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When all is Dark (with Reddy)

Innocent Anathema

Innocent Anathema

Captivate Me
Joined
Mar 6, 2018
Location
Far Side of the Moon
Arashi

"Let me go!" The vixen shouted as she was carried by her arms by two burly-looking soldiers. A low growl left her as she tried to lean her head to snap at them and did manage to land a kick onto the man to her left's leg. Oh, she'd just missed the back of his knee. That would've been satisfying to watch him drop to the ground if she'd managed to buckle it. No such luck this day. It sure seemed as though her luck had run dry. First the war had been lost and now... this. By this, she meant the thick leather collar about her throat that marked her as someone meant to be owned by another... a slave.

She got hauled into the middle of a dinner party and thrown onto the stone floor. One soldier put his foot between her shoulder blades and forced her down onto the floor with a low grunt escaping her. Those eyes of hers; they were a vivid green and currently narrowed in anger. Her body was mostly human save for the fact that she had the ears and tails of a vixen. Someone had cleaned her for her amber fur shown with a pretty luster and looked soft. Her blonde hair had been brushed and left to tumble in a wild array about her shoulders. By some grace, she still had clothing on. Her doeskin top and loincloth clung to her form. Her weapons had been taken from her. All of this prep had most likely happened while she'd been unconscious.

"Your majesty, I present to you the last of the Frillen, their Queen Arashi. My troops have been victorious and the war is over. She is my gift to you as proof of my victory." The soldier, obviously the general of the army, said with a laugh. "Have her broken to serve your glory, my lord." He raised a fist up into the air with a smile.

Arashi was biding her time as she listened to the talk about her. The lords and ladies of this court were muttering in wonder and disgust at her presence. Some called her monster. Others a filthy animal. A slave? Broken to obey like some dog? They had to be out of their minds. The king stood and came around the banquet table looking like some strutting peacock in her opinion. He looked disgusting to her as he stood before her looking down to inspect her and she wanted no part of this plan that they'd hatched. None at all. They could shove it where the sun didn't shine for all that she cared. Wasn't it enough that they'd not only beaten her people but slaughtered them?

There! The general shifted his weight above her and she hauled her body quickly to the side scooting out from under him and while he was startled, she grabbed the sword hanging from his hips free and pointed it at the closest person's throat, the general since the king had scooted too far back, with a growl. Her ears were back as her eyes narrowed further in hate. She should run him through right here and now for all that he'd done. The king laughed in amusement. There was no good way out of this. No good way to survive. She could make a run for it but she'd probably be cut down. Her chances were slim but what would that chance get her? Her people... her family... her friends... they were all gone. She was alone and there was nothing left for her. That made her desperate.

"Let me go!" She repeated as she stared daggers at the general. The man chuckled at her.

The king clapped and shook his head as the other guards came forward close to her ready to cut her down if she gave any quarter. "This is your gift to me? While I appreciate your winning the war, I will pass on this gift. I have plenty of loving women to worship me as they should. This one, while exotic, seems too much trouble. Still, it seems a shame to kill something so beautiful." He thought a moment and then looked about the room at all of those gathered here. "As a show of my benevolence, I shall spare her. Let us have an auction right here and now. Whoever is brave enough to take this wild creature on. Speak up."

What? This was ridiculous and strangely enough, a few bids came in. Damn it all, she would not go quietly and shoved the sword forward but the general stepped out of the way. She tried to make another swing for him but another guard intervened blocking her sword with his. She stepped back quickly to try and counter but a blow to the back of her head claimed her consciousness right then and there before her body crumpled to the floor. Whatever happened with the rest of this farce, Arashi had no idea. Her fate was no longer hers to decide.
 
What grand event was the palace holding today? The princess's birthday? No that was six months ago, and it can't be her wedding since the princess is only eight. Well, the man would hope not. Foreign dignitaries again maybe. But that seemes unlikely since he hadn't heard about any coming into the city. So it was likely just a dinner party for the locals. A dinner party that he wasn't invited to.

Tathlyn laughed as he crossed the premises into the castle. None of the guards even tried to stop him anymore. Their previous attempts had been met with various tricks and charms, like the day he had them all believe they were sheep for a half hour. Nothing he did to them had ever been dangerous, and even when they locked Tathlyn in the dungeon and chained him in enough iron to bind a troll, he escaped anyways. Magic was a very potent tool. Entering the room wearing an outfit mainly of blue with belts of soft brown leather binding everything together, he was easily the most standout of all the people. Besides the king of course. His platinum colored hair feathered and fell about his face in a mess that was hard to keep under control. Even the glinting armor of the general held nothing to the outlandish look as he stepped out with staff in hand.

"Good evening nephew!" He shouts over the crowd to gain a few strange stares. Yes, he was right, though his appearance was that of a man in his twenties, he was... exactly that. The king's grandfather had been pretty promiscuous in his late age, leading to Tathlyn being born even though he was a good twentyish or so years younger.

All he recieved from his nephew the king was a glare of disgust. "What do you want Tathlyn. I grow tired of your sudden appearances." The king spoke before waving it off. "Still! Highest bidder for the vixen, take your chances and break her if you want!" He shouts over the crowd again, and Tathlyn could see the pink of cheek that the king grew when he was deep in his cups.

"Nephew. My lord. I will take this creature." Tathlyn says which brings utter silence to the bidding crowd. "I will take her and leave. Your armies have done enough to her kind, and you will get your peace from me."

The offer was outstanding. Many of the advisors had been pushing to have the king remove his uncle somehow so that he would have no competition for the throne should the occassion rise. One slave girl whom he did not need and that would be solved, or so he thought in his hazy mind. "Sold." He said.

Tathlyn, for the first time ever, bowed to the king, pushing his way through the silent and somewhat fuming crowd. The clicking of his staff was the loudest sound until the young man got to the vixen. Unconscious. At least that made taking her with him easier. A charm he spoke in the old tongue, the magic crackling over his skin, and the staff twisted into bindings of white oak for her wrists and ankles. With a grunt, he lifted her into his arms like one would a sleeping child and exited the castle on foot again. It would be a long walk out of the city to the stables and no doubt she would wake before he got there.
 
Arashi

Black. Just inky black darkness. It was not the velvety darkness that sleep could be but a cold void that her thoughts were lost in. Just endless and bleak. Hope could not live in this place since the chill would suck any notion of that dry in moments. Not all things can last though. Jostling to and fro is what drew her back from that terrible place of anxiety and desperation. It was such a long way to go and pain was the first thing that she felt. A throbbing had taken up residence within her skull joining the feelings of confusion and frustration. What was going on? What had happened? Where was she? Too many questions and all without a readily-available answer.

Blearily, her eyes slowly opened taking in a blue fabric before her. No connection was made within her mind. No quick recollection of why this was before her. She wanted to move her head to look around but it hurt too much to shift. Other senses. Touch, it felt like something... no, from the warmth, someone was holding her. That made her uneasy already. Scent, well that was human and it made her even more on high alert. This was not good. Not good at all. She tested her limbs lightly, weak still from being unconscious and from the lack of self-care that she hadn't been allowed like food. Wait... she remembered what had happened before she blacked out. The king... the auction... no... that meant that this... it was over... this was her new captor carrying her away...

Panic rose and adrenaline sang to life with that forcing her tired body to push and respond. The vixen made a quick move as she reached up to grab his shoulder, pull herself up and knock her brow into his. Maybe if he saw enough stars, he'd let her go and they could all go about their merry lives. Of course, that made the pain in her head worse but it wasn't something that she could focus on at the moment. A low growl left her as her ears snapped back. Oh! She was bound... by wood... what in the world was that about? It worried her a little. Not enough to make her stop. Her next move was to shove her hands against his chest as she squirmed to get free of his hold. All the while, she was growling darkly.
 
Tathlyn hummed to himself as he walked down the well kept stone roads of the capital city. Some people looked at him carrying the Frillen woman in his arms, but nobody said anything in her defense. After all they had just gone to war with her people over, actually what had it been over? The man just assumed it was his nephew's greed or some other pointless reason. But whipped into a fervor the people had agreed, and the last of a people was in his arms. No doubt some stragglers had escaped, but it was more prestigious to claim that the war was won down to the last than to give thoughts that there might be a resurfacing of her kin.

Her groaning and shuffling brought his gaze down from where the blue clad man was walking, and he changed to step into a shaded alleyway so the sun wouldn't blind her. And for his trouble he got her hands upon his shoulder. "Good morning sunsh...." he started until a forehead smashed into his face. Pain was slow to register beyond the surprise. What he felt was a popping, and then a growing wetness upon his face. She had broken his nose! Maybe. At least hurt it enough to make it bleed profusely.

When she pushed away from his chest he dropped her as the Frillen wanted. "Good ridinsh, shitt there for a shekond." It was hard to speak as he tilted forward and used a handkerchief from his pocket to clean off his face. She couldn't run really with the wooden bonds he hoped. And with some time he got most of the mess cleared. "Look. I'm not going to rape or beat you so calm down. If you run someone else is going to. Do you even understand what I'm saying?" His tone was exasperated and frustrated, and still he knelt on the balls of his feet at her side.
 
Arashi

There! She was loose and her body twisted to try to adjust for the fall but Hell, this wasn't like falling out of a tree. The ground was just too close to adjust her body quickly enough. Finding out just how hard the stone alleyway was, that was just a necessary evil and unfortunately, that'd be her hip that found it and her shoulder. The Frillen would be sporting bruises for her trouble but she didn't care. Great, she was down. Now what? Her mind raced with her options.

The wood on her ankles and wrists were frustrating her and like some animal, she gnawed at it until a low growl of frustration left her since she didn't seem to be making any headway. That's when she saw that her captor, keeper, transporter, whoever he was, was down on her level and speaking. There was still a trace of blood just under his nose and the scent of it clung ot his skin. She'd done him a good hit or so it seemed. Those green eyes of hers were fierce and critcal as they scanned his face before locking onto his eyes challengingly. Calm down? He wasn't going to rape or beat me? Oh tra-la-la, it's my lucky day. As if she'd believe him...

It seemed that she wasn't going to be getting the wood off from about her wrists and ankles here all that easily. So maybe, she could deal with it later. Rolling to her feet, she steadied herself on her hands. Her tail shifted about behind her making changes to help keep her balance. It wasn't easy to keep it with her balance points being so narrow. So, she splayed her fingers and toes to assist. Somehow, that seemed to help and with a small smirk of triumph, she leaned her weight back on the balls of her feet before bounding forward. It was an awkward motion but she was nimble and managed it. Leap forward, catch her weight with her hands, draw her legs close under her before pushing off once more. It wan't as fast as she'd hoped but she managed. Somehow, she managed and down the alley, she made a break for it. Anyone watching would've laughed at the sight.
 
So much for being nice. Taking her away from the court of fools at the risk of his own reputation... Who was Tathlyn kidding? He didn't care what the rest of the city thought of him. That was apparent already. But for all his trouble all he recieved in turn was a strike to the face and for the Frillen woman to be trying to escape. His reeling and recovery from the strike to his nose left him hindered, but even as he knelt and explained in what he hoped would ease her fears, the vixen twisted in a comical way. And then bounded off.

"Really!" Tathlyn shouted raising his hands into the air and letting them fall heavily to his side. "Where are you going to go? Nobody is going to help you." And the man sighed. She was already out in the street now, moving quite a bit quicker than he thought she would be able to. Shouts and jeers from the humans who were the main population of the city rang out, and the man figured it was now time to get a move on.

Jogging out into the open it wasn't hard to spot his captive. And he laughed at the strange way she figured she'd escape. It didn't take too long for him to catch up by sprinting, but her antics had drawn a crowd. "A Frillen? What's she doing here? We should kill her now. Make her our slave, she's already bound." These and more he could hear being spoken as he reached out to dive for the woman, grabbing hold of whatever he could. "Sit still for just one moment, do you want someone to kill you?"
 
Arashi

Her heartbeat was thudding in her chest as she pushed herself to escape. She would've laughed at herself if she could watch this awkward motion but it was working. A thought crossed her mind of finding a way onto the roof of a building. No one should be up there and she could try to deal with the bonds in her own time. Yet, the alley emptied out onto a rather busy street with no access points low enough to jump up to the roofs. Not good. Not good at all. People were gathering just because she stood out from how she was moving and how she looked. Kill her? Enslave her? Good lord, did these people have nothing better to do with their lives? Why couldn't they just leave her alone?

Of course, proud creature that she once was felt like she was a shadow of her former self. Without her family, friends, her people, what good was she? Doomed to live as some trained dog in shame or worse alone with all her guilt at being the seeming last to survive until this world finally took her too? A dark thought crossed her mind, far darker than she'd ever had before. Perhaps, it would be better if she was no longer a part of this world. What would she stay for? Revenge? It had never been her way.

There. Some guards were up ahead. Her eyes narrowed as her mind made up as she changed direction for them figuring that they'd be hotheaded enough that she could push them into violence. Her ears flicked back hearing someone running after her. A glance over her shoulder to see that it was the guy that she busted his nose. Nope, she didn't feel bad at all. Trying to get her to let her guard down like she was foolish enough to believe something like that. She pushed herself to move still but a hand snagged her arm jerking her back and throwing her off-balance. Gravity and her momentum took her then tossing her onto her side, where she rolled onto her back with a groan. His question though... did she want someone to kill her. She stared up at the sky, such a pretty, calm blue before looking toward him and meeting his gaze. Those green eyes were a tortured maelstrom of emotions: grief, anger, pain, despair, desperation and beneath it all sadness. She did answer him then with just one quiet word. "Yes..."
 
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His breath soon became laboured. Heartbeat drumming in his ears like the constant thump, thump, of a war beat. Tathlyn actually regretted spending so much of his time on his magic as his physicality had suffered for it. Underneath the heavy robes he was thin yes, but of a wiry sort rather than a muscular one. Noisily his boots clumped against the stone road and he only got close because she stopped to look. And begin moving towards a pair of guards. With a heave and grunt the man dived before she could get too far. He dived, grabbed what he could, and pulled back hard. Crashing into the ground a few scrapes tarnished his forearms now, and the Frillen wasn't the only one on the ground.

As much as he wanted to take a moment to breath, the man could not justify it. Tathlyn rolled to his front and scrambled upon all fours to close the final gap. Panting he sat on his knees above her, looking down at her face. Such a pretty face he thought. Not the kind of face that should have been wracked with those lost eyes. And with one word he was shattered. He could only guess how far this Frillen woman had fallen, that she would chose death now. And gone was his playful smile that he had kept even after being hit. "Too bad. That's not your choice to make anymore. You belong to me now, not even yourself." It was a hard answer, but it was the one Tathlyn had. Another short chant in the ancient tongue and the rocks started to shake beneath them. Creaking and cracking a pair of tree roots shot out and began to create a makeshift bridal of sorts around her mouth. His actions he didn't explain, but the guard she had tried to kill herself with approached.

Red, brown and steel marked them out from the normal crowd. In addition to the bright feathered hats upon their head. Thathlyn, and much of the city called them roosters because of it. Strutting about as if their position granted them special privileges. "You there. Are you having trouble? Where is her leash?" One of the pair asked. He was right, any slaves in the city were to wear collars of mythril which as they were nearly unbreakable marked a slave as such for most of their lives.

"Hahaha," Tathlyn laughed clambering off of the woman. "A very recent acquisition. Less than a bell's toll ago. I fear I have not had the time to do so. Now that she's in my care again I will take a more proactive effort to prevent her escape." He kept his voice light and jovial. The last thing he needed was an issue with the guards. King's uncle or not, that would have been a pain.

"Carry on then. Get that over with. And make sure she gets her lashings for trying to escape." Said the other guard, the older of the pair as he pulled the younger away with a tired look on his white mustached faced. It was just that easy, with the woman trussed like a stuffed turkey and slavery being this city's biggest taxable income.

And once qgain Tathlyn lifted up his payment for leaving. "You're in no condition to travel. The fate of the world can wait another couple days." Trying to lift her in his arms again.
 
Arashi

Why? Why had she told him exactly what she'd been feeling? Where was her strength? Her iron resolve that never failed to surprise her? It'd abandoned her in that moment and all she was left with was pain, raw, aching, all-consuming pain and what was worse was the fact that it was emotional trauma. Physical, she could handle. Grit her teeth digging deep to find her gumption to push through it. This... this was her feeling lost. A leader that'd failed her people. It'd destroyed her honor... her faith. It'd shaken everything that she knew about herself leaving her tempted to just call it quits. What was she asking for? Mercy? Put her out of her misery. She should've known better than to expect a human to have the grace to afford her mercy. In the end, they were all the same. Selfish and greedy.

His denial summoned that anger back to the surface within her. The thought crossed her mind to slug him across the face and let him know just how lucky he was to have a new slave. Just take a swing with both her hands laced together since they were so conveniently tied at the wrist and send him reeling. That was a real possibility. Arashi was a stunning creature that was both supple and strong. Worse, she knew how to fight and wouldn't hesitate to use her skills if she needed to. This man may be a bit taller than her but she was almost certain that she was the stronger of the pair of them. Currently, all she wanted was to knock him down a peg or two.

That was until the ground started to shake and her eyes widened startled before it shifted to fear. Arashi had seen little magic before and this... this was wild and now directed at her. A rather startled yelp left her when roots from the ground made a sudden lunge for her face and she tried to jerk back but the wood found a way to wind about her face. Her ears were back and her eyes were wide showing just how startled that she was. Her breathing came shallow and slow as she wasn't quite sure how to handle this. How did one fight against something like that? It had to be her captor since he'd uttered some nonsense and then this happened. Simple cause and effect. Yet, now, she wasn't so sure who was the stronger out of the pair of them if he could get the plants around them to do strange things like that. It was otherworldly. She tried rubbing her face against her shoulder to try to dislodge the wood with little luck.

The guards approached and she thought about doing something reckless. Something brash but what if the ground shook again? What if something else seriously strange happened? Could she handle it? Arashi's eyes narrowed in distrust and frustration. She'd bide her time for now and play good. Although, she did content herself with staring hatefully at the guards. Adrenaline was starting to wear off and that pain in her skull reminded her just how rough that she'd had it the past few days. She was sure that if she felt the back of her head, there'd be a swelling there where she'd been struck.

The guards left and he picked her up again off the road. Her body stiffened as a slow shiver went through it. She tried not touching him if she could help it but it was wearing on her to be stiff. She thought about struggling but that fall had hurt and not amounted to much of anything after that. So, with a rather tired sigh, her eyes drifted closed and she relaxed her body into his unwilling and unsure if she wanted to fight at the moment. Although, now that she was still, memories drifted through her of those lost to her and moisture gathered before a tear slid down her face. Just one though. One small flicker of the grief that she felt. Any more and she'd lose herself to it. That was something that she couldn't afford to do. She had to be strong... for what... she wasn't sure. The world had taken everything from her but from this man's words earlier, even herself.
 
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Tathlyn had done his best to keep everything amicable between him in the guards that he didn't think of how his words must have sounded to the captive. He had terrified her he was sure, magic was rare in most of the mapped world, and those as adept at it as he was were fee and far between. With pity his dark browm eyes gazed into her green ones. Not knowing what to say, all the man could do was lift her up and walk away. With an arm curled under her knees and the other propping the Frillen woman's back up his arms grew tired from her stiff refusal to relax. But something changed her mind to his relief. Thankfully they didn't have too far to go and by a quarter bell eith some aching of his back they came to a simple three story villa.

Noble as he was, Tathlyn however refused to splurge the city funds upon his accommodations. The home was made mostly of stone like the rest of the city, but a strong door of ash painted green barred his entrance. Ledt unlocked by the cleaning staff, this one time he was thankful of their forgetfulness as he nudged the door open with his foot. The inside was furnished in a homely way. Carpets and blankets hung and covered much of the woodem floor and the entire ground floor was both kitchen and guest space. The rooms above were his bedroom first, and above that the study, all open and spacious. Light streamed through the large west facing windows, filling the room with a dusty yellow glow.

"Easy now." He says as he chooses to place her upon a relatively new couch who's soft springiness was still in its prime. He had missed the solitary tear as he walked, but guessed at her turmoil inside. "I'm going to undo all your bindings. And I hope you don't leap for my throat. Please." Tathlyn pleaded. No more orders for now, unless she did something incorrigible. Kneeling again onto both knees, her body lay about at stomach level upon the couch.

The ancient tongue once again graced his voice, this time in a soothing, singsongy like pattern. A strong hand smoothed back her hair over and over while the other pulled the wood from her mouth first, then hands, then feet. Sparks glided across her skin where it was exposed along that path, nothing painful unless she had a devil's blood. "Name. I want yours." He asked after the magical song ended.
 
Arashi

Tired. The Frillen was tired and her head hurt. Those were the obvious things of the moment beyond the underlying pain of her heart. She'd been quiet after he'd started to walk. Not like she could really speak with that bit of wood in between her teeth. Her mind tried to focus on her surroundings instead. Where were they going and where were places that she could use as a means of escape? Her ears were still back against her hair almost buried in the strawberry blonde tresses. She shouldn't be here. She should... oh stars above, she couldn't even think about it.

The Frillen were a choice slave and were harvested regularly. It wasn't long before her husband Rono had enough and together, they'd confronted the slavers rather than just trying to evade them. They didn't want to be treated like cattle and their people occasionally picked off for the trade. They'd gone on the offensive with every Frillen that they could muster. The chaos was widespread as a bark or howl from a Frillen carried and could communicate to the already enslaved that they could join the effort and rise up. It'd caused a lot of trouble and humans were not happy that their purchases were suddenly acting out in a coordinated effort. The king had sought to make an example of them and he did by wiping them out. They were too volatile and questionable to keep around. So why... why had they kept her as a trophy? It made no sense to her and the guilt of surviving them was weighing on her.

The house that they seemed to be making a shift in direction toward was an interesting one. The color of the door was one that she rather fancied and would've enjoyed more had she not been so upset. It didn't seem overly opulent within like she'd seen in the castle and reminded her just a little of the treehouses, where she and the rest of her people had lived. They were built within the trunk of a tree and went downward creating rooms beneath the roots of it. It kept the home warm in the winter that way and cool in the summer. She supposed that she'd never seen a treehouse again.

When they stopped and he set her down, Arashi let her eyes find his looking warily into his gaze as she tried to figure out what he wanted. What did she have to prepare herself for? Did she have to fight him? Could she after that display of whatever he'd done? She didn't move only watched him trying to figure him out as fatigue rode her pretty hard. If she had to though, she'd find some strength somewhere, enough to rise to the occasion if needed. Her eyes narrowed some. He was going to take off the restraints? Didn't want her to go for his throat? The thought drifted through her mind and didn't seem like the best course of action. After all, she didn't know what he was capable of. Physical, she could handle. This command of otherworldly forces gave her pause. So, she laid there quietly on her back with her knees still slightly drawn. It was almost comfortable enough here that she could sleep and her body wanted to but her mind knew better than to try it in such a questionable environment.

She'd drawn back a little bit when he'd reached for her just out of reflex and uncertainty but she supposed that he'd need to touch her to get this stuff off. So, she sucked it up and held still. The song, which was obviously a way to communicate with these powers of his, was a bit on the soothing side and were they not on opposite sides of this, she may actually have enjoyed the sound of his voice. The hand on her hair made her want to close her eyes but she didn't dare. The sparks though were unnerving and despite her best efforts not to move, a shivering claimed her body as her eyes went a tad wider. He was good to his word though and took the restraints off even if she did question his sanity in doing so since she'd already bloodied his nose.

The Frillen woman rubbed at her wrists thoughtfully and moved her jaw some accustoming herself to being without restraints. Well, she hadn't gone for his throat as he'd asked. It'd crossed her mind, yes. He'd asked for her name and her eyes lifted to his, the green depths curious yet reserved. Did he miss the whole of her being paraded about the courtroom? Her eyes narrowed some at the memory. Oh yes, the great Queen Arashi, who helped lead her people into extinction. Why did he even care to know who she was anyway? He was confusing to her. Yet, he seemed determined to keep her alive for some probably awful reason. "Arashi," she offered simply since she was a queen without a people, a wife without a husband and a woman without a family now. That just left her as herself. "What should I call you?" She asked quietly. What name would she be cursing later?
 
What was she thinking? What was he thinking? Tathlyn, really didn't know where to even start with both of those ideas. He doubted she trusted him given the circumstances, but even after he explained what he was going to do the fact that the Frillen woman shirked from his touch hurt. At least he should have expected that, and the shivering reaction from his spell also should have been expected. But in the end the spell moved along, the wood snaking back together in his hand to form his trusty white wood staff.

Rather than speak immediately, the man's eyes widened when he heard her name. Yes, he recognized it. Anyone in the human capital would. But that surprise changed to pity as he folded his hands together on the edge of the couch. "So the last of the Frillen lay defeated in my living room." He muttered. Supposed last yes, but the title stuck around. "And she so happens to be the fabled queen of beasts. I doubt there is any truth to the stories, that you'd sneak into the farms of humans and slay the fathers and mothers and enslave the children. A popular story here, given what your people tried to achieve." Oh yes, the fear mongering stories spread faster than the truths sadly.

"I am sympathetic to what is left of your cause. Though my throne sitting nephew refuses to listen to my pleas." Tathlyn rose from there to turn around and face the wide stone hearth and cooking range. It was to late set the stew, but he could make something on the range fairly quickly. Throwing a few logs into it and setting those alight with embers from the fireplace, he let it heat while going back to the woman. "Sir will work in public I think, since owner or master doesn't fit quite right. But my name is Tathlyn otherwise, and I'd prefer you use that."

"You must be wondering why I have you and not some torturer or general." He asked turning to plop down on the couch just above where her head lay. "I, we, will be leaving soon and I desire a traveling companion." Tathlyn sighed as he readied himself for redicule. "I am looking for the location of the Armory of Shortel." The druid felt a burn of his face though the color only changed a single hue more red. Shortel, the godslayer, most revered of the human gods as the one who brokered war with his bretheren immortals so that the shorter lived races may have a place. A fact Tathlyn found funny given his kin's need to enslave others. But the armory was a legend, less than that, a single line within a legend where the godslayer had rested his most trusted weapons and armor. Centuries of treasure hunting and nobody had ever found the location, or so everyone thought. What he believed was that it had been found, just nobody ever survived the return to tell of its location. "Well, I guess looking past me now since I have you with me."
 
Arashi

A rather hollow sounding laugh left the Frillen at his recognizing her. Hell of a lot of good it did for her to be recognized. It just served as a reminder of what she'd lost. "Foolish," she murmured. Defeated, the Hell she was but... she was despite what her bravado said. Those stories of her people slaying farmers and enslaving children were asinine. "No, I eat the babies. Get the story right." She rolled her eyes with a snort feeling anger gather within her once more and yet, to what purpose. Without purpose, it just added to the overall feeling of being exhausted.

Then he spouted off with something that made no sense. A man being sympathetic to her cause and he was related to the king... well the latter made her bristle worriedly as she rolled onto her side to keep a better eye on him. This seemed very worrisome. "There is no more cause," she said quietly. The sooner that she accepted that she'd failed, the better. Maybe... maybe, she could move on with whatever her life had left as painful as that may be. Right now, this spellcaster or whatever he might be was her life. Why... why was she with him? This Tathlyn, was it?

It was like he'd plucked the thoughts out of her head with his next comment. Yet, it may have been all the more apparent with just how her face was and it was the proverbial elephant in the room. She lifted her head to look at him when he'd sat beside her. Her tail slowly fluffed out behind her betraying her wariness and yet, it wasn't all that noticeable unless someone was looking for it. Then she was perplexed. "You want me to travel with you? Me? I might eat your babies, remember? And on a treasure hunt? You've got to be kidding me. What do you want with these treasures?" That was Arashi always getting to the heart of the problem. She gave another hollow sounding laugh and shook her head. "I'm sorry but I don't see the appeal for you. Why me, Tathlyn? You could have any number of people come with you and you want me?" A sneer covered her pretty face. "Not that I miss the torturers, the general or your nephew. It just... it just doesn't make sense. I mean, I already bloodied your nose. There's a good chance that I might do it again. Why risk it?" Of course, that had been her reacting out of fear and desperation but the result was still the same.
 
At least she still had some sense of humor about her. Even a grim one was better than what he imagined he would feel. Absolutely nothing, Tathlyn figured. If given the chance and he was in her place the man felt as if his neck would be stretched by his own hand. His seat up by her head gave him easier access to those pointed ears that so demanded the gentle attention of his fingers. Which he gave whether or not she wanted it.

"True. That cause is gone. Scattered. If nothing else my nephew was efficient." His words were apologetic at least, though Tathlyn had no real control over the matter. "Which is for the best. Any frillen who still live kay be able to survive in hiding if they keep from causing any problems." That eas his only offer that may give her peace. And this was if they weren't being hunted as he speals, but he doubted that from the sheer number of soldiers who returned.

At all of her questions Tathlyn could only give a hearty laugh. He held nothing against her for what the humans might think were her crimes. "Is it wrong to say because I think you're my type?" He jokes, not knowing she had already been married up until recently. "But I just happened upon you as I was going to beseech my nephew to lend me a couple guards. Figured fate works in ways that don't make sense." He admits, not actually having any real reason than because she was there. "And why not? With your reputation if we come across something nasty it shouldn't be a problem. If you try to escape I have a solution to that as well, so don't try." He warned, patting her forehead. "What do you want to eat?" Tathlyn asks as he rises with a groan of pain from his knees.
 
Arashi

Arashi was doing her best to hold it together. Really, she was. What were her other options: shut down completely, off herself or let her emotions loose until she wrecked havoc and probably hurt herself in the process? She was just there in a state of limbo at the moment without a real care as to her own well-being. That was mainly because the only thing that she had left was herself. She stubbornly didn't want to see that go to ruin as well. She had to be able to not be a complete failure. That stirred her challenging her. To what purpose, she was trying not to think about the bleak options. It'd come. She'd figure it out... figure out something.

Oh! He'd touched her ears! She'd damned sat up quick and moved away from him to the furthest point of the couch feeling indignant. A sharp glare was cast his way and if looks could maim, well, he might be having another bloody nose from that one. Her feathers certainly were ruffled as she mentioned that her cause was gone and he'd agreed. He sounded sorry about it. That was something that she'd have a hard time believing right there. Yet, there was some value to what he said. "I hope that you're right," she admitted trying not to let the gravity of the whole situation crush her as it was threatening to. "I hope that those that escaped stay hidden." A short laugh left her, it sounded belittling. "We accomplished our goal." She said with a rather haunted feeling creeping upon her. "My people are no longer cattle. Better off dead anyway." The Frillen were too proud to ever truly accept subjugation without it utterly destroying their spirit. Yet, here she was in the very position that she'd been trying to keep her people from. The leather collar itched about her neck and she lifted a hand to scratch at it irritably and she thought of making a show of ripping it off and throwing it in the fire. That was a brash move and she still wasn't sure what Tathlyn was capable of. So, it was best to rein in her rebellious thoughts.

Change the subject, that was the best course of action. So, she'd rounded on him with her questions trying to figure out their situation and what she could do to remedy it. She'd bristled at his response to her question of why he'd picked her to travel with him. Because she was his type? Oh, devil take it if she could ever feel any sort of desire for a human, seemingly sympathetic or not. Her ears lifted for the first time from her hair when it'd dawned on her that he'd actually tried to tease her with that and wasn't serious. It was strange that she was relieved on some level and that vain part of her thought him foolish not to find her attractive. The feeling challenging her to prove that thought wrong... what in the blue blazes was she even considering? Become his type? Of all the asinine ideas... Wait, if she did, that impressed upon him her value and she might gain some level of control back over her life. Now that was an appealing thought because well, she had to be able to save at least one Frillen and the only one that she knew was herself. "So you want me to fight all the beasts that stand in your way of finding this armory?" She asked sounding the least bit curious as she considered the few plans that were being hatched in her head.

His question about food though made her shake her head. "I don't think that I can eat," she told him truthfully. Grief had her stomach up in knots anyway. It'd be wiser to eat and keep her strength up but she was also trying very hard not to think that she may be the only Frillen eating at all. No, she had to think that there were others. Somewhere. Hidden. Safe. A forlorn cast came to her features before she had the strength to school them into a bored-looking calm.
 
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Tathlyn watched her face, imagining the storm that must be battering away behind those eyes. It was a calming moment to him, but apparently him touching her ears was a horrible mistake as she seemingly lept away like a spark from hot coals. That look she gave hurt him physically, tightening his chest as his mind wracked for an answer as to why. "Does that hurt?" He asks carefully, his lowered voice full of sympathy. So Arashi wasn't so broken that she couldn't see any good in it, even if that good was grim realism. The collar she wore, the one made of leather from what the man could see was ill fitting. To tight he guessed, and made cheaply. He was so close to offering to remove it, but something told the young, blue dressed man to wait. A last bit of leverage that he might need.

What went through her head he didn't know, but for once he was able to see the frillen woman's ears lift from her head. If that joking attitude helped at all then he'd keep on with it, but later. In truth she was very much his type, ears and tail notwithstanding. Those he would have to get used to seeing, but he didn't plan on using her like many of the others in the noble court planned to do. "Not alone no. We will be traveling with a Kodachi, one of the lizard folk. While he doesn't speak." Tathlyn made a motion of sticking out his tongue and closing his fingers across it like a pair of scissors, "he is a very trustworthy friend."

Her response to the food was worrying. Certainly her grief played a part, but during their travels he doubted they had bothered to feed the captive queen. Tathlyn started cooking anyways, if she didn't have a preference then he would just make what he wanted. Peppers from a bowl nearby and jars of spices were clattering off shelves as the young man practiced his true calling. From his iced chest, an item he made with magic that had actually taken over one hundred attempts to get right, he pulled chilled cuts of chicken and turned those into chunks. Soon the room smelled of his dinner, and in another pot he boiled rice. In the end he'd have two bowls of spiced chicken in a cream sauce heaped over small bowls of rice imported from a far off country.

"Try and eat and I'll take your collar off." Tathlyn said dropping back onto the couch and placing the bowl near enough to her that she could grab it.
 
Arashi

The man had the audacity to look confused over touching her ears. Idiot. She almost rolled her eyes at him. Almost but she caught herself. Best not to make enemies if he was seemingly going to be somewhat decent. He seemed that way, at least a little. So, she let it slide as she took a deep breath. Did it hurt? Her green eyes cut to him once more with a dark look but she didn't deign to answer. No, it hadn't hurt. Just she hadn't been expecting some sort of condolence from a human. It'd felt wrong on so many levels. So very wrong and yet, she couldn't find it in herself to truly be angry at Tathlyn. He hadn't done anything wrong yet. There were some operative words there that could change in an instant. So, she was still wary.

"A Kodachi?" Her ears flicked out to the side as a few more memories drifted up over her. "That's funny. I had a friend that was a Kodachi too." A little smile tried to come across her face but the set of it was still grim unable to rise above that feeling just yet. "They make good friends," she agreed thinking about how the Kodachi merchants liked to visit the Frillen villages often to share their wares. They were a good people. Wait, had she just agreed with him? She had best let that thought go.

She really didn't feel like eating at all and it was understandable but it felt like she hadn't eaten in a long while. Before waking up in the castle, she'd been held in a tent trussed up like some animal as she'd laid upon the dirt floor cursing, screaming the anguish out of her soul and struggling against her bonds after they'd... oh... Rono... the pain flashed up in an instant seeing the fierce determination and love in his eyes as he'd stared into her own willing her to live even as he accepted his fate to not. A cry threatened to spill from her mouth but she stifled it and drew her knees to her chest watching him cook with a hollow gaze. That knot in her stomach twisted harder and she let her body lean back against the couch as she held onto her knees and rested her chin on them. Her beautiful tail curled about her calves as the feeling of being strong felt very hard to keep up at the moment. Someone must've drugged her in the tent to keep her from hurting herself and since she didn't remember anything of a journey from there to here, she must've stayed drugged the whole time. Suddenly, her body felt gross. What had they done to her while she was unconscious or since she had been a gift for the king, had they left the pleasure of defiling her. A shudder went through her at the thought.

It took a moment for Arashi to come back from that dark memory that she'd gone to and notice that Tathlyn had spoken to her as well as settled close with a bowl of food between them. Those vivid green eyes of hers looked from the bowl up to him. Try to eat? A soft sigh left her and yet, hadn't he said something about taking her collar off. Those ears lifted from her hair and she hadn't even realized that they'd flicked back once more. "Do you mean it?" She asked meeting his gaze. "I don't have to wear this infernal thing?" She asked about the collar. It was annoying to her physically and weighing on her soul because of the meaning behind it.

Taking a carefully measured breath, she glanced at the food staring a long moment trying to will herself to try to eat it. The scent teased her nostrils. It did smell good. Not anything that she'd scented before. A long moment passed and then another as she stared at the food trying to get her stomach to relax but there was so much stressing her out. Well, she'd just have to force herself to. That was all there was to it. Letting her legs shift until they were just tucked under her, she picked up the bowl eyeing the food and got a bit up on some sort of utensil mimicking what Tathlyn was doing since using a tool to eat a food was new. She put a bit in her mouth and had to turn her face away from him quick and close her eyes feeling her stomach clench threatening to rebel. Just holding the food in her mouth, she took another breath carefully and forced herself to chew slowly. The taste rolled across her tongue slowly and it was pleasing to her tastebuds. Such a simple pleasure really but it got her ears to relax out to the side and the rest of her body slowly followed suit allowing her to eat slowly. After a few fortifying breaths, she looked toward him. "It's good food," she said quietly. It was. She'd not had anything quite like it and now, that she'd had a little bit and gotten over the initial refusal of her belly, now it was sending her a completely different message. A low growl from her stomach made it perfectly clear to the both of them that she was hungry. Her ears flicked back a little embarrassed. "Really good..."
 
It was so strange to watch and try and guess what was going through her mind. In this case he found it nearly impossible to tell if his touch had hurt, or if there was just some social stigma that he had broken among her people. Eventually he gained no clear answer besides a glare, and Tathlyn in his wisdom dropped the subject for now.

"They are. I don't think I've ever met a bad Kodachi before. As long as you don't cross them. Even my nephew knows to leave them be. If only he could apply that lesson everywhere." Besides humans, kodachi were the second or possibly third most populated race in the drawn world. The green skinned Silari, a shorter race often called river children because of how they build their homes underwater, were competition for that. Children was just a nickname, as besides being more beastly, they aged just like any other race. "So you have no issues traveling with one it seems?" He asks, though the decision had been made quite some time before she was a part of this.

As he cooked, Tathlyn had noticed something wrong, but brought no attention to it. Nor could he stop his cooking to take care of her without wasting the meal. If he could see what she saw then maybe he could help. However magic of the mind was a self imposed taboo, even if it would be greatly beneficial. What would happen if people no longer had their minds to keep their secrets? The thought terrified him. Eventually he would sit, and ber dead look brought creases of worry to the corners of his eyes. "Not permanently no. A collar is a mandatory thing in the city here, but I can take it off when you are inside and after we leave. You at least realize that if I get into trouble it will be bad for both of us right?" The question was rhetorical, and only a slight bit mocking.

Tathlyn ate, his mouth shut from any words until as he kept the corner of his eye upon his guest, never having seen her as a slave. Though if need be he could always push said matter. "Thank you. I hope you don't find it strange but I've always fancied opening a crossroads inn somewhere and cooking for large crowds that need shelter. Alas, the world is just to dangerous for that." He lamented, raising the back of his hand to his forehead like a swooning woman to try and bring a laugh. Which did happen, but not from her. He laughed at the growling of her stomach. "There is plenty of food. Eat your fill and we'll get you in bed. There is plenty to do in the morning."
 
Arashi

"All right," she grumbled. Her ears flicked back against her hair once more. The thought of wearing this stupid collar was an unwelcome as say addressing a certain someone as master but he hadn't quite required that of her yet. It just reminded her of the situation that she found herself in. What was the situation that she'd found herself in? It seemed pretty odd and frankly strange. Journeying to some far off place in search of what... treasure? The thought could almost make her laugh just with how ludicrous that it sounded. Treasure held no value for her. All the jewels and coin in all the world couldn't bring her people back...

His cooking was something on the side of remarkable surprisingly enough. At least, it'd managed to get her to relax some and actually eat. That was something that she hadn't thought possible. She glanced at him at his odd comment on wanting to open an inn and cook for others. Surely, he was jesting. Her head tilted to the side at his mocking a swoon and she wondered if he was quite right in the head. Had he been a Frillen, well, she might have actually seen the humor in the moment. Now, she was just a bit on the edge of confused. Actually, it was a nice gesture to want to cook for others. That sounded very generous. She was about to comment on it when her stomach betrayed her with a growl and he'd laughed offering her more food along with the thought of sleep.

The vixen did polish off that bowl and another since he'd offered. She'd even gone so far as to lick the bowl and utensil clean with a sigh that sounded almost content. The food was trying to lull her into a stupor, a sleepy one at that, and she needed her wits about her, right? Yet, Tathlyn still hadn't crossed that line yet of something that she could actually be mad at him for. So, she just relaxed a little setting her bowl down at her side. She picked at the collar about her neck absently. "Stupid thing." Her hands felt around it trying to find the clasp to get it off but it teased her by being one that she couldn't quite figure out. She supposed that it wouldn't be an easy thing or every slave would have these off in a flash. A low grunt of dissatisfaction left her before her gaze rolled to his own. "So, how do you get in trouble if I'm seen not wearing this?" She asked curiously. It was a good question.
 
After laughing at the frillen woman and getting her to eat finally, Tathlyn finished his bowl and gladly gave her another. In the end he finished first and went about washing the bowl in a small basin of water in the corner. Her own bowl barely needed cleaning, but the man gave it a cursory scrub anyways. It was a shame he didn't know when they would be back here, if ever again. There were just too many unknowns when hopping about the country and beyond to look for an ancient hoard of treasure. That thought was humbling. Maybe he should just burn it all down? It's not like they will wait all that long before announcing him dead and trying to auction off his supplies. Well. If they even bother and not just ransack the building.

"Well, I'd be considered a sympathizer for one. Which I am but that's beside the point." He said nonchalantly, walking around the room aimlessly. "Branded a traitor. Imprisoned. And then probably made an example of on a guillotine." All of it was grim and spoken pretty quickly, as if Tathlyn didn't want to think much further on what his nephew would do.

He could easily tell the collar was bothering her, and Tathlyn made good on his promise by grabbing a long dagger from a nearby shelf and letting the silver engraved sheath fall to the floor with a click as he wielded it. Saying nothing Tathlyn walked towards the frillen a few steps before he spoke. "Do you trust me enough?" He asked flipping the knife back and forth between both hands as the fire light changed it from silver to orange and back again.
 
Arashi

A sympathizer? Jade eyes followed him about the room as he paced anxiously like some some animal feeling that a hunter's sights were setting in. The question arose in her shrewd yet sleepy mind. "Why be sympathetic? Why stick your neck out for me, Tathlyn? It's already pretty apparent that you don't care for your nephew and I've a few ideas that he might be jealous of you." A little chuckle left her at the thought. Sure, she could see the king being jealous of Tathlyn easily. For starters, he was much easier on the eyes than the king. Wait... where the devil had that thought come from? Shaking her head, the auburn locks of hers brushed along her shoulders and back with the effort that she made to try to banish the thought. Think a man was attractive. She was bloody crazy. That's what. Focus back on what was going on. "Of course, it almost seems like you took me to spite him and for the life of me, this almost sounds like a bedtime story. Like I'm the damsel in distress that you rescued. Come on, you could've had guards to go with you to find this treasure. Why the heck are we looking for that anyway?"

Her little tirade was cut short by the sight of the dagger and the gleam of it caught her eye. She quieted. "Tathlyn?" She asked softly growing a little concerned over his playing with the knife and walking toward her. What on Earth was he about now? Did she trust him enough? "What am I trusting you enough to do? I kinda rather feel like if you were going to kill or hurt me, you'd have done it already rather than cart me back here. Unless, you need some sort of ritual sacrifice with those strange things that you made the trees do." Her face paled and her ears pricked upright before snapping back. "Is that why you fed me? To sacrifice me? Oh, you're a sick man! Feeding me really good food only to use me for some sort of magical hullabaloo." She closed her eyes and pressed a hand to her stomach lightly looking dramatically pained. "At least, the food was good." Lifting her hand to her face, she flopped back against the back of the couch with a low groan of sadness. The hand covering her eyes parted her fingers a moment as she glanced toward him. "Can I make a request to be made into the personal poltergeist of the king? He'll never sleep again!" A bit of a smirk crossed her features enjoying the idea immensely. Oh, she could think of evil things to do and drive his nephew mad. Now, wouldn't that be a sweet revenge?
 
"I think you hit the nail on the head there." Tathlyn agreed. "Imagine growing up with the King as your nephew. Always knowing that there is some fear in him, that you'll take his place. And enjoying it." He fumbled with some random object in his hand, a rune carved stone that didn't do anything. A failed experiment that he kept around because the flecks of gold looked nice as a paperweight. "I've never wanted the thronw, but he doesn't believe me. So at every opportunity I have spited my nephew just for the fun of it." Her musings were too on the point. Had he really been that easy for the frillen to read? "Well princess, I don't think the guards would make very lively company. Nor would they be as cute." He teased, and then his hand went for the knife.

And here he thought he was the only one with jokes. "Maybe I eat people? Use their souls to nourish my spells." He says woth a quiet laugh, nearly breaking into a fit of chuckling as she flopped back with a groan. "A poltergeist huh? Well, why not? I'm certain you'd be able to tear the castle down around him pebble by pebble until he's going mad!" But his hands did something different, clawing for her throat. Or really, to hook his fingers in the collar. That knife blade grew closer to her neck, and hopefully she knew to keep still as the cold silver alloy grazed her bare throat. A thin red line appeared as it would make the skin tingle, but not cut into. Up the knife went, through the collar, and with a quick and fluid cut it was severed. "They burn the collars closed when you are unconscious, at least until they can put metal ones on." He explaines, stepping away to bend and pick up the sheath to the dagger. Once it was safely in the engraved holder, he tossed it to Arashi so it would land in the vixen's lap. "That's yours now. I'll hold it when we go out into the city, but a girl needs to be able to protect herself. So how about sleep?" He questioned, probably having confuses the woman more than enough for one night.
 
Arashi

Arashi took a deep breath shaking her head. "I cannot imagine having the king for a nephew. I guess the adage about not being able to choose your family comes into play here." She tilted her head to the side studying his face for a moment before she pursed her lips in thought. "No wonder that you want to go on this adventure of yours. I'd want to just to get away and out of his shadow." The vixen was clever or rather, she was just good at looking at other people's perspectives. A little chuckle left her. Odd that she should feel like laughing but it was a little like revenge for her too.

The knife was another story entirely but it was amusing too. Maybe he ate people. "Your dinner says otherwise," she raised a challenging brow. Although, the thought of becoming a personal poltergist and tormenting the king just made her laugh again. The sound a bit dark and hollow but still a sign of amusement. That was before he made a snatch for her throat grabbing the collar. She'll admit that her breath did catch out of surprise but her eyes narrowed in challenge. Rather than pulling away in fear, she held still meeting his gaze until it dropped to what he was doing. The playful air dissipated quickly when the knife went between her throat and the collar but she stayed still. The cold of the metal against her throat made her swallow lightly but she wasn't going to show weakness or was this her trusting him? She couldn't quite be sure if it wasn't some mix of both. No pain or death came just that annoying bit of leather came off. She sighed and ran her hands over her neck soothing the skin that she hadn't been able to touch well. Her body relaxed immediately flopping onto her back as her tail lolled out to the side. "That is world's better." Her response to hearing that the collars were burned closed was a snort.

Her gaze caught on the flint of silver as it came toward her and she sat up quick snatching the sheathed knife out of the air. She eyed it, slipped it out of the sheath and felt for the balance point before sheathing it once more. She raised a brow lightly at his explanation. "Hmmm who's trusting who now?" She said before taking a deep breath. "So, where do you want me to sleep? Here? The floor? I've had worse." She sat up some raising her arms over her head, which strained her doeskin top against her breasts, and her tail curled behind her before flopping down relaxed once more. Her eyes lifted to his face. "How's your nose, by the way?"
 
Her neck felt stiff under his grip, and Tathlyn could imagine putting the frillen out of her misery with the knife or his hands. But, the thought was faster than fleeting, and he didn't have that sort of bone in his body. With the collar off he let the leather drop to the floor without a care. "I'll have to find a replacement for it. Maybe cut a belt short so that we can buckle and not at will? Should be enough to keep us put of trouble." The man mused mildly.

"Oh, I trust you not to kill me in my sleep." Tathlyn said without any worry at all. "I doubt you are ignorant enough to not know the consequences of doing that. And that I'm your best chance to get out of the city." Everything he said he felt as if it was true. And what was one knife to a adept of magic? Well, a lot actually, but if given space and preparation then even catapults fared no better than pebbles. "Neither. You'll share my bed. I trust you enough to not kill me, but not enough to think you won't try and run away." He was kind, not stupid he thought, but didn't raise such a complaint aloud. His eyes were drawn to her tightened top, again thinking that she was quite his type if not for the tail. But seeing it flop about and move he realized that he could learn to deal with it. But no... that's not why he picked her up, or why he wanted to share the bed. "My nose is fine, thank you." He says simply. It wasn't the first time it had been hit, the slight crookedness of it showing that. Waving his hand he motioned for her to head up the winding staircase in the far back through a small alcove. "After you, princess."
 
Arashi

The vixen flashed him a rather lazy grin with a bit of a feral edge to it. "You haven't given me a reason to kill you just yet, Tathlyn." As if that were still up in the air and could change at any given moment. "Not one at all and contrary to popular belief of my being some baby-eating monster, I like to have a reason to have that sort of guilt on my conscious. I do like to sleep at night after all."

His idea on where she was sleeping made her blink lightly and damn if a blush along with a bit of suspicion came to her. "Uh huh, keep me from running off, I see how it is." Sure, that had been one of her plans and made it a wee bit more difficult... no interesting. There was a little narrowing to her eyes as she looked to him before stretching and asking after his nose, which she did feel a bit bad about honestly. It was good to hear that he'd be all right. Of that, she had no doubt that he would. Actually, she was surprised that she hadn't hit him harder than that. Must've been because she was out of it.

She got to her feet with an uncanny grace even tired and walked after him before stooping to snatch the leather collar and tossing it nonchalantly into the fire like she'd wanted to earlier. It was a satisfying feeling that brought a smug grin to her face. "Princess?" She asked as her ears flicked in thought. He had to be teasing her about the damsel in distress comment and a little grin took her. "All right, rescuer." With that, she brushed past him and made sure to flick her tail along his waist before heading up the stairs in a quite blatant tease since he seemed not to know what to make of it.

She sniffed lightly once they got to the top of the stairs. "Mmmm I think it's this way." She said following the heavier scent of his to the left. "Am I getting hot or cold?" She asked with a cocky grin tossed over her shoulder.
 
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