I Always Wanted You (how_is_you x N7Biotic)

[N7Biotic]

The Sun blazed brightly in the clear blue sky. The sounds of the tall tree's leaves rustling from the gentle breeze filled the air along with the sounds of laughter of small children playing nearby. The elvish village was peaceful. Mothers watching their children play in the open fields as they do their daily tasks. Fathers either helping their wives or off hunting. Music was always in the air here. In the distance, Fayeth could hear the sounds of flutes and the strings of lutes nearby from an older band of elves playing for their grandchildren. Tamed Beasts roamed the village as well either following an elf or two, basking in the sun, or running around playing with the children. Wolves, deer, bears, eagles, ravens, even otters in the nearby crystal clear lake joined in the safety and companionship of the kind and peaceful elvish people. Fayeth herself was weaving a flower crown out of the nearby flowers and grass in the grass itself as she awaited for her brother to return. Her brother seemed to be disappearing a lot more often lately and it began to worry her. Fayeth and her brother no longer had their parents since they reached the peak of elvish lifespans and joined the spirits a couple of years ago. Luckily, their parents left behind a cozy little home made of stone and straw within this peaceful village. It wasn't anything special, but it was all she and her brother needed.

Fayeth stared into the forest with longing with her emerald green eyes. Her long auburn hair gently blowing the in the breeze that stirred the leaves while a pair of pointed ears poked out cutely from her long hair. Her lightly tanned skin shone in the light of the Sun flawlessly. Fayeth wore a dress her mother had given her a long time ago that hugged her curves and brought out her eyes along with a necklace of a otter around her neck. Her body was well developed and untainted by the touch of others, something that she had been careful about. Fayeth was rather beautiful among her people and naturally was sought after by suitors wishing to have her, but there was only one person she really wanted: her own brother. It wasn't forbidden among the elvish laws to marry their sibling, but it was slightly looked down upon in the eyes of the public which was what kept her silent for all these years. As long as she could remember, Fayeth always wanted to be with him. The way he protected her from mean children never left her thoughts, even the nights of roaring thunder that he comforted her in didn't fail to make her smile. He was always there for her, her shoulder to cry on, someone who always made her laugh and feel safe, but she was nervous to tell him the truth. Fayeth feared he wouldn't return her affection and may even be disgusted by her, so she stayed silent for now.

A curious little raccoon sniffed his way to her side before curling up beside her and laying its head down with a little chatter. Fayeth had a special way with animals, some called her a natural animal tamer. She just wished she was as good with her brother as she was with animals. Animals just understood her without her having to do much, but it seemed like her brother was growing more distant from her and it hurt her chest just to think about it. That was when she came to the conclusion that she needed to do something. Her brother might stop coming back to her one day and she wanted him to at least know her truth. If she was going to lose him, she might as well get it off her chest so she could take the rejection and move on, but yet there was still a little bit of hope that he would accept her and stay with her to the end of their days. She wasn't sure what to do though. Telling him directly was impossible for her, but maybe another method could work. One where she didn't have to tell him directly, but still let him know what her true feelings were. Fayeth became lost in thought over this as her fingers worked on their own to work on the crown she was making, as she tried to figure out the best way to tell her sweet brother her true feelings.

 

[how_is_you]

Weeks of being in a castle with little light being allowed in had caused Rydel's initial reaction to the bright sun of the outside world to be legitimate pain; the brightness hurt his eyes. Walking to the carriage currently bumping its way down the road to take him to Elethdell had not been without a moment of the elf shielding his golden eyes from the sun. However, as the ride commenced and continued to its destination, Rydel had become accustomed to the sun once more, as he would have to if he were to stay in his home village between contracts. While his sister and the village at large was under the impression that he had gone to a college in the city to study for a year, they had been fed half truths. It was the truth that he had gone to what appeared to be a college in every face value imaginable, and he was studying there, but not for general academics or to be a mage. No, he had been picked out by a band of assassins to be among their fold, and the idea of killing for coin...well, frankly, it had excited him at the time. While he wasn't one to daydream of him being above the village he was raised in, the idea of a thousand gold each time someone less than likable was killed sounded like the sweetest music to him. It helped that his father had taught him self defense in secret, against his mother's wishes. Nothing particularly in depth, but the male elf could definitely wield a sword sufficiently enough in his earlier years.

The carriage hit a particularly harsh bump in the dirt road, causing Rydel to hit his head on the roof. Cursing loudly at the sudden but very slight pain, his pointed ears picked up the sound of the driver shouting his apologies back to his passenger. That passenger decided not to speak his mind; after all, it wasn't like the human piloting this carriage had any control over the condition of the roads. Rydel moved his one of his fingertips to the back of his right hand, a red glow appearing before fading when the fingertips were pulled away. While invisible to anyone looking, those inside the assassins knew how to produce the magical brand tying the elf to his new guildmates. It was simple, really: the insignia of the assassins (a pair of crossed daggers surrounded by a wreath of thorns) encircled in a red outline. It was unmistakable if one knew, and while it worried Rydel at first that it was so easy for him to cause the mark to appear, he soon learned that was because he had the mark on his body, and thus was able to make it appear for verification or what not. He sighed in relief knowing it was still there, wondering if it would disappear if he were kicked out before chuckling. Of course it would; no one left the Assassin's Guild still among the living.

Rydel heard the sounds of children playing and the sound of the driver calling back to him that they had nearly arrived. He sat up straighter, looking out the window of the carriage to see those aforementioned children gathering around the extravagant cart. Rydel had never been one for ostentatious clothing or travel, but the white carriage with gold trim was all that was provided, to keep the disguise legitimate. The elf waited patiently for the carriage to come to a complete stop, checking his belongings as it did so. A knapsack full of books, his coin pouch attached to his belt full of 500 gold coins, and his leather necklace with a red gem attached. That was a gift from his late father, and Rydel had worn it day to day without break ever since his passing. Wearing a set of simple commoners clothing, Rydel scooped up his knapsack and stepped out of the cart, the sun hitting his eye once more and causing him to raise his hand to his forehead, the shade cast over his eyes welcome. His long black hair gently blew in the breeze, his eyes scanning for anyone he recognized.

 

[N7Biotic]

The sight of the carriage had drawn attention from a few children as well as other villager goers. Fayeth's own eyes drifted over from her finished flower crown to see it herself. At first, she was a bit curious as to who would visit their village and had a bit of hope that it was her brother who had returned to her. The sight of her beloved Rydel stepping out of the carriage brought a large smile to her lips. She could never get over how handsome he was. He nearly took her breath away when she saw him step outside of the carriage with the bright Sun shining down upon him. It had been weeks since she's last seen Rydel and seeing him now, only refreshed the unusual feelings she had for her own brother as her heart quickened at the mere sight of him. Fayeth was so proud that her brother had gone off to a college for academic study to better their lives, but it also hurt to know that he would be gone for so long. The villagers were supportive of Rydel's decision and often helped Fayeth while he was away given the circumstances. She had even learned to use a bow and arrow to be able to hunt for herself as well as a bit of dagger play in case she was ever attacked in the safety of her home. It had been so lonely being alone in their family home by herself for so long that she longed for her brother to return home, even for a little bit. Fayeth could barely contain her excitement when she got a letter from him telling her that he planned to return home. For how long he was going to stay, she wasn't certain, but nonetheless, she was overjoyed to see him return to her.

Fayeth got up from the ground in excitement, mildly disturbing the resting raccoon who had curled up beside her, but it didn't seemed to be too bothered about it since its main concern was going back to sleep. She eagerly ran to the carriage calling out her brother's name, "Rydel!" She greeted happily. When she got close enough, Fayeth wrapped her arms tightly around her brother and squeezed him tight. "I missed you so much!" She smiled. After a few long seconds, Fayeth finally let go of him and placed the newly finished flower crown she had been working on upon his head with a playful chuckle. "I made that for you since it's been so long." She teased playfully. It wasn't unusual for Fayeth to make flower crowns for her brother since it had been a thing she's done ever since she was a little girl once she learned how to make them. She took his hands into her own and smiled up at him, "How's college been? Did you learn anything great? Meet new people? You have to tell me everything!" She smiled excitedly up at him, eager to finally have her sweet, handsome brother back in her life and just for a little bit, not feel so lonely.

Despite her excitement, there was a tinge of fear that hid inside of her. One of Fayeth's biggest fears was to hear that he had found a woman that he had fallen for. College was a place to meet plenty of people, women included and the idea of him finding someone before she had the chance to confess to him made her chest tighten in pain. She wanted to tell him, just one time to get it off her chest. It was starting to hurt her too much to keep it contained. She was tempted to tell him right then and there while she was holding his hands. Fayeth was fighting the urge to kiss his lips, but instead kiss his cheek instead. It wasn't as rewarding as kissing his lips would have been, but it was better to wait for that sort of thing when the moment was right. "You must be tired from the trip." She spoke again with a gentle smile. Fayeth would of offered to help carry his things home, but he didn't bring much with him so there was no real need to do so. "Oh, you must be hungry too! Let's get you home so I can make you something to eat." She grinned, forcing her hand to let go of his before her brother might of noticed how long she had been holding it.

 

[how_is_you]

While the sun blinded Rydel, it certainly did not deafen him, and he heard with crystalline clarity the voice of his sister. His heightened situational awareness from his training caused his eyes to lock onto the source of the voice calling out to him rather immediately. As soon as his irises focused on her a wide smile came to his face, and he welcomed Fayeth's tight hug with outstretched arms of his own, arms which wrapped themselves gently around her waist as the hug commenced. He didn't mind in the slightest the duration of the hug, and chuckled himself as the flower crown was placed upon his head. He was sure somewhere in their home he still had previous headwear that she had crafted, but the flowers themselves might have died from the time passing. His voice, deep and seeming to constantly try to soothe anyone he talked to, spoke quietly in response to Fayeth. "Oh, Fayeth, I've missed you myself. It has been ages, that much is for sure." The three rapid fire questions that were sent his way were not lost, each and every word hitting his ear just as clearly as the last. "College was educational, as one would expect. I learned a few things, mainly about nature, which was a subject I gravitated towards. As far as people...well, no one special, not as special as you, sister." Much like the peck that Fayeth planted on her cheek, Rydel left one of his own, though it was chaste in nature. In the past, he had certainly felt feelings for his sister, but talks with priests and the like when they visited their village made him squash them down rather effectively.

When Fayeth brought up his perceived exhaustion from his trip, Rydel shook his head. "No, I am rather well..." His words trailed off almost immediately into a yawn, betraying his words about as effectively as the dark circles under his eyes. They were from late nights, though not specifically from studying dusty tomes. Chuckling at the contradiction, he shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I may be a bit tired, I suppose." The offer to help carry his bags was declined with a gentle shake of his head, the strap of his knapsack readjusted on his shoulder with a simple arm movement, though simply the mentioning of food had caused his stomach to rumble and his mouth to begin watering. He loved his sister's cooking, and while the food at the Assassin's Guild was nourishing, it wasn't exactly flavorful, and the meal he was about to receive was one of the motivating factors to his return home when offered. The parting of their hands didn't spring any sort of alarms in his mind about what his sister was thinking, but once his hands were released he shifted his knapsack once more, motioning with a free hand towards her. "Well, if we are to return home, then it is only fitting that you lead the way, Fayeth. You might have moved house in my absence!"

Chuckling at his joke, the 'student' wondered if the correctness of his speech was too much. He was trying to put on a learned air to better fool his sister and the rest of the villagers that he had indeed studied at the college, but the fake words coming out of his mouth seemed overkill. As the pair of them walked to their home, wherever that may be, his eyes darted along rooftops and down alleyways whenever Fayeth was not looking in his direction, his trained eyes scanning the darkest corners of the village for attackers. He didn't want to be exposed for his newfound skill at combat by some mugger or drunk fool.

 

[N7Biotic]

The feeling of being in her brother's arms again was nearly indescribable. Every moment she felt him holding her, Fayeth felt so safe. Like nothing in the world could hurt them, not even a starving dragon. She giggled at his reaction to her flower crown gift, glad to see that college hadn't taken away his playful side from her. Her cheeks blushed a little hearing that he missed her a lot too. If only he knew just how much she missed him. If it wasn't for her fears, Fayeth may have kissed him on his lips at the first sight of him. Fayeth was happy to hear he had been enjoying his studies at the college. She's heard some horror stories of how certain people were chewed up by colleges or lost interest in their studies often enough to cast them into limbo of what they wanted to do. Yet, her brother seemed to have none of those problems and it was a delight to learn of that. She tried not to make it look too obvious that she looked happy to hear that he hadn't found anyone to take his hand that wasn't her yet. It was a relief to hear that she was still his one and only girl or else, her heart would shatter and her secret would remain hidden for more years to come. If things kept going this way, the idea that Fayeth had come to would come to her more easily. Her thoughts however were suddenly cut off when he called her special and kissed her cheek in return. She knew he was simply being a sweet and amazing brother as usual, but the feeling of his lips touching her cheek made her heart flutter in a way that nearly made her light headed. Luckily, she was able to recover quick enough to not make it too obvious that she was overly happy for a quick kiss on the cheek from her own brother.

Fayeth knew Rydel well. She knew he was tired and hungry from the moment she saw him. Others wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Fayeth knew him too well to be blind to what he did. Rydel was always the type that made sure that no one had to worry about him in any way, despite having need of something. Sometimes he would pretend to not be hungry after a hard days work, but the moment she put something in front of him, he would show otherwise. It was one of the things she found cute about him and it was something she could never come to dislike as long as it didn't become serious. She chuckled when his body gave away his true needs instead of the lack of them his voice told and she chuckled some more seeing he was eager to have her cooking again. That fact made her blush some more. Fayeth didn't think she was too skilled, but she wanted to make her brother happy in anyway she could, so she learned the best she could. Besides, she always had a fantasy of being his pretty little wife and cooking home meals for him whenever he came home to her, a fantasy she hoped would some day come true. "You know I wouldn't leave that house! It's been in our entire lives." She teased playfully as she lead him back home to the cozy little stone and straw cottage that had given them so many memories. Rydel's manner of speaking was a bit jarring at first, but she couldn't be too surprised by it. After all, he was becoming smarter everyday he spent at the college and that way of speaking did make him sound more intellectual. If that was the only thing about him that changed, Fayeth was more then happy to deal with it. In her excitement, Fayeth hadn't kept too close of an eye on him, but something about him did seem a little tense. Though, he had been studying hard at the school and looked exhausted to her, so she didn't think it was anything more then that as she saw him looking around in odd ways, like he was searching for something.

Once they have reached their childhood home, Fayeth opened the door for them to go through. While the cottage itself wasn't anything special or fancy, it worked for their small family of two and most often, one. It had everything a home needed to make a small family comfortable while also having a homely feeling, but Fayeth assumed it was mostly due to the fact that this home had been in their lives since birth. Fayeth made her way to the fireplace and worked towards getting it started to warm up their home. The Sun would be lowering down for the day to end any moment now. Now, the children would be returning home or very well on their way to. Everything had been the same as Rydel had left it, the only difference was that it strangely looked happier with Fayeth being the one taking care of it and their parents being passed. She hadn't told him yet, but she often had little Beast companions drop by during her days to seek comfort and care from her and the kindness she showed to them and everyone who come to her was in the air itself. Once she got a good, strong, small fire going, Fayeth turned to look at her brother. "Why don't you get settled, while I make us something to fill our bellies." She smiled before making her way to the kitchen area to start cleaning off some potatoes in a bucket of water and pulling a dagger out from her side to start peeling one while she hummed a little song.

 

[how_is_you]

Fayeth's giggle was worth all of the trials and tribulation that Rydel had gone through in his training, if he were honest. It was a rather innocent sound, a sign that her soul had yet to be truly tainted by evil forces, and that lifted a bit of weight off of the male sibling's shoulders. Who knew if someone had taken advantage of his absence to try and violate her in some unspeakable way? Even though he had been training to kill for money, even they were usually indescribably horrible people. The guild was no troupe of do-gooders, but at least the powers that be controlling the contract approval were somewhat compassionate. If they had two contracts pending, one for a homeless beggar and one for a cruel tyrant, they would go for the tyrant. Even if the job would be more difficult, it usually paid more anyway, offsetting the costs of such an endeavor. While he was sure that the new habits he had picked up in his training would not cause any cause for alarm in his sibling, such as speaking more formal in language and constantly scanning dark corners for threats, Rydel was concerned that she would sense something was off about him. After all, they were close as siblings, especially so after the passing of their parents, and even the most minute thing being different about Fayeth would be detected by her brother. He simply assumed it was the same the other way around.

Hearing her joke about how their quaint living situation had been all they knew, Rydel chuckled. While he was certainly given some of the more lavish beds and the like at points in his training, most of the time he was sleeping on hay stacks and simple cots. Nothing too comfortable, so the difference of an actual mattress would be noticed and even somewhat appreciated by him. He did also take notice of the different feel of the home, the simple air of kindness a stark contrast to the low hanging dread of the training halls, and the exhaustion of the beds near those halls. He looked for any material differences as she tried to get a fire going, noticing the setting sun, and also noticed the lack of major changes to the furniture. Sure, decorations were different, but the arrangement of beds, chairs and end tables had remained quite consistent. Maybe that reminded Fayeth that he was returning, and to keep holding hope for that moment? Who knew.

Returning to the living space of the cottage, he paused a moment before heading into the kitchen, watching his sister peel potatoes and the warm humming while she worked. Her happiness that he had come back was evident to anyone who looked, especially Rydel. A cynical side of him thought she would have 'moved on,' so to speak, but that definitely was not the case. He walked forward to the counter himself, pulling another potato and dagger, washing it as she had and beginning to peel it himself. He noticed the way she handled the dagger, and furrowed his brow. "You seem to handle that a bit better than when I had left. Did someone teach you to fight?"

 

[N7Biotic]

For the most part, Fayeth let the house be as it was since their parent's passing. Naturally, she changed a few decorations to fit more with their style of art or interests instead of just their parent's interests, but otherwise she left everything in its place. It just felt so right to have all the furniture as it was. She didn't know if it was simply because she was comfortable and nostalgic with it as it was or if she genuinely thought the furniture looked the best it could be as it was. Maybe she simply wanted Rydel to be there when she made a change to see if he liked it too since it was his home too. Whatever the case may be, it still gave their home a safe and welcoming atmosphere. The only room that she truly messed with was her own room. When Rydel left to go to school, the neighbors and other elves who knew her would occasionally give her something new to decorate her room with. Normally, the gifts were intended for the house itself and not just her room, most of them ended up there anyway until she knew that Rydel would like it too. She hadn't even touched her parent's old room or her brother's room since he had left outside of cleaning them. However, when Rydel left her for college, Fayeth did lay down on his bed every now and then just to feel like he was nearby. She had been lonely in the house all by herself and sometimes, laying there where her brother once slept gave her enough comfort to last her for awhile. Sometimes she would be so peaceful while she laid there that she would fall asleep on his bed just like she use to when she was a little girl scared of the dark or the thunderstorms raging outside. It made Fayeth smile to remember how she would sneak into his bed, shaking and sometimes crying in fear only to be comforted by his warmth and the strength of his arms around her. A part of her yearned for that again, but knew that this was the wrong time to ask for him to hold her just one more time.

As Fayeth busied herself with preparing for dinner, she was lost in her thoughts for a moment. Rydel had only been home for a few moments and it already felt like home again. For some reason, while Rydel was away, she felt like a part of her was missing, like he took a part of her home with him to college. Yet, now that he was back, she felt whole again. She still kept up a happy smile and sweet demure when she was out, but when she got home, her smile was rarely used. Fayeth would try to distract the hole she felt inside of her with books, music, anything really if it meant the hole could go away for just a few moments, but now with Rydel here, she can finally feel like herself again. Her hands were working skillfully at peeling each potato after washing it off that by the time Rydel came to her, she had already done a good couple and only needed a few more before she had to dice them up to put into a pot. She had decided to make one of Rydel's favorite stews. The idea of giving him something warm and comforting to welcome him home sounded like a lovely idea. Luckily, she had everything she needed to make it, even meat to give it extra flavor and something other vegetables to put inside of it. It was normally a bit tricky for a female in the village to catch her own meat since it was typically the male of the house's job to hunt, but luckily, her skills with a bow had come in handy to catch a young buck with the help of a experienced hunter to help her learn how to skin it properly without ruining the kill. Elves were very careful with these things since Beasts were close to them, if she had ruined the meat in someway, she would be especially awful since she was the one to take his life in the first place, but luckily, she seemed to be a natural hunter according to the hunter who taught her everything she needed to know.

Fayeth was a bit surprised to see that Rydel had picked up a potato himself and started to help her with peeling them. "Oh, Rydel you don't need to do that." She chuckled a bit nervously, "But...thank you." She smiled a bit sweetly to him. She wasn't going to argue with her brother over his participation in helping her with dinner despite not wanting him to think he needed to help since he was home now. If anything he should be relaxing, but she would be lying if she said she didn't like him helping her with things. Fayeth realized he noticed her skills with a dagger now, seeing how skillfully and effectively getting the potatoes peeled and set aside to be sliced up some more. "Well...a little." She admitted to him. "Vulen taught me a few things." She confessed a bit shyly. Vulen had been the more persistent of her suitors, even when Rydel was around. He often explained how he would protect her and take care of her, but she always denied him. Vulen wasn't a bad man, if anything he was the one every women in the village dreamed to have, but Fayeth already had her eyes on someone else, even if it wasn't the most smiled upon. He offered to stay with her while her brother was away to help pick up the pace, but when she denied him again, he requested if he could at least teach her a thing or two. "He didn't like the idea of me staying alone, so he wanted to at least teach me a few things in case I got attacked. I didn't think it would actually happen in our village, but I still thought it was useful to learn. Oh, and I'm getting pretty handy with a bow too! I took down a buck the other day and our neighbor taught me how to properly skin it." She explained with a bit of excitement as she reached within their pantry to grab a few carrots to start working on once the potatoes were done.

 

[how_is_you]

Rydel simply smiled as his sister said that he didn't need to assist, and only nodded when the thanks was given in resignation. the brother was actually a tad bit surprised that his helpful nature had survived through his training, though perhaps in some twisted sense he was simply reallocating that helpfulness towards more violent means. After all, people paid rather large sums of money to have the requested targets perish, often with bonuses for particular methods or locations. Most of the assassins did not go for the bonus requirements, but Rydel had made it a point to follow the contracts he received to the letter, bonus or no. So, if someone was to be poisoned, then the target would suddenly find their red wine a tad bit more bitter than usual. If a monk were to die in a temple, then Rydel would make it a point to hide in plain sight as a monk himself, follow the target to a secluded area and slit his throat. So, his helpfulness hadn't died; it's nature had just been twisted.

As Fayeth explained how she had earned her skills with the dagger, the name of her tutor sent a wave of irritation through him. Vulen was certainly a good man, and Rydel had no doubts that if his sister had chosen him then every promise the man had made would be fulfilled to the umpteenth degree. However, his bullish persistence of her despite her constant denials of his affections was what had truly stabbed the protective side of Rydel's personality so fiercely. For whatever reason, that particular trait rubbed him the wrong way, and in a sense Rydel was glad that such a side of him had not faded, much like the helpfulness. However, the sibling smiled at the notion of Vulen teaching his sister some self defense techniques; it saved some sorry fool's life more than likely. Upon the claim of the deer, Rydel felt his face brighten in pride, and he nodded his head in appreciation of her achievement. "Well done, Fayeth. To think women cannot be hunters...you're living proof of the contrary!"

Finishing his current potato, Rydel reached for another. He himself was more skilled with a blade than he was when he had left, but he was a few steps ahead of his sister when he had left, and if he were to be honest, it seemed to be an even shift. Unlike deities, however, Rydel was not perfect, and as his sister reached for the carrots, the motion grabbed his attention. That brief stint keeping his eye away from his task caused the dagger to slip, and nick his thumb. Rydel hissed in pain, dropping both the potato and the blade as he withdrew his hand, a curse rumbling out from his throat in a low tone as the few red drips of blood leaked down his hand. The brother lifted his thumb to his lips, sucking gently on the wound to assist with the healing.

 

[N7Biotic]

As she explained how Vulen had aided her a bit while he was away, Fayeth noticed that Rydel's expression had a very faint sign of irritation and felt herself smile about it. She loved it when Rydel grew protective of her or looked bothered when someone came up to flirt with her. It was always her favorite sight ever since she was a little girl. Her brother rushing in to rescue his sister in distress from either from a little boy being too rough with her or teasing her too harshly to the point she cried. It just escalated to the point that instead of children, he was fighting off suitors that couldn't take no for an answer or that clearly made her uncomfortable to be around. Fayeth knew she shouldn't love those acts so much from her own brother, but it gave her hope that maybe her brother may return her feelings when she confessed to him. She tired told herself that he was just being a normal brother in taking care of his sweet sister from any potential men that could hurt her or break her heart, but she couldn't resist the image that he was protective of her because he had feelings for her. It was just a silly little fantasy of her's that she doubted was really true, but she supposed she would have her answer by the end of the night after she put her plan into action.

Hearing Rydel praise her for her kill made a rush of red rise up to her cheeks. She was proud of herself for the kill, but hearing someone she loved so dearly be so proud of her made her a bit flustered. Fayeth wished she could always make him proud of her, just so he would never stop looking at her like he did now. She had to fight the urge to wrap her arms around him and plant a kiss onto him. Fayeth had to wait for the right moment to do so, or else, she could destroy every chance she might have of making this work. Though, it was becoming harder and harder to do so. She was going to have to figure out how she was going to do this, to be able to muster up the courage to put her plan to work. The first part would be the hardest and the rest would just simply fall into place. His reaction once he realized her true feelings was what scared her the most out of all of it, but she had to have the courage to get it started to in case it may work out in her favor. Fayeth didn't think that Rydel would be disgusted with her and refuse to talk to her anymore once he knew. It was a fear she had naturally, but one that seemed the least likely. She just didn't want things to be awkward between them and have to face that embarrassment everyday for the rest of her life, but she couldn't keep this hidden forever or it might kill her. However, in her eyes, the lifetime of embarrassment once he found out would be worth just one kiss she might get from him.

Rydel's sudden hiss caused Fayeth to take her attention away from the carrots she had just gathered and caused her moment of thought to disappear to see why her brother made that sound. She saw the potato he had grabbed and the knife fall as he brought his thumb up to his lips to suck on it. Fayeth knew immediately what had happened just from that brief moment and felt a sense of worry shoot through her chest. "Rydel!" She called out a bit worried, "Are you okay? It's not bad, is it?" She asked with concern in her voice. Fayeth knew from experience that a knife could cause a pretty good sized cut on one's fingers if it slipped and worried that he had accidentally caused one. She was tempted to rush to the bathroom to grab a bandage for him, but didn't want to make herself fuss over something that didn't even need that much attention. Her hand went up to touch his gently as she looked up at him with concerned eyes, "Can I see it? I just want to make sure it doesn't need patching up..." She softly spoke, her fingers wrapping themselves around his hand gently, but not making any motion until her brother gave his answer.

 

[how_is_you]

Fayeth's concern was touching, but this cut was barely even considered a cut by him anymore. Whereas in his younger years he would bawl and cry over it, and just before he left he wouldn't want to do anything close to what caused that injury, now Rydel was much more resistant to pain, and as such the sting of sucking on his thumb wasn't even felt. It took his sister coming to more or less beg him to look at the cut for him to remove his thumb from his mouth, and even then when he looked at the injury again it didn't appear to him to be anything to serious. However, considering the fact that his blood was starting to dry on his hand, it was likely she may think differently about it.

 

[N7Biotic]

Fayeth knew she might of been overreacting to what could be nothing, but Rydel had only just returned to her after being away for so long. The idea of him getting hurt on his first day back made her worry, though in truth it was probably nothing more then a little nick. Still, she wanted to take a peek at it, just in case. Once his thumb was freed from his lips, Fayeth took his hand in both of her own to look at the cut. The cut itself didn't look too bad, something that could barely be considered a actual cut. However, the sight of blood did bring a bit of worry back into her. "It doesn't look too bad luckily..." She commented, seeing that there was still a bit of fresh blood on the skin of his thumb near the cut. Fayeth brought his hand closer to her lips so the tip of her tongue could clean off the little bit of blood that remained behind. She knew Rydel had already sucked on it before, but she felt compelled to clean off the rest of it that managed to seep out while she was examining it. She could feel her cheeks growing warm from feeling her tongue grazing his skin for a second before pulling her lips away. "It looks like it stopped bleeding completely now." She commented after a moment of silence, referring to the fact that no more blood came free from the cut after her tongue lick off the last bit of it. "It doesn't look too bad, just a little cut." She smiled and chuckled a bit, "Sorry...I reacted a bit much...I thought it was worse then it was." Fayeth still held onto his hand despite the fact she was done looking at the cut, hesitating to let it go before realizing she had been holding onto him for a bit too long. She forced herself to let go of his hand and smiled, "I better finish up these carrots...there's really not that much left to do. I know you're starving, so I won't make you wait too much longer." She smiled sweetly, changing the subject to keep herself from blushing anymore then she already was.

After the incident, Fayeth was adamant that Rydel take a seat and just tell her about what he's experienced so far at school. Luckily, he seemed either understanding or unwilling to fight her after seeing how worried she was for him over a cut. Besides, she wanted to know everything that he's learned, the people he's met, what it was like being away from home, anything and everything he could tell her. While they talked, Fayeth kept her hands busy with preparing dinner for the two of them. Since they were only two people instead of a whole family, she didn't have to make too much, which helped on time. It was starting to get late as it was and she was sure Rydel would want to sleep in his old bed after they ate and once he did, Fayeth could finally start to act on her confession to him in the best possible way she saw. She sliced the carrots and the freshly peeled potatoes, chopped up a few onions, and finally added some of the venison she had hunted herself into a pot to make the stew that they use to eat together as kids that their mother normally made for them after a long day of playing. She got the fire started to cook it all together and sat down with Rydel for a bit to talk more about his time at college, fully engrossed in everything he had to tell her. Luckily though, it wasn't long before the stew was ready and the two could finally eat.

Fayeth went to grab a couple of bowls and spoons for them before serving Rydel at the very table their family use to eat together at. "Here you go. I hope you like it. It's been awhile since I've made anything for anyone but myself." She chuckled a little before making herself a bowl as well and sitting down at the table with him. She remembered Rydel enjoying her cooking before he left her, but she was always worried about disappointing him. Fayeth wanted him to love her, hopefully more then a brother would usually love his sister. A part of her hoped that showing him how much of a good wife she could be would entice him to her. As far as she could tell, he didn't seem to have his eyes set on any women in the village and hasn't spoken too much about the women he met while he was away, so Fayeth had hope that there was a chance for her. Just the idea of one day being his wife brought her joy. It was how she knew it wasn't just a sisterly love she had for him. She wanted to be with him, to kiss his lips, to feel them share a bed every night, and maybe even wed, but the only way to do that was to take a leap of faith, one that she prayed would have the outcome she wished for. She took a bite of the stew she had cooked for them and found it to taste slightly better then before. Probably because she made it with him in mind instead of herself. "Mmm. I think it's better now actually now that you're home." She managed to smile, "Do you like it?" She asked him, hoping that he did.

 

[how_is_you]

Rydel had to admit that the actions his sister took were beginning to make his brain try to figure out where it was all coming from. The most probable answer to that thought process was that he just wasn't used to her normal nature since he had been away for so long, but her licking the bit of blood leftover from his 'injury' caused his head to tilt to one side out of sheer curiosity. Her persistence on him not assisting with the meal after this incident had passed was met with lighthearted chuckles and giving up, raising his hands in mock defeat and sitting at the kitchen table as she requested. When asked about his time at the college, he held nothing back, feeding his sister the believable lies of study and socialization that the assassin's guild had given to him. As honorable as they were, they were still assassin's, and the world knowing that paid killers were operating from the heart of the city would bring fire and brimstone to the compliant government of the kingdom.

Her comment bidding him to enjoy the meal was met by a warm smile and equally warm words of thanks. Much like a man sent to the crown's military, he had learned out of need the method used to eat quickly without choking. It took a lot of effort to restrain that, so Rydel decided to try and play off the rapid consumption as him enjoying the stew. Taking one spoonful, he blew on it to dissipate the heat a little bit and placed it into his mouth. Once the flavors of her cooking hit his tongue, he raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, chewing thoroughly as if savoring the first bite before diving in and eating his new 'normal' pace. He shoveled the food into his mouth, barely chewing after that first mouthful, and after a few minutes, he had finished the rather large serving of food.

Sighing contently, he leaned back in his chair, his hand patting his stomach. He wasn't acting any longer, that was good food, and it was certainly more flavorful than the food he had experienced in his training. "That...was wonderful, Fayeth..." As a bit of added punctuation, his body sent a belch up his throat and out of his mouth, causing a bit of red embarrassment to rise in the male elf's cheeks as he covered his mouth, muttering 'excuse me' under his breath.

 

[N7Biotic]

A little chuckle escaped Fayeth's lips as she watched Rydel rapidly eating the meal his own sister had made for them. She's never seen him eat so quickly before. However, Fayeth simply concluded that her brother was simply just as hungry as she suspected him being. After all, they spent most of the day just trying to catch up on everything and she knew the journey from the capital to their humble elvish village was a long ride, so she doubted he got to eat much at all today, but seeing him enjoying her cooking was perhaps one of the best sights she's seen in the past few years. Even the little shocked expression he made made her smile. At first, she was worried that she somehow got worse rather then better and half expected him to spit out the spoonful he let in his mouth, but the moment he kept eating with vigor relieved her a bit. Her cooking shouldn't be that bad at least, or else he was trying to spare her feelings, either way, it made her feel warm inside knowing she was making him happy in some way. Compared to Rydel, Fayeth was eating rather slowly, almost at a snail's pace compared to her brother scarfing down every spoonful of stew he brought up to his lips. She was even a bit surprised to see him barely even chewing when a chuck of meat passed his lips, while she herself carefully chewed her own, but again, she assumed it was because he was starving. It was hard to keep herself from smiling seeing him near her, enjoying her cooking, hoping that maybe she would be able to cook him many more meals that he would love as someone more then just his sister.

Rydel finished faster then Fayeth did, unsurprisingly due to the fact he nearly swallowed down nearly every drop she had given him at a speed that made her worry that he would choke on a chunk of meat or vegetable. Hearing him compliment her cooking made a little shy grin grow on her face as her cheeks turned a little red. "I'm glad you liked it, I've been trying to get better since you left since I didn't want to poison you on the day you came back to me." She joked a little, before chuckling a little as Rydel let out a belch. She rolled her eyes a little at him, but smiled and replied teasingly, "I'll take that as a compliment." Fayeth couldn't help but admire the way his cheeks reddened in his embarrassment. There was something oddly cute about her brother when he was embarrassed. She just couldn't stop herself from thinking about how cute the redness in his cheeks looked and fought the urge to touch them by trying to focus on her own meal. In truth, Fayeth hadn't eaten much. She wasn't really hungry, but didn't want her brother to be worried either, so she forced herself to eat a few bites at least. It wasn't like she had already eaten before he arrived or was a bit under the weather, it was her nerves that made it hard for her to bring the spoon up to her lips. Tomorrow was the day that she would confess her feelings to him and her mind was buzzing with things she had to do before hand to prepare for the moment she both looked forward to and dreaded all at once. She just hoped that she wasn't making an awful mistake.

After forcing herself to swallow another spoonful, officially eating a little over half of her meal, Fayeth sighed happily and let out a soft yawn, covering her mouth politely as she did. "Mmm...that was nice." She smiled a bit at him, before taking her bowl and going to the kitchen to clean up her mess. After a brief moment of silence, Fayeth finally spoke up as she finished cleaning up her dishes, "If you're still hungry, there's plenty left. It's getting late though, so I think I'll head to bed for now." She dried her hands off with a cloth before turning to walk towards her brother, placing a kiss on his cheek and saying softly with her sweet voice, "I'm happy you're home." She started to head for her room when she added, "Good night Ry, I'll see you in the morning." She smiled, before opening the door to her room and stepping inside. A sigh left her lips once the door closed behind her. So far, everything was so nice. She finally felt whole with her brother back home with her, but Fayeth couldn't think about today too much, when she had to prepare for tomorrow. Fayeth lit the candle that sat on her writing table and pulled out a couple of sheets of paper, a bottle of ink, and a quill to write with. She sat down and thought hard about what she was going to write, but ended up rewriting her letters over and over again, never truly satisfied with what they contained for what felt like hours. It was well into the night when her writings felt as good as they could possibly be. Her hand ached from her rapid scribbling trying to find a way to put her thoughts into words until she realized the simplest route was the best idea. Feeling a bit content with herself, Fayeth tucked the letter away in the drawer of her table, before blowing her candle out to finally allowing herself to lay in her own soft bed. All she had to do know, was wait until morning, and everything would be set in place for Rydel to finally learn the truth.

 

[how_is_you]

Rydel listened as her sister explained that she had taught herself how to better cook for him, and her teasing words at his rude belch made him chuckle again. He was glad that his act had went without a hitch, and knew that it was a combination of his absence as well as him not needing to totally fake his emotions in that moment. He did notice that she wasn't eating nearly as much as him, though he could only imagine that was because she had accidentally served the pair of them the same amount, and she didn't have nearly the black hole of a stomach that he had after his training in the guild. Once he had finished his meal, the amount that she had eaten before finishing was about half, and that added up in his mind. She didn't seem ill in the slightest, so he likely had nothing to worry about. He waited for his sister to finish cleaning his dishes, and let out a sound of acknowledgement when she brought up the idea that there was plenty left over. There was only two people in the household, after all. When she returned and stated that she was heading to bed, planting a short, chaste kiss on his cheek, he smiled warmly, nodding his head. Her welcome home for what felt like the tenth time made him smile wider, and her wishes of good rest were met with another nod, as well as actual words in response this time. "Sleep well yourself, Fay."

When she went into her room to rest, the assassin went to clean his dishes. This allowed him a subtle opportunity to check the brand for any signs of a contract. Nothing yet. Sighing in relief, he finished cleaning his mess and went into his own room. As he walked through the small home, he looked at the cut on his finger from earlier, happy to see that it was healing rather well.

However, when he laid down on his bed to try and sleep, it didn't really seem to happen. A combination of anxiety and nostalgia for the similar make up of his old bedroom left him tossing and turning. Soon, with a sigh, he stared at the ceiling, deciding to start counting backwards from 3,000. He got to 2,700, and was knocked out, the only thing waking him the light of the dawn.

 

[N7Biotic]

Sleep didn't come easy for Fayeth. Her thoughts were riddled with with possibilities of what could happen once her dear brother read the letter she herself had written for him anonymously. Would he recognize her handwriting as soon as he read it? Fayeth doubted it, it's been so long since Rydel's seen her writing that the likeliness of him recognizing it was unlikely. There was so much else that could happen though. She had written in her letter that a secret admirer wanted to meet him at a special tree, one that Rydel and her had spent a good amount of time at together as kids. Rydel was a smart man. What if he realized that this secret admirer was his sister without even having to meet her at the tree and confronts her about it? What if he did go to the tree, expecting to find a young beauty unknown to him, but instead sees his sister? Would he be angry? Disgusted? There was so much that could go wrong that Fayeth considered just tearing the letter up before it was too late and pretend it never happened. Yet, she knew that she couldn't, not when she was so close to letting out her secret that Rydel may actually return. There was a lot she was risking for doing this, but just the slightest hope that Rydel would return her affections was worth it all.

Eventually, she did manage to get at least some sleep, but was a bit thankful that her sleep was brief and light. When her eyes opened again, it was a few minutes before dawn, giving her just enough time to put her plan in action. Fayeth didn't know when her brother would wake up since she didn't know when he woke up since going to college, but hopefully if things were going her way then everything would work out just fine. Fayeth got up quickly, changing out of her sleeping gown and instead getting dressed in one of her dresses, nothing too remarkable for now, but still complimenting her nicely. Once she brushed her hair quickly, but thoroughly until it was nice, Fayeth quickly and quietly made her way out the front door. The sun was just starting to show itself when she checked the little mailbox outside of the cottage. The elf that normally delivered letters should of come by their cottage by now, given they were one of the first cottages on his route. There was only two things inside the box when she opened it as to be expected. Since most of their family was either gone or too distant, the only letters she typically received where letters from shops advertising any special things they were doing, invitations to special events, or letters from Vulen in attempts to get her attention or invite her to outings with him. Two of those three things had arrived, a shop advertisement and a letter from Vulen, but neither of those things would only help her put her plan in motion.

She quickly returned to the kitchen and placed the two letters on the counter, but placed her own letter on the table where Rydel's name was written on the envelope. When her brother awoke and joined her in the kitchen, she would simply tell him she found a letter for him in the mail when she checked it this morning. The other two letters would help aid her story since they normally had at least one letter every morning. She decided to open Vulen's letter while she had some time to spare out of curiosity. He simply wanted to see how she was doing, knowing her brother was coming to see her after being gone for so long, but didn't want to get involved in their time together directly. He ended the letter with, "I'd be happy to talk to you all about it when your brother leaves for college again. Maybe we can have dinner together sometime.", before ending it with his usual, "Love, Vulen.". Fayeth felt a bit bad for not being able to return Vulen's affections. He was a sweet man, but the only one she ever had eyes for was her own brother and just never had the heart or the courage to tell him. Hopefully, if things work out for her, Vulen would be able to find another woman he would have eyes for. With that, Fayeth went ahead and started to busy herself with making breakfast for Rydel and her, hoping the distraction would be enough to keep her nerves calm for the moment.