Private Tales What Wolves Hide Their Teeth?

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She rested her head upon the pillow, taking a moment of quiet.

"Do you really wish to visit the College? Perhaps... we could go visit in the morning before I need to get fitted for the dress." There was much she would like to do here in the city, to follow the footsteps of her own parents who came here to fall in love. They had been stories she read from her mother's journals and recounts of memory from her father. To not have either of them no longer...

She was glad to have Kilien here. Someone that knew emotions and understood when she did not know what they were. He was a grounding figure for her, someone she felt safe enough to be open with.

"You can take my mana again, just to be sure." She murmured.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"I do," he nodded, another yawn breaking through, "but not enough to make that fekkin' climb twice in one day."

Kilien snorted. It wasn't the walk that deterred him, it was simply the idea that making it twice in one day when once for the event was enough could suffice. He liked to call it efficient but other Initiates and indeed Dreadlords would call it lazy.

Both were correct and he'd not deny it.

"I can wait to see it until the event." At her suggestion to siphon her mana again, he gave her arm a squeeze, "If you want. I'd hate to see those manacles ruin your ensemble." Smirk.

A sharp inhale followed, long and deep as his hands clutched more snugly at her arms and tugged on them to pull her right up against him, "We're here for a week, no need to pack everything in one day - or are you hidin' a deep, dark desire to become a Maester, Miss Larrinth?" Ah yes, the purposeful mispronunciation of her name.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"Larrainth." The correction was quick, and Vittoria hid her smile in the crook of his neck. "And my desires of the future do not lie here in Elbion." This he knew.

Her arms squeezed him, hard enough to satisfy the need to do so. It was a way to express how much she liked being here with him, to have the privacy and time to be here with him.

"I just want to make sure you get time to do the things you wished to see while we are here." A celebration it would be for her to see him do something he looked forward to when coming onto this mission.

Vittoria pressed her lips to his shoulder. "I do not wish to take up the entire trip."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Gods she was adorable. Being all thoughtful 'n stuff. An stubborn, but also thoughtful.

"If you think-" Kilien loosed his grip on her arms, alligator-rolling himself until he was facing her, head flopped on her pillow so close their noses were touching, "that I'd let you hog every waking minute of this trip to your whims."

Brows furrowed, he donned a very serious face, "You are absolutely right. I would let you plan out an itinerary for every second if that would make you happy."

He held the stern expression for a beat longer before breaking into a grin and laughing easily. A hand lifted to tug lightly at a section of her hair, "We have to escort the Emissary up there almost every day anyway. I'm gonna see plenty of the college and I guarantee that I'm going to shirk my responsibilities of guarding him at least twice while we're there."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Her face scrunched. Vittoria was not one to shirk duties and blatantly announce it so, but she learned long ago that Kilien was right to do as he pleased. When her face relaxed, she let out a gentle exhale. "Yes, yes. You are right. I daresay I will no doubt help you slip away for some time too... or..."

Vittoria's words turned to whisper. "I imagine we would not be needed at his side the entire time. We could walk around together, if you would like. I hear there are a couple of small libraries that have specialised interests... and that the magical theory is found in a larger one."

She smiled, because she indeed was beginning to plan their time at the College, just as he assumed she would. It felt nice that he would not mind following her around the city to do what she wished, but Vittoria wanted to engage with him on subjects he enjoyed. It was a different sort of satisfaction to watch Kilien speak animatedly about something he knew a lot of.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

It wouldn't be the first time he'd managed to harangue her into his mischief.

He'd even gotten her to cut class once or twice. Hard won each time but completely worth the effort in the end. Now if only he could convince her to cut Vel Anir entirely. Surely he could make it worth her time...

Kilien's expression grew pleased. Smug. Amused.

Seems it would take rather less effort to lead her away from their guard duties. And while he wasn't entirely keen on the libraries themselves, or even magic theory, the words coming from her lips made the idea tantalizing enough. Not like he was going to tell her the specific target of his hunt through the college.

Oh I'm just looking for books on breaking curses and the origins of lycanism. No big deal.

He shifted to prop himself up, pushing his lower arm up under the pillow to wrap around and cradle his jaw in his hand. "So you're going to slip away with me to their library," it was like dirty talk coming from her and he loved it.

"Go on..."