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 Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 9:53 pm
 "I'm fine." Hali smiled as she continued down continued just behind Kaiser, "Did Oriana hurt you at all?" she asked, trying to hide the defensiveness in her voice. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Oriana let one of her arms fall to her side while the other gripped at the elbow of the fallen arm. she glanced slightly over her shoulder, "Are you hurt?" she asked. There were a million and one questions racing through her mind, and yet that was the only one she could form into words. she wanted so badly to return to the feeling she once had prior to his departure, but knew that the three years put a distance between them. (Oo aaaaaaaaaaaaand.... post?) ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:09 pm
"Other then try and screw with my head, no." Kaiser rumbled. He looked ahead and then looked back at her. "I hope you realize that when we get to where we're going, you're going to have to pull your own weight. Alright?"
***
"No, I am not, thankfully. Nothing that hasn't healed anyway." The General said as he walked up to Oriana.
On closer inspection, the General's armor was a patchwork of scars, repaired metal, with the older surviving plates pitted and scarred. It was clear that whereever he went, he was fighting hard, and never had a real chance to clean his armor and restore his armor to its former glorious bright silver.
The suit of armor was also a menagerie of dried blood. Human crimson stained parts of it, while his arms were a deep, unnatural black up to the elbow. The cloak used to be black with a silver emblem on the back but the silver threading was gone, and it had stains of crimson all over it. The black cloth had deeper patches of black mixed in as well, and was stiff with coagulated blood.
The General sighed. "Is everything well with you, Your Highness?" he asked quietly.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:23 pm
"I'm fine, but you'll find that I'm nothing like I used to be..." she sighed and looked at the preacher's podium, "All I have time to do in a day is paperwork, and it seems no matter how much I do it always manages to come back... I haven't see the light of day since you..." she closed her eyes, "In three years..." she finished, "But I am certain it is nothing compared to what you've been through..." she turned and walked passed him to the door where she pushed them open and walked out into the entry way, "Would you like something to eat... I could prepare anything you would like..." she offered glancing back at him in the chapel, "... I figure you could settle the rumble in your stomach, then if you stick around a bit longer you could clean up a bit..." ~~~~~~~~ "She has a tendency to do that... Ever since..." Hali trailed off thinking she probably shouldn't be talking about her sister's secret romance... though the thought made Hali jealous, "Well, ever since three or so years ago..." Hali smiled as she came back to her present predicament. She gave Kaiser an odd look, "What do you mean by pull my own weight... It's not like I need someone to do my dishes and cook for me... We don't have any maids at our house..." ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:35 pm
"Really?" Kaiser rumbled surprise. "I figured blue-bloo--- sorry. Sorry." Kaiser rumbled. "You'll have to do your share of the work. Ain't no one with the Moonlight Guild is allowed to slack. Not even the Guild Master himself is allowed to, where ever he is."
Kaiser stopped and shook, adjusting the pack harness he had made for himself. He wasn't stealthy at all but it wasn't the point of the thing.
He looked up at the setting sun and shook his head. "We best be making camp soon."
"MYRR!" Kaiser roared as he stopped in a clearing.
Myrr came trotting back. "Yes sir?" she asked as soon as she entered.
Kaiser shifted forms and took the harness off. "We're making camp here for the night. I figure we could stop at the village coming up and seeing if we can get a ride. Much better then slogging through the forest."
Myrr grunted in response and started unpacking her kit while Kaiser worked on his.
***
"I'm sorry, Oriana. I truly am. Had I been given more notice..." he trailed off as he began to follow her. "If you will excuse me, I would like to clean my armor if I can while you make whatever you want to." he said with a tired smile.
He split off from her on the way to the kitchen and entered her bathroom. Taking his armor off slowly, he rooted through her effects and scrounged a few rags and began cleaning his armor, scrubbing each plate long and hard, and setting the piece aside to dry.
The General dozed off while cleaning part of the chest plate, slouched forward on the stool.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:49 pm
Oriana had retrieved a roast held in one of the ice chambers downstairs and hung it over the stove to thaw. she diced up some potatoes and carrots and onions, as well as gathered some seasoning to put on the roast when it was thawed. once all her ingredients were in order she grabbed a head of lettuce and began preparing a salad of red onions, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, bread crumbs, and a bit of vinegar. she grated some cheese on the top and set it on the table. After that she went back downstairs into her father's wine cellar, and retrieved a bottle of wine. she set that in a bucket of ice, and then noticed the roast was getting ready, so she removed a large pot from one of the cupboards, rested the half thawed roast and set it inside with the vegetables and added the seasoning, as well as filling it a quarter full of water. she placed it on the stove and let it roast, then left the kitchen to go check up on Auren. She knocked softly on the bathroom door, and it creaked open, so she peeked in to see him mounting the side of her pool like bathtub, slumped over the breast plate of his armor, snoozing. she smiled and shook his left arm lightly, "Auren... Why don't i bring you down a room and you can rest, alright?" ~~~~~~~~~~~ Hali growled at Kaiser's almost comment and stormed off into the woods,"GREAT, If we're setting up camp, I'll go get some firewood..." she shouted over her shoulder. ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:00 pm
"Five coins says the Queen doesn't know how to get firewood." Kaiser rumbled in amusement.
Myrr couldn't help but chuckle as she made a fire pit. "You wanna help her or should I?"
"I'll do it." Kaiser said as he stood and stretched. Slipping off into the woods, he came up behind her. "Do you even now what to look for when trying to make a fire, Your Highness?" he asked her.
***
Auren startled awake, and drew a knife from his boot, quick as a cobra and held it to Oriana's throat before coming fully awake and returning it to its sheathe.
"I'm awake, honest..." he mumbled as the adrenaline faded from his system. Setting the breast plate aside, he put on his torn and dirty shirt. It used to be an ivory color but wasn't that anymore. It too was a patchwork of black and crimson. It too, stiff.
"Of course, I wish I had something better to wear to one of your dinners." he sighed as he stood up.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:20 pm
She rested on the side of his face and a soft curve formed in her lips, "Auren... You just pulled a dagger to my throat... I think you're tired... At least rest till the meal is done, Alright." she helped him out of the bathroom and into a guest room, "... And by then i'll have clothes for you to wear, Alright?" she laid the tired soldier down in bed and covered him with a mother's care. then kissed his forehead and left the room. she walked into the kitchen to check the roast, then around to the north side of the first floor, further down from the chapel where she found extra suits of armor for the once guards that used to roam the area. Oriana grabbed cleaning cloths and polish, then an extra set of black pants and a white top, and left for the bathroom. A few hours passed and Oriana had all of auren's armor cleaned, dried and polished. she set them in his room as well as the change of clothing, different boots, and socks. Returning to the kitchen once more, she set the table for two. she grabbed her nice crystal wine glasses and frosted them with a tap of her finger. she took the roast out and slid it on a nice crystal glass plate and placed the potatoes and carrots around it neatly. setting the main dish in the center, she placed the salad on it's left and a fresh loaf of bread on the right. Pleased with her masterpiece she returned to Auren's room and ran her fingers through his hair, "Auren.... Are you hungry?" she asked quietly. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hali glared at him and removed the bit of cork from the shell around her neck. water came spilling out and she controlled it into a fine line that floated around her. After she came across a dead tree she smiled, and slashed it into nice wedge shaped pieces and picked up two, "Is that what you were looking for?" she smirked in a somewhat snobby tone, "I may be royalty, but i'm not fricken stupid!" she hissed as she walked passed him and back to the camp. She set the logs by the fire and returned to the woods to retrieve smaller twigs, and dried leaves, grass, etc... that she could use to start the fire. ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 11:46 pm
Auren stirred slightly, and rolled over. "Yeah, I think so... I haven't eaten a real meal in such a long time that I don't even remember what they're like." he said with a smile as he rolled out of his bed.
Dressing in the clothes she brought him, he shook his head. Was he really home? Or was he killed instantly by Alhana back in Karaov? He wasn't complaining. If this was the after life, he felt he had earned it.
He had spent the last three years fighting a demon invasion. Three hellishly long years that had seen his friends and family whittled away. One life traded to buy the others hours of respite, days of refuge. Remembering the casualties, the General realized that his mercenary organization might never recover. At least he had spent their lives for the right cause.
Following her back to the dining room, he smiled appreciatively. "You shouldn't have gone through all this trouble y'know..." he said. He pulled out a chair for her to sit in, then sat himself.
"Again, thank you very much, Oriana." the General said with a hint of melancholy. "I'm sorry for not giving you more notice... I was hired on and had to leave immediately. Hell, most of my men were surprised as well." he sighed.
The General waited for Oriana to start the meal.
****
Savarti sensed the third presence in the castle and crept out to see what was going on. Seeing Oriana's reactions to the armored soldier firmly planted what was going on between the two.
Sneaking back to her room, she wrote a short note that said to the effect "Be back in a few days to give you some peace and time alone."
With that, she snuck out again, and headed to the main city of Aquious.
***
Kaiser shrugged, "Wasn't implying that at all, Your Highness. Was merely asking if you knew what to look for in the search for firewood. But you do from the looks of things so we don't have to worry about that." Kaiser said as he followed her back to the camp.
Myrr started a small fire while Kaiser left the camp and came back with a pot of water to boil over it.
The pair of Assassins set up two tents as well, one for Hali to give her privacy and the other one for them. Making a stew out of their trail rations of dried meat and tack bread, the faire was bland but the Shape shifters ate it as though it were the finest feast provided by royal chefs.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:08 am
Oriana took the wine and twisted a screw into it and pulled the top out. she poured Auren's glass half full as well as her own, and set it back in the small bucket, then smiled, "It was a pleasure to actually put a good slice of meat to a perfect meal, and for such a good cause. I couldn't help but prepare it the way i did..." she met his eyes and smiled softly, "I knew you wouldn't have time to say good-bye to a mere crush you had for a few months... It's not like i was expecting you to."
she tried desperately to hide the pain in her eyes. she thought back to the three night she spent wide awake waiting for even so much as word from him that he would return soon, and be safe. all the endless days she had spent praying for him and his troops. that was the whole reason her father had the chapel added to the house, was because she had suddenly taken an interest in religion.
She looked away from him and grabbed the salad fork and took some salad for her bare plate, then on the larger plate she stole a potato, some carrots and a small slice of roast.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After she finished her meal she went in her tent till the fire died out and Kaiser and Myrr went to sleep, She snuck out of her tent and found her bag that her sister packed her. Hali hoisted the bag up and tugged it into her room and opened it up to find a little silver gecko like lizard sliding out of her bag.
"Miu! what are you doing in my bag!" she hissed as the lizard rested on her shoulder, it's heart pounding from all the chaos it had been put through.
She picked the creature off her shoulder, and looked through her bag to find all of the clothes she used to wear when she went camping with her father. A slight smirk tugged her lips and she slipped out of her prissy party clothes and dressed in thick leggings, a turtleneck sweatshirt, and some wool stockings. as she continued to dig around she found an ice capsule.
Peeking inside she noticed what it was. Her full body sleeping bag! she walked outside and broke it open. She was so excited to have it that she pulled her bag out, the little lizard following right behind her, and pulled out the steaks of her tent she could camp out under the stars.
She laid out her sleeping bag and snuggled in. Of course Miu hopped right inside with her. she stared up at the stars and a tear slid down her face. She missed the times she spent with her dad, and thought it very unfair that just because she's a princess means that she doesn't know how to live without all the luxuries. Well, tomorrow she'd show them. she closed her eyes and curled up in the sleeping bag to go to sleep.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 12:21 am
"Still, it was just plain rude and wrong of me." he sighed and took his own portions. He had a bit of an 'Eyes-bigger-then-stomach syndrome' but starving for a real meal didn't do what he wanted justice.
He started eating slowly, relishing the taste as much as possible and not simply tearing into the dinner like a savage. Tack bread and meat jerky were fine and dandy to eat while on the march but wasn't something you wanted to subsist on for years at a time.
Thinking idly back to the that was the last three years of his life time, he shook his head of the images, almost breaking down as he thought of all of the smiling faces he had trained and served with. Men and women who had their own families, lives, everything.
They were gone, and Auren couldn't do a damn thing about it. Yet here he was, with a woman who had fallen in love with him and he had a bit of a desire for her as well... yet his soldiers' lives were gone. They weren't able to have a joyful dinner, to hug and hold their loved ones. Sons and daughters would never meet their mothers or fathers. So what made him so special that he deserved what they would never get?
The excellently prepared meal turned to ashes in his mouth, and he forced himself to finish the meal.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 1:56 pm
Oriana finished her meal and placed the dishes in the sink, then created an ice platter to slide the leftover meat and veggies onto, and placed it aside to move to the icebox. she set the fresh loaf in the bread box, and slid the salad in the upstairs contraption, a metal box that has a frozen upper compartment, and the lower half is for storing other foods that won't go bad quickly. Oriana returned to the table and refilled her glass of wine, tapping the edge to frost it. she sighed and smiled, "You were looking as though you were full, so i removed the food. Do you want to talk about anything?" she asked, hoping to relieve some of the pain he held inside. ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 3:03 pm
The smell of bacon filled the campsite as Kaiser and Myrr were up before the Sun's rays began to peak into the sky.
Kaiser was half dressed, and not completely coherent when he noticed that Hali broke down her tent, among other things. Shrugging, he went back to prodding the bacon with a knife.
To be honest, until he got his black coffee and bacon, his mind wasn't occupied on other things, such as where Myrr got off too. She was probably taking a bath as it were.
***
Auren shook his head. "It's... a lot of things. Oriana..." he sighed. He rested his head on his hands, and shook his head. "Three years of non-stop fighting, Oriana... Three years of watching friends and family die, one by one..." he whispered. "And, I'm the only one that's left. No one else made it..." the General continued.
"I don't know if its luck, or fate, or whatever but it seems that I was some how the lucky one to come home. And to see everyone who was left here... What will they think of me? A coward for leaving against my own will? Something to be despised because I survived so much?"
The General swallowed hard, fighting back the torrent of emotions that flowed through him.
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 5:37 pm
Hali came back to the campsite with jean material pants on with leggings on underneath, a tank top with a large necked thick sweatshirt over top of it. her long green hair was wavy and dripping. she had a towel draped over her shoulders, and a shivering gecko clinging to her back. Hali smirked at Kaiser, and began removing the steaks to and folded up the tent. she threw it over by Kaiser's tent and sat by the fire, "Good morning, sunshine! You look tired." ~~~~~~ Oriana stood up and walked over to kneel by Auren's side. she rubbed his arm, "Auren... I'm so sorry.... I-I can't bring back the dead... but I'm certain your troops would have wanted you to live." she rested her forehead on his shoulder and closed her eyes, "Your men and women fought bravely by your side, and died with honor.... Auren..." she took a deep breath and took him in her arms, "... I don't have all the answers, because i wasn't there. But if you ever need someone to vent on... I'll be here for you, Alright?" she brushed her hands through his hair and did her best to stay strong for him. ^3^It Hatched!Please Click it so it lives!
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:37 pm
"Tired? Naw... just waking up." Kaiser muttered as he flipped the bacon in the lightweight frying pan. He also checked the kettle, and nodded to himself. "Breakfast will be done soon. Myrr'll be here sooner or later, whereever she got herself off too." he said with a yawn.
Kaiser was not a morning person.
***
Auren leaned into Oriana, "Thank you... I'm sorry for breaking down like this. Its just that this is so much more... different then the life I was living, and to think that I survived when so many others didn't..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:54 pm
Oriana kissed the top of Auren's head, "Don't be sorry love, it's normal to have these feelings, after surviving something so traumatic." she brushed his hair back and finished her last glass of wine, "Are you still tired... now that you got something in your stomach, I won't bother you if you'd like to go back to sleep."
~~~~~~~~
Hali smiled pleasantly and got some water in an thick aluminum cup she had in her bag. she filled it with water and set it by the fire to warm up. She then took a bag of all different kinds of tea and picked one. Placing it in the water she waited for it to come to a boil, "Want some tea?" she offered, while handing the bag over to Kaiser.
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