“....” Ryland snorted and handed over the gloves. “No. Just....trying to not be ungrateful,” he mumbled.
-
“There are huge tracts of land between ungrateful and miserable. I think we call most of that stubborn.” Kiran smirked at him before turning a critical eye to the construction. “Is the concern for using tools, punching things, or protection in general?”
-
“Yes. ....And generally being kept locked away because I’m not of any use, so the gloves not being useful for any of that not mattering,” he snipped. Mostly at himself. Fire save him, he’d had enough of being valued for being ‘beautiful’ because of his back to last a fucking lifetime....
-
“...Hey,” Kiran started, gentle but firm. “You know we wouldn’t have gotten this far without you, right? You’re one of the most capable people I know, even before all the feats you’ve pulled off in the last week just to make it this far. The gloves are to help you, not hide you.”
-
Ryland took a deep breath. ....Two bowls of soup certainly helped corral anger... “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know. You’re right. ...Not used to fine things.” They weren’t even particularly fancy or anything, just... He picked his orange back up.
-
“Thank goodness, too,” Kiran smirked. “Can’t fathom how insufferable you’d be if you were used to finery. Might have to push you into the mud more often just to keep your ego in check.”
The gloves would serve as a nice base with some reinforcement in the palms and knuckles. As a prototype anyway. She tossed them back to him. “I’ll see what I can scrape up on the way back. Don’t worry about them while you’re out in the woods. Your delicate hands can stand a callus or two.”
-
“Ha ha.” He picked up the gloves, swatted them toward her, then smirked as he went back to his orange. “....You did good, Vael.”
-
The smith bowed his head with a grin, content to fill his bowl back up as he’d watched the pair bicker. “Happy to be of service,” he replied. Especially when it resulted in something so tasty!
-
“Thank you.” Ryland sat and ate quietly for a moment. “...If you want to go back and get anything else, you should. Otherwise we don’t have a lot else to do. I was thinking about going to the ocean, as long as there’s no one around. Been a while since I’ve cleaned up.”
-
“Not a lot of coin left, but we can take a look around after we chat with the farmers about work,” he said with a nod. “… you’ll have to take us to the ocean tomorrow afterward though.” He grinned.
-
“Ohh, please?” Kiran could remember her manners once in a while...
-
Ryland smiled a little. “I can be convinced.”
-
“Excellent!” Vael clapped his hands excitedly. He’d have to find some sort of extra treat to bribe the man with, hah!
-
“If there’s good fish, get some of that while you’re down there. Large one, meaty. I’ll cook that for tonight.”
-
“Oh we should have enough for that,” he assured with a nod. He’d have to see what the fishermen recommended!
-
“What was it you needed? Fat, salt, sugar?” Kiran would find a way to get the man whatever he wanted before they left...
-
“Oh, yes, you did say that,” he noted. “Good memory,” he said to Kiran with a grin. “All right! We ready?”
-
“As we’re going to be,” Kiran nodded, collecting the dishes to clean in town. “...Be safe, Ryland. Or so help me.”
-
He nodded his agreement before pushing up to his feet. “We’ll be back no later than just after sunfall.”
-
“...Add acid to the list. Ask about lemons and limes. Trust me.” Ryland winked. ....First wink he’d had energy to give them. Such a staple of his personality once he’d grown up and learned the virtues of being understated and cool.
-
… oh, the warmth it filled him with to see! Yeah they would do that, absolute.
-
Well, that was a welcome surprise! The band of worry around her chest loosened notably, though it’d be quite some time before it fell away entirely. “Yeah!” She jumped to agree only too eagerly before correcting herself. “Yeah, we’ll do that...”
-
“Thanks.” Ryland stood and got his cloak so he could head down to the beach safely.
-
Veriki was certainly different! That was not lost on Vael the second time around, and certainly not on Kiran for her first. Unfortunate that they didn’t have a lot of money - Ryland could absolutely use that bow and that knife, Vael would find all kinds of uses for those tools if they got a cart, and ancestors take her was that mink?
-
Kiran whistled appreciatively at the luxe of it all. Must be damn nice to have things with more purpose than sheer necessity.
-
“Maybe later we can come back through,” he suggested. “After we’ve been far enough south for long enough.” He’d love to get into the smithy and check out their forge, but there was little point since they wouldn’t be staying. “Or maybe we’ll find another decent market along the way.”
-
“I certainly hope so! Though if you want to check out the forge, I think you should. If nothing else than for added perspective, see what we might be missing back home. If we all decide to settle down further south or if we go back home, you’ll want to set yourself up with the best equipment and technique. I certainly do.”
-
“Mm… fair point,” he murmured. “We can stop by before we head out.” He missed his old forging hammer, but the old girl had done her best to help them get away back home. She was getting close to needing replacement, honestly, but still…
-
“Tomorrow, if not today,” Kiran agreed. “I’d like to at least meet the tanner. See what kind of quality they’re managing around here, where they have mink to work with...”
-
“Let’s see what we find then!”
-
They were able to at least locate where they would want to visit before they left the area, as well as get two large sides of fish with a few lemons.
When the two of them walked into the cave, they found Ryland lying on the cave floor with his cloak over him as a blanket, his dry clothes under his head as a pillow, fast asleep...
-
Good, the man needed whatever rest he could get. He’d more than earned it.
...while Kiran was tempted to let him sleep, and she did move quietly...he was also their cook.
“Ry, time to wake,” she said shaking him gently by the shoulder. “Vael got us some nice looking fish that requires your attention.”
-
Ryland took a sudden, waking breath, and lifted his head. Then he yawned. “Mm,” he grunted as he sat up. ....He was shirtless, and there were definitely still patches that could use the balm Vael worked on....
-
“Oh… the saltwater didn’t do your skin any favors,” he said as he settled down. He set down their purchases and dug around his pack for the balm. “D’you want help on those sore spots, cousin?” he offered. He wouldn’t be offended if Ryland preferred to take care of it himself, but the fact remained that Vael probably could have moonlighted as a healer, heh…
-
“....Maybe the ones on my back....” Ryland looked at his hands. “They look more irritated, but I think the water helped dry the skin out. Less itchy....”
-
“Maybe,” he replied. “Let’s soothe the rest of the itch, then.” He shifted to take care of his back, giving him a chance to look at what they’d chosen!
-
Ryland’s back did need attention... There was redness along both sides of the scales that protected his spine, new and not yet flaking. ...interestingly, the scales up and.down his neck and back were the only ones that seemed to be coming in uniformally, not in patches, and looked particularly striking aesthetically.
-
Kiran made herself comfortable on the far side of the cave, rolling her cloak up to act as a pillow. She was pointedly not watching Vael work, not looking at the scales. She didn’t want to be caught admiring them, for one. Didn’t want to catch herself admiring them, not again.
“So what’s all that water like?” She asked toward the ceiling.
-
Ryland smirked over his shoulder toward her. “A fight.”
-
It was too bad they caused such distress, and he absolutely did not blame Ryland for it. They were lovely, like new plate mail, and if they also protected him… well. It was good there was a utilitarian positive to them. It would likely be a long damn time before Ryland would be able to bear that they Eeeee pretty. Both because they were replacing his skin, and because he spent… gods, months, being paraded around naked to show them off because they were pretty…
Vael focused on his work as they chatted, making sure to spread the balm evenly, not too thin but not a glooping mess…
-
That was not at all what Kiran had expected. “A...fight? How do you mean?”
-
“The waves. If you stay close to the shore, they try to topple you. Some of them get huge. First time I tried swimming in the ocean, when I first came down, I got rolled. Nearly snapped my neck.” He chuckled. “Learned pretty quickly how to jump into them when they get like that.”
-
“These ‘waves’ nearly broke your neck and so you jump into them?” Kiran laughed incredulously. “And Vael is the one suffering a lack of self-preservation? Gotta be a family thing.”
-
“Oh it absolutely is!” he replied with a grin.
-
“Absolutely.” Ryland grinned at Vael. “Don’t mess with T’Vair grit.”
-
“‘Grit’. Right. That’s what we’re calling it...” What had she gotten herself into, travelling with two men intent on throwing themselves into danger? Not...that she was particularly cautious herself...
-
“Hey you fit right in,” he chided her with a laugh. “I’ve seen you challenge the watch. Regularly.” He smirked.
-
“That’s different. They had it coming.”
-
“Mmhm,” he replied, chuckling as he shook his head.
“All right,” he said as he handed the balm over Ryland’s shoulder. “We’ll do this at least nightly. If they itch in the morning, then it’ll be twice a day, and spot treatment as necessary.”
-
“Probably wise for travel days at least. The chafing can get annoying.” Ryland took the balm and removed his cloak from his lap. He had his under shorts on - all the better for getting at the patches on his legs. “Thanks Vael. How much fish did you get?”
-
“Couple big guys. They’re a couple pounds each? Probably more than we need, but I know meat tends to cook down a bit.”
-
“....I am not gonna put up a fight over a couple pounds to split between us tonight.” Ryland chuckled as he applied the balm. “I’ll get started on that when I’m done here. This is helpful.” As long as whatever was paid didn’t fuck them....
-
“Good,” he replied. “We can easily stretch that, too, and if any patch is more intense, I can add a bit more of the crushed herbs over it.” He was fairly certain they could make it last until they found another good sized market with an apothecary…
-
“Yeah. ....Just...let’s try not to accept random gifts from people we don’t know...”
-
“Let me worry about gifts,” he said. “I may be more trusting, but I’m not naive. You, however, have a hard time accepting gifts from me and Kiran.” He smirked. “I will, however, promise to be a bit more discerning when the gift giver is… cryptic.”
-
“Alright. ....I guess as long as she said nothing about any of us owing anything....”
-
“She did not,” he assured. “I believed her when she said she was an ally. She seemed genuine.” And kind, at least in that moment.
-
Ryland got himself cared for - and genuinely, it did make him feel a little better - and then got to work on preparing the fish. Lemons were perfect, and he picked at the herbs and other staples Vael got. It wasn’t long before their fish dinner was smelling divine...
-
“Nnngh,” Kiran whined. “Please tell me that’s nearly done. It smells so good, Ry.”
-
“Grab a bowl. ...You two didn’t happen to get fresh bread, did you?” He should have said something....
-
“We did, since you asked!” Kiran said fetching the loaf. “No cheese though, alas. Maybe tomorrow once we get some work done.”
-
“Oh, that would be a treat,” he agreed. He was going to absolutely devour this meal. He wasn’t ungrateful for what they’d had, but this… was better than potatoes.
-
Ryland grinned. “Alright, let’s slice it up. If you want to toast it on the fire, you can put fish on top. Really good. But just...bread is good.” He chuckled as helped everyone get portions. ....And he tried to not think to hard about how badly he’d missed this....
-
As they tucked in, Vael absolutely made a sound of utter contentment. “I will not actively pray the ancestors keep you from happy partnerships,” he said, “but I would happily support this ‘housewife Ryland’ vision.” He chuckled. The things he could do over open flame… Stars, he was something else in the kitchen too!
-
Ryland snorted. “Don’t expect me to wear a dress.”
-
“Y’all are family, does that mean I’m the one who has to lock him down?” Kiran sighed. “If we’re not careful he’ll run off with the first thing that breathes too hard in his direction, and then what’re we gonna do?”
-
“Demand visitation,” he retorted with a smirk.
-
“Alright, Kiran, exactly who is gonna want to ‘lock down’ an asshole who looks like a bejeweled lizard?” Ryland snorted.
-
Anyone with tastebuds and half a brain, to start,” Kiran chuckled.
-
“...So how are you gonna lock me down?” And he grinned!
-
Vael just ate his meal, keeping his comments to himself as he smirked.
-
“With my mediocre glove making skills, obviously,” Kiran rolled her eyes.
-
Ryland laughed! “Hey, it’s my job to insult you, not yours.”
-
“Oh! Right! I’ve forgotten! How about ‘running my fingers through your hair and whispering sweet nothings under the moonlight’.” It was Kiran’s turn to grin.
-
Mmhm, just eating his dinner. Yup.
-
“Scalp massage, yes. Sweet nothings? Bored. Stick to gloves, Kir.” He usually tried to be more deadpan, but...the verbal sparring was as missed as sharing a hearty meal.
-
“Damn, and I’d been working on a sonnet just for you, too!” Kiran smirked down into her meal, a touch of warmth in her face that had nothing to do with the fire. This was...this was good. Really good. And the fish wasn’t bad, either.
-
“Well, you woulda had to rewrite it anyway. The cascade of silver down my spine wasn’t in there, was it?” Yeah, he was pulling out a little vocabulary in order to tease her and be mildly self deprecating. He might have gotten into fights with his father because he was smarter and better read than the old fuckwit. Ryland just didn’t like to brag about it.
-
“Just dash my heart along with my efforts why don’t you!” Kiran’s voice mock-broke on the last. “If you think that river of starlight down your back will scare me away faster than your wicked words, than let me assure you, my hunger will not be deterred!”
-
… one of these days he would just smash their faces together and let them figure it out from there…
-
“...Well, it has been over a year....” He eyed her a little too long with a smirk.
-
(Vael) … should he take first watch tonight?
-
Oh, this little shit. Kiran met his gaze in kind. Like fuck was she going to back down now. “Have you been keeping tabs on my hunger, Ryland?”
-
............Uhhhh, that was not the response he was prepared for! ....Did she have ‘hunger?’ Or was she fucking with him? She hadn’t fucked with him quite like that before! Had he missed something?! “....Not...recently!” He laughed! Because he’d actually lost his footing for once! Fuck! She’d won.
.....And now he was baffled.
-
(Vael) Sigh… Okay, last watch it was.
-
“I suppose that is hard to do from afar,” Kiran chuckled, letting him off the hook as a strange thrill warred with disappointment in her gut. Still, she couldn’t suppress the triumphant grin if she’d wanted to. She tore of a piece of her bread and tossed it at him. She’d won this round, time to reset the air.
-
Ryland let his mouth hang open slightly for a moment, then smirked as he touched his tongue to his teeth. “Eat your damn fish,” he quipped with a chuckle, then settled back into his own meal.
-
Idiots. He smirked to himself as he finished his meal with a contented sound.
Sun and Moon, toss him in the Great River. They would surely drive him mad… Lucky he loved the fools.
-
Kiran did indeed eat her damn fish. It was exactly as good as it smelled while it cooked. She really would have to demand visitation when the time came; a thought that ached more than she’d expected.
Eventually, the night began to grow long and she had a watch that needed starting.
-
Ryland took time to make broth from the fish bones they all exposed, along with herb ends and other things. It would be nutritious and good to sip on in the middle of the night. Then he changed into his lighter clothes before settling in for sleep. “Wake me for watch, got it?”
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-
“Of course.” Kiran smirked. “You’re the one who got a nap today.”
-
Vael chuckled as he curled up by the fire. “You’ve ‘earned’ your watch post,” he treaded as he settled. He was ready for some sleep…
-
“Magnanimous of you two. Thank you kindly.” He smirked as he settled in.
------------------------------------------
The next day, Kiran and Ryland checked the traps first thing - which provided plenty of rabbit, only one of which they lost to a very determined scavenger. Ryland would take care of prepping the meat and starting on the pelt preservation. Not something he tended to do himself - he knew a perfectly good tanner, after all. But he also knew what to hand said tanner in order to make her life easier and keep her from chiding him. He’d also see to making proper jerky with a few of the rabbits...and he hoped the reset traps would catch a few more in the day so they could have a damn good dinner. Manning the traps and seeing to the meat would be something to keep him busy at least.
-
Kiran had gotten used to people coming to her in the Fort. People knew her work and how to find her. Sure, she was less hospitable to the new mercenaries, but if they didn’t like it, they could take their business elsewhere. Having to go find work had been a whole new experience, and to her surprise, one she didn’t absolutely abhor. They’d gotten some pointers in the market toward people who might be in need of her skills, which definitely helped. She found that she rather enjoyed this business model, knowing there was a set task to go in and complete before moving on to the next, without worrying about the ever-looming queue of hides to treat. It let her put a finer polish on her skills than she’d usually have time to do, which hopefully would give her name some weight if they found their way back here.
The familiar work was almost meditative, giving her the room to think as she let her hands do what they did best. Not as cleansing as the more labor intensive tasks of fleshing a full hide for example, but she’d take what she could. She wondered what would become of those hides and incomplete works she’d left behind. Some opportunist would probably ravage the shop and take her half-finished goods to her competitors, most likely. Maybe the dimwits would learn a thing or two. At the end of the day, she’d regained the satisfaction of an honest day’s work. And for that she wouldn’t complain.
What she wasn’t prepared for was the way returning to the cave, with it’s poor excuse for shelter and no amenities -- not even a door -- bore a startling resemblance to the feeling of going home at the end of the day.
-
Vael absolutely missed his big forge, but there was something lovely and charming about working at a small, personal forge and fixing tools. The hardest part was getting the fire to the right temperature, but fire was his specialty. He didn’t like working with borrowed tools so much, but some things wouldn’t be practical to bring. Still, if he could get his own forge hammer, that would be a good start. Perhaps as they traveled he could build a tool kit, particularly since he’d been able to negotiate for a cart! It needed a little work, but it got it up and going. Yes, he could designate one corner to his trade, a hammer, file, tongs, maybe a small anvil… It would be fun to accumulate a traveling smithy!
It was also, admittedly, fun to show off for the kids who would come to watch. And yes, even for the older daughters who would, you know, just come to offer him a bit of water. The new bindings were actually pretty comfortable, and better quality than what he’d been able to get at the fort. These were good folk, and if they ever came back, he could be pretty happy traveling around to the farmsteads to do repairs, and any off days perhaps he could work with the town’s current smith on weapons and armor. Weapons were his specialty, but anything that involved shaping metal with fire made him happy.
He hauled the cart (and a new hammer!) back to their little cave with no small amount of triumph! He had also asked what the going rate for a mule was, but yeah, it was a bit steep for them right now. A harness would be a better option.
There was something lovely about coming back to a space that they’d designated as “theirs.” To Ryland, and Kiran, and a cozy set up for a meal and conversation… It did feel like home, didn’t it? It’d been too many months since any space had felt like home.
-
It did. It felt like home. Because home hadn’t ever really been a particular building for Ryland. It was them, and it was feeling safe, and it was having a full belly. It was really good to be home....
The next day was a little harder to get through, if only because Ryland knew they’d need to be on the move very soon. If he had his way, they’d just settle for a while, maybe even talk permanence. A lot of Ryland’s loyalty to the fort had been stripped when he’d been yanked out into the cold. It wasn’t gone, but...it was a little too comforting that he could keep the fort safe by not being there at all. There were people he specifically missed. His aunt near the top, certainly. ...Maybe it would be worth it to send a messenger to let her know they were alive. He suggested as much to Kiran and Vael - Veriki would have the means, especially if they could tack it on to the next shipment of support.
-
“Yeah, I’m sure Lila’ll be worried sick all things told,” Kiran agreed. “I hope she’s alright. ...you think there’s a way we can find out?” Lila hadn’t been Kiran’s blood, but you’d never have guessed with the way she looked after her...
-
“She’ll be worried,” Ryland said. “But there’s no bodies. When there’s no body, there’s some hope.”
-
“I’m not sure we’d be able to hear back, since we’re not sure where we’re stopping,”Vael sighed. “… but if we do find a place to hunker down, then we can let her know.” He missed his mom. Her and Old Man Grieves and his forge. That was all he really missed. Hell, maybe his mother would decide she was tired of the cold and come south, heh.
-
“If we do, we will send word.” Even if it lacked answers to the questions Ryland wanted answered most, their plans were firming up. That was good. It was comfortable. They’d be alright....
-
The following day, everyone got to their assigned work. And when Vael and Kiran got home they had rabbit bone broth with vegetables to carry them until dinner. “It was hot today,” Ryland pointed out as they sipped. “Broth’s not gonna help that. Want to see if you can survive the ocean?”
-
“Hell yeah,” Vael said with an excited grin. “Please introduce us, a dip in cool water sounds like a blessing sorely needed.”
-
“It’s a bit more than ‘cool,’ just to warn you,” Ryland chuckled. “It’ll vaguely remind you of home.”
-
“… All right, well, there are worse ways to cool off,” he replied with a shrug and a grin.
-
“Let’s go get battered by the ocean, I guess?” Kiran chuckled. She was looking forward to it, wary or no.
-
Ryland chuckled as he led the way!
The beach below was expansive. Fishermen were gathered at one end,.coming in from a long day, but there was plenty of room to get a distance from them. And there were incredible sea gems that the three of them had only seen once or twice in their lives before, as decoration from visitors or items of luxury trade: shells. Shells of all sorts! Just lying there to be picked up....
-
Kiran’s eye wasn’t usually caught with trinkets. Probably a factor in why she’d never been impressed by the scant collection of prospective suitors she’d refused over the years. But these were just....just there! So many of them, in so many different shapes! And for whatever reason, luxury that they were, these didn’t feel as ostentatious as jewels and gems, even if she did see them a hair more often. It was difficult not to get caught up in finding them. And they were so fragile! They wouldn’t be safe to travel with. Shame really...
-
Oooh, there were so many different kinds! Wouldn’t it be fun to use some of these for inspiration? Weapons and armor had to be practical, but impractical decoration that did not hinder the usefulness would be fine, right? … he’d have to figure out how to do that, as most of the time the adornments he’d seen weren’t great for the blade or armor it was on… Hm. Something to contemplate!
Entertained as he was by the shells, the water was what he was most intrigued by. He stood on the edge of the beach, water lapping just short of his feet, and looked out over the expanse.
“So it’s cold, and it likes to fight?”
-
“Yep!” Ryland removed his shirt and set it aside, then worked to get his boots off. “They’re not too bad, but be careful. There’s something they call an undertow, and it’ll pull you under as the waves move back.”
-
“Noted,” he said, stripping down as much as he was comfortable doing. … he wasn’t sure he wanted to get his new bindings wet, but it wouldn’t be the worst if they got a bit of a wash…
-
Kiran raised a skeptical eye at her companions as she worked off her boots and rolled up the legs of her trousers. She’d...wade. She couldn’t swim and that looked like a great way to drown.
-
Ryland looked toward Kiran. “What’s this then?!”
-
“I believe we discussed ‘self-preservation’ and the lack thereof in the T’Vair bloodline, yes?”
-
“C’mon, Kir,” Vael said as he patted her back with a smirk. “All or nothing!”
And then he took off after a retreating wave with a war cry!
-
Ryland laughed as Vael changed, then he turned to Kiran. “Y’know, there’s a solution to the undertow...”
-
“Stay out of the water?”
-
“ohhhh, no, no, no....” His smirk shifted into a grin.
-
Kiran’s face fell as she realized what was coming. “Ohhh no. Don’t you fucking dare, Ryland...”
He wouldn’t...fuck, she knew better. At least she’d gotten her boots off. Not that this bizarre terrain had been easy to keep her footing in. She shifted into a broader stance, preparing to dodge and run...if she could stay out of his reach she could outrun him...probably...bastard was crafty...
-
She was quick, but so was he, and he had longer legs. He grinned as he half crouched, then ran for her, grabbed her, and threw her over his shoulder. “I’m coming, cousin!” And he hurried for the water!
-
Kiran let out a yelp that would have been embarrassing if she weren’t preoccupied by being hauled toward the very loud, very large body of water. “PUT ME THE FUCK DOWN, RYLAND T’VAIR!” She bellowed, squirming hard. She wasn’t quite terrified, not yet, but her heart pounded harder in her chest with every step. It was a shame that this was the way she was getting such a marvelously unobstructed view of his scales, because she was in no state to appreciate it as she all but bruised her fists on them...
-
Huh. The scales were being helpful. “Put you down? Now?” He asked as he started walking into the water.
-
She’d given up on the prospect of keeping her clothes dry the moment he’d looked at her, but the sooner he put her down, the less deep it would be. “YES, NOW, YOU PRICK!”
-
“But Vael is over there!” He was getting her waist deep - her waist - as fast as he could.
-
Was she shaking? Fuck, she was shaking. “I AM GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE, RYLAND, I SWEAR!” If she didn’t drown...
-
“You hold your skills in high regard for someone who’s been beating on my back,” he laughed!
-
“I CAN’T SWIM, YOU ASS!” Her squirming was starting to look a lot more like clutching. If he put her down now, those waves were going to pull her under and she’d drown. Her only hope was to not be put down...
-
“That’s what I’m here for!” Ryland laughed! Finally, he shifted her so she was more upright, and then he ducked down -she got a small wave to the back and her legs went under, while he was entirely submerged for a quick second before he stood back up!
-
Aaaaand that was a squeal of terror. ...but she hadn’t drowned yet, so that was...something. “Ok!” she said, her voice shaking. “Great! You’ve had your fun and gotten me all wet. Time to put me back on the land now...” Was she pleading? No. No, of course not. Just ignore the quaver...
-
“Ryland, quit being an ass, Vael shouted with a chuckle as he jumped into another wave. This was fantastic though! Cold, yes, but easy to get used to!
-
“Fiiiiiiine....!” Ryland chuckled. “Here, in the water one more time so I can get you on my back, there’s a lull.” He got her down, and quickly got her so she could hold on to his shoulders and he her legs. Much more comfortable way to travel for her.
-
The way Kiran clung to him would be mortifying later. Her legs wrapped tight around his midsection, burying her face in his neck as she clung to his shouders. His sturdy frame didn’t give under her desperation, and that was enough of a comfort that she managed to spare a thought to not strangle him while he carried her. For now. All bets were off once they were back on the shore, though...
-
He put her down when the water got to be shin deep. “There. And you didn’t even die.”
-
She hadn’t but that was so entirely divorced from the point. She managed to wrestle up a withering glare once she’d found her footing. Hopefully, the way she vibrated came off as rage and not a come-down from the fear. “Unless Vael gives me a damn good reason, I am going to smother you in your damn sleep, Ryland, so fucking help me.”
-
Ryland shrugged as he smirked. “Worse ways to go.” And he ruffled her hair!
-
It was absolutely insufferable that she was so torn between fury at his role in her near death experience, and the sheer relief that he was bothering to play even at her expense. “RRRRGH, go drown!” She growled, batting his hand away, and shoving him back toward the water. She spun on her heel and stomped back to where she’d left her boots just above the waterline to sit and stew. At least she was too angry to notice the cold...for a while anyway.
-
“I will!” Ryland called after her. “See you back in the water when you start to dry!” He chuckled as he headed for Vael. Look, he was from the north, too. The warm was nice, but the cold ocean was a relief from the hot.
-
“When she murders you in your sleep,” Vael said as his cousin reached him, though he was smirking, “just know that you earned it and I will not press charges.”
-
“I’ve looked death in the eye,” Ryland said with a smirk. “If she’s how I go, I’ll die happy.” And he splashed water toward his cousin!
-
He cackled and slashed back. And then he ducked under for a moment. He pushed water form his hair as he came back up. “Damn, that feels good,” he sighed. Better than a snow bath certainly!
-
Kiran would absolutely not find her way back into the water, no matter how hot it was. Certainly not now, thank you so much. Try as she might to cling to her anger, it did eventually slip through her grasp as she watched the boys laughing in the waves. Maybe someday she’d be confident enough in the water to risk such absolutely reckless behavior. Today was definitely not going to be that day.
-
It felt really good to just…forget to worry. Ryland let himself get lost in horseplaying with his cousin and then helping him to survive the ocean. And he let himself stay lost until he started to feel tired. By the time that happened, the air was threatening to cool off anyway, so he made his way to the shore. “Prefer the sand?” he called to Kiran.
-
“The sand isn’t threatening to kill me, so yes,” Kiran sneered, though the heat was gone. She stood to dust herself off, trying to figure out how to get this ‘sand’ off her feet. As soon as they seemed clear, more appeared! It was definitely going to chafe if she got it in her boots.
-
Vael took one more dunk under the water and followed after with a wide grin. “I can’t decide if I want to dry quickly or slowly,” he said with a chuckle. “That was the perfect way to end a long day of forging.”
He worked in squeezing water out of his hair as they found their way back to shore. He should probably take his hair down and let it work on drying tonight, heh.
-
“We can sit here a while. If we’re dry, the sand will fall off easier before we get to the cave.” Ryland found a rock to sit on and sighed as he did. “And no one even died.” He smirked at Kiran.
-
“Not for lack of trying,” Kiran growled, her ire inching up as he rubbed it in her face. Fuck, he was never going to let her live that down. Prick.
-
“Come on,” Ryland chuckled. “It’s not as though I’m not cooking you dinner at least.”
-
“And you know he wouldn’t have actually let you drown,” he said as he plopped down next to her, giving her shoulder a nudge. “Who’d fix his gloves then?” He winked teasingly.
-
“Excellent question,” Kiran agreed. “Hopefully he’ll keep that in mind before giving me another heart attack.” Not that something as paltry as gloves would keep Ryland from doing whatever he damn well pleased...
-
“I might. But I could die tomorrow. And what would life have been if I didn’t see you actually face the ocean properly?” He grin Ed.
-
“Longer.”
-
Ryland laughed heartily at that comeback! It was good, he couldn’t lie!
-
Oh, Vael doubled over as he cackled!
-
A satisfied smirk crept onto Kiran’s face unbidden. It was hard to stay angry when they were both laughing like that.
-
Ryland leaned back and closed his eyes as he came down from the laughter. ....He was a lucky, lucky man. He’d been through the worst of it. He’d survived, and he’d been granted a few days of peace for his efforts. And that was beautiful. ....Every day after might be frightening or hard or unfair, but at least he got to be happy one last time. And the evening wasn’t even yet over.
He sighed contentedly. “...Let’s go. We’ll dry on the walk. I’m getting hungry.”
-
“Sounds good,” Vael said with a grin as he pushed up to his feet. “… Wherever we settle should be near the ocean.”
-
“It certainly makes sleeping easier,” Kiran agreed. If she didn’t go to the shore, Ryland couldn’t drown her. She got to her feet and after a brief pause, reached down to offer Ryland a hand up. She hadn’t died...
-
Well now, that was a pleasant surprise. He smiled as he took her hand and got up. “Perfect gentleman here.”
-
“Yeah well, at least one of us knows how to woo a lady,” Kiran rolled her eyes and collected her boots. She’d put them on if the road got too rough, but she was kind of enjoying that it was warm enough they weren’t necessary.
-
“You woo your ladies. Ladies are boring.” Ryland gathered his own clothes and started for the path.
-
(Kiran) ...what was that supposed to mean?...
-
Vael snorted. “You prefer ‘harlots’ do you?” he teased. He didn’t believe in such terms, but yeah…
-
Ah. That. After the other night, that most certainly checked out...
-
“I prefer women.” Ryland chuckled. “Ladies get offended, and harlots aren’t there to be partners.”
-
“Ah, fair enough,” he replied with a chuckle.
-
“What a fascinating distinction,” Kiran marveled. “And quite the departure from your usual attitude. When did you grow up, Ry?”
-
(Vael) He snorted with a smirk.
-
“When you weren’t looking. Guess you’re not paying attention.” He wasn’t going to use her exact words from last night, but he wasn’t afraid to call back a little. If it flustered him, it might fluster her!
-
“...no, no I guess I wasn’t,” Kiran conceded, rubbing the top of her too warm ear with her free hand. “Glad you’re done wasting your time, though. You deserve more than that.”
-
Ryland smiled back at her briefly. “....Yeah. Well, I’m probably out of time anyway. Be outright dangerous to be introducing myself to women anymore.”
-
“Nah, we’ll just vet them for you first,” Vael retorted. Besides, he had no doubt there would be someone out there who wouldn’t mind the scales. They were lovely. … and yeah there were kinks.
Also he was fairly certain a certain tanner wouldn’t be too picky about the scales. But that wasn’t for him to say. Heh.
-
“After we get settled,” Kiran agreed. “A good woman will cope with the potential for danger. Plenty of the other scouts and soldiers managed to find them.”
-
“That they do,” he agreed. “Hell, you’d probably attract someone who could fend for herself,” he pointed out. Not that he thought Ry would mind having to defend someone, but c’mon.
-
Ryland nodded. “If I want to.”
-
“Yeah,” Kiran dragged out the syllable. “You need someone who can keep up with you.” Ryland had his moments, but...well he also had his moments, if that display at the shore had been any kind of evidence. Whoever she was would need to be able to stand up to him, or he’d eat her alive.
-
“First let’s make sure we all survive. Then we can see about someone coming and challenging your claim to my cooking.”
-
“...very, very careful vetting if she’s taking my meal ticket.” Kiran smirked. They’d have to get settled into a new town and meet people. That’d take time. Hopefully, by then the ache of his absence wouldn’t be so raw anymore. She wasn’t sure she’d forgive herself if she found herself standing in the way of his happiness.
-
Vael smirked, but kept any further commentary to himself. For now, he was also glad to walk barefoot back toward their cave. Dinner would be good… and they’d start their journey again tomorrow!
-
------------------------
The next morning, they packed up their new goods, agreed on a rotation for hauling the cart, and started on their way. Ryland was...in pretty good spirits. For him! When he had a mission in mind, it was hard to get him to think on anything but what his objective was. And his objective this time around was to get them to a village and then find shelter in that village. So he set the pace, and it wasn’t grueling - helped that they weren’t trudging through snow - but it wasn’t easy.
-
It wasn’t too bad! Could do with a bit of a slow-down, but really… the sooner they got to the next town, the better. More time for rest before the next push!
-
Kiran was surprised to find she would miss their little cave and work set-up, even after so few days. She’d be glad for something more permanent though, which meant it was time to move on. And if she’d thought walking through the snow was warm work, taking a turn with the wagon in this sun was a whole other thing. But she would be absolutely damned if she’d complain. She’d been terribly embarrassed with the way she’d acted at the beach, once the adrenaline had worn off anyway. She would absolutely not be showing any signs of weakness or lack for a while... She was glad he was feeling well enough to be up to his regular antics, but as much as she cared for the ass, Ryland didn’t need any other tools to torture her with. If they could stay away from the coast, they could all just forget the whole thing ever happened.
-
On coming to the village they’d been directed to, Kiran and Vael were set to the job of finding someone who would let them hunker down for the night. And really, it didn’t end up being all that hard! They were welcome at the first barn they came to, provided they were respectful and all that. If they wanted resources like milk or other foods or whatnot, they would need to trade or work, but just sleeping? They could crash, that wasn’t any kind of issue.
So as they settled in the fresh hay, Ryland had a moment to think of next steps. “Tomorrow. As much fresh food as we can eat here, the better, so we can build up travel rations. Any work you two can do, the better. And I’ll at least start asking about Te’il tribes that might be friendly and nearby...”
-
“Sounds like a plan,” he said with a nod. “I kinda like this working on the move thing. Much as I love my forge, there is something to be said for freedom of movement.”
-
“It’s working out so far. ....Honestly, if you wanted to stay long enough to make yourself some tools, I wouldn’t be opposed. There has to be a local blacksmith you can do work for, right?”
-
“There might be! We can ask around tomorrow.” He nodded.
-
“Great. Kiran? Shall I go hunting, as well, see if there’s game you can make use of while you work? Or do you want to handle that?”
-
Kiran paused to consider. She’d enjoyed their set-up near Veriki. And they’d pulled the bandage from her misgivings about leaving Ryland unattended. He was doing better, much better, all told. And she was reasonably sure he wasn’t going to just run off and leave them alone. They’d been in one place for days in Veriki. If Tienja was going to catch up to them, he wouldhave by now, right?
“I’ll leave that to you for tomorrow. I want to go into town and get my bearings, see if there’s work to be done, meet their tanner if there is one. If you want my input, I won’t make any commitments for the day after. Ought to look into a more consistent set-up for treating the pelts too, if we’re going to keep this racket going. I’m kinda growing partial.” She could make do with a tree stump and the blades she had, but there were more efficient tools that would yield nicer results in a fraction of the time. If Ryland had half as much luck here as he had near Veriki, keeping up with his catches would keep her plenty busy. They did make a good team...
-
“If you can get or make a frame, we could probably set it up in the cart?” Might be a little tight.... And if it rained that would be difficult. But not impossible. “A smaller one anyway. Deer pelts might just need to get saved for when we can be somewhere for a while.”
-
“Could definitely get something rigged up for small game,” she agreed. “I can still do the fleshing on larger skins, make us a little more when we turn them over, but yeah, we’ll need something more stable for a full dry.” It didn’t feel great to leave things half-done like that, but the situation was what it was.
-
“Whatever you can get together then. So we’ll get ourselves in a better position, see what we can learn, and then we move on to wherever we need to go.” Ryland looked at each of them. “And if we come across someplace that would be good for settling...we’ll talk about what needs to happen from there.”
-
He nodded. This could work! It would be interesting, different, and hard work, but… they could make it work!
-
A tentative, affectionate smile twitched at the corner of Kiran’s mouth. “We’ll talk about it when we get there.”
-
“Alright. Meanwhile,” he said as he spread his cloak over himself, “let’s get some rest. We should do a watch tonight, but....if it goes well, we may be safe here.” They’d spend so much time all day in fairly open fields, and there was no hint of being followed. ....He didn’t trust that they couldn’t be tracked, but the chances were getting slimmer....
-
Not setting a watch would be… odd, but also heartening. Very heartening indeed.
-
“Same rotations then,” Kiran agreed. “How long are we thinking of staying?” She was definitely surprised to hear that Ryland, of the three of them, felt like safety might be on the table. His nightmares, while she was sure weren’t gone, seemed to have been manageable the last few nights. A thing she was thankful for for his sake, as well as her own. Yeah. Yeah maybe they could settle down, the three of them. Maybe things would be ok soon....
-
“Probably a couple days. Longer if we need. We have clothes to wash, and it wouldn’t be awful if we could earn a second set of clothes for each of us. And the longer we have, the easier it will be to make travel provisions. I don’t want to make it too long, but we started with practically nothing. If we can build up a bit more, we should while we can.”
-
“Look at us moving up in the world,” Kiran smirked. “Alright, few days. No more than a week? It sounded like settlements are going to get smaller as we go, so this might be our best shot at getting tools or clothes that we don’t make ourselves before we settle.”
-
“That sounds like a good plan,” he said with a nod. “We work until we have what we need, and then we can move on.” Especially if they could stay in the barn while they were here. Hell, he’d offer to help clean the stables at night in exchange!
-
“Great. We see what work prospects we have, stay as long as we can to take advantage, and no longer than a week.” That would work. That...should be safe. “Alright. Get some rest, Vael. Stay safe, Kiran.”
-
Vael tapped their shoulders with a smiled then settled down for a bit of sleep. The hay was cozy~
-
Kiran offered a mock salute and stepped out into the night. My what a week and some it had been!
-
The night passed quietly enough. It took them all getting used to the shuffling of horses and cows, but that wasn’t difficult. Ryland barely woke even when his dreams startled him. All told, things were looking up...
There wasn’t a lot of skilled work to do in the village, but it wasn’t impossible. The farmers they’d imposed on was happy to provide meals in exchange for helping with cleaning up the barn, and that was work even Ryland could do between asking about Te’ils and doing some hunting. The blacksmith had some basic projects they were willing enough to let Vael help with in exchange for materials for making a few tools. And there were people who did their own tanning, but none of them were particularly skilled at it. Kiran therefore got work as a teacher, helping a couple interested locals learn more about refining the craft rather than just making something ‘good enough.’
Overall, life was quiet in this village. ....And calm. They were stable enough and had little concern for enemies that could charge them at any moment. The few Te’ils in the area were mostly nomadic and didn’t bother them, preferring to be much further west and take shelter in the forest a couple days walk away. Seemed most of the trouble was up north...
-
After the chaos and uncertainty, the village here was finally quiet enough that they could breathe...which was almost enough for Kiran to ask her companions if they could just stay here. All in all, it was probably best that they’d set themselves a deadline. Once they got comfortable enough to settle with some intention of permanence, once the pressure was off, she was probably going to break down. She could already feel it coming, had been since the night Ryland had called off watches and she’d managed to sleep a full night. It was going to be a whole mess. Maybe she’d volunteer for the hunting at their next stop...
-
It was nice, honestly. A little strange, accustomed as they were to being always on alert up north, followed by the near-panic of trying to get away from the snow. It was idyllic, and it was lovely. Almost frightening… but hopeful.
He was quite happy to work for his tools, and the smith was friendly enough! It was fun, being able to talk shop and get into a forge for a while. Bit different, being in the heat down here as opposed to in the snow. He got a better idea of what prices were like down here, so that he could start planning for the mule and the anvil, heh. Anvil first, likely, but they’d want, arguably need, a mule when he got one, even if it wasn’t too big.
Getting a full night of sleep was odd… He hadn’t managed the first night without a watch, but the second on, oh he slept. The ancestors, Sun, Moon, Stars, the Great River, and even the fields and the ocean received his thanks for the quiet, every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. And… he offered hesitant thanks to the spirit that had brought them herbs. He did not know her, but he’d promised he would remember, and so he did.
-
Over the next few days, this arrangement where Ryland was mostly left to his own devices while Vael and Kiran worked was helpful. He could be content while they were around....and in his own thoughts when they weren’t. Funny how the scales were both the source of and solution to all his problems. It was easy enough to act like he was fine around the two of them. And generally, he was. Time with them felt like...a prolonged last hurrah. Ryland was still intent on getting answers. Trying to figure out the cause and reason for what was happening to him. ...But he didn’t necessarily have hope for some kind of cure. The scales couldn’t be removed - people had tried, whether he wanted them to or not - and weird things were always around the corner. His time of pretending to be a somewhat normal misanthrope was finite.
...And eventually he would be more burden to Vael and Kiran than boon. They did not understand that. They didn’t need to understand that. Not yet at least. But Ryland did. And he would take action when he needed to. So for now, he would clean stables and hunt for meat and pelts and ask about Te’il sightings....
--------------------------------
Days passed, and the three of them quickly found and stuck to a rhythm. Vael and Kiran had their breakfast with Ryland in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun was awake, and then left to get started on their work. Certainly important for Vael, as the forge got hot in a world with no snow... And Kiran could check traps she’d been allowed to set and bring their game to Ryland so he could get started on the cleaning.
Ryland took a moment to rest after they left, just lying there in the silence as the indigo sky lightened. This was a pretty good life right here. They had two or three more days before they’d agreed they should move on, at which point he’d miss it. But if stops like this could be a habit, this would be a pretty good way to spend what was left of his fake normal life.
Those were the thoughts he let himself get lost in as he lay in the hay, barn doors open to the dim light....when a flicker of a shadow marred the silhouette. He frowned and lifted his head –
That shadow moved fast, and it lept on top of Ryland before he could get both arms propped to push himself up. “Agh!” Ryland grabbed at whatever he could as a pair of hands encircled his neck.
“What did you do?!” The man started in a hiss, speaking in Te’iltic, then raised his voice to a roar. “What did you do?! What did you do to me?!”
Ryland felt the surge of panic that came with his neck being throttled - but found it easier to keep cool when it wasn’t followed with the pressure he expected. Ryland gasped for the limited air he could get, but he still got it.
Gritting his teeth, Ryland wrestled against the man, trying to get up. Even if the shadow wasn’t trying to kill him, he was doing everything in his power to keep Ryland down, and it was working. Ryland gave up trying to pry his arms away, reached for the knife at his belt, and swiped blindly.
“Gah!” The man in shadow let go and backed up to his feet quickly.
Ryland took those precious seconds to get up and ready.
...what confidence he’d started to build from realizing his opponent was incompetent at cutting off air drained as his adjusting eyes took in the man now pulling out his own knife.
Tienja. He’d found them...
--------------------------------------
Vael realized he’d forgotten the chisel he’d just finished making yesterday specially so he could do his work today! Silly man. He’d have to go back for it. Kiran was heading back to the barn with two rabbits in hand. When she grew close, she caught wind of the scuffles and grunts of a fight....
-
Vael clicked his tongue as he turned around. He’d take it at a jog, so that he wasn’t too late to the forge, but he’d still owe an apology to the master smith. Hopefully the excise of getting used to having tools to bring with him would earn him a bit of reprieve! Especially since he’d be hoofin’ it!
-
“No. Nonono no!” Kiran dropped the rabbits and sprinted the remaining distance to the barn. She drew her daggers on the move, throwing herself through the door.