Private Tales Those Fallen

[Saul Talith]

"No." He told her with a smile.

The Lord Captain had been thinking about this, all of this really.

Sure he'd spent most of his morning attending to the half dozen writs and meetings Edwin wanted him to attend to, but...well he had enough attention to devote to Ana too. He had kept her words in mind though, knowing that if he paid more attention to her she would be nothing but angry.

He had done both, and he had done it by asking for help.

"But." Saul added. "Is that a bad thing?"

 

[Anastasia]

Panic bit at her. "I-" And then Valerie's words from this morning washed over her. She swallowed hard, skimming his face before responding almost trepidatiously.

"No. I guess not."

She gave him a weak smile, trying to at least look composed. She had been promised the rest would follow through.

Emotions would not kill the chapter.

She pulled out her chair and sat herself, trying to move forward with this.

 

[Saul Talith]

He smiled and sat himself down opposite her.

"I asked Greggor to put something together." Saul wasn't much for dinner planning, especially when he was inundated with so much work that he could barely keep track of everything.

"I hope it's alright." As he glanced down at the platter he was somewhat surprised himself. There was an array of fruits, vegetables, meats and even a few pieces of chocolate. Greggor had really outdone himself. Saul wasn't even sure where he'd gotten a few of the things. "I errr."

Saul stumbled slightly, then glanced up at Ana. "Well, only the best for you?"

He offered shyly, still in shock himself.

 

[Anastasia]

“It’s a feast...” she breathed, plucking up a strawberry. She rolled it between her fingers, marveling over it.

If Saul had meant to impress her, he had. She tactfully chose not to rag on him for luxeriousness of it, sensing Greggors hand in this. Saul didn’t want to abuse his station anymore than she did. Greggor, however, was probably having a small field day over the resources he could now access.

She gingerly bit into the strawberry, unable to stop the sound of pleasure as the sweetness burst across her tounge.

A wide eyed look was brought his way, her enjoyment evident.

“Holy shit, you have to try this.” She shoved the other half his way.

 

[Saul Talith]

"I've tasted a strawberry before." Saul said with a smirk, though he didn't push her hand away. Instead he gently grasped her wrist and munched the second half of the small fruit, obviously avoiding the stem at the very top.

Chewing, The Lord Captain did indeed find himself somewhat surprised by the sweetness of the food.

He had no idea how it was possible, but apparently either Greggor had found a much better supplier of strawberries or he'd found a witch to make the food taste better. He frowned for a brief moment, realizing that he likely wouldn't put the latter past Greggor.

When that man really wanted something he made it happen, no matter the consequences.

He considered the platter dubiously, wondering if he should be using anti-magic on it.

 

[Anastasia]

Days blended after that-- lunches had, late night visits made. Minds and bodies healed, while some things ... remained irreparably changed. As impossible as it had felt, a new normal was slowly emerging. Ana no longer clung to her room, though or old sense of ease remained a distant concept.

The faces of the dead Templar haunted her in a way no monster ever could. But as Templar did ... she carried on, stepping up to her duties of helping the others.

Redoing Saul's office had become a larger task than she had first thought. It wasn't just the office that needed to be taken apart, but the attached apartments. Saul didn't have to tell her how much it bothered him to be sleeping in the dead commanders space, she felt the pressure Saul was under with every moment she was besides him. So. Despite the time it took. Despite the uncomfortable nature of going through yet another dead person's life, it was done.

It did also leave Saul kicked out for a few spare days, but it had kept her moving too. And perhaps that had been refreshing for both of them. Both were more comfortable out in the world, moving. Staying still... never suited them.

The night was now late. Most had trudged off to bed, but even she had refused that, instead fussing over final minute details. She had to do this right. It had to be perfect.

She knocked on the council room she was sure Saul was still pouring himself over despite the late hour. The paperwork never seemed to end for him. She wondered what would happen if she just burned it all.

"Saul?" She pushed her way in, careful of her candle.

 

[Saul Talith]

Stacks of papers were in fact scattered all around the table.

Dozens of maps, statistics, ledgers, and whatever else seemed pertinent could be found along the entire length of the massive conference table. Most of it was unimportant, though even in the smallest detail Saul found things that would come in handy over the next few weeks.

Taking over command had been difficult.

He could have let things sail by, could have allowed it all to slip through the cracks and just sit back...but that wasn't what Saul wanted. Taking over for him wasn't about maintaining the status quo, no, it was about changing things. Bringing that change was the difficult part.

When Ana stepped inside, hell when she said his name, Saul was too buried in what was in front of him to even notice that she had spoken to him.

The new Lord Captain knew that he was close to what he needed, just a few more pages...

 

[Anastasia]

She watched him, a frown growing across her expression at how intensely immersed he was. She had never seen him concentrate so hard, not even during their examinations. It was as if he was channeling his whole being into those damn papers and the rest of the world didn't exist.

The urge to burn them dissipated then. That was devastate him. He had chosen this. She sighed to herself, closing the door quietly behind her and approaching with soft steps.

"Hey," came her voice, her hand landing lightly on his shoulder and squeezing.

 

[Saul Talith]

His head shot up almost as soon as she spoke, eyes narrowing for a brief second before he frowned, and then smiled at her as recognition drove through him. "Hello there."

Saul said happily.

The work was important, but so was she. The Lord Captain knew when his attention had to be brought to certain things, and he also knew that eventually he couldn't just keep pushing himself. He was only human in the end, not an elf or a dwarf who could go on for days and days.

Fighting a lich was easier than some of this.

"Just going over some of the plans." He told her. "I got a response from several more Chapters."

Saul smiled. "They seem...open."

 

[Anastasia]

Ana couldn't help the smile back his own earned. There were some things she couldn't go back on, and the way she composed herself around him was one of them. His confession opened up a well of feelings inside of her she had never realized she had kept closed up. Which was ironic, considering how in touch with herself she had always been.

It also made the task of operating with more logic and less emotions ... complicated. Taking it one day at a time was the only thing reason he wasn't getting a constant cold shoulder from her. Any attempt to open up on the topic or ask about long term with her achieved nothing but an anxious rejection.

Lunches, however, and the need for a shoulder... Simple. She had always done that.

"Well that's good. But it's late," she chastised softly, as if she herself had not just finished her own tasks. "Have you even had dinner today?"

 

[Saul Talith]

He frowned for a second, then glanced out the window.

The truth was he hadn't even noticed how late the hours and turned. His cheeks colored for a brief moment, and he cleared his throat as though something had been stuck in it. "No."

Saul said carefully, also not mentioning that he may have skipped lunch as well.

He knew that Ana would be concerned if he admitted it, and lack of dinner would be enough to garner her fury already. Besides, it wasn't lying. He just chose not to mention all of it.

"I've been a tad...busy." Briefly he smiled at her.

 

[Anastasia]

Anastasia rolled her eyes, once again acting as if she had the moral high ground here and had not forgotten dinner herself. "I figured. Put this stuff down, I had something sent up for you in your office."

In his office. If that was a hint enough for the surprise she had waiting for him, then he was dense. It was done. She couldn't help but to grin a little in satisfaction over the reveal, taking his arm trying to tug him lightly to the door.

 

[Saul Talith]

"My office?" It took him a second, if only because he still didn't really think of it as his office. It was the Lord Captain's, the place they had been barred from since childhood, where they had sneaked their way into, where they had been nearly caught...and caught a dozen times.

The memories came flooding back for a few seconds, a smile touched his face, and then he looked down at Ana with a slight smile on his face.

"I suppose it is my office." He mused. "I suppose...for the sake of Dinner I should go there."

Just for that, obviously.

Not because of all the hard work he knew that Ana had been putting into it.

 

[Anastasia]

She rolled her eyes at him, if just to prevent herself from laughing at the corniness of his implication. "Yeah. It is yours, Lord Captain."

It would never not be weird to call him that. Still, she tried to push past it, blowing out his own candles and instantly tugging on his arm to force him to follow.

"Don't fuss, they won't grow legs and walk away," she told him as he looked back at the paperwork.

She locked the door behind him and only then loosened her grip slightly, pocketing the key herself and taking his arm in a much softer manner. "I tried my best to listen to what you'd like, but well, there was a thing or two I had to make an exception for," she informed him softly.

And once he'd reach his door and step inside, he'd understand why. Many old heirlooms were pulled up and polished off-- simple yet polished, baring the old style of design and woodwork of centuries past. The place looked like a painting out of scene from the old stories, a fireplace burning warm, reflecting off of solid oaks and brass knickknacks decorating the space. Behind his desk a crest was mounted on the wall-- the only thing made of pure metal and finely polished. It was old. And it belong to the fist commander, small licks of gold decorating it here and there.

"I hope you don't mind," she breathed. "Seemed fitting."

 

[Saul Talith]

There was no overly complex or lavish theme to the room now. Sure decoration laid everywhere, small things that had been dug out of the archives or pulled from some dusty basement...but it was simple.

Unlike what Arrawaith had done to the room things were still kept to not stand out, just as Saul preferred it. He didn't answer Ana at first, walking around the room and looking at various things. There was a small carved statue of a dragon on one of the shelves, a stack of books on the Allirian Reaches, some other small things that reminded Saul of who and what he was.

A smile touched his face as he reached the heavy oak desk. "It's perfect."

In truth he had not imagined something like this for himself, never in a million years.

Even as he'd decided to take the reigns the idea of...well, all of this had never really come to him before. It was part of being Lord Captain, he knew that, but he'd never thought about this moment before. Even the entire time while Ana had been working on all of this. It seemed surreal.

"Thank you." He said warmly.

 

[Anastasia]

She smiled tightly, relieved to get his approval over it. She did not picture the whole remodel taking this much effort. In truth she was glad it was over, her back hurt! But his smile made it worth while. She nodded in acknowledgement, pointing to the wooden doors that led to his personal chambers.

The first room was pretty recognizable, a simple lounging area on one side with a collection of chairs around a lower table . A place fin in the center. It was clearly for informal entertaining or lounging, cards and enjoyable books stacked on a table. On the other side was a dining table, set and lit with a few candles. A simple dinner of bread and meats was warmed and waiting for her. No strawberries, but she wasn't attempting to woo him here. She was far too practical for that.

Beyond even that door was his chambers, set in a similar style. His old furniture had been dragged in and set about to blend into the larger space-- a place to recognize and feel at ease in, with just... a few upgrades. She remained silent, letting him explore it.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul wandered around the room for a few moments, eventually passing through the large wooden door that lead to the bedroom.

Oddly enough he had never actually passed through that doorway before, save for once when the Old Man had been sick and needed to talk to him near his death. The memory was not a pleasant one, but thankfully it did not come to him as he wandered into what was now his bedroom.

It was simpler than the other room, decorated with only the barest hints of anything outside of who Saul was himself. The only thing that was foreign to him were some small pieces of art.

A small statuette that he had always admired of the "first Templar", a wooden carving on the wall, and then a depiction of the Chapter House drawn in oil paint. He turned to the last piece of art and smiled at it.

Ana had done well indeed.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana swallowed hard, taking his final reaction as a good and promising sign. She fidgeted, waiting for him to approaching her again and give a sign of approval. "If you don't like anything- you can just- it's ok. I just-" It had been nice to have something to do. Something she could focus on and fix.

"Food, if you're hungry. You should eat," she added, a touch more insistent. Two plates had been set, just by the nature of two chairs being pulled into place around the table. But it was a platter of food there and a stopper of wine for future ingestion. "And I can leave now if you're tired, I-" why was she so flustered?

 

[Saul Talith]

"No." He said quietly. "Stay."

The word wasn't a command, in fact form his tone it really inferred more of a question than anything else.

Ana had her own choice to make of course, she always did. Saul wanted her here though, in his rooms. It seemed odd to think of them that way, he supposed that it would for quite a while, but that was what they were. This place was his as much as anything ever had been.

He wondered what the others thought of that. "We can eat together."

Saul told her quietly.

 

[Anastasia]

"...Alright," Ana allowed, pulling out the chair and sitting down. Her heart was slamming in her chest as she reached out to serve him first, perhaps, she noted, because of what kept coming of their late nights together.

A slight blush filled her cheeks and most conveniently she did not look up to meet his gaze. To acknowledge that would be to acknowledge the topic she wasn't going to acknowledge. Yet she stayed regardless.

Her stomach chose that moment to rumble improperly in complaint over mistreatment, which had her breaking out into a laugh.

"Clearly it doesn't care that you're Lord captain now."

 

[Saul Talith]

He smiled. It was a measure of the fact that he was still human at least. That was something he didn't need reminding of, but it helped. The Lord Captain...the old man, had always told him that leadership required humanity. Many Kings, Commanders, and sovereigns put themselves above others.

Saul didn't want to do that. It was his friends, Ana and the others who would keep him that way. Apparently her stomach was up to the task as well. "Well then have at it."

He told her as he picked up his plate and switched it with her own.

The Lord Captain, despite having not eaten for most of the day, felt no real pangs of hunger. Perhaps it was because he'd been so consumed in his work, but of the two of them Ana was clearly more famished.

"Wouldn't want to upset your stomach." He said with a smirk.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana grew a deeper red, but did not protest. She hadn't truly felt hunger either until the smells of food wafted over her. After a day of physical exertion, she felt abruptly famished. And ate as such, bread and meats eaten with that same lack of manners she had always displayed.

She sat back once the demanded hunger faded, a heavy sigh of content coming from her as she rubbed at the edge of her abruptly tight pants. "... Sorry," she apologized, almost awkward about it. It would take some time to figure out how she was suppose to treat him. Most often he was just Saul to her, and was treated as such. But looking at him now, sitting across her in Lord Commander's chair... His position really struck her. In a awestruck, almost proud way.

"Don't know what came over me."

 

[Saul Talith]

"It's fine." Saul told her with a bemused smile.

It wasn't like Ana's ravenous hunger was anything new to him...or anyone in the compound for that matter. He had started his own meal of course, though he hate considerably less than she did. The hunger had yet to strike him, though he did make sure to eat just enough that it wouldn't strike him too hard later.

When he finished another smile blossomed on it's face.

"Thank you." He said as he looked around again. "Feels like home."

Rather than that ostentatious trainwreck that Arrawaith had made it...or the mausoleum that the old mans thing's had made it feel to him.

 

[Anastasia]

Ana smiled tightly. "Good, that was what I was going for." She pushed back her plate, wiping off her hands and watching him for another moment to check that he was done himself.

"...There's one more thing," she added, almost hesitantly. She stood up and went to a small bookshelf in the corner by the chairs, opening up a box there and taking out a leather pouch. She hesitated for a moment, clutching it to her chest. The last time she had given him a gift like this ... well, everything around them had made sense.

She was afraid like this would seem like an empty gesture, her support had been pretty lacking up until now. But in truth, she was trying to make this change feel normal to them all. And it all started with a bit of.... tradition.

She handed him the pouch a little stiffly. "Don't get mad. I did it with my coin. In fact, it's my gold coin. From the bank."

Inside the pouch would be a small, pure gold crest, not unlike the one already around his neck. Only this one was off their fraction itself and came with no chain. An addition. And her attempt to show pride and support for what he had achieved.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul stared at the small golden crest.

He smiled, letting his thumb run over it as he sat in the crook of his fingers. For a few seconds a bundle of thoughts ran through his mind. Memories, ideas for the future, possibilities that lay within what he had built. His fingers tightened around the golden emblem for a moment.

"Thank you." It would help.

Help keep him stable, grounded. Remind him of where he came from even as this Alliance of other Chapters began to move forward.

He knew that as things went on, as the Order came back together, it was important to remember their individual roots, to remember where they came from. Saul looked up at Ana with a smile.