Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

Talus smiled. It'll be four thousand when you see what I have in store for you.

He did his best to hide the thought from her as they kisses, his fingers tightening on her body as he took a deep breath.

Glee slid through him renewed when he looked down at the small box with a smile. His fingers plucked the ring from its place, holding it in front of his eyes for a few seconds in abject appreciation before he pushed it slowly onto his ring finger.

It fit perfectly.

"Thank you, my love." He told her with a soft kiss, nuzzling softly at her nose. "I couldn't have imagined anything better."

He was practically glowing as he flexed his fingers, gazing at the crest he now wore proudly.

 

[Zana]

Zana was eager to see how it fit so she drew back a little to let him get the ring out of the box and finally set it on his finger. There was a warm sense of contentment when he did. Their House. Her ring. She nipped at his lip as he nuzzled her and grinned at his words. There was something so satisfying about finding the right gift for someone and seeing their face change, seeing their appreciation for it. It was even better when she could feel it too.

"And now, if anyone asks who got it for you, you can say your extremely jealous woman who will kill anyone who so much as looks at that butt of yours," there was only a slight joke to her words. Zana caught his hand in hers then turned it towards her so she could admire it for herself. Her eye was critical but in the end she nodded and placed a kiss to his knuckles with a smile.

"Let me get us some food," she slid off his lap. Zana was too tired to cook but she hadn't packed all of her extra supplies up for Talus that morning to take away with him. Stir fry was an easy enough meal to whip up anyway and soon she placed a bowl in front of him before filling Grey's bowl as the wolf sat there, paws tapping in excitement.

"I think you two are going to eat me out of house and home soon."

 

[Talus]

Food.

She had one of the most exhausting days a person could have and she thought of making him food. His fingers tightened for a moment, eyes wandering to the crest on his ring for just a brief second before he smiled. Lips thinned, and then he made his way to the table.

As Zana placed the food before him and made her quip he smirked. "Sorry love, I'm afraid the Guard doesn't pay much."

That wasn't exactly true. A major made decent enough money compared to most people, just not on the same levels as...well any House or Noble could make within a heartbeat. It was more than enough to live off of though.

He smiled at her though, and before he took a bite told of his decision.

"I'm going to learn to cook something for you." He told her. "Next time you come to the cabin."

That would be a short while, enough for him to learn one dish. "Doesn't seem fair you're always the one doing the cooking."

Especially after a day like today.

 

[Zana]

Zana had been about to take a mouthful of food when he spoke about cooking for her. One eyebrow rose. She wasn't entirely sure what he would make considering what she had seen in his cupboard before she had arrived with half her own kitchen supplies. He now at least had pepper and paprika in the cupboard. But despite the worry of what potentially she was going to have to eat a warm feeling spread throughout her. It was sweet he wanted to care for her.

"I don't mind cooking," she finally took a bite of her food and when she was done with the first forkful she added. "It helps me relax, and it makes me feel better knowing you have actually had a good meal," her eyes wandered over him with obvious concern, a hint of a smile his only warning for the next joke. "You might actually stand a chance of beating me in a fight next time if we get you bulked up more."

 

[Talus]

Talus tried hard not to to his eyes. "First of all. You only won because you cheated."

Otherwise he'd had her in the next moment. All he'd needed was to get close and he was confident he could have made her tap out, at least...mostly confident. He knew how stubborn she could be.

"It was a dirty trick and you know it." Though he would have been lying if he said he didn't love it. A part of him always wanted those thoughts to be on her mind, lingering in the distant reaches so they could randomly come forth.

Perhaps he'd have to take a lesson from her in ensuring it happened.

"You take care of me all the time." Talus said, a bit more serious now. "Let me do the same for you."

He didn't want to take over her role in the Kitchen, no he loved her food far far too much for that. One meal though, one meal he could make her.

 

[Zana]

"It's not cheating, you need to be prepared for mental attacks as well as physical," Zana waves her fork in his direction but despite the smile there was a hint of a reprimand there. "We have the benefit of being able to practise on one another but I've seen Dreadlords rip a man's mind to pieces," she thought of Ania, Sloan. She didn't know many college spells relating to the art but it was anything thing she would strive to try and teach the Guard. Once they had the shield set it was something that could be easily manipulated in different ways. She thought on it as she chewed her next mouthful, a sort of far away considering expression on her face, that dissolved when he next spoke.

Zana watched him for a moment and then her face softened and she inclined her head.

"One meal but I Swear, if you serve me gruel...." she wouldn't even feed it to Grey. "And you do look after me Talus," her voice softened now as she looked down at her plate, her lips twisted into a frown. "You believe yourself weak but all those emotions, all your love, it's what keeps me from falling back into the conditioning. You keep me from being a slave."

 

[Talus]

Talus wasn't entirely sure what to say to those words.

He had wanted to tell her that he could defend from mental attacks and that he'd long ago built wards to help him do it, but the words were lost when she finished speaking and declared just what he did for her. It made his heart melt, and he slowly put down his fork. A stupid smile touched his face, the goofy kind that most of the time would have made a partner laugh.

Here though, here it was just a sign of how hard the words had hit him.

"I love you." It felt like they were the only words that he could say in answer. Anything else wouldn't have been enough, anything else would have made him feel like he was just prattling off words.

His eyes just met hers, and he gave her that goofy little smile. Said those three little words.

Maybe he didn't have to be stronger for her. Maybe he didn't have to change.

Maybe he just had to be a better version of himself.

For her.

 

[Zana]

The admission had made her uncomfortable. There had been a point in the training ground - no, several - where she had felt herself slip further and further into the coldness she had been trained to feel. It had only been her concern for him and that love that had kept her from really hurting anyone. Well, more than just breaking bones. The soldier she had nearly torn apart had suffered the most and had been taken to the infirmary as soon as she had dropped him basically.

And yet he stared and smiled at her like that. A soft whine escaped her throat.

"Wh-" then he spoke those three words and she couldn't help but blush. Her hand reached across and then took his hand with a smile, squeezing it. Zana didn't feel like she needed to say anything more on the matter now he knew how she depended on him in such a vital way. He hadn't judged her for it like she hadn't judged him for being hurt by the little things. They each brought their own strengths to this partnership and that was what made it solid.

It was what would mean they could navigate this whole thing.

"So what do you think of stir fry?" Zana was beginning to come to terms with the fact she had nailed his favourite dish by luck on her first go.

 

[Talus]

He smiled at her, perhaps for a little bit too long to not look like a mad man. He couldn't help it though. He loved her, and just the way she sat there was enough to make him happy.

"It was good." Talus said with a smile. "But..."

He was pretty sure that sentence didn't even have to be finished. The meal she had made him their first night was still the most amazing she had made. Talus wasn't sure if it was because it had been the first thing not gruel he'd tasted or because it really was that good, but that didn't matter.

The younger Dreadlord offered Zana a small smile. "You just had me pegged on that first night, I guess."

His hand squeezed hers, and he looked at her like a fool.

 

[Zana]

Zana was trying to avoid his eyes because she knew it would only make her blush more furiously.

"I know, I know," she sighed and then laughed when he trailed off. Spaghetti Bolognese it was; she would admit defeat. At least now she could start on desserts instead - the revelation he had never had chocolate nor cake before was horrifying to her. Her thumb brushed over the back of his hand and smiled. It took a little effort but finally she shared just a little precious memory.

"Spaghetti Bolognese was my fathers favourite dish," her eyes raised to him and then back down to her plate. "My mother said the recipe was how she got him to fall in love with her," a faint smile traced her lips and then she put another forkful of the stir fry into her mouth and chewed. It was one of the few untainted memories she had of her family.

 

[Talus]

"Must be magic then." Talus said with a small smile, imagining for a second what it would have been like had Zana and he met as two free people instead of Dreadlords.

Would they still have fallen in love? Would she have still cooked him dinner?

The Travelers did...travel. He supposed there could have been a circumstance where she came by Vel Luin. Where he was at shore and hanging around the fields. They could have met, sparked an interest and...been normal.

The thought swirled in his head, his lips quirking into a smile.

He wondered if their souls were bound because of him, or if they simply had meant to be. "I think I'm almost ready to go to bed."

Talus said softly, the weight of the day leaning on him.

 

[Zana]

Zana glanced up at him through her eyelashes and offered a shy and sweet smile when he called her food magic. A wave of love filtered through to him and she wondered if he would ever grow tired of the feeling. She wasn't sure she ever would but he drove her mad with it sometimes and she thought that might be a little overbearing at times.

"Yeah," she let go of his hand and stood up, the chair scraping backwards. "I was ready after the demonstration in honesty," it had been a tough day and the two visions that had happened more violently than usual hadn't helped. "I'm just going to clear up, you head up I'll be with you in a sec. You can get out of those panties," her lips twitched. It had been a source of amusement for her all day.

 

[Talus]

Talus gave her a mock annoyed expression, frowning for a brief moment as he realized that he'd almost gotten used to the damned things.

Can't let that happen. The Dreadlord thought to himself as he stiffened and quickly pulled himself up and out of the chair. He leaned down and patted Grey on the head, motioning for the Wolf to keep Zana company.

He didn't argue with her, deciding that he was just about ready to crash.

A few moments later Talus had thrown his clothing into the corner of the room and had turned himself into a bundle within the soft blankets Zana used, his eyes already closed. He was nowhere near sleep, but he allowed himself to relax, waiting for his love to come to bed.

 

[Zana]

One of the small blessings of telekinesis was just quick it was to tidy up. As she washed, the plates dried themselves and then went back into the appropriate cupboards, the broom swept the floor and then mop was giving it a going over just as she headed up the stairs. Grey bounded ahead of her and went through the door first. He leapt onto the bed and began to paw at the bundle of blankets he had cocooned himself into with a whine.

Zana laughed softly as she entered the room to the sight then shimmied out of her own clothes and edged herself into the bed as much as she could with the wolf in between them.

"I see how it is guys," she rolled over onto her side, putting her back to the pair of them.

 

[Talus]

Talus made small happy blanket noises as Zana squished herself onto the edge of the bed, his arm slowly unfurling from beneath his cocoon.

It moved out from beneath the soft cloth and quickly swept over Zana, wrapping around her like a serpent and slowly drawing her a bit closer. The wolf let out a squished noise, shifting slightly as he turned towards Zana and began to lick her face.

"Yes. Good dog." He told Grey. "Attack."

He wasn't a dog but...close enough. "Get her."

Talus commanded as Grey slobbered over Zana's face.

 

[Zana]

Zana squealed as she was pulled back into the depths of the pile of mysterious blankets. It turned into a series of hysterical laughs however when Grey tried to stay where he had been stood which resulted on him stepping on both of them a series of times before slobbering Zana's face. He only seemed to get more enthusiastic the more Talus egged him on until she buried herself under the blankets too. Even then he pawed at them and whined for a few minutes before laying his entire weight across both of them.

She grunted as his paw dug into her bladder.

"Who needs kids when you have Grey," she squirmed until she managed to dislodge the wolfs paw and then she sighed and snuggled into his arms with a smile.

"Goodnight, I love you," Zana yawned and closed her eyes. Sleep found her quickly.

 

[Talus]

Talus nuzzled gently against Zana's neck as he drew her into himself. "Making them is half the fun, love."

The words fell from his lips in a sleepy voice, his head clearly not all there as he mumbled back an answer to her other words.

"Loveyoutoo." Was all that he managed before he too slipped into a coma like sleep.

It was passed dawn by the time that Talus awoke, something he realized as his arm tightened a little around Zana and his eyes squirmed under the sunlight cast upon them. "Grey close the bli-"

His eyes suddenly popped open.

"Shit." Talus drew himself up in an instant, gently putting a hand on Zana's back and softly nudging her awake. "Sweetheart, we overslept."

Talus was almost entirely sure it was something he'd never done in his entire life.

 

[Zana]

Zana didn't even raise a hand and the blinds snapped shut as she rolled onto her stomach with a groan, burying herself further under the blankets. Blood smeared the pillow she had been resting on and as her hands touched the wet patch panic set in for a moment. Then she touched her nose, winced at the sore feeling there and grimaced as her hand came away with more blood. She sat up and her head swam. So it had been a vision not just a dream.

"Okay," her voice was thick with sleep. "Can you pass a cloth please?" it probably looked as though someone had delivered a sharp punch to her face with the amount of blood that had dried on her lip and chin.

"And some water..." Grey whined and nudged at her face but she gently pushed him away as best she could without getting blood on his fur. "Not now baby, I'm ok," she said soothingly as he laid his head on her lap.

 

[Talus]

Talus did exactly as she asked. Without even a second of hesitation and with bits flopping the Dreadlord pulled a small piece of cloth from where he knew Zana kept them and gave it to her. Then he quickly ran off down into the Kitchen to get her some water.

He returned only a few seconds later, frowning for a moment as he gazed at some of the blood smeared on the pillow. I can't let her live like this.

Talus thought to himself with a frown, fingers tightening for a moment as he took a deep breath and sat himself down on the edge of the bed. His hand reached out, gently touching her in a soothing motion as he offered her the glass.

She hadn't slept a single full night since they'd met. It wasn't a way to live, not when she was already giving so much. There had to be a way.

"Here, Honey." He said quietly.

He didn't know what he could do to help her, but he'd figure it out. Perhaps Fen would know.

 

[Zana]

Zana brought her knees up and then put her head between them, cloth clamped firmly over her nose as she sighed. She was going to have to report in on her way to the training grounds before she forgot all of the details of the murder. She only raised her head when she head Talus come back into the room with the glass of water and she sat up properly in order to sip at it. Whilst he was gone she had managed to clean the worst off of her face but her head still felt rough.

"Sorry, I didn't get any on you did I?" she ran tired eyes over him to check before running a hand through Grey's fur. The wolf snuffled closer, worry clear in his gaze. Once she had finished her water she set the cup down and ran a hand through her hair. "Let me just clean up then I'll be ready to go," she started to scoot her way off the bed.

 

[Talus]

Before she could get very far Talus reached out, wrapping an arm around her belly and pulling her close. "You can bleed on me all you want."

Talus said as he kissed her Temple.

He could see how tired she was, how much sleep she hadn't gotten. It pained him to see her so exhausted, particularly after a day like yesterday. He took a breath, letting his arm slip from around her so that she could get up.

There was no way he could let her go on like this.

"I'll wait until you're ready to go." He told her softly, just wanting to make sure.

 

[Zana]

She gave him a bemused smile but resisted kissing him and getting blood on him, before she slid from the bed to go clean herself up.

It was clear this was a common thing for her by the way she went about sorting it out. She was quick to wash and hurl the bloodied sheets off the bed whilst she was dressing herself. Zana stuffed them into a barrel of steaming hot water in a barrel then put the lid over the top to leave them to soak.

Grey whined and pressed his face into her belly once she had trotted back downstairs.

"I'm okay," she pressed a kiss to the wolfs head and then tugged Talus down by the shirt for one too. "I'm okay, you need to go. I'll be late. I need to report the vision in with my Commander," she ran her fingers over his cheek. "I'll see you there."

 

[Talus]

"Alright." Talus said as he kissed her back, his hand coming down to her side for a few seconds. "I'll see you there, my love."

His hand slipped low and to the side, grasping her rear and giving it a firm squeeze before he turned around and strapped on the last piece of his armor. "One for the road."

He explained with a wink of his eye before his entire body shifted into it's ghostly visage.

As always Talus did not move out the door, rather he almost seemed to dive into the ground itself. Passing through the stone he slipped into the earth below, moving through there and only coming up once he was a mile from the Townhouse.

Once he was out Talus looked around, frowning for a moment and then stepping towards the left.

He began to head towards not the training grounds, but the Drunken Maiden Inn. Where he knew he would find Fen.

 

[Zana]

Zana yelped as he grabbed her arse and threw a slap his way, though it just passed through his ghostly form. With a growl of frustration she watched him go, shaking her head. Grey padded over the floor, his nose to the ground as if he could someone sense where his master had gone, and stood whining in the corner of the living room.

"Come on, we'll see him in a bit. Same as yesterday ok?" she crouched down to ruffle the wolf's ears as he trotted back over to her and licked at her face. With that sorted she donned her full armour today and then left via the front door.

The meeting with her higher-ups went about as well as it usually did whenever she reported a vision. Questions after questions. The murders were getting worse and she knew that they wanted to catch who was at the heart of it but there was only so much she could see without getting her hands on physical evidence - which she pointed out in a snappish manner. The dark look that had followed her out of the room was all the forewarning Zana needed to know she would pay for it another time.

The whole affair meant she was already in a foul mood when she arrived at the training grounds.

"Apologies for the lateness Major, Luana matter," Zana snapped off a salute when she stopped in front of Talus then passed him the letter which explained her absence. It also asked to excuse her the following day for an urgent mission into the Falwood. "How was your Pasta last night?"

 

[Talus]

Talus took the letter, popping open the seal on it and giving it a quick read as though he actually wondered what had happened. Of course, he himself had only arrived a few moments ago, his chat with Fen having gone rather quickly.

He'd found his old mentor still awake, still drinking. All Fen had done was look up at Talus and shake his head, take a sip, and then say.

"So how's your girl?"​

The question had almost immediately shaken Talus to his core, something Zana might have felt through the bond. Of course that fear had quickly been assuaged as he'd remembered that his mentor, like Zana, could see into the future.

His abilities were not as grand, but worked well enough for little surprises like that.

The Bastard.

Eventually the two of them had spoken, and Talus had managed to do some cajoling. Fen had agreed to meet with Zana, and share his secret. "It was good. Pasta is the best."

He smiled at her. It was a silly thing for a Dreadlord to say, but it made him smile.

"We'll be cutting out early from training today." He told her. "There's a small matter we have to attend to in the moor."

That was the only place Fen had felt comfortable meeting, the great swath of land to the east.