Private Tales Crossing Over

[Syuri]

Syuri stared back through the forest as the air seemed to shift, her gaze wandering from tree to tree as she listened. Everything seemed to be normal, but his words didn't do much to mollify her worries.

She wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled his other arm around her shoulder as she walked slowly with him. "Gods man, you're really not great at explaining things are you?..I need to know what's going on." she frowned. "You think she'll come after you..Why?". Her tone had sharpened a little, from concerned to now betraying a hint of impatience.

 

[Keernan]

"All that talk of grudges," Keernan said. "It sounded very much like she was threatening to do worse in future. I had better get far from your town when I can."

That was the best he could do for them. If he was far away from town then whatever the fae wanted with him wouldn't come down on the town.

"I need...a few hours before I can get moving properly," Keernan said, putting more of his eight on Syuri.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri growled in frustration now.. "Keernan!!" she stopped, glaring at him. "You still haven't told me anything I've questioned! Tell me what's going on! Who are you, what are you? Who is she and what does she want with you?"

"We're not taking a single step further until you talk to me." she huffed.

 

[Keernan]

"Those questions in order then," Keernan said quietly. He sounded exhausted.

"I don't know what she was placing changelings in your town. I genuinely don't.

"I am Keernan. I remember being an elf. I remember dying. I remember being a spirit, fresh into the world and empty. Then I became me. I don't really know how else to describe what I am."

"Whatever I am she found it interesting. I could feel her pulling me apart."

Keernan slumped a little further. He tilted his head to one side at Syuri.

"I'm not lying to you," he said firmly. Despite everything else, that mattered to him.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri simply stared, blinking at him as he explained in a way that only Keernan could explain. Her brow furrowed at his assurance that he was telling her the truth and she nodded and continued walking slowly and steadily as she tried to keep him upright.

"I believe you, I just... don't think I understand any of it." she huffed and bit on her lip for a moment. "So, you were an elf, and you died, and you've what like, been reborn in some way, as a shifter?.."

"Sorry I yelled at you." she added in a murmur..

"Su?!" a male voice called out, apparently frantic with worry.

"Tyr!" she called back and glanced up at Keernan with a small smile. "My brother. We'll get you back to my place and you can rest up."

 

[Keernan]

"That is alright," Keernan said quietly. "I'm sorry I cannot explain it well. I am not deliberately misleading you."

Drifting from place to place was easy. No one usually asked difficult questions about who he was, certainly not what he was.

There were going to be more questions. The children had gone on ahead of them. The townsfolk would have been coming out of the houses as the news was spread around. What would the children even have told them so far? It wasn't going to be an easy tale for anyone to swallow.

Faeries stole your children.

 

[Syuri]

"I know.." Syuri answered just as her brother and two other rangers reached them. There was no mistaking the blonde elf as Syuri's sibling. He was tall, well built and handsome where she was short, slender and pretty, but they shared the same nose, snowy white hair and crystalline blue eyes. The elf's hands gripped hold of Syuri's shoulders, sparing only a quick glance over Keernan before his concern returned to his sister.

"Are you alright? Where have you been? You've had us all worried sick, we thought you'd been taken. Are you hurt?.." he gripped her chin and turned her face one way and then the other and Syuri laughed under her breath and batted his hand away.

"I'm fine..We weren't gone that long. Did the kids get back home alright? This is Keernan, he helped me find them. He needs to rest, help me get him to my place will you?.." she asked, and he obliged by moving to the other side of Keernan to take some of his weight.

"The kids are home, and telling stories about you both saving them from faeries? But, Su you've been gone three days.." he frowned at her past Keernan and then looked at the man. "You have our thanks, friend."

 

[Keernan]

"I'm afraid that is entirely true," Keernan said. Already he had come up against a village of people unwilling to listen, but he was too tired to thin about a way to sugar coat this. They would accept their word or they would not. They had to believe one of their own. Syuri was no child.

"Three days? Then we did fully cross over to their realm," he sighed.

With each step he felt more himself, more complete. He took more of his own body weight with each stride. They were clear of the woods, approaching the outskirts of the town. It did not exactly feel safe, but it felt good to have some distance between them and the fae they had left behind.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri nodded in agreement with Keernan and sighed, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she'd been gone from home for three whole days instead of a few hours.. "They were going to send changelings back disguised as the children, they're a sort of fae.. One of them looked just like Mirryn, I don't think we'd ever have known, if not for Keernan." she frowned, the image of the little creature hissing at her still fresh in her memory.

"Then there were the nyxie.. horrible green things that came from the river. They'd have killed me, but Keernan stopped them too." she sighed, realising she owed the man, who'd only recently been a stranger, a lot. "And the Aralyssian, she.. Well I'm not sure what she wants but, I made a deal with her that we got to leave and take the children with us, if we promise never to return, any of us. Retaliation is out of the question, Tyr, do you hear me?.." she frowned at her brother, putting on her serious face, and the elf looked perturbed by the notion that the crimes go unanswered. He sighed instead of arguing about it right now, but she could tell the discussion would be revisited.

By the time they reached her home, there were people gathered, amongst which were the children and their families, the atmosphere jovial as friends and families hugged and celebrated the safe return of the children.

"There they are!" one of the children yelled and pointed toward Syuri and Keernan, and they were faced by a rush of people. The first to reach her was Kip, and the young elf threw his arms around Syuri's neck and pulled her into a vice like grip. She laughed and patted at his back.

"I'm alright kid. Still plenty reading lessons to do.". They both grinned.

 

[Keernan]

Keernan looked distinctly awkward in the crowd. It was the attention of the fae that he was most uncomfortable with, but he didn't feel right being looked at so closely by the townsfolk.

Keernan drifted. He went to different places and explored and moved on. He never stayed long enough to be truly noticed.

"I'm glad they're all safe," he said, taking a step back from the group.

Syuri's questions were cutting too. Keernan didn't spend much time contemplating his own existence. He just was. There was too much in the world to explore to worry about that. He knew he had died, and that people struggled to understand that. He remembered the death well. Was it just one death?

"Maybe I should go soon," he said quietly.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri ruffled Kip's hair and pressed an affectionate kiss to the boy's head, but he didn't seem to want to let go and she laughed as her brother had to pry his arms off of her and he occupied him with a headlock.

She accepted the hugs from the relieved mothers and fathers who had been waiting for them to return, all of whom offered their sincere thanks to Keernan respectively after Syuri assured them it was not her who deserved their thanks and had it not been for Keernan she would still be sitting in the tavern scratching her head about the entire mystery.

She noted Keernan's discomfort and she ushered the crowd on with a light hearted chuckle as they headed off in dribs and drabs toward their homes, or to the tavern to celebrate.

"Go?.." Syuri frowned as she turned to Keernan, a look of puzzlement on her face. "But, you need to rest. I'd rather you stayed.. At least for one night." her head tilted at him.

 

[Keernan]

It brought a warmth to Keernan to see their affectionate reunion, even if he was afraid to come under scrutiny himself.

When Syuri made the offer he sighed, feeling himself pulled two ways. Part of him wanted to start running already. From those who would ask questions, from the fae who wanted far more.

It wasn't as painful as when she had been pulling him apart. That was what it had felt like. Akin to have each arm tied to a bolting horse.

Keernan returned his two-toned gaze from the horizon back to Syuri.

"One night. My body would rather I stayed too. A barn will do fine if there is one."

 

[Syuri]

“A barn?..” Syuri laughed musically and her head shook. “Don’t be ridiculous. I have a spare room.” she waved a hand dismissively. It wasn’t up for debate.

“I’ll go let father know you’ve returned safe, Su. Get some rest.” Tyr grabbed his sister into another hug and kissed her head affectionately. She smirked and squeezed him..

“A few days away and you’ve gone all sappy.” She laughed, and the elf grinned and shoved her gently as he turned away. “Rest well, Keernan, if there’s anything we can do for you..” he dipped his chiselled chin and grabbed Kip in another headlock to lead him home.

“They’re not a bad bunch..”Syuri smirked and opened the gate to her quaint little garden, the wildflowers a riot of colour. She shoved open the heavy oak cottage door and stood aside to gesture him inside.

 

[Keernan]

"They seem nice, they really do..." Keernan said.

Their relief must have broken like a dam. First the children and then Syuri. They must have suspected him within a couple of days. After all, he had led her out into the woods.

Keernan paused halfway up the path. Turning towards the flower beds he waved an open palm over the flowers. Where they brushed between his open fingers the vibrancy of the colours only seemed to grow. As if the momentary distraction was forgotten he turned back to the door.

"This is a nice house," he added, ducking through the door.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri peeked around the doorway to watch him with curiosity, her lips tugging into a smile as she watched as he seemed to breathe some new life into the flowers. Her head tilted, and her smile warmed as he complimented her home.

“Thank You. My father and brother built it.” She told him as she closed the door behind him. The oak tree that had stood where her cottage now did had not been cut down, instead it had been built around and carved into, its branches seemed to run through the walls, arching over the doorways and holding up the roof like beams, all chiselled with eleven designs with candles hanging here and there. A spiral staircase had been carved into the very trunk of the tree, leading up to a mezzanine where she slept.

Syuri looked around with a soft frown, the air was palpable, cold and empty, the hearth had long since died out.. “I guess we really have been gone for a few days..” she huffed, and got to work throwing some kindling and wood into the hearth to start a fire up.

“I can warm some water for a bath if you’d like..The other room is through that way.” She gestured to the archway that lead off to the rest of the house. “Are you hungry?..” her brow quirked, and she dusted her hands off as she stood, the room now warmed by the cosy glow of firelight.

 

[Keernan]

He liked this house. He liked the natural world flowing through it. Life, from the nutrients and water from below, to the sunlight above. The tree took what it needed from the outside world and offered up the shelter they needed inside.

The house could not be torn from the tree. The tree could not be removed from the house. They were entirely reliant upon one another now.

He ran his hand along the smooth handrail around the stairs, appreciating the craftsmanship.

"I think I might rest my legs and let some warmth in before thinking about a bath," Keernan said. He stepped closer to the fire and placed his hands close to it. He was never usually bothered by the cold, or any of the elements.

He couldn't remember being this tired. Not in this lifetime. He could remember the very last of his strength waning, the cold cutting to the core, the last breath leaving his lungs. Back when he had died.

"I would love some food."

 

[Syuri]

Syuri flashed a smile at him and nodded.. "Alright." she agreed and pushed a very large, very comfortable arm chair that was draped with soft fur closer to the hearth until it was directly behind him, and turned to throw together some food.

Luckily she'd only baked the bread, what seemed like yesterday morning, but it was still wrapped up and fresh enough to eat since it had actually been three whole days. She cut a few slices and piled them on to a plate along with some crumbly cheese and dried venison from her pantry. She set a pot of water to boil and threw in a little herb pouch that smelled of cranberry and chamomile. When it was warm enough, she filled two cups and returned to him with the tray which she set down in front of the fire before settling herself down in a pile of cushions and wrapping her hands around her cup of tea to sip at it.

"How're you feeling?.." she asked with a brief frown, and at the sound of a quiet mew she looked up to see the face of her cat peeking down from her bed above. "Ah. So she shows herself when there's food around.." she smirked. The cat stretched and made its way down the spiral stairs and made it's way quickly to Syuri's lap, instantly purring as it rubbed it's head under her chin. She was a ginger and white ball of pure dishevelled fluff. "This is Mango." Syuri smirked and scratched the feline behind the ears. "Hope you don't mind cats."

 

[Keernan]

Keernan let out a soft grunt as he veritable collapsed back into the chair. It seemed to embrace him back. Blankets and well-worn cushions melding around him. The grunt became a sigh. Trying to walk far away from here through the night now seemed an even sillier idea than when he had suggested it.

A faint shiver ran up his spine. It was the pleasant sort that came just as the warmth started to really chase the cold away.

Keernan set the tea aside for the moment. He crumbled off a chuck of cheese and popped it into his mouth, followed by bread, before she could ask her question.

As he chewed he watched the small feline pad down the stairs. It didn't even seem to pay him much heed, heading for its returned master.

"I am feeling...more myself," he said. He was certainly hungry. "Does it hunt for you," he asked, waving at the cat.

It finally paid attention to him. Mostly because the waving had held a strip of dried meat.

 

[Syuri]

A warm smile over the rim of her mug was all that was given in response to his answer, and she sighed deeply as the tea warmed her. She blurted out a laugh at his question.. "Oh, no.. She's a bit... Useless. But she's good company." she grinned, watching as the pansy-face cat jumped up onto the arm of Keernan's chair with a purr-laced meow and cosied up to his arm with a head-butt in a not so subtle hint that she was hungry. Syuri bit on her lip as she quietly hoped her brother had come by to feed her whilst she'd been gone.

"Where will you go?.. Do you have a home, or do you just sort of, travel around?.." her brow furrowed. As exciting as the thought of seeing some more of the world truly was to her, she couldn't help but feel it would be a lonely existence doing it on her own. She'd take Mango, of course, but she wasn't much of a conversationalist, nor was she helpful in sticky situations. She smirked at the thought and continued to sip her tea.

 

[Keernan]

"This?" he asked the cat, holding up the strip of meat. The answer came with the little fiend nearly sinking its claws into his finger. It was quite quick when it wanted to be. Keernan tore off a strip and dropped it. The creature virtually inhaled the morsel and returned for more.

"I travel," he confirmed, nodding his head slowly. "I don't stay in places for long. I find I don't fit in very well."

Keernan smiled as he watched the fire, clearly not seeking sympathy. He blew a wisp of steam from the tea and took a sip.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri's lips twisted with amusement as she watched the slipshod feline manipulate her way to a meal, a brow arching as the creature's paw reached out toward Keernan's plate with the intent on helping herself now she'd had a taste of what was on offer. After a 'psst' from Syuri, the cat gave an indignant grumble and sat down on the arm of the chair, turning her head to stare at Keernan, refusing to look at her. Syuri's head shook and she smirked at the elf's words.

"Well, looks like you fit in here alright." she laughed under her breath and drew in another sip of her tea. She watched him over her mug for a moment. "It sounds exciting, if not a little.. lonely? I mean, you're strange, but you're not that strange.." she bit on her lip and looked down. She had a way of digging herself into deeper holes when she spoke and she didn't want to offend him.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like.. This village owes you a great deal. I owe you a great deal." she frowned gently.

 

[Keernan]

"Not that strange..." he mused, lips curling into a smile. He was beginning to look more at peace again. Whatever the fae had done, it had clearly frightened him.

"That might be the nicest thing I've had said of my presence recently," he chuckled. The firelight danced in his eyes, seemingly more bright in his right. There was a faint, crescent shaped tattoo underneath the eye. It was almost the impression of one, almost more like scar tissue.

"It can be lonely," he confirmed. "I have simply not felt as if I have fitted in anywhere I pass through. Like a foot in a glove. The feeling is usually mutual."

The residents here had not taken too kindly to his questions before Syuri had called him over. He stroked the cat, which turned its node into his palm to check for any food before accepting the attention/

"I don't know how long I should stay," he said quietly. "I truly do welcome the offer, but that fae she sounded...more interested in me than I would like."

 

[Syuri]

Her grin turned to a laugh as he chuckled and she shrugged and sipped a little more tea. She was warming up now too, her body slowly relaxing from the day's events as the heat seeped into her muscles and bones. The laughter helped too.

"Hm.. That's not a bad thing. At least you're different. Normal can be more than a little boring sometimes." she reasoned with a tilt of her head, the sound of Mango's purring loud in her ears and she smiled.

"Well, that's up to you but..if you think she's going to be looking for you.. aren't you better to be here, where you have others on your side? We don't run into much trouble here, but the rangers are well trained, we wouldn't let her take you back there." her brow furrowed and she stared back at him with determination.

 

[Keernan]

Keernan canted his head thoughtfully to one side. He scratched at his stubble and gave it some thought. It would be nice to be out of the rain for a few days in a row at least.

The elements didn't normally bother him much, but he was not feeling himself. The fire was almost rejuvenating.

"I will stay a few days," he agreed, turning from the fire to smile at Syuri.

He tossed another small piece of meat to the floor just to see how quickly the cat moved.

"You ever get bored of the same town and people?" he asked innocently, as if it were not a very pointed question.

 

[Syuri]

Her shoulders raised almost to her ears and she gave an open-mouthed grin as he agreed to stay for a little longer. "Great!" she smiled and set her cup down before flopping herself back into the pile of cushions. Mango glanced down at the meat on the floor and looked back at Keernan, giving the impression that she was a little offended that she'd have to eat off of the floor or move at all. The cat huffed and stretched on the arm of the chair before hopping down to eat the scrap before strutting to Syuri to climb up onto her chest and chew at her hair.

Her fingers combed through the bedraggled, orange fur and the cat lay down, purring contentedly. "I could never be bored of my people, I love them. But, yes.. Living in the same town can be considerably boring." she sighed and laughed under her breath "We haven't had this much 'excitement' for a long time..I'm just glad it turned out the way it did. I thought the worst." she frowned and squished Mango's pansy face to kiss her nose. She didn't have any children, but she cared about the town's children as though they were family.

"Did you have family?.. Before?.." she asked curiously and pressed her lips thinly, hoping the question wasn't too insensitive.