Private Tales Money Talks

[Vincent]

Vincent smiled down at her and pinched her small chin between his finger and thumb. He stepped back from her, parting with a loving kiss on her forehead.

”I’ll be back,” he said and left her to go upstairs. He wasn’t gone long, and came down wearing a pair on pants and holding the shirt that they had discarded earlier that morning.

”Smells good,” he groaned, realizing just how hungry he was.

 

[Lailah]

She challenged herself to think of a time when she felt happier than she did right now. She failed, and she pressed at the aching hinges of her jaw that were apparently not used to the amount of smiling she was doing. She was 'humming' a tune to herself too, one that she swayed to as she cooked and tidied.

By the time he returned she was plating some smoked fish and warm bread and she glanced over her shoulder at him with a flash of a smile, her eyes sweeping over his torso for a brief moment.

"It's just my natural aroma.." she answered coyly. "Oh.. The food. Right." she chuckled at herself and shook her head. Hilarious...

She carried the plates to the table and set them down. "I'd skin an orc for some bacon." she sighed as she sat down and poured him a mug of ale with a wry smile.

 

[Vincent]

”Well, you’re not so bad either.” Vincent breathed a small chuckle as he sat at the table. She was adorable. No other way to put it. Day by day, the burden of her past was lifted off her shoulders one layer at a time. Her smile brightened the room and warmed his heart. Even if he didn’t show it, Vincent was completely smitten.

”Can you even take an orc down?” Vincent playfully scoffed at her.

 

[Lailah]

“Well I was a sort of hoping you’d take him down and I can skin him..” her head tilted and she smiled with a husky laugh under her breath.

“I dunno..I could surprise you.” she twisted her lips. “I can shoot. I haven’t held a bow in some time though..” she shrugged.

 

[Vincent]

”Would that make you happy?” Vincent smirked and raised his brow at her, ”If I took an orc down for you?”

Vincent’s fork scraped across the plate a few times as he ate.

”A bow, huh?” he said through a half-stuffed mouth, ”you’ll have to show me some fancy shooting some time.”

 

[Lailah]

Lailah reached to drag his ale toward her and lifted it to her lips, her eyes grinning at him over the rim of it as she drank. “No..” She licked her lips and dragged the back of her wrist across her mouth. “But it’s good to know that you can should you need to...” she mused and pursed her lips as she slid the ale back to him.

“If I can get my hands on a bow, I will..” she smiled, but there was a hint of sorrow in her eyes. “My bow was beautiful. Rosewood and silver with carved feathers.” She sighed dreamily.

“Belonged to my brother.” She told him after a pause and she frowned with a huff at herself. “Alvaro didn’t trust me with it.” She snorted and shoved a piece of bread into her mouth.

 

[Vincent]

"I wouldn't much like to fight an armed orc," Vincent began to seriously consider the hypothetical scenario, "but you know if it came down to it, I reckon I could fight two orcs barehanded."

He pinched his chin and sagely nodded, mostly to himself. "Yeah, two is doable. Especially if the space is cramped, like a narrow hallway."

He didn't know if Lailah ever went to underground fights before her little gamble. He'd always assumed so since she seemed so certain of Vincent's victory. Of course, he didn't deliver that night. However, there was a reason he became the champion of Alliria's rings.

"Rosewood, eh," he was familiar with it. Rosewood was a common ingredient when mixing more magically potent concoctions. It was a rare tree, often found in environments dense with magic. Vincent raised his hands as if conceding, then slapped them down on the table. "I can't handle weapons if my life depended on it. Well, no, not true actually," he began to mumble, then spoke clearly again, "I know my way around a dagger..."

He sniffed and finished off the food on his plate. "When things die down in the city, if you know where the bow is, I can get it." He proposed the idea rather casually and glanced up at her, his expression showing nothing but relaxed confidence. Fighting, stealing, and potions. If he were to ever admit to being good at anything, it would be just those things. "Seems important to you."

 

[Lailah]

Lailah's head tilted and her cheeks dimpled in a visible swoon as he spoke of his skills.. "Unless of course you're throwing the fight.." she added and pointed her fork at him, a slender brow arched as a reminder of how he'd conned her. Then again, if he hadn't, she'd never have met him. His family would also still be alive and he'd have had far less trouble in his life. Fates had a funny way of being twisted, but the thoughts were far too philosophical for her to pick apart right now.

"I watched you fight, around a month before that night. That fight should have been over in seconds." she smirked at him and tore another piece of bread to chew on whilst she considered her own use with weapons. She wouldn't have claimed to know much about blades or have any sort of skills with them, but she'd used them for their intended purpose thrice now and they’d worked just fine. She'd never killed anyone with a bow, but her brother had taught her well and she was quietly confident in that field. She swallowed the bread, finding it didn't go down as easy now that bloodier thoughts had been conjured.

"I'm not much use in a fist fight." she laughed quietly. He'd witnessed that for himself the first night they'd met, she was so easily picked up and carried off. "I have hollow bones. Why i'm so light. Makes me easier to shove around too." she smirked dryly. "The.. wings, gave much more balance. Took me ages to learn how to walk properly without them, even still i'm clumsy." her eyes rolled.

She'd been about to bite into the last piece of bread when she stopped dead at his suggestion and lifted her eyes to meet his. "It was important, but not that important...That's not even funny." she frowned and dropped the bread onto her plate and shoved it away from her.

"If you think i'd let you risk your life for a bow." she blinked and shook her head. "I can get another bow."

 

[Vincent]

”I’m not joking,” he kept his gaze trained on her, ”if you want it, I can get my hands on it.”

Vincent fell silent for a moment, then waved the thought aside. ”You know, we’ll talk more about it later.” He smiled at her, trying to bring the mood back up. ”I always thought you just weren’t eating that well. I didn’t wanna say anything about it. You know, You can still be good in a fistfight. There’s more to it than just hitting somebody hard.” He stood up snd took their plates to the counter and set them down. ”I mean, I can hit hard, but there’s ways to take somebody bigger than you down. It’s about making use of what you have, and using your opponent’s strength against them. Maybe I can show you sometime.”

 

[Lailah]

"Nor am I..I don't want it." Lailah told him firmly, meeting his gaze without any sign of backing down over the subject. She eased a little as he dismissed the thought, but had a feeling she hadn't heard the end of it. A bow, she could live without. Him, she couldn't. It was a ridiculous risk to take for something so material regardless of it's sentimental value.

She couldn't help but snort as he'd assumed she'd had an eating disorder and her head shook. "No. I can eat.." she mused, and her brow arched in consideration. "I, tend to just..run. I'm fast enough. But, maybe you could teach me a little." she smiled curiously and folded her arms over the table.

 

[Vincent]

”Running’s not a bad choice,” his wolfish gaze went up and down her slender frame, ”I can definitely show you a thing or two.”

Vincent began washing the dishes and glanced over his shoulder at her.

”How about when we get back from the market? I’ll show you a few tricks. Teach you some basics.”

 

[Lailah]

Lailah looked down at herself and the sheets tied around her chest and then back up at him with a twist of her lips and a sparkle of mischievous amusement in her eye. She tried to wink but it was more of a blink.

"Sounds good to me." she flashed a smile and pushed herself up from the table to wander over to him, her cheek pressing against his back and her arms snaking their way around his waist to hold onto him. She pulled in a deep breath, listening to his heartbeat with a small smile on her lips.

"I'll go get ready..." she rumbled against him, but seemed reluctant to let go and she fell into silence to savour the little moment.

"Love you Van."

 

[Vincent]

It was nice. When was the last time anything had been so nice? Vincent turned to watch Lailah prance off with a smile.

”I love you.”

They went to the markets shortly after and was successful in bargaining for some supplies for the winter. Luckily for them, the villagers were going in to the city and would be back with what they asked for on just a few days.

When they got back, Vincent led her ip the stairs and out onto the spacious balcony outside of his room. It was cold.

”We can work up a decent sweat here,” with his hands on his hips, he turned to Lailah, ”hollow bones, light body weight... Throw a punch at me. I’ll show you something.”

 

[Lailah]

"Mhmhm don't laugh.." she grinned and bit down on her lip as she positioned her feet shoulder width apart and lifted her fists. She wasn't afraid of hurting him, he was far too well built and skilled for her to do him any sort of damage, if anything she'd do more damage to herself if she wasn't careful.

Her gaze narrowed and she threw a straight jab at his jaw.

 

[Vincent]

She was fast. Still, having known it was coming, Vincent leaned back and caught her arm by her wrist and elbow. He pulled her arm down and pushed on her elbow, not enough to cause pain but mild discomfort.

”Joints,” he smiled and let her arm go, ”are your friend. Don’t focus on striking your opponent’s face or body. Go for vitals.”

“Groin.” He feinted a slow kick between her legs to demonstrate.

”Eyes.” He extended his hand, fingers splayed, towards her eyes. ”Always use all of your fingers instead of just one or two. You’re guaranteed to poke something.”

“Neck.” He curled his fingers and extended his knuckles towards her windpipe.

”When they’re weak, then you can finish them off. Your size is an advantage, but only for a short amount of time. You can’t always run around somebody until they get tired. You should finish every fight in just two or three moves.” He smiled and shrugged. ”Obviously, things don’t always go smooth. I’ll teach you how to deal with that, too.”

 

[Lailah]

She drew in a sharp breath and grimaced as he caught hold of her wrist and she looked up at him with a grin. Lailah listened to his advice intently, but he was... distracting.

Lailah reset herself and nodded to him, lifting her hands again. She was still for a moment, keeping her eyes firmly locked on his face before she struck out.

A dainty foot lifted swiftly upward toward his groin, feigning a kick in effort to draw his reflexes. Meanwhile, she aimed another knuckled jab to his throat.

 

[Vincent]

As Lailah took her stance, Vincent raised his hands level with his chest.

When she kicked, he lifted his lead leg to block her kick, biting on the feint. It was a good setup, almost good enough for her to land the second blow. Almost. Vincent stepped forward with his lead leg and, in a single motion, parried the jab with one arm and countered with an open-palm between her collarbones, aiming to push her down onto her rear.

 

[Lailah]

Lailah was so easily pushed over. She was far too light to withstand a shove like that, from an arm like his no-less, and her body hit the ground with an 'oof' before skidding across the floor until wall stopped her.

Her stormy gaze lifted to narrow at him and she puffed a few ruffled locks of hair out of her eyes before pulling herself to her feet and rubbing at her clavicle. "Well I sure as shit couldn't do that." she grumbled.

She rolled her shoulders and let out a huff before taking a sudden sprint. She leapt and planted a foot on the balcony, using it to propel her toward him and bring an elbow down into the crook of his neck with a 'RRRAAA!' at the effort.

 

[Vincent]

Vincent smirked and lifted his shoulders in a tiny shrug. He quickly raised his guard again as she charged. Fierce blues tracked her as she suddenly changed directions, then did so a second time as she sprung off the balcony.

Vincent took a single step to the side and caught Lailah by her elbow and hip, pulling her elbow and pushing her hip to redirect her momentum straight towards the ground.

Maybe doing this on the beach would have been better. The thought had suddenly occurred to him.

”Attacking in a combination using fast, compact blows was a good idea. Using momentum to increase your power is also a good idea. However, don’t jump if you can help it. It’s too predictable.” Vincent offered a hand to her. ”I’ll show you plenty of things. Wrestling. Joint locks and holds. Throws. Everything you need.”

 

[Lailah]

The world rushed by in a blur and she knew the pain was coming. Everything moved fast, yet slow, almost suspended and she drew in a gasp of air. Then impact. The air she'd drawn was knocked back out of her and she coughed with a grimace. Her hollow bones rattled and she could feel the instant bruises bloom on her spine the moment she'd landed, her eyes closed tightly in a wince.

She looked up at him as he explained her mistake and she nodded with a groan as she dragged a breath back into her lungs and reached to take his hand. She couldn't help but feel a little feeble but she was determined, and she'd never gone down without a fight in her life.

Her shoulders rolled "Wrestling, hm?.." she smirked, wiggling her eyebrows playfully at him as she let herself fall against his chest with a huff and her arms locked around his waist as she smiled up at him.

 

[Vincent]

Vincent gave a small, defeated smile as she fell into his chest. He ruffled her fluffy hair and quietly chuckled.

”I don’t think you’ll like the wrestling I have in mind,” he rested his chin on her head, ”sorry if I hurt you. We don’t have to do all this. We don’t have a war to fight out here in this village.”

Words meant to comfort her? Or convince himself? Either way, it didn’t feel great to throw her around on the stone balcony. He, too, learned the hard way. One bruise at a time. But hadn’t she had enough bruises?

”Let’s go inside. It’s cold.”

 

[Lailah]

Lailah gave a mischievous laugh and smiled up at him with a huff.. "No, we don't.. But it'd hurt less to learn, right?..I want to learn." she reasoned, her fingers stroking over his back, trying to offer him the reassurance she felt he needed..

She agreed with him with a quiet "Mhmm, that's enough for today.." and nuzzled her cheek against him before letting him go. "I'll go out and look for a bow tomorrow, then we can start your lessons." she grinned back at him over her shoulder. Someone was bound to have one that she could borrow and never return..

 

[Vincent]

”You just want to see me embarrass myself as payback,” he smiled and followed her into the room.

The next day, as Lailah was out searching for the bow, Vincent remained at the small house preparing ingredients for lunch. He hadn’t been alone in quite a while. The silence made their little home lonely, but it wasn’t so bad being left alone with his thoughts. Even if they drifted towards painful memories.

After everything was prepped, Vincent ran a little fire in the hearth and bundled up on the couch.

 

[Lailah]

She wasn't comfortable leaving him on his own, but she knew how important trust was and she forced herself to slow her pace as she walked. It was around a half hour's walk to the little town on the outskirts, far enough away from the city not to have to worry about anyone recognising her, and close enough that it should be busy enough to find what she needed.

~~~
​

It was the small hours of the morning before she rushed up the path, a basket of food hooked in her arm and a bow slung over her shoulder. She'd ran the entire way back and with every hour that had passed, the more anxious she'd grown about him being on his own.

"Van?!" she called for him before almost crashing through the door, soaked with rain and shivering cold.

 

[Vincent]

He was on the couch. Had been for hours. Waiting.

Did something happen?

Did she get caught?

Did she run away from him?

Vincent’s doubts shattered as abruptly as she entered. He felt angry for a moment, then just relieved. He immediately jumped up from the couch and went to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

”I was so worried,” he whispered.

”Gods, you’re soaked. Come on, before you get sick. I’ll run a bath. Get out of those clothes.”