Private Tales There Will Come A Reckoning

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen nearly recoiled and dropped Rupert's skull when it was tossed to her. Ugh! It's gross, it's gross, it's gross! Banishing the smell of the ghoul was nice, but it had been quickly balanced out by the skull (oh how she now wished for fully enclosed gauntlets!). How Drastus could stand working with such foul things was beyond her. But, she supposed, he didn't have much choice—one's magical gifts could not be decided, this of course provided one was lucky enough to be so blessed to begin with.

Kristen, despite her minor revulsion, head Rupert's skull such that he could watch. It could have been worse. At least she was, in a sense, somewhat acquainted with Rupert. And Rupert wasn't as repulsive as the ghoul on the dais, and presumably other forms of undead out in the world.

Her lips pulled tight when Drastus began his examination. She turned her head slightly, but kept his eyes on him and his work. Forced herself to watch. It made her a bit queasy, but she needed to see it. If Vel Acan taught her anything, it was that exposure to grisly things was the only way to become used to them. Oh! Well. Perhaps she'd just answered her own question about Drastus being able to stand such foul things.

Then he made a discovery, and Kristen, in her puzzlement, seemed to forget all about the off-putting nature of the ghoul and Rupert's skull.

"A fake? That is most certainly odd. Why on Arethil would someone go through the trouble to install a fake tooth into a ghoul's mouth? It could not have been done whilst this ghoul was human; the fake is shaped like the malformed fangs around it."

A realization. Oh no. He was going to pull it out, wasn't he? That or break it open.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Too late. The tooth was already broken and Drast swept away the debris, only for more confusion. Hed heard of Knights and Mages hiding messages in their own teeth, but to put one... in an undead?

Immediately Rupert told him that it would not be acceptable for him. How? A slight headache extending across their bond. Kristen would see Drast wince a bit.

Drast would unroll the tiny scroll and though it had been some time, he was able to recognize the language upon it as orcish. "Huh.. its in Orcish.." he would muse aloud, before offering it to Kristen. "Been awhile for me.. but.. we have some people who can speak Orcish at my home."

He didn't dare say they had Orcs. His home thrived with their hidden "lesser" races and though there was always going to be some dispute, racial tension was hardly the case. His father and likely, brother had spent a lot of money to keep the Guard from removing them. Maybe Kristen wouldn't mind so much.

"So... we could head east.. if you think we have the time."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

A message? How strange, to hide it within the artificial tooth of a ghoul of all things. Novel, though. And worrying. The message had been placed there, of course, by someone neither she nor Drastus nor anyone in Vel Numera had the slightest notion of. It was a small thing, but all of sudden this inquiry into the troubles of Vel Numera had deepened considerably.

Written in...Orcish? Kristen's face scrunched up in ill-concealed disgust. Orcs. Nasty, brutish creatures. Barbarians who shrank from the light of civilization and clung to their savage ways. Duresh, her kidnapper, was such a one, employed by the only thing worse in Kristen's mind than orcs themselves—pirates.

Regardless, she couldn't let her own personal misgivings of orcs cloud her mind. She and Drastus had a duty to Vel Numera. Though the message was writ in a foul language, still it needed to be deciphered.

And Drastus had the perfect plan.

Kristen beamed, that smile casting away the gloomy thoughts of orcs, and clapped her hands together. "Brilliant! We would be quite hard-pressed to find a suitable translation of this message here in Vel Numera, for the Common tongue reigns supreme." A moment's consideration then, "I believe we will have the time. Despite the Mayor's apocalyptic concerns, there has not been any other incident save for this singular ghoul felled on the outskirts of the region. And, moreover, I warrant that whatever is scrawled upon this parchment is imperative for us to know."

She tilted her head slightly to the left, her bangs swaying lightly. "Seems I shall be visiting the lands of the Tal'deneshaars much sooner than I had anticipated!"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drastus had a faint concern. They could just you know, magick the message to S'agarae and wait for a response.. couldn't they?

His own thoughts were quickly interrupted by the look on Kristen's face when he said orcish. He had never seen one so warm and welcoming, show so much disgust. His heart sank, was he putting her in the path to relive some awful memory? Gods, he hoped not.

But then that joy returned in a beam so light it almost blinded the young man. "Oh yeah, common tongue is supreme in our lands too, just we have a few well-traveled folks." He was now quickly trying to sort through his mind on humans that spoke Orcish. He couldn't think of any immediately. "Yeah, we can let the Captain know, and if needed, send some Wardens back this way while we hunt down some clues." He offered.

He did offer her that patented grin. "Yeah, guess you will. Now you'll see why you should wear blue and silver, Kris." He teased, before stepping over to grab Ruperts skull from her. "Thanks for holding Rupe." He said before gently placing the cleaned skull back into his pack.

Joy. Guess he was going home.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

That settled it, then. Journeying over the Jades and consulting with a proper translator on the other side was the next step in their appointed task. And Kristen, well, she thought the occasion to be rather splendid! Yes, they were going with business in mind and couldn't stay overly long, yet it was both the opportunity to fulfill some portion of her childhood desire and to see the homelands of the Tal'deneshaar family, Vel Numera's esteemed neighbors.

Kristen was visibly thrilled, her smile having now thoroughly cast away that dire reaction to the message being written in Orcish. She chatted with Drastus as they left the mortuary and went in search of Captain Rennil, a vibrance in her tone that matched the same when she first laid eyes on the moonlit Pinewood Lake.

Some brief questioning of stunned locals ("Oh my Lady Pirian!" "A Warden!") pointed Kristen and Drastus in the direction Captain Rennil had gone during their investigation of the ghoul. He'd gone back to his post at the Vel Numera Guardhouse, a small compound that housed the local House Pirian soldiers. There were two barracks, and a central command post. Inside the post could be found Captain Rennil.

And, in Captain Rennil's office along with the man himself, was Kristen's cousin. Fyris Pirian.

Kristen gasped when she opened the office door and saw him, and, funnily enough, Fyris gasped as well. Both of them spoke at the same time:

"Fyris, your beard!"

"Kristen, you've grown!"

Captain Rennil glanced to the two of them, met eyes with Drastus, then chuckled.

Fyris, as it so happened, had styled his beard in the way of the far distant Norden of the Eretejva Tundra—hence Kristen's surprise. And Fyris as well hadn't seen Kristen in a few good years, and she had been a foot shorter when last he had—hence his surprise.

"Sorry," Fyris said, scratching at his neck. "I think I missed you at the Mayor's house. You...were at the Mayor's house, yes?"

"Oh, it doesn't much matter," Kristen said in a forgiving tone, smiling. She stepped forward and hugged him. "It is good to see you again, Fyris." And then they parted. "Drastus and I shall be heading over the Jades today—we simply wanted to inform the good captain of our progress and our current aim."

Fyris bobbed his head, as if he didn't quite get all of it but was making an effort to politely follow along. "Okay. Over the Jades." He looked to Drastus then, "Where to, then, beyond the mountains?"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Her excitement was infectious and soon the worry of returning home was no longer looming over Drastus. They trekked until they finally found the good Captain, of course not without Drast making a spectacle of the "the Beautiful Lady Pirian". He was trying to build up her clout with the people, who didn't seem to need much goading.

When at last they found Captain Renill, he was at the second spot Drast would have expected, the first being the tavern. It took every ounce of Drasts will to not laugh at Fyris on sight without hearing the name. He was definitely a Nord fan boy.

Then came the reveal, and the laugh came out as he locked eyes with the good Captain but for a totally different reason.

When Fyris looked to Drast, he just smiled. "Oh ya know, a cave that I'm planning to goad her into and abduct her in." He added a shrug as if it were nonchalant. "We're heading to the lands of my family, Vel Ehn. The land of the Wardens, though you look like you may have spent some time on the coast in Ragnarra. Our kin for the frigid north are settled there."

He wanted to laugh. But he was going to be a good noodle.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Oh ya know, a cave that I'm planning to goad her into and abduct her in.

Kristen let out some small nervous laughs and cradled the back of her neck; she wasn't so much worried about Drastus, no, she knew it was a jest, but the question was whether they knew it. Fyris blinked a few times, a blank look momentarily coming over his face as if he either didn't understand or didn't know what to do or how to respond, so that was...okay, she guessed. Captain Rennil had the flash of alarm that Kristen was worried about, the spur of his training and duty kicking in and trumping all else; but the alarm and the wide eyes and raised brows which signaled it departed in the next instant, Captain Rennil's expression becoming cordial once again.

"Oh. Yes. Vel Ehn," Fyris said, his smile genuine but his tone like that of a schoolboy who had been put on the spot by his teacher and was trying his best to feign knowing the correct answer. At the subject of Ragnarra though, he brightened. "I am rather fond of the faraway tales of humanity's northernmost denizens. Ragnarra is a tale all its own, so far have they journeyed. I should like to meet and speak with their Cheiftain, Rhogar, one day."

After Fyris's musing, Captain Rennil got the conversation centered again. "Across the Jades. My Lady Kristen, might I ask what's the occasion? Did you find something of note in your investigation already?"

Kristen nodded vigorously. "We did! Drastus proved to have a keen eye, and thus did he spot a feature most peculiar on the ghoul. 'Twas a false tooth, within was concealed a message, and so it is that this very message is written in orcish of all languages. Do you find that to be at all odd, Captain?"

Captain Rennil cradled his chin with his thumb and forefinger, glancing askew as he tried to think. "Orcish? Huh. That is strange, my Lady. So far as I know, and I know quite a bit of the comings and goings of folk in Vel Numera, there hasn't been so much as an orcish traveler through here in a few years at least."

Orcs, as it were, were far more common on Epressa than Liadain.

"Well," Kristen said, "Drastus and I are committed to uncovering the truth behind this message. Hence our present journey to have it translated in Vel Ehn."

And she favored Drastus with a cheery look and a smile. Their mission was proceeding splendidly, she thought it quite fair to say!

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast couldn't help but feel amused at their tentative reactions. Like a true abductor would voice his intent so loudly. He would cast a quick glance Kristens way and wink.

Nerd. Drast would think to himself from the initial Fyris react to Vel Ehn. "Ragnarra is indeed an interesting place. Though should you ever travel there, just tell them you know a son of Stryfe. Announcing yourself as a Pirian will mean nothing to them, not out of disrespect, but merely because they do not get such news that far North."

Once Kirsten finished explaining to Captain Rennil why they were heading to Vel Ehn, he would chime in. "So we'll go over, find the scholar that knows the language, translate it, and come back. If its considered prudent, I will make a request of my family to support us with some Wardens."

His gaze shifted to Kris again as she gave him that cheery look, he would reciprocate with that confident grin of his. Oh yeah, they had it under control.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Talk of the Norden people, brief as it was, was the one thing which seemed to truly grab all of Fyris's typically scattered attention. Once it was over, his placid smile came back and he passively watched the rest of the conversation unfold (in a rather unlordly manner, one could fairly say).

Captain Rennil nodded sagely to Drastus. "Very well, son of Stryfe, do what you must. I trust the judgment of yourself and Lady Kristen on whether that message you hold warrants the Wardens." He let out a small chuckle. "Wouldn't that be something? If our dear Mayor's wild concerns were perfectly sound all along?"

Kristen laughed politely, and Fyris, sensing that he ought to do so as well, laughed a trifle as well.

"Safe journey through the Jades," said Captain Rennil. And then with confidence to Drastus, "Our Lady Kristen is in capable hands, is she not?"

Kristen flushed a little, this for a couple of short-lived reasons. "We will fare through the Jades safely and return to Vel Numera with all due haste."

"Indeed." And then Captain Rennil rose from his seat. Offered each of them a respectful bow. "Godspeed, Drastus Tal'deneshaar. My Lady Kristen, we will await your findings."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast would laugh. "Ooh, we would need to somehow lure the mayor away so he doesn't see all the craziness. And when he came back, tell him he was losing his mind." He offered the good Captain a conspiratorial grin.

At his question, Drastus would glance briefly at Kris. "I wouldn't let any harm befall Lady Pirian.." his gaze shifted back. "If it's undead, I got them. That good ol'fashioned Tal'deneshaar training." Hopefully the undead hunting renown of his House would dissuade any deeper probing questions.

When Renill finally prepared to depart, Drastus would return the bow. He was a Noble by blood only, but he felt like more of a common man. A Rapscallion. "Captain. All goes well, we should be back in three days time."

When he finally left, Drast would turn to Kristen. "We should leave before the sun sets and we may be at Tar'shan by morning." He offered.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Right. We should not linger overlong," Kristen said. It was to their good fortune that they had discovered the hidden note within the false tooth of the ghoul, and had done so with astonishing speed. With such a clue in hand, they'd best not let their quick gain slip away from them.

Huh. Funny. Thoughts like that almost made her sound like the fretting Mayor. What was going on here in Vel Numera was of course a concern, but not one of so grand a scale to rival another Tide of the Dead—of that she was certain.

Kristen said her goodbyes to Fyris, who seemed to be made suddenly aware again that their was a conversation which included him once she'd spoken his name. She gave him another hug and said that mayhap they could share a dinner before she and Drastus departed from Vel Numera with their deed done. Fyris smiled absently and said that he'd love that. Kristen was polite enough in her parting, but as she and Drastus stepped out of Rennil's office, gosh, it certainly was clear as day that some men, noble-blooded or not, simply were not meant to be leaders. Let alone a future Lord of whatever lands Fyris might be entitled to. Yet this was how it was, and one would have an easier time of moving the very heavens than trying to amend the rigid system of inheritance among the nobility.

Out of the command post, Kristen said as they walked, "What a sterling mission we've lucked into, hmm? Not only has it been a homecoming for myself, but, as fate would have it, for you as well, Drastus."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

They said their goodbyes and Drast couldn't help but think the same thing Kristen must have felt. This soft-headed Fyris was going to inherit land and title and yet Drast couldn't help but feel certain that if he covered the boys mouth, he would still black out for forgetting to breathe through his nose. It was kind of upsetting.

There wasn't a way for him to inherit lands.. he was like last in line. And he was okay with that. He would be an awful Lord.. but Kristen might not be a good Dreadlord, despite his faith in her success, but she would make an excellent Lady. Yet.. she would be barred from such title.

It wouldn't be until later when they were halfway to the stables that he would hear her remark. "Huh? Oh yeah.. joy." He said with a smile. An arm would go around her shoulder as they walked, his free hand painting a picture in the distance. "Lady Kristen Pirian and Lord Drastus Tal'deneshaar: Champions of the Jades." He would say with a grin to her before his arm dropped from her shoulder.

"Now I think I remember where the cut in the Jades is for us to cross. Its been awhile, but I'm sure we can find our little route."

Reaching the stables, he would first approach her horse and help her up into the saddle. "My Lady." He would say lightly. Her riding boots were tucked into the stirrups before he walked to his own courser and climbed up into the saddle. In his minds eye it was as cool as the mounts and dismounts that Valdr would do.. in reality.. it likely wasn't.

Situated in his saddle, he looked over to Kristen. "Lead on."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Champions of the Jades!" she echoed, having herself a little laugh at the good-natured humor of it. Why, wasn't the thought like something out of a book of fables? Two heroes venturing into mysterious mountains and perhaps slaying a dragon or two? Neither of them were the ideal heroes of old tales, nor were there any dragons roosting in the Jades, but the thought was fun enough to entertain regardless.

At the stables, she readily accepted Drastus's help in mounting her horse. There were some things which she was glad to do for herself, things which the servants of House Pirian attended to for her and her family. But some things, even if she could do them for herself, and had done them, she truly would never tire of being attended to. Oh, this was just such a one. A small thing, insignificant some might even go so far as to say, a gentleman's help assisting a lady onto and off of her horse. But to Kristen there was simply something quite wholesome about it, and a good feeling softly cradled her heart when Drastus attended to her such a way. Everything just seemed right.

"Thank you so very much," she said. Never forget, Mother had often said, that expectation is like vinegar and gratitude is like honey. Then, with a cheeky smile, she added, "Son of Stryfe," and giggled. The Captain, the Mayor, people on the street, so many people had called him that that Kristen wanted to try it out for herself, even in jest.

And she led them out of the stables and southward, toward the edge of the town and the start of the towering Jades.

* * * * *

THE FOOT OF THE JADES​

Abrupt was the end of Vel Numera and the start of the mountains. Why, the houses closest to them were a mere stone's throw away! No foothills, nothing of the sort. It rather much was like that old myth of a god pulling them up wholesale from the ground.

Kristen halted her horse for a moment and simply looked up. Up and up and up. The late afternoon sun behind them, no clouds nor mist, everything was in full view. The greenery of daring small trees and bushes and vines clung at various heights in the sheer rockface.

She whistled. "The Jades aren't that tall for mountains, so it is said. Not when compared to the Spine on Epressa."

A doubtful smile broke out on her face, as if to laugh at those who might posit that idea.

"Well, they seem plenty tall to me. Hmm. Almost bigger than what I remember as a child, if you can believe it."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Spirits were high, higher than they had ever been on a mission. It was weird to him, that something could feel so right, so perfect, especially after years of the Academy. But it did. She did.

At her horse, he looked up at her after she mounted, those hazels showing a bit more of that Tal'deneshaar gold, both of which were focused on her smile. Naturally the smile was returned as each boot was gently tucked into a stirrup. He'd never done it before for anyone else, but it was something Valdr had told him to do. By the looks of it.. she enjoyed it. "You're welcome." He would begin, that smile fading some as she said 'Son of Stryfe'.

It was fleeting and soon that smile returned. He was proud of his parentage, perhaps it was the sting of the death? He wasn't quite certain. But he laughed with her, if only to reassure her everything was alright. "Cousin of Fyris." He would tease right back before he pinched her thigh playfully.

As she began to lead them away, he leaned over. "Besides.. I prefer Ser Raven." Now was his turn to grin cheekily as they trotted along.

*****

The Foot of the Jades
​

Drast joined Kristen at the sudden rise of the Jades. It was as if they were the teeth of an awaiting maw ready to clamp down on any foolish enough to enter. As she said, they weren't as tall as the Spine, but they held just as much danger, at least to the locals.

"I agree with you there.. they definitely look bigger than I remember.. granted its been awhile." He finished with a laugh.

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen clucked her tongue and lightly heeled the sides of her horse, continuing on at a leisurely trot into the slim gorge in-between the sheer cliffs on either side of them.

"Indeed. Yet they remain enchanting all the same." She sighed blissfully. "How I marvel at things which are greater even than the sum of what wonders mankind has crafted."

The sound of their horses' hooves started to echo as they traveled further into the Jades, leaving the edge of Vel Numera behind. It was as if they'd ridden their steeds into a vast and empty hall, so was the breadth of those echoes.

Drastus knew the right cut through the mountains to take, which turns at which forks, even the little hidden ways through caves (carved by old rivers which had gone dry for millennia) concealed by brush which led to other pathways between the greater sheer pillars which made up the bulk of the Jades. All this time they gradually ascended in a slow rise, the true extent of it unnoticeable.

Until their path took them to the top of the mountains, to the top of one those pillars. Here stretched before them the other stone shafts of the range, some smooth and standing apart and others rugged and fused into pairs or triplets or a whole series. Adventurous trees, small and stout for this altitude, grew at the top of the Jades, and the ground up here was a spongy moss that had all the softness of a regal carpet. Faint mist, almost imperceptible, clung to these heights as well.

In the distance to the west, the sky was ablaze with a brilliant sunset, a slice of red to punctuate the orange, these warm colors bidding the day farewell as the deep blues and blacks followed in their wake from the east.

Kristen took in a breath. Held it as her expression melted with awe. One hand touched her heart and the other covered her mouth, and tears edged at the corners of her eyes.

"I knew it would be beautiful..."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

He had no idea what Kristen was saying, but to prove he wasn't just a dumb himbo like Kalix, he would smile and nod. "Oh yeah, definitely." Nailed it. "Totally greater than the sum."

As they cut through the correct paths and rises, nothing surprised Drast more than remembering all the right turns. It had felt like a lifetime since he and his family cut through these paths to get to Vel Anir. Yet, here he was, years later, knowing where to go.

Up and up they went over the mountains, the hardest part of their journey behind them. He took in the tiny trees, plush 'carpet' that he had wanted to have in his room as a child, and the mist that Kavaros had made him terrified of. The memory would make him laugh lightly, it was one of the few memories he had thought of in recent time of his days before the Academy. "... Little boy eating man-birds.." how funny that was now, even though not some time earlier Drast had found himself fighting Forsaken matching that very description.

Reaching the top, vibrant hues shone from behind them, so naturally they would pause to gaze back to the west. While Kristen admired the sight, he admired her. How the beams of red and orange accentuated every line of her face, every inch of her smile. How the single most beautiful sight in his vicinity shone like the angels of tales. He just grinned, leaning on his saddle horn. "Yeah.. never seen anything quite so beautiful, before." He would reply, his hazels fixed on her, even if she turned to him.

There was a peace he had never known, a calm, and yet at the same time the most exciting aspect of his life.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

This time, by chance, she had turned to him. A moment's passing and a small alighting in her eyes revealed, however subtly, that she recognized the true meaning behind his words. Her cheeks rose as a smile crossed her expression, she brushed aside one of her bangs and tucked it behind an ear, and she played it off as though he spoke of the sunset. Yet the blooming of red in those risen cheeks proved her a poor liar.

And in this one thing, here in this one moment...she didn't mind being so inept. There was a truth in the warmth of her cheeks she, at base, didn't mind showing.

"This shall make for an excellent place to camp for the night," she said, "and on the morrow we will doubtless behold Tar'shan."

She guided her mount close to one of the squat trees, whereby she could then hitch her horse and dismount and make preparations.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

That grin shifted into a smile as her ineptitude gave him his greatest hope. She was smiling, she had picked up what he was putting down, and there had never been a moment he felt as if he could fly until now.

Whether it was a mistake or not, he wouldn't speak on it, be he let her know with a look, that he knew. He just felt that to speak it, would be to cause that single great moment to disappear entirely. This whole moment with her would be committed to memory, after all, Kristen had rented a decent sized estate in his memory palace.

"Camp here?" He had to force himself to look away from her out to the east where Tar'shan lay in view. They could make it in a handful of hours if they truly pushed themselves, but she wanted to camp, to steal more time with him. "As you wish, Lady Pirian."

He would guide his horse to the tree and dismounted quick enough to help her dismount. He knew he didn't need to do it.. he wanted to do it. He may have held her a little longer in this dismount, a little closer, and had she the gift of hearing, she may have even heard his heart beat a little quicker.

He finally released her with a sheepish smile, that confidence once more trying to steady his racing heart. She hitched the horses, he would grab their basket from the day before, remove the blanket and set it out so they could watch the remainder of the sunset. "We can set up a tent if you'd like, but i thought we did fine without it by the lake." He would say over his shoulder, cautioning a glance.

He would return to the horses and grab some rations as well as his flask before returning to the blanket. "Or, we could just set it up after this.. if you'd like to join me?" He asked as he sat down on the blanket, eyes focused on Vel Numera, as if now with Kristen out of his view he could see what she had stolen the attention of.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Never would she tire of the gentlemanly help in mounting and dismounting her horse. Such a thing would be looked down upon by their peers, certainly so by the Proctors or full-fledged Dreadlords, yet it remained so. Perhaps the day would come when she'd enough prestige and formidability to ward off any naysaying eyes and stay any naysaying tongues.

"We might have to," she said. "Set up a tent, that is."

She glanced toward the south, toward the lands of Vel Ehn and Tar'shan. Clouds were on their way, shading the ground beneath their approach in the waning sunlight, hazy sheets of intermittent rain visible from their spectacular vantage. Maybe it would peter out before it reached them, breaking against the rise of the Jades they've yet to cross, or maybe it would retain the strength to reach them and soak the ground upon which they stood. Best to have a shelter, regardless.

And a look back to Drastus, sat down now on the blanket with the same basket from their brief outing at Pinewood Lake. Oh it was delightful, and so would this be! She could get used to outings like this, reveling in the majesty of Arethil with Drastus.

"I shall," she said eagerly, walking over and (after brushing her tabard to one side as if it were a dress and she was being neat about sitting down) took her place beside him.

She reached up and pulled her hair free of its usual ponytail, running her hand through it several times to straighten it.

"We ought to take care. Why, should we continue on this course, enjoying these nights and sunsets, we might well forget the very purpose for which we are here!" she said, mildly jesting. And then she sighed with contentment, her head listing to one side and her hair drifting in a gentle wave. "Yet there are worse fates to endure. 'Twouldn't be so bad."

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

"Then I can set it up in a bit." He offered with a smile. He was living on the high of that look, of the trip, of everything.

"Glad you could join me, Lady Pirian." He would say in a faux posh voice, offering her some of the rations. "Salted pork, my dear?" He asked, maintaining that same voice.

There would be some movement and her hair was let down. "I uhh.. like your hair like that. It's nice." He offered with a sideways glance before edging a bit closer. Before them, the radiant hues washed over the landscape, bathing everything in a beautiful glow. He would steal another glance at Kristen, the corners of his lips lifting in a smile.

"Well.. that doesn't sound like an idea I would be opposed to. Traveling Arethil with you... been a lot of places, but I can't recall seeing much of it.. maybe after we graduate, we can?" He offered. "Or... before."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen tittered, raising a hand to her mouth, when Drastus took on the affectation of a thoroughly aristocratic individual. My, how he sounded so different! Might it be equally striking in its difference if she pretended at, say, Zael's accent?

"Why yes, I would quite enjoy some salted pork."

Oh how she remembered her first taste of travel rations. How she had balked! Always had her food been prepared for her (and as well, always had she wanted to try her hand at said preparing). But now she happily dined on the strips of pork, eating them with her hands, not a single piece of silverware in sight.

Drastus commented on her hair and her smile bloomed magnificently and at once, and she was all too eager to share her joy. "Thank yooouuu~! For the vast swath of my life I had always worn it down, but for the occasional ball or gala where I would of course have it upwardly held and elegantly styled. As of late, in the Academy, needs be for a level of practicality."

To accentuate her point, she reached up and touched the binding which held Drastus's own dreadlocked hair back.

He would expound on the idea of travel abroad, and Kristen nodded along.

"Before? Wherever will we find the time?" She laughed. "Certainly we will both enjoy more freedom—duly earned, I would say—after graduation." A minor pause. "For myself, though, graduation shall not come soon, such was the unorthodox lateness of my enrollment and the novelty of the training regimen ascribed to me. The Academy seemed quite firm that I, at minimum, train for a duration of four years. And if this bears out, thus will it be that the earliest I may graduate is at nineteen years of age."

The implication being that there would be a period of time when Drastus was graduated from the Academy himself, and Kristen would still be within.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

Drast would keep his calm as she responded, handing her the package so that she could help herself to as much salted pork as she wanted. "Here you are." While she took her fill, he would scratch at his right arm, the flesh there still healing from the fight with Archon Davis.

Her joy at his comment on her hair was a good sign, he was learning new facts about her and he would struggle to remember as many of them as possible. "Well, I guess there's no reason for practicality on nights like these." She then committed a cardinal sin: she touched his hair. Well, in her defense, it was just the leather tie. But, it was also her, so she got a pass.

"Oh you know, extended missions. Or some like these." He offered with a shrug. "Four years? That's not bad at all." He laughed. "Haven't you heard? I got just that in detentions from Proctor Vernon. I won't be graduating this year either, maybe not even next. So.." his gaze focused on her. ".. looks like you're stuck with me for at least that long.. and even when I do become a Dreadlord, I'm sure I can request you for missions or something." He added the last part with a grin.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Haven't you heard? I got just that in detentions from Proctor Vernon.

"Goodness!"

So...looks like you're stuck with me for at least that long...

It wasn't precisely good news. Certainly it would have been better if they had by chance of timing been on track to graduate together normally, without the element of punishment from Proctor Vernon. Drastus would be set back in his profession as a Dreadlord. Yet, it wasn't the worst of all possible outcomes, and what was done was done, she supposed.

She returned his grin.

"There are strings which could be pulled," she said, concurring with his suggestion that as a Dreadlord he could request her for missions. She had not seriously before considering using the weight of her family name as a bludgeon to get her way in the Academy, but...doing so for this did not seem too grievous a breach.

"Regardless, I think...I think I will very much enjoy the rest of my duration at the Academy..."

Here again that bright smile, rivaling the brilliance of the setting sun.

"...so long as I may have the pleasure of your company."

And a joke, her hand nudging into his side.

"So long as you don't mind the company of a Cousin of Fyris!"

Drastus Tal'deneshaar

 

[Drastus Tal'deneshaar]

"Oh yeah, I guess a big bad House like yours has some strings to pull." He teased back with a laugh, nudging her with his shoulder. He couldn't joke like this with many others, he couldn't have this kind of genuine fun.

Her next words would surprise him, though.

Regardless, I think...I think I will very much enjoy the rest of my duration at the Academy.. so long as I may have the pleasure of your company.

He couldn't help the smile that came to his face in that moment, a moment that he realized how close they truly were. A little more of a lean and he could kiss her, something he had thought about doing many times. Hazels may have betrayed some thoughts as they drifted to her lips. "I'm not going anywhere without you.." he said softly. "I'll graduate before you but.. I'll insist on you.."

He had that same realization of their closeness and so as to respect her space, he leaned back a bit, but that look in his eyes never changed. Then she went and nudged him and his hand would move to swat hers away, only to accidentally catch it. "I suppose this Son of Stryfe can stomach it, Cousin of Fyris."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen's heart fluttered wildly in her chest with the closeness, eyes wide and alert and dashed with just a tiny hint of hopeful expectation. Her mind was keen to open the sluice gates and allow for a waterfall of scenes from choice books and stories that she had read to come flowing forth, scenes that were in fiction very much close to this in real life.

He pulled back, and Kristen smiled. Oh, her girlish notions.

"I am most certain that you can." And, after a moment, she stood. Said, "We ought to see to the tent, lest our pleasant evening become unduly drenched."

It did not take overly long for the tent to be pitched, and it was done before the last vestiges of sunlight in the west winked out and the night was truly bid welcome. They rested in the tent together, and it was good that they did—come midnight did the hard patter of rain sound against the tent. Bouts of whipping wind awoke Kristen twice, and each time did she experience that exquisitely snug feeling of being sheltered—comfortable and warm—whilst the elements did their worst outside.

Come the morning, Kristen had gravitated without knowing it to be asleep right beside Drastus, curled up slightly, soft breath from her nose mayhap tickling the back of his neck.

Drastus Tal'deneshaar