Private Tales Scorched Earth

[Fife]

The Idemni went to Aretta and Raigryn stepped back. He put his hand on her shoulder, drawing her attention up to him. Her fingers immediately moved to cover his and return the silent reassurance. Fife could offer nothing against the silence, but now hardly seemed the time for words.

Her gaze dropped to his chest and her hand reached to feel a smear of blood on his shirt. It hadn't been torn, wasn't his, and she made a quick inspection of the rest of him she could see before sighing in some measure of relief.

You are unharmed? Fife tipped her head back to look up at Raigryn. She wouldn't ask of he was alright. She wasn't precisely "alright". They were alive and (for the time being) so was Aretta. That would have to be enough for now.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"Yes. Yes, all good," he said. He spoke slowly, watching as they made the very strange move of helping Aretta to her feet. He was about to protest but she got her feet back underneath herself. That was a good sign. Or it could have been a bad sign. Only the next full moon would tell.

Raigryn turned his head to look down at Fife, trying to let some of the tension go.

"A bit more Tranquility and less Fury next time. Less shots but make them count...sorry."

He apologised as the shame welled up.

"You did very well, exceptionally well. It's not the time for a lesson."

 

[Fife]

For now, Aretta was on her feet and both she and Raigryn relatively unscathed. She had scuffed her palms a bit when she'd dropped to the ground and her shoulder ached from toeing the line with Fury. Petty bruises compared to what Aretta was already walking off. Fife sighed.

Raigryn looked worried, which meant he turned to her to give a lesson. He had no sooner started than he stopped himself and apologized. Though she might have been a smidge annoyed at being lectured first, she didn't blame him. The man had plenty of reasons to be stressed. And he was right, which rubbed against the grain of her pride more.

Fife shook her head and turned to watch Aretta. She had the means to talk about her shortcomings and very strong opinions on how she had handled herself, but agreed that now was not the time or place for it. She sighed again.

Her eyes traveled up his figure as she looked back to him. She was half orange and smeared with rust-colored dirt. Raigryn was covered in blood -- a look some might have found grimly attractive but one that Fife was not particularly fond of. Too much of a reminder of the tightness in her chest every time the werewolf swung too close.

What now? She met his eye before her gaze flitted to the werewolf. What will they do with it?

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"Burn it I hope."

His eyes fell to the creature. A werewolf spy. That did not seem to fit. They hardly made the best people for jobs requiring subtlety. There were plenty out there who could sniff out a werewolf even outside of their transformation.

He turned his gaze towards the tunnels. There was a flicker of anger beneath the surface. Raigryn pulled his expression into a frown. He didn't care what the idemni thought.

"I am going to discuss this with Maellarn. You don't have to come."

 

[Fife]

Burning it sounded better than any other options. She nodded in agreement. It was difficult to imagine the creature lying in a pool of blood as a person and yet the thought had never been far from her thoughts. Of course it was. They were. Or... had been.

Fife looked away, deciding she still didn't know howe she felt about it.

Just in time to catch a distinct tang of anger from the man standing next to her. Glancing up, her brows rose in question to his frown before her eyes followed his to the tunnels. He gave her the option of opting out of the conversation he was going to have with Maellarn.

Something was wrong that she wasn't seeing. That didn't surprise her. Talking to Maellarn seemed like something she didn't need to be present for. Even though she would no doubt be asking about it later, this wasn't her home. She had come with Raigryn, but she had no real part in rebuilding the culture he felt responsible for. It was a talk best had without her.

Fife shook her head. I will go home. Her fingertips came together to make the peak of a roof or a tent. When she looked up at him to continue, however, her hands paused halfway to a sign before curling up and hovering near her chest.

Not now. Later. She would say that later.

I will meet you there? It was obvious that wasn't what she'd been intending to say, but she offered a slight smile and touched his arm.

The backs of her fingers were hardly a touch at all as they unfurled to follow an inch of some muscle she couldn't name. Contact for contact's sake. A small attempt to restore some degree of balance in herself in the wake of the chaos they'd once again survived.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn placed a hand gently on her shoulder. It was barely above the height of his navel. He hadn't thrown himself fully off centre with that spike of power in all directions.

"I won't be long," he told her softly. They still had several hours of darkness, though he wasn't certain that they would easily find sleep now.

He turned for the exit, reliant upon Fife's memory and the sounds of the idemni ahead to make their way out. They didn't have to leave to find Maellarn. Flanked by a pair of shadows she came from the other way.

"Go on ahead," he murmured to Fife, coming to a stop.

"Raigryn," she greeted, not slowly. He took a step to block her path.

"I would have a moment of your time."

"You can understand that my time is limited right now and..."

"Why? You have another werewolf you would like me to slay?" Raigryn asked. He didn't give an inch.

Maellarn signed for her guards to go on ahead. Raigryn recognised the pair. They had been dancing with knifes earlier that day.

"What can I do for you?"

"Werewolf spy. Doesn't make sense," Raigryn said.

"That occurred to me also."

"On what basis did you label him a spy?"

"He was spying on my people in Helston. Then followed them back to here. Fairly straightforward."

Raigryn frowned. "Were your people there to kill someone? I've known people who employed their kind to sniff out troublemakers before. You might have crossed the wrong person. That might be preferable to something much darker probing your boundaries."

Maellarn didn't show emotion, but her expression did soften a fraction.

" That was what I was hoping to establish. I was hoping perhaps you would have some insight and..."

"Then ask directly next time," Raigryn replied. "You do not always have to manipulate people into doing your bidding. I would have helped."

"Maybe...we should finish this conversation after some sleep," Maellarn replied, rubbing her eyes.

Raigryn agreed with her this time. He offered a nod and stepped out of her way. The conversation had barely lasted two minutes but he didn't quite catch up to Fife before he reached the tent.

 

[Fife]

There was a natural-born tranquility in the weight of his hand. That, a walk back, and several minutes brushing her hair would help ad much as any draw from her stores.

She collected her bow, still giving the werewolf a wide berth, and spent a moment releasing the cranequin. She was not going to be fetching her bolts and instead made no attempt at even looking at them.

Fife took one look at Maellarn and the two with her and very quickly stepped around them. She had her eyes pointedly averted and her cheeks were flushed. She doubted Maellarn was thinking of their skipped lesson right now but Fife was certainly reminded of it the moment she saw her. All too happy to hasten down the hall, she walked back across camp with more hurry in her step.

The tent was quiet. She took off her boots and propped her bow and sword back where they belonged. Her braid was disheveled and damp against her neck. It knotted between her fingers as she pulled it out and walked to her half of their space.

Even in the faint light of the full moon through the canvas she was reminded of what had happened earlier. Had that been today?

Color lifted back into her cheeks as she picked up her comb and went to the table. She had no sooner sat down and began picking out knots when Raigryn came back. She was glad it was dark. Fife could see his silver outline clear as day. It meant it was too dark for her to speak to him, however. That was fine. She didn't really know what to say now.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn slipped his overshirt from his shoulders and hung it over the back of one chair. It had dried out now. Tomorrow he would take it to have it washed out. If it could be washed out. He was too tired to try now.

Stepping behind Fife he took her hand in his own as it dragged the comb along. Long enough that he could kiss the crown of her head. This was still going to take time to become accustomed to. Being drained almost made it easier. Silenced his thoughts as he just sought comfort.

"Maellarn didn't know he was a lycan," he whisperer. "We'll go and see how Aretta is doing in the morning."

 

[Fife]

He said nothing at first, removing his bloodied shirt and hanging it on his chair before coming to stand behind her. Fife bristled -- a reaction she likely wasn't shedding soon -- but didn't resist letting him take her hand. The chaste kiss was still new and turned the air in her chest to leaves caught in a swirling gust in a narrow alley.

She tipped her head back to look up at him. In the shadows his features were just barely discernible, but his dark eyes were easily found.

His voice was quiet and tired. Well deserved, on both accounts, she thought. Fife nodded. It would ease some of her worries to see she made it through the night, after they had all settled.

She thought, then, of the other wounded Idemni that had been mentioned and a shiver ran through her. A scratch wasn't enough to worry about, was it? Was it only bites that turned people? She knew what the tales said, but she also knew that the world was hardly what the stories made it out to be.

Fife set the comb on the table, temporarily abandoning the task. Her chest was still tight as she stood to silently put her arms around him. She wanted to comfort and be comforted. Words they were both too tired for hung in her mind where they could remain until tomorrow. For now, she sighed and laid her ear against his chest to hear the steady beat of his heart. The barriers of her mind eased back open and offered her relief where her voice couldn't.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

"You don't have to s..." he started to say. He fell silent as she wrapped her arms around him. Raigryn held her at the small of her back and across her shoulders.

His own shoulders slumped. Some of the tension running through them finally starting to ease. Fife would by able to sense how overwhelmed he felt.

Their first night together had been interrupted by a werewolf. One day that might be an amusing anecdote, but it was not this day.

"Stay with me the rest of the night?" he asked. He didn't know how many more hours there would be before the sun rose but be knew how much his body was demanding rest.

 

[Fife]

His arms closed around her and she felt the tightness relax as he quieted. There was nothing to be said, at least not tonight. Fife tightened her embrace and only sat back enough to peer up at him when his voice broke the silence.

It was a simple request. She didn't want to tell him that it was only a few more hours until she would normally be rising. Neither would she be telling him she didn't feel much like sleeping. Her shoulder wanted her to lie down and stop using it, but her mind was wide awake.

And he had asked. Fife couldn't deny the gentle honesty in his voice. She offered a nod as she stepped back and caught one of his hands.

Rest, she signed against his palm. I won't be long. Only as long as it would take to comb the bird nest put of her hair.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn nodded slowly and made a soft sound of disagreement. He might have seen a lot of things in his life, but nothing made a close encounter with a werewolf with murder on its mind any less shocking. The flash of power took the edge of his feelings, something he was almost welcome for.

He squeezed her hand gently, rubbing his thumb across the backs of her fingers in a gesture that needed to defined language to interpret.

Raigryn turned from her, leaving his boots beyond her side of the tent. He didn't know of that side was going to permanently be 'their' side now. Sleep didn't take him as he settled down in rearranged sheets. He waited in quietly for her.

 

[Fife]

He might not be able to see her smile, but she offered it nonetheless. Fife gave his hand a gentle squeeze before his fingers slipped from hers. His only complaint was a grumble, and that pulled at her grin as she sat down once more.

There was only the sound of the comb working its way through the knots. It didn't take her long, but the process made her feel slightly better, not unlike brushing the horses.

After tangling with a werewolf, following Raigryn to bed didn't seem nearly as frightening. A little perspective, perhaps, or the weird calm after chaos that dulled her other, lesser fears. She moved with familiarity through the dark of the room to put her comb in its usual place before standing beside her bed. Chewing her lip and rubbing her palms on her thighs, she settled for stripping down to her shirt before lying down.

It was balmy and warm, but she still curled up against his side as she had been before. A tentative hand spanned across his ribs as she draped her arm over him. The quiet felt different here, less... empty. Had it been empty before?

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

They were tired, exhausted and vulnerable. He still felt safer to have her warmth against him. Fife probably would ba e found that quote bemusing. There was still a novelty to this. Their first night had been entirely interrupted by dark events that would stay with them forever. That didn't dimish what had changed between them. Didn't stop him feeling a flutter of nerves just for laying his hand across her arm.

Raigryn slid his arm from her elbow to her shoulder and then all the way to her waist. He had nothing else to say to her. Nor did he feel like trying to interpret sign through touch right now.

He kissed Fife on the forehead and settled back down, chasing a sleep that he knew would evade him for some time to come.

 

[Fife]

The tingle of excitement that spread from his touch almost felt inappropriate after the evening's interruption. Like she was offending people who hadn't lived through this night by the rise of warmth in her stomach. She knew better even though the feeling lingered. Then again, so did the giddy heat.

She filled her lungs with him, foreign and new and yet familiar in a distant way. Her eyes closed regardless of her intention to stay awake. He kissed her forehead and it was like this had been routine for forever instead of the first time.

It would be quiet between them, and she made no attempt to say the things on her mind. They would be there tomorrow -- would hopefully be clearer. If they needed saying at all.

Fife didn't plan on sleeping, but there was an undeniable appeal to his body heat and the steady rise and fall of his breathing. Tension she hadn't known she was holding relaxed in her shoulders. Her jaw unclenched and her brow softened. The tightness of her body fled as she breathed out the evening's nightmare.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn let the moment settle for long enough to know that neither of them would find sleep easily. Her presence actually brought a lot of comfort. Having her so close, the soft sound of her breathing, it made it feel like sharing the burden.

As he felt some of the tension bleed from her mind, he felt her body relax against his side. He could almost hear her thoughts still, she was so alert.

His hand slid up the length of her arm, tracing the definition from all the training. Up he reached, to the tip of her chin. He tilted her head back and the bristles of his beard brushed against her cheek as he sought out her lips.

 

[Fife]

There was no question of whether or not he was awake, too. Fife listened to his breathing; though steady and regular, it was not the heavy, even breaths of a person truly at rest. An invisible weight much heavier than her head and arm was lying on top of both of them. It kept them both wide awake.

The slide of his hand once more was slow and simple. She didn't fight its path, discovering its destination only as it arrived at each milestone. It was still new and Fife felt a small flutter of nerves deep in her stomach. Was this happening, or had this day been one long, elaborate dream? At what point did she awaken from it to find herself alone in this same bed?

His touch made no demands, only a silent request as his fingertips touched her chin. Sight wasn't necessary to find him and their lips found one another to the sound of skin on skin and the quiet rasp of his beard against her cheek.

Fife's ribs, held tightly against his, thundered, but she was steady. Her fingertips gently brushed against his jaw as her hand came to rest against his neck. His pulse was a counterbeat to her own in her palm.

There was the taste of salt on his lips -- of fear and anger and worry. The kiss was not chaste, but it didn't feel like a gesture made out of passion and desire. A different kiss, then. One for the simple comfort of being together.

The difference made her heart stumble.

It wasn't excitement or delight that flavored her lips as she returned the kiss. It was relief. It was a gusty sigh of thankfulness that she had him back here and didn't have to worry about whether or not he made it through the night or what would become of him in a month's time. There were a hundred words she couldn't say contained in that gesture, yet as she eased her mind open just enough to let him feel the array of colors, she said them all.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

She was often up before him and this morning was no exception. Despite the terrors of the night there had been a moment of pure understanding between them. Nothing held back, their feelings shared in the way that only empaths could.

Neither of them had slept much in the last hours before dawn, though he had snatched a little more rest. Raigryn was certain he had been half under when she rose from the bed.

Normally he would have let her go until his hunger got the better of him. Not this morning.

He slowly sat upright, knowing that the first thing they would do today was to find out where Aretta was. And if she was still alive.

 

[Fife]

Missing sleep wasn't a foreign concept, but a practice she had not observed as much in the last few months. But lying in the crook of Raigryn's arm, she hadn't the courage to slip off into sleep again -- not when waking was better than any dream she could remember having. Fife had let her mind wander in the quiet reprieve of their night.

Yet even that felt almost like an intermission. She waited for the dawn's faintest light before she quietly unwound herself from his arms. Quietly gathering her things, she turned when Raigryn sat up.

Hello, she whistled softly as she knelt beside him, regardless of the fact that he hadn't ever left her. There was enough of the early light that she could distinguish the lines of his face, and she imagined hers held the same expression. The sleepless night had dragged on forever in the predawn hours until it felt weeks had passed instead.

It was also just bright enough that he could see her hands in sign.

I'm going to bathe. Gladly so. She wanted the feel of the routine and the chance to wash away yesterday in general. Will you rest?

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

He smiled for the normality of the question, the conversation. It hadn't been a normal night. Not for the werewolf and it's trail of dead. Not for the confessions shared in the safety of absolute darkness.

Not darkness. The light had shone on everything he held dear and so much more had becomes clear to him.

"No. I think I'm going to get breakfast and then see how Aretta is doing."

Raogryn frowned briefly as he weighed up whether his next question was fair. He didnt want to treat her like his student outside of lessons.

"Do you want to come and find out, meet me at breakfast first. Or would you rather I go and find out the news?"

 

[Fife]

Fife nodded. Good. Aretta hadn't been far from her mind all night, and she had figured it was the same for him. They had known one another a lot linger than she had known either of them, after all.

Given a choice, she turned her her head and chewed her lip as she weighed her response. It was difficult to pin down how she felt about it. Having only been recently introduced to relationships with people, she still felt the simultaneous urge to go fret and the opposing reluctance to see it, as if that might make it less real.

In the end she shook her head to the latter option. I want to go. She could change her mind that way. Fife looked up to find his dark eyes. I will meet you.

As she did when encountering most new things, Fife hesitated. Her chest gave an odd flutter as it remembered. It seemed right to reached out and take his fingers in hers. With it, she pushed forward the little light that accompanied the flip of her heart. It was a wordless connection, more chaste than a press of her lips and yet far more intimate. Offering him a small smile, she stood to go.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn left just the slightest pressure on her fingers as she slipped from his hand. He knew she had to go, that they both had to head out and face the morning. It was nice to have her reach out to him like that. It made him feel warm. His qualms about this change between them melted in the face of that glow.

His world was ever changing, ever shifting. Even when there had been stability in his life he had travelled. This was still the biggest shift in many years.

"We can come back here after. Or go for a ride," he added as he drew himself up. His bags were in the other side of the tent. There didn't seem much else to spend on the morning than worrying.

 

[Fife]

It was a good moment, she decided. Perhaps not the normal way people did things, but she was hardly a normal person. Their shared gift of Empathy meant they perceived the world and its feelings differently, after all. Raigryn seemed happy for it, and somewhat lightened. That made it entirely worthwhile to her.

Her hand slipped out of his, a soft hiss of skin, and she gathered her things back into her arms as he spoke. Fife signed for the latter option.

A ride. Good to do something. She didn't want to be idle today.

Fife took her leave with no more fanfare and made her way through the early morning to the lake. Most of the usual early birds were there, and she couldn't avoid their attention. Indretar was a small place; it didn't surprise her that gossip had traveled quickly. She managed to keep her composure and they seemed to understand that she wasn't very eager to talk about it. They scrubbed her raw, braided her hair, and sent her on her way like any other day.

After dropping off her things, she walked to the community tent to meet Raigryn. All the while, she kept her eyes from wandering toward the caves, as if that could keep it off her mind as well.

// Raigryn Vayd //​

 

[Raigryn Vayd]

Raigryn took his time around the tent. It was a place that had become familiar. He had known that they would be leaving, he hadn't expected to be leaving on such a wave of change.

This place wasn't going to settle into something that felt routine before they left. Not any more. He wondered if a change of scenery would do them well. All he was certain of was that he wouldn't leave here until he knew what had happened to Aretta.

Raigryn was waiting at the tables in the large dining tent. People came and went quickly this morning. It felt familiar to him. He took the edge of nerves and raw emotion where he could, easily replenishing his reserves from the night. At least his darker aspects were refilled.

It felt familiar to him because it suddenly felt like a war camp.

"Fife," he called as she came in. She would feel it too unless she had already closed off. He stood and turned for the food troughs.

 

[Fife]

The camp felt different. Fife couldn't quite put her finger on the difference to pin it down, but there was something unsettling about the quiet current of emotions and the restlessness of the Idemni. People were moving about with purpose, and feeling a lot more than they were usually feeling.

She was relieved to finally arrive at breakfast. Stepping aside to avoid bumping into someone who was coming out as she was coming in, she didn't have to scan for Raigryn. A slight crease was formed between her brows in spite of her efforts to keep it otherwise.

Hello, Raigryn, she whistled quietly when she joined him at the line. Fife was glancing around more as she filled her bowl and stood closer to him than she meant to. She was anxious, even if she couldn't say why.

// Raigryn Vayd //​