rp: main topic Craethiel Kingdom

[Aura]

Natia was relieved to see Glenda return with a bag to conceal her clothes. She wouldn't have to be embarrassed walking out anymore... She allowed her eyes to surf the selection of clothing with curiosity, but the majority of clothes weren't likely going to fit her... She was certain that looking hard enough, she could find more dresses she liked, but she didn't want to take too much time. She was quite excited just to get back to try on the ones she'd already picked out! Rowan had already selected some casual dresses for her earlier, so she didn't have anything to worry about on that front. When finally prompted with the question, Natia glanced back at Glenda before looking up at Rowan. Of course, she wouldn't forget that Rowan had important business to take care of, too. They were here mainly just to get her clothes, not to look at these... 'exotic' dresses. 

"Unfortunately, I do think we should probably be on our way... but!" Natia put on a bright smile as she met Glenda's eyes. "I'll definitely come back another day! And I hope to spread the word of this lovely store! Er... probably not this part of it, though..." she trailed off a bit awkwardly before gently hooking her arm around Rowan's and hugging on to him. "For now, though, unless there are any suggestions...~" She looked playfully up at Rowan, still hanging off of his arm like a child with her signature cheeky grin.

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan blinked when he felt Natia’s arms hooking around his arm. He looked down at her as she looked up at him with a cheeky smile, and he returned the smile with one of his own, “I can look again, can I?” He jokingly asked before pulling his arm from her and instead wrapping it around her shoulders so that he could pull her close to his side in a hug. He then shifted to look at Glenda as she had followed Natia out from behind the screen, “I don’t think I have any suggestions right now. So when can I expect her dresses to be finished?” He asked. 

“I should have the other dresses finished for you by tomorrow morning, dear.” Glenda assured him with a smile.

“Grand. We’ll come by just before we leave town, then. Thank you very much for your help, and I hope that other patron doesn’t cause you any additional trouble.” Rowan said with a slight bow.

Glenda flickered her fingers at him, “Think nothing of it, dearie. He needs me more than I need him. I’m the best in town, so if he wants the best then he can’t do anything to me.” She assured him with a smile.

“Even so, if you have any trouble, let me know.” Rowan said, pulling his coin purse from where it was hidden within his clothes before opening it up and pulling out several gold coins which he handed to Glenda, “A little extra, for the help you’ve given us.” He said.

“That’s mighty generous of you, sir. I greatly appreciate it.” Glenda said with a smile as she accepted the money. Rowan then looked back at Natia and said, “Come on, we should get ourselves a room at the inn and maybe something to eat.” He bowed his head against at Glenda before he lead Natia out of the small room and onto the main floor of the shop. He gave Glenda’s daughter a smile before they left the shop itself, where they found Baellator nervously waiting for them. He snorted when he saw the two, and Rowan could almost sense his relief. The large horse shoved its nose towards Rowan, to which he petted him gently before Baellator moved to nuzzle Natia which caused Rowan to smile, “Do you want to get back on him, or walk to the Inn? It’s not too far from where we are.” He then asked Natia.

[Aura]

Natia watched curiously as Rowan pulled the coins out of his purse. The concept of currency still baffled her. They were just tiny slabs of metal. Sure, they were pretty and maybe rare, but they didn't seem to have any practical value beyond that. It's not like these coins were used to decorate or wear... what did people need money for so badly that they'd do so much for it? Even with Rowan's explanations, it was an issue she just couldn't wrap her mind around. After all Glenda had done for them both, it felt wrong to only offer these coins as compensation. The Aequu would often exchange favors with favors, they didn't want to see another of their kind falter so they would simply help without question. It seemed that both Glenda and Rowan held true to those same values, yet their lives still revolved so heavily around these pieces of metal... It just seemed so... restrictive... 

Regardless, she could tell that these limitations hardly seemed to apply to Rowan for one reason or another. He didn't seem to hesitate to spend lots of money at once... But it made her worry about the well being of hard workers like Glenda who have to deal with creeps like that man from before. She shuddered at the thought and before she knew it, the group was exchanging farewells and then Rowan and her had made their way outside where she was met by Baellator's eager face nuzzling against her's. Natia let out a giggle and daintily wrapped her arms around his snout. 

"Oh? If it's not too far, I think I can walk... Baellator deserves a break from carrying us, I think. Isn't that right?" She softly patted the horse's cheek. "You're such a good horse." She smiled up at the loyal creature.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Aura

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Baellator let out an indignant sounding snort when she called him a horse, causing Rowan to chuckle softly, “Well, he’s an Aelda. Not a horse, my love. I’ll explain the differences a little later. I don’t think Baellator minds us riding him; for him it would be like us carrying a stuffed doll.” He gave Baellator a rough thump on his shoulder, causing the animal to lift his head and snort. He stomped his large feet for a moment, looking quite smug. It was clear that he was very proud of his physical strength but then he made a horse look quite small and puny in comparison. Rowan then went on to say, “That said… I think I would prefer to stretch my legs a little. We’ve been riding all day, and a nice little walk will help ease stiffened muscles.” 

Keeping his arm around Natia, he turned them down the street and began to walk. Baellator fell in step behind them, his nose lightly touching Rowan’s shoulder. The square was still quite busy, but people easily moved around them due to the huge beast that was trailing the two. Rowan glanced around before commenting, “Well, that’s certainly one advantage to a big guy like you, Baellator.” The Aelda snorted, sounding almost amused as the air from his snort ruffled Rowan’s hair. Thankfully, the street that they wanted was not far away, for which he was glad for. He knew how uncomfortable Natia was with crowds, and he didn’t particularly want to push his way through them. 

As they stepped onto the much emptier street, Rowan said, “The Inn I’m taking you to is quite a nice one. If you’re hungry, we can get something to eat. The food is pretty good. Hopefully the stable master there will also have a saddle that will fit Baellator.” He frowned a little, a little doubtful on that fact as horses never came in his size. When he got home, he was going to have to have a special saddle made for him. If the sabblemaster didn't have a saddle large enough, he was going to have to stick with riding bareback. 

[Aura]

"Hehe, I know I know," Natia urged after seeing Baellator's reaction to being called a horse. "And you're a beautiful Aelda at that~" She continued, continuing Rowan's correction with some added flattery. She nodded in agreement to Rowan as he proposed they walk the rest of the way. She had no objections. As much fun as it was riding on the Aelda's back, she felt a little silly and childlike doing so in such a large crowd. And she didn't really appreciate all the eyes on her from being up so high. Plus, getting on and off of Baellator was a bit of a hassle, given her... limitations. With Rowan's arm around her, she snuggled up into his side as they turned down another street. It was a relief to see the crowd parting to avoid Baellator, and she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Rowan's hair being blown by the Aelda's snort. She reached up to gently pat his hair back into place, though as they continued to walk. 

Natia had her doubts about the food being particularly good, having been spoiled on the pure fresh fruits of her home, but it didn't change the fact that she had been growing quite hungry since they'd arrived at the town. Now that she thought on it, there were lots of different scents floating around the marketplace, presumably from a variety of food being sold... They were all strange, not unlike the bread she'd shared with Rowan before. Still, if Rowan insisted the food at this inn is good, then it certainly must beat the porridge they'd been eating up until now. Besides, she'd come to terms with the fact that she had no room to complain with Rowan taking care of her. 

"I would love that! You are too good to me..." She trailed off as she looked up at the handsome man protecting her. How did she ever get so lucky...? 

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

“Only as good as you deserve, my love.” Rowan said with an easy grin down at her as he hugged her a little tighter against his side. Baellator, once again showing that he was far more intelligent than what he appeared, seemed to snort softly and roll his eyes as if in exhasberation at Rowan’s rather cloyingly sweet attitude. Rowan chuckled, as to him he could practically sense Baellator’s amused annoyance. With his free hand he reached up to gently pet the soft nose of the Aelda. He then came to a stop when they came across an Inn. The building looked in very good condition, and looked relatively clean compared to the market. The heavy, polished oak door was open and they could hear some laughter drifting out of it. On the side of the building stood a stable, where a stable master was busy sweeping up some hay from the flagstones. 

Rowan moved again, leading them over to this man who looked up as they approached. The man cast an appreciative glance over the hulk of Baellator before commenting, “That’s a fine beast ye have there, if you don’t me sayin’ good sir.” 

“Thank you. I would appreciate it if you could take care of him while we’re inside. He’s pretty smart; he’ll follow you to a stall.” Rowan said, glancing down the row of stalls where they could see a horse head peering out of one of the stalls and looking at them with interest. He looked back at the stable master and added, “And if you’re able to find any saddles large enough, I would be grateful.”

The stable master looked at Baellator again, before he looked a little unsure, “I can try, good sir. But I’ve never seen a ‘orse that big afore. Not sure if I can find anythin’. But I’ll try.” He said.

“Thank you.” Rowan said with a smile before he reached into his coin purse before passing over a few coins that caused the mans face to light up, “Thank ya, kind sir.” The stable master said happily, his fist clenching around the coins. Rowan then smacked Baellator on the shoulder, “Go with the stable master now.” He said. Baellator snorted, nudging Rowan a little in return before he nuzzled Natia. He then turned and followed the stable master towards the stalls.

“Right, while he’s being cared for, we can get something to eat.” Rowan said to Natia. A little reluctantly, he turned away from Baellator and headed into the Inn itself. As they stepped in, it was immediately noticeable that it was warmer inside than it was outside, but not unpleasantly so. It also wasn’t that busy, as most people around this time of the day were out at work. It was unlikely to get busy until the end of the work day, where people came to relax and spend time with their friends. Still holding onto Natia, he took her to one corner of the common room that was the least busy. It also allowed them a good view of the entire room, and he figured that Natia would be far more comfortable with her back to the wall, where no one could be hovering behind her.

He sat down on the bench with his back against the wall, patting the bench beside him with a smile, “Come and sit down, love.” He encouraged. He glanced around, spying that the bartender was busy with a few patrons thus it was likely to be a few minutes before they were served.

[Mr.X]

There is one guy wearing a piece of full plate armor and brings a piece of shield and long sword which the most materials were made by the mix of orichalcum and mythril, giving him the best defense for a while or maybe there is some thing better than it. This guy just walks away from the two people who are chatting while bringing a bag full of dead goblins to be changed to few bags of gold coins as his loot. He seeming doesn't care about anyone or any who which was taking and just walking and passing by as wind flows. He is currently walking towards a guild to submit his loot which consists of dead goblins, most were used as a cheap magic materials maybe. He just happen to finish his missions on killing all goblins in their cave and leaving no children or baby goblins behind, he happened to kill all of them before hand.

Well, his walk is slightly tattered since he is killing that bunch of goblins with no magic at all since he is just an ordinary human behind his gallant yet strong English style armor. He just walk away from them with his tattered feet that he hide behind his armor, maybe it was happened due to the cuts that he experienced due to facing a huge number of goblins directly in their nest.

[Aura]

On 12/20/2019 at 4:49 PM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

“Only as good as you deserve, my love.” Rowan said with an easy grin down at her as he hugged her a little tighter against his side. Baellator, once again showing that he was far more intelligent than what he appeared, seemed to snort softly and roll his eyes as if in exhasberation at Rowan’s rather cloyingly sweet attitude. Rowan chuckled, as to him he could practically sense Baellator’s amused annoyance. With his free hand he reached up to gently pet the soft nose of the Aelda. He then came to a stop when they came across an Inn. The building looked in very good condition, and looked relatively clean compared to the market. The heavy, polished oak door was open and they could hear some laughter drifting out of it. On the side of the building stood a stable, where a stable master was busy sweeping up some hay from the flagstones. 

Rowan moved again, leading them over to this man who looked up as they approached. The man cast an appreciative glance over the hulk of Baellator before commenting, “That’s a fine beast ye have there, if you don’t me sayin’ good sir.” 

“Thank you. I would appreciate it if you could take care of him while we’re inside. He’s pretty smart; he’ll follow you to a stall.” Rowan said, glancing down the row of stalls where they could see a horse head peering out of one of the stalls and looking at them with interest. He looked back at the stable master and added, “And if you’re able to find any saddles large enough, I would be grateful.”

The stable master looked at Baellator again, before he looked a little unsure, “I can try, good sir. But I’ve never seen a ‘orse that big afore. Not sure if I can find anythin’. But I’ll try.” He said.

“Thank you.” Rowan said with a smile before he reached into his coin purse before passing over a few coins that caused the mans face to light up, “Thank ya, kind sir.” The stable master said happily, his fist clenching around the coins. Rowan then smacked Baellator on the shoulder, “Go with the stable master now.” He said. Baellator snorted, nudging Rowan a little in return before he nuzzled Natia. He then turned and followed the stable master towards the stalls.

“Right, while he’s being cared for, we can get something to eat.” Rowan said to Natia. A little reluctantly, he turned away from Baellator and headed into the Inn itself. As they stepped in, it was immediately noticeable that it was warmer inside than it was outside, but not unpleasantly so. It also wasn’t that busy, as most people around this time of the day were out at work. It was unlikely to get busy until the end of the work day, where people came to relax and spend time with their friends. Still holding onto Natia, he took her to one corner of the common room that was the least busy. It also allowed them a good view of the entire room, and he figured that Natia would be far more comfortable with her back to the wall, where no one could be hovering behind her.

He sat down on the bench with his back against the wall, patting the bench beside him with a smile, “Come and sit down, love.” He encouraged. He glanced around, spying that the bartender was busy with a few patrons thus it was likely to be a few minutes before they were served.

Natia was in pure bliss, not paying any mind to the teasing from Baellator, as she was coddled so closely with her love and they were on their way to the inn where she would enjoy her time alone with him. Of course, there was still a sense of unease inside her. Sure, they were about to spend some time relaxing and having fun together, but Rowan was going on a dangerous mission not long after... But he would handle it. He didn't want her to be worried about something like that right now and she didn't either! Now was the only time in a while they'd probably have a chance to be together in a comfortable room. They'd had so much fun out there in the wilderness... just how intense would things be here? 

Of course, they had to drop Baellator off. Natia was very curious about this process. She stood silently by Rowan's side as he handled all of the business while her eyes wandered along the various horses inside the stable. She would have thought that, in such a confined place, they'd look miserable. But they all seemed to be surprisingly content. She was sure the horses back home would never be happy in a place like this, but she supposed it just went to show just how different of worlds they were from. 

She was awakened from her train of thought by Baellator's giant head nuzzling her, nearly pushing her over since she wasn't quite paying attention. Still, she just giggled and hugged the sweet horse back. "We'll be back soon, Baellator! I love you~" She planted a gentle kiss on his muzzle before releasing him and watching him walk toward the stable which seemed to shrink as he got closer... she started to wonder if he would even fit inside...

When it was suggested to her that it was time to eat, Natia nodded in agreement and happily reached out to hold Rowan's hand, practically skipping with joy as the two wandered into the inn. Of course she loved having Baellator around, but it was also nice to actually have some alone time with Rowan. Baellator seemed a bit too intelligent for his own good sometimes. The two took their seats in a small table in the corner. Rowan patted the seat next to him but, the mischievous girl had other plans. She crawled into Rowan's lap and draped her arm around his neck, giggling happily as she took her place. Maybe she'd have to get off to eat, but for now there was no reason she couldn't be as close to Rowan as possible...

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan blinked in surprise when Natia had the confidence to crawl up on his lap in front of the other patrons of the Inn. He saw a few glances in their direction, some with admiration, and others with open envy. It made Rowan feel quite smug, and he felt lucky that it was he that Natia was looking at with those beautiful eyes filled with love. Granted, he had saved her life back in the forest, but his gut was telling him that she would have liked him without the heroics. He chuckled slightly, a soft sound deep in his chest before he wrapped his arms around her. One of them moved along the curve of her arse, pulling her closer towards him so that their crotches were lined up perfectly. His other arm wrapped around her back and cuddled her close. He let out a soft sigh of contentment, “Mm. I like this.” He said softly, so only she could hear him. Pulling her flush against his chest, he rested his chin on the top of her head after giving her a soft kiss. He then told her, “After we’ve had something to eat, I’ll rent a room. If you want a bath, I’ll hire the services of their bathing facilities. I think other than that shallow swim in the river, neither of us have bathed.” He wrinkled his nose, hoping that he didn’t smell too offensive. After all, he had been the one to swim in the river as a wolf, which had no doubt given him a bit of a ‘wet dog’ smell.

Just then, a young lady stepped up to their table, “Is there anyhin’ I can get for ye?” She asked, her accent quite thick.

“What do you have?” Rowan asked, stroking a thumb along Natia’s back just in case the sudden appearance of the barmaid had startled her.

“We ‘ave a stew on the fire, and some bread fresh this mornin’. We also ‘ave some steak with some roast potatoes, and greens.” The young woman replied.

“I’ll have the steak.” Rowan told her, before glancing at Natia to see what she wanted.

(Feel free to control the barmaid. She’s a rando NPC)

[Aura]

On 1/13/2020 at 10:24 AM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan blinked in surprise when Natia had the confidence to crawl up on his lap in front of the other patrons of the Inn. He saw a few glances in their direction, some with admiration, and others with open envy. It made Rowan feel quite smug, and he felt lucky that it was he that Natia was looking at with those beautiful eyes filled with love. Granted, he had saved her life back in the forest, but his gut was telling him that she would have liked him without the heroics. He chuckled slightly, a soft sound deep in his chest before he wrapped his arms around her. One of them moved along the curve of her arse, pulling her closer towards him so that their crotches were lined up perfectly. His other arm wrapped around her back and cuddled her close. He let out a soft sigh of contentment, “Mm. I like this.” He said softly, so only she could hear him. Pulling her flush against his chest, he rested his chin on the top of her head after giving her a soft kiss. He then told her, “After we’ve had something to eat, I’ll rent a room. If you want a bath, I’ll hire the services of their bathing facilities. I think other than that shallow swim in the river, neither of us have bathed.” He wrinkled his nose, hoping that he didn’t smell too offensive. After all, he had been the one to swim in the river as a wolf, which had no doubt given him a bit of a ‘wet dog’ smell.

Just then, a young lady stepped up to their table, “Is there anyhin’ I can get for ye?” She asked, her accent quite thick.

“What do you have?” Rowan asked, stroking a thumb along Natia’s back just in case the sudden appearance of the barmaid had startled her.

“We ‘ave a stew on the fire, and some bread fresh this mornin’. We also ‘ave some steak with some roast potatoes, and greens.” The young woman replied.

“I’ll have the steak.” Rowan told her, before glancing at Natia to see what she wanted.

(Feel free to control the barmaid. She’s a rando NPC)

The longer Natia stared up at Rowan, the deeper in love she fell. It was like a trap she'd stumbled into and yet didn't want to escape from... She didn't care what the passers by thought. She hadn't even noticed the looks they'd been receiving. Nobody had ever made her feel this way before. And as he drew her in with his warm, tender embrace, she just melted into his chest with a wide smile of satisfaction painted across her face. She could fall asleep like this. Nowhere in the world did she feel safer than in the arms of her hero. With her soft head pressed against Rowan's chest, she could feel his heart rate which beat in unison with her own at a much faster rate than normal. Maybe he was nervous just like her... or maybe he was just excited. Either way, she was relieved to know she wasn't the only one with her heart beating out of her chest whether Rowan would admit to it or not. 

With a soft kiss, a matching soft blush spread across Natia's rosy cheeks. Then he brought up the bath, which made her blush for a much different reason. She hadn't even considered that they both must have smelled pretty badly. She'd grown so used to the smell of the wilderness at this point because of how long the two of them had spent in the wilderness without her magic to keep herself clean and tidy. She was a total mess when Rowan found her and though she'd taken the opportunity to clean up, she never was quite able to get that musty smell off of her using just the river. 

However, before she was able to respond to Rowan's suggestion, she was startled by the voice of the maiden at their table. The girl was very pretty and much larger and well-endowed than herself. Not that she was jealous at all, she was just interested. Natia was very curious as to whether or not her body would grow to look something like this one day... The woman reminded her of a beautiful mother and that fact alone brought a smile back to Natia's face. 

As the server began listing off the options, Natia couldn't help but feel a bit dazed and overwhelmed. There were so many words she didn't understand, or at least wasn't able to correlate the human words to the items they referred to. Before she knew it, Rowan had placed his order and all eyes were on herself. Natia shrunk down in embarrassment.

"Can ah' getcha somen'?" The woman asked looking down at her. 

"U-u-mm... I-I'll just have the same thing!" Natia blurted out without much thought. She didn't know what she'd like in a place like this, but she knew that whatever Rowan ordered, she'd be content having the same. 

"Ah'rite, we'll 'ave that right out for ye!" She explained after jotting something down. "Happy honeymoon~" The woman cheered as she turned and walked off, leaving Natia puzzled, her head cocked with curiosity as she watched the woman. She had no clue what a honeymoon was, but it must have had something to do with her position on Rowan's lap. 

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan snorted a little at the adorable look of confusion on Natia’s sweet face. When the barmaid was out of earshot, he said, “A honeymoon is a period after a new marriage. Most of the time, the newly wed couple go on a holiday somewhere else.” He paused before glancing around, “Although I will be honest, I don’t think I would want to come here for our honeymoon.” He then chuckled again before he pulled her close to him once more, wanting to enjoy the close contact and to feel her warm body pressing against his. He also figured that she would enjoy the sound of his beating hearts. 

They had not even been allowed to relax for six seconds when the barmaid was back, “Ay’ forgot t’ ask. Do ye want anythin’ t’ drink?”

If Rowan had not been the kind of person to always remain alert, especially in populated areas, her appearance would have started him. His ear twitched and he automatically tightened his embrace around Natia protectively. He frowned a little before saying, “Ale for me. She will have Well water.” The maid nodded before she walked off again.

“She’s a sneaky one…” Rowan commented softly as he relaxed his hold slightly before saying to explain why he specified for water from the local well, “You don’t want to drink the river water around here. It will make you sick. The well however taps into a nice underground spring and is actually pretty nice. It’s also much safer.” 

Location: Craethiel Wilds, on the outskirts of Lathulla.

Lucius grimaced as he looked up at the sky, the clouds hanging low and heavy. Grey with the threat of an oncoming storm. The grey was tinged slightly with golds and fiery reds from the setting sun that hung lazily over the horizon. He threw another stick into the fire from where he sat on a fallen piece of log, before he glanced over to Aeris who was contently munching on some of the fertile grass that grew in the area, which had made it perfect for farming. He then looked over at another log that was sat by the fire, but it was empty; devoid of anyone. At the sight of it, he felt anger curling up on his stomach and he clenched his fists to prevent himself from shouting in articulate rage.

It seemed that his father had, had a change of heart. Either that, or he had not really agreed to let Lucius take his sister after all. His agreement had been a farce! A sham! Just to lure Lucius into a false sense of security. It made him feel so angry that he had fallen for that trick. But then, he had never thought that his father, a Lord of the Kingdom would ever break his word! Such a thing was disgraceful! Not only that, but he had forbidden Lucius from returning to the manor until he said it was fine for him to return. Lucius knew when that was. No doubt after his father had finally married Ciara off to one of the King’s sons, in the hope that it would buy him favour in court. Lucius had already attempted to sneak back into the manor, but security was so tight it had been impossible. 

Lucius let out a shaking break, trying to keep a lid on his turbulent emotions. He vowed that he would return one day, and break his sister out of that cursed manor. He didn’t ever want to return to his father as his son. He had crossed a line, and Lucius would never forgive him for it. Lucius now wanted to completely strike out on his own, to become his own man instead of trying on the title of his father. He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but there was no doubt some way to get by. Someone with his skills and equipment could no doubt get himself a good amount of high paying jobs. While he had been reluctant in being his father’s heir before, he now certainly didn’t want the position. As far as he was concerned, his father was dead to him. He doubt that his mother had anything to do with this, and fully intended on rescuing his mother as well. Failing that, he could always dispose of his father and take over the manor and his father’s place. But for now, he intended on trying to find some way to get into the manor grounds. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by Neptune
Added content.

[Aura]

On 1/22/2020 at 9:53 PM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan snorted a little at the adorable look of confusion on Natia’s sweet face. When the barmaid was out of earshot, he said, “A honeymoon is a period after a new marriage. Most of the time, the newly wed couple go on a holiday somewhere else.” He paused before glancing around, “Although I will be honest, I don’t think I would want to come here for our honeymoon.” He then chuckled again before he pulled her close to him once more, wanting to enjoy the close contact and to feel her warm body pressing against his. He also figured that she would enjoy the sound of his beating hearts. 

They had not even been allowed to relax for six seconds when the barmaid was back, “Ay’ forgot t’ ask. Do ye want anythin’ t’ drink?”

If Rowan had not been the kind of person to always remain alert, especially in populated areas, her appearance would have started him. His ear twitched and he automatically tightened his embrace around Natia protectively. He frowned a little before saying, “Ale for me. She will have Well water.” The maid nodded before she walked off again.

“She’s a sneaky one…” Rowan commented softly as he relaxed his hold slightly before saying to explain why he specified for water from the local well, “You don’t want to drink the river water around here. It will make you sick. The well however taps into a nice underground spring and is actually pretty nice. It’s also much safer.” 

Natia nodded along to Rowan's explanation of a honeymoon with a bright smile on her face. It sounded exciting to visit other places. Would they get a honeymoon, too? She supposed they weren't quite married in the traditional sense, but seeing something even Rowan would consider impressive would have to be unimaginable for her, to be sure. She would love to show Rowan her own home if possible, certainly he would be just as fascinated by her culture as she was with his, but he wouldn't exactly be welcome in such a place... 

Just as Natia had started to disappoint herself with her train of thought, she was pulled up close to Rowan and her thoughts melted away into his chest as she listened to his beating heart once again and soaked in every moment of his embrace. Natia herself was startled by the sudden reemergence of the barmaid and found herself instinctively clenching onto his arm when his grip tightened. 

She was curious about the drinks Rowan had ordered and again nodded along to his explanations. The very idea of searching underground for water was fascinating to her. How would one even find such a source without the assistance of magic? It seemed that these outsiders were surprisingly capable despite not having nearly the same abilities... Whatever the case, Rowan had made it clear that the river water would make her sick. She wasn't quite sure why or how, but she knew that until this collar was removed, she shouldn't risk getting ill.

"Okay... and what is this 'Ale'? I have never heard of such a drink. Is it another creation of humans to gain nutrients not provided in water?"

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan frowned a little in thought at her curious question, “If I recall… Ale is made from grains and hops, fermented slightly to produce an alcoholic drink. I doubt you’ve had an alcoholic drink before, so I didn’t think it would be suitable for you. I mean, you can try mine but I have a feeling that you won’t like it too much. It’s a little bitter, and quite the acquired taste. Honestly, it’s not my favourite drink, but I know they don’t have what I like here. But it’s alright. I just don’t like drinking straight water. I think most of the locals really drink it because they like the excuse of being able to come to the local tavern and spend time with their friends.” He glanced around before adding, “Well. Later in the day. Most of them are working right now, so it’s pretty empty. It won’t be later.” By then, the two of them would be up in the bedroom. Or, least Natia will be.

He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching them, and saw the barmaid coming over with their meals, “Here ye are.” She said, putting the plates down on the polished wood along with knife and forks, “Hope ye enjoy.” She then said before walking off. Rowan looked at the meal, to see a rather respectable slice of well cooked steak, along with what appeared to be rosemary and thyme roast potatoes and some green beans that steamed slightly. It looked quite nice, suggesting that the cook here took pride in what he made. With regret, he gave Natia a soft pat on the backside and said, “You should get off my lap now so we can eat. Don’t worry though, I’ll give you plenty of cuddles later.”

Location: Craethiel Wilds, on the outskirts of Lathulla.

The next morning Lucius awoke to the cheerful chirps of birdsong as the birds enthusiastically welcomed the sight of the morning sun. He grimaced, finding such enthusiasm to be trying in the morning. He pushed the bedroll off of him before he left his tent to stretch muscles stiff from a night of sleeping on the ground. He heard a soft, welcoming nicker, and looked over at Aeris who snorted a little. He smiled a little, reaching out to pet the proud stallion on the neck only to get a nuzzle in return. He patted the animal one more time before he pulled away and went over to the supply bags where he rummaged through them until he found strips of dried meat. He wasn’t one for a breakfast porridge, hating the taste and the texture of the stuff. It was gruel in his opinion, and the only time when one should eat gruel was when one was sick. 

He sat himself down next to the dead fire, chewing on the tough meat strips as he stared into the blackened fire, now devoid of any fresh wood in which to burn. He thought about what he needed to do. He figured that his first step might be to head to Selil and speak to the Lords at the Court, and perhaps even the King himself to see what he could do in regards to his father. He had met the King before, as well as his children. In fact, he had become friends with Prince Kailen who was the same age as him. At the very least, he could warn the Princes about his father's plan, and the fact that he was cheating with the kind of magic that was cast on Ciara when she was not even born yet. He doubt Ciara would mind him warning them, as she didn’t want to get married to them anyway. She would not make a good wife for them anyway. She was far too adventurous and more apt to just wander off. He liked the King and his family, and didn’t want to see them in an unhappy marriage just like he didn’t want to see his sister in an unhappy marriage.

He ate the last piece of his meat, making the decision to head to Selil. It would take a few weeks of travel, but he wasn’t bothered. His father would no doubt be spending this time trying to teach his sister some manners, and how to act like a proper court lady suitable for being a Queen. He knew his father would fail. He got up and dismantled his camp, hiding the evidence of the fire before striking his tent and saddling Aeris who snorted with eagerness. Once he had finished, he glanced around and nodded with satisfaction that no one would be able to follow his trail. He then pulled himself up onto Aeris and rode out of his camp, heading south towards Selil.

[Aura]

On 1/25/2020 at 6:34 AM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan frowned a little in thought at her curious question, “If I recall… Ale is made from grains and hops, fermented slightly to produce an alcoholic drink. I doubt you’ve had an alcoholic drink before, so I didn’t think it would be suitable for you. I mean, you can try mine but I have a feeling that you won’t like it too much. It’s a little bitter, and quite the acquired taste. Honestly, it’s not my favourite drink, but I know they don’t have what I like here. But it’s alright. I just don’t like drinking straight water. I think most of the locals really drink it because they like the excuse of being able to come to the local tavern and spend time with their friends.” He glanced around before adding, “Well. Later in the day. Most of them are working right now, so it’s pretty empty. It won’t be later.” By then, the two of them would be up in the bedroom. Or, least Natia will be.

He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching them, and saw the barmaid coming over with their meals, “Here ye are.” She said, putting the plates down on the polished wood along with knife and forks, “Hope ye enjoy.” She then said before walking off. Rowan looked at the meal, to see a rather respectable slice of well cooked steak, along with what appeared to be rosemary and thyme roast potatoes and some green beans that steamed slightly. It looked quite nice, suggesting that the cook here took pride in what he made. With regret, he gave Natia a soft pat on the backside and said, “You should get off my lap now so we can eat. Don’t worry though, I’ll give you plenty of cuddles later.”

Natia tilted her head in curiosity. A drink that wasn't very well liked and didn't seem to offer any benefits to drinking... She didn't quite understand the purpose of such a drink. Why wouldn't one just drink something that tasted better? As an excuse to spend time with their loved ones? Why would they need an excuse for something so simple? Especially such a simple excuse as wanting to drink a drink that nobody really seems to enjoy in the first place. She was contemplating asking the many questions floating around in her head when the barmaid returned with their plates of food. 

However, the centerpiece of the entree that immediately caught Natia's eye confused her. She'd never seen such food as this before. Granted, that's pretty much how all of the food she's eaten since meeting Rowan was, but this was perhaps the most bizarre thing she'd ever seen. It seemed to be some sort of brown lump but what disturbed her most was that it seemed to be... bleeding? Steam was rising from the plate and she could feel the heat rising from the plate. Whatever this 'steak' was, it must have been prepared pretty freshly. But it had a smell to it not at all like any of the other food she'd eaten. She gave a concerned glance over at Rowan to see his reaction, but he seemed completely unphased...

"Um... what... is... 'steak' ?" Natia finally asked, eyeing the suspicious gory-looking lump, reaching forward and poking at it with her finger. It was soft, almost like flesh, but it was wet like the inside of a fruit. It left an oily feeling on her finger, though, that wasn't like any fruit she'd ever touched before. Touching it also caused more of the blood to seep out of the spongy substance. "Is it... bleeding?" 

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan watched Natia’s confusion when her eyes took in her meal for the first time. It seemed that she had not seen meat before, at least this particular kind of meat. He did wonder why she had ordered the steak, since she had been adverse to the dried meat he had before. But the fact that she didn’t know what steak even was explained why she had ordered it. After her second question, he gently shifted her off of his lap before picking up his knife and fork. Already he missed her warmth and the feeling of her soft body pressing against him. But he tried to put that thought aside as he cut his way through the steak before pulling it apart to reveal the slightly pink insides,

“Steak is a kind of meat, from the cow. While it has been cooked, most often like it a little bit juicy.” He put his knife and fork down, leaning against the plate on opposite sides in the sign that he was merely paused with his meal. He looked back over at Natia and offered, “If you don’t want the meat, I’m more than happy to swap it for my greens. They’re vegetables, which I doubt you’ll have too much trouble with. Don’t eat anything you’re not comfortable with, love.” He then gave her a smile, not wanting to make her feel pressured into eating something she wasn’t comfortable with. He knew that sometimes if you ate something that you weren’t used to, it could make you sick and the last thing he wanted was for Natia to be made poorly because she was trying to impress him.

Location: Craethiel Wilds, onroute to Tiloga, and Toliga village.

The days seemed to bleed by as Lucius made his way south. He kept a constant eye behind him, having a niggling feeling that his father had sent people to try and spy on him, and to watch his movements. He didn’t like being followed, and did everything he could to throw their trail. By the time he reached the outer gates of Tiloga, he was reasonably sure that he had left them in the dust. He looked up at the village in front of him. It was a collection of rather low buildings, with muddy streets with people moving around in common clothing. The village, like any settlement, had walls around it to keep out the nasties of the Wild. There were two guards at the gate, looking bored. Lucius had been here before, but only to pass through the village. And at the time he was in a carriage. His father had been taking him down to Selil at the time, and wouldn’t allow Lucius to get out and explore.

As he approached at a slow walk, the guards straightened slightly and eyed him somewhat suspiciously as they noted the fine make of his travel clothes.

“Can we help yer, M’lord?” One of the guards asked. Lucius looked at him, and noticed that the man's nose was bent as if it had been broken in a brawl and had not healed properly. 

“Just passing through, gentlemen. I will likely stay the night and purchase provisions, but otherwise I do not plan to stay long.” Lucius responded politely. It was clear that his rather aristocratic accent made the two nervous.

“A-a’right m’lord. Go on through. There’s an inn just up t’ street. It’s decent enough.” The second guard said before snapping his jaw closed as if he was going to say more but decided against it.

Lucius raised an eyebrow slightly at him before nodding, “Thank you.” He then nudged Aeris forwards and entered the village properly. The people glanced at him, clearly curious as to why he was there but unwilling to ask. So he ignored them as he moved through the centre of the village until he found the inn that the guards had spoken about. He pulled up outside, before pulling Aeris to the stables around the side. He unsaddled the horse, and gave him a scrub down before making sure that Aeris had some food. Once Aeris was cared for, Lucius went into the inn properly.

It was a low building, with heavy beams propping the ceiling up. There were several low tables and uncomfortable looking benches. The bar itself didn’t look particularly clean either, and Lucius wondered if eating here would make him sick. Unfortunately, he was hungry and out of supplies so he had no choice. Hiding his grimace he stepped up to the man behind the bar, who gave him a look of curiosity mixed with a faint look of disdain.

“I would like a room, and something to eat.” Lucius said politely. 

The man looked him up and down and said, “All we’s got is some stew couple days old.” 

“That will have to do.” Lucius said, reaching into his purse as the man demanded, “Twelve coppa’s.”

Lucius wordlessly handed the money over before he turned and took a seat in the corner so that he wasn’t drawing as much attention. It also allowed him to silently observe the people around him while he waited for his food. It would prevent people from being able to sneak up against him, as he had the wall directly on his back.

[Aura]

On 1/27/2020 at 8:55 AM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan watched Natia’s confusion when her eyes took in her meal for the first time. It seemed that she had not seen meat before, at least this particular kind of meat. He did wonder why she had ordered the steak, since she had been adverse to the dried meat he had before. But the fact that she didn’t know what steak even was explained why she had ordered it. After her second question, he gently shifted her off of his lap before picking up his knife and fork. Already he missed her warmth and the feeling of her soft body pressing against him. But he tried to put that thought aside as he cut his way through the steak before pulling it apart to reveal the slightly pink insides,

“Steak is a kind of meat, from the cow. While it has been cooked, most often like it a little bit juicy.” He put his knife and fork down, leaning against the plate on opposite sides in the sign that he was merely paused with his meal. He looked back over at Natia and offered, “If you don’t want the meat, I’m more than happy to swap it for my greens. They’re vegetables, which I doubt you’ll have too much trouble with. Don’t eat anything you’re not comfortable with, love.” He then gave her a smile, not wanting to make her feel pressured into eating something she wasn’t comfortable with. He knew that sometimes if you ate something that you weren’t used to, it could make you sick and the last thing he wanted was for Natia to be made poorly because she was trying to impress him.

Natia frowned slightly as she was moved off of Rowan's lap. There was honestly nowhere she'd rather sit than in his arms, but obviously she couldn't just sit there the entire time. That would make things a little awkward when it came to eating. While poking at her own steak, she looked over at Rowan to see him cutting into it with a pair of metal tools. She tried to emulate exactly as he did, lifting her fork and knife and holding them in the same way before piercing the meat with the fork and then sawing through it with the knife. The steak gave surprisingly little resistance. It was almost like tearing into the skin of an orange. However, as she reached the bottom of the stake, she found the piece she'd been cutting off was stuck to the rest of the steak with a few strands of fat that were much more difficult to cut through. She blushed slightly in embarrassment since Rowan had made it look so easy. 

As she was cutting into the meat, she listened again to Rowan's explanation. It made much more sense now why this food looked so different from anything she'd eaten before. It was meat... The thought of eating a dead animal twisted her stomach a bit. It wasn't unheard of among the Aequu to eat meat, but it wasn't very typical as they had no need to hunt and gather. Usually they would only eat the meat of an animal that had to be killed for the preservation of peace. It wasn't uncommon to stumble across animals that had been wounded by hunters, leading to far more violent and aggressive behavior on the part of the poor anxious creatures... It was a responsibility to put these creatures down, a job that was typically handled by the men of the tribe. It was considered improper to just leave the dead animal behind, so they would often be cooked and eaten, again, usually by the men. 

Natia herself had never been able to stomach the idea of eating a dead animal, no matter how big or dangerous they were. Although she was once adverse toward carnivores, she'd since grown to understand their purpose in the ecosystem. To the same extent, humans hunting wild animals for the purpose of eating wasn't too terribly disturbing to her. What she was far more disturbed by where stories of humans who would hunt for sport and brag about the beautiful creatures they've killed. But that was neither here nor there. She had a slab of meat on her plate that she had ordered herself, granted she had no idea what she was ordering, it was on her for not having asked about it. It would be quite rude to simply not eat it, as it seemed to be such a waste... At the same time, though, the meat was simply far from appetizing to her. She couldn't get past the image of cutting into the skin of a cow. Sure, animals and humans ate this sort of thing regularly, and even Aequu ate it from time to time, but she would have much preferred the opportunity to see the cow alive and well...

It seemed Rowan had caught wind of her reluctance as he seemed to offer a simple solution that sounded quite appealing, but left her with some extra concerns. "Well, you need a good balance of nutrients, right? This is our first chance in a while for a full meal, so I wouldn't want to make it less nutritional for you. Plus, I think my aversion to meat is something I'll have to get over if I'm going to be adventuring with you without magic. We can't exactly grow fruit and veggies wherever we go and in case of an emergency, I'll need to be able to eat whatever Cera offers us..." The mention of that name caused her stomach to twist. A lot of the guilt she'd felt when first getting intimate with Rowan started to return... Was she acting shameful in the eyes of Cera? Surely not, she was in love... 

Natia shook her head to distract herself from those thoughts as she turned her attention back to the steak in front of her. She was going to have to, at the very least, give this meat a taste. She continued cutting back and forth along the strands of fat with little luck, leading to a more unpleasant look of frustration on her otherwise soft face, but she wanted to be able to do it on her own. After all, she'd been overly reliant on Rowan all day, yet she was clearly making no progress in cutting the meat...

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Halfway through Natia’s response to his offer, Rowan opened his mouth to respond. He was going to tell that this one time of swapping food on their plates wouldn’t impact his health. But he then closed his mouth as she continued to speak, pointing out that there won't always be vegetables for her to eat while they were travelling. Really, he wished he could just turn around and take her back to Selil but he wasn’t able to do that right now. He couldn’t return empty handed when his father had sent him on a mission and there nowhere that Rowan considered safe enough to leave in the meantime. He watched as Natia attempted to emulate his actions to cut the meat but seemed to get a little stuck on a piece of fat that was resisting her efforts. He wanted to do something to help, but was equally fascinated by the change in her usually sweet expression until she looked quite frustrated. 

Rowan had to resist the urge to smile, as he felt that the look was adorable on her. But he didn’t want to point it out just in case he embarrassed her. She seemed determined to do it on her own, and he didn’t really want to ruin that for her. However he found it a little painful to watch. After several moments longer, he couldn’t hold back his tongue anymore, “Try applying more pressure towards the front of the knife and use it.” He suggested. He picked up his own knife, demonstrating by angling the knife down slightly as he pressed it down through the meat and the fat. After a couple of sawing motions, the fat broke and he sliced backwards through the meat, levelling out the knife slightly as he did so.

“Try like that.” He urged, once again putting his knife and fork back down onto the plate as he turned his attention back to her. Despite his urge to help her, he would see if she was successful this time. If not, then he would cut it for her. It seemed that, from the uncomfortable way she was using them, she had never used utensils in her life. It was likely going to take some time to get used to them. She seemed already with the spoon, but that was really easy to use compared to the knife and fork. It made him dread taking her to a formal dinner at the Palace. The poor girl would be absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of cutlery on display. Knowing her, she would find it pointless and he really wouldn’t blame her. He avoided formal functions as much as possible. Unfortunately, he was forced to attend a fair number both at the Keza Palace, and the human palace, due to his status as his father’s favourite son. Maybe Natia’s presence would help in that regard. He still wasn’t entirely sure how to tell her his true identity. 

Location: Village of Tiloga, and road south.

After the food had come, Lucius ate what he could stomach. It certainly tasted as if it was a couple of days old. The meat was practically disintegrated, and the vegetables were mushy. But he swallowed the stodge down before he retired for the night. The bed wasn’t the cleanest, and the blanket made his skin itch. There was no doubt in his mind that there were some nasty bugs crawling around in it too, but he put up with it for the night. It was not a place he was going to be willingly coming back to. Unfortunately, it was the only place in the village that one could stay the night unless one wanted to pay one of the residents to stay in their house. But they were bound to be even more filthy. 

As soon as he was up, he washed his face and went downstairs where all they had to eat was a lumpy porridge, and breakfast ale. With reluctance, he ate what was offered, swallowing it down quickly so that he didn’t have to taste it. Then as soon as he was finished, he downed the rest of his breakfast ale before he left the tavern and saddled Aeris who was now restless after spending the night in the stable. He lead the horse out and down the street, looking for a place to purchase supplies. He found a general goods shop, where he tied Aeris to a post outside before opening the door and heading inside. 

The shop, much like the tavern, was quite dim with a low ceiling. He glanced around before he moved up to the counter were a shopkeeper was watching him a little nervously. There was also a woman nearby, who seemed to be using a loom to create a white cloth, filling the room with a soft clacking noise that was strangely soothing. Lucius turned his eye from looking around, to the shopkeeper, “A few weeks worth of travelling provisions, please.” He asked. 

The man seemed to dither a little before nodded, “O-of course sir. Six silver pieces, please sur.” He said, before shuffling away and disappearing through the door behind the counter. Lucius pulled out the coins before placing them on the counter. He felt eyes on him, and he turned his head to see the woman watching him even as she continued her work. Her expression was quite blank, with a hint of wariness as if she was watching a dangerous animal within her home. He stared back at her for several long moments before he turned away from her.

The man then returned, stumbling a little under the weight of several food packs. He dropped them onto the counter before snatching up the meagre coins. Lucius checked the bags, satisfied that the man had not tried to swindle him before he turned and left the shop with them. Once outside, he put them into Aeris’ saddlebags before untying him from the post. He pulled the stallion away from the shop a few steps before he stepped and mounted the eager animal. The two then set out at a walk, heading towards the southern gate. Once they reached it, he left the village behind before setting off at a gallop as he began to head further south. He knew that, other than the taverns and inns along the roads, there was only one more stop before Selil.

[Aura]

3 hours ago, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Halfway through Natia’s response to his offer, Rowan opened his mouth to respond. He was going to tell that this one time of swapping food on their plates wouldn’t impact his health. But he then closed his mouth as she continued to speak, pointing out that there won't always be vegetables for her to eat while they were travelling. Really, he wished he could just turn around and take her back to Selil but he wasn’t able to do that right now. He couldn’t return empty handed when his father had sent him on a mission and there nowhere that Rowan considered safe enough to leave in the meantime. He watched as Natia attempted to emulate his actions to cut the meat but seemed to get a little stuck on a piece of fat that was resisting her efforts. He wanted to do something to help, but was equally fascinated by the change in her usually sweet expression until she looked quite frustrated. 

Rowan had to resist the urge to smile, as he felt that the look was adorable on her. But he didn’t want to point it out just in case he embarrassed her. She seemed determined to do it on her own, and he didn’t really want to ruin that for her. However he found it a little painful to watch. After several moments longer, he couldn’t hold back his tongue anymore, “Try applying more pressure towards the front of the knife and use it.” He suggested. He picked up his own knife, demonstrating by angling the knife down slightly as he pressed it down through the meat and the fat. After a couple of sawing motions, the fat broke and he sliced backwards through the meat, levelling out the knife slightly as he did so.

“Try like that.” He urged, once again putting his knife and fork back down onto the plate as he turned his attention back to her. Despite his urge to help her, he would see if she was successful this time. If not, then he would cut it for her. It seemed that, from the uncomfortable way she was using them, she had never used utensils in her life. It was likely going to take some time to get used to them. She seemed already with the spoon, but that was really easy to use compared to the knife and fork. It made him dread taking her to a formal dinner at the Palace. The poor girl would be absolutely overwhelmed by the amount of cutlery on display. Knowing her, she would find it pointless and he really wouldn’t blame her. He avoided formal functions as much as possible. Unfortunately, he was forced to attend a fair number both at the Keza Palace, and the human palace, due to his status as his father’s favourite son. Maybe Natia’s presence would help in that regard. He still wasn’t entirely sure how to tell her his true identity. 

Natia blushed in embarrassment as her concentration was broken by Rowan instructing her on how to properly cut the meat. Her face turned from frustration to a mixture of pitiful defeat but also relief. No doubt it must have been equally frustrating for Rowan to watch her struggle with the meat. At least they could put that behind them. She turned her attention back to her own steak and began to cut it properly, a look of delight flashed across her face as she cut all the way through it. "I did it!" She giggled to herself. Perhaps she was a bit too excited to have learned how to properly cut the steak, but she was sure this would be much more enjoyable than actually eating the food, which she'd almost forgotten was the purpose to actually cutting it.

She gulped before lifting the piece of meat the fork was stuck into up to her lips. She reluctantly fit the chunk into her mouth and started to chew. The texture, consistency and flavor were all foreign to her yet, it was surprisingly more tolerable than she'd expected. She certainly would never choose meat over fruit, but she felt like she'd be able to stomach the rest of the meat if necessary. Still though, the idea of eating a dead animal still left a bad taste in her mouth and she was already starting to question her assertion that they shouldn't swap food. 

"Ahem, well.." She spoke out after swallowing the chunk of meat. "I think I can... tolerate it. In case of emergencies, I think I'd be able to eat something like this." She chuckled nervously as she glanced back up at Rowan, still blushing in embarrassment. "But I mean... I wouldn't say no to having greens instead..." She tried to be coy about it, but it was quite clear what she was getting at. After all, she still felt quite guilty about ordering something she wouldn't end up eating herself knowing Rowan would have been perfectly fine eating a normal plate. But she took consolation in knowing it was Rowan who made the offer initially. 

And hopefully, at the end of the day there would never be a point where she'd have to eat an animal. 

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

When Natia’s face took on a look of pitiful defeat and relief, Rowan had to resist the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her. It amazed him at how the most simply of expression changes was making him want to dote on her. He turned his attention back to her steak, watching as she attempted to cut the fat again and, to his relief, she succeeded. He smiled at her, “Well done.” He complimented her, proud that she was quick to pick up the skill of using the utensils. Granted, she was an adult and she already had the fine control over her hands that the tools required thus it shouldn’t take as long as it took him to learn it when he had been a young child. 

He then watched as she gingerly lifted the meat to her lips and put a piece into her mouth before chewing it. He watched her expression, and it wasn’t encouraging. He imagined that, for someone used to eating vegetables and fruits, the texture would be strange and the hot grease would be unpleasant. Her expression seemed almost neutral, as if she were trying as hard as she could not to judge what she was eating. Finally, she swallowed her mouthful and, in a rather roundabout way, suggested that she would actually like to take him up on her offer.

Rowan chuckled a little before saying, “You would, would you?” His grin widened as he teased her a little. He then looked up towards the barmaid and lifted his hand, wiggling two of his fingers to indicate that he wanted her attention. She came over to the table and Rowan asked, “Could we have some bread, please?”

“O’course, sir.” She said, before hurrying off towards the kitchen. While she was doing that, Rowan turned back to Natia and used his knife and fork to move the meat pieces over to his place. By the time he was done, the barmaid had returned, putting a basket of sliced bread on the table before she moved off as he thanked her. Rowan picked out one of the bread slices, tearing it in half and using one half to clean up the meat juices from her plate before popping it into his mouth. Once he was sure that he had gotten everything, he lifted his plate and quickly moved the greens over to her plate. Now that the meat juices were gone, it wouldn’t taint the taste of the vegetables. 

“There you go.” Rowan told her with a smile as he put his plate down, “Help yourself to the bread, too.” He then added before cutting off a smaller piece of meat and popping it into his mouth. It was a little tough and chewy, but it wasn’t bad. At least it was juicy, just the way he loved it. He also cut one of the roast potatoes and popped it into his mouth. It was quite crunchy on the outside, while fluffy on the inside. The chef clearly had some measure of talent. Certainly better than the chef at the Royal Palace, who tended to serve everything either raw, or overcooked. 

[Aura]

Natia shrunk down a bit as Rowan signaled for the barmaid. She was a bit embarrassed about ordering something she wouldn't end up eating and when Rowan had asked to trade food, she didn't expect him to order something else. At first she'd assumed the bread he'd ordered was specifically for her to make her meal more filling than just the side items. After all, bread was the first outsider food-item she'd eaten. Back then, the bread wasn't offensive but certainly wasn't something she'd develop an appetite for. Granted, it certainly tasted a lot better given that she didn't even know how long she had gone without eating before that point. Still, just like back then she definitely wasn't going to complain about the food she had, even if she was certainly in a much more privileged position now. Rowan really had been spoiling her and she couldn't just take that for granted.

While waiting for the bag, Natia turned her attention to the greens and potatoes that were already on her plate. This was food she was much more familiar with. Although she would normally just eat them with her hands, she decided it would be more appropriate to use the utensils she had been given. She figured that since the individual pieces were so small, the knife wouldn't be necessary, so she used the fork to puncture the greens and lift them to her mouth, nibbling on them happily. The flavor of the greens also came with a bit of a surprise, however. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it tasted like there was something more in them than just the normal composition of the vegetable. Was it... salt? Come to think of it, the meat tasted fairly salty as well. Of course, salt was present in the natural composition of vegetables, so it should be expected, but it would never be this upfront. It was curious, but perhaps humans added salt to their food simply because they enjoy the taste?

The excess of salt didn't actually bother her too much, though, and it was much more tolerable than the steak, so she continued eating them, overjoyed to have some food that was at least familiar enough to even be comparable on this level. The difference in taste also made her much more curious about the potatoes. They were typically pretty bland and tasteless to her in their natural form, but perhaps these humans' methods of cooking could bring some extra flavor to the mix. As she moved to try the potatoes, she was surprised to find that the salt certainly made them more enjoyable. They also tasted much more soft. It fascinated her that humans could manage to make such delicious food with hand-made tools! It seemed that humans took less care in the nutritional value of their foods and focused more on the taste. She supposed this was just a product of their more relaxed lifestyle, settling down in just one place and perfecting their own life there... That ideology wasn't exactly something she could get behind, but she couldn't deny that the rewards really did seem rather pleasant!

"It's delicious!" Natia exclaimed as she continued eating. It wasn't long before the basket of bread was prepared and placed on the table. Even that smelled incredible, much better than the aged bread she'd received from Rowan when they first met. And it was still hot! She watched as Rowan started swapping the meat out and sopped up the rest of its juices with a slice of bread before putting more greens on her plate. He then offered for her to help herself to the bread, which came as a relief mostly because it confirmed that he hadn't actually ordered the bread specifically for her. She nodded happily and snuggled up to Rowan with a bright smile on her face for a few seconds. "I love you~" She giggled playfully before reaching out and grabbing a slice of bread for herself to nibble on. Sure enough, the bread was much softer than the one she'd eaten before and the warmth really made a difference. It was also possible that this, too, was made with other ingredients besides just the bread but she didn't really have any precedent to judge that on. 

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan smiled when Natia snuggled up against him and declared that she loved him before she giggled and picked up a piece of bread to nibble on. He chuckled at her endearing antics before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him to press a kiss to her forehead, “I love you too, my little Lily.” He said in a soft and tender tone before he let her go so that she could continue eating. She certainly seemed to enjoy the greens much more than she had the meat. He was just glad that there was something she would eat. The last thing he wanted was to have her going hungry. Next time he was going to be a little more careful in regards to what they ordered for her. He certainly didn’t want her to constantly order things she had no real taste for.

He ate more of the steak and potatoes with the occasional slice of bread to soak up the steak juices, his golden eyes glancing around the tavern out of habit than any real concern that they were being watched, or followed. Subconsciously, he took note of anyone who seemed to pay any kind of attention to them. He knew how valuable Natia would be to certain people, and the last thing he wanted was someone trying to take her away from him. He would be unforgiving to anyone who even tried. He also glanced out of the window onto the street, seeing that it was relatively empty as the day began to wear on. He watched as a rather overdressed and portly man waddled past, in a heated discussion with a man that was taller than himself, but looked like a rake. It was clear that they were traders of some description, but he didn’t recognise them and he knew most major traders by sight. 

He turned his attention back to his plate before he looked over at Natia and smiled a little, “How are you doing?” He asked, hoping that there were no other problems with her meal. He made a mental note that tomorrow when purchasing provisions, he would need to ensure that he bought enough to satisfy her. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really carry fresh food with them, as fresh food rotted quite quickly. With any luck, they’ll pass a number of fruits and berries that could be used to supplement her diet. 

Location: The road south to Hermitage, and Hermitage.

Much like the trip from Lathulla to Tiloga, the road further sound was matched on either side by sweeping grassland that stretched on for miles. There were farms dotted here and there, with walls that tried to keep unfriendlies at bay. But during the day they were out in their fields, tending their crop. As Lucius rode past, they eyed him warily, watching him just in case he decided to take it upon himself to attack. Luckily for them, he had absolutely no interest in what they were doing. He saw occasional guards on the roads, made up of both human and Keza individuals, no doubt as a result of the threat from Fenrir’s Graspe. At one point, he did see some of The Black Ones in the distance, but he hurried on to avoid a confrontation with them. He knew that, as a human, he would be outmatched against several Mako soldiers. 

He stuck to the road as much as possible, only coming off of it to camp in the evenings or to stay at an inn on the way. But he finally arrived at Hermitage, sitting on the edge of the stinking marshlands causing the entire village to smell like a mire. He could have swung further south and continued onto Selil, but he was running out of provisions and hunting was only getting him so far. The room ended up being rather bland and unappealing. He rode into the village, able to slip in easily as they had no guards on duty at the time he arrived. He found that to be rather sloppy, but at least it allowed him in without too much trouble. The streets were somewhat busy at this time of the day, with villagers hurrying along their business. They spared him nothing but a single glance before they went back to ignoring him. 

He arrived at the local Inn, The Horses Head. He eyed the name for a few moments before he nudged Aeris around the building to the stables. Once there, he dismounted and took care of his animal companion before he moved around the front and entered the Inn properly. It was busier than the one in Tiloga, and the patrons all eyed him suspiciously. The lady at the bar was frowning a little as he approached. He wondered why everyone seemed to be on edge. As soon as he looked back at someone, they immediately averted their eyes. 

He looked at the barmaid and said, “I would like to rent a room for the night, and something to eat.”

“Jus’ passing through?” She asked. The question caused Lucius to raise an eyebrow in surprise. He slowly nodded his head and she seemed a little displeased by the answer. She then said stiffly, “Ten coppers, sir. We have beef soup on the fire.” 

“That will do.” He said, pulling the money and putting it down on the counter. He then moved off to an empty table before sitting down. He noticed that the people kept glancing towards him, as if expecting him to suddenly jump up and attack. It made him really curious as to why everyone was so on edge. It wasn’t long before the barmaid approached him carrying a wooden plate. In the centre there was a wooden bowl filled with a thick soup, with sliced bread ringing around it. She slid it onto the table, placing down a spoon before she made to retreat but Lucius spoke before she could, “Why is everyone so on edge?”

The woman paused before she turned back at him, looking a little anxious as she twisted the material of her spotted apron, “Oh… we live in fearful times, sir. There’s a creature that keeps attacking us. Every night, something comes and someone dies.”

Both of Lucius’ eyebrows shot up in surprise before he then frowned, “I see…” He paused for a moment as he picked up a piece of bread and tore it in half. He then nodded for her to go, before he turned back to his soup, figuring that he would see what would happen that night and, if he could deal with it. He was not a monster hunter, but he wasn’t limp wristed with a sword either.

[Aura]

On 2/1/2020 at 10:48 AM, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Rowan smiled when Natia snuggled up against him and declared that she loved him before she giggled and picked up a piece of bread to nibble on. He chuckled at her endearing antics before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer to him to press a kiss to her forehead, “I love you too, my little Lily.” He said in a soft and tender tone before he let her go so that she could continue eating. She certainly seemed to enjoy the greens much more than she had the meat. He was just glad that there was something she would eat. The last thing he wanted was to have her going hungry. Next time he was going to be a little more careful in regards to what they ordered for her. He certainly didn’t want her to constantly order things she had no real taste for.

He ate more of the steak and potatoes with the occasional slice of bread to soak up the steak juices, his golden eyes glancing around the tavern out of habit than any real concern that they were being watched, or followed. Subconsciously, he took note of anyone who seemed to pay any kind of attention to them. He knew how valuable Natia would be to certain people, and the last thing he wanted was someone trying to take her away from him. He would be unforgiving to anyone who even tried. He also glanced out of the window onto the street, seeing that it was relatively empty as the day began to wear on. He watched as a rather overdressed and portly man waddled past, in a heated discussion with a man that was taller than himself, but looked like a rake. It was clear that they were traders of some description, but he didn’t recognise them and he knew most major traders by sight. 

He turned his attention back to his plate before he looked over at Natia and smiled a little, “How are you doing?” He asked, hoping that there were no other problems with her meal. He made a mental note that tomorrow when purchasing provisions, he would need to ensure that he bought enough to satisfy her. Unfortunately, they couldn’t really carry fresh food with them, as fresh food rotted quite quickly. With any luck, they’ll pass a number of fruits and berries that could be used to supplement her diet.

Natia only continued to giggle, feeling even more giddy with his lovely kiss and that pretty nickname for her. He flattered her. Arguably too much, yet Natia appreciated every bit of it. Her face was red in embarrassment all the same. She was well aware of her own flaws and limitations and yet Rowan always managed to turn even those into positives or to make her feel as if they were entirely insignificant.

She subconsciously reached up to touch the part of her neck where Rowan had marked her before and frowned slightly when she recalled that the scar had completely healed by now, as if he'd never marked her as his. Still, her heart knew who it belonged to, and it was beating faster and faster, as if trying to meet with him itself. 

As the two were finishing their food, two more strangers entered the restaurant. One was a mature-looking lady in brightly colored and especially provocative dancing attire. Her lips were covered by a light blue veil and her blonde hair ran down to her shoulders. She had a blue flower just above her right ear. Her clothing featured long flowing pieces of blue cloth lined with gold, but seemed carefully designed to expose as much skin as possible while still leaving the most intimate parts to the imagination. Beside her, with an arm curved around her hip and hand firmly planted on the woman's buttocks, was a scrawny, rat-faced man with a cocky grin as he scanned the tables. He wore a brown coat and hat with a red feather and tie, and the chain of a golden pocket watch could be seen from his tan shirt pocket. With a lanky finger, he pointed to two chairs at the bar close to where Natia and Rowan were sitting before taking their seat at the chairs he'd chosen.

Natia hadn't taken notice of the two in the moment, as she was far more focused on Rowan. She happily reached out and touched his hand, her whole body shivering with excitement. "This is the best meal I've had in my life! And I'm so happy I was able to share it with you, Rowan..."

Natia gave a brief pause, the blush returning to her face. "So... Um... Before you go tonight... I uh..." The girl grew even more timid, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact, so she looked away, still gripping his hand. "I wanted to... D-do one more thing with you... Or, I want you to do something with me... I mean... Ah, what am I saying? I think it'll be best if we go to the room first..."

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

When the door opened and the two strangers walked in, Rowan’s golden eyes were immediately upon them, analysing them. He eyed the woman up and down, noting her unusual attire, not commonly seen especially in villages like this. He noted that the man’s arm around her seemed almost possessive. He also noted that the man was also a little too well dressed. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, as they had certainly drawn his attention, although it wasn’t obvious that he was watching them as his eyes appeared to be glued to his plate as he was soaking up the last of the juices from his plate with his last piece of bread. When he swallowed the last bite, he felt Natia’s much smaller hand on his own and he finally gave her his full attention. He smiled at her happy and excited statement, glad to see her so relaxed. She was much more beautiful when she was relaxed and happy.

His ear twitched a little with interest as she seemed to start saying something, but grew embarrassed as she looked away and seemed to have trouble getting out what she wanted. From what she was saying, he gathered that she wanted him to do something with her, but was too timid to really ask. He smiled, lifting the hand still griping his own and giving it a tender kiss, “Of course, my little Lily.” He told her, lowering his hand as the waitress approached their table for their clean plates. As she was doing this, Rowan asked, “Are there any rooms available?” 

“That there are, sir. Six coppa’s a night.” She replied as she piled Natia’s plate on his own with the empty bread basket on top.

“I would like a room, plus the use of your bathing facilities.” Rowan requested.

“That will be an extra two coppa’s.” She said as she finally looked at him. With his free hand, Rowan dipped into his pocket and blindly pulled out either copper pieces that he handed her. She took it, slipping it into her apron pocket, and said, “Last room on the right. I’ll let ye know when the wa’er is hot.” She picked up the plates and walked off. Rowan then looked at Natia and smiled, “Come on, love.” He said, before getting up. He didn’t let go of her hand, thus helping her up off of her seat. He then lead the way over to the stairs. He gave the room one last look, noting anyone that watched them or seemed out of place, before he lead her up the stairs and along the corridor to the last room on right. When they entered, it was better furnished than what Rowan was expecting. There was a double bed, filled rather thickly to make it more comfortable. There was a thick woolen cover along with two pillows. He closed the door before he looked over at Natia with a slight curve to the corners of his lips, “Now what was it you wanted to ask?”

[Aura]

18 hours ago, Neptune said:

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

When the door opened and the two strangers walked in, Rowan’s golden eyes were immediately upon them, analysing them. He eyed the woman up and down, noting her unusual attire, not commonly seen especially in villages like this. He noted that the man’s arm around her seemed almost possessive. He also noted that the man was also a little too well dressed. He watched them out of the corner of his eye, as they had certainly drawn his attention, although it wasn’t obvious that he was watching them as his eyes appeared to be glued to his plate as he was soaking up the last of the juices from his plate with his last piece of bread. When he swallowed the last bite, he felt Natia’s much smaller hand on his own and he finally gave her his full attention. He smiled at her happy and excited statement, glad to see her so relaxed. She was much more beautiful when she was relaxed and happy.

His ear twitched a little with interest as she seemed to start saying something, but grew embarrassed as she looked away and seemed to have trouble getting out what she wanted. From what she was saying, he gathered that she wanted him to do something with her, but was too timid to really ask. He smiled, lifting the hand still griping his own and giving it a tender kiss, “Of course, my little Lily.” He told her, lowering his hand as the waitress approached their table for their clean plates. As she was doing this, Rowan asked, “Are there any rooms available?” 

“That there are, sir. Six coppa’s a night.” She replied as she piled Natia’s plate on his own with the empty bread basket on top.

“I would like a room, plus the use of your bathing facilities.” Rowan requested.

“That will be an extra two coppa’s.” She said as she finally looked at him. With his free hand, Rowan dipped into his pocket and blindly pulled out either copper pieces that he handed her. She took it, slipping it into her apron pocket, and said, “Last room on the right. I’ll let ye know when the wa’er is hot.” She picked up the plates and walked off. Rowan then looked at Natia and smiled, “Come on, love.” He said, before getting up. He didn’t let go of her hand, thus helping her up off of her seat. He then lead the way over to the stairs. He gave the room one last look, noting anyone that watched them or seemed out of place, before he lead her up the stairs and along the corridor to the last room on right. When they entered, it was better furnished than what Rowan was expecting. There was a double bed, filled rather thickly to make it more comfortable. There was a thick woolen cover along with two pillows. He closed the door before he looked over at Natia with a slight curve to the corners of his lips, “Now what was it you wanted to ask?”

With the sweet kiss on her hand and repetition of her nickname, Natia's face only turned a hotter shade of pink. She couldn't contain her sheepish smile, still lost in her man's eyes. She'd gotten so lost that it took several moments for her to react to the waitress arriving at the table to clear off the empty dishes. She just allowed Rowan to do all the talking while she sat close to him and rested her head gingerly on his shoulder. Before long, Rowan instructed her to come before helping her up by pulling on her hand. She happily obliged, making sure to grab the bag she'd brought from Glenda's store, it certainly wasn't something she'd want left behind...

Allowing Rowan to guide her to their room which seemed far more relaxing than any thicket in the woods. But Natia had hardly taken in the surroundings. Her mind was focused on only one thing, no matter how shameful that fact might be. In the moment Rowan asked what she wanted, her mind drew a blank. There were so, so many things she wanted to ask. So many sinful things were running through her mind. It was a mindspace the innocent girl had never been in before. She felt that same primal urge that took her body over before flowing through her once again. But not that of a predator... no, perhaps the primal urge wasn't even from her at all. As she stared deeper into Rowan's beautiful eyes, it was almost like she was being controlled, drawn in... but she had to be strong. This was for Rowan, at least it was supposed to be... She couldn't give in to her own temptations so easily...

"First! I-I want you to... t-turn around... cover your eyes a-and don't look again!" She finally managed to stutter her demands, her heart pounding so loudly in her chest that she could hardly hear herself speak. She could only hope she wouldn't embarrass herself by forgetting how to put the outfit on...

[Neptune]

Location: Village of Ryn’tur.

Moved to Side Story: Show and Tell

Location: Hermitage.

When Lucius stood in almost the centre of the village, surrounded by the suffocating darkness, he wondered to himself just what was he doing? After finishing his meal, he had retired to his room while awaiting the night. He had tried to get some information from the other patrons of the tavern, but they were quite tight-lipped about it. Either they didn’t know anything about it, or they didn’t want to talk about it. If that was the case, then it had made Lucius even more curious as to what the mysterious creature was. The moment the sun had set, he had left the tavern and had been patrolling the streets.

After several hours, nothing had stirred. The only sounds that accompanied the press of his own armoured boots on the path was the singing of the nocturnal insects. He was beginning to think that there was nothing wrong, when there was a sudden scream that pierced the air. His head snapped towards the direction and he ran towards it, darting between the wooden buildings. When he reached the source of the scream, he skidded to a stop as his single eye widened.

The first thing he noticed was a grotesque creature. It looked vaguely humanoid, with two arms, legs, a torso and a head. But that was about as close as the resemblance got. It was skinny, looking almost emaciated. The skin was a dark blue, and seemed to almost hang off of the muscles with a scabbed, almost sickly appearance to it. It seemed to have a hunched back, causing it to seem to bend over towards as it shuffled. The arms were longer than what one would expect on a human, as it seemed to be using them to help it move around. The face was one of the most ugly things Lucius had ever seen. The back of his head seemed rather human-like, with the back of the skull that had lank patches of hair. But its face was elongated with a canine look to it. Its eyes were large and black in colour, glittering a little in the light of the torches. It had a muzzle with sharp teeth that drooled saliva. 

The second thing he noticed, was that it was hunched over the body of a dead woman as it tore out shreds of quivering flesh from her. The sight made Lucius almost lose his evening meal, but he clenched his teeth to stop himself from losing his nerve. The creature had yet to spot him, so he had the element of surprise. Moving as silently as he could, he moved closer to the creature as he pulled his sword from its sheath. 

However he got within a metre of the creature when its head sharply rose and turned towards him, the beady and blank eyes staring up at him. Lucius froze, knowing that the creature had spotted him and now had its sights on him. The creature snarled, a hair-raising sound. Now that he was closer, he could smell the stench of mould and rotting flesh that emanated from the vile monster. It seemed to toss the corpse of the woman aside, its attention now entirely fixed upon him. Lucius knew that it was about to attack at any moment, so he lunged forwards with a thrust of his sword. It shifted, trying to move out of the way of his attack. It was quicker than he had originally thought, but he was still able to hit it, although it was not as true as he had hoped. His blade slid through the putrid skin of its shoulders. It let out a howl of pain that caused him to flinch back a little. It lashed out with its sharp claws, aiming for his face. He brought his sword arm up, causing the claws to scrape against the metal of his armour resulting in a metallic screeching tone that set his teeth on edge. What he was not prepared for, though, was the fact that it pushed forwards into him, knocking him back. He stumbled, trying to gain his footing but the creature had overbalanced him to the point where he fell back onto the muddy footpath.

It leapt on him, snapping and snarling. With a sense of panic, Lucius raised his sword to press the flat of the blade against its neck, blocking the creature from being able to bite his face off. With each snap of its jaws brought a fresh wave of its foul stench that made his stomach churn in protest. He brought his leg up, grunting as he used his foot to push the disgusting creature off of him. It stumbled back, giving him enough time to get to his feet and move towards to attack again. He swung his sword but it was able to dance to the side where it jumped at him again, its claws outstretched. He wasn’t able to move out of the way in time as it jumped on him, once again pinning him to the floor. Its claws ripped at his armour and he hissed in pain as its claws slipped between the buckles and sank into the flesh on his left side. 

He tried to push it off with his foot again, but it seemed to wise up to his tricks and it seemed to contemptuously brush his leg off away from it. As it seemed to rear back to bite at his face, Lucius gripped his sword tighter and wildly lashed out at the creature. With him being pinned underneath it, he didn’t expect to be able to do much. But to his surprise, the blade sank into its chest, forcing it to let out a howl of agony as its eyes flashed with fury. Almost idly, Lucius noticed that the creature was not bleeding from its two wounds, despite the second of them being quite severe. 

The creature had been so infuriated with Lucius that its head snapped forwards and sank into his right shoulder. The metal cracked under the pressure of its jaw, causing the teeth and pieces of metal to be driven into his shoulder. Lucius let out his own pained cry as a wave of agony pulsed through him from his shoulder. He tried to once again shove the creature off but the pain proved to be too much for him and he was able to do nothing more than weakly push at it. He tried to drive his sword into it once again, but it seemed to shrug off his attack with no trouble at all, and he was beginning to wonder if he was going to end up like one of its many victims. 

The creature seemed to sense his doubt and hissed in delight. It launched for his throat, but he raised his sword and smashed the pommel into the side of its head. The creature shrieked as it rolled to the side and off of him, allowing him to be able to climb to his feet. The moment he was standing straight, the creature turned on him, its dark eyes flashing with hate and hunger. It jumped at him, but he gripped the handle of his sword in both hands, ignoring the searing pain from his shoulder and raised his sword. For a moment, his mind went completely calm as he watched the creature getting near him. He waited until it was close enough before he stepped to the side, swinging the blade with all of his might. There was the sound of tearing flesh before the body of the creature dropped to the floor at his feet, lifeless, as its head rolled off several feet before coming to a stop, the black eyes staring blankly up into the sky.

There was complete silence for several long minutes before the aches and pains let themselves clear to Lucius. He groaned a little, closing his single eye as he leaned against the wall of the nearest building as his shoulder throbbed painfully with each beat of his heart. He needed to get it seen to, but he couldn’t find the strength to move just yet. He couldn’t even be bothered to slide the sword back into its sheath. He felt as if he could sleep for days.