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Somewhere in the world (Candira and runawayninja)

She snuggled into him as he covered her up with her robe and the blankets, grateful to have someone like him. His kiss to her neck tingled, but it was sweeter than the one before so the effect was more warming than smouldering. As he spoke, she trained her eyes on him and she smiled, happy that she could make him feel that way. "I'm glad you feel loved," she said, cuddling into him but looking away so he wouldn't catch what she had. She felt cherished and loved now--not to mention physically satisfied--in a way that only he could make her feel.

"You make me feel that way too," she said, yawning softly. "Silly sickness," she groaned. "I'm going to try and sleep for a little while." She smiled as he nuzzled her and closed her eyes. "If you'll stay with me, I'll meet you in dreamland," she said with a grin, her body slowly relaxing for more sleep so she could get rid of her cold.
 
Rafe smiled and nuzzled up against her. "I have before, dreamt of you I mean." He yawned just a bit, hugging her close as he wrapped an arm around her form. He slowly shut his eyes and waited to enter the land of sleep and dreams with her.
 
Candira made a note to ask him more about that later on, but she was too far gone into sleep. Within moments she was dreaming of Rafe. Her body cuddled against his as she got the rest she needed so very much.

In other parts of the castle, several priestesses had abandoned their duties to watch Lionel work. They whispered amongst themselves about how him, blushing any time he looked their way and sighing when he went back to work.

"He's so handsome!" one whispered to the other. "We've never seen someone like him here before..." This priestess was shorter than Nora with golden hair tied into pigtails. Her blue eyes raked over him to try and catch every detail. She was a bit flat-chested, but she looked sweet enough.

"Look how strong he is! He's putting our priests to shame with the load he's carrying. Such muscles..." Another one sighed and stared after him as though he were the only man in the world. This priestess had black hair and kept it long and straight, tied back with a ribbon in a single loose ponytail. She was taller and a little more endowed. Her brown eyes stared after him as she practically drooled.

"He's such a dedicated worker! I bet he'd make a great husband some day..." This one slipped away into a day dream, her green eyes looking a bit misty as she stood with a goofy grin. It wasn't until she felt a much older priestess tugging at her light brown hair that the skinny thing realized she was in trouble.

The old priestess cleared her throat. "Get back to work ladies. Our guest is busier than you." Much apologies from the young priestesses were tossed around before they took off, the elder priestess sighing before glancing at Lionel with appreciation for his body and work ethic. Then she was off. It wasn't five minutes later when another group formed, sighing over a man that wasn't for them.
 
Lionel was carrying wooden beams to build another good-sized smokehouse for the castle. He was moving a lot of heavy stuff about since he was capable of doing the work of the next two people. He was wearing his boots, some brown leggings, and a white linen shirt that was nearly clear from sweat as he labored under Dima's light, clinging to his skin, his body slick and with a light sheen about his flesh as he carried another stack of beams. He was either unaware or unmindful of his female admirers, only noticing that occasionally a group of priestesses had gathered and whenever he looked at a gathering of them, they scattered like a flock of birds.
 
When Nora managed to work her way to the end of the list of chores she'd been given, she decided to find Lionel and see if he'd like her company. Or, at the very least, to see if he would take a break and eat lunch with her. When she went outdoors to see if she could find him, she noted a gaggle of priestesses standing around sighing and whispering about someone. The mood was obviously one of admiration. Curiously, she came closer only to find Lionel looking rather...oh my...

She blushed softly as she saw him working and she gave herself a long moment to take in the picture of him working so hard. He was quite a sight. Quite a man. It was no wonder the priestesses here were watching him. And then it occurred to her that she didn't particularly appreciate that they were watching him like this. She could hardly blame them, but it wasn't as though they didn't have things to do.

So, she smiled softly and tapped on ones shoulder. "Excuse me. The abbess is wondering why we're falling behind in our chores. Are you ladies all finished?" She was polite and sweet, and the priestesses gasped before hurrying away and returning to their duties. Chuckling, Nora turned back to Lionel and came toward him when he wasn't hauling something heavy.

"Ready for a break?" She asked.
 
Lionel was breathing hard and firm. He looked at her and nodded slowly. "Yea, I think I'm pushing it too hard, maybe I'm just showing off a bit, but it's been a while since I got to do some decent labor. A good, hard day's work will make you healthy, strong, and ensure a good night's rest." He smiled just a bit, remember that bit of wisdom from his father's father.
 
She chuckled and nodded. "Maybe we should get you another shirt to wear. Looks like that one's not doing you much good." It gave her an excuse to look at him again, his hard body visible through the nearly transparent cloth. "I'm sure you don't need to show off, Lionel. The priestesses have been staring at you all day. I think if you just stood still they'd be fawning over you," she said with a chuckle. Of course, she was a bit jealous, but at least he wasn't paying them any attention.

"I'm glad you enjoy working like this. I think they'll put you to good use while you're here." She smiled and then held out her hand to him. "Come on--let's go get some food."
 
"Oh...umm, I haven't noticed really. Yea, I'll get a new shirt after I eat." He smiled just a bit and got up, following her. He was now actively looking around for these so called admirers. He smiled, maybe a little, liking the attention, but he was weary of such things, of pride and such things that turned men into being mindless of their duties. "Well...I like having something to do. And it feels me with pride to see labor done, progress made, and seeing my work put to good use."

He smiled, just a bit, at her. "Well...what about you? Were you fawning?" It was perhaps the most brazen thing he had ever asked her.
 
She caught him looking around for his fan girls and rolled her eyes a little, a little saddened that he'd be interested in such a thing. But at the same time, the show of humanity made him seem more appealing than he had been before. She looked at him once more as he told her he liked the way it made him feel to work like this. His next question took her by surprise. She was impressed with his gall, and the the small smile on his face seemed to suggest that he was hoping she had.

Blushing softly she turned away to face forward. "I wouldn't say I was fawning...admiring perhaps, but not fawning," she said, continuing along. Not that it would really matter. There was nothing she could do about it while he refused to let himself do anything.
 
"Is there a difference?" Lionel was genuinely curious about this. Admiring...was that really so different from fawning? Lionel smirked a bit when she wasn't looking. She was really cute with that blush on her face.
 
"Yes, there is a difference," she said, still leading him toward the kitchen. "Admiring is simply looking and enjoying the sight. Fawning is day dreaming and gossiping. You should have heard them going on and on about you," she said with a little smirk. In truth, it was kind of cute that he cared. But for some reason she kept blushing as she explained. It wasn't making the situation any better, and she didn't really want him to think of other priestesses fawning over him.
 
Lionel gave a soft shrug. "If you say so..." He didn't sound convinced at all as they made their way toward the kitchen. The cool air inside the castle was beginning to make his shirt less clear as it dried.
 
Men. She'd never understand why they couldn't get the subtle nuance of vocabulary. At any rate, she got the color of her complexion under control as they walked and his shirt became less transparent. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. The priestesses won't do anything, as much as they might want to. And neither will you." She smiled and then led him to the kitchen for some food.

"Are you very hungry?" she asked.
 
He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "I won't? How do you know? Maybe I'm not the man to think I am...however, I am very hungry, famished, and you are right about that. But..." Something crossed his face, something akin to a mischievous smirk, but only for a moment. "There is something about being fawned at by young priestesses that..." He sighed softly. "Might make a lessen man think of offending that gods." He looked at Nora's own priestess garb.
 
She gave him a rather bland, unconvinced look as he told her he might not be the man she thought he was. Oh, she highly doubted that. She raised an eyebrow and then turned to go into the kitchen when he went on about offending the gods. She turned to face him, about to say something and blushed as he saw him inspecting her rather closely. She had to hand it to him, though. He knew which buttons to press. There was no way he'd act on any of this.

"How fortunate that you're better than that," she said with a harsh kind of smirk before she went into the kitchen and asked for their food, and a little extra for Lionel. When she came back with a tray, she had herself under more control. "Where would you like to go to eat?" She asked, tilting her head and watching him.
 
"Your room...?" He said with an air of curiosity, as if he were covertly asking something. "But that might raise suspicion amongst the others here. Maybe in the gardens area. I like it there, it's cool and peaceful." He got up and smiled a bit, so she could see it. "I have good memories of gardens."
 
She gave him a little look as if to say, "really?" and rolled her eyes as he moved on. She blushed just a little at that last part, and couldn't help but be charmed by his smile. Damn him and his cuteness and that body of his...She stopped that train of thought before she could do anything else and then decided she should say something. "Alright then. Let's go to the gardens..."

So she walked toward their destination, tray firmly in her grasp, as she tried not to think about the fact that he seemed to really like her...but he was only teasing. While she was happy that he seemed interested, it made her sad to know that he'd never act on any of it. His teasing actually hurt her feelings a little because he didn't take it seriously...But she'd get over it. So she acted like it didn't matter much, her little quips and smiles betraying no such emotion. If he could hold back, then so could she...

In a few moments they arrived in a picturesque garden. The vegetable gardens had a separate plot of land. This was specifically for flowers and herbs used in healing and goddess ceremonies. Nora found a bench and set the food down first, sitting on one side of the bench, leaving room at the other end for him. She smiled and when he sat down she served him his food and went to her own. "This is nice," she said, enjoying the sights of the garden and the smells. The cool air was nice on a warm day like this one.
 
Lionel sat down and breathed in a deep breath. He looked about and took a moment to relax before he started to eat. "Thank you for coming and getting lunch with me. I do appreciate your company."

Rafe gasped and awoke with a start, startled and looking around. He breathed hard and slowly tried to calm down, hoping he hadn't awakened Candira. Rafe started to catch his breath, shutting his eyes and trying to wipe the images out of his head.
 
Nora smiled at him as she ate her stew. "Thanks. I appreciate yours too. I know you enjoy working hard, but try not to work too hard, okay?" She smiled and kept eating, enjoying the gardens as she shared lunch with him.

Candira's eyes fluttered open as Rafe jerked up and started to breathe hard. She groaned softly and propped herself up on her elbows looking up at him. "Rafe? What's wrong?" Yawning, she sat up straight and put a hand on his shoulder. "Did you have a nightmare?"
 
He shook his head slowly. "Just...go on back to sleep, you need your rest to get better." He rose out of the bed, drawing the sheets back over her as he walked to the window, staring outside. He face spoke of something dark and disturbing troubling him. His hand was visibly shaking. Something he dreamt had shaken him.
 
She sighed and shook her head. "Now, when you look like that, you have to know I can't just go back to sleep. I can rest while you tell me what's bothering you. Please don't shut me out," she frowned and watched him even though she stayed lying down as she said she would. She stared at him, wondering what it was that he'd seen. She wished so much that she could take away all that pain from him. But so long as the raven lord lie within him, any peace he might have would be fleeting at best. Which meant she needed to rid the world of the riders as quickly as possible.

For the moment, however, she wanted only to comfort him. "Please let me help you, love."
 
Rafe had figured that she wouldn't go back to sleep, he just felt the need to say that for her sake. He stared out the window, deep in thought. "I saw...what might happen if I lost control. This thing inside me is...growing. Becoming more than just a divine fragment...Candira, the Holy Beasts, they can become more. They can become demigods, divine beings in their own right. But they lack the full sentience, the divine wisdom of their parents. Its...I saw the world if Fate's plans come to fruition. It was..." He wiped his eyes. "Such horror..."
 
She slipped out of bed and came to him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder. "How awful," she said, frowning. He must have seen something particularly terrifying. The Raven Lord was great at giving graphic nightmares. Hugging Rafe closer, she kissed his cheek. "But the thing to remember is that it hasn't happened, my love. We have some means to stop it now. And soon we'll have a plan. You mustn't let your mind be taken in by possibilities of what could happen in the future. Be mindful of it, but don't let it drive you," she said softly.

Easier said than done, she knew, but he had her to keep reminding him of the present, and damn it if she wouldn't try her best.
 
"But something I don't understand. If this all works...the Raven Lord will be absorbed back into Sin. It will...cease to be as an individual. Is it trying to get me to destroy it? To...undo all that was done will mean the end of it." He seemed genuinely confused by this proposition. The Raven Lord had said to Candira that it had no sentience, only the instinct to destroy. What prompted this streak of nobility, if that was what it had intended.
 
She frowned and hugged him to her, nuzzling into his neck as she thought. "That is an excellent question. But when I spoke with him, he said he had no goal. There was only the desire to kill everything in his path. I don't know if I fully believe that, but I've no other choice. I don't know what the point of it all is, Rafe." She sighed and leaned into him. "Maybe he's just reminding us that we need to hurry." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Is there a way I can help you to forget, my love? I hate to see you in any pain..."
 
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