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True Calling (Atroxa x Effigy)

“No.. Don't go...” Durihan stated, reaching out to grab her by the wrist. He quickly let go of her though once she stopped moving, obviously over stepping his bounds a little in trying to force her in place. “I'm sorry.. Just stay a little longer.” He said, almost sounded like pleading or begging even as he started to sit up. Even though he was recovering doing all of this was definitely taking something out of the man, he sighing heavily once he was seated up properly.

“Thank you Lilura...” The man said to her. Through it all, this being the second time she saved him. How she killed a man for him and hell provided for him he hadn't said thank you once. She had pretty much babied him through this so there wasn't much more pride for the man to fall back on or hide behind. And now sitting there Durihan couldn't help but notice how the dim lights of the infirmary caused her cheeks to glisten softly. Or how her gray eyes so filled with amusement now seemed to show compassion? Now Durihan wasn't that old but still he wasn't getting any younger, and he found himself longing again. And not in the same way someone would long for some whore at the tavern either.

Before his mind could justify or stop the man's actions, Durihan would lean it. Tilting his head to the side so Lilura wouldn't have to do a single thing. The man would press his lips to her own. A soft and gentle caress of his to hers as the two would kiss then. After a few seconds Durihan stopped trying to think about what he was doing or why, and he just kissed the girl. It wouldn't last much longer, Durihan moving back and even going to lay down again. “Good night Lilura...” He added, not wanting to play too much more into the kiss or what it could of implied. It just felt natural and the right thing to do... And now sleep felt like the right thing to do. But in no way was Lilura gone from Durihan's mind. He couldn't help but smile even as he laid there.
 
Lilura frowned when he all but pleaded with her to stay, grabbing her by the wrist and trying to sit up. The girl sighed in resignation and sat back down, but refusing to look at him. She didn't want to talk about this. She wasn't ready to admit any of this to herself, let alone to him. It was hard for her to accept that she had allowed him in that close, it went against every instinct she'd taught herself over the last nine years. Not to ever let anyone close, not to trust or care or depend on anyone, ever. She'd been doing perfectly well until Durihan had come along and refused to treat her like everyone else did. He treated her like she was human, and that was how she'd started to feel.

She finally looked at him though when he thanked her, frowning for a moment before she sighed, “You're welcome.” He hadn't thanked her until now, and she thought she was due some thanks damn it, so she accepted his with a curt nod, sitting stiffly still. Lilura was obviously still a little uncomfortable, looking away from him, not seeing how he looked at her, not until just before he leaned in. She glanced at him, brows furrowing when she saw him staring at her, about to ask why he was looking at her like that when he kissed her. Kissed her! The girl was caught somewhere between shock and indignation at first, her gray eyes going wide.

By the time she recovered enough to react Durihan was moving away, her lips tingling and her eyes still wide. She watched him lay back down, and nodded numbly as he told her good night because that was how she felt, numb everywhere except for her lips, which seemed to be on fire. That warmth spread into her face, her pale face turning red as she blushed. Lilura shook her head quickly, cleared her throat, and stood, murmuring a quick 'good night' before she all but fled from the infirmary, her face still read and her mind buzzing. It wasn't until she reached her room and laid down that she was really able to form a full thought, which happened to be something along the lines of cursing Durihan as she found that now she wasn't tired at all.

Another few days passed and the former knight continued to improve, Lilura still went to see him but at this point there wasn't a lot for her to do as all he needed was rest. That and she found it hard to be around him and not think about what had happened. She hadn't mentioned it, and neither had he, and she didn't know what to think. Did he even remember it? Durihan had been acting weird that night, still in the midst of his sickness, after all. Or did he and he regretted it and just wanted to move on? Or something else? Why had he even kissed her in the first place? Just some weird fever desire or... She didn't know, and it was frankly driving her crazy, but she pretended like everything was perfectly normal, too proud and embarrassed to bring it up. When all she wanted to do was shake him and demand he explain himself. She hated this. She'd kept her emotions carefully locked away for years, and now they were back with a vengeance, almost overwhelming her.

Her emotional turmoil aside though, Durihan had almost fully recovered, finally strong enough to move out of the infirmary and back into his room. She hadn't seen him since he'd left the infirmary, telling herself she was just busy, but really she had been avoiding him as much as she could without looking suspicious, distancing herself from him. It was all too much, and Lilura didn't know how to handle it any better than she had been able to handle her emotions since her mother died. So like everything else that made her feel... anything, she removed herself from it. She didn't need to go getting involved with him anyway, it was just a disaster waiting to happen. She had never been in love of course, and had no desire to, especially with a man like Durihan. He was her guard, complicated that was just asking for things to go wrong.

Either way though, she knocked at his door when she reached his room, “Can I come in?” She called so he'd know it was her, going inside when he told her she could.
 
The next few days was simply a string of waking and sleeping. Durihan getting in anywhere from ten to fourteen hours of sleep through out the day. It was quite nice really. Wake up, a little bit of food he could handle, wash it down with a little water, and then just go back to sleep. Every now and then Lilura would be in the room once he opened his eyes and that deemed a smile. It wasn't like he was shaking anymore so that seemed to be a relief. However the way Lilura looked at Durihan when they did gaze at each other was rather surprising. The man did kiss her after all and now she seemed like her whole world had turned upside down. Funny how a single act could do something like that.

Once Durihan had the strength to stand he would refuse to stay in the infirmary any longer. Going back to his room there were a number of things on his mind, but the most prevalent was that of his sword. It wasn't in the infirmary with him, and he knew that he had taken it with him to the inn. Searching through out his room only brought his armor up but his sword was no where to be seen. Process of eliminated dictated that his sword would be at the inn, or at least that was the last place that it would be more. So Durihan was quick to change, getting boots and clothing on. And surprisingly finding the cloak he had thrown down in the forest on the desk in his room. He was surprised to find it, if Durihan was in Lilura's shoes he would of burned the damn thing or something.

Speaking of which the man turned to look at the door to his room, hearing a familiar knock. Lilura had a way with knocking, it was light, she not one for pounding on things, but each knock was consistent and timed like the others. Almost systematic in a way. The cloak was in his hands and he couldn't help but smile, “Of course, come in.” The man would reply. Sure there were mixed feelings about what he did to the girl going on through his head. Was it good, was it bad? Was he all there when he did it? Was it a spur of the moment? One thing however stood out among the rest, Durihan had made the choice to kiss Lilura. If anything his own stubborn of thanking her, since thanking her in words wasn't exactly the man's strong suit. Then again stealing kisses wasn't either. Just begged the question what Lilura thought of it.
 
Lilura couldn't say why she had kept the cloak, but either way, she hadn't, and it was there for him now. She had had his armor brought to his room as well, and had noticed the conspicuous absence of his sword. She knew that it and the armor were Durihan's most prized possessions, so there was no way he'd just lost it. That meant that either he'd lost it in a bet (by force no doubt) since her servants had informed her that he was gambling heavily, or it had been lost in the forest when those men had been dragging him through it. If it was, well, she didn't know if it could ever be found again, so she'd gone to the inn to ask about it.

She entered his room when he told her to come in, looking at him and glancing at the cloak in his hands, but said nothing. “Getting settled back in I see,” she told him, stopping just inside and standing with her hands clasped in front of her, her posture as straight and proud as ever, dark hair down and loose down her back. Lilura didn't know what to think of the kiss, or him for that matter, so she just didn't. That was easier to do than try to figure things out. “I have your sword in my room by the way,” she told him nonchalantly, “I had to threaten the inn keeper with eviction but he handed it over.” As the noble of the region, her father owned all the land, and while she knew the chances of him actually listening to her about that were slim, the inn keeper didn't know that.
 
“Yeah I guess so.” Durihan said with a smile, undoing his cloak so he could bring it around his shoulders before going to clasp it in place. However before he clasped the cloak together he would stop, hearing that his sword was in fact here in the castle, in Lilura's room in fact. His eyebrow rose slightly as he looked to her, and soon removed the cloak to place back on his desk. Well that was rather nice of the girl. Though he imagined that getting it back after his little stooper wasn't exactly going to be an easy task.

“Here I was ready to go kill a few men for it.” He added, putting his hands on his hips in a sort of authoritative pose. Truth be told he wasn't sure how to go about this, but he knew that he needed his sword. So hopefully asking for it would be all that was required. “Can I have it back?” Durihan would ask, staying right where he was. The way Lilura stood with her hands clasped in front of her and her posture oh so perfectly straight usually meant she was expecting something. Be it her approval or god knows what it was her body language that informed others that she was in control. And as much as Durihan didn't want to admit it she was very much in control of things.
 
She watched Durihan take the cloak back off and place it back on his desk before he spoke of the plan she'd apparently interrupted, his hands on his hips to strike a manly pose. She just looked at him, unperturbed and certainly not impressed or intimidated. She knew she was the one in charge here, not him. "Sorry to rob you of such a fun time," she smirked. His request made Lilura's brows arch and her lips curved into a smile, though not an exactly friendly one. “Say please,” she told him, her tone obviously very amused, and very smug. The girl laughed softly when he did as she'd asked, actually laughed, an odd sound coming from one like her, then turned and left his room, motioning for him to follow.

She went back to her room, just next door and motioned her hand towards her desk, where his sword and scabbard were laying. “I would have brought it with me, but I can barely lift the thing,” she told him, obviously disliking admitting any sort of weakness, even if in her eyes, physical strength was pretty useless. She didn't need it, she had her magic, and if she needed some heavy lifting done, she had Durihan. “How in the world you fight with a sword that heavy is beyond me,” She sniffed.
 
Please? She was making him say please? Oh was she pushing it... There was civil and cruel and this definitely was on the line. The man had to scowl at her for a few seconds before he did in fact say please. Just like she asked him to, well told him to. Hell it could have been any word and he would of said it, as long as he would get his sword back. Every word she had insulted him about on clinging the past was true, and Durihan didn't care one bit.

So just like that the two were off, he following Lilura as she guided him to her room. This was actually going to be quite a surprise since he had never actually gone into her room before. Call it a step in their relationship? Jokes aside the closest he had gotten was the door, where he would literally stand guard when she had said she wanted to be alone. So now he was in the room, however his attention was very much on his sword and not so much the decorum around the two.

“It wouldn't be such a bad idea for you to learn how to wield a sword. You would be surprised how many times magic isn't the answer.” Durihan stated with a smirk, walking over to his sword and picking it up. Quick to unsheath the blade and inspect it before he gave it a few good swings and thrusts. With one hand none the less. “Thank you...” Durihan would add before sheathing his sword, actually holding it to his chest for a few seconds before letting it rest at his side. Who knew what the man would do if he had lost the sword.
 
Lilura stood aside as the old knight greeted his sword like an old friend, rolling her eyes a bit as she found it simultaneously endearing and pathetic, and a little fascinating. She didn't think she'd been so attached to an object since she'd been a very young child, but she couldn't remember it much anymore. So like most things pertaining to the emotions she was so out of touch from, she found Durihan's obviously display of his own emotions interesting to watch. The girl blinked a little though and sniffed in a show of indignation as he suggested that she learn how to wield a sword, “Yes well, that's what I have you for isn't it?” She asked him stiffly.

Her lips pursed a little when he thanked her though, before she seemed to soften a touch and sighed, “You're welcome.” She was being reminded as to why she tended to avoid doing nice things for people, the whole process was bothersome. Lilura's eyes narrowed a little though and she gave him a bit of a smile, always a dangerous thing with this girl, “Just remember how much you owe me, Durihan. We have a lot of work to do once you're well.” She felt a little better, knowing that she might yet be able to get something out of helping him so much. Expecting something in return made her actions seem less altruistic.
 
You're welcome? That definitely garnered a confused look from Durihan. When had Lilura ever accepted his thanks? Sure it was only the second time he had thanked her but the first had been a simple head nod or acknowledgment that he thanked her. Well truth be told she didn't have time to respond since he had up and kissed her afterwards. The thought making the man smile then which would only come off as weird as he stood there and smiled at the girl.

“No time to waste then if I owe you so much.” Durihan said, nodding his head as he fastened the sheathed sword to his belt. “And don't think you get off so easy. I wouldn't of protected you over the last week if you had been attacked. I have to sleep too you know? Would make my job of guarding you a lot easier if I knew you could at least stab that one guy that makes it past me.” The man added, sure he offered to get started now but it had to be in the middle of the day. Their work usually happened at night.

Unfortunately for Durihan, Lilura would have none of this. Not after what he had been through. So instead of midnight riding or heaven forbid more corpse retrieval, Durihan was forced back to his room for some more rest. The man had rested long enough! But there was no winning in this situation now. Besides this was the second time that Lilura had saved his life. The man found himself bending knee more often then he was used too now a days. There was solace in that though, serving a noble house... Wasn't the royal family but still, Durihan could of left at any time but he hadn't. This had been his life before after all.

The next day however the man was ready to do something. Anything, food he devoured quickly. Any communication with Lilura had surprisingly gone on deaf ears. That one time out of a million when her presence was actually needed for guests. This was a real eye opener though, Durihan was actually bored. Sure that could be expected when someone stood guard for several hours, but at least then he was serving a purpose. This was just agony. Resorting to pacing the man went up and down his room, the sooner Lilura was finished with breakfast the sooner Durihan had an excuse to do something, anything. Digging up corpses was better then this!
 
Lilura had promptly turned down his offer to go ahead and start training her now, as well as his notion of working that night. He'd only just been let out of the infirmary and frankly she didn't feel like dealing with him over exerting himself and landing right back in it. She had had enough of playing caretaker with him. He'd seemed a little annoyed about it, but hadn't thrown too much of a fuss so she'd sent him on his way and went back to her usual routine of minding the castle and studying. That night, she'd found her mind wandering to the fact that Durihan was now back to sleeping right next door to her, and she wasn't entirely sure what to think or feel about that.

In the morning she had to deal with playing hostess to a some visitors, greeting them with her father and trying to seem both intimidating and welcoming. She just didn't have it in her to be warm or friendly, so that would have to do, she mostly enjoyed having that sort of position while also probably scaring them a little with her demeanor and the fact that she was the daughter of a witch. It was always surprising how hung up on that people still were. The fun wore off rather quickly though and only a few minutes into breakfast, Lilura was ready to be back in her room, away from the vapid, shallow creatures that were nobles. They had a son around her age and she knew her father was probably eyeing him as husband potential, and she was not interested. The boy was chubby and nervous looking, weak. But his family was slightly better off than theirs and that was the only thing that mattered to him.

Once breakfast was finally over, Lilura beat a hasty retreat to her room, and nearly ran into Durihan as he left his room. “Ah, morning,” she told him distractedly, moving around the knight to continue on towards her room, “That breakfast was a nightmare. I hate having to play nice.” She griped, brushing some imaginary bit of dust from her thigh as if brushing away her irritation.
 
After maybe the fortieth lap or so of his room Durihan couldn't take it anymore. He needed sunlight, needed a change of scenery. Something, anything thing really. So the man would leave his bedroom, wanting to first check and see if Lilura had made it back to her room or not. But before he had even made it two steps out of his room his little charge had almost ran into him. He was happy to see her, a smile on his face that seemed to go unnoticed as Lilura moved by him still on her way to her room.

“Morning to you too.” Durihan stated softly, following after Lilura but stopping at her door. More then likely she was going to change out of whatever she had put on for the guests. So their conversation would occur through the door till Lilura said otherwise. “We need to do something today.. It can be anything, a horse ride or something. I think I am going to go insane if I stay in this castle for one more day.” The man said through the door, waiting for her to reply.
 
Lilura disappeared into her room, thinking that that was the end of the conversation, and started to change out of the rather restrictive light blue dress her father had forced her to wear and into a dark blue tunic and black trousers, tucking them into her boots. She paused towards the beginning of her changing process though when she heard Durihan speaking through her door, griping about being bored and cooped up. That made the girl sigh as she got out of her dress, putting it away for it to be cleaned and pulling on her tunic instead, long pale legs sticking out from under the dark blue fabric. “I have to stay around the castle today because of the guests, so no horse back riding,” she told him.

She pulled on her pants next, doing up her belt before she went over and opened the door so he could come inside. The girl went back to her bed, sitting on the edge to pull on her socks and boots. Lilura frowned as she tried to think of something to keep him busy with that wouldn't require her leaving the castle, finally heaving a sigh. “What about teaching me to use a sword then? Would that do?” She asked him as she laced up her boots, “Nothing too heavy though, I swear if I have to put you back into the infirmary for a third time in less than a month I'm firing you and finding some one less accident prone.”
 
“Damn it...” Durihan cursed under his breath. Now the man wasn't some nature loving, feel good horse back riding kind of guy. But right now that sounded like paradise in comparison to the boring hell he was in right now. And sure, he was being a bit dramatic about the situation. But what else was he suppose to do? It wasn't like he could go get drunk again. Though appealing the thought sort of brought a foul taste to his mouth, a sharp pain to his stomach as he stood there.

The pain wasn't permanent, the moment Lilura opened her door it faded away. Durihan smiling as he looked to his charge. Following her into her room he found himself at a loss again. Was she going to shoot down every suggestion he had? However she did look like she was dressed for some sort of event. Pants, boots, tunic. Was a sudden change from her more regal dress wearing. The man's face how somehow brightening when she asked about teaching her to use a sword. That would do indeed!

“Nothing to heavy. Don't worry we won't even use swords for now.” The man added, he soon turning to open the door for Lilura. The best place for this sort of thing would be the courtyard or even the stables, but the courtyard would serve nicely. The man definitely had a little extra in his step as he walked with Lilura, definitely happy to do something, and even more so that it was teaching someone how to fight.

“A sword is nothing more then a piece of metal. Without someone to wield it, the piece of metal is useless.” Durihan started to pretty much lecture Lilura as the two entered the courtyard. “Before you can wield a useless piece of metal you must first be able to control that which controls the useless piece of metal. Yourself.” It was obvious from his tone and how he spoke that these words had been ingrained into his mind. Obvious training and creeds from his knighthood. But to hear him call a sword a useless piece of metal, not only once but three times would bring up serious questions about his attachment to his weapon.

Once the two of them were in the middle of the courtyard Durihan looked to Lilura. “I want you to stand right here.” Durihan pointed to a spot on the ground. Once Lilura moved there Durihand would bring his hand up, flat handed he pushed Lilura in the chest. Hard enough to force her to fall back and onto the ground. “I told you to stand here.” Durihan stated as he pointed to the same spot again, waiting for Lilura to stand back up. There probably would be another time to wonder if Lilura had ever been pushed around, if she had ever been man handled or forced to do something by physical means. Durihan would of bet that the answer to that question was no. Nothing against Lilura but she had a privileged life. Or at least a privileged up bringing. But now wasn't the time to wonder, Durihan was going to teach Lilura how to defend herself. All without using magic. Or at least he hope he would. She could quit at any second and that would be that.
 
Lilura almost immediately regretted her decision just from the look on her guard's face, he looked excited, which she had a feeling meant nothing good for her. Still though, she'd said she'd do it so she followed Durihan out of her room and down into the courtyard. She knew her father would likely disapprove of her learning to fight especially if their guests saw her, but since when did she let her father's opinion stop her from doing anything? She just wished she could summon the same enthusiasm obviously coursing through her guard.

As they walked to the courtyard, she listened to Durihan's little speech, a slightly disinterested look on her face. It was pretty clear she was indulging him to give him something to do, not because she actually wanted to learn to fight. So far, it was Durihan who kept getting his ass kicked not her. Lilura found his insistence about how swords were nothing but useless pieces of metal especially entertaining (in an exasperating way) because he treated his old dented up sword like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Once outside, she did as he told her, standing where he had pointed and just watching him, waiting for him to tell her to do something, but instead he pushed her! Hard! Lilura stumbled back, arms windmilling and letting out a startled yelp before she fell back and landed on her ass hard enough to make the girl grunt. She just sat there for a moment, a little confused, but mostly shocked, but when Durihan spoke, she glared at him, getting back up to her feet quickly. “I did!” She snarled at him, stomping back over and standing back where he was pointing, obviously fuming. “Why did you push me?” Lilura demanded, as he was correct in assuming she'd never been manhandled in her life, and she didn't like it one bit.
 
The girl's reaction was comical, the way her arms windmilled and she fell back onto her butt. The look she shot him only helped in making the man smirk, but this was all for a purpose. Even if it was a little fun to get Lilura all flustered and mad. But jokes aside he did want to teach her a very important concept and that was with or without a weapon she was what determined the outcome. She still had her hands, her feet, and technically her magic but this was in case her magic wasn't working.

“To see if you were ready to learn how to fight with a sword.” Durihan stated, smiling as his hands went to his hips. “Before you can take a swing you need to have proper footwork and stance. You lose balance and your opponent will run you through.” He added, starting to walk around Lilura at a rather slow pace. “There are many stances to take, many responses from footwork. It varies from person to person but everyone learns how to recover, how to stand firm, how evade, all to keep standing.” Durihan continued, stopping after he made a full circle around Lilura, standing right in front of her within pushing distance again.

“So we are going to learn how to stay standing.” He added with a smirk before he pushed her again. In the same way at the same speed and strength to see if what she would do. Who knew what was in her head, how to approach the situation or what to do differently. Or of course she could not be caring at all and just end up flat on her ass again. She did say that sword fighting was what she had Durihan for after all.
 
Lilura could tell that the man was enjoying himself, which of course just pissed her off even more. She stood with her arms crossed under her bust as he lectured her a little more, pointing out that it didn't matter how well you could fight with a sword if you couldn't even stay on your feet. Point taken, but she didn't see why Durihan had had to make that point by shoving her around. Well okay maybe it didn't make the point the best but she didn't care! She didn't like being pushed around.

She watched Durihan out of the corner of her eye as he circled her slowly, all the way until he came back around in front of her. She was pretty sure she knew exactly what he was going to do, and sure enough he moved to push her again. This time though, Lilura simply moved out of the way, twisting her torso so that while his hand did brush her shoulder, he mostly ended up just pushing air. “What, like that?” She asked him, still looking irritated, but obviously starting to catch on to his method. Lilura was never going to be a grunt, even if she prepared herself with a solid stance, a man like Durihan would be able to knock her over easily, she was small and slight, evasion was a better tactic for her than just brute strength.
 
“Just like that.” Durihan said happily, stepping back to watch Lilura as she stood there in front of him. He could just tell her what to do and then put her through the motions, but it meant more to actually figure things out on your own. And at least for Durihan he got to push Lilura around. Something he had definitely wanted to do a few times when the two butted heads here and there.

“Of course no person in their right mind is going to wait for you to be ready. They will watch you, study you, poke and prod. Attack and recede only to attack again.” Durihan started off once more, walking that same circle around Lilura. Only this time he would try to push her from the side. Try to push her from her back if she didn't turn with him. “How can you dodge what you can't see? Always stay standing but you don't have to stand still.” Durihan would say, doing this over and over till Lilura would circle with him. Even picking up to circle herself so that Durihan never gained any ground on her. The two moving on the same circle like animals getting ready to strike.

“And that is lesson one.” Durihan said after he stopped, smiling and even clapping a little. “I am proud of you Lilura. Keep what you learned today and apply it where ever possible.” He would add, this wasn't the longest lesson but definitely an important one. But now with the two just standing there and Durihan not so focused on sword training, the man found himself staring at Lilura. His hand came up which might have been an all too familiar threat after their little session, but he wouldn't push her. In fact his hand came up to lightly brush some of Lilura's hair from her face. “I didn't hurt you did I?” The man asked, actually caring if he had or not. Which was strange since he hadn't really cared about anyone else for quite some time now.
 
The lesson was... interesting if nothing else, a part of her thought that Durihan was only doing it for a chance to push her around and be the boss for a change, but she couldn't say she wouldn't do the same in his shoes. Once she got into it though, Lilura found she was actually having fun, not as much fun as a multitude of other things she would rather be doing, but this wasn't so boring or tortuous as she had thought it would be. And she thought she was doing rather well really. Durihan confirmed that for her at the end of the lesson, the girl trying not to look too pleased with herself. That would imply she actually had some sort of emotional stock in his now.

“Thank you,” Lilura told him with a slight nod of her head, feeling a little worn out by now, but trying not to huff or pant her breaths too much. She grew distracted though as he reached up and brushed from stray strands of black hair from her face, his calloused fingertips brushing gently against her cheek as he did. Her skin tingled in the wake of his touch, reminding her suddenly of when Durihan had kissed her in the infirmary, a memory she had been trying to put from her mind. Both the memory and his present touch made her face turn a little red, and made the girl glare a little, stepping back and away from him. “I'm fine,” Lilura answered him stubbornly, “I'm not so delicate as you think.”

She actually felt a bit of relief as a servant came hurrying over, interrupting them, but the girl glared all over again as she was told that her father was requesting she meet him early in his study before dinner with their guests. “Wonderful, he probably wants me to flirt with that dolt...” Lilura muttered before looking at Durihan, forcing a bit of humility. “Thank you for the lesson, it was... useful,” that was about as much of a compliment as she ever gave, since in Lilura's opinion, if something wasn't of use to her then she wasn't interested in it. And with that, she turned and left the courtyard, going back inside, not noticing that the necklace she often wore under her shirts or dresses was laying in the dirt from when he had first pushed her.

The piece of jewelery was old and worn, once a bright bronze though now a bit faded. It was a pendant, a knotwork pattern forming in the center with worn down runes along the outer edge. It was far from an expensive piece of jewelry, but obviously something of importance if Lilura was wearing it.
 
Durihan smiled when he heard Lilura thank him. Such words were few and rare when it came to the little lady so he took them with pride. Their fun over though as she left him. This had served to take up some time but the man was still at a loss at to what to do now. It was obvious that Lilura would be leaving him again, but after actually doing something like this the man didn't feel so confined or trapped in these walls. Truth be told he was already thinking of how to in corporate the next lesson. His gaze going to the ground, seeing their foot prints scattered in the dirt until he saw the necklace. He was quick to pick it up, not quite sure what it was but was definitely sure that it was Lilura's.

Her father had called for her, so obviously she would go to her father as quickly as possible in order to be done with him as quickly as possible. What surprise would it be to find her necklace back in her room? Durihan made his way back to Lilura's room, just a simple means of slipping in, laying the necklace down, and then leaving. It was obvious that Lilura didn't exactly like people in her room without her there. The last guard she had had ended up dead for snooping around. Durihan couldn't even remember the man's name, but that really didn't matter.

So Durihan would open the door slowly, turning around to make sure that no one had seen him. The last thing he needed was for some servant or guard to pass by and see him sneaking into Lilura's room. However when he turned back around what he found was not an empty room, he found Lilura's clothing that she had just trained in on the ground. He found noise coming from her bathing room. It only dawned on him now that she would of course need to be presentable when dealing guests. Of course she would get ready before showing her face again. Durihan found himself stunned, frozen even as he stood with his back to her door. The necklace of hers dangling from his hand. All he could do was stare at the door to her bathing room, what was he waiting for? He could still place the necklace and leave. But he didn't.
 
Of course Lilura had to go clean up before she went and saw her father, about the last thing she felt like dealing with was her father lecturing her about her appearance because she had turned up sweaty and covered in dust. And then he'd want to know why she was sweaty and covered in dust and it would just make her life easier if she turned up looking like she was ready for dinner with their guests. So she went up to her room, undressing as soon as she was inside, too preoccupied with thinking about... well... Durihan actually, to notice that her necklace was gone.

Her family was thankfully still rich enough to afford enchanted pipes, they heated and transported the water for you, so you didn't have to take all day waiting for your servants to heat up buckets of water by hand. So she drew up a bath in the large, copper tub and climbed in, letting her hair down and washing herself quickly. And of course her mind still wandered around Durihan. She didn't get it. He could push her around all day and she didn't feel a thing, but he touched her cheek and she goes all moon-eyed over him. Okay she was being a little harsh on herself, but still, it was ridiculous.

The bath was quick though, she knew her father would want to see her soon, so she got the dust off, rinsed her hair out, and got out of the tub. Grabbing a towel, Lilura tossed it on top of her head, using it to dry her hair a little, some of the fabric of the towel falling in front of her face. She didn't seem to notice though, she'd lived in this room for so long she could navigate it with her eyes close. So even with the towel obscuring her vision, she found her way out of the bathroom easily and out into her room, but didn't notice Durihan standing against her door, looking like a startled animal.

Lilura was a beautiful girl, well on her way to womanhood, but obviously still young. Baby fat still clung to her stomach and limbs, but even with that she was still graceful, the majority of her toned and curving. Her still growing breasts were full, almost as large as they would get, but not quite, and triangle of managed, curling black hair between her thighs was proof enough that she wasn't exactly a child anymore. Oddly enough, while it was obvious when clothed that she was pale, one didn't realize just how pale the girl was until she was naked, though there was currently a bit of a flush to it from her bath. Her skin was smooth and flawless like any noblewoman, and about the color of fresh milk, pale but healthy, a stark contrast against her black hair.

She sighed roughly, finally pulling the towel off her head, tossing it aside when she finally noticed something odd out of her corner of her eye and looked over. The girl's gray eyes went wide, and for a moment all she could do was stare at Durihan, her black hair still damp and a bit of a mess, before she let out a loud screech. “What are you doing?!” She screamed at him, not stopping to grab the towel back up and cover herself before she advanced on him, “GET OUT!” Lilura was livid, and still naked, all but roaring at him in an attempt to chase him out of her room.
 
Beautiful would be an understatement. Being gifted with a figure was one thing, but to have one at such an age truly was a blessing from the gods. Well, maybe a blessing to look at. Sure Durihan had seen her figure before, but never bare. Never like this. Her obscured vision only served in keeping Durihan in place. Not wanting to say a word to break what stealth he had. But he couldn't help and gaze at her body. Just the sight of her was an arousal in itself.

Not to toot his own horn or anything but Durihan had been with several women through out his life, more often these days with whores. And similarly once a woman had truly become a woman by laying with a man a sort of attention came with such an act. Grooming between the thighs, something he hadn't exactly expected from Lilura at all. Had she been with a man before? It only raised more questions seeing as she was noble which meant her virginity had well for lack of a better term price to it. Virgin marriage with another household meant well prosperity. Though that seemed more of Lennox's concern then Lilura's. Which only made Durihan smirk a little as he continued to well.. indulge in this moment.

And indulge he did. He was in no way unaffected by such things. And not in his armor he had no way to hide his own arousal. A bulge having formed to press against his pants, only continuing to grow as he stood there in for lack of a better term lust. He found himself fantasizing, walking over and taking Lilura on her bed. Pretty much enveloped by the fantasy it would come to a halt once Lilura screamed at him. He snapping back to reality to see Lilura looking back at him with her towel tossed to the side.
“What?” Durhian would ask out of confusion, though it didn't take long before Lilura advanced, shouting for him to get out. He reached behind himself for the door, missing the handle a few times as he couldn't remove his eyes from her.

“Here!” Durihan exclaimed, putting the necklace in Lilura's hand quickly before she could start slapping and hitting him. Once he had handed over the necklace the man quickly turned, opening and shutting the door behind himself before walking straight to his room. He didn't know what to say or do exactly, all he could think about was Lilura's naked body. The way she looked to him and he looked to her, and then of course how she exploded on him. The ex-knight smiling as he shut the bedroom door behind himself, still hard as ever though. Of course the thought crossed his mind then, would she kill him for this? Was this just as bad as threatening to turn her in to her father like the other guard threatened to do? Durihan didn't pay to much into that thought, but it definitely was there in the back of his head as he sat down on his bed. Still stunned, and still thinking of Lilura.
 
Lilura's assault faltered slightly when the former knight pushed something into her hand, giving him enough time to open the door and escape what would surely be a furious attack. As the door closed, she just stood there, shocked again now that the source of her rage was gone, only just now really able to process what had happened. As she did though, her face turned red. Durihan had seen her naked, and not only that, he'd been staring at her, and not a shocked, embarrassed stare, but an intense, hungry one. She felt her heart beating hard in her chest and she covered her face with her free hand for a moment, just trying to calm down.

Not that it was any of his business but no, she was not a virgin, it wasn't something she'd ever felt had any actual value. But everyone made such a big deal about it, and even in some of her spell books they spoke of how powerful sex could be, there were even rituals that used the energy generated by sex rather than blood magic. She'd given it a try, and been less than impressed, but the way Durihan had been looking at her... she couldn't help but be curious again.

After a moment, she managed to regain her senses enough to remember that her father was expecting her. She also remembered there was something in her hand, opening it to see the necklace that her mother had left her. Lilura sighed, realizing that Durihan had been bringing it to her, but didn't have time to dwell on it beyond that. She put the necklace back on, braided her hair, and got dressed before hurrying to her father's study.

That dinner was probably one of the most tedious and boring things she'd ever had to go through, made all the worse by the lingering thoughts of Durihan in her head while her father wanted her to try and flirt with their guests' son. She didn't even bother though, ignoring the glares her father continuously gave her. When they were done she went bat to her room, pausing to glance at her guard's door before going through her own and going to bed. The next day she went about her routine as usual, shutting away the leftover thoughts and feelings about what had happened the night before, even though she had had some dreams that had made her wake up with an elevated pulse.

With her emotions in check, Lilura found her guard, behaving as if nothing had happened at all. She had more important business to attend to anyway. She didn't talk to him in her room or his, they would provide the most privacy but she... just wasn't ready to be alone with him like that yet, and instead stood next to him on one of the castle's many balconies, her hands clasped in front of her, posture stiff and her face serious. “The materials you've been bringing me won't do for the work I need to practice tonight,” she told him quietly, not wanting to be overheard, “So, now's your chance to repay me for saving your life, twice, and for all the people I've killed for you.” The girl's tone was cold, all business.

“You know what I need,” the message would be cryptic to most anyone else, but he'd know what she meant. She glanced at Durihan, and walked away, her heels clicking softly against the stone floor.
 
Now the man wasn't some fletching boy who through confusion and lack of will to act would resort to masturbation in such situations. At the same time he wasn't about to just go into town and pay for some whore. So in a rather awkward state Durihan actually laid down in his bed, and just laid there. No action to relieve his current arousal, no nothing. Just a rather content moment of fantasy, of remembering what he had seen. Even though he called Lilura a little girl... It was very evident that she was a woman.

The following day would come and that rather revealing event would be buried much like their kiss had been. Durihan wouldn't press to much into it, Lilura obviously having her way in dealing with such things. But it was rather cute how she would break eye sight with him when they stared at one another, or how she wanted to meet on the balconies instead of in their rooms in private. He wouldn't berate her for it though, simply smirk and listen.

Though what she asked of him definitely had his mind elsewhere. Not only had she asked him to get her fresh corpses, she had reminded him that she had killed for him, and that she had saved his life twice. It was obvious she was asserting herself, and as of now Durihan wasn't in a position to refuse. He did owe her, and at this point he didn't mind the price. So once she walked away Durihan would do the same, heading to town instead of the forest.

And to repay his debt, an hour would go by and Durihan would be in the forest once more. The place where Lilura had summoned all those zombies some time ago had more or less became their meeting spot. It was better then the edge of the forest, anyone who might have been following Durihan would easily get lost if they followed. So Durihan would come upon the clearing, a large sack over his shoulder that at the moment wasn't moving.

“Just so you know.” Durihan stated, setting the sack down before slowly opening it. “A knight's life is worth fifty men. Or at least we are trained to engage that many. The way I see it I owe you ninety nine more.” And with that he pulled the sack off of a villager. One that had a rather mean looking wound on the side of his head. Blood already having stained the sack and much of his shirt. But the man was still alive, breathing slowly. Without saying anything else, Durihan grabbed the villager by his hair. Practically yanking him up to a kneeling position. His other hand grabbing a knife from his belt, and in one motion opened the villager's neck. The poor villager had started to open his eyes, becoming conscious of his situation. Just in time to get his throat cut open. With that Durihan let go of the man, wiping his knife on the back of the man's shirt before stepping back to let Lilura do as she wished.
 
Lilura waited for him in their usual meeting place, dressed in her normal garb of a part of dark pants and a tunic, a long cloak over her clothes. She was a little nervous, in all honesty, not about killing some one for her spell, it was very obvious by now to her and Durihan that killing was not an issue for her at all. She was more concerned with her guard's reaction to having to do this, he was supposedly a seasoned warrior, he'd killed many men in his life. But killing a man in combat and slaughtering an innocent life for a dark and profane ritual were two very different things.

But he showed up, a large sack in tow, and talked a bit about how many lives he owed her for saving his life twice. She was inclined, for a moment, to remind him that he was no longer a knight, and therefor no longer worth fifty lives. But if he wanted to owe her one hundred lives then she wasn't going to complain. Instead, she watched him slit the villager's throat. Lilura walked over and took out a large vial from her bag, holding it to the man's neck and letting it fill with blood before she pulled it away, wiped it on his shirt to clean it up a bit, and put a stopper in it. The blood of the innocent was potent, especially when it was blood taken from them as they died.

“Ninety nine more lives it is then,” she told him quietly, putting the vial away, before telling Durihan to drop him there. She stood aside, watching the life drain from the villager, it was only once the light faded from his eyes and his breathing stilled that she took out a different vial, this one filled with a silver, viscous liquid. “Calling back a spirit is more difficult the longer it's been away from it's body,” she told him, “so calling back a freshly separated one is the best way to practice. Especially if you have the body, or some part of it.” It was possible to call back spirits while having nothing of them that would tie them to the mortal plane, but it was difficult, and Lilura wasn't ready for that.

She poured the liquid onto the villager's body, doing so in a pattern that wouldn't be recognizable to anyone who didn't deal in necromancy, a vaguely spiral pattern, though more complicated than that. As she did this, Lilura began to murmur her spell under her breath, the now familiar green glow being cast off the silver liquid, and the girl's eyes turning milky before beginning to glow softly as well. This time, the green glow persisted, even after Lilura's eyes returned to normal, and she looked up as the green glow didn't seem to grow more intense as it seemed to simply grow taller, taking on mass, forming a roughly human shape. Slowly, it began to sharpen, to take on the features of the body at their feet. His eyes were open wide, panicked, his mouth moving, though no sound reached their ears at first.

It started as a muffled gurgle, like hearing water through a wall, then began to grow louder and words began to take shape. Finally, the ghost was speaking, though his voice still sounded distant, making it hard to make out all of his words, “What's... on? … am I?” He kept asking the same questions over and over, until Lilura spoke.

“You're dead,” she told him, her tone final, no nonsense, factual.

The ghost stared at her, then looked down, seeing it's own body. The green glow wavered, like the flame of a candle being teased by a breeze, and then the ghost let out a wail, an unearthly scream. And it didn't stop, not even when Lilura screamed at it to do so. Finally the girl let out an angry growl and took out a small pouch, taking a fistful of sand-like material and tossing it onto the body, shouting out a signal, ancient word. And the ghost disappeared.

“Well,” she sighed, “That wasn't the smoothest experiment, but it was still successful in the most basic sense. Baby steps I suppose...”
 
Durihan would nod softly when Lilura spoke of her task at hand. He was well aware that her talking about what was going on was much more for herself, to help focus and get herself prepared for what she was doing. Any distraction would be unneeded so Durihan made sure to stay quiet and just watch. Watch as that hauntingly fascinating green glow came back to them. Like always though his hand would rest upon his sword.. As if he could actually do anything in case of complications. Well with zombies he could cut them down... But spirits?

To his surprise the man he had just slain was standing before them. Well, standing in front of both them and his own body in some weird spirity vapor sort of form. The green light having taken on the shape of the man Durihan had killed only minutes before. A ghost, something Durihan had never actually seen before. His dealings had been with zombies and skeletons and the like, and even then only rarely. So to see a ghost was definitely a new and exciting thing, if not a horrid sight as well. Though who was he to judge now having such an active role in summoning the thing?

When the ghost started to scream Durihan would immediately grab his sword and start to pull, only getting about half way before Lilura demanded the ghost to stop. However the ghost didn't and before long Lilura put an end to it by her own magical ways. Durihan sheathing his sword with a smile. Having talked to her about how sometimes magic couldn't solve a problem, here he was with a sword that couldn't solve this problem. It was ironic really.

“What were you expecting him to obey you?” Durihan asked, not entirely sure how this wasn't a huge success. Any magic act was amazing to the man. And now more then ever was he actually admiring Lilura for what she was doing. “I don't know about you but that was amazing.” Durihan really had no idea what he was talking about, but he wasn't going to let the girl sell herself short. People could do that too easy to themselves as it was. In any case the experiment was done and the two would be back to castle Balfour like many times before. And now that Durihan wasn't getting drunk or trouble a sort of well routine could set in.

There was structure in Durihan's employment as Lilura's guard. Something that had been missing from his life for quite some time. So after a few days when Lilura asked him to meet her at the stables Durihan was a little confused but curious as to what was going on. Showing up to find Lilura already waiting for him. "Why are we at the stables so early in the morning Lilura?" He would ask as he approached, a smile on his face none the less.
 
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