe..." Taking a deep breath, she focuses and tries again, getting the lamps and candles lit one by one. Opening one eye, she looks around before clapping and smiling.
"Very good," he laughs. "I did find out I can do something very similar except...I'll just show you." Every light quickly dims and becomes a strange purple color. The walls seem to moan and creak and a mist gathers around their feet.
He nods. "Armor isn't the most comfortable thing to be in, well, unless it's while you're fighting to save your life. Being alive and uninjured seems like a fair trade."
Goddard chuckles. "Crows, roses, thorns, skulls. It's all Morr. Even in this place, my spells still seem to have the same feel and even if it isn't called Morr here, death exists everywhere."
"I suppose." She changes from her snug black shirt for a long tunic and unbraids her hair. Shaking out her waves, she comes back into the common room and pours a cup of wine.
"I'm sure with enough time, I could get used to this," he grins. "But we'll have to do something to pay for this place. Hopefully it's nothing too insane."
She raises a brow at him. "Goddard, we have slept in mud and lives in palaces. This inn is very nice, but hardly worth thousands." Getting up, she holds out a hand to him. "Let's find Tallyn and find out."
Goddard leans against the bar. "I wonder what kinds of things we could do for money. Maybe they have a job here I could do but...do I really want them to be my superiors?"
Aara shoots him a disappointed glance before untangling herself from Tallyn. "Sadly, I'm a terrible dancer," she quips. "Tallyn, can we talk privately?"
He nods, looking between the two, and leads them behind the bar and through the kitchen to an office littered with books, ledgers, and papers. Gesturing for them to sit, he takes his place behind his desk.
"Well. Ah...it's come to our attention that you never actually told us what our rate would be," she says nervously.
"Ah. I see." Tallyn opens a ledger and compares it to one already open on his desk. "Let's see...the typical rate, upkeep of indented rooms...discounted...how long do you plan to stay?"
"So indefinitely." He makes a few notes before jotting them into his ledger. "Normally, I would have you sign a contract renting the apartment at a set rate per month. I'll have the papers drawn up when my assistant isn't drinking across town. But for room, meals, limited use of the bar, laundry services, and a bit for security, you're looking at five hundred gold a month."
Tallyn gives him a brilliant smile. "My pleasure, nuur'ninny. By the way, since he'll be busy tomorrow night, would you like to have dinner with me, Aara? Gill has an engagement and will be out."
Tallyn's smile never wavers. "I hope you'll have an answer for me tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the music and dancing. Our Kote is quite good." He rises and gestures to the door.
She nods, catching a glimpse of Two talking and laughing with Kryn. Upstairs, she closes the door and leans against it. "Next time I see Gill I'm going to ask him to get Tallyn to ease off a little," she chuckles.
"That's a great idea! I'll tell Two if he can't say something not stupid he can't say anything at all and we'll live in blissful silence the rest of our days."
Goddard lays his head on her chest. "I just wanted you to be happy. I thought if he shut up, you wouldn't have to deal with whatever he has to say and I thought if he needed to lash out, he'd just do it to me. I suppose I wasn't wrong..."
"I appreciate it, I really do. But I adamantly asked you not to say anything to him, and that I would deal with it in my own." She lifts his head. "How can I do that now?"
"This wasn't just for that one time. This for all the other times before and potential future times for you and Aaron and Gill and Tallyn and so on. All we need is for him to say something smart to Gill at the bat and we may not have to worry about the monthly payments."
"I think he wants to but I think in his mind he's still very much a druchii and life is the same, which makes sense. How do you adjust to something different after 300 years of the same thing? To him, the moment he let's his guard down or takes off his mask, is the moment he ends up dead."
Goddard suddenly hugs Aara tightly. "He was in love," he whispers. "And he had to kill her. I don't know what I'd be like if I had to do that. Even if it was to defend myself."
She kisses him softly. "I love you. So I'm going to pretend that I'm hungry and go downstairs for dinner so you can go smooth your retainers feathers."
"I don't know. Tell him he can talk for one. Apologize for yelling at him yesterday. Apologize for your crazy paranoid behavior earlier." Sheifts her hips against his with a grin. "Work it out and I'll reward you later."
"How many times do you have to hear me tell you that it doesn't matter? Go rut with whoever you want, wherever you want, just so long as you and I are in the same bed at night."
"I don't hate him. I just don't like being around him," she says. "And spare me the details of whatever you're apologizing over."
ReplyDeleteGoddard stands up. "It wasn't anything. Don't worry. It was more because it was him but you forgive me? Right?"
ReplyDeleteShe sighs again. "Yes, love. I forgive you for whatever it is you think you've done."
ReplyDeleteHe raises a brow. "I guess that's good?"
ReplyDelete"That is what you wanted, yes?"
ReplyDelete"Well yes, but I wanted you to mean it." His ears droop. "Is it because you don;t feel like I mean what I'm saying?"
ReplyDeleteAara cups his face in her hands. "Goddard, it doesn't matter. Yes, Gath is rude and insufferable and he makes being around him physically painful, but if he's what you want..." She makes a pained face. "Just don't come to me smelling like him. That would be unforgivable."
ReplyDelete"Don't worry. That'll never happen." He closes his eyes. "I'll fix it."
ReplyDeleteShe pulls him down and stands on the tips of her toes to kiss his forehead. "Do what you want, love. I'm going to be here regardless."
ReplyDeleteGoddard smiles. "I don't know if I can get him to actually say please or thank you or anything else nice, so, would complete and total silence be acceptable?"
ReplyDelete"Civil would be an improvement," she says with a deep breath. "But I'm not going to care either way. I'm tired of putting you in the middle of childish feuding because he's awful. Can we go inside now, or do you want to continue making a spectacle?" she teases.
ReplyDelete"Sorry," he says softly and makes his way inside.
ReplyDeleteEmotionally drained and still sore from her morning fights, Aara sits in a comfortable armchair near the window in the common room. Opening the book again, she smiles at a well-done drawing of her above the title.
ReplyDeleteGoddard sits in the common room as well but gives Aara some space. "New poems?" he asks.
ReplyDeleteShe shakes her head. "I ran into Aaron, the man we met in Nuln," she explains. "Long story short, this is..." she laughs. "This is my obituary."
ReplyDeleteHe looks stunned. "That fast?"
ReplyDeleteShe shakes her head. "Nuur'eni, we've been gone more than a year."
ReplyDelete"What?! That can't be right. That doesn't make any sense!"
ReplyDeleteShe turns to the first page and hands it to him. It has each of their names with their date of birth and date of disappearance. "It's Arabyan, but that's our names and dates- minus your birth year and Gath's date, since I didn't know it and it wasn't in my notes. At the bottom it has the year of printing. It's the year after we left Koroush."
ReplyDelete"How can that be? I knew time could move differently but that fast? Wait...does he know how to travel back?" He curls up in his seat again. "Do you...want to try to go back at all?"
ReplyDelete"He offered to find a way, but I can't. Look at what they've done. Koroush built us tombs. There's an epic chronicling our journey. They've made peace...I can't destroy that. I can't leave you," she adds.
ReplyDelete"You knew I'd want to stay?"
ReplyDeleteShe nods. "Why wouldn't you?"
ReplyDelete"It's hard to think of my world without you."
ReplyDeleteShe curls up in his chair with him. "That's the most important reason. Second is that I'm pretty sure I'd get myself killed either by a god or an angry mob who doesn't know half elves exist," she laughs softly.
ReplyDelete"You might become a human again," he frowns. "But the gods are a bigger fear. We all escaped. They will most likely not be happy."
ReplyDelete"I don't want to go anywhere you're not." She opens to the end of the book, showing two large tombs side by side covered in flowers. "Look, we have fancy tombs next to my Ustadh."
ReplyDelete"I never thought I'd see my own grave. It's...interesting."
ReplyDelete"Mine has my mark on the door in ebony and garnet," she tells him, pointing it out. "Yours has a scythe and some magic symbol in silver with amethysts. Rayya and Koroush did well, I think."
ReplyDeleteHe wraps his arms around her and nuzzles her shoulder. "Is that whole book our epic story? And is it told as epic as it had happened?"
ReplyDelete"It's mostly mine, but turns into ours. It starts from when I was a little girl, not long before my brother Tarik died on the docks. Ali and Siba must have filled in that part. Then there's my journals- I'd left a copy of them with Koroush- and letters to Rayya and Siba. It's all here, right up until we parted from Koroush in the desert. And yes," she adds, "the poem is told just as unbelievably as it happened."
ReplyDelete"I hope getting this doesn't upset you or else I'll have to hunt him down and feed him the book."
ReplyDelete"A little, but only because I realized that part of our lives is over. And the poem is really sad at the end. It says that we walked hand in hand into an unknown destiny, never found but never alone."
ReplyDelete"Was it that obvious that we were going to be together forever?" Goddard chuckles.
ReplyDelete"Maybe it was. Rayya had high hopes and dreams of a grand wedding," she laughs.
ReplyDelete"My own grave, I could imagine, me in a wedding?" he laughs.
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "I can't imagine it either." She holds the book to her chest. "He asked to come see us."
ReplyDelete"That...that'd be just fine," he smiles.
ReplyDelete"You could say no. I know you didn't like him..."
ReplyDelete"No no it's fine. It doesn't matter if I dislike him for being one hell of a story teller. You want to talk with him so it's fine."
ReplyDelete"I could always meet him somewhere else," she offers. "Then you won't have to see him at all."
ReplyDelete"I don't mind and at this point, after seeing what I've seen, maybe he wasn't completely full of bat shit."
ReplyDeleteShe blinks rapidly, her body tensing. "You aren't really saying that you think we'll actually become lovers, do you?"
ReplyDeleteGoddard laughs. "I didn't mean that exactly. But maybe part of it isn't as made up as I thought. You do what you want to do. Doesn't matter what some gypsy or whatever says."
ReplyDelete"And if I don't want to do anything?"
ReplyDeleteGoddard shrugs. "You don't have to either."
ReplyDelete"If he annoys you, I'll take him and Two for a walk," she promises. "Now what were you so upset over downstairs?"
ReplyDelete"Two didn't tell you? I thought for sure he would have went running to you and exaggerated everything."
ReplyDelete"He didn't tell me anything. I was pretty upset when he came for me..."
ReplyDelete"Do you even want to know?" he chuckles. "Now that I think about it, it wasn't anything for me to get that upset over it."
ReplyDelete"Then no."
ReplyDelete"It was stupid. I was being stupid. Gill gives me drinks I've never had and some get to me much faster than I'm used to."
ReplyDeleteHe looks over at the clock in the room. "So was he coming today or tomorrow? I should probably go make sure Gath knows not to ruin your visit."
"I told him to wait a day or two," she explains. "I'm curious to hear how he got here, and what he's been doing in Araby for a year." She giggles. "And apparently I have to have a talk with our friendly neighborhood bartender. He might be working his way to seducing you."
ReplyDeleteGoddard stares at her a moment then laughs. "You're joking."
ReplyDelete"I wouldn't put it past him to educate us in the ways of an open agreement," she laughs. "Maybe Tallyn will make me his student..."
ReplyDelete"Us?" Goddard wrinkles his nose.
ReplyDeleteShe rolls her eyes and wiggles in his lap. "Please don't try and tell me you know how to handle this. I handled yesterday's event perfectly, and you were a wreck." She bats her lashes up at him.
ReplyDelete"Only because this isn't something you wanted to do or seemed interested in."
ReplyDelete"As a human, I felt like I had to be greedy. As we discussed before, things are different now. Not that I'm ever going to stop being greedy," she laughs, nibbling his earlobe.
ReplyDelete"Things may be different but they are still the same in some ways. I feel I have to wait for them all to catch up before I can stop panicking."
ReplyDeleteShe grins and kisses his cheek. "We'll catch up. It might take us awhile, and we'll probably fight a lot, but it'll happen."
ReplyDeleteHe smiles and nibbles her ear. "We have plenty of time now to be together and work out anything together."
ReplyDeleteShe shivers, her ear twitching. "That sounds like a plan."
ReplyDelete"No more adventures for today?"
ReplyDelete"I don't intend to go anywhere."
ReplyDelete"Good. You disappear too often. Not even I can make things disappear."
ReplyDelete"I do?"
ReplyDeleteGoddard chuckles. "It may have been cheating a bit to climb out the window, but it was still disappearing in a way."
ReplyDelete"That was just one time."
ReplyDelete"You didn't come back with your armor and there was no way I was going to try and find you."
ReplyDelete"I was talking with Aaron. And I did tell you I was going out to get it, I just didn't plan to get distracted." She smiles and toys with his hair. "You're so paranoid, nuur'eni."
ReplyDelete"After everything I've recently been through, I should be allowed to be as paranoid as I want."
ReplyDeleteShe lays her head against his shoulder. "You can, but you know it's unnecessary."
ReplyDelete"If it keeps us all alive, it's perfectly necessary."
ReplyDeleteGath steps out of his room and walks across the common room to leave.
"You aren't going downstairs to drink are you?" Goddard asks.
Gath stops. "What if I am?"
Goddard furrows his brow. "Could you not? I don't want you getting Gill mad and kicking us out."
Gath narrows his eyes. "Fine. I'll silently wander around everywhere but here."
She snickers and lifts her hands, bangles jingling. "All right, nuur'eni. I'll tell you before I disappear next time. And take Two for safety."
ReplyDeleteTwo comes out of his room, hair damp. "Four, I'll be downstairs," he says as hesafety, ruffling her hair. "Music. Dancing. Such."
"Don't go far," she tells him.
Gath's eyes turn to Aara and before he can say anything, Goddard stops him. "If you can't say anything nice, then shut up."
ReplyDelete"I see. Well, my lord, since you seem safe here, my services are not needed and my company is certainly not wanted," he says flatly before he turns and leaves.
Goddard sighs. "I think I made him mad."
"Why is he like that?" she groans. "I'm exhausted trying to be nice to him."
ReplyDelete"You don't have to be nice to him if you don't want to."
ReplyDelete"We all have to live together," she mumbles. "I have tried, Goddard. I thought he and I were friends, but I don't know what happened when we got here. He's...prickly. And I explained what happened yesterday."
ReplyDelete"That might still be there. That friendship. I just don't think he likes anyone else seeing anything like that? No witnesses to kindness."
ReplyDelete"He needs to get over himself." Her expression changes and be yes twinkle. "Want to see my armor?"
ReplyDelete"He has to adjust like everyone else?" Goddard shrugs. He then smiles and nods. "Sure."
ReplyDeleteShe jumps up and runs to her room, closing the door behind her. Opening the box, she smiles at the blood red ribbons Two must have bought for it. Silk was a good choice, she muses. Stronger than leather and it won't break as fast.
ReplyDeleteAfter changing into a black shirt and pants, she gets into her armor quickly, lacing the ribbons through it. After braiding her hair, she ties on her leather mask and looks in the mirror.
"Good gods..." she breathes. "It really is gorgeous." Going back out, she holds her arms out. "What do you think?"
Goddard's eyes go wide. "Oh I love it! And not just because it's on you. It really is beautiful. Like it was made just for you."
ReplyDelete"I know! It was custom made forever ago, but whoever ordered it never picked it up and it's been a display ever since. He only sold it to me because I got new scabbards and sheaths to match." She turns to show him the harness holding her scimitars. "There's a short cloak to match with slits so my harness passes through instead of bunching. It's much easier to draw this way."
ReplyDelete"Maybe it was forgotten then so you could get it now. Should we go find a gypsy and ask?" he chuckles.
ReplyDelete"Are you sure about that?" Her eyes crinkle above her mask. "My experience with gypsies has been pretty good. Nobody else ever gave me a charm against undead."
ReplyDelete"We wouldn't need charms for such things if people would just leave the dead dead."
ReplyDelete"But it goes with my whole assassin look."
ReplyDelete"It does. Oh speaking of looks and assassin and such, that spell that you can do that you won't admit to quiet yet, Gath figured out how to draw what I'm going to call temporary tattoos. You could have something every day if you wanted."
ReplyDelete"Really? That's interesting...is it a spell you can do?"
ReplyDelete"I've been looking at other, more destructive spells," he admits. "I've only looked at it enough to help Gath and you understand it."
ReplyDeleteShe smiles behind her mask and pats his arm. "That's sweet, helping him like that. Maybe one day I'll .earn a little magic and you can help me."
ReplyDelete"He seemed like he liked the lesson. Just like you will soon enough," he grins.
ReplyDeleteShe bats her eyelashes at him and pulls her mask off. "I've enjoyed all your lessons."
ReplyDelete"Those are completely different lessons."
ReplyDeleteShe glances down demurely. "But fun nonetheless." Opening her eyes wide, she looks up at him. "I'm sure if I had those kinds of lessons I'd .earn some magic..."
ReplyDeleteHe grins. "You don't have to ask me for those kinds of lessons."
ReplyDeleteShe grins back and steps closer to kiss him. "I don't have to ask you for the magic kind, either," she tells him. She snaps, and her fingers spark like she'd used the potion he'd given her weeks ago in the Empire.
ReplyDeleteGoddard looks shocked. "You figured it out? All on your own?"
ReplyDelete"Not really..." she says with a slight grimace. "Hera told me."
ReplyDelete"Oh. So you had someone else you had never met before teach you instead of me, who has been pestering you to sit down with me to learn?"
ReplyDelete"Nuur'eni, we had just argued, and I was talking with her and telling her I didn't know what you'd been talking about. That's when she showed me." She puts a hand on his arm. "I wanted to surprise you, that's all."
ReplyDelete"And even after we reconciled, at least I thought we did, you still didn't tell me. Instead you tried to convince me I didn't know what I was talking about. I am indeed surprised."
ReplyDelete"I played dumb because I wanted to show you I could do it. That I was smart enough to do it."
ReplyDelete"I know you're smart lecai," he sighs, feeling terrible. "Magic doesn't necessarily have to do with smarts. It's about practice and persistence and I know you would excell at that too. I just wanted to be there for you. For all those times I told you that you would explode...you could finally do something you wanted to do."
ReplyDelete"When it occurred to me what must have happened, I almost came to you anyway, but I wanted to see your face when I showed you the first time...I just didn't expect you to be so upset. I'm sorry, hyati."
ReplyDelete"I'm sorry too."
ReplyDeleteHe takes her hands and smiles. "I am proud of you. I can't wait to see what else you can do with it."
She smiles and makes a small sweeping gesture, and all the lights in the room go out. "Shit."
ReplyDeleteGoddard claps. "Very good lecai. A master of putting out every light. I'd suggest you all practice together but I have a feeling that wouldn't go very well."
ReplyDelete"I didn't mean for them all to go out. But maybe..." Taking a deep breath, she focuses and tries again, getting the lamps and candles lit one by one. Opening one eye, she looks around before clapping and smiling.
ReplyDelete"Very good," he laughs. "I did find out I can do something very similar except...I'll just show you." Every light quickly dims and becomes a strange purple color. The walls seem to moan and creak and a mist gathers around their feet.
ReplyDeleteAara makes a surprised sound and moves closer to him, gripping his arm.
ReplyDeleteAs quickly as everything had changed, it all goes back to normal. "Now I can be even more terrifying."
ReplyDelete"As if you needed more ways."
ReplyDelete"I have become significantly less terrifying ever since we've gotten here. I'm not as strange looking as I was before."
ReplyDelete"I know," she pouts. "I kind of miss the face that thought me to kiss, but the nose is an even trade."
ReplyDelete"You miss that awful face? Oh I was good then. Convinced you I was handsome and worth kissing."
ReplyDelete"It wasn't an awful face," she insists. "Kissing you with lips the first time was strange and awkward."
ReplyDelete"I hope you like this face better. It took a lot of work to look this good without an illusion."
ReplyDelete"Of course I do."
ReplyDelete"Good," he grins. "I like this face much better too."
ReplyDelete"I better get out of this," she says, blushing.
ReplyDeleteHe nods. "Armor isn't the most comfortable thing to be in, well, unless it's while you're fighting to save your life. Being alive and uninjured seems like a fair trade."
ReplyDelete"This is pretty comfortable." She goes into a back bend to show him. "Quiet, too. He did a good job."
ReplyDelete"It's really beautiful. Gath's armor is beautiful too and here I am, in robes like a slob," he laughs. "Does Two have beautiful armor too?"
ReplyDeleteShe hisses coming back up. "He has his scales from Araby. It's a very nice set."
ReplyDelete"But it doesn't have amazing roses or skulls," he nods. "So I don't have to be jealous of his armor."
ReplyDeleteShe goes into her room, unlacing as she goes. "It has a story engraved in pieces," she tells him. "It's a myth about an ancient hero."
ReplyDelete"But skulls and roses," he insists. "I need robes with crows now."
ReplyDelete"Why crows? You've never thought much of them before."
ReplyDeleteGoddard chuckles. "Crows, roses, thorns, skulls. It's all Morr. Even in this place, my spells still seem to have the same feel and even if it isn't called Morr here, death exists everywhere."
ReplyDelete"I suppose." She changes from her snug black shirt for a long tunic and unbraids her hair. Shaking out her waves, she comes back into the common room and pours a cup of wine.
ReplyDeleteGoddard lounges on one of the couches and looks up at the ceiling. "It's so calm and quiet."
ReplyDeleteShe smiles and gestures for him to lift his head so she can sit. "Hush, you'll jinx it and it'll be over," she whispers, massaging his scalp.
ReplyDeleteHe closes his eyes and hums an agreement. "But, it feels too calm and it feels strange."
ReplyDelete"I know. It feels odd to not be constantly on the move and risking our lives."
ReplyDelete"I'm sure with enough time, I could get used to this," he grins. "But we'll have to do something to pay for this place. Hopefully it's nothing too insane."
ReplyDelete"I know. I feel like we're living on borrowed time. I mean, we could probably manage the first month, but I haven't asked what our rate is yet..."
ReplyDeleteGoddard opens his eyes. "I...I thought you worked that out with them."
ReplyDeleteShe shakes her head. "He just said he'd bill us every 30 days. I'm sure we could go talk to them now."
ReplyDeleteGoddard sits up. "Yes! Because I don't want to get a bill for thousands of coins we don't have and then we end up on the streets! Cold! And tubless!"
ReplyDeleteShe raises a brow at him. "Goddard, we have slept in mud and lives in palaces. This inn is very nice, but hardly worth thousands." Getting up, she holds out a hand to him. "Let's find Tallyn and find out."
ReplyDelete"It's different when it's the woods. That's camping. And I have no idea how much a palace would cost anyway. I've always had a home. For free."
ReplyDelete"All right, love. We'll find out, and if we can't afford it, we'll see if Aaron needs a neighbor in the Hive."
ReplyDeleteDownstairs, she asks for Tallyn at the bar and waits.
Goddard leans against the bar. "I wonder what kinds of things we could do for money. Maybe they have a job here I could do but...do I really want them to be my superiors?"
ReplyDelete"Oh, I do love that idea," Tallyn croons behind them. "Sweetheart, you can be my private dancing girl and the nuur'ninny can wash dishes."
ReplyDeleteAara laughs softly as he comes from behind the bar to bow over her hand before tugging her close to give her a lingering kiss on the cheek.
Goddard shrugs. "I can clean whatever or cook. Did just that for years anyway."
ReplyDeleteAara shoots him a disappointed glance before untangling herself from Tallyn. "Sadly, I'm a terrible dancer," she quips. "Tallyn, can we talk privately?"
ReplyDeleteHe nods, looking between the two, and leads them behind the bar and through the kitchen to an office littered with books, ledgers, and papers. Gesturing for them to sit, he takes his place behind his desk.
"What can I do for you?"
Goddard looks confused and then furrows his brow. When they sit down together, he puts an arm around her and holds her close.
ReplyDelete"Well. Ah...it's come to our attention that you never actually told us what our rate would be," she says nervously.
ReplyDelete"Ah. I see." Tallyn opens a ledger and compares it to one already open on his desk. "Let's see...the typical rate, upkeep of indented rooms...discounted...how long do you plan to stay?"
Aara glances at Goddard and shrugs.
"Um...date pending?" Goddard shrugs.
ReplyDelete"So indefinitely." He makes a few notes before jotting them into his ledger. "Normally, I would have you sign a contract renting the apartment at a set rate per month. I'll have the papers drawn up when my assistant isn't drinking across town. But for room, meals, limited use of the bar, laundry services, and a bit for security, you're looking at five hundred gold a month."
ReplyDeleteAara nods. We can do that for a while...
"That doesn't sound too bad and I'd take you up on that dishes thing until I found something else."
ReplyDeleteTallyn cocks an eyebrow. "Very well then, you can begin tomorrow night. When would you like to make your first payment?"
ReplyDelete"Um. Tomorrow?" She asks. "Two will have to give me his share."
Tallyn waves. "Fine. I'll come see you when I have the contract ready."
"Sounds good Sunny."
ReplyDeleteTallyn gives him a brilliant smile. "My pleasure, nuur'ninny. By the way, since he'll be busy tomorrow night, would you like to have dinner with me, Aara? Gill has an engagement and will be out."
ReplyDelete"Oh," she says, stunned a little. "Um. Maybe?"
It takes Goddard a few seconds but he tenses up and sits straight, putting his other arm around Aara.
ReplyDeleteTallyn's smile never wavers. "I hope you'll have an answer for me tomorrow. Until then, enjoy the music and dancing. Our Kote is quite good." He rises and gestures to the door.
ReplyDelete"What do you want to do lecai? Go back up and relax or stay down here?"
ReplyDeleteShe shrugs. "It doesn't really matter."
ReplyDelete"Hmm let's go back up so I don't have to share with everyone."
ReplyDeleteShe nods, catching a glimpse of Two talking and laughing with Kryn. Upstairs, she closes the door and leans against it. "Next time I see Gill I'm going to ask him to get Tallyn to ease off a little," she chuckles.
ReplyDelete"Oh...but I thought...alright," he chuckles. "Why not just tell him yourself? Or...do you want me to?"
ReplyDelete"He's just so persistent," she laughs. "And he's better than Two. Not as good as you," she adds, plopping onto a couch and lying down.
ReplyDelete"Ah well I'll make sure he knows to back off," he grins.
ReplyDeleteShe raises her eyebrows. "Oh? And how will you do that, my love?"
ReplyDelete"I'm not sure," he mumbles. "You weren't supposed to ask me how!"
ReplyDeleteShe laughs. "I'm sorry, Nuur'eni. Come here and let me make it up to you."
ReplyDelete"Are you sure you'll be able to? Might take a lot to make up for that," he snickers and climbs onto the couch with her.
ReplyDelete"I think I'm up to the challenge," she assures him, hooking a leg over his hip.
ReplyDeleteAara and Goddard are so distracted with each other that they don't notice when Gath walks into the apartment and interrupts them.
ReplyDelete"Taking advantage of everyone else being out I see."
"Well someone should," she giggles.
ReplyDeleteGath takes a breath then pauses. "Nevermind. I'm not supposed to speak," he says in his usual flat monotone.
ReplyDeleteGoddard frowns, unsure if he's actually mad at him or not.
Gath silently walks past them and into his room, carrying a few strangely shaped bundles.
"Did you tell him that?" she asks.
ReplyDelete"Well I told him if he can't say anything nice, to not anything at all and I guess he just figures it'd be fun to bother me with it now," he sighs.
ReplyDelete"That's a great idea! I'll tell Two if he can't say something not stupid he can't say anything at all and we'll live in blissful silence the rest of our days."
ReplyDeleteHe raises a brow. "I can't tell if you're serious or trying to tell me I shouldn't have said that..."
ReplyDelete"A little of both, hayati."
ReplyDeleteGoddard lays his head on her chest. "I just wanted you to be happy. I thought if he shut up, you wouldn't have to deal with whatever he has to say and I thought if he needed to lash out, he'd just do it to me. I suppose I wasn't wrong..."
ReplyDelete"I appreciate it, I really do. But I adamantly asked you not to say anything to him, and that I would deal with it in my own." She lifts his head. "How can I do that now?"
ReplyDelete"This wasn't just for that one time. This for all the other times before and potential future times for you and Aaron and Gill and Tallyn and so on. All we need is for him to say something smart to Gill at the bat and we may not have to worry about the monthly payments."
ReplyDelete"He is pretty touchy. He's got to let go of some of that ego if he's going to make any friends."
ReplyDelete"I don't think it's all ego. Let's just say he's had what I would consider a traumatic experience with love and trust."
ReplyDelete"I see. It would just be nice if he'd at least try to trust us. I thought he was in the pit..."
ReplyDelete"I think he wants to but I think in his mind he's still very much a druchii and life is the same, which makes sense. How do you adjust to something different after 300 years of the same thing? To him, the moment he let's his guard down or takes off his mask, is the moment he ends up dead."
ReplyDelete"Maybe he should embrace the idea and go crazy like us," she snickers.
ReplyDeleteGoddard suddenly hugs Aara tightly. "He was in love," he whispers. "And he had to kill her. I don't know what I'd be like if I had to do that. Even if it was to defend myself."
ReplyDeleteHer heart breaks for him. "That's terrible." she whispers, fisting her hands in his robes. "That was my biggest fear with those books."
ReplyDelete"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that lecai."
ReplyDelete"Don't be. Every horror we went through has been worth it." She lifts his head again so he can look at her. "Every single one."
ReplyDeleteHe smiles. "No matter what it is, if you're involved, it'll always be worth it."
ReplyDeleteShe kisses him softly. "I love you. So I'm going to pretend that I'm hungry and go downstairs for dinner so you can go smooth your retainers feathers."
ReplyDeleteGoddard frowns. "But lecai...what am I supposed to do? What should I say?"
ReplyDelete"I don't know. Tell him he can talk for one. Apologize for yelling at him yesterday. Apologize for your crazy paranoid behavior earlier." Sheifts her hips against his with a grin. "Work it out and I'll reward you later."
ReplyDelete"I think...you should just be around or something..."
ReplyDeleteShe laughs softly. "Are you afraid to be alone with him? It'll be hard to have khyrkyn that way."
ReplyDelete"I am and yes! Exactly! You don't want that to happen do you?"
ReplyDelete"How many times do you have to hear me tell you that it doesn't matter? Go rut with whoever you want, wherever you want, just so long as you and I are in the same bed at night."
ReplyDelete"You could probably tell me a million times and I'd still be paranoid," he laughs and kisses her along her jaw.
ReplyDelete