Private Tales Read between the lines

[Zana]

Zana fed the waiting wolf a bit of bacon whilst she ate her eggs.

"Okay, inn first," she nodded. Money, for her, hadn't even been a thought. Luana paid their Dreadlords exceptionally well and Zana hadn't had to pay for her own house, her horse, nor or her armour and weapons since she had joined. She knew it wasn't the way with all Luana Dreadlords but when she nearly died every time she had a vision for them, it seemed they thought it was the least they could do.

"Then springs? Then a nice meal somewhere? We could get all dressed up..." Zana bit down on her bottom lip with a coy smile. "Then the day after can be a history day, we can start early, tour all the sights."

 

[Talus]

He nodded his head. "Maybe we can go buy me some nice clothes first."

Talus said with a smirk.

"This is about the fanciest thing I own." He said as he pointed at the leather armor and black garb that he had on beneath. Clothing had hardly ever been important to him at any point in his life, and if he knew his love...she would probably enjoy dressing him up.

Shoveling another bite of food into his face Talus made a slight happy noise from his throat.

He couldn't have imagined a better place to be.

 

[Zana]

Zana rested her cheek in the palm of her hand as she watched him and listened to the small content noises he made. She merely picked at her own food every now and then when she remembered, her thoughts on far too many things to concentrate.

"I'd like that," there was a warmth to her voice as she spoke. "I think you could scrub up well given half the chance," her eyes crinkled at the corners when the smile reached them.

When she had had her fill she began feeding the rest to Grey.

 

[Talus]

"Think so?" He mused for a second, clearly trying to tease her as he appeared a little more whimsical than usual. "I dunno, I think my best look might be..."

Talus considered. "Just breeches, hammer in hand, sweat on my brow."

He looked at Zana.

"A house being built in front of me..." He took another bite of bacon, salaciously...or at least in an attempt to appear so.

 

[Zana]

Zana's gaze seemed to sharpen when he spoke and grew more intense the further on he spoke. Heat rose in her cheeks and she shifted her position uncomfortably.

"Well I didn't say it was going to be your best look," though she was sure she would enjoy taking it off of him. The idea of him working on their house shirtless was far more appealing though.

"Do you want me to help or would you rather do it with your own two hands?" Her head listed to the side as she stroked down Grey's head after giving him the last sausage.

 

[Talus]

"I would want the help of your two hands." He said with a smile.

Talus knew that her magic could likely build a home overnight, especially if he was there to direct her and tell her where everything was meant to be...but that idea didn't sit well with him. Her talents were amazing, breath taking, but there was something to be said about building with a little bit of sweat.

"I want it to be that." He told her softly. "The two of us working for weeks, building it up."

Talus could picture it. "At the end we can just stand in front of it, knowing our home was built by our own two hands."

It likely would seem silly to her when she could just wave her hand, but she had asked.

 

[Zana]

"Fiiiine," Zana sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes. There was a faint curve to her lips however that hinted at the true joy she felt at such a prospect. She wasn't entirely sure she would be any good at it, at least, not as good as Talus was with his hands when it came to woodworking. But building a house couldn't be much different than a loaf of bread, right?

She looked dubiously down at Grey who looked back at her with his tongue lolling out.

"Maybe I should stick to painting..." she slowly rolled to her feet in the lazy manner of a well trained soldier. Zana tugged on her own jerkin over her shirt and fastened the buckles quickly. "Ready to go?" he had already packed her bags, a small gesture that had not gone unnoticed, and she slung it over her shoulder now.

 

[Talus]

Talus pulled himself up to his feet just a few seconds after Zana did, flashing her a smile a few seconds later as he pictured her with a bit of paint on her nose. "Ready."

There was a part of him that wondered if they would even get to do all of the things they imagined. He wanted it, he wanted it more than he could say, but their lives were dangerous. The dark thoughts welled for only a split second, and then he cut them off.

This was not the time, nor the place.

"Let's get you skinny dipping in those Hot-springs." Talus said with a wide smirk, stepping over the cushion ahead of him and gleefully running towards the door like an excited child.

 

[Zana]

Grey charged after him and Zana wondered, not for the first time, whether she already had her hands full with enough children to worry about. Amusement flickered in the cool depths of her eyes for a moment before she followed them out the door.

Downstairs the inn was picking up as the morning rush reached a peak. The lovely dark elf who had been their hostess greeted them and fussed about their stay before wishing them a safe journey. Zana slid the woman an extra coin when they shook hands as a token of thanks and in advance for the water destruction to the room.

Zana tacked Zandor up and then they were off again. Grey raced ahead causing a few people to give a small shout and move quickly out of their path, though they eased somewhat to see the wolf belonged to someone.

"Skinny dipping is the one where you DO wear a bikini, right?" she mused playfully aloud.

 

[Talus]

Talus whipped his head around towards Zana, quickly noting that one of the shopkeepers behind Zana had actually heard what she said.

His hand shot up almost as if he was about to clasp it over her mouth, but the prospect was rather difficult given that she was a whole horse taller than him. Fingers clenched at his side and he stared up at her with a shake of his head.

"You are..." He glanced up at her, then at the shopkeeper who was clearly giggling behind her hand. "Gonna get it."

Hard.

Without a thought he turned and began to march off down the street.

 

[Zana]

Zana gave him her best wide, doe-eyed innocent look. It was extremely effective usually, transforming her whole face into an angelic masterpiece that the poets would sigh to write about. It was ruined on this occasion by the slight twitching at the corners of her mouth that hinted at the laughter behind her gaze.

She watched him go with increasing amusement, eyes drifting to his behind, before flickering to the giggling woman. The two shared a knowing look before Zana spurned Zandor on after Talus and Grey.

The journey was as easy as the inn keeper had described. With their pace it took them just over half of the day to reach the fringes of the legendary city. Zana drew her horse to a stop once they had crested the small hill and could look down at the sprawling city that crept up the side of the volcano. Even from here Zana could feel the heat coming off of it and she shivered in anticipation for the hot springs.

Her eyes wandered all over it in amazement before looking to see Talus' mesmerised expression.

"Ready for adventure number two?"

 

[Talus]

Thallin was everything that he could have imagined and more.

The city itself did not have the marbled white look of Vel Anir or Elbion, it did not have the sandstone yellow of Alliria. Instead the buildings of Thallin were completely and utterly black. Every brick, every stone was tinged with a dark hue that made it blend with the scape around it.

Talus let out a breath was he caught the sight of it, his expression barely changing as he almost missed with Zanna was saying to him. His head dipped in a nod. "I am."

A hand reached out and furled around his Loves, slowly closing them in a tight grasp as he pulled in a breath.

The city seemed to reach out to the very base of the volcano. No tower was as tall as those in Vel Anir, but the buildings sprawled outward far beyond what the Walls of their home would have contained. It seemed instead of building up, the Fire-Giants had built out.

"Lets go." He said softly as he stepped further onto the road.

 

[Zana]

Zana had slid from Zandor's back to join Talus on the ground as they both took in the city before them. The black material they had used to build their homes with seemed to both suck in the light and reflect it all at once. It was startling beautiful. When he took her hand she twined their fingers together and returned the squeeze. Her heart was hammering from excitement.

As he started down the road towards the city she fell into an easy lockstep with him.

This close to a new city Grey had hung back and contented himself with running laps around the two humans and horse, making Zandor roll his eyes and blow out his nostrils every now and then. It was like the silly mutt wanted to get a kick at times.

"Inn then spa," Zana repeated as they drew closer to the first houses. Her eyes were bright as people paused in their work to see the new travellers on their way into the city proper.

 

[Talus]

There were no fire-giants, though Talus had expected that. Instead the people of Thallin seemed to be human, or at least something close to it. Their skin was far more ashen and pale than any human he had ever seen. They appeared mostly taller, and he did not see a single person that had black hair...at least not anyone with ashen skin.

Others filtered through the streets as Zana and he made their way deeper into the wider expanse of Thallin, and eventually they stepped into what appeared to be some sort of market. Two men stood at an archway, odd-segmented armor decorating them.

Talus and Zana walked over to them. "Excuse me? Could you tell me where I could find the nicest inn in the city?"

The Guard looked at him strangely for a moment, glancing at their clothes, and then shrugging.

"Place called The Manor. If you head through the market and down the left street you'll find it easy enough."​

The Guard's tone was friendly enough, clearly he was used to dealing with tourists. "Thank you."

Talus said in common as they stepped into the market proper.

 

[Zana]

"Look!"

Zana hadn't been listening to the words the guard had said, nor their looks over the pair. Her eyes had been on the market beyond and had stretched so wide it was like they consumed her face. As people had moved in the slow ebb and flow of a population made up in part by a steady stream of tourism, she had spotted the very thing she had spoken to Talus about earlier.

Smores.

The stall tender was making them over a blazing coal fire and kids were lining up to get their one patiently. Zana hurled Talus over to stand in line also, practically bouncing on the spot. She looked far more excited than any of the children.

When it was their turn Zana ordered three, passed one to Talus and one to Grey before tucking in to her own. A groan left her lips as soon as she bit down and chewed, eyes closing.

"I am in love."

 

[Talus]

Talus found himself practically whipped forward as Zana tore him towards the smores stand. The guard gave him one last look and the Dreadlord simply tried to shrug as he was tugged towards the object of Zana's true desire.

As she bounced up and down Talus watched her, a wide smile on his face as the excitement practically bubbled over on her features. By the time she actually got the small treats the woman he loved was practically exploding with excitement.

"It's pretty good." Talus said with a mouth full of food, eating the treat with a surprising amount of care...until he shoved the remaining half into his mouth and began to chew the glue like innards.

One of the kids that had been standing in line watched him with amazement, as if he couldn't quite believe Talus had managed to eat it all in two bites.

 

[Zana]

Zana was the utter opposite.

Her bites were careful and calculated, like she was trying to make the whole experience last. Even so it was only a small thing and soon it was gone. It didn't seem to upset Zana in the least though as she savoured that last bit, having eaten around the whole outside of the treat she was left with the perfect gooey middle. A moan that started in the back of her throat rolled across her tongue before she opened her eyes and began licking the remaining chocolate from her fingers.

"I could eat 10,000," she proclaimed with a happy sigh. Her face was almost as blissful as when Talus did that particular thing with his tongue she liked. Zana gave the stall one last long look as though she were debating going back for seconds before reluctantly following Talus on towards the inn.

"I am going to eat 10,000," she mumbled to herself.

 

[Talus]

"Wow." Talus said with a small smile. "Wish I could make you sound like that."

He had to stop himself from laughing out loud at his own joke. Head shook, and he took Zana's hand again as they walked towards the street that the Guard had indicated.

"We're here a few days, you can have them whenever you want." He reminded her softly.

Plus, from what he had observed the things weren't all that complicated to make. Seemed it was just a small fire and then three ingredients. Zana could probably figure that out with just a few seconds of time. She'd cooked him far more complex things after all.

After a few moments walking they came upon what was undoubtedly 'The Manor', though in truth it could only be described as a palace.

The place was easily the largest building on the block, four stories, and stood as grand as anything in Anir Square.

 

[Zana]

Zana's eyes slid over Talus when they stopped in front of The Manor.

Unlike her, he wasn't used to the more luxurious things in life. He had seem spellbound by her townhouse and he hadn't even tasted chocolate before. She could only imagine the thoughts that were going through his mind right now as he stared at the building. Gently Zana brushed her shoulder against his and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I've got it," she soothed and then set off towards the doors. A young lad came scrambling out of the stables to take Zandor and Zana flicked him a few coins. The boy grinned and scurried off to go and pay attention to his new favourite horse and the two and Grey took the steps up to the Manor.

Inside was as decadent as the Luana manor. An odd black flooring spread out across the floor. Zana wanted to call it marble but she didn't think that was the right material. The decor was extremely elegant. The furnishings were all soft lines and curves. Gold was a beautiful contrast to the black and it was then littered with bright oranges and reds to give the whole place a sense of warmth.

Money had clearly been no object.

The man behind the desk when they arrived was presented immaculately and when he saw the travellers there was definitely an air of slight distaste when they walked in. It soon vanished when Zana spoke though.

"Are you sure this is the best this town has to offer?" she sighed dramatically and swept her fingers over the side, wrinkling her nose at the sight of dust. "I suppose it will have to do," Zana's eyes fell on the man behind the desk and he froze under her green gaze. Suddenly there was movement and he stood up, produced a duster and went about cleaning where she had found the dirt with a stammering string of apologies.

"It's quite alright, we're looking for a room. One of your cleanest ones," she decided to add, looking around the large common room they were currently in.

"Yes Ma'am, of course. I assure you usually The Manor is up to higher stan-" Zana waved him off.

"We can judge that for ourselves during our stay. Just the two nights," and then she spread a smattering of gold coins on the counter as though they were coppers. The man's eyes bulged and there was furious searching through the book before he produced a key and began leading them to the room.

She gave Talus a small wink before following after him.

Their suite as it turned out occupied the whole of the fourth floor. It was like a house in and of itself. When they entered it was into an audience chamber of sorts with soft plush seats, to the left was a door which led to the bedroom and to the right was a library and study. At least, that was all she could make out through the gaps.

The blonde, tall attendant swept into the room with a bow and then proceeded to open the balcony doors for them to let in air.

"If there is anything else I can do for you Lord and Lady Morrid..." he swept a low bow. Zana flicked him a silver with a courteous smile and the man greedily hid it about his person.

 

[Talus]

Talus was suddenly reminded of why he loved Zana so much. The fierce way that she spoke to the man and negotiated was something to be admired, but also feared. The high life, as it was, would not be something Talus could ever really come to know. He knew his place in the wayward world, and more often than not it looked like a single bedroom.

Oddly enough, that logic didn't seem to apply in his brain to the Manor back in Karak. He would not have known why, given the fact that it was more ostentatious than even this place, but perhaps he simply felt more comfortable among the crafts of the dwarves.

Either way, as Zana and Talus stepped into the massive suite on the top floor of the Inn there was a look of wonderment to the younger Dreadlord's eyes. "No, that will be all."

It was the first time Talus had actually spoken, and there was a look of shock on the concierges face as he was suddenly and without a second thought dismissed. There was a quick nod of the head, and then the man left the room.

"I don't like that guy." Talus said as he threw down his things and began to slowly look around the massive suite. "But this..."

He gestured. "This i like."

 

[Zana]

Grey was already loping across the suite of rooms in an excited zig-zag as if he couldn't quite decide where to go and sniff first. Zana set her own bags down and then stretched, clearly more at home in this kind of atmosphere. A lazy smile spread across her face when he spoke.

"People like that just need dealing with in a certain way," with the same contempt for them as they showed for anyone else. "But we shouldn't be bothered by him anymore," not unless it was to scrimp and ask if there was anything else they needed. If they ignored him it would only add to the illusion of them both being far too good for this place and in an odd way he would enjoy that.

She pushed her way through to the bedroom area and let out a low whistle.

To the left was a bed far larger than any Zana had ever seen draped in silks and a whole mountain worth of pillows. It was facing the large arched window which offered views out over the volcano. What really drew her attention however was the low large bath which sat at the opposite end of the room. It looked more akin to what they had had in Karak than the last inn and when she went to play with the taps she discovered it worked in a very similar fashion.

"It must come up from the springs," she mused before turning off the water.

 

[Talus]

Talus looked at the best and instantly made the decision that it's size would be just about big enough for what they needed back home. Their bedroom would have to be...tripled in size, but he was already working on the house anyway so that wouldn't really be that big of a deal. In his head he made some quick calculations.

"Where am I get that many feathers?" The words were muttered so quietly that Zana likely wouldn't be able to hear them. His steps took him behind the love of his life, lingering in the doorway of the bathroom as she fiddled with the taps.

Only at the sound of her voice did he snap out of his thought.

"Huh." He remarked quietly. "Wonder if they had dwarves running around here."

Their thoughts mirrored one another, a smile touching Talus' face as the water began to fill the giant tub. With quick steps he wandered over to Zana, wrapping on arm slowly around her and leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Now this...this is a vacation."

He said with a smile.

 

[Zana]

Zana smiled when she felt his arms about her and leaned back into him. Her arms rested over the top of his and she swayed side to side slowly. A soft hum escaped her.

"Yes, yes it is," not that she would know what a vacation actually was. Still, a good room, someone she loved, and a new city to explore seemed to tick the vague boxes she held in her mind when thinking of a vacation. She spun suddenly in his arms so that she was facing him and then cupped his cheeks with her hands. "Are you ready to go to the Springs?"

Zana was excited. There was a slight tremor to her body as she stood within his arms like she wanted to bounce onto the tips of her feet a few times.

 

[Talus]

Talus sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Ooo...the Springs?"

Through the bond Zana would feel no small amount of amusement, though Talus managed to keep a remarkably straight face. He shook his head as if remorseful.

"I'm sorry, Babe but I'm just..." Talus trailed off as he began a loud obnoxious fake yawn. "So tired from all that walking."

He shifted. "We should really get me a horse too..."

A twinkle of mischief burst through his eye as he looked at her.

 

[Zana]

For a moment all Zana could do was stand there and stare at him in disbelief. Then she caught the mischievous glint in his eyes and the tinge of amusement through the bond and she relaxed a little.

"I can get you a nice little pony, something more your speed. A little fat hairy cob maybe?" he hadn't liked the speed with which Zandor had flown across the hills. He was bred for it and he loved it. She thought that for Talus a little hairy cob who would plod along was probably a safer bet.

"But the Springs will get all those knots out of your back and ease the weariness in your feet..." she gently placed a kiss to his neck and then his jaw, her hands sliding down his chest to rest over his hips. "Plus, I got a red bathing suit just for you."