Private Tales Crossing Over

[Syuri]

Syuri's lips twisted and she chewed on the inside of her cheek to avoid laughing at her own flustering and Keernan's innocent confusing. She couldn't help but be amused by him, but he probably thought she was strange too.

"Mhm.." she smiled as she poured the tea, glancing up at him as he looked at the bow. "You do shoot?.." she asked curiously.

 

[Keernan]

"No, I've never really picked up a bow in my life," he said. He meandered over to the table.

He couldn't shoot, but the craftsmanship was something he could appreciate. He ran his fingers down the curve of the bow. His thumb could not even feel the joins where layers had been bonded together to give the stave its strength.

"You have people who really know how to work with wood," he said, tilting his head towards the tree at the centre of her house.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri laughed as she brought the food to the table and set down the two plates of bacon, eggs and buttered bread.. "Well, we don't really have much else around here. But yes, Yorik is particularly skilled. He helped my father and brother with this.." she looked up at the carved branches and beams that held up her roof and smiled back at him.

She set down a bowl of shredded meat for Mango and returned to the table with the tea, waisting no time in devouring a slice of bacon. An involuntary 'hmmm' escaped her lips as she sighed in delight and she cast her gaze over the bows.. "I can teach you on the road if you'd like?.. Might as well try to make myself useful.." she shrugged.

 

[Keernan]

Keernan took his hand away from the bow. He had curled the fingers of his right hand into his palm. There was a fleeting memory, but it was like trying to make out shapes in an ever coalescing mist. He stood still for a moment, lost in silent introspection that didn't achieve anything.

"Yes..." he said, turning to face her. The morning light making his heterochromia even more apparent. "...I would like that a lot I think."

Keernan sat down, reminded by his stomach rather sharply that he needed to eat.

"I assume you will need to talk to your father about the trip?" he asked.

 

[Syuri]

The usual warm smile that brightened the young elf's face came as he agreed to let her teach him. It was the same smile she wore whenever she could be of any sort of help or got her own way, and it made her crystalline eyes sparkle a little brighter. "Alright. Good." she agreed with a firm nod and took a bite of her bread.

The smile faltered with a brief flash of dread as he mentioned the pending discussion and she nodded and swallowed her food with a sigh. "Mhm.. I doubt he'll take it well. But I've made up my mind." her lips pursed and she pushed some eggs around the plate with her fork for a moment.. "I need this. Gods, you've had several lives and you've done more with each of them than I've done with one by the sounds of it." she gave a small smile and lifted her eyes to him.

"Thank you for inviting me along." she smiled and dropped her attention to her food once more. "I'll speak with him and Tyr both after I've eaten."

 

[Keernan]

"It will be nice to have some company for a change," Keernan said with a gentle smile. He briefly considered helping her talk to her father. Even he could realise that it would have been a very silly offer.

If he had questions about her safety then he supposed he would be drawn into the conversation. Keernan rarely gauged how well relationships between other people were working.

"There is a lot in the world to see. You shouldn't feel bad about not visiting much of it though. I can't even remember where I went in my first life.

"I wonder..." he said, looking out of the window, "Does it even count if you can't remember?"

 

[Syuri]

"I.. I don't know." her head tilted as she considered the question with a soft frown as she ate. "I suppose, you'll have to visit them all again." she smiled. "But yes, company is nice." she agreed with a nod, and cleared her plate.

"Alright.." she sighed and drank down her tea before she stood. "I suppose I should get this over with. I shouldn't be long. Help yourself to more food if you like." she gestured to the abundance of fruits and sweet breads that filled the baskets before pulling on her bow, and leaving him to his own devices, and Mango's awkward staring.

 

[Keernan]

Keernan stayed quietly seated at the table as Syuri made her way out of the house. It really was a very nice house, he thought to himself. If he ever thought he could belong anyway, he decided it was the kind of home that he would like to. Even if he belonged, part of his spirit seemed to long to explore, to see more of this world.

The cat hopped up onto the table, sniffing at the various items that had arrived that morning.

"I wonder," Keernan said, leaning forwards until he was at eye level. "Do you understand commands?"

"Please get down from the table."

Mango spared him a glance before rubbing his cheeks up against the bow.

"Get down Mango?" Keernan tried. Nothing.

He slipped a hand under the creature's belly and placed it back down on the floor. It didn't protest this a great deal, so Keernan supposed it was accustomed to being manhandled.

"Curious little thing," he remarked to himself.

 

[Syuri]

Her father had reacted in exactly the way she'd expected him to. With worry, and dread, and fear. Her father and brother had always been overprotective of her since her mother had passed. They coddled her, shielded her and built her the most beautiful home to ensure she stayed right here. Of course, life here was tranquil, pleasant and entirely boring.

It took over an hour of watching her father pace up and down his office with Tyr standing silently in the corner, leaning against her father's bookcase with his arms folded in cool consternation. In the end, he'd strode over to her side, and turned to their father with a sigh.

"She's made up her mind.." he told him. "And I know she's more than capable of looking after herself. So do you. I'll help you with whatever you need until Su returns.. At least give her the chance to find her own feet." Her brother smirked down at her and pulled her against his side to press a kiss on her head, and although her father clearly wasn't happy about it, he reluctantly agreed. His hug was longer, and Syuri patted his back in reassurance.

"I'll be fine.. Promise." she muffled against his chest and he nodded and finally let her go.

By the time she skipped up the path and burst through her door she was beaming.. "Time to pack!"

 

[Keernan]

"You were gone a long time," he observed. That was all it was, a flat observation. People often read into the things that Keernan said. It was one of the aspects that led to people finding him strange.

Most people said what they did not mean with an inflection to convert the true meaning. Keernan simply said what he felt, or mused on what he saw. It could be disconcerting.

"I am glad you look so happy to be doing a little travelling," he said, pushing up from the table. "If you have enough dried meat, bread or biscuits we can probably go the whole way without having to stop to hunt or forage."

 

[Syuri]

Syuri pressed her back against the door and huffed with a nod at his observation. “My father took some convincing..” she smiled. She did find him strange, but in an amusing sort of way. He said what was on his mind and she liked that about him.

She smiled brightly as he commented on her happiness and she skipped to the kitchen to start organising their supplies. “We have plenty.. And I am happy.” She agreed, knowing she was happier now that she had her father’s blessing. She knew she wouldn’t have gone if it had upset him, and she was grateful for her brother for stepping in and supporting her.

“Thank you Keernan.” She lifted her eyes to him, her lips twisting in a small, appreciative smile. “Shall we set off at first light? That way you can get a proper rest tonight..” she smirked and shook her head.

 

[Keernan]

"I would appreciate that," Keernan said earnestly.

He was feeling much invigorated, that engine that burned inside him had been relit. He could still feel that trying to shift would be too draining. Whilst he had told Syuri that the route was safe, he didn't want to be proved wrong and be unable to provide any protection.

Keernan wasn't especially noble and self-sacrificing. Syuri had family who cared for her, the children adored her. No one would miss him. If they were attacked on the road - as capable as she was - he would look to her safety first.

"Don't get too excited. Whilst the town is a more...colourful...it is not the most lively place in the world."

 

[Syuri]

But she was excited. It didn't have to be lively, it could be just as boring as her own little village was, but she always enjoyed meeting new people when they passed through, and there were whole towns full of them. Her imagination was running wild as she thought of the journey ahead, and she made quick work of packing.

The next morning she woke before first light and she was already washed and ready to go by the time Keernan stirred, and breakfast was on the table. She explained to Mango that Tyr and Kip would look after her, but the bedraggled cat just stared at her grumpily.

"Breakfast!" Syuri called, tapping her knuckles gently on the bedroom door before Mango pushed it opened and squeezed herself inside to meow at the elf as though to echo the demand for him to get up.

 

[Keernan]

Keernan was up slowly. He tucked into his breakfast with abandon. That weight was still hanging from his soul, a tiredness that permeated every aspect of his being. It was much reduced from the day before, but he was still driven to replenish his reserves.

"I was mmph thinking," he said, not having the table manners to wait to speak without a mouthful. "That before we mph-mm head out you could show me the bow?"

---

"He hasn't left. Not yet. We could simply..."

"I have told you we cannot. I am bound."

"I am not."

"My judges would not see it that way. Do not being it up again."

The Aralyssian was growing weary of these exchanges. She kept Furnoch around because he was an exquisitely beautiful creature, not for his perception.

"Then what..."

"Have three chaos hounds prepared."

"But my queen, if it is truly him then three would barely trouble him. Let me..."

"If it is him, then forcing him to reveal more of himself would be a victory in its own right."

 

[Syuri]

As the opportunity arose for her to be of some use, for her to pay him back in some small way, she nodded quickly as she set down her cup, her eyes dancing with delight, like a shimmer of sunlight across glacial pools. "Of course!" she agreed ardently and stood to clear the table.

Whilst they were still indoors she showed him the make up of the bow, the limbs, the grip, the shelf - the string and the nocking point. She showed him where to hold it, how to hold it and how to nock an arrow. "It takes practise to do it quickly. But we'll have plenty of time on the road I assume, I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly.. Would you like to try it?" she smiled, holding his bow out to him with a wiggle of her brows.

 

[Keernan]

He suggested at least a brief practise session before they set out. They didn't go far from the house, just to the edge of the village where arrows could be launched at a soft bank.

When Keernan took the bow he stopped listening to her instructions. Without paying any heed he took the bow in hand, knocked the arrow and drew. Motions that his hands knew on their own. The memory held in his muscles drew him into a past buried beyond his reach.

---

"That's it, hold keep one eye on the target and let the point of the arrow fall just below it. Now keep pulling, from the elbow not your hand. Then release."

He felt the of kiss of feathers across his cheek, heard the thunk of the arrow striking the hay bale before he even turned his head.

The person teaching him was a blur, just a shadow against the sun. A formless must he couldn't mentally grasp.

---

The arrow struck the bank. Keernan looked down at the bow, his brow furrowed. There was plenty that Syuri could still teach him, but it was obvious that he knew the basics already.

"I think someone taught me this once," he whispered. "I don't even know who."

 

[Syuri]

Syuri's brow quirked as she watched him take to it so easily.. Nobody found it that east that quickly. It'd taken her weeks to teach Kip.

"Yes, I think so.." she answered him with a soft frown in befuddlement. "I think, keeping the skills you've learned in your past lives has got to be cheating.." she smirked as she lifted her own bow, nocked an arrow and pulled it back to feel the feather brush against her jaw. Her aim was brief but true, and using his own arrow as her target, her own arrow struck against his own and she grinned smugly.

"My brother didn't speak to me for days after I thrashed him in a tournament a few years ago.." she chuckled as she walked to collect the arrows. "I was more dedicated to it than he was, he was busy flirting with the baker's daughter. I'm not sure who dented his pride more." she smiled and stepped up beside him with a beaming smile.

"Ready to go?.." she bit on her lip and rocked back and forth on her heels.

 

[Keernan]

"I can't remember how to do that," he said as her arrow struck his own. What his memory told him was that he had been gifted a fine bow with a good string. It was the pleasant kind of hum of well matched arrow spine and bow as it was released.

Keernan smiled. It was a warm smile, full of relief that she accepted another strangeness without any accusation or sharp question.

"We can set out," he confirmed. "I think you're now in charge of protecting me."

---

"So this is a road..." he said, waving an arm up and down. It was barely a dirt track, just wide enough to take a wagon. The ground was hard and dry right now, but plenty of horse show prints remained from when it had taken rain.

"It is not the most exciting thing. So... You were saying before... Did losing this tournament put your brother out of favour with the bakers daughter?"

 

[Syuri]

Syuri had paused for a brief moment, at the moment she knew she'd never been so far from home, and it really wasn't far at all. The step she took over the invisible perimeter was one of mixed emotion, but an overriding excitement made her next few steps a bit of a skip to catch up with him, and she hooked her arm with his, for the road was now new and of course, anything could happen.

"It is exciting." she corrected him with a grin, and chuckled at his question. "No, him flirting with the Smith's daughter put him out of favour with the baker's daughter." she shook her head. "He's my older brother, though sometimes you wouldn't know it.. I suppose I took on a little more responsibility than he did. Maybe this will be good for him too." she reasoned with a shrug.

"So where are we going?.." she asked, looking up at him and suddenly realising how much taller he was. "Will we reach the town tonight?" she added, having no idea how vast the lands truly were.

 

[Keernan]

"Brakeltan," Keernan announced. "If you...think of Lanateth sitting on a crossroads, the main road goes north to south. That's where you probably get most visitors coming along.

"We're heading west now. Two or three days of travel. The North to South Road that passes through Brakeltan is further out of the woods so has become more popular. It is a mostly human town with palisade walls. Small by the standards of humans, but larger than your home."

Keernan had not had anyone listen to him so much for years. As well as speaking earnestly, he also displayed his emotions quite openly. When he looked down at her, he was grinning from ear to ear.

"So is your brother still in favour with either daughter?" he asked. Keernan had to shorten his usual stride a little for them to walk arm in arm. It looked as if it was going to be a very pleasant day.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri nodded as she listened intently, trying to imagine the map of the land in her mind. Her gaze widened a little as he said it'd be two or three days, but she remained excitable about the journey if not a little more so.

"Haven't met many humans really. A few travellers filter through from time to time but most are our own kind. The ones I have met were nice enough.." her lips pursed and she shrugged ignorantly, lacing her fingers together as she held onto his arm and let her gaze wander the canopy above and the path ahead..

"Hm.. No, I think they may be in favour with one another.." she grinned up at him in amusement, but her smile faltered when the bag she carried on her back meowed and she cleared her throat sheepishly.

 

[Keernan]

"Your bag made a noise," he replied. There wasn't even a hint of humour in what he said.

"I will let you make up your own mind on humans," he replied. "I am never sure if other people tend to share my opinions on matters," he said lightly.

It was another way of saying that his perspective on the world didn't tend to line up to everyone else. He was also trying not to speak ill of humans. They seemed quite brash and noisy to him. At least they had seemed at ease with elves at Brackeltan. It wasn't always the case.

"Wait, did you bring your cat?" he asked rather suddenly.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri's lips twisted as she tried to hide her amusement at his observation before so casually continuing on with what he was saying. She cleared her throat and nodded.. "Hm, I have much to make up my mind about. It might well burst before I make it home." she chuckled quietly. She realised how sheltered she really was. She had read many books, almost every one of them in their library (which, wasn't really that big, but she'd never seen another one to have anything to compare it to) - but she'd never been educated on the world, she had no experiences of what it was like, and so in her mind she had everything to learn.

She let out a short huff and shot him a sheepish look as she paused before reaching back and lifting the flap at the top of the back to let Mango's dishevelled head wriggle free to observe her surroundings with her usual grumpy expression.

"I couldn't leave her..." her teeth clenched and she smiled hesitantly, rocking back and forth on her heels.

 

[Keernan]

"Is Mango going to travel well?" he asked.

Mango paid almost no mind to him speaking. Instead she was scanning the woods around them. He decided not to try and pet her right now.

"I think perhaps if we decide to take some rooms at one of the inns there we should keep quiet about the cat," he chuckled.

"Have you ever walked so far in those boots?" he asked suddenly. A rather conversation jarring switch of topics, but Keernan tended to say what came to mind.

 

[Syuri]

Syuri bit on her lip at his questions and shrugged her shoulders. "I..don't know, she's never travelled anywhere before. And, I've never walked this far before, but they've held up well when I've been on my feet all day so, I guess they should?.." she tilted her head, her eyes sparkling cheerfully. "I suppose it all adds to the adventure really!" she chuckled.

She lifted the cat from her sack and pulled the ginger pansy-face against her chest where she curled up comfortably, her eyes and ears constantly moving in response to birds and leaves. She glanced over her shoulder every so often, and she stayed close to him as they walked. Mango had found a perch up on her shoulder and seemed content to settle there. The sun was soon nearing the end of it's descent, turning the sky a deep pink that cast the world in a rosy glow.

"So far so good.." she smiled.