Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

He smiled. "I've never been."

There was an irony to that, he knew, but he'd never actually had an opportunity to venture there as an adult. The only reason he knew he was from there was due to a distant memory in the back of his head, something that still clung there.

When she spoke Talus sputtered.

"W-wha-umm-no." He had not intended his words to come off in that way, not by a long shot. He'd simply been trying to point out that he didn't care what she wanted to do. "I...maybe...I've never thought about it."

Talus said, grateful when she spoke of being a vet. "That sounds lovely."

He told her, grasping onto it like a lifeline.

"I'm sure all the patients would love you." His hand ran over Grey's head, the wolf's ears flicking.

 

[Zana]

At his spluttering Zana began to laugh and drew back from him to see the expression on his face. It seemed to be trying to lose all of its colour and yet flush all at the same time. She brushed a tendril of hair behind her ear before trailing her fingers across his cheek, tilting her head to the side with a fond smile.

"I think they would until I had to try and give them some sort of medicine," her eyes drifted briefly down to the wolfs sleeping face and her eyes softened. It was definitely something she would consider doing if there was ever the opportunity to do something other than fight and spy. Her gaze drifted back to his face in amusement.

"You know it wasn't meant to be trick question to tie you down into something, it was professional curiosity," not many Dreadlords decided to have children. It wasn't forbidden exactly but it was definitely frowned upon much like relationships. Two powerhouses being involved with one another was a unit of power that could become an enemy to any House. Yet at the same time, some Dreadlords were definitely encouraged in the hopes they would pass their magic on.

 

[Talus]

He nodded his head, as if it would somehow make it better. The embarrassment didn't suddenly just flash away, but it did become a bit less.

Professional curiosity my ass. Talus thought to himself.

"I...have not really thought about it." He said quietly, deciding that it at least deserved more of an answer than his sputtering. "Not in this system."

Not when his child could be taken from him "But after?"

He did enjoy the thought, distant as it might be. Oddly enough, in that moment when he did think about it... Zana was there.

 

[Zana]

Zana nodded; it was very much the same as her own thoughts. Though even after all of this was behind them it still concerned her: the visions were not a curse she would want to pass on to anyone. She let her hand drop from his cheek with another smile and settled back against him comfortably to finish watching the sunset. It was a conversation for another time if they even got there. If either of them survived. It was a dangerous thing they were attempting to do and so she wanted to hold back on hoping about anything more normal for her future.

"So... I was thinking about making paella for dinner," she hadn't had the chance to cook the night before she had fallen asleep so early. But she did intent on keeping her promise of no gruel for at least the week she was here. Zana found herself wanting to spoil him rotten.

 

[Talus]

"Sure, sounds delicious." Talus said, having absolutely no clue what it actually was.

The last thing she had made him was pasta, and he'd wanted to stuff his face with it for about three days and then not move...so he figured anything else she made would be about ten times better than gruel.

A good assumption really.

Slowly stroking his hand over Grey's hand, he glanced at the city and then slowly back towards the forest. The sun was creeping ever close the the Horizon. "Let's get back then. Otherwise we'll have to deal with the monsters in the forest."

He flashed her a brief smile.

 

[Zana]

"Monsters? I'm terrified," Zana put a hand to her chest in mock fright before rolling to the balls of her feet. At the movement Grey opened his eyes and reluctantly removed his head from where he had been sleeping in Talus' lap and stood too with a small whine as he stretched himself out. She offered him a hand to help him to his feet and then walked in the same pleasant quietness as they had on the way there.

The Cabin was quite the welcome sight by the time they got back. She was starving. Grey had left them at some point presumably to sort his own affairs of the stomach out and Zana had got to work quite quickly in the kitchen. As she cooked she hummed a tune that was niggling in the back of her mind; she couldn't quite work out where she remembered it from but she knew it made her feel relaxed.

"I really need to send you groceries so you stop eating this stuff," Zana sighed as she opened let another cupboard onto a series of soldier rations carefully organised and shook her head, opening another one in search of the salt.

 

[Talus]

He smiled at her, leaning against the back wall of the Kitchen since there was now no longer a table to sit at. He watched her digging through the cabinets with a bemused expression.

"Not sure that would help." Talus said.

Most of the reason that he ate this stuff was because he didn't know how to have anything else. He could have probably learned to cook, but...well that hadn't been his chosen hobby, and who had more than one Hobby? That was crazy.

Pushing himself off the wall Talus walked over to her. "What are you looking for?"

He asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her stomach.

 

[Zana]

"At least some fresh vegetables," Zana muttered under her breath but the frown that marred her brow disappeared as his arms wrapped about her waist and stomach. She sunk into it, wrapping one arm over the top of his and swaying side to side slightly as the echoes of the song still ran through her mind.

"I was looking for the salt," her eyes were scanning the shelves that were currently in front of her but there was just more rations and she shut it with a sigh. She was going to have to teach him how to cook at least something simple like rice or pasta. It would be better than this. It was a surprise there was anything more than skin and bones on him. She had already got most of the dish done and was letting it all simmer, adding spices as she went. Most of what lay strewn across the counter was currently all from her own supplies.

 

[Talus]

"Hmm, salt." Talus said as though it required some deep kind of thought.

He glanced up at the cabinets, scanning those that were there. Then gently, his arms still wrapped around her he took one step to the side. His soft grip ensured that she traveled with him, though he took careful measure to make her understand what was going on.

"Why..." Talus trailed off as he kissed Zana's neck. "Don't you..."

Another kiss. "Check that cabinet up there."

He rested his chin on her shoulder, and looked to the upper most left cabinet.

 

[Zana]

Zana smiled at the game and side stepped artfully, one foot over the over to follow his gentle tugging, her other arm reached behind her to cup his face and hold it to her neck as he kissed her, a soft sigh escaping her lips. Gods he was the best distraction she had ever had in the kitchen. Her eyes drifted to the cabinet he had indicated. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the reasons behind why exactly he would want her to rock onto her tip toes and stretch but she did so anyway.

She couldn't quite reach the top shelf of the cabinet but it didn't take much for her to form a block of energy to act as a step so that she could reach it a little easier. Right at the back was a bag of what she was looking for and she put it down on the side triumphantly.

"Note to Talus, please make a spice rack next."

 

[Talus]

"I'm sure that I could be convinced." He said quietly, letting his hands gently rest over her as she fell back into him.

He couldn't quite pinpoint why, but there was something utterly alluring about her being here. Not because she was cooking for him, not really the act itself, but the fact that she was...in essence trying to take care of him.

Spoil in him in a way.

It was almost like the gift all over again. It was a sign that she cared for him, that she wanted to be here with him and actually enjoy their time together. It set a spark off in him, one where he could not quite keep his hands off her.

 

[Zana]

It was Zana's turn this time to nudge him gently back towards the stove where she had been cooking; she didn't attempt to break away for one second from his warm embrace. She sprinkled some of the salt into the pot and then began stirring it once again. Her stomach was already growling as the smells wafted towards her. A mix of spice, chicken, spiced sausage and prawns she had had bagged up in ice to help it keep.

"You know you are quite the distraction," she laughed under her breath and after one final good stir of the food she lifted a spoonful to taste. "Mm," once again Zana side stepped them almost like they were in a dance to get a little bit more paprika which she added to the pot. "It's nearly ready - do you want to eat outside on the swing?"

 

[Talus]

"Sure." He answered softly, offering another small kiss on her neck as they moved together in their little dance.

The couch was there, but it was summer, and the night air would be just as warm as the inside. At least for a little while still. His arms slowly unraveled from her belly, a pang of regret ringing in him that he had not embraced her sooner.

Without prompting Talus stepped over to the other side of the room, digging out two bare ceramic plates for the food.

A few minutes later Zana dished out their meal, and the two of them found themselves sitting on the same swing they had this morning. Talus eagerly stuffing some of the Paella into his mouth far before it was cool enough to do so.

 

[Zana]

Zana was hesitating with her own meal just to watch him eat his. She thought he might end up choking on it if he ate it any quicker. It was quite the spectacle in a way and after a moment or two more of watching she shook her head slightly and set about eating her own meal, pulling her legs up to curl about her on the swing. She was enjoying the novelty of eating outside. In her city house there was not really a place to do that kind of thing. Her yard was tiny as it was and it was overlooked by neighbours so she never bothered with it.

"Better than pasta?" she asked quizzically after a few mouthfuls of her own food. As much as she liked paella, pasta was her favourite dish. She had a whole menu for the week set out in her mind and she was looking forward to seeing his reaction to every single one of the dishes she prepared. She wanted to find his favourite.

 

[Talus]

He paused for a second. "Im afwaid nwot."

Talus said with a mouthful before he slowly chewed a few more times and then swallowed.

"It's delicious." He reassured her quickly, wanting to make sure that she understood he still loved the meal. "But that...'pasta' was something else entirely."

Talus looked at her with a smile, putting his fork down for a few seconds to reach over and gently put a hand on her thigh.

The moment he did the moment seemed to hit him, just like it had this morning. The two of them sitting together, enjoying a meal together like regular people. He could not express just how much he wanted this, how much he wanted her.

His hand stopped, and he slowly leaned over to simply kiss her on the cheek.

 

[Zana]

"Spaghetti is my favourite dish," Zana smiled then put another forkful of food in her mouth and chewed. As his hand rested on her thigh she paused and then her eyes drifted shut as he kissed her on the cheek. Such a sweet touch for something so simple as cooking. If it warranted her this kind of affection she wanted to cook for him every single day. When he drew back she shifted her position so that she could drape her legs over his lap to finish her meal.

"I want to find your favourite dish. I have a whoooole menu planned out for the week," she smiled brightly at him before finishing the last little grains of rice off and set her plate on the floor to watch him finish his. She had made sure he had had more on her plate than she had having seen his appetite the last time they met. "Tomorrow it's roast whatever I can catch in the forest, potatoes, vegetables, the works."

 

[Talus]

Talus didn't finish his.

Though not because it wasn't delicious, not because he didn't want it, but because her words would have brought him to his knees had he been standing.

She had told him before when she'd first arrived, he remembered her saying it then, yet it had seemed like a joke. Something that she might have said just about the gruel. Yet the more she continued the more he realized that she had been serious all along.

It sent a goosebumps up his spine, made his heart race.

Talus had spent his life with no affection. No one caring about him. Alone. His own family had willingly given him away. This...

As Zana finished speaking, Talus stared at her. Something sticking in his throat. Tears nearly welled in his eyes, but before she could ask what was wrong he leaned over and kissed her.

There was no lust in the kiss, no ravaging desire, nothing like that. Though he did not know it, and he could not have said it. This kiss was only love.

 

[Zana]

She thought she had done something wrong the way he looked at her dumbstruck. Was she not allowed to hunt in the forest? It was fine if not, she could have always returned to the city and come back with something. She had indeed been about to ask when he silenced her with a kiss so tender, so sweet, it caused an ache in her chest. Her eyes closed as she tentatively returned these new feelings, her hands coming up to gently cup his face and simply to hold him. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to but just sensed that he needed to be held in that moment.

After a while she pulled back but only slightly, their lips still grazed one another's and her eyes were still shut, her thumb gently grazing his skin.

"Are you ok?" she asked softly, needed to hear it confirmed from his lips that she hadn't said something that had upset him by mistake by triggering some horrific memory. Dreadlords were a broken people and who knew what tortured he had gone through himself and what would bring those painful memories back.

 

[Talus]

He nodded. "I am."

How was he supposed to say it? How was he supposed to put it? He was broken. The very core of him had been shattered, broken apart and taken into pieces by the Proctors. He couldn't process what he was feeling, couldn't put it into words.

Every time he tried it died on his tongue. But he could show her. He could let her know in another way.

"More than I have ever been before." He breathed softly, and then pressed his lips slowly against hers once again.

In that moment it didn't matter if they had a only a week. It didn't matter if they had an entire nation arrayed against them.

All that mattered was the moment.

 

[Zana]

"That's all I needed to know," she smiled against his lips and when he started the kiss again she melted into it far more relaxed. It was in truth all she would ever need to know again. As long as he was happy and safe then she could be content no matter her own situation. Was this what she had read about? What she watched other couples share as they walked down the street hand in hand? Whatever it was it felt as though she was no longer in possession of her heart but that rather she had given it to him to hold now. After a moment more of this loving kiss that was a sweet as the million tiny fireflies that had begun to shine in the night sky around them, she shifted her position so that she sat on his lap rather than next to him.

"If I knew cooking was the way to your heart I would have stayed up to cook last night," she said in between the sweet kisses.

 

[Talus]

Talus smiled at her, his hand gently brushing up against her cheek as if he couldn't quite believe he had been so lucky.

A breath filled his lungs. The cooking was part of it, he couldn't deny it, but there was more to it than just that. "Not just that I'm afraid."

He said quietly.

"It's...you." His other hand gently rested on her side, thumb drawing over her hip in a soft and gentle touch. "All of you."

His lips pressed softly against hers once more. "Just you."

It felt like he was in a dream, some sort of spell cast by her. He found himself utterly enraptured, consumed. If she could have seen his soul at the moment, she would have witnessed a man on fire purely for her.

 

[Zana]

Gods.

His words made it hard to breathe and for a moment she stared into his eyes before his lips came down upon hers and she was saved from having to reply. She wanted to tell him it was only because of him she could be this person. That it was only him who she could be this person with. Her fingers trailed from his cheeks to gently cup the back of his neck and pull herself closer to him. She never wanted this moment to end. If she could she would have frozen them in time so they never had to leave it.

"Talus..." she breathed softly against his lips and then gently ran her nose against his in a silent lipless kiss. Were these even the right words to say? It felt like it. So she gathered her courage and she said it.

"I love you," her eyes raised to meet his.

 

[Talus]

The words made his head go woozy, something in the back of his mind shifting...clicking. It was like an echo to what his own thoughts had been.

Talus hadn't know how to put it into words, hadn't known what to say or express it. Yet there it was. Three little words. Three easy little words that any child should have known. They were so foreign, so far away, and yet she had managed to say them.

Something in his chest came together.

Something slipped into place that had been gone for as long as he could remember.

Talus locked his eyes on hers, the slightest smile touching his lips. It seemed like his entire body was shaking, vibrating. Fingers gently rolled across her skin, and then finally he said it. "I love you."

Three simple words.

Three easy words.

Then he kissed her.

 

[Zana]

A soft breeze moved the tattered drapes and allowed for the morning sunlight to trickle in to the bedroom. Birds sung loudly.

Too loudly.

The cool winds licked their way across her warm skin and tussled her hair until she finally peeled her eyes open to quint towards the offending light. Her first foggy thought was that she had slept through the whole night. She could remember a faint vision but there had been no pain like there usually was. Had she finally exhausted herself to such an extent she could escape them? The thought made her smile dreamily and she buried her face further into the pillow she was currently nestled in. Her movement caused feathers to shoot upwards and they were quickly snatched away on the breeze.

Yes... the breeze that had woken her up. Why had it woken her up? She forced her eyes open again and this time tried to focus on the window before her where the light was streaming through. Except there was no window there. A hole the size of an elephant loomed before her and on the broken shards of wood perched the two chirping birds filling the room with their morning sun.

Zana scrambled out of bed quickly, taking the sheets with her. In wonder she stepped outside through the gaping hole. The bedroom looked tame in comparison - a missing wall and a cracked wardrobe were nothing. Outside the porch walk way was ripped up, boards were flung here and there or had been bent almost back on themselves. Somehow the swing stood miraculously in one piece. The pretty garden was gone. A trench in the earth itself spread outwards from the porch and trees along the route were nothing more than a pile of broken wooden limbs. The Dreadlord grimaced and ran a hand through her hair as she turned in a slow circle to take it all in.

Grey chose that moment to come trotting over and dump what had been a part of the pillar in the porch as her feet.

"Fuck."

 

[Talus]

Talus woke up shivering, hand reaching around himself as he tried to search for either Blanket or Zana.

When he found nothing the young Dreadlord frowned, his lips thinning as he slowly opened his eyes. The...devastation around him was immediately clear, walls torn to shreds, window gone, roof half collapsed in on itself.

His head slowly turned to the left, noting thankfully that the banners were still intact.

"Zana?" He called out, pushing himself up to the edge of the bed and shaking his head. A hand ran through his hair, and he glanced about for a moment before standing up and stepping into the living room.

There he spotted Zana, draped in a sheet as she looked around with worry.

"There you are." He said with a smile, walking over to her. "What are you doing?"

Talus asked, almost as if he were entirely oblivious of all the destruction.