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Traveling Together
Life, Relationship change
4284CE
4/5
4/5
Havine and Relentless travel together and grow close.
The road to Dunn's Gate is a familiar one, a path she's traveled more times than she has fingers in the past fifteen years or so. But it's not often that she has company during her visits, or much purpose aside from visiting Aungor Shalehammer, a family friend. But word of these... disturbances in the woods in the shadows of the Red Peaks has her concerned. Havine's gloved fingers worry over the worn surface of her brass symbol of Pelor (gold was too fine for her or the people of Stonebend, and brass shone just as bright) as she glances over at her traveling companion. "Relentless," she says, hesitating. "I would understand if you needed to take your leave of me to continue your work. I've enjoyed your company--" the truth, much to her surprise. She'd done much of her traveling alone, and having someone to share the road with has been more pleasant than she remembered "--but I don't want you to inconvenience yourself on my account." There's a hint of regret in her tone, though she'd deny it if pressed. After all, this was always meant to be a temporary arrangement.
Relentless, hunkering down on the side of the road and staring intently down at a cluster of small ants devouring a larger bug, starts when Havine calls his name. "Yes!" He hastily gets to his feet, turning to face her and dusting non-existent dirt from his trousers - the ants and their hard won meal already long forgotten. "Oh... I see. Of course." He glanced further up the road, thinking of once again resuming the long, lonely nights by himself in front of a small fire; the beast and the bugs in the woods as his only company 'till dawn. "Well," his tail hanging limp on the ground behind him. "To be honest, I've," he pauses, considering his words, "gotten rather used to having a companion. It seems to me that I would be able to continue my research just as well with you as without you and I believe I read somewhere that there are several unique arcane constructs that are specific to the dwarves of this particular region." His speech gradually speeds up, his tail bouncing happily from side to side behind him. "In fact! Yes! I do believe that one of my colleagues once mentioned to me that there was a particular merchant of the" he laughs with a slight snort, holding one hand over his face, "shorter variety up in this area that had a penchant for unique dwarven goods imbued with arcane energies." He nods to himself before facing her and continuing, "Yes, I do believe that my path could happily go alongside yours. That is, of course, unless you would rather make this journey on your own?"
She can't help but smile, first at his eager reply to her speaking to him, and second at his answer. "I admit to feeling the same-- about being used to the company, that is!" Havine glances away, dropping her hand away from her symbol and shrugging, resting her arm on the pommel of her mace in a more relaxed stance as they walk. The familiar, muffled shink of her chainmail accompanies each step. "I know Dunn's Gate fairly well, I'm sure I could help you locate your merchant. And, to be quite honest, they might receive you far better with my company than without." She smiles at him again, warmer this time, the faint crow's feet crinkling at the corners of her eyes. The old scar through her brow pulls taut. "I'd be happy to stay in your company. Someone has to make sure you don't get yourself..." Trailing off, she catches herself before she says 'killed'. That had already resulted in a rather... interesting conversation. "...set upon by bandits, or worse."
"Ah yes! Bandits!" Relentless says, eagerly falling in to walk beside her. "Those pesky fiends! I am of course, quite thankful that you came across me when you did... oh when was it... last week? Gosh, was it last week already? Amazing how the time flies!" He happily paces alongside her, eyes darting everywhere, trying to take in everything around him at once. "I say! What a lovely spring it's shaping up to be! Wouldn't you agree?" He nudges her in the arm before gasping and darting ahead and off the path to the left, "Oh! Havine! Look!" He stops about 50 feet off the path in front of a large cypress tree, its roots reaching far out over and dipping into the water of a decent sized stream. "Goodness. I," He pauses, gazing up at the towering tree, "I had no idea they could get so big. I, of course, have read about them, but this is just astounding." He stands, staring up at the tree in awe before hastily removing his backpack, his tail flopping happily back and forth. "Oh, where is it." He mutters beneath his breath before shouting in triumph, holding up a small journal and a charcoal stick "Ah, Havine, I might be a while," he begins sketching a rough approximation of the root structure. "If you would prefer, you can continue on. I simply must get this down though." He hunkers, once again, in the dirt - his tail happily flopping behind him as he sketches.
Havine's brow furrows, concerned --not for the first time-- about Relentless's memory. It's a good thing that he takes so many notes, or else he'd forget everything he's been so keen on discovering. "Begging your pardon, but it's been over a month," she says, reaching to catch his sleeve so that he'll meet her eyes, but soon enough he's nudging her and darting off after some new discovery; a habit of his that's sort of oddly endearing. His enthusiasm is a bit infectious. Havine sidles up to him, looking up at the tree. It's certainly something, and she thinks she's stopped at this tree before, years ago. Maybe more than once. It's big enough to be something of a landmark. Soon enough he's busy sketching, and there's that little quirk of his, the way the tip of his tail twitches back and forth when he gets excited. Something between the unconscious movement of a cat's tail and the wagging of a dog's. For a fleeting moment she's tempted to make a grab at it, but restrains herself. "Well, we've been walking for a few hours, now's a good a time as any to rest for a bit, I guess," she says, giving him an idle touch on the elbow --she'd touch his shoulder, but the bastard's a full head taller than her with some more to spare-- to catch his attention. She's found that she needs to do that sometimes, to make sure he's listening. "Hand me your waterskin? I'll refill it for you." Havine jerks her thumb over towards the stream, giving him a crooked smile.
Relentless, easily startled, jumps again when she touches his elbow, dropping the charcoal in the dirt, but managing to hold on to his journal (this time) as he hastily turns to Havine. "Oh! Yes! O-of course! Thank you!" He rummages around in his well-worn backpack for several moments, once again dumping everything he owns out into the dirt, before emerging from his stack of belongings with a still full canteen that he absently hands off to Havine his brow scrunching in concern at the pile of goods before him. "Oh goodness me, look at this mess." He begins to organize his gear, meticulously strapping down and sorting through various odds and ends. He shoves loose papers and notes into the covers of a few books and organizes his stash of quills and inks. Finally, after about 15 minutes he crams his journal into the bag, the giant tree and his dropped charcoal stick long forgotten. "Havine? Are you ready?"
She holds the waterskin in her hand, weighing the contents (full, when was the last time he'd had anything to drink?) as well as her options. They could avoid this unnecessary detour, press on for a few more hours, and rest whenever his inquisitive mood struck again; or she could remind him of what he'd been doing just moments before. This isn't the first time he's let things slip his mind --it certainly won't be the last-- but part of her feels guilty at the prospect of what seems, to her, as taking advantage. Havine wonders how someone so remarkably intelligent could also be so quick to distraction. Silently making up her mind, she hands him back his waterskin. "I'm ready if you are," she says, hoping that her concern isn't betrayed on her face. "Do me a favor? Can you drink some water before we go? Call me a worrier, but I've been traveling for quite a long time and I've found the best way to care for yourself on the road is making sure to keep yourself plenty watered." An exaggeration, perhaps, but one with only good intentions. The moment his attention leaves her, either to drink or otherwise, Havine stoops down to snatch up his fallen stick of charcoal to return to him later.
He happily accepts the container, a broad smile across his face. "Ah! Of course! You know, I do believe I read that somewhere. I say, I'm not sure quite where I would be without you, dear." His expression dims momentarily as he regards the waterskin, his tail curling around one of his legs. A beat passes and he brightens again, uncapping the water and taking a few swallows before clearing his throat and turning back to her. "Well then, shall we?" He begins walking backwards, probably back towards the trail, facing her with a large grin. "Any chance we might arrive by nightfall? I do believe that one of my colleagues may have mentioned to me that there was a particular merchant of the shorter variety up in this area that had a penchant for some truly unique dwarven goods imbued with arcane energies." He laughs at his own joke, his tail swishing happily behind him as he wanders back to the path.
Dead in a ditch somewhere, she thinks to herself, despite her own growing smile at his happy expression. Also, maybe, at that small endearment offered to her. As though she were anyone's 'dear'. Whether you believe it possible or not, Relentless. Havine follows after him, her eyes darting down to make sure he doesn't catch himself on any roots. How could she ever leave this madman to his own devices, and how had he survived on the road by himself for so long? As he tells his joke (a repeat from scarcely an hour prior) she gives a polite laugh, falling into step at his side as they return to the road. "Mayhaps," she says, vaguely, omitting the fact that any delays would likely be caused by Relentless himself. "But a day won't make too much difference." Then, in an attempt to keep his mind from wandering too far, she asks, "Have you done many dealings with dwarves before? You might, er, keep those sorts of jokes out of earshot, if you weren't planning on it already..."
Havine and Relentless search the nearby area for an area with fresh water. You come across a small, quiet brook, about hip deep for Havine. The water looks fresh and clear and has several visible minnows swimming about. Relentless catches enough fish for a meal for you and one other person, but unfortunately there are no freshwater clams to be found. Relentless is cooking a somewhat underseasoned trout for dinner for both himself and Havine. Havine helps Relentless in his search for freshwater pearls. Though she finds a few freshwater clams, none seem to have any pearls in them. However, she does find a few clams to add to their meal. Upon taking a bite of the fish, he frowns, wipes his tongue against his front teeth and looks up guiltily at Havine. "Um, sorry. I never really was one for cooking."
Havine graciously accepts her underseasoned trout, but reminds herself that she's a much better cook than he is and should take over as she usually does. "A valiant effort, I assure you," she says amiably, chuckling as she sloshes her iron pot over their cooking fire, half-full with water and clams. Once that's situated, she lays her bare and damp legs closer to the fire as she digs through her pack for some spare spices she keeps tucked away. "I'm only sorry I wasn't able to find you your pearl, my friend."
He eyes her pot of clams and takes another reluctant bite of the frankly awful fish, wondering if it was even cooked all the way. Ah it will, as usual, be just fine. "It's quite alright about the pearl, I imagine I'll come across one eventually. I just feel that I might be so much better equipped to carry out research while traveling if I were able to identify artifacts as they are discovered instead of having to take them elsewhere for identification. Ah well. Things just seem to fall into place these days." He gives his sad, now cool fish another glance before setting it aside. A short while later, Relentless sits back, the mostly uneaten fish beside him and a small stack of clam shells before him. "Oh that was spectacular. You, as always, are just lovely. Goodness." He tosses a final, unopened clam between his hands before holding it out to Havine. "Please, have the last one! You earned it!"
"So!" He sits up suddenly, a bright gleam in his eye. "You had asked me about dealings I've had in the past with dwarves. Ah yes, goodness. So! Right! Several years ago now I actually went to Selsloekr, far in the south, and worked under a..." He pauses, looking thoughtfully towards the fire, "A mister... Goodness I simply can not remember his name! Anyway, I worked under him and he was just the stoutest old man! Even in his late 70's he could drink like the best of them and then, sure enough, the next morning he was there in his little workshop nursing some ale and pounding away on whatever piece of machinery he was working on. He had the most amazing talent! He could create these... Oh goodness this is embarrassing. What was it again. Oh, let me just look at my notes." He pauses for a moment to rummage around in his bag for his journal before sitting and turning the pages, glancing through his notes. "Oh! Havine!" He says, pointing down at his notes, "I just remembered! At some point or another I think I would like to find a pearl when we can. I believe that I might be able to use it - depending on its quality - as a focus to identify artifacts while I'm traveling, instead of having to rely upon the services of another!" He happily continues perusing his notes, occasionally flipping pages and making small noises of exclamation when he finds something particularly exciting.
As she shucks open the last clam, pleased and a bit flattered by his enthusiastic praise, she's a little amused if not exasperated at his memory as he starts to tell her of dwarves, a discussion prompted hours ago, yet he remembers this. But she listens anyway, eating that clam as she does, choosing to enjoy the company and conversation instead of worrying. She almost corrects the notion that a dwarf of seventy be considered old but figures it best not to interrupt him. She doesn't think anything of it when he starts leafing through his notes, her mind instead wandering to her own journal she ought to write in while their fire still burned brightly. Full and contented from dinner, Havine doesn't think to humor him as she says, "We talked about the pearls before." Tipping the pot full of clam shells so that he can see inside, she offers him a wry smile. "Not much luck yet I'm afraid, but I suspect your boots are still soggy from slogging through that stream without any care for them."
Relentless stares quizzically at Havine, squinting slightly against the relatively bright light from the fire. He squirms his toes around in his boots subtly, feeling the squishy dampness of his socks. "Hmm," he hums thoughtfully, pulling out a quill and some ink. "Yes, I suppose we must have." He makes a small note in his journal that he has in fact already mentioned that to her and writes a further note to keep a better written record of conversations and daily events. Goodness, had his memory always been this bad? Why did it always seem to be these quiet moments when thoughts just slipped away? He continues flipping through his journal, pausing for several moments to strip off his wet boots and socks to dry by the fire. When he comes to the sketch he had been making of the tree root structure he starts, "Oh no!" He reaches for his bag and begins to rifle through it, shoving things aside, "Oh goodness, not again!" He comes up disappointed and empty handed, finally recalling the charcoal stick that he had left in the dirt by the Cypress tree hours ago. He smiles at Havine, shrugging, "I don't suppose you know where the market will be when we get into town? It looks like I'll need to buy a new stick of charcoal."
For a moment she's afraid that he's going to disagree with her, and she's pleasantly surprised when he takes stock of her evidence and agrees. Good. That might make some things simpler in the future. She gives him a look she hopes is reassuring before his attention drifts to his journal, and goes to retrieve her own things as she hears the sounds of shifting paper turn into the squelch of wet leather and cloth. At least he's not going to sit in his wet boots all night, she knows from unfortunate experience what that can do (well, to human feet at least; tieflings can't be all that different, can they?). As she unwinds the age-softened leather strap holding her own journal closed, Havine's head jerks up at his sudden exclamation. Her expression falters with a twinge of guilt. Maybe she should have slipped it back with his things while he was busy cooking, or sometime during their time on the road. Her mind fumbles for a lie, then thinks better of it; she'd never been very fond of deception. Not that it meant she was entirely above it, but in this circumstance... Reaching once again into her bag, she retrieves the charcoal and holds it out to him, the black smudging across her fingers. "Not to worry," she says, one corner of her mouth quirking up into an attempt at a smile. "I spotted it before we left the tree and made sure to keep it safe for you. After the last time... Well, I..." Trailing off, she gives a soft sigh and her smile softens into something genuine. "I didn't want you to have to worry."
"Oh!" He seems surprised by her thoughtfulness and gently accepts the stick from her. "Thank you! Oh, goodness me, you know how I get sometimes." He carefully packs it away with another glance back at Havine before flipping several pages in his journal and writing out a short note. With a sigh and a stretch he leans back and stares up at the night sky above him. Not for the first time, he marvels at how much brighter the stars are out here than they are in the city. "You know, Havine, there are people with the university in the capitol who have created a large telescope and applied some sub-set of runic magic to apparently - they say - let you see the stars as close as if they were the moon." He laughs quietly to himself, "Apparently, some of them have mountains, just like us. He is quiet for several moments, just relishing in the sound of the fire crackling and the many insects in the woods around them. "Havine, this world has so much to teach us and yet out there, there is so, so much more. I wonder if perhaps even the planes are but an extension of that infinitely growing complexity. Perhaps as the world we see grows ever larger and more complicated, what we are unable to see grows just the same." He pauses once again before asking, as he had many times before, "What do you think?" Those quiet moments of contemplation and the gentle exchange of thoughts and ideas from one person to another - between respected companions - between friends. He lived for moments like this. When the universe seemed infinite and full of endless possibility and the road stretched before him - straight and uncomplicated.
She rests her hand on her journal --still closed, for now-- and follows his gaze up towards the stars. Letting his question settle in her mind, it takes her a few long moments in order to muster up a reply. "It's hard to know what to think," she admits, feeling rather out of her element. "These other... worlds? I suppose? My guess is we'd sooner leave the material plane than see the stars, Relentless. But... I guess I wouldn't be surprised to know that there's just more and more we don't know. I guess that's just the way of things. We answer more questions only to discover ten more just under the surface. Like a hydra. Perhaps just as dangerous." She gives him an amiable shrug, glancing away from the stars and all their unknowable questions and back down to the tiny, shared space between them. At the fire and over at him and his papers and finally down at her own journal. These things... these things were easier. She'd never claimed to be a particularly intellectual woman, and sometimes speaking with Relentless reminds her of how narrow her scope is. "Not that we shouldn't want to know the answers," she amends, after a moment. Her eyes raise back up to meet his, and she smiles. "I'm not much of a seeker of knowledge, but you'll have to tell me what you find. I'll be glad to hear it all."
Post Options Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2017 at 9:21pm "No," he sighs to himself, "no, you have a point there. It sometimes is just so easy to lose oneself in the pursuit of one larger than just ourselves. I imagine that as a holy woman, you might know some of that feeling - even if our pursuits are different." He falls back into silence after she does, still mentally tracing patterns in the stars above them. After she finishes speaking again, he turns to regard her contemplatively. "I disagree. I think you are absolutely a seeker of knowledge. You have seen so much of this world. You have seen so many people and learned of their stories and their lives. Of their troubles and you have learned how to help them solve them. You see a different world than I do and that in and of itself has merit." He leans back again, closing his eyes with a small smile on his face. "I believe that there is quite a lot about the wide world out here that you could teach me, Havine."
Post Options Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2017 at 9:22pm "Flatterer," she says, shaking her head despite her pleasure at his words. "I'm sure we could both sing the praise of the other until we were out of breath. But I think you give me too much credit." Shrugging her shoulders, she finally opens her journal, flipping through a few pages (tightly packed with tiny print, best to conserve space and draw out its use) to find where last she left off. "But," she concedes with a sigh, "I suppose there might be enough truth to it. Perhaps if we keep traveling together, we can learn from each other." Havine is surprised to realize that she wants to keep traveling with him. She'd admitted as much earlier, but that was more of an immediate concern. This... This feels a bit more... Long-term. Over the years she's met many people, most of whom were friendly with her. But she had few that she'd consider friends. And Relentless... Over the past six weeks, she'd become certainly fond of his company. "If you'd like," she says, a hasty addition. In the dark and in the glow of their fire, she hopes that he can't see the way she must be blushing like a besotted girl of half her age. "I don't mean to put words in your mouth."
He chuckles deeply, "No, Havine dear, I think I give you exactly as much credit as you have earned through your travels. In fact, you have quite the analytical mind! Look at you, documenting your day's observations and events. Your whole life is one grand experiment! Just think to ask, what hypothesis are you testing today?" He quiets, looking at her fondly as she writes in her journal. Goodness what he would give to see those notes. To read the story that is her existence. He squints slightly across the fire towards her, "If I am being honest, Havine, I believe I have gotten used to traveling with you. It's somewhat reassuring to share the quiet of the hours with another person. And you are a wonderful companion." He laughs, once again flipping through his journal. "In fact," he continues, flipping from his pages of notes on his travels with Havine to a small folded map in the front, "these last several weeks have been quite fortuitous. I am not entirely sure I would have ended up in this part of the region so I believe you are giving me a unique opportunity to experience something that otherwise I would have missed out on and that is truly a magnificent gift. Thank you." He stretches towards the fire once again, relaxing and getting comfortable. "Now, what are your thoughts on sleeping arrangements this evening? I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon - the night is just so lovely. Would you like me to wake you some time before morning?"
"It's certainly nice, not being quite so alone all the time," she agrees, a bit wistful as she meets his gaze across the fire. Watching him flip through his journal again, that pleased feeling at being called a 'wonderful companion' is a bit diminished as he continues speaking. Though she feels guilty for the slight bitter feeling in her chest, knowing that she should be-- "Well I'm glad to be of some use," she says, not entirely a lie. She'd never abide uselessness, and chafed at the thought of being a burden, but to have her merits summed up so simply... What good is this brooding and picking apart idle words? Hadn't he expressed clear enough that he appreciated not only her 'usefulness' but also her company? When had she become so greedy of reassurance? "I suspect I'll be awake for a little longer, to finish writing, but then I ought to get some rest. I'm much happier offering praise to Pelor with the sunrise, and if I don't want to be yawning through my prayers I should sleep before too long," she says with a crooked smile. "But try not to stay up terribly late, Relentless. You need your rest as well."
"If I may ask, what are you recording tonight?" He asks, rolling onto his side to face her across the fire. When she suggests that he not stay up too late he laughs, "Oh, sure, of course. I will absolutely get an adequate amount of sleep."
"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm?" she asks, biting her lip to try and keep from smiling, and failing spectacularly. "Or perhaps your definition of 'adequate' differs from my own." Glancing down at her journal and the battered stub of a quill (in desperate need of replacing soon, she's annoyed to admit), her eyes trace over today's entry so far. "Where we're headed, a little bit about the tales that have us headed in that direction. A little of what we've talked about, and maybe some notes about dinner," she says, a bit of pride creeping into her voice. "That way I can try to replicate those results next time we go wallowing for clams. You seemed to like them, I can make them again for you."
He laughs loudly, sitting up towards her and casting a hasty glance towards the page she was writing on. "Wallowing! Goodness me! As far as sleep goes, it's the usual. I'll doze whenever I'm tired. In fact..." He reaches towards his bag and pulls it towards him. After several moments of rummaging and rearranging, he pulls out a set of quills and offers a fresh one to her. "I'll trade you something a little tidier than the one you're using in exchange for you teaching me how you prepared those. Maybe next time I can help."
She eyes the pristine quill --and the familiar hand holding it-- with a moment of hesitation. She wasn't very accustomed to people offering to help her in any sort of fashion, and someone like Relentless... Well, he was an intellectual. A scholar. Men like him (tiefling or human or what-have-you) had others to handle mundane tasks like cooking. And she'd been handling it just fine so far. But if anything could be said of him, it was that he was interested in everything, so why not cooking? And if there was anything that she knew that was fairly simple to teach, it was that. Now that they had spoken of learning from each other. She just hadn't expected it to be quite so literal. "That sounds fair," she says, leaning towards him and reaching for the quill. She gives him a warm smile and after she takes it from him (and if her fingers brushed over his, she'd deny in an instant that it was on purpose) Havine holds out her hand to shake. "Deal."
"Excellent!" He says, happily grasping her hand tightly for a few beats, his eyes crinkling with his toothy smile. "Perhaps we can even go wallowing - as you say - sooner rather than later. Those clams were quite delicious." He removes his journal from where it was tucked in his belt and jots down a small note on this exchange in it before turning several pages towards the back. "I have actually been working on a design for something these last few nights." He turns the book towards her. Across the page is a sketch of a simple sextant and on the opposite page is a carefully laid out arc of degrees. "I have been trying to keep an eye out for a decent enough stick I could use to mount both the angle measuring tool and this!" He holds up a coin with a hole punched through the middle dangling from a piece of string. "Then, you can angle the stick towards a particular star and measure the angle from the horizon that the star is and depending on the time of night, you can find your location. You can determine your location from anywhere!" He looks at her expectantly, face alight with excitement.
"Well, if we're to find you a pearl for your magic, I suspect we've plenty of reasons to," she agrees, doing her best not to seem overly affected by his lingering grip on her hand. Then she watches him as he makes his notes and turns through his journal, surprised when he angles it so she can see and starts explaining a sketched out plan. He seems proud of his coin and string, and his drawing, and as she looks from his papers, to the coin hanging from his fingers, and then up to his wide, open expression, she's momentarily lost for words. He seems eager for her thoughts --still a rather foreign concept to her, but it's pleasant to be regarded so highly by someone she would never had expected to value her opinion-- but she only has one coherent and polite enough to share. "That looks rather complicated," she admits, a bit uncertain. She'd never needed any sort of clever device to find her way before, and the thought of needing one now... Something inside her rebels. "I suppose, if you know how to use it, it would be helpful for someone unaccustomed to travel."
He laughs sheepishly, dropping the coin back into his bag. "Yes, of course. I mean, its most practical use is of course at sea, where there are no guiding landmarks. But yes, I imagine it would probably be quite limited on land." He chuckles again to himself, turning several pages in his notebook and scanning over his notes. "Yes, I suppose one would find more use in maps than in star plotting when one has use of landmarks. Of course." He tucks his journal away and returns to staring up at the night sky, soaking in the sounds of the night around him.
"Have you ever seen the sea?" she asks suddenly, watching him as he looks away from her, up towards the stars. She's not sure if she's upset him, or embarrassed him, or... She just doesn't want him to feel badly in any way. Taking the change of subject, she clings to it and offers it to him, studying his expression. "I haven't. The biggest body of water I've ever seen is a lake... oh, I guess south of here. My parents took me out on this little boat one summer. They even talked their friend Aungor into going with us; I'm not sure which of us was more scared of tipping over and drowning, him or me..."
He laughs - not at her but at the scenario - and stretches fully, relaxing where he's laying. "Can you swim now? I am actually employed by the university in Hadleigh - down on the south coast. When my brothers came to live with me several years ago they would always ask to go down to the docks and watch the ships loading and unloading when I wasn't working. It's beautiful there - much warmer than it is here! And the library at the university is quite impressive. But," he pauses for a moment, "between the waves and the gulls - it's so much quieter here." "You say you've never seen the ocean - I've read that far to the west there is a large desert. A burning hellscape of sand and blowing dust where the heat is unbearable and you can go days without finding water. Apparently it can be a rather dangerous place to go unprepared. Have you ever seen such a landscape?"
Post Options Post by Admin on Apr 15, 2017 at 9:24pm She shakes her head, a wistful smile on her face. "No. Not to say my parents didn't try, but... The moment I couldn't see my feet and my toes couldn't reach the bottom I'd head right back to shore. Aungor told them I had my head on straight..." A laugh escapes her as she pats the ground beneath them, brushing her fingers over a couple of loose stones. "He's a dwarf," she says, as if that's explanation enough. Maybe it is. "I've made my way that direction, but never far enough to reach the desert proper. Seen bits and pieces, but... You don't exactly paint a pretty picture of it, which is reason enough to stay away!" She chuckles, looking down at her journal. Realizing she won't be writing much else anytime soon, she shuts it and puts her things away, taking Relentless's example and laying with her head near his, maybe an arm's length away. She lets out a sigh, letting herself relax into her bedroll. "Hadleigh, though..." "Your home sounds lovely. Do you miss it, and your brothers?" There's a pause as she realizes how personal her question must seem. "You seem to enjoy your research very much, so I'm certain you're happy you left, but... Even with no blood kin to return to, sometimes I find myself feeling homesick..."
He smiles quietly, looking almost sad as the moment stretches for several beats before turning on his side to face her. "Hadleigh... was small. I enjoyed my work there but the world outside is just so huge and there is so much that I can't learn just cooped up in a library - pouring over books. And yes, I do miss my brothers. Those two are," He pauses again, chuckling softly, "really something else. They came to stay with me when they were young and it was not a responsibility that I was prepared for; however," He recites, as if he has said this line to himself many times, "they're old enough now to take care of themselves. I'm not needed there anymore and an opportunity presented itself for me to learn. I could learn more if I were to see the world. They don't need me anymore and they'll be fine without me." His eyes seem unfocused for a moment before he starts slightly, smiling towards Havine, "But yes, Hadleigh was beautiful."
If she thinks anything odd in the way he speaks, in that slight monotone, the hint of repetition, Havine doesn't pay it much mind. Of his eccentricities, this seems minor. Understandable even, given the circumstances. As she watches him, rolling over onto her stomach with one arm pillowed under her chin, she takes note of the shift of his expressions, and gives him a look of sympathy. "At least they're back home waiting for you," she says, with only the smallest twinge of deep, old wound. Her fingers seek out the pair of rings hanging from a chain about her neck, worrying them idly. "When I was little I used to beg my mother for a little sister. But in the end they only had me..." Her eyes glance towards the fire, and unbidden, for just a moment, she sees a funeral pyre, a pair of wasted bodies burning away as a heavy dwarven hand rests on her shoulder. He was still taller than her, then. She'd been so little. Shoving the memory away and swallowing, Havine looks over at Relentless again, forcing an attempt at a smile. "Tell me about your brothers. You've mentioned them before, a few times I think, but I'd love to listen to you speak of them."
"My brothers, goodness me." He smiles fondly, "my brothers are just exceptional. They came to live with me roughly a month after a dragon razed the town where we grew up. In that time, my youngest brother, Hero, who was only six at the time, came to believe that he was destined to serve some goddess of war and valor. A Neudyn of some sort or another." He snorts disdainfully, "And even though the old codger who filled his mind with that nonsense only was around them for a month, he still decided that was his calling, took the name Hero and decided to take up training when we arrived in Hadleigh. However, despite how gullible and easily swayed to the ideas of gallantry and glory he is - Hero is truly kind." Relentless smiles softly, closing his eyes for a moment. "He might just be the most kindhearted and generous boy I have ever known. Now, on the other hand, our middle brother, Hope, is less-so." He thinks for several moments, his hands almost moving to reach for his journal before he resumes again. "It's odd, he is 15 years younger than I am so I was nearly out of the house when he was born however - when I knew him, Hope actually lived up to his name. He was just the most energetic and outgoing little beast. Not a day went by when he wouldn't bring home a new playmate won over by his sense of humor and easy attitude. Something changed though in the five years I spent away. When I went to go collect them - he seemed older somehow. Not like how children age, but as if he had been through some terrible cataclysm. He still maintained his easy demeanor, but there just felt something off about him. He actually when I left was working on joining me at the university. He might actually be smarter than I am. He seems to have this odd innate knowledge about how things work." He thinks fondly before continuing, "In fact, if he can keep on top of his studies, he might prove to be quite the remarkable engineer some day." "If I..." He pauses hesitantly, considering her expression and how she was fiddling with a light chain around her neck, "could ask - where are your parents now?"
"Your brothers sound wonderful," she manages to say, as he hesitates. Then his question, the one part of her had been expecting since she first mentioned them, finally comes. She tips her head to the side, resting her cheek on her arm as she pulls the chain out from under her shirt. Two steel bands hang from a silvery chain, old and worn and familiar. She'd had these rings longer than she'd ever had her parents. "They died when I was nine. An illness, they said, that crept up on them both and took them before the week was out. No one else got sick, just them." Her voice is flat as she toys with the rings, her vision going distant for a moment before she focuses on Relentless again. She gives him a reassuring smile that doesn't reach her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "I was taken into Pelor's temple and was raised there. It was... good to have a purpose after they were gone. I can sympathize with your youngest brother in that regard. Putting your faith in something bigger than yourself... It can help. It makes everything feel less... cruel, I suppose. And your other brother, Hope." Havine studies his face, fingers curling into a fist around the rings, feeling them press into the meat of her palm. "Losing your home, your family, changes you."
He listens quietly to her story, his hands twitching more than once to reach out and hold hers - to comfort her. He recognizes her in pain. "I," he is quiet again, considering his next words very carefully, recalling the multiple previous conversations they had shared on the topic. "I'm sorry. I don't understand. Are... are they sick still? Have you just been unable to find a healer? Were they taken somewhere?" His expression falls into confusion. "I don't understand. I don't... I don't understand."
She stares at him, jaw clenched, something pained and angry stirring deep in her chest. It reminds her of when she was a child, when Father Beauregard said to her, "They're gone, child. They're gone, and no amount of fighting will bring them back; not from this." She'd refused to accept it. Denied it. Angrily and loudly until they'd sent for Aungor and he'd had to force the grief out of her. He wrung the tears out of her and made her feel her pain, and-- Havine pushes up to her knees, one arm pulled tight over her stomach while the other still refuses to let go of the rings. She looks down at him, at the pitiful look on his face and for a brief moment she wants to give in to that flare of anger and make him understand. How could he not understand? Maybe... Maybe he's blocked it out. It sounds like he's lost his parents, and he'd had to take in his brothers. She'd seen what denial could do to people, what it had done to her before she'd been forced out of it. And all of a sudden she's too tired to have this argument again, to try and make him understand. "They're just gone," she says quietly, sagging a little. "They've been gone for a long time." She tucks the necklace back under her shirt and lets her hands fall into her lap, looking at him with an ache in her chest and feeling all at once very alone.
He watches as her expression changes from anger to saddened defeat and after a moment rises to his knees as well. "I am so, so sorry. I don't remember my parents, but I'm sorry that yours are gone." He thinks for a moment and hesitantly holds his hands out towards her, awkwardly offering a hug and not meeting her eyes as he says slowly, "Maybe... Perhaps, we could get them back. If we worked together." He gradually locks eyes with her. "You shouldn't have to be alone."
"That would be incredibly selfish of me," she says, without thinking. She'd asked Father Beauregard about it, just once. The possibility of resurrection. She'd heard talk of it before, had listened to Aungor and her mother speak of their days as adventurers and they'd mentioned scraping together all their gold for enough to buy a diamond as payment for a fallen comrade's soul... Selfish, Father Beauregard had said. To bring them back from their rest. She never spoke to him about it again after that. "But I... appreciate the offer," she says, a weak smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "And, well..." She looks at his outstretched hands, struggling with a cacophony of competing emotions, and she shoves them away and accepts his silent offer. Scooting forward, bumping into his knees with her own, she tucks herself between his arms and wraps hers around his middle, because damn him he's a full head taller than her which, for the moment, is a little comforting. "I hope I'm not alone." Selfish.
He holds her tightly for several moments, one hand splayed across her back and the other, somewhat awkwardly patting her hair - as if the act of hugging is foreign and not something done often. As he stills he says to her, "You don't have to be alone and wanting to feel..." He stops for a moment, a hand still loosely on her back, "loved by your family is not a selfish desire. My family is there for me when I have seen enough to return home happy, I do not see a reason why we cannot find yours and bring them home to you as well." He leans away from her slightly, looking her in the eye, "I can help you. If this is something you wish to pursue. Someone as good as you-" He squints down towards her, "someone as bright and shining as you - should not have to walk this path alone."
He's close, closer than he's been to her since that day they met and she'd had to grab hold of him to make sure he didn't bleed out on the side of the road. And this feels nothing like that. Some part of her is bitterly amused that both of these moments involved some measure of an argument about death but... This is different. This is six weeks of traveling together and a fondness that keeps squeezing her chest when she least expects it. She almost wants to accept his offer if only to guarantee that he'll stay. (It would be nice, for a change, to have someone stay.) Her hands rest on his sides as he pulls away enough to look at her, and as she looks up at him whatever anger had been burning deep in her belly is doused by the sudden consciousness of how this must look. Of how her head is tipped up to look at him and how he's still a little bent over her and... "You're a good man, Relentless," she says, her voice a little rough. With a sudden swell of courage she rises up on her knees to put them at a more equal height, cupping his face with one hand as she kisses his cheek. Before she pulls away she says, "Merely traveling with you is help enough." She leans back just enough to look him in the eye, her hand still lingering on his cheek, eye to eye. "You don't have to be alone either."
His eyes widen slightly as she raises herself to his level and his fingers twitch slightly to pull her in when she moves to touch him. She kisses his cheek and for a moment he is still as a puzzle piece clicks into place. "I want to continue seeing this world with you, Havine. Your... Your input is unique and irreplaceable and I don't want to..." He seems lost for words for a moment before meeting her eyes again, "Oh goodness." He scans her eyes, glancing more than once at her lips and biting his own nervously, "I am truly awful at this, you must know." He gently reaches towards her face, timidly mirroring her positioning and cupping one hand against her cheek while the other goes to smooth back her hair gently. "The thing is, dear, I am not alone. For these brief moments, I have you." And with probably the most nervous expression Relentless has ever worn he angles her face slightly more towards him and presses a gentle kiss to her lips.
She'd been hoping. Gods she'd been hoping he would kiss her and now-- She kisses him back, sighing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding against his lips, savoring the way he's holding her cheek, leaning into him as her hand shifts from his face to the back of his head. Tilting her head away for just a moment, she murmurs, "You're not awful, no more than I am." Then she kisses him again, softly, afraid to push too much, that nervous look on his face from before he kissed her enough of a warning. This was enough confirmation to stir an unfamiliar giddiness in her chest, and for a moment she's smiling too wide to kiss him properly. With a soft laugh she pulls back only far enough to look him in the eye. Then, with a sudden realization, a wry expression twists her mouth and a more exasperated chuckle escapes her. She takes his hand from her face, squeezes it, and leans across him to fumble for his bag. Practically in his lap, she drags it over towards them. "You better remember this," she tells him, trying to be firm but smiling anyway. "Write it down if you have to. Remember kissing me." Straightening up, looking flushed and determined, she looks him in the eye.
He sits for several beats, completely dumbfounded. His cheeks and nose are surprisingly flushed for a tiefling and the color - somewhat darker than his natural tone - shades all the way around to his ears. He watches her, speechless and frozen, his mind for once empty aside from the last several minutes repeating over and over. When she pushes his bag up against him and strongly suggests that he make sure he doesn't forget this, he barks out a laugh, rubbing the side of his face vigorously. "Oh goodness me, I wouldn't dream of it. Havine, dear, you are exceptional. This... oh goodness." He digs around in his bag for a moment before remembering that he had stashed his journal in his belt instead and flips the book open, not turning any pages but just letting it lie there between them. "I..." He starts, barely meeting her eyes and still flushed, "Thank you? I don't know what I can offer you aside from myself and," he chuckles, remembering dinner, "some very poorly cooked fish occasionally, but if that is enough, I would continue to travel with you. I meant what I said. You should not have to walk this path alone. Whatever path it is, if I am welcome, I would walk it with you."
The look on his face, the way he seems to be coming apart at the seams, it's so different from his normal, composed self. It's endearing. So much about him is endearing. She watches him as he goes for his journal, then abandons it between them, open and ignored. She ignores it too. "Yourself is enough," she says, some of her own embarrassment finally catching up with her as she reddens. "I can help you with the cooking, and... Just knowing you want to stick around... That's enough. I guess I was just lucky to bump into you when I did. I guess we both were." She smiles, a little shyly, that boldness eking away as what they just did sits between them like Relentless's discarded journal. But before it's gone-- "And, well... You could always kiss me again. Just to make sure you don't forget." Laughing and a little embarrassed and feeling at least a decade younger than she ought, Havine covers her face with one hand and glances off into the darkness before looking at him again.
He laughs, "Oh, I think you're right. We are both lucky." At her recommendation he flushes again, a sheepish smile turning his eyes into crescent moons as he reaches out to cup her face again, one hand moving to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "I certainly do not want to forget this, so please, Havine, forgive me if we have to do this often to reinforce it." And with that he leans back in, somewhat steadier than before to press another gentle kiss to her lips. After a moment, he pulls back again with a wry smile, "Yes, I will admit, we might have to reinforce this memory often."
"You're already forgiven," she says as he leans in to kiss her, glad for his increase in confidence. She doesn't want him nervous all of the time. Smiling back at him, she laughs quietly. "I'll be happy to jog your memory now and again," she says, though a tiny bit of her worries how much of their teasing is just that --teasing-- and how much of it might be a very real reality. But if it gives her an excuse to be close to him, to remind him of her feelings, well then... There could be worse things. For the moment she just enjoys this evening with him until she concedes to needing sleep. After all, there's always the morning...
The next morning, Relentless stirs in the cool pre-dawn breeze, moving to stretch but freezing as he feels his arm trapped against a solid warmth in front of him. Tensing, he opens his eyes and starts slightly. Staring down at Havine nestled close in his arms with concern, he frantically ran back through his memories of the previous night. After a moment of panic it clicks - oh, that's right. They were going to stay with each other. He relaxes again, bringing the arm she wasn't pillowed against to gently smooth out her hair and delicately trace her cheek. He sighs contentedly - the quiet of the morning woods echoing the quiet in his mind. This is nice. This is peaceful. For once, a morning without that itch to keep moving. A morning without that need to see what was over the next hill. This, just like her, is lovely.
Havine wakes to the feel of fingers against her hair, her cheek. They're warm and her lungs fill with faint woodsmoke, the musty smell of her bedroll, the now-familiar scent of ink and paper that reminds her of-- Oh. Relentless's arm is under her head, her body turned into his chest and if she shifted her legs it would knock their knees together (or perhaps she'd be dangerously close to catching him in the groin, with their height difference). She can hear him breathing, and he must already be awake because he's running the tips of his fingers over her skin. She'd wondered, the night before, if he'd remember. This... waking like this... he must remember, right? If he didn't, he would never allow them to be nestled so close, to take advantage of her sleep to treat her so delicately. As if she were delicate. Letting out a soft, pleased hum, she opens her eyes and turns into his touch, looking up at him. In the pre-dawn light his purplish skin looks even darker, his horns black against an unfocused backdrop of blue-grey. If she didn't know any better she might be intimidated. Instead, something happy flutters in her chest. With a bleary smile, she says, "Well, good morning. This was a little unexpected."
"Well good morning to you, too." He says with a bright smile as she turns towards him. He chuckles softly, "It's unexpected for me too. But... it's nice. You... you did say that you wanted to wake up early, yes?" He enjoys the moment for a few seconds longer, continuing to lightly run the pads of his fingers across her hair. He pauses, moving his hand to touch the tip of her chin and angling it towards him. He leans forward slightly before catching himself, "Is... is this okay? May I?"
"Yes, I like to be awake when the sun rises," she murmurs as he strokes her hair. It's soothing and gentle, a sentiment she's not quite used to. She hadn't had much time for tenderness. Hadn't thought it would have much place in her life. This is... good. Good enough to make her wonder why it had taken this long. Maybe now was just the right time. He tilts her chin towards him and she lets him, anticipating the kiss even as he stops himself and speaks instead. Smiling, the corners of her eyes crinkle and she gives him an affectionate look. "You may," she says, not wanting to steal the moment from him.
He smiles slowly, moving his hand to lace his fingers through her hair and softly pressing his lips to hers. After a moment, his gentle smile turns playful and he loosely catches her bottom lip between his teeth, pulling away just a hair and letting loose a breathless chuckle before leaning in again and kissing her more fully. Several moments later he backs away more fully and maybe a little more flushed than he was before. "Then should we get to it? Otherwise, dear, I get the feeling we could do this all morning." He waits a moment and with another grin leans forward to pepper soft, chuckling kisses across her lips and cheeks. "Oh yes, this could absolutely be something I spend all morning doing."
Oh, she is certainly not used to this... When had she ever had a languid, romantic morning with anyone? They hadn't even... They hadn't even done much of anything, all things considered. Oh, but she could. Pelor give her strength, the way he worries her lip with his teeth and lets out that laugh she can feel hum through him as he leans in again to close what little distance there is between them... She could do anything he wanted right now. Happily. But he pulls away, both of them flushed and breathless. It's enough to break the fuzzy spell he'd cast over her (metaphorically, of course), and as he teases shallow kisses across her face, tempting her further, she finds the strength to resist. Barely. Havine catches the side of his face gently, stroking her thumb across his cheekbone as she leans up to give him one firm kiss, like a period at the end of a rambling sentence. As she lets her head fall back she gives him a wry, albeit regretful smile. "It's... incredibly tempting," she says, her mind reaching for some kind of endearment, something like the way he calls her 'dear' but she comes up short. She'd never been very good at things like this. Sweet things. She searches his face and bites her bottom lip, letting out a pitiful sound. "Very, very tempting, Relentless. But it's... It'll be dawn soon. I... I need to pray and you... I don't think you ever did write in your journal last night." That raises an uncomfortable twist of worry in her chest. He remembered this morning, but... Better safe than sorry. "It seems so easy to lose ourselves, doesn't it?" she asks, a breathy laugh passing her lips.
He sighs softly and rests his forehead against hers for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. "It does seem that way these days. You are correct." After a moment he releases her and moves to pull her upright with him. With a heavy groan and a stretch he smiles towards her languidly, bright thoughts of the day's potential filling his mind. "Goodness me. Well, yes. You are absolutely right. I should definitely make a record of this... this..." He pauses, his excitement stilling for a moment as he takes her hands in his own, his expression serious. "Havine, I don't want to forget this. I know that I do that sometimes. Things start moving too fast and I lose myself. But I don't want to forget this. I meant what I said last night, you don't have to walk this path alone." Unsaid, a firm thought in his mind, 'I will help you bring them home.'
She squeezes his hands, a bit sobered by the serious look on his face and tone in his voice. "I don't want you to forget this either," she says, giving him a shaky attempt at a reassuring smile. "I would be--" devastated "--very cross with you. But, I'll be here to help you. If you feel lost or confused or... Just know that I'm here to help. I suppose we're in this together now." He seems a bit too serious now for how playful he'd been just a moment ago (and that was a pleasant surprise, to see the refined tiefling turn into someone playful and sweet), so Havine leans over from where she's sitting beside him and kisses him. It's soft, and slow, and for a moment she lingers there. "Write us down," she whispers, squeezing his hands again. "If... if you're afraid you've forgotten anything, just ask. I can help you fill in the gaps." Then, with an affectionate smile, she starts to pull away to begin her morning ritual, moving slower than strictly necessary, just in case he wanted to delay her any further.
He relaxes into her kiss, the tension leaving him and his hands loosening their hold on her own. "I will," he says softly. "I will." He spends the next short while alternating between watching her morning routine with more attention than usual - offering a soft smile whenever her eyes met his - and writing short notes in his journal about the evening. Seeing her well on her way into the new day he starts rummaging around in his pack for tea and begins prepping it, feeding the last embers of their fire back into a healthy flame.
He relaxes into her kiss, the tension leaving him and his hands loosening their hold on her own. "I will," he says softly. "I will." He spends the next short while alternating between watching her morning routine with more attention than usual - offering a soft smile whenever her eyes met his - and writing short notes in his journal about the evening. Seeing her well on her way into the new day he starts rummaging around in his pack for tea and begins prepping it, feeding the last embers of their fire back into a healthy flame.
He offers her a mug of tea after she has finished putting on her armor and he sips one himself. While it was steeping he had gathered up his sleeping gear so the only task left to break down the campsite on his end was to put out the fire proper. "I'll need to pick up some more tea when we reach... Oh goodness." He fumbles one-handed for his journal and begins flipping pages. "Oh! Right! Dunn's Gate. Of course." He jots down a quick note to look for tea and smiles back up at her. "So, Havine, dear, what are your thoughts on these supposed goings on around the town?"
"Oh, thank you," she says, smiling at him as she takes the mug and sips it carefully. She packs up her things while juggling the mug from hand to hand, sometimes setting it down before picking it up again. Glancing over at him as he speaks, Havine almost answers his question for him as he checks his notes. But she can't always do that. He has a system, one that works. He finds the answer quick enough and she smiles back at him, encouraged by his recovery without missing a beat. "What kind of tea do you prefer?" she asks, glancing down at her cup, then back up again. Her smile brightens, perking up noticeably at the sound of 'dear' (which is silly, he'd been calling her that even before all of... this), though her expression sobers at his question. "Oh. I'm not really sure what to think. Animals being slaughtered, folks getting attacked... It could be anything from goblins, or some wandering creature trying to make its den in the forest. Either way, I don't like that whatever it is is so close to civilization. If we can help, I'd like to." She hesitates for a moment, her hand reaching for her holy symbol and then up to her face, rubbing her forehead. Glancing away from Relentless, she pushes up to her feet, downing the last of her tea in one long pull and holding the empty mug to him. Meeting his eyes, she says, "I know you didn't exactly sign up for... well, goblin killing or..." Gritting her teeth, she lets out a ragged sigh. "This is important to me. I hope you understand."
"I'm really somewhat partial to a good black tea, and if I can find something with a little cardamom in it?" He sighs, closing his eyes and relaxing slightly, finishing the last of his own cup of - definitely not dark enough - tea. "Though, I suppose in a pinch this will do." He listens to her speak about what she has heard with a somewhat puzzled expression before accepting her cup back - his fingers intentionally brushing hers for a moment - and giving the cup a quick rinse with the last of the water from his waterskin before loading them into his bag and heaving himself up. He swings the bag onto his shoulders and looks down at her with curiosity as she finishes. "You and I walk a very similar path. We both seek answers to questions and that number of questions grows daily." He smiles, reaching out his hands towards her. "If this is important to you, then it matters to me. This is yet another puzzle I can tease apart. And, Havine, as our paths seem to go side-by-side, if it is welcome, I would like to walk along with you."
She looks at his outstretched hand and a tension she hadn't quite noticed eases out of her shoulders. Reassured and a little relieved, she shoulders her bag and and shield and takes his hand, lacing their fingers together and holding tight. "Thank you," she says, smiling at him. She'd kiss him if it wouldn't be a production to do so --damn him for being so tall! "It sort of feels like we keep repeating ourselves, but... It's good to make it plain, in as many ways as possible. Whatever happens, we'll face it together. That seems to be clear enough." Then, feeling particularly stubborn, she decides that it is worth the production to tug him down towards her to kiss him properly, and then tugs him off towards the road. "Come on. All this talk of walking down the same path and we've yet to get moving. Let's go and see where this takes us."
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