Private Tales Fight Fire With Fire

[Smiling One]

Wills laughed when Ayreal said she was exhausted. “Oh come on Ayreal!” He grinned. “We all know the real reason that you want to eat more is because you want to date a handsome guy like me.”

He had to admit he was tired as well but he needed to keep moving if they were to catch the arsonist. Still Ayreal needed to rest up and besides it could be a fun date. Impulsively, Willis began to pick up Ayreal into a bridal carry smiling like a Cat who grabbed the Canary.

“Don’t want you walking!” He said. “You got to rest up! I also know of a place where we can eat. Fancy shit called: The Swordsmans Bistro! Got some coin to spare so I’ll pay!”

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal was caught off guard as he scooped her up, scoffing at his comment about her walking. "Don't kid yourself. I could still kick your ass on three days without sleep after having fought a forest fire... I'd be more worried about your eyebrows than my feet if I were you," She chuckled with a twinkle of mischief behind her smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Though she had to admit, he was strong. He could definitely keep up with some of her brothers in an arm wrestling match. "If I wanted to date you I would ask you to come home and try my mother's spicy meat pie."

 

[Smiling One]

Willis laughed as he carried Ayreal through the dwindling crowd who were either retuning to their homes or heading to nearby taverns. The stars began to appear above, it was getting dark but Willis wasn’t worried. He had a cute girl in his arms.

“I don’t doubt it!” Willis smirked still carrying Ayreal. She was pretty light and easy to carry though a small part of him was a bit wary that she’ll carry on her promise to singe his eyebrows.

“Oh so you don’t want to date me?” Willis said pretending to be offended. “Oh my wounded heart! After spoiling the beautiful maid she rejects me!”

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal raised a brow and grinned "I don't know, my ma's meat pie is pretty spicy. And you'd have to face the firing squad, all my relatives would be asking you all sorts of personal questions. Are you sure you could handle it?" She chuckled.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis continued to carry Ayreal as they approached the restaurant. “I fought in a war, faced supernatural beings such as: Giants, Vampires, Basiliks and one time fought a Beholder in a different dimension.” Willis leaned his face closer to Ayreal desiring to kiss her.

“Though I never seen a rowdy yet loving family in life,” he whispered. “But there’s always a first time for everything especially with a lovely woman in my arms.”

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

There was a fire in his eyes, a deep passionate longing. Ayreal locked eyes with him and chuckled softly through gently parted lips. "You think," She whispered, one hand moving up to the back of his head pulling him closer, the other sliding down beneath his collar as their lips met. Time stopped, then it was shattered with a shout moments before a drunk who had come out of the tavern staggered into Willis' back. Their teeth knocked together painfully and they both went crashing to the cobblestones.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis’ lips brushed against Ayreals until some fucking drunk decided to stumble onto the pair and push them on the ground. Making sure that Ayreal wasn’t hurt, Willis managed to turn his body around and land back first into the stone hard ground. Ayreals teeth collided with Wills’ painfully and for a brief moment Willis thought he chipped a tooth.

It didn’t matter though as Willis felt, the young woman’s moist lips lock against his. Willis kissed back feeling the Pyromages hunger and passion for more. He wrapped his arms around Ayreal as he kissed her passionately.

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

She breathed him in deep tasting blood. Was that his blood or hers? It didn't matter. After a moment they parted, and she got up helping Will off the ground before turning on the drunk who was staring at them blearily. "Watch were your going you dam lush," She bit out wiping blood from her lip with her thumb.

"Who you callin' a lush bitsh," He slurred.

"Call me that again, and I'll char your sorry ass, now get out of here before I tell the authorities you assaulted me," She snapped.

He scowled and spit on the ground but then his eyes fell on the intimidating form of Will behind her. "Ffffffine," He spat before staggering off.

 

[Smiling One]

Ayreal helped Willis get on his feet. The young man brushed himself off as the drunk man who pushed them cursed Ayreal. Wills was about to say something but Ayreal chewed him out for pushing them. Willis lips formed into a smirk. He always admired a woman who had balls.

As soon as the drunk man left, Willis turned Ayreal around and kissed her on the lips. “I think I’m in love,” he whispered.

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

"You think?" Ayreal muttered around his lips as they kissed again before pulling back and looking him in the eyes, a sparkle in her own. "Sounds rather indecisive to me," She said with a cockeyed grin. "But maybe we should get something to eat. I'm starving," She said with an impish twinkle in her eyes as she gave him a quick peck on the end of his nose. She then turned on her heel and headed inside with a slight bounce in her step not even looking back.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis smiled when Ayreal released herself from him. There was a twinkle in her eye when she turned around and headed towards the restaurant. Willis ran after the red head brushing past the people going to their homes now. An Orc bodyguard was in front of the door stopping the two of them In Their tracks. “Do you have a reservation?” He asked.

“Hey Borak!” Willis smiled. “It’s me Willis! Let me and my girl in!”

The Orc lips formed into a smile. “Willis?” He said. “I don’t think can do that.”

“You owe me,” Willis said. “For saving your ass from that Bruxa a year ago. I’m calling it in.”

Borak sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But just this once okay Willis?” The Orc turned to Ayreal and sized her up. “Cute girlfriend,” he commented.

Willis kissed Ayreal on the cheek. “She’s one of a kind,” he said.

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

"Don't get any idea's big guy," Ayreal said flipping her hair over her shoulder and linking her arm around Will's before heading inside.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis and Ayreal entered the restaurant. It was lively and full of affluent people from Alliria. The Dwarven bankers, the successful merchants, nobles and Knights you name it. Willis continued to link his arm around Ayreals as a servant stared approached the two of them raising an eyebrow.

“Welcome to the Swordsmans Bistro,” the Elf said slowly. “You got a problem with a young couple in love?” Willis asked. “I know that look. Yeah we’re not fancy living shits like those guys upfront but I paid good coin to treat my girl nice and I demand that you place us in a good seat.”

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal let go of Will's arm and bowed with a bit of a flourish, "Ayreal Mellbrand," She said and glanced around absently at the decor as she straightened. "I do believe a good deal of the mettle work here was done on rush order last year by Melbrand metalworks." She waved her hand and with a snap of her fingers the candles at an empty table across the room lit up. "That table will do just fine, she said."

The servant stared a bit shocked "Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, follow me, this way miss," He stammered leading them over to the table she had selected.

She looped her arm back around Will's and leaned in "We don't act like it but our family's got quite a bit of money to pull," She said. "Besides if I told my sister I got bad service here she could pull their order and then they would be screwed without the high quality work that their customers expect."

 

[Smiling One]

Willis chuckled, “nice,” he said. “I’m dating a rich girl huh?” He wanted to joke he was sleeping his way to top but he didn’t want to piss off Ayreal after getting on her good side.

Willis kissed her forehead allowing Ayreal to lean in closer to him. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Like I said before I’ll spend the coin here. I want to spoil you.”

Willis guided Ayreal towards her seat and sat across from her. “What do you want?” Willis asked. “They make some great Swordsfish.”

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

The meal was amazing, Ayreal ate till she was full, and the two of them talked about previous adventures and escapades. It wasn't till it was quite late that they parted ways and Ayreal headed home. They had agreed to meet back at the firehouse the next morning before looking into the ship captain.

The moon was high in the sky when Ayreal returned to the Melbrand village. Houses and buildings of stone with red terracotta tiled roofs stood washed with the soft blue moonlight. The lights were out in the houses and a still silence hung over the hot summer night. She carefully pushed open the door to one of the houses, it swinging softly on well-made iron hinges. The room beyond was dark but she could make out the silhouette of the table in the middle of the room and the hearth, sleeping embers burning dimly among the ashes. two doors lead off to her parent's bed and a second bedroom where the younger children slept. A ladder lead up to a loft where she and her older siblings slept. She walked carefully across the woden floor but froze when she heard a creek and the front door move behind her.

She turned around to see Aarons shadow filling the door frame.

"You're back late," He said crossing his arms, a hint of disapproval in his voice.

"We decided to get dinner," Ayreal explained sheepishly "He was paying and, I thought I'd take advantage of it." She shrugged trying to dismiss her unease.

"You need to be careful around him, his type are quick to let you in and just as quick to forget you." he said coming inside. Ayreal could see the concern on his face as the moonlight passed over it the moment before he closed the door and went dark.

"It's not like that honest," She said snapping her fingers as a small flame lit itself at the end of her finger. The light illuminated her flushed face before she turned to head up the ladder. "I just wanted to take advantage of a fancy meal," She said knowing that none of what she said was true and Aaron knew it.

****

The next morning Ayreal found herself running the events of the day before through her head over and over again. Willis, the fires, the threat of being framed, her mind racing from one thought to the next as she stared vacantly ahead of her. When they reached the firehouse Ayreal flopped down in a chair to wait for Will to show up, her mind still racing.

 

[Smiling One]

The food was great as usual The Swordsman's Bistro was always known for its great food. The Fish especially was great but the best part was staring at Ayreal's beautiful face. Some nobles would look at the redhead's soot covered face as plain and uninteresting. Willis however found her lovely, before they parted ways Willis managed to kiss Ayreal on the lips which she was seemingly receptive.

As the moon shined bright, Willis headed towards the nearest tavern in the docks: The Bullfrog. It was the first stop that many smugglers, pirates and other shady people would go after a long voyage. "A wretched hive scum and villainy." the nobles would say which is was a place that suited Willis just fine. The main attraction of the Bullfrog was that it was cheap since Willis spent most of his coin at the restaurant. That and there was plenty of opportunities for work in case Willis couldn't find any honest jobs.

The young man spent the night playing dice with Orc sailors and getting drunk off cheap Ale while flirting with the tavern barmaids. He ended getting in a fight because a Dark Elf mercenary accused Willis of having loaded dice in one of their games. Willis still drunk spat on his face telling him that it was his loaded dice and it had his fucking name on it. The fight ended with both men sprawled out on the floor, Willis groaned and woke up seeing the sun and touched his bruised cheek remembering Ayreal.

Willis jumped up while stepping on the knocked out Dark Elf to meet Ayreal to the firehouse where she was sitting down and waiting for him. "Hey there beautiful!" Willis said leaning in and kissing her freckled cheek. "Ready to finish this?"

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal heard someone come in but didn't pay attention to them till they came right up next to her. Will leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. She jumped and pulled back starring back at him in shock and disbelief for a split second before slapping him across the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" she shouted, her face turning red with frustration.

Aaron rose to his feet towering over them, "Do I need to take him outside?"

"Don't bother, I'll do it myself," She snapped her frustration snuffed out replaced by a wave of anger burning behind her eyes as she grabbed Will by the ear and dragged him out the door of the firehouse. "You fucking idiot," She hissed in his ear before letting go. Several of the firemen stopped what they were doing to watch and Aaron lingered in the doorway.

Ayreal cracked her knuckles, "Bloody nose or singed eyebrows, take your pick."

 

[Smiling One]

Willis was shocked when Ayreal slapped him across the face. This woman hits HARD it felt like more of a punch than a slap. "Ayreal?!" Willis asked stepping back bewildered what was going on. "What's wrong?! What did I-"

He didn't manage to finish that sentence as Ayreal was now dragging Willis by the ear. Willis cried out in pain, it was weird one night he and Ayreal had the night of their lives flirting, kissing and having fun. Now the redhead is irate with Willis. What was her deal? Why was she doing this? "This must be a girl thing," Willis thought painfully watching the other firefighters along with Aaron gaping at him.

This wasn't the first time that Willis got manhandled like this by a woman. He recalled sleeping with an Elven tavern waitress a year back. The Elf thought that Willis legitimately loved her, but Willis soon moved on to another woman in the same tavern the Elf worked in. Obviously this set her off and the next thing Willis knew, the woman kicked barged into the room he and the tavern woman was sleeping in and pelted the naked young man with rotten tomatoes and a pot.

That was embarrassing to say the least but Willis knew why she was upset. With Ayreal he doesn't have the faintest clue. Did she spy on him last night while he drunkenly flirted with waitresses? Possibly Ayreal is the type that gets hotheaded easily. As soon as they were out of sight Ayreal glared daggers into the young man's eyes asking what kind of punishment would he like.

"How about an explanation?!" Willis growled silently. "Why the fuck were you so angry at me?! What did I do?!"

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal scoffed "Idiot, just because you buy me dinner doesn't mean you can come waltzing in here and do whatever you want." She looked him up and down and the anger drained from her eyes, replaced by annoyance. She dropped her fists and turned away "He's not worth it," She announced heading for the street "Come on, we have an arson to catch."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Aaron asked giving Will a side glare.

Ayreal paused and glance back at Aaron "Nah, I can handle him. Besides, someone should stay with the firefighters in case another fire starts." she said before walking out the gate to the street.

"Alright, be careful though," Aaron said then turned to glower down at Will "If you do anything to hurt her you will wish she had dealt with you herself."

 

[Smiling One]

Ayreal was right Willis was an idiot she warned him numerous times what would happen if he shows too much affection to her in front of her family. According to Ayreal, the Mellbrands look out for one another and protect each other especially from people with shady pasts like Willis. When it came to pretty women like Ayreal all common sense and professionalism just flies out of the door for Willis. Sometimes he feels that his death won't be by a rival mercenaries blade or a monster but rather than the scorn of a woman he pissed off.

"I'm many things," Willis said not staring at Aaron. "But I don't hurt my partners," It was probably a double meaning in which he would misinterpret. Hopefully he understood partner from a strictly business sense.

"Let's get this over with Ayreal," Willis mumbled his tone defeated and dark face slowly turning into a pink red. "That shithead may be starting another fire."

Willis and Ayreal walked as far away from the firehouse as possible. Willis' mind was racing with his thoughts constantly telling him what an idiot he was. "Fuck me," he said to himself. "Fuck me."

The two were in the marketplace near the docks with residents walking past them getting set up for today's business. "Ayreal I'm sorry," Willis said looking at the redheaded young woman. "I went overboard, I'm good at reading people but one thing I'm not good at is sensing a familial vibe."

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal stopped and looked back at him, fists clenched and tight jawed. "I told you, I told you, Idiot." She said but her voice was wavering "Aaron already disapproved of you staying out with me so late last night. Now... What else was I supposed to do? You should be glad I didn't let Aaron beat you up." She ranted. She paused in her rant to look at Will. He didn't really mean it. She could see his confusion on his face, and he was truly sorry. He was just a thick idiot. A thick idiot with a very poor sense of self-preservation. She noticed the bruise on his cheek that hadn't been there the other night.

She softened, sighing. Now she just looked kind of exhausted. She cupped his face and ran her thumb under the bruise "What did you do? Did you get into a fight or something?"

 

[Smiling One]

Ayreal's words stung a bit, he became a liability for the redhead and she had to act in a way that won't arouse suspicion. He failed to heed Ayarel's warning about her family and nearly paid the price. Willis analyzed Ayreal's face while she yelled at him. Her eyes full of fury but the young man could detect a sense of worry with it. She cared for Willis and he as much as he couldn't believe he's starting to care for her. That aspect scared Willis while he slept with many women he hasn't fallen in love.

There were only two women whom Willis fell in love and those ended in disaster. Willis vowed that he wouldn't fall in love fuck and date sure but not fall in love not again. Ayreal Mellbrand is making that difficult. Willis formed a small smirk when Ayreal cupped his face feeling one of his bruises. It felt so rough yet soft the hands of a hard working woman the type of woman Willis likes.

"I got in a drunken spat last night," Willis said gently holding her wrist. "At a tavern full of scum such as myself. Nothing to worry about."

There was an awkward silence between the two for a seconds before Willis coughed awkwardly. "I," He began. "I'm sorry for making an ass out of you in front of your family." he said staring into her eyes. "I-I care about you Ayreal but It's just that years of being alone not having a family you look out mostly for yourself you know?"

 

[Ayreal Mellbrand]

Ayreal sighed and gave a weak smile. "I don't know why I even try," She chuckled, mirthlessly, a soft resignation in her eyes, Like she didn't know what to do with him but didn't quite care. She leaned in a planted a soft kiss on his cheek before dropping her hand and turning away.

"Come on, we need to see a Captain about a bottle," She said heading towards the docks. The Captain in question was staying at an inn near the docks after his ship had been badly burned.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis blushed a bit when Ayreal kissed him on the cheek. It was one of the few times that he ever felt embarrassed whenever a woman kissed him. It made his heart aflutter but at the same time it scared him. "Ayreal," Willis said smirking. "You're one of a kind and the reason why you do this is because you love me."

The young man had to be careful, she was an attractive woman but Willis didn't want to get too attached to her beyond a fling. Still though, Ayreal was special. "Lead the way Red," Willis winked following the redhead. He figured capturing the captain would ease mind. Heading to the thick of battle was one ways that Willis liked to relax.

It didn't take long to get to the docks, the inn in question was straight ahead. "So how are we going to approach this?" Willis asked his hand on the hilt of his Cutlass. "I'd say it's best not to cause too much of a ruckus."