Nodding to Relisha, she understands now. "I see that now, I was confused earlier. We're all just friends. Well..." she looks away with a smile, feigning to listen down the hall for Olaff, Thanara and Savah. "Most of us are just friends. It would seem the love bug as struck on this little caravan to three our group."
Ameiko shakes her head "Anyway, I'm feeling fine. Are you upset with me for what I said? Shey said you were upset, and I want to make sure if you're upset you tell me so we can talk about it."
Relisha just shrugs.
"I was a little upset with ... with the ... the situation," she explains, struggling to come up with an explanation. "I could never be upset with you, though. You're ... you're my ... friend."
She finally pulls her hands away from the woman's and reaches over to grab a cloth out of her bag to wipe her face.
"I'm sorry I'm such a mess. I ... uh ... the reason that ... that I got so upset was ... well ... " she shrugs. "It's just that time of the moon," she rushes out quickly, closing her eyes.
A lie is worth three strokes.
"Thanks for understanding and coming by," she says finally. "Is there anything else you'd like to stay and talk about?"
"Here. Let me. It's my fault." Ameiko reaches for the cloth and holds it out to dab her eyes and then her nose, setting the cloth down next to her.
"Oh. I understand completely."
When the tiefling apologizes, Ameiko frowns. "Seriusly, Relisha, stop apologizing to me. I'm the one apologizing to you."
Tilting her her to the side she turns it back around to Relisha. "Oh, I don't know. Is there something you want me to stay and talk about?"
A thousand answers to that question run through Relisha's mind. A thousand excuses for the woman in front of her to stay with her for just a little while longer. A thousand ways to move closer to her. A thousand reasons to reach out and ...
"Uh ... I guess not," she says finally. "Thank you for coming by."
When Ameiko leaves Ahreni unfolds herself from her position on the floor and follows the tien woman back to her own room.
"Are you dumb or cruel?" She asks bluntly once the door shuts - showing a surprising level of tact, for the shifter. "Rel likes you. Smells happy every time she sees you. Smiles too - even you see smiles!" She glares at the taller woman. "So either you dumb and don't know. Or you cruel and don't deserve her! Rel has hard life, don't make it worse!"
She slams the door on the way out. Loudly.
Thanara just raises an eyebrow and takes on an expression of “Uh-Huh.” She wasn’t sure if Shay was living or not, but she knew she was embarrassed. So she intended to take advantage of it.
”So, what’s she like? Is she thorough? Does her training in examining ones body carry over with other perks?”
When Shay darts off, Thanara nudges Ameiko playfully with her elbow and giggles. Now alone, she lays back on Ameiko’s pillow and asks ”So...you really happy for me? You don’t think I’m in over my head?” as she nervously and absentmindedly traces shapes with her fingernails along the skin of her stomach.
_________
”No, I can turn mine into warm clothes too,” Thanara says as she uses her sleeves to shift her clothes to heavy furs and cold weather attire. ”I just like to look at outfits to get ideas. Was thinking I could maybe find something fun to change into for tonight for you two,” she says with a wink.
”But, it is getting colder. Some more blankets and furs would be nice for the wagon.”
Ameiko smirks at Thanara's probing questions of Shalelu, not engaging further despite the ribbing she'd love to give her ranger friend.
After Shalelu leaves, she turns to Thanara and pats her head. "Yes I'm happy for you! Why wouldn't I be? Oh, and I just don't think you're in over your head. I'm fairly certain you're going to be drowning soon."
She laughs again, "Savah is a tough woman, I can't imagine being with her. And Olaff. He seems like a savage but I bet he's a kinder heart underneath."
She cautions her friend, "Just be careful. Relationships are hard enough with two. Three can be a difficult dynamic to maintain. I do not envy this aspect of your situation."
Ameiko shakes her head at Relisha, smiling at the kindness of the woman before her. "I told you to stop apologizing to me, I came to apologize to you."
"Good night." she says before stepping out into the hallway. She notices Ahreni rise and follow her, looking at her strangely.
"Yes?"
When she pushes into the room with her and Shalelu and launches on her tirade, Ameiko stands there with her jaw hanging open. She stands there stunned when Ahreni loudly enters the room, loudly proclaims that Relisha is interested in her and then loudly leaves the room. When the door slams, she startles from the loud noise. Turning to Shalelu she asks, Were you aware of this? Relisha has interest in me?"
She takes a seat on the bed, staring off into the distance thinking as several pieces of the last few days all fall into place. It makes perfect sense now. she says, rubbing her temples. Having been so preoccupied by the adventure, the upcoming discoveries they may make in Brinewall, the problems with the bandits, it was all masking what she has been right in front of her the whole time.
With Ahreni gone she says to herself but speaks it out loud "I guess I am dumb."
Turning to Shalelu she asks "I'm not cruel, am I?"
"Oh, I'm very interested in this idea. Is this a surprise? I can look elsewhere while you look. Otherwise, I'd love to find something ... revealing. Laces. Straps. Black." she remarks, describing what she's interested in.
Later, Savah pats Thanara's rear end and remarks I only have you to keep me warm at night. I don't have this magical protection that you have."
Over the course of the next thirty minutes the two work on picking up some heavy blankets and coats in case the weather turns colder as they continue north.
Shalelu getting ready for bed is just as startled when Ahreni busts in and reaches for her blade but as Ahreni initiates her verbal assualt on Ameiko she eases up. When it is over a lot more things make sense now. As Ameiko asks Shalelu is she was aware she rolls her eyes and replies "What do you think... now I understand why she was so upset." To her follow up question Shalelu shakes her head "No you're not cruel. I mean some of the jokes you crack are rude at times, but their funny and often true, but definitely not cruel. This isn't all on you and a lot of this mess and confusion could have been avoided if she expressed her feelings more clearly..."
She shrugs and starts getting ready for bed once again before asking Ameiko "Does it even matter, do you like her like that?"
Thanara sighs. ”I know. And it was definitely shaky at first. I thought I was going to lose both of them. But everything seems to be going well now. Just...you’ll be there to help me if I need it, right?’ she asks anxiously.
Thanara smiles and replies ”I am open to suggestions. Might even be willing to model some options for each of you if you’d like.” Making sure her back was turned to the rest of the shop and all the other patrons, Thanara says a word and at first, nothing appears different, but she unfolds her fur cloak slightly and Savah can see that the very outfit she was describing is now what Thanara is wearing underneath. Thanara only holds the cloak open a moment though before wrapping it back around herself.
When Savah mentions her spell, Thanara replies with ”You mean this?” as she reaches out and touches Savah’s arm, a small arc of electricity jumping between both women. Savah feels more comfortable almost instantly. ”I can definitely use that on you and Olaff every morning if you’d like. He’s not wild about magic, though.”
Ameiko embraces her friend in a big hug, squeezing her tight. "I'll always be here for you Thanara. Just try to not screw this up too badly and piss them off or end up pregnant or something. Okay? But if you do, I'll still be there for you."
Ameiko looks even more embarrassed when Shalelu confirms she already knew. Groaning loudly, she flops back in bed with her hands over her face. "Am I last one to find out then?"
Sighing she shakes her head "I've not been interested in romance in a long time Shey. I don't even know any more. I've just been turning away suitor and after suitor on a weekly basis for as long as I can remember now. What do I do with someone who likes me but isn't coming after me?"
Abruptly she bolts up on her bead and turns to face Shalelu. "Help me then. Should I even pursue this or just let it go? What should I do?"
Savah either growls or purrs at Thanara's clothing demonstration, it's difficult to tell. She pouts when Thanara closes it so quickly, but she doesn't push the issue out here. She points to Thanara and says "I want it. Later."
When she mentions Olaff doesn't like it she comments "Well then he better get used to it. I want you to give it to him twice as hard then."
She laughs to herself, a devious grin on her face. "Come. Let's get to bed. We have a long night ahead of us."
Shalelu half laughs "You're asking me?"
She shakes her head and shurgs then lays down in her bed looking up at the ceiling "I don't know, I haven't had any interest in a relationship for a long time either, to much weighing me down. Maybe one day once I get rid of this damn curse... anyway it's up to you. If you don't feel that way about her and she isn't brave enough to actually tell you how she feels, what are you supposed to do about it? I mean if someone wants something they should put some effort forth in trying to achieve it, since we were both in the dark about this I would say she needs to put forth a little more effort if it is something she really wants."
Ameiko thinks what Shalelu says makes sense. "Okay. I think that's makes sense. I have a lot going on in my head that's making this hard for me right now. If she wants to come up and talk to me about it, then I'll address. Otherwise if she doesn't feel strongly enough about it that she can't come directly talk to me then it's probably nothing more than a fleeting thought."
Turning around, she slips back into bed and pulls the covers up to her neck. She starts thinking about this thing with Relisha and wonders what it is, if anything. A few minutes later she whispers "She has really soft hands and a gentle touch." before falling silent again.
”Ha! We will see,” Thanara says as she giggles at Savah’s urging her to use her magic on Olaff. She falls silent a moment before adding more seriously ”Is that why you keep leaving marks on me? Because you know I don’t like it?” Her eyes turn down to the ground as she suddenly can’t bring herself to meet Savah’s gaze.
Savah doesn't answer the question, but stops walking and just stares at Thanara until she finally relents and looks up at her. Once she does, Savah smirks and says "You don't really want me to answer that. Besides, you know deep down inside you crave for it. I recognize you fight against it outwardly, but it's what you need."
Thanara blushes. ”I like some of it, yes. But not that. I’ve never liked it when you did that.”
She looks around and says ”I’m going to see how Olaff’s doing selling those bastards stuff. I’ll meet you back at the Inn,” before stepping off and out into the street. She walks around in thought for a while as she looks for the Ulfen. She eventually spots him inside what must be a sort of guard station, haggling with the quartermaster. He seemed very deep in negotiations, so she decided not to distract him and head on back to the Inn early.
As she walked that way, she saw Savah handling some personal business of her own at the blacksmiths. Thanara smiled mischievously and decided to try and make a point. She carried her bundle of blankets and furs to a position across the street from the smiths, and made it a point to let one fall when Savah looked up and noticed her presence. Thanara brushed her fur aside to squat down and pick it up, showing off enough leg and waist to let Savah know she still was wearing the outfit that she wanted.
Thanara moved along bit by bit to the Inn, making sure to stay enough ahead of Savah to give her several more instances of subtle flashes and sneak peaks that only she could see before she slipped inside and into the room designated as theirs and Olaff’s.
Inside, she stood opposite the doorway, still wrapped in her heavy furs. As she waited, she said the command word that caused her clothes beneath the furs to shift to something very conservative and unflattering to her figure, with several layers of fabric.
After finishing some business at the local smith, Savah heads back towards the inn when she catches sight of Thanara. After several peeks of provocative attire, Savah dutifully follows, swagger evident in her step.
When she enters the room and finds Thanara standing opposite her with the wrong type of clothes on, she looks at her with confusion. Walking in, she shuts the door behind her and says "Thanara, what are you playing at? Did you come in here and put on clothes? I was interested in the other attire that had I've been following for the last ten minutes."
Savah slowly starts towards Thanara and commands "Change. Now."
”No,” Thanara says coyly.
Clearly Savah didn't hear her correctly. She blinks three times before she asks "No? I did not stutter, did I? Change now before I change you myself."
”Promise me you won’t bite me and leave those marks on me anymore,” Thanara says as she tries to put on a bold facade, though her stomach had an entire colonies worth of butterflies flying about in her core.
Savah is taken aback by this newfound confidence the sorceress suddenly seems to possess. She shakes her head no. "It doesn't work that way.
This isn't you talking, this is Olaff. Don't let him fill your head with nonsense Thanara. You need to trust me that I'm taking care of you. I always have, I always will."
She starts walking towards Thanara, slowly. "You don't get to change the rules. Not now. Not ever. I know what's best for you and you are not to question me, is that understood?"
She keeps walking until she is about a foot away from her and she finally stops, pointing at the floor. "Take them all off, now. This is the last time I'll ask nicely. You don't want to upset me, do you?"
Thanara grows more and more nervous as Savah stalks towards her. But she did her best to maintain the front. ”This isn’t Olaff. He hasn’t once even mentioned it. This is me Savah. I don’t mind things being a bit rough. But I don’t like the bites!” she replies, but by this point Savah was on top of her and her voice was starting to betray her nervousness.
Savah looks across the dark room at Thanara, a flash of disappointment starting to show on her face. "Thanara..." she trails off.
Whispering into her ear she says "Last chance. I won't ask again. I'll be upset and you know what happens when I'm upset. Everyone suffers."
Awhile later, Savah flips over in bed and prepares to fall asleep. She instructs Thanara to go downstairs and fetch her some wine so she can sleep without being interrupted later that night should Olaff enter the room and decide he wants some time with Thanara.
By the time Thanara gets back with the wine however, the smith is passed out in bed and the sorceress knows better than to wake her.
Shalelu yawns as sleep is starting to get the better of her. When Ameiko states her plan to wait for Rel to make the first move Shalelu replies "Sounds good."
She starts falling asleep but when Shalelu overhears Ameiko's mention of soft hands and a gentle touch she bluntly remarks "It's true she does, and that may be nice for a little pleasure, but I don't know that is enough to build a relationship on..."
She turns over in her bed and closes her eyes "Night."
Thanara nods and gets dressed. She wanted nothing more than to lay back and sleep, but she knew Olaff would be back soon so that idea was pointless. She stumbled a few times from shaky legs before finally getting her clothes on and heading down to the bar. She sat down and called to the barkeep and asked for a bottle of red as she rested her head on her hand and waited for him to return with the bottle.
Her eyes had almost flittered shut themselves by the time he returned, even though it had only been just a few seconds. She lays the appropriate coin down on the bar before heading back upstairs, clinging to the bed rail so she wouldn’t fall over. She opened the door and stepped inside, but saw that Savah had already fallen asleep.
Figures.
She considered laying down, but that wouldn’t be fair to Olaff. She sat down on the foot of the other bed and sighed as she opened the bottle of wine and took a sip herself. How am I going to be able to handle another round with him? I’m exhausted!
She looks over to Savah and her eyes narrow. You...you did this on purpose, didn’t you, Savah? You wanted me to be too tired to be able to do anything with him, didn’t you? She takes another drink of the wine before setting it on the table. I’m...I’m not going to let you do that to him. It’s not fair! I just...Ameiko was so right...I think I’m drowning...
She takes a deep breath and focuses on staying awake.
_________
Thanara raised a finger to her lips to silence him before she stood up and picked up the bottle of wine, and slowly made her way across the room to meet him at the door. She took slow, deliberate steps, making sure to give him a good show as she crossed the distance. She lifted the bottle of wine to his lips and held it for him to drink straight from the bottle before taking it and doing the same. She sets it down on the dresser before sliding her hands up his chest as she whispered ”Savah’s sleeping. Just you and me,” as she started peeling away his heavy clothes. ”She wanted to get some rest. So let’s see if we can do this without waking her. I’ll try and be quiet.”
She guided him to the bed and pushed him down into it before she turned and walked over to the dresser. She picked up a cup she had prepared another batch of Night Tea in and drank it down. Last dose. Gonna have to get more from Rel... She turns back and looks at him across the room before she narrows her eyes and takes a deep breath before she walks back to him. She crawls up the bed until she is above him and leans down, locking her lips on his.
She starts falling asleep but when Shalelu overhears Ameiko's mention of soft hands and a gentle touch she bluntly remarks "It's true she does, and that may be nice for a little pleasure, but I don't know that is enough to build a relationship on..."
She turns over in her bed and closes her eyes "Night."
Since she seems to be dolling it out in record doses, Relisha leaves the inn to search out the local herbalist and replenish her supply of Night Tea. She knew enough herbalism herself to find it in the wild, but this would be much quicker.
Other that Ahreni's door slam, the rest of the night goes quietly and the party enjoys rest in the comforts of a room with a real bed.
In the morning everyone grabs some food, does last minute shopping and meets back at the caravan as ordered. For the most part, everyone's attitudes are good and their spirits are high. Ameiko seems troubled by something, but she doesn't speak about it and tries to keep her distance from Relisha all morning.
With the caravan loaded and read to go, Sandru declares "Alright, we're off! We're heading north as I described yesterday." He glances at Shalelu to make sure she doesn't make a scene before leading the group out of town. "The going will be a little slower from this point on." he announces as they make their way off the main road to a less commonly used trail that heads north.
The first day's trail is over large open plains and when the rain comes again, the muddy ground slows your pace appreciably. What should have been covered in a day is only one third of that amount, still not making it north to the Lurkwood like Sandru had hoped. Two more days and you make it to the east side of the forest, skirting it as you continue north.
While the group had enjoyed the benefit of a well-used road from Sandpoint until now, the grassy trail is bumpy and more jarring than anything you've experienced yet. More than once you need to stop because one of the wagon wheels has gotten stuck and on the third day one of the wheels breaks when it gets stuck between two rock and the horses yank it free only to sheet the wheel from the cart, sending Ahreni's caravan tumbling sideways and spilling cargo and passengers alike to the ground. Savah is able to rectify the situation, but it costs you a half's day of travel as your stuck waiting for it to be fixed.
Over the next five days Ameiko generally avoids seeking you out Relisha unless she seeks her out first. If she does go to speak to her, she will be very attentive as she waits for declarations of intent or affirmations of affection.
Ameiko seems healed from her bandit attack memories and finally returns to her jovial self again, playing music in the evenings and performing for the group to lighten their spirits.
Savah, Thanara and Olaff's tryst continues, with Savah managing time individually with both of them at her will. She requests privacy of a covered wagon for just Thanara and herself every other night or so for an hour. During the day she dutifully sharpens weapons and fine-tunes everyone's gear to ensure they are in the best possibly condition should a bad situation arrive.
Sandru avoids Shalelu's wrath of taking the northern path and continually boasts every night that everything is just fine like he said it would be. Other than the mishap with the wheel and the longer duration, they are safe as he promised. He asks her to take over duties of Ahreni's wagon a few times so that she can ride with him. Once Ahreni is riding with Sandru, he starts to talk about nonsense of past trips, dreams of the future and various other things. While there is no reason driving this behavior, Sandru always feels at ease talking to Ahreni about what's going on in his life. She's the one person he's always able to be completely honest with.
For a total of five days you see the border of the Lurkwood Forest on your on your western side, keeping close to it for protection and food alike. Koya forbids anyone from actually entering the forest however, stating that spirits will steal the life away from you and she will not stand for it. She proceeds to do a harrow reading for their trip in general, having withheld thus far.
When she flips a card that has a man being attacked by a multitude of hands that have suddenly erupted from the ground, she gasps "A misaligned Beating!". The setting on the card appears to be a desolate stretch of land, as a withered and lifeless tree sits in the background. In the corner, the man’s candle falls to the ground.
She begins "Make no mistake, The Beating is not a subtle card. While it has layers to its true meaning as does every Harrow card, it’s also fairly obvious from first glance what to expect when it shows up in a spread. At its most basic level, The Beating is about being under attack from all sides and on all fronts. While it is part of the suit of Hammers, corresponding to physical Strength, it can indicate a physical or mental attack, or even both at the same time."
"Often, The Beating does not have an immediately verifiable source or cause, and that further magnifies its impact and power. Like the man at the center of the card, we often feel panic and fear under the effects of The Beating. Indeed, The Beating is not only about the attack but its effects as well, a powerful assault that leaves us broken and unsure of ourselves. This assault can lead to a dissolution of self, and like the attack itself, this can mean a physical or mental breakdown or even both at the same time. Indeed, one may lead to the other, as it often does."
"The key to surviving The Beating is to remain sure of ourselves and to keep our guard up. When The Beating shows up misaligned in a spread, it means that we will likely find a new strength as a result of the attacks, even one that can survive The Beating we may currently be in. The Beating thrives on the blind panic that it causes us, the flight-or-fight instinct that it sets off, and if we keep our wits about us and our hearts strong, we can survive any attacks The Beating throws at us."
Shalelu holds her tongue as the caravan sets off on the lesser traveled roads. It isn't until the wheel breaks on one of the carts that she makes sure to take a jab at Sandru "Doubt that would have happened had we gone the other way... you're lucky no one was especially Ahreni..."
Seeing Ameiko intentionally avoid Relisha Shalelu finally approaches the subject with the tiefling one night when she is tending to Shalelu's wounds. "Rel I appreciate you still helping me even though I upset you so much the other night. Maybe, hm... maybe I can help you with something?"
She pauses as she considers her words, this was not her strong suit and she didn't want to just come out and say it and risk making the girl cry again so she decides to relate it to something she is more familiar with. "You know... if there is something you want, you need to make an effort to get it. It's like a hunt, if you just sit around waiting for your prey to come to you're likely going to die of starvation. Instead, you have to be active, go on the prowl, hunt your prey down and do what needs to be done..."
When the caravan approaches the Lurkwood, Shalelu is hesitant to get anywhere near the forest. It was bad enough she already had a curse, she didn't need to go tempting fate wandering into woods where she had already heard of so many strange rumors. She will make sure that her hunts with Ahreni stay clear of the forest as much as possible.
As Koya gives her reading of the Harrow and explains the card of The Beating, Shalelu looks on with fascination, was this about her? Afterwards, when the others are gone she approaches Koya "The Beating, you were talking about before... do you really think I..." She shakes her head and sighs before continuing "we can conquer it if we just stay strong?" Her face is a look of grave concern, something Koya likely hasn't seen from the elf before.
Relisha notices Ameiko's distance over the following days and while she misses her attention, she thinks she understands why.
~~~~
Seeing Ameiko intentionally avoid Relisha Shalelu finally approaches the subject with the tiefling one night when she is tending to Shalelu's wounds. "Rel I appreciate you still helping me even though I upset you so much the other night. Maybe, hm... maybe I can help you with something?"
"Don't trouble yourself, Shalelu," Relisha says dismissively as she applies clean bandages. "I've accepted that with my calling as a healer, people's health and welfare come before any feelings that I may have." She frowns. "That's not to say that I'm angry with you. I'm not happy about how things turned out, but I guess it's not your fault. I shouldn't have expected anything else."
"Instead, you have to be active, go on the prowl, hunt your prey down and do what needs to be done..."
It takes a moment to sink in as to what the ranger is referring. When it does, she smiles sadly. "I have nothing to offer her. I'm just a tainted healer attempting to earn my redemption and ..." She pauses and frowns at her own words. She's repeated them so many times but they seem strange now somehow. A voice whispers inside and she shivers and pushes it away.
"Anyways," she continues with a shake of her head. "There are ... other factors ... that I don't have control of and I don't see them changing."
Shalelu sighs not sure how to make things more clear. With her wounds tended she starts getting dressed and is about to leave before she stops "Look, I explained to Ameiko that there's not anything going on between the two of us. She understands that now, she just assumed since she saw me naked and you tending to me that there was something going on. Then you helping me get back to the caravan after the devastating news of this damn curse..."
She marches over to Rel and crouches down so that she is at eye level with the tiefling "Ahreni said you had feelings for Ameiko, if you do then you need to tell her, the longer you wait the more likely the two of you will grow apart. You need to get over your damn self-doubt and this negative image of yourself. I don't know where it comes from but it's b&#&@#*&. You've saved lives... you were willing to sacrifice yourself to protect Ameiko, if nothing else, if you actually care for her as much as Ahreni made it out that you do then you have your love to offer... I've known Amieko for a long time and I want to see her happy, going on this trip it is something that is making her happy, but she hasn't had someone to care for her in a long time, maybe that can be you, maybe not, but you won't know until you put forth some damn effort..."
She takes a deep breath getting frustrated with the whole thing. Taking a seat she thinks a moment then finally says "One way or another this needs to be dealt with because its distracting her and it's obviously had an effect on you, and that's not safe when we our out here with potential threats all over the place." She shrugs and looks Rel in the eyes once again "Do you want to practice or something? I can pretend to be Ameiko for you, I mean I know her pretty well. Maybe if we practice it will give you some courage to go and actually talk to her?"
Relisha looks away and blushes further as Shalelu addresses her self-perceived shortcomings. The woman isn't saying anything that the tiefling doesn't already know. She seems to pick one thing out of the tirade, though, and she holds up a hand.
"Wait. What is distracting Ameiko?" She asks, suspicion filling her mind. A moment later, she sees the truth in Shalelu's eyes."Ahreni told her?" she asks, knowing the answer already. Her face falls into her hands. "Why would she do that?" her muffled voice asks rhetorically through her fingers. "Now I look even more pathetic - if that's even possible."
She takes a deep breath and then looks back up at the elf.
"I'll just have to tell her that I'll get over her and not to worry about it," she says with a nod. She exits the wagon determined to find Ameiko and nip this in the bud.
Shalelu grabs a hold of Rel by the shoulders with a solid grip as she moves to leave "Look at me... do you have feelings for Ameiko, yes or no?"
The girl takes a deep breath and her eyes search around for anyone listening before she answers. "My feelings about this have no bearing," she says evasively. The moment stretches out and Shalelu's eyes continue to hold her in place. After an indeterminable length of time, something seems to shift within the tiefling. "Yes," she finally says. "But it can't and doesn't change anything."
"It can't and doesn't change what? If you have feelings for her tell her. If you're not brave enough to tell her let me help you get the courage. There is nothing stopping you from telling her other than yourself..."
She squeezes Rel's shoulders and shoves her back a bit as she sneers "If you aren't willing to do either of those then I think you are just playing games and I don't think you really care for her at all... Maybe Ahreni had it wrong and you are the one being cruel?"
Relisha's visage shifts, her sadness replaced by anger. "You do not get to tell me how I feel!" she hisses, attempting to keep her volume down. "I love her more than my own life. But there are things about me that you do not know, Shalelu Andosana. You are not the only one with secrets. I could never bring anything but sorrow into her life. I would never play games with someone like that. That's why I never told her. She was never meant to know. And now I have to tell another lie. I have to tell her that my feelings are nothing and to forget about me. Because she should be happy - I want her to be happy." She shakes her head, angry tears filling her eyes. "And she would never be happy with me."
She turns and begins walking towards Ameiko's tent as she brushes her eyes and mutters something about people staying out of other people's secrets.
Shalelu just smiles when Rel explodes at her, she steps in front of the tiefling and holds her hand up for her to stop blocking her from leaving to say one last thing "There is the fight I was looking for. I don't know why you think you would only bring her sorrow, are you going to turn into a dragon or something too?" she asks rhetorically
"If not, then you need to tell her the truth. If you don't tell her, then that is even worse because you are depriving her from the choice to whether or not things could work between the two of you... by not telling her maybe you are stealing away her happiness... Do what you want, I'm just trying to help, but I'll tell you this, you lie to her now, especially after she already knows, and it is just going to hurt both of you."
She steps to the side and let's Rel walk off.
Ameiko is sitting by herself reading over the scroll that Relisha handed her a week and a half ago, a magical light source radiating from a nearby barrel in the back of the wagon. When she hears the tiefling walk up, she looks up and asks "Oh hey Relisha, how are you this evening? Is everything okay?"
"If you were a healer you'd understand that, for the health of the patient, sometimes there needs to be a little pain," she says sadly before walking away.
~~~~
"Umm ... actually not really," Relishas answers the woman, her eyes avoiding Ameiko's dark brown ones - knowing that to meet them will be her downfall. "People have been talking ... about me ... about you ... and ... I, uh, wanted to clear things up."
She continues to look around the wagon avoiding the woman.
Ameiko sits the scroll down on the ground and spins to face Relisha. She breathes a sigh of relief and nods "I've been waiting for you to come talk to me, I'm glad you decided to do it tonight."
She taps the ground next to her inside of the wagon. "Come up here and talk to me." Helping her up into the wagon, she pulls the back closed to keep prying eyes from observing their conversation. Spinning to face her, she crosses her legs and folds her hands in her lap.
"Do you want to start or should I? I'm not very good with these things. I will. I guess. Ahreni came in and told me that you had feelings for me. She called me cruel and stupid for not seeing it and it really got me thinking."
Looking down at the ground she says softly "I told you about Aldi. I don't know why I did that. I guess that I felt that I could trust you and confide in you? That's a close secret of mine, I just don't tell that story to people. I think... I think that means there is something I see in you. Maybe I've just been so caught up in everything that I've been blind to it. But I've been thinking about it a lot."
She reaches out and takes Relisha's hand in hers, "But I'm rambling. Please, tell me what you came to say."
Olaff kisses Thanara passionately, caressing her body with his hands as she laid on top of him. After a couple minutes however, Olaff notices something is wrong and even in the low-light he notices how Thanara is tired. At first, he was confused. She and Savah had obviously laid together before he arrived, which was weird, as they had agreed to enjoy themselves together. For a second he was angered, feeling excluded, but if that was the case, Thanara would be sleeping with Savah, not with him now. Looking at Savah with suspicion, Olaff concluded this was Savah's doing and Thanara was just trying her best to not hurt him.
While still holding her small body, Olaff lift her up, her legs still locked around his waist, and pressed her body against the wall and holding her legs. "I'll make the movements this time, yes?" He answered as she gave her a questioning look, this time making no effort in lowering his voice. Then the real noise began . Once satisfied, Olaff brought Thanara back to their bed and continued to give themselves pleasure, each movement accompanied by a 'knock' of the bed headboard against the wall. Despite large and strong, Olaff was always gentle with her.
Once they were finished and Thanara was laying besides him, Olaff got up and opened the windows slightly, allowing a cold breeze to enter. The room was hot in his opinion as he was used to colder climates. He noticed Thanara came closer to him for some body warmth and looked at Savah smiling, savoring the moment when she would wake and find out she is cold and alone in her bed.
During their travel north, Olaff performs his job dutifully, even sacrificing his time with Thanara once they are within reach of the Lurkwood. As most ulfen, Olaff was deeply superstitious and once Koya mentioned the spirits within it, he made sure to double his attention, never truly at ease during these days.
Another common ulfen characteristic, Olaff was also a true believer of readings and omens. As Koya made her reading, Olaff became so obsessive with the caravan's safety that he slept only when he was too exhausted to remain riding his horse or standing watch when they camped. From time to time, Olaff also asked Koya for some particular readings. He was interested in his destine.
More than once Thanara approached him for them to share a bed, but he refused. He needed to remain attentive. He looked at her, briefly taking his eyes from the forest's edge. "I've already told ye, Thanarra... as long as ve arre vithin a spitin' rreach o' this currsed forrest, I can't rrest prroperrly. Ye all saw the rreadin', ve arre in dangerr." He explained once again. His eyes were reddish and tired. Trying to change subjects, he asked as he caressed her neck where there was a mark left by Savah. "Have ye asked Rrelisha forr somethin'? It vill leave a perrmanent marrk in therre... I have not asked ye about it beforre, but is this some thing frrom the south?"
Relisha feels the calloused skin of Ameiko's hand close on hers and looks down at it. She can feel her heart beating heavy in her chest. Closing her eyes, she attempts to regain control over her emotions.
"Ameiko, I need to clear this up, because the rumors flying around are just ... they're just ..."
She looks up and sees those brown eyes looking at her. The flecks of gold at the edges like sunlight over the mountains.
"Ameiko, I ..."
I love you.
She swallows and tries to force out the words she needs to say.
Ameiko is staring at Relisha when the words come out of her mouth. She loves me?
For saying those words out loud, it still looks like she's struggling with something inside. She's probably waiting on you to reply, dummy!
Ameiko closes her eyes and takes a long inhaled breath, holding it in while she thinks. While Sandy has told her numerous times he loves her, she knows it wasn't that way. She hasn't heard anyone say those words to her in many years. How could she love me? She barely knows me? She must be mistaken.
Still...
Blowing out her held breath, she knows she can't say she loves her back because honestly she doesn't. She won't lie and say she loves her just to make her feel good either. But does she have an interest in her? Could there be something there?
Maybe.
One way to find out.
Closing her eyes she leans forward and places her lips on the tiefling's mouth. Though her hands may be rough and her words sharp and witty, her kiss may be the softest thing about the Tien woman other than her voice. She holds the kiss for a second before opening her mouth slightly and sucking on Relisha's upper lip before lowering her forehead to the other woman's, keeping it there while she squeezes her hand tightly.
"I'll be upfront with you and say that I can't say I love you back in good faith. But if you give this time maybe it will develop? This is all still new and catching me by surprise. I'm willing to try if you are?"
When Ameiko closes her eyes and leans forward, Relisha freezes in place unable to speak her lie.
She can't be ... She is!!!!
Unable to pull herself away, she basks in the feel of Ameiko's lips on her own. Rel trembles and moans when Ameiko draws in her lip. It's all she can do not to pull the woman into her arms. As it is, this is something she would ever have thought she would experience.
When Ameiko finally releases her lips, Relisha tries to follow, but when she begins speaking, Relisha slows her breathing and attempts to follow what she's saying.
I said that out loud, didn't I?
"I didn't ... I didn't mean to say that ... out loud," Relisha says finally, trying to catch her breath. More than anything she wants to do that again. She closes her eyes.
"Ameiko, I'm not good enough for you. I don't want you to feel like there's anything you owe me. I'm unable to bring you anything but trouble. I ... I would want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life doing ... what we just did. But the last thing I want to do is bring you harm."
She opens her eyes to look into those dark-brown ones.
"But if I just ... one ... more ..." she leans in and captures the woman's lips with her own and, this time, it's not so gentle.
"Relisha..."
Ameiko is going to respond to Relisha's profession that wasn't anything but trouble, but the second kiss eclipses her ability to respond with words. Instead she lifts her hand to the back of oracle's hair and pulls her in tight, engaging in a more passionate kiss. She intertwines her hands with Relisha's and is squeezing it when the tarp on the back of the wagon is violently flung open.
Sighing in what can only be disgust, Helvinius groans. "Ah. There you are. I should have figured. You're making me late for evening prayers because you need to engage in lustful activities it seems?"
Shifting his hand to his hip, he looks down at Relisha with frustration. "I am disappointmented, Ms. Tamm. You had been doing so well too. I was starting to think your parents were mistaken. Pennace thrice-fold."
Without closing the curtain, he turns and begins to walk off. "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Flame out of a pure heart." he calls back over his shoulder.
Relisha starts and pulls away from Ameiko when the tarp is opened. When she sees who it is, her eyes go wide and her face goes ash white. She is voiceless as he pronounces his dictums. Remaining silent until he walks away.
"I'm so sorry," she says in a voice choked with emotion. "I shouldn't have ... I never should have come here. Please, just ... just pretend this never happened." She pulls up the woman's hand in her own and touches it to her face. "You'll be happier with someone else."
She breathes in the woman's scent and then touches her lips to the back of the hand. "I don't regret it. It'll be worth every drop of blood."
She climbs down from the wagon.
Ameiko is more surprised when the curtain opens than embarrassed. A grown woman of her own, she hadn't shut the curtain to hide but for privacy. A curtain that Helvinius apparently didn't seem to care about before he all but yanked Relisha from the wagon his words.
Stunned and too slow to react, Relisha slips from her grasp and makes an obscure comment about it being worth blood. It's not until Relisha disappears outside the wagon does it come to her what that mean exactly. Clenching her fists in fury, Ameiko bursts the wagon in a fury and begins to stomp through the camp searching for the Holy Vindicator speaking to Relisha as they are engaging in prayers.
The Tien marches up Helvinius and pokes a finger in his chest, interrupting his prayer. "Listen here, elf. I am allowing you on this expedition according to our arrangement. There's nothing in there that said you are allowed to be an a&##$#~ to people. I want you to layoff of Relisha right the f!%* now or I'm going to. I'm." she stutters, trying to find the right thing she's going to do to him.
Helvinius doesn't react to Ameiko verbally or physically, only turning his head down to stare at her with a look of disappointment and disdain. "You'll what exactly Ms. Kajitsu? Hmmm? You'll void our agreement. Go right ahead, you know what will happen should you choose that right."