Moonlight Rondo (Closed)

[Nouh_Bdee]

He grumbled when she pulled him to her, but he didn’t want to shrug her arm off. He wanted to hear what she had to say, although he did tense up in case she was just drawing him in for a cheap shot. He did recognize the word “take”, but he had to just take her word for what it meant, and he didn’t like that. He didn’t want to trust her. Still, she had a point, even if he didn’t want to admit it.

Once he’d looked over the note, he shrugged his shoulders to extricate himself from her embrace. Too much closeness wasn’t good for him. “Well, if you didn’t take it, then you distracted me so they could, whoever they are.” His finger poked her in the shoulder, forcefully. “So you’re going to help me get it back.”

Pilgrims didn’t come very often this time of year, but there had been a group in the morning. Perhaps some of them had been thieves, blending in and plotting their heist. Kai scowled at the thought.

Kai takes off his outer woolen robes, leaving himself in only their accompanying loose pants. “Here,” he grunts as he tosses it to her. “Put this on. You’re coming with me while I get my traveling clothes.” With the robe on, Lina would be able to pass for one of the brothers as long as no one looked too closely. Kai just hoped it worked. “Then, you and I are going to track these thieves down.” He was not interested in any argument from her. He was going to need her help.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

The only tell that she might’ve not been the most honest was her somewhat surprised blink at his not questioning her calling it “Thieves Argot.”



Well, I suppose it would make sense. I don’t think any of these monks have the first clue about this country.



“Yeah, yeah, I took it, sure,” she rolled her eyes, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. He was like a child; so steadfast in all of his beliefs. If that’s the way he wanted it, fine. Though she wasn’t entirely surprised that he didn’t believe her: she had been trying to steal the staff, after all. But she’d never involve someone else in her thievery. Involving someone, at the bare minimum, meant a split of the profits. And most of all, she was an adherent of the saying: “Two men can keep a secret - if one of them is dead.” She played everything close to the vest. Had to.



“Help you?” A snort of disbelief. “Why would I want to help you? When I get the staff back, the last thing I want to do is hand it over to you,” she scowled. “So we’re going to end up right back where we started. Besides,” her voice was briefly muffled, before an indignant squawk cut off her words, his robe tossed at her and clumsily caught. “Wait, wait, wait - no way,” she threw the robe down. “I didn’t say I was going to help you. And you just said that you couldn’t leave the temple anyway? What gives?”



She put her hands on her hips, shifting her weight to rest on her right foot as she glared at him. “I’m going to have enough problems on my own trying to get the staff back. The last thing I need is some wet behind the ears puppy following me who doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground!”



More sharpness into her voice now; she was getting serious. The thought of him coming with her before had been a bit of whimsy, a flight of imagination. The very real possibility of him coming with her, being demanding, doing things his way when he didn’t know the first thing about who took the staff was enough for her to make her want to yank her hair out. The first thing that came to her mind was simply the danger. He had no idea. And if she had it her way, he’d never know. “No. Absolutely not.”

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

He stomped over to stand right in front of her, trying to loom over her and be intimidating. It’s unlikely that it would work. Other than his height, there really wasn’t anything intimidating about him. Even though he could handle himself in a fight–most of the time–-he didn’t really look like the kind of man that could handle himself in a fight. He had a bit of a babyface and even his well-developed muscles had a bit of softness to them. There was also the way he carried himself, with just a little bit less confidence than he probably needed.

“Listen: if you didn’t steal it, then whoever left that note did, and neither of us want them to have it.” He leaned over her, scowling, and then he backed down, softened. He couldn’t keep up the pretense for long. He still needed her help, though.

“Besides, I need your help. We can fight over the staff later.” Which he was confident he would win. “That way, at least one of us gets it.” It would be him, though. He wouldn’t do anything underhanded, or try to trick her; he’d just win the fight when the time came. He was committed to it. Still, let her think she had a chance.

He almost stomped off again, assuming she was right behind him, going along with his plan, but he felt a little bad about accusing her so aggressively. He still partially thought she’d stolen it, but he was beginning to wonder if maybe she was telling the truth. “Or do you have a better idea?”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

It was a stand off.


She’d reacted to his stomping over by drawing in a deep breath, almost puffing herself up and out. She wasn’t about to be intimidated, not by the likes of him. Sure, he was a good foot taller than her, but she’d been around the block (and then some!) enough to know that the bigger they were, the harder they’d fall. And sure, he’d beaten her every year, but she’d kept training, and things were going to turn her way. Someday.


But clearly today was not that day.


At least his posturing took her attention off of the very severe problem at hand. The one that made her want to kick everything in sight and scream until she lost her voice. Temper tantrums, especially at her age, didn’t solve everything.


“You’re not listening to me,” she ground out, “I’m going to have enough trouble trying to get this back. I don’t need the likes of you tagging along and getting hu- I mean, slowing me down!”


A crack in her facade, one she tried to swiftly sweep under the rug. If only life were so simple: she’d go out, get the staff back, and turn it over to him. Easy peasy.


Of course she couldn’t give the staff back once she got it. But…what if I could? After I used it to serve my purpose? Maybe if he sees what it’s really for, this could actually be its new home…


A fierce shake of her head. There’s no way. It would take decades, no, centuries, for things to change. And that’s if I’m being optimistic.


“My ‘better idea’,” she knelt and shook out his robe, before holding it out to him, “is for you to stay here. Don’t you think it’d look weird if both you and the staff went missing?”

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

He turned and stepped closer, so focused on getting what he wanted that he missed her slip completely. “No, I’m listening. It’s just not going to happen.” His teeth were clenched, breath quick. He was close enough that he had to look down to see her, and his hood had fallen back in their scuffle. It’s possible this was her first good look at his face, unobscured. She might even notice the smattering of scales on the sides of his neck. That is, if she noticed them quickly, because it was just as Kai finished speaking that the door to the chamber opened behind him.

He reacted without thinking, and even later he wouldn’t be able to say why he just opened his robe, revealing a plain linen tunic over wool pants, and pulled Lina against his body. His larger frame hid her shape poorly, and closing the robe over her barely helped. He pulled her close, smothering her face against his chest to keep her from crying out. Maybe he’d assumed that Brother Qilima would be the one to walk in, since he was usually the only one in this wing of the monastery this late. If so, he’d been right. The pakari man was nearly blind. It was a much more common condition among the mountain dwarves than in most folk, with as many as one in twenty pakari afflicted with severely impaired vision.

“Brother Kai’ori?” he asked, his low voice echoing through the chamber. “I heard some noises in here. All well?

Kai turned his head without turning his body. When he saw the dwarf’s concerned expression, he lost what he was going to say. As much as he wanted to get the staff back before anyone noticed it was missing, he didn’t want to lie to anyone in the Order. And, Lina had a point. If both he and the staff disappeared at the same time, even the trusting brothers of the Samsara order might have questions.

“I’m afraid not, Brother Qilima. The staff is missing.”

“The staff!?” Qilima turned, and had to step closer to the pedestal to confirm that the staff was not in its place. “What happened?”

Kai tried very hard to avoid lying, telling Brother Qilima that he didn’t know who had taken the staff, but it must’ve happened since that morning. He even showed him the note, saying only that he knew it was Thieves’ Argot, but couldn’t read it. The only untruth he told was that he wanted to find someone who could read it, since he was technically holding one in his arms, more intimately since he’d held anyone other than family in his life. Even that wasn’t entirely untrue, since he did wonder if he should get a second opinion on what the note said.

In the end, Qilima didn’t seem to notice the lump in Kai’s robe, or ask any pointed questions about why he was here in the first place or how he knew what Thieves’ Argot was. He even left to gather supplies.

“I have to get the staff back, Brother Qilima. It was lost on my watch. It’s my responsibility.”

He shook his head before he left. “I’m not sure the Bishops would agree, but they’d be sending someone anyway. I’ll gather a pack for the road.”

“I’ll discuss it with Bishop Aybor. Thank you, brother.”

Once Qilima left, Kai couldn’t get Lina out of his robe fast enough. Her warmth, the softness that cushioned her fit frame, it was making his cheeks flush, his heart beat faster. He’d been teased enough by his cousins to know why, and he didn’t want to feel that way, especially not with her.

“You need to get out of here the way you came in. I’ll meet you on the trail down, just out of sight of the monastery.” Without thinking, he grabbed her wrist. “Don’t run,” he said, somehow certain that she wouldn’t.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Before she could begin to protest how stubborn he was being - not like she was one to talk -, she could sense someone was coming. Call it her “Thief’s Sense,” but that familiar tripping of the fine hair on her arm, the flicker at the base of her skull wasn’t to be ignored. Not that she’d have time to figure out how to deal with it - instead, she was suddenly bundled against him along with his robe. The world spun before her eyes before turning into translucent brown, redolent of incense and soap and sunlight and wool and cedar wood. Her breath leaving her in a huff - forced out by his actions - was the only sound that came from her. Instinctively, she tried to make herself smaller, pressing herself closer to him.


It wasn’t the best idea, but he had her trapped. If she made too much noise, became noticeable, her cover was blown, and then she’d really have no choice but to fight her way out. Not a good approach. Her cheek pressed to his chest, she felt him speak, straining her ears to make out the words as clearly as she could. She moved when he did, impressively in tune with him, as silent as she’d been when she first approached the chamber. A slip in his tunic, and linen gave way to flesh - smooth and far colder than her own. Not too much of a surprise; she ran hot, insofar as humans did.


Before she had more time to contemplate his body, the robe had opened, and she was nearly shoved away from him in his hurry to separate them. Smoothing her hair (that hadn’t been mussed), she looked away from him, refusing to meet his eyes. Why had he done that? There was a handful of other ways to have handled that better. She flexed her fingers idly. He’d smelled good. Clean, sexless.


Sexless. Right.


It was with a bit of annoyance that she glared up at him when he grabbed her wrist. She was insulted; felt it as a burning lash across her ego. If she was going to do something as backhanded as ‘run’, it would’ve been in service of her securing the staff and keeping him out of this mess all together. Scowling, she yanked her wrist from his grasp, and with a final sharpness of those tiger’s eyes, she seemed to select a shadow, then…simply ceased to be.











I’m an idiot. I’m standing here losing time and he’s already got the staff. She couldn’t stop the sour thoughts from twisting the corner of her mouth, even as she inhaled the deeply fragrant flowers of the valley. He’s probably made quite a bit of headway already - if he came and took it earlier in the day, perhaps there was enough light for him to start his way down the mountain. There’s no way he’d attempt it at night; even I wouldn’t do that much. And if he’s got the Staff, that means he’s got to be moving somewhat slower. Doesn’t want to bang it around too much. Though no one’s seen it outside of the temple for decades, she brushed a thumb along her lower lip, that doesn’t mean he could get away with trying to pass it as whole if he broke it. And broken it wouldn’t hold much value for anyone.


It had been fairly easy for her to slip out - she had the cover of darkness, and, at this point, an intimate knowledge of the temple. The minute Kai - why are you calling him that? He’s the monk, no more, no less - had been distracted, she took advantage of it and left, shimming out one of those little crevices that were easily overlooked, a pool of shadows that had always simply laid one way or the other. And like a good thief, she didn’t trace her steps back, opting to take a brand new way, even to her. Enough of a “new” way to keep her in the shadows, but to allow her to catch any snippet of information that careless lips may have dropped. That monk, the other one, Qilima, was loathe to cause any sort of ruckus, keeping his news strictly to himself. Boded well for her at the very least. She followed him until she couldn’t - having to take a leap of faith that what she’d observed would hold true - and then she was on her way out, her mouth tight, her mind attempting to lay each thought that crossed it into a meaningful road.


It’ll be damn near impossible to track him, not until we get off the mountain. If we move - wait, what am I thinking, we? Ugh. If I move fast enough, it’s possible I could overtake him. Otherwise, he’s going to be headed straight towards the buyer.


Assuming there’s a buyer. Her look soured further. He could be doing it for more altruistic reasons. And if that’s the case, he’s going to be headed out towards the ocean. No, not the ocean. Not yet. He’s going to have to bring it to his owner to show it’s the real thing.


Looking back on it, she would consider her waiting for the monk not an act of keeping her word, but simply being so caught up in her thoughts that she forgot that she needed to move on.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

It worried Kai how quickly and easily Lina vanished. He thought that if he hadn’t been so distracted, he would’ve been able to keep track of her better, but he didn’t feel confident about that. Their whole fight had shaken him. He wasn’t normally so reactive, so emotional; at least he didn’t think he was. He’d performed poorly, and that was another thing that worried him.

What worried him most of all, though, was how he’d felt when he held her under his robe. He had decided he didn’t want anything to do with sex or romance or whatever that was, but he couldn’t deny that his body had wanted him to forget that decision when Lina had been pressed against him. She felt good. She felt warm and just a little bit soft, especially certain parts of her. And now they were going to be traveling alone? He was going to need to renew his strength of will, to hold himself in check more tightly. That was the answer.

He’d just have to keep his distance. No more touching. They would travel like the knights of his grandfather’s time, chaste and professional. Making that resolution swelled his chest. He could do this. He could get back the staff without succumbing to her temptations. Samsara would be proud.

He grabbed his supplies and started out the door. It was cold, much colder than he would’ve liked. Being part dragon, he never did well in the cold. Luckily he had his warm, woolen winter robes. They were thick, and fit tight to his body, holding in enough body heat to keep him from going into hibernation.

“I have to admit, I’m a little surprised you’re actually still here,” Kai ventured as he walked up behind her. She looked distracted. “I assume you’re ready to move?”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Gah!” She leapt about a foot into the air, whirling around to face him. “Perturbed” was putting it mildly with how she looked at him. She seemed to want to say something bitter, nasty - but t thought better of it, and swallowed it down with a deep inhale. A snort, then, and she rotated her hands at the wrist, the joint moving smoothly despite the pops of protest.


“Come on.” More of a low hiss than real words, and she didn’t give him a second look as she began to head down the path.






The way down was quiet, save for the occasional gust of wind. The further away they traveled from the temple, the cooler it became. Like the temple itself was truly on sacred ground, untouched by the harsh beauty of the chill terrain around them. She seemed to be well-acclimated to it, moving briskly, only glancing behind her on occasion to ensure that he was still following her. She had time to make up for, and with that, no time for anyone, monk or not, to slow her down.


Of course he left no trace, her thoughts crossed her face as a brief shadow. She occasionally traced a line down a rock face, knelt to look at the path closer. The good thing about the temple was the one way up, one way down - and not even he could’ve been inventive enough to figure out another, swifter way down on such short notice -


Unless…


Unless he’d been planning this for years, and it just happened to be coincidence.


She suddenly stopped in her tracks and rushed to the edge of the trail, peering over the side of the mountain. It was too dark now, even with the bright light of the moon, to be able to tell if there had been another way down.


“We’ve got to hurry,” she said, surprisingly calm - still not facing him. “If we keep this pace up, we can be at the foot by dawn. Then I’ll have a better idea of where we’re going. Since you insist on coming with me.”

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai took a deep breath that was his only acknowledgement of his most ignominious departure ever from the Shining Moon Temple. “I do insist,” he quipped as he walked past Lina without even a sideways glance at her. It didn’t even occur to him to look for a second path down the mountain, so he led the way down the same path Lina had used coming up. He knew the path well, having made the climb several times a year to visit family or purchase supplies. He was quick, stepping surely down the gently sloping sections, and deftly clambering from handhold to handhold when the trail got too steep. Of course, he would have no idea if Lina could climb down faster unless she passed him.

If Kai had been his normal, composed self, he probably would’ve realized that it was too cold for him to make the climb. His dragon blood made him more vulnerable to the cold than a pure-blooded human, and he was lucky to make it as far down the mountain as he did before his fingers started to get stiff from the cold. He should’ve stopped, but he was shaken by everything that had happened that night. Whatever he’d thought he knew about the mysterious thief who visited him once a year, it all seemed so fragile and uncertain now. She was a suspicious pile of leaves on the forest floor, and he didn’t know if he could rely on her without falling through into the pit.

So he kept climbing, in case all her reluctance to travel with him was more than just posturing, in case she would really leave him behind if he stopped to warm up. Besides, they were almost to the foot of the mountain. Kai gripped a runt of a tree trunk with his right hand and a rock he hoped would hold with his left, and chanced a look down. He could see the river that wound down to cross the path at the foot, so he knew they were close, which he was thankful for, because he had been shivering for a while now..

He looked up at Lina, thinking to tell her they were close, but he lost his grip on the rock, swinging to his right. He cried out in a low roar, and in an extraordinary feat of strength, swung himself back to his left. He reached for the rock again, but his fingers were stiff and slow to close around it. What was worse, he lost his grip on the tree. He was untethered, in the air inches from the mountainside.

His eyes couldn’t focus on anything but the dark blue of the sky, sprinkled with stars. He wondered briefly if this is how he would die, and then he hit the water. He must’ve swung himself enough to reach the river, its freezing cold water cushioning his fall but seizing up all his muscles. He didn’t know whether he’d saved himself or doomed himself, but he didn’t have much time to figure it out. The extreme cold of the river shocked his system, his draconic blood sending him into a hibernative state. His eyes closed.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Of course he would insist. He was like a fungus. No, fungi were useful. Pond scum. No, she was sure that even pond scum had a purpose. Maybe a boil? Or a carbuncle? Just what was a carbuncle, anyway?



It was easy to get lost in these silly thoughts; preferable, really, then facing the reality of the potential scope of what lay in front of her. As much as she hated to admit to herself, she was going to have to let in this erstwhile monk into what she suspected if they had any hope of getting the staff back.



Wait, why do I keep thinking of him as a part of this whole ‘we’ business?



Carbuncle. Carbuncle. Bunion. Some strange growth that was steadily getting larger. And speaking of ‘large,’ did you see what he looked like with that robe off? How was he hiding all of that beneath those robes? What does he do, lift mountains for training?



The differences in their size meant that it was that much easier for her to slip down the mountain path, as svelte as a cat. Even when it came to spaces that seemed much too small for her body, she was able to slip through them as if she had all the space in the world. It was one of those such narrow passes that, not thinking about the differences between them - really, trying not to think too much about him at all - that ensured that, sooner or later, the lethargic Kai would run into some trouble. And to her credit, as soon as he slipped and fell, without thinking, she was right behind him.



The ice water wrenched the air from her lungs - she forced herself up to the surface of the river with a pained gasp, whipping around, looking this way and that, struggling to calm herself. If she didn’t calm down, she couldn’t focus on finding him.



“For as big as you are,” she gasped into the night air, “how the hell did you manage to disappear?!” It was the only grouse she allowed herself before she dove beneath the surface again, forcing her eyes open (though all she could see were varying degrees of darkness and the silver swirl of bubbles) and trying, in vain, to stretch her very human senses to their limits. She’d plunge herself deeper, flowing with the current, before she would have to surface and suck in great breaths of air. She’d only allow herself that much before she was diving beneath the waves again, searching, searching - wait, that had to be something! Forcing herself deeper, though the waves struggled to push her forward, she managed to grab onto the edge of something waving - something that felt distinctly like fabric. Slipping an arm underneath the bundle of fabric, she shifted upwards, taking him with her. Thankfully, his weight was lessened considerably by the fact that they were both under the water. Moving so that her legs were solidly underneath her, she pushed off the bottom, wrapping her other arm around him.



Her lungs felt fit to burst, they burned so bad. It felt like an eternity before she broke through the surface again, gasping, coughing, wheezing - but with the sodden monk within her arms. That had to count for something, right? Looking desperately around her, she saw that she was closer to the shore than she’d originally thought. Good for her - the struggle to breathe, to find him, was starting to wear on her body. Grasping him firmly against her chest with her left arm, she used her right to propel her through the water.



After what felt like an eternity, her hand hit the deep mud of the river bank. With her last bit of adrenaline, she hauled herself and him onto the bank. In the mud, river weeds, and other river detritus, she rolled over onto her back, her chest heaving. Even breathing hurt. She blinked a handful of times to clear the last bit of fresh water (and maybe tears) from her eyes, trying to focus on the tremulous stars above her. Already it seemed like the bottom of the sky was beginning to lighten into a pale gray, weakly signaling the end of the night. It took a mighty effort to get her onto her side, but she managed it all the same. She had to - in order to figure out where they were. The river, she knew, ran along the base of the mountain but she had no idea how deep the river was. Good luck within bad that it had been deep enough to cushion both of their falls - difficult to tell how far they’d fallen, and how far off from the base of the mountain, or where the current had taken them. All of that could wait until she got her breath back, and no telling when that would be.



Wheezing, she rolled to her stomach, propping herself up on her forearms and elbows. Her hair was plastered to her shoulders, her forehead - and with a muddy hand, she pushed some of it from her eyes.



Wait. He didn’t seem to be breathing. Something close to a swear came from between her clenched teeth as she willed what little strength she had, now moving solely on spite, to him. Tilting his head upwards, she parted his lips. Leaned down and breathed hard into him. Withdrew. Waited. Did it again. Then again. And again. Until he started to cough up water, his eyelids fluttering but not opening.



“I’ll take that,” she muttered, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. He’d been so cold. She was cold too, but…colder than usual. Like corpse-like cold. He wasn’t dead; couldn’t be. He was breathing now. A gust of wind, shrieking down the side of the mountain, decided at that time to snarl around her and him. She shivered mightily. As if her luck couldn’t have gotten any worse. Grimacing, she looked over at him.















How she was still managing to move was completely beyond her. Really and truly. But here she was, sitting in front of a modest fire, holding her hands out for warmth. In some extreme rare luck, not only had Kai not lost his pack, but there was a blanket inside that had only gotten damp around the edges. It hadn’t taken her long afterwards to strip herself nude (and him as well - it wouldn’t do to keep him in wet clothes, especially with as cold as he was) and bundle under the blanket, his body pressed close to hers. She’d managed to build a smaller secondary fire nearby, and had their damp clothes strung up over it to dry.



The blanket was large enough - clearly meant for his massive form - for her to lay a portion of it on the dry ground (bolstered by dry leaves), and lay him down. She laid down on top of him, pulling the blanket over their bodies. She was frankly too exhausted, cold, and annoyed to give too much thought to the salaciousness of their position. Just that, somehow, in spite of the woolen blanket and the fire in front of them, he was still cold, and certainly wasn’t helping her warm up at all.



“Miserable shit,” was the last thing she grumbled, before her eyelids could no longer remain open.











When he woke up, or would begin to register where he was, she was no longer on top of him, but curled up beside him, just as nude, but completely knocked out - unmelodically snoring, occasionally shivering as the wind danced over them. She’d move closer, almost melding her body into his, seeking some additional warmth.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

It took Kai a long time to crawl his mind toward consciousness. It was still cold. He could barely feel his fingers and toes. His core was warm, though, and he could feel the flickering heat of the fire wafting over his body, even through the blanket. There was another source of warmth on his other side. It was something soft, yielding but present.

He lay his head back, eyes still closed for now. The night before was creeping back to him, bits and pieces of urgency filtering through the chill. His lips settled into a frown as it all came back: the stolen staff, the flight down the mountain, Lina, and his tumble into the freezing river. But how had he gotten where he was now?

He opened his eyes, saw the fire, the blanket, two sets of clothes hanging by a smaller fire, nearly embers now. Wait, two? He realized he was naked at the same moment he realized what that other warmth was, and his hand jerked outward, palming Lina’s unconscious head and pushing her away as he scrambled to his feet. Immediately he began to shiver, teeth chattering in the morning air. She’d likely saved his life, but he’d need more than a night under a single blanket to warm his core.

“Y-you! Y-you und-dressed m-me!”

He stomped over to his clothes and started pulling them on. They were dry, which was lucky because he hadn’t even bothered to check. He shivered again as the comfort of the fire-warmed cloth reminded his body how cold he was.

Kai deliberately avoided looking in Lina’s direction, even after he was dressed, instead walking in a wide circle to sit and blind himself with the fire, sitting close to further warm his skin. If Lina thought about it, she might notice that he was sitting closer than a human should be able to tolerate, just far enough back to avoid his clothes catching.

“I…” he started, not sure what he’d been about to say. His mind was still catching up to consciousness, and it didn’t know whether to think about their shared nakedness or her presumably daring rescue of his hibernating form. It was confusing, but he didn’t feel the anger that his confusion in the temple had brought him. He couldn’t, not after knowing that she’d likely risked her own life to pull him from the river. The anger was just…gone.

That didn’t mean he felt calm. His mind was a roiling tumult of anxiety and shame, shot through with an impatience to get the staff and get back to his life. He had to return the sacred artifact and she had seen him naked! He had felt her…naked! That…keeping his unconscious body warm with her body was not how he’d wanted his first touch of a naked woman to be.

Not that he knew he ever wanted to touch a naked woman! His cousins always told him he would, but he’d always been firm that that was never going to happen, or if it did it was going to be a long time from now. He was a monk of the Shining Moon temple, for Samsara’s sake! How had he gotten himself into this mess?

“You…” It all started that first night Lina came to the temple all those years ago. Why hadn’t he turned her in? Was it weakness? Did part of him want to grow closer to her, so something like this might eventually happen? Surely not! He was tempted to be angry with her again, to blame her for throwing his monastic solitude off course so thoroughly. He couldn’t, though. She’d saved his life, and that was sacred.

A peace came over him as he sat, nearly in the fire. It probably wouldn’t hold, but as his fingers loosened up, and pins and needles tingled their way to his toes, he breathed in the soot-filled air and sighed. Whatever happened, he owed her.

“Thank you,” he said, not even sure if she was close enough to hear his low voice. “I don’t know,” he began a little louder. “...how much time I’ve cost us. Let, um, let me know when you’re dressed and I’ll pack up camp.”

He didn’t know what else to say. Lina didn’t seem like the type to want a long speech about how grateful he was. She’d probably complain about it if he gave her one. Or was he being uncharitable again? He didn’t know what to do or say, so he said nothing, at least until she spoke.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

It’d been warm in her dream. Warm, and smelt of sun-warmed rocks, deep cool water, and crisp grass. Dots of flowers, too. Familiar, but of its own creation. And someone was waiting for her - she could see their - no, his - shadow in front of her. And he was turning to her, smiling, his face in shadow -



“GAH!” The world came back to her in jarring sharpness as she tumbled off of him and partially out of the blanket, exposing her nude body. “What the hell?!” Grumbling, she reached up to rub at the side of her head, scowling as she pulled the rest of the blanket over her, more to protect herself from the sudden chill than out of modesty. With the rude awakening, it took her a bit longer to register that he’d said something. Squinting into the rising sun, she paused for a moment. Where had she seen that profile before?



Her anger started to fade, washed away by the warmth of that dream. But her brain kicked into gear, and she frowned. “Yeah, I undressed you. It was either that or let you freeze to death. Or something like that.” A slight huff as she got to her feet, instinctively taking the blanket off and starting the process of folding it, as nonchalantly as if she was taking fresh washing off of the line.



And if she wasn’t completely naked.



“I’ve heard of people running hot, but you - your skin was like ice. I’ve never felt anything like it.” She held the folded blanket in front of her now, considering him. Not like she had the opportunity to really look at him before; she’d been so concerned with getting him undressed. And the way he was still bundled up, close to the fire….She squinted at him, her nose wrinkling across the bridge. It wasn’t an expression of disgust; more of summation. Then her face relaxed.



Lina, you’re reading too much into it. He’s just cold.


She began to pull on her clothes. They were dry enough. He’d said something about the time.



Hellfire. The time!



As she tugged her tunic over her head, she glanced towards the horizon. It seemed like just a moment ago that the sky had just started to turn pink at the edge. Now the sun was well on its way to the zenith. They’d been out for a long time. Long enough to lose whatever trail they’d been on, unless her luck held and the actual thief had been sloppy enough to leave clear tells. Anger boiled over into her stomach, hot, acrid, threatening to spill out -


And it did, in a long, defeated sigh.



“We can’t rewind the sun,” she said, after ungluing her tongue from the roof of her mouth. “All we can do is keep moving forward. If you want to pack up, go ahead - I’ll see if I can’t pick up the trail.” She tossed the blanket in his direction, retrieving it from where she'd dropped it. "No point in moping about it."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Well, I wouldn’t’ve frozen to death, probably, he thought, but he didn’t say anything about it. And, the more he thought about it, the less sure he was that it was true. He’d never frozen to death before, but he also hadn’t fallen in a near-freezing river and spent the night in wet clothes, so maybe that would’ve done the trick, despite his hibernation. And he definitely would’ve died if he hadn’t been dragged out of the river at all. Besides, if he told her all that, he’d have to tell her that he wasn’t entirely human, and he never knew how that was going to go over.

Oh, shit! The trail! Kai packed up as quickly and efficiently as he could, getting the tent and bedroll *mostly* back as tightly as Brother Qilima had packed them. Then, he was off. He found Lina quickly enough, following her footsteps through the mercifully thin layer of snow. He gave her a nod and then silently fell into step behind her. She hadn’t found the trail yet, but hopefully she would soon. He kept his eye out as well, just in case he spotted something, although he wasn’t much of a tracker.

While they walked, he kept thinking about the night before, and how he’d acted toward Lina. She’d saved his life, and that colored his memories of their fight, and his words. He’d been unkind, uncharitable; he’d assumed the worst and been wrong. Samsara would be disappointed in him. If she had truly been the villain he’d imagined her as, she would’ve let him die in that river. Even someone with a casual regard for his wellbeing probably wouldn’t’ve dived in after him, risking her own safety in the process.

“I’m sorry,” he ventured, the first words any of them had spoken in several minutes. He wasn’t sure what else to say, except that he’d been wrong. “I was wrong…last night.” He kept walking, kept letting her lead, kept glancing for some kind of sign of where the pursued had gone. He wasn’t looking for a long discussion about it; he just needed to get the words out.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Snow would soon give way to mud, mud give way to a solid road, and then torrents of dust. All of the traditional routes she had mapped out in her head; the same ones she’d taken for years up until this point. There was a benefit in there only being one way in and one way out of the temple, but she wouldn’t put it past her suspected “foe” to have figured something else out.
They’d walked a while in silence before his voice broke through it and into her thoughts. She stopped dead in her tracks, turning to face him. Her expression was unreadable; a raised eyebrow, a determined quirk to her lips that didn’t lean towards disgust, anger, or smart-assery.

He actually sounded contrite.

“…Huh,” the sound slipped out of her before she could stop it. There was no caging it, and she made no attempt to disguise it as she continued to scrutinize him. “I wouldn’t be so sure about all of that,” off the cuff, tossed at him as a scrap to help him with his undoubtably wounded pride. “I am still a thief, after all.” And she let it go, simple as that, and started on the trail again.









They’d walk for what felt like hours in quiet, her lost in her own thoughts while she tried to pick out the trail, her monk shadow trailing behind her. In reality, it’d been little more than 45 minutes when she suddenly knelt. The snow had given way to mud, and with the mud came the clear impression of boots. The left leg sunk lower than the right – and that’s what she was looking for.

“Hellfire,” a low growl as she stood, wiping mud from her hands. “It’s him.” She wanted to scream, rake up large handfuls of grass, kick and scream. Instead, she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles paled. “Well, we’re certainly going to be in for it,” spat bitterly back at him. “Because now,” sarcasm coated her words – to mask her sheer rage and fear -, “We’ve got to get this before war breaks out.”

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai followed Lina as silently as he could, the quiet and monotony a comfort to the conflicted, contrite monk. While they walked, he didn’t have to think about the genuine overtures of friendship she’d made, and how he’d thrown them in her face. He didn’t have to think about how disappointed the bishop would be in how lax he’d been in reporting her attempted thefts, or how even then he wouldn’t regret it. He did, fortunately or unfortunately depending on his whim of the moment, have to look at her ass quite a bit. Still, he didn’t have to think about how plump it looked, firm and soft at the same time. He didn’t have to dwell on the scant memory he had of her body pressed against his, the heat and presence of her. He didn’t have to think about their nudity, or the complicated emotions the sight of her dredged up in him. He did think about those things, but he kept telling himself he didn’t have to, that he could stop any time he wanted to.

That all went away as soon as she found something. It was tracks, boots in the mud, and even if Kai couldn’t see any more into it than that, Lina could. And what she saw rattled her, that much was clear.

“War?” That didn’t make any sense to Kai. This was a holy artifact, blessed by Samsara, and capable of divine miracles, but its purpose was religious, not political. What use would nations have for it?

“How? Who?” Who’s involved, who was Him, all of it.

He looked her in the eye, and tried to be gentle. He tried to sound reasonable, to avoid being as harsh as he’d been before. “I know you don’t want to tell me, but I need to know. Enough of this blind traipsing through the snow.”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Was he always this tall?

Considering how “regularly” that they fought, it came as a surprise to Lina that having Kai so close to her now made her feel very, very small. But not in a way that she felt frightened. More like he was a protective shield – her cheeks warmed, and she looked away, before looking back at him. Or up at him, rather.

“… Him’ refers to Magus,” the name was said with reluctance, her swallowing her fear, as if saying his name was enough to make him magically pop out of the snow. “Magus is…” Terrorist? Murderer? Thief? Rapist? War criminal? All of the above, and somehow more? “Magus is a blade for hire. The simplest way to put it,” said on the end of a long sigh. If he hadn’t heard of her and her several monikers, chances were he’d never heard of Magus, especially since, well, monk. Monks had no need for the world. A disgusting cop out, If you asked her. “He’s got some sort of deal with his right leg, which means he leans heavier on the left side. That’s how I could tell it was him.”

A press of her tongue to the roof of her mouth. She’d seen his prints way too many times after scenes of carnage that still crept round in her nightmares. “I’ve never come face to face with him, but his ‘reputation,’” the word spat with bitter sarcasm, “proceeds him quite a bit. The fact that the staff was gone by the time I got there made me suspect that it might be him – there’s only a handful of thieves that are better than me, and only one or two that would have any interest in the staff. Narrowed it down from the get-go.” Softer now, with a tinge of inexplicable sadness, “He’d know I’d know it was him.”

She sucked in a great breath. That was only part of what he’d asked. “…You don’t know much about the history of this region, do you?” On the border of incredulous but not too unkind, like asking a child that she knew who hadn’t done his lessons the answer. “Just what the monks told you, right…? And you’re clearly not from here, otherwise you’d know.”

Then, a sudden laugh. “The monks are outsourcing recruits, it’d seem.” It would make sense; bring in people who knew absolutely nothing about the region and brainwash them into religious devotion for some reason. “Don’t they have goddesses where you’re from? Why’d you come all the way here, anyway?”

She’d started walking again, happy to deflect back onto him and to get her mind off of Magus and the cold fear that sank in her stomach. She hadn’t lied to her traveling companion, she knew that much, but it was time to gauge who he was. And to focus on herself, what lay deep within her gut. Would she truly be up to this task? She still had time to cut and run.

But if I do that, my people will never be restored.

I’m supposed to be their best choice – but what does that mean if I die in the process? To die a martyr and assume that they’ll keep fighting?

No. I’ve got to do the best that I can now. And if I can at least get the staff back in the temple, someone else can try again after me, if I die. If I have to die.

Not good odds, Lina, old girl.

Yeah, but, where’s the fun in things being predictable?

As they walked, her waiting on his answers, a dangerous smile came across her face and set hard.

Well, no one said it’d be easy.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai listened intently, his face stone, eyes wide. He’d never heard of Magus, but he felt he was learning more from Lina’s tone than her words. He no longer doubted that Lina was being honest with him, not after she saved him when she easily could’ve just left. She even could’ve saved him and then left, if she were one of those thieves with few, but not quite zero, qualms. Instead, she had stayed with him. If she were in league with this Magus, she wouldn’t’ve done that.

He frowned when she asked him about the history of the region. Kai hadn’t grown up here, and she was right that the monks didn’t prioritize non-religious history, but he didn’t appreciate the condescension in her tone. “I know…some of it. It’s not–They…they didn’t recruit me,” he stammered. Lina had already made it sound like the reason she didn’t want him around was some paternalistic nonsense about keeping him safe, so he didn’t like the implication that he didn’t have a fully developed understanding of what they were talking about. “I came here…on my own.”

He didn’t want to give her a long explanation of why he became a monk, but he didn’t know how to salvage the conversation. “I…” He waffled between embarrassment and indignation, counting steps in the snow to calm his mind. The fact that she wasn’t fully listening completely escaped his notice. The silence pulsed, and then he continued. “I didn’t think much about the gods…back home.” Another deep breath, eyes focused on his feet. “Then, I…I wanted to do something; something that…mattered. I was tired of being listless.” His fingers trailed through his hair. “And Samsara…she wasn’t nearby, hadn’t been one of the gods I had…ignored. She felt safer to turn to.”

It sounded hollow coming out of his lips. He wished it didn’t make him sound so impulsive, blown on the wind of his whims. That had been the feeling he was trying to rid himself of when he joined the order, and it had worked, but there just wasn’t a good way to talk about it without coming across like a child. “What about you?”

He looked back up at her, seeing the focus on her face. Why did the sight make him smile? They could talk more about Magus in a bit. “You’re obviously…capable…what made you become a thief?”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“Story time now, is it?” She stopped and turned to look at him with a wide, impish toothy grin. The slight point of her canines was pronounced, the resulting look caught between sinister and playful. Something about his story had touched her; more in what he hadn’t said in what he had. Not that she’d had many conversations with anyone in religious orders, but they all had that unshakeable air of their choices in life being the right one. Not so much with him; a deaf man could’ve heard the hesitation in his voice. Not that she’d tease him over it.

Not much, at least. His earnestness, along with his natural kindness had been more than enough to blunt the natural sharpness of her responses to others.

Lina, you old softie.

“But it’s fair question,” a round about answer, acknowledging that he didn’t have to give as much information as he had. “Let’s get on down the road – see if we can’t hitch a ride down. Save us some time.”









Lina had something else that he probably hadn’t suspected – charm. In absolute droves – a surplus that spilled over and seemed to wash over him. And a fairly good dashing of luck, for it seemed as no sooner as she’d mentioned getting a ride that less than half a mile, they’d run into an old trader coming down from one of the adjacent villages from higher up in the mountain. Still from the snowy region, the back of his old but well-cared for cart was lined with thick woolen rugs, both humble and ornate – details that Lina had not only commented on, but complimented (and that’d turned into the trader giving her one of the finer ones at a not insignificant discount – which she promptly overpaid for with a slight of hand that the trader wouldn’t notice long until he was back at home and would mutter a blessing for the two unlikely travelers) – and it made for quite a comfortable ride into the trading center at the base of the mountain. Still, by the time that they made it to the base of the mountain, the air was beginning to show the distinct chill of early evening, the undersides of the clouds melting into the early golds and oranges of the sunset.

The trading center, Windermere, was at the heart of several crossroads; the closest to a “big city” this close to the temple’s mountain range. Everyone going up to the temple had to pass through here, so seeing pilgrims mixed in with traders, sightseers, fortune hunters was all common. The clear mountain air was filled with the sounds of multiple languages, the whinnies of horses, braying of donkeys, people shouting, laughing, praying. Rich smells of food mingled in with the dankness of multiple bodies and old hay, the wind carrying it all away before it got too stifling. The fact that evening was fast approaching seemed to bother no one, as several merchants could be seen lighting various lanterns and candles, the city glowing with a second light, a myriad of fireflies sparking back against the encroaching night sky.

As Lina hopped off the back of the cart, she tossed the rug that the trader had sold to her to Kai. “Here. Think you’ll need it. It’s a wool blend, specialty of Makina. Nothing like it in the world,” it was said with no small bit of knowledge. The blanket was a deep blue with white and yellow pictographs of birds woven into it. It was incredibly soft to the touch, but deceptively heavy. “Doesn’t feel like much, but there’s not a lot else out there that’ll keep you as warm. They travel pretty well, too. Don’t add too much weight. Now,” she dusted off her hands, glancing around the sea of people. That was one thing she loved about cities; no one give her a second look, simply because no one cared. The knowledge that she could blend in now hit her like a double-edged sword; as she could vanish, so could Magus. And from here, keeping track of him would be considerably more difficult. “Let’s get something to eat and call it for the night.”







“You’d asked how I became a thief,” she said, with a slight grimace to her features that hinted that he’d asked a gauche question, “Not a lot of options where I’m from.” It was the easiest way to put it, at least, to make for something close to “pleasant” after dinner conversation.

In another show of charm (never malicious, it would seem; Lina had the distinct ability to be incredibly likeable when she felt like it), she’d gotten them into an inn and tavern – last minute, considering that this time of year, coinciding with a big push of pilgrims, all of the inns in town had no vacancies. What did it cost her? Some time in the kitchen washing dishes and dealing with garbage, but a comparative steal, all things considered.

“I’m sure you’re going to ask, ‘Well, where are you from?’,” she was tossing edible scraps of the trash to waiting stray dogs, as practiced as if she’d been working in a kitchen for years, “And the answer to that is not too far from here, believe it or not. You think of the Temple as the highest point of where we’re at, and you’re not wrong. Windermere is at the base of it all, a hub – there’s agricultural lands all around here as well; land around the mountains is some of the most fertile in the land.” She’d gestured for Kai to join her as she went about her tasks, and now, as they were headed back inside, the kitchen was near deserted, save for the flickering light of a candle or two. Perfect for what she wanted. As she washed her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and started on a mass of plates that were soaking in a bucket, she continued.

“Which is why it is the way it is. The further away you get, the more desolate things are. Up until you get to the Sea of Sand. Think of it this way,” she set a soapy plate down on the counter. “This plate is the continent where we’re at.” She then set a tea cup down in the center. “And that’s the Temple, built in the middle of the mountain range. So the Temple’s more or less the center of this place.” She walked her fingers away from the tea cup. “Here’s Windermere,” a few more ‘steps’ away, “And that’s Heinz. Heinz is the last city, more of a town, really, before everything breaks up.” She walked her fingers all the way to the edge of the bowl, “And this,” a bit of a grimace on her face, “Is where I’m from – Balo. So as you can see, if the Temple is the center of the universe here, I’m from the furthest point from. And so are my people.”

A deeper breath.

How to get into the subject of genocide without offending? There really wasn’t a nicer way to put it.

“My people, the Turaoi, well, we used to live here,” she walked her fingertips back to the tea cup. “Generations ago, clearly. Then came the folks from here,” she walked her fingertips past the tea cup, on the eastern side. “They used to say that the mountains around the Temple couldn’t be passed by mortal man. Well, apparently the fine folks in the east got help from somewhere or someone, mortal or not, because they got through. And started taking bits of land. At the first, when it was just bits, no one said anything, because there weren’t enough Easterners for it to be a big problem. The Turaoi dealt with them, traded and the like. I suppose our welcoming…nature is what got us where we’re at. Time passes. Bits become bigger and bigger. The Easterners start trading with enemies of the Turaoi. And so it goes – until the Easterners get big enough to boot us off our land entirely. And not just a little, but,” she swept the plate and the tea cup into the basin in a smooth motion. “Easterners come in, ‘civilize’ the whole area. Build homes, towns, cities. Say that the Turaoi were simple children who didn’t know how to work the land appropriately, because the Turaoi were nomadic and peaceful. Because we were smaller, easier to push back and fight, because over generations we’d been chipped away at by larger tribes. Because it’s our nature to avoid conflict. Gets to be so if you’re a Turaoi off the land you’re supposed to be on, you could be killed in the street like a dog because you’re not supposed to be there. Not a lot of options to do when that’s what people think of you.” No bitterness there, but a resignation, some relief, in getting to spill all of the bile that had been festering in her stomach for her entire life, poured down from past generations.

“So,” she said, softly, more to the slowly dissolving bubbles. “That’s what your temple is built on. Samsara – not sure if she was directly behind it, or if the Easterners just said it was her to justify all they did during and afterwards, but…your temple is built with the bones of my people.”

Fishing the plate and tea cup out of the basin, she shook the excess water off and began to dry them. “Of course, you don’t have to believe me,” muffled as she put the two items away, “But that’s how it is. History’s written by the winners.”

A beat.

“Anyway, let’s go up to the room. And before you ask, yes, there’s only one room, and yes, there’s only one bed. I’m fine with sharing, if you think you can keep your vows in tact.” The last said with a bit of that toothy grin, a tease as well as a peace offering to show that she didn’t hold him personally responsible in any of what she’d just said, despite him being attached to the Temple. After all, he clearly didn’t know. Most didn’t.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai couldn’t help but return Lina’s smile, even if he immediately wondered why. He was cold, miserable, and his good standing with the Order was in jeopardy. Why was he smiling, and why didn’t he feel as bad as he thought he should.

He smiled again when she managed to talk their way into a rug. The ride in the wagon was pleasant, and made the stiffness in his legs easier to bear. Physically, he wasn’t at his best. His hands and face were dry and chapped, and his joints didn’t move the way he wanted them to. The ride gave him something else to focus on. The trader was a friendly fellow, and somehow Lina had put a smile on his face despite the cold. The road winding through the mountains was rough, but the view made it worth enduring. The valley began to open up, and they could see for miles. It made him wish…he didn’t know what for, but something.

“Thank you,” he answered simply when she gave him the rug. He was falling deeper into her debt, and it wouldn’t help when he had to take the staff back to the temple. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

The city affected Kai more than he’d expected. He had traveled for a few years on his way out of Salariche, spending days in cities all over two continents before going out into the wilderness for weeks. That is, until he joined the order. It had been ten years since he’d been out in the world. He didn’t realize he missed it so much until he climbed down from the wagon to see the throngs of people, going about their lives. Lina would see him take a deep breath of the same scents that welcomed her to Windermere, and an odd look on his face.

He was largely silent as they settled at their table in the inn, spooning the warm, chunky stew into their mouths. It was simple food, but delicious after their trek. He found his eyes drifting to hers several times as they ate, his expression neutral, and he was as grateful the meal was over as he’d been to get it.

While Lina cleaned scraps off the plates, Kai took the dishes and set them into a bucket to soak. It had been so long since he asked that he’d forgotten about his question, but beyond a briefly raised eyebrow he didn’t react, instead listening silently, taking in her story. He was usually more animated, more conversational, but it had been a trying, confusing night and day, and he retreated into himself, observing and taking in whatever this perplexing woman had to tell him.

He took in her story, his eyebrows progressively lowering with each revelation, his lips twisting into a frown. These Easterners, the villains in her story, had made up most of Samsara’s order. The ones he’d known were peaceful, they welcomed travelers and cared for the sick. Yet their ancestors, and even contemporaries, oppressed Lina’s people. Even if the Order did good, if its temple was built with Turaoi bones, it would be better if it had never been built.

It reminded Kai of the stories of the bánfeen on his home continent, and how they had treated the thelitians in his parents’ time. Kai’s fingertips started tapping on the table. He wanted to do something, but he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t think there was anything he could do. The tension and uncertainty in his mind wanted a way out, but all that happened was a growing nervous energy.

When she finished, he looked her in the eyes, incredulous, and when she told him he didn’t have to believe her, the only thing he could think to say was “No, I believe you…” There was so much more he wanted to say in that pause, sympathy to express, a vow of vengeance, a promise to help, anything that would make a meaningful difference, that would right a wrong. But it was all too big, too big for him, too big for this conversation. So all that came out was nothing, an impotent silence.

His face was stone, unreadable, too many thoughts and feelings for any one of them to reach the surface. But when she suggested they share a bed, it cracked. His lips spread in a thin smile, and a brief exhale left his lips in a feeble shade of a laugh. “I don’t think we need to worry about sharing. We spent last night holding each other naked, after all. Besides, we need a good night after that one.”

He realized too late that his words sounded like a slight against her. “Not that you were…that that was why it…wasn’t great…I mean…we…it was cold. I wasn’t conscious for most of it. I just…it wasn’t restful, is what I mean.” His cheeks pinked as he stammered. He must’ve sounded like a fool.

“We need to stop this Magus,” he recovered. “We need to be at our best, and that means we need rest.” This was good. He was making sense, finally. “And that means being together in bed.” Wait, no. That sounded like he meant that they would be intimate, which was decidedly NOT what he wanted to say.

“I mean, separately. We’ll go to bed separately. In the same bed. We’ll be sleeping separately, but in the same bed. I understand that there is only one bed.” Was it a mistake to be silent so much of the day? Had he forgotten how to speak to a person? And now he was worried that all this awkwardness was taking away from the vulnerability she’d showed him by opening up about her history.

“I’m…thank you. For sharing so much about your life, and your people. I’m not…I don’t mean to distract from that. I…” he laughed, embarrassed, a hand reaching up to run his fingers through his hair.

“I think my brain is still a bit frozen.”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

“I’m surprised to hear you say that. That you believe me, that is.” Of course, she hadn’t, and she wasn’t, but how was he to know that? He still knew her as a thief; she only knew him as a monk. But clearly he wasn’t from here.

She’d finished drying the last dishes as her story wound down, and leaned back against the counter to look at him. For not the first time, she took the opportunity to study him. He was handsome, that much she’d recognized, but not in an unapproachable or an unreal way. A handsomeness that came from a purity of soul, of mind - the type of young man that wouldn’t be out of place in a fishing village. Someone that spent more time outside than inside, definitely. “I could’ve been lying about the whole thing.”

A teasing, toothy grin at his stammering replies. Apparently he was holding something resembling a grudge about their time together. Funny; she hadn’t thought about it in any sort of salacious way until he showed how flustered he was. It had been the right thing to do to keep them both alive - “You know, I hadn’t even considered doing something untoward with you,” said as she touched the tip of her tongue to the roof of her mouth in a playful, “thoughtful” pause, “until you started blushing a minute ago. But I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”








“How did you get up to the Temple?” Her eyes narrowed a bit - not out of aggression, but out of consideration. “Once you get up to the Temple, the weather evens out. But on the way up there, it’s freezing. Maybe not as bad during the summer, but there’s still snow all year round. You don’t seem to handle the cold well.” A quiet observation.

The room was on the second floor in the corner, though “room” could be a generous description. It was so small that just opening the door ran the risk of running into the bed, and that was it. More of a glorified servant’s quarters or a half-forgotten half-room than a proper inn room, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, and it was clean, at least. And there was a bathhouse, the inn keeper had said, not too far, that they could use for washing. In the room itself, there was a small stand with a bowl and worn earthenware pitcher for washing their hands and face - but that was it.

She hadn’t said much as she opened the door - simply scanned it with raised brows that quickly dropped. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she began to take off her boots. The bed was old, maybe a bit lumpy, but it wasn't the worst she’d ever been on. And, again, it was clean - and that was a luxury in and out of itself. “I told you about myself - so time to tell me about you. Especially if we’re going to be sharing a bed.” Another sly grin as she bent forward, taking off her other boot and placing it next to its mate. "It'll be helpful to figure out if I need to wear clothes tonight."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

“Why wouldn’t I believe you?” he teased. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t?” He hoped his face looked like he was teasing, but who knew? He shook his head. He was trying to deflect her question and lighten the mood at the same time, but he didn’t think it had worked. “Yeah, I know you could’ve been lying,” he added sincerely, then took a deep breath that turned into a weary sigh. “I just…I don’t want to doubt you right now. I’m tired of doing that.”

He put the dishes away as Lina dried them, helping to pay for their meal. It was as he placed the last dish away that Lina teased him about his earlier embarrassment. “Oh Samsara,” he groaned, rolling his eyes. “You’re going to tease me about that for quite a while, aren’t you?”

Was this how their interactions were going to be now: where they felt comfortable enough to tease each other, even about such an awkward subject as romance? As the thought crossed Kai’s mind, he realized he didn’t hate the idea. That was how much his respect for her had grown in the last day and night.

He supposed he owed her an explanation for passing out in the cold. “I…That’s true. I don’t handle it well.” He leaned back against the counter, pausing to try to think about how to phrase his answer. His heritage wasn’t exactly secret, but he also didn’t tell everyone he met. “I’m not…entirely human.”

He smiled, although he wasn’t sure why. “It’s…my great-grandfather was…wasn’t human. He’s much more sensitive to the cold than I am.” He bit his lip. “It sends us into a kind of…hibernation. It’s supposed to keep us safe, but under water…” He would’ve died without Lina pulling him out before he drowned. “Anyway, it was probably falling into the river that did me in. I…I should’ve been more careful.”

He got in his head a bit when they got to the room, his eyes drifting to the floor as he started undressing. Seeing the bed, comfortable and free of dirt and grime, he knew he’d be sleeping in his underclothes, whatever Lina did. He didn’t want to mess up the bed for either of them. He just rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smirk when she mentioned sleeping without clothes, confident that she was still teasing him from before. He wasn’t sure what to tell her about himself, though. He kind of felt like he had already. He’d told her he wasn’t all human. He’d told her how he became a monk. He wasn’t sure where to start.

“Yeah, that’s fair,” he nodded. “What, um…what do you want to know?” He pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a lean, fit chest. If Lina looked closely, she might notice a smattering of scales on the sides of his neck, as on his elbows as well. “I’m an open book…”

 

[Apollo Wilde]

She said nothing as he spoke - well, there were worse ways to earn trust. And, as she took another long look at him, she doubted that he’d been around many (if any) untrustworthy people to begin with. To be fair, she also hadn’t thought that she’d ever be teaming up with a monk of all people, let alone this particular monk.

Digging her bare toes against the threadbare rug in front of the bed, she’d only meant to glance up at him when he took his shirt off. That “glance” turned into a double-take - a look that was far from salacious, but one that showed that she was seriously reconsidering what was in front of her. A second glance at a sparkling in the water, trying to discern if it was actual gold or just a flake of crystal. “Those,” she tapped to the side of her neck, indicating that she had indeed caught sight of his scales, “What are they?”

Too odd of a place to be jewelry, too luminescent in the dull candlelight to be a tattoo. They seemed to glow from within, like a goldfish darting to the surface of the water. Luminescent flecks of gems, they were, embedded smoothly against his skin. How had she missed them before?

Well, you haven’t seen this much of him before.

You’ve seen him naked.

Yes, but your attention was clearly elsewhere.

While she waited on his answer, she began to disrobe herself. Again, not much thought given to it; if anything, a bit mechanical, part of a long practiced process. Under her loose black tunic was a faded olive green undershirt - it was clear she wasn’t taking it off, in deference to the slight chill in the village and in the old room. The baggy black pants came next; beneath were a pair of second skin shorts in the same faded olive green. She’d clearly come prepared to deal with the cooler weather, as the material seemed to be thickly woven and made to hold in body heat.

Stretching her arms overhead, her body seemed to snap to attention, muscles standing against the skin as finely tuned wires beneath the warm brown skin. A careful rotation of each wrist, wiggling of her fingers. Each digit responded in turn, moving smoothly.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai hadn’t thought about how cold it was here, even in the inn, until he had slipped off everything but his small underpants. He shivered in the cool air, goosebumps popping up on his arms. He would’ve put his shirt and pants back on, but he was worried Lina would think he was embarrassed, especially after she asked about his scales.

“They’re…they’re scales.” he smirked, a weary, shy smirk, but still playful in its own way. “I told you I wasn’t entirely human.”

He picked up the rug from earlier and lifted the thin blankets that were on the bed, sliding his legs underneath them and sitting against the headboard.

“Does that…bother you?”
He pulled the rug up over the bed, and instantly felt warmer. He was looking forward to sliding down to actually lie down in the bed, and cover his chest with the blankets and rug, but he didn’t want Lina to think he was cutting the conversation short.

He didn’t think Lina would be bothered by his not being human. Almost no one was. But “not being entirely human” was very different than “being part dragon,” and he’d had some odd reactions from people when they they learned the latter about him. There was some dot on the spectrum between fear and reverence that most people seemed to have for full-blooded dragons, and as one-eighth dragon himself, he usually caught a bit of that. It had the potential to make things awkward.

 

[Apollo Wilde]

Her attention was brought back to him as he spoke - she was finished with her stretching, anyway. Well, as much as she was going to get done for the night. The chill air didn’t lend itself to her wanting to move out of the bed. But not that she had much of a choice, for he was slipping into it next to her. With a soft grumble, she moved out of the way (or as much as she could) to allow him in. Though she still sat on top of the sheets and thin blanket, she was close enough to see the fine goosebumps across his skin. She frowned, looking at the long lines of his arms.



With another shuffling of fabric, she pulled her tunic over her head. “Here,” her voice was muffled, broken as she finished pulling it over her, shaking her cloud of hair loose. “It might be a tight fit, but I think it’ll work for you.” She twisted round to hand the garment to him. Now it was her turn to erupt into a fine dusting of goosebumps, though she tried her best to soothe them by rubbing at her arms vigorously. Beneath the tunic she wore a simple band of black woolen fabric across her breasts - that was doing a not so great job of keeping them contained; probably due to the rubbing. Still, she didn’t seem bothered in the slightest as she began to warm up.



“And scales don’t bother me,” she twisted around a bit more to look at him. She couldn't turn all the way around - not without draping her legs over his, nearly sitting in his lap. So she craned her head as much as she could before she winced. “Bad idea,” and she turned to face forward again. “I actually think they’re pretty. I’ve seen a lot of things,” her words trailed off into a low yawn, “But never a monk with scales.” True, she’d seen all sorts of ‘strange beasts’ (her favorites being the deer folk of the high north), but nothing with scales. Not this far north. “You can’t be Lamia; there’s no way they’d make it this far up the mountain without completely shutting down.”

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Kai held up his hand, palm out, not accepting Lina’s offered tunic. She’d already given him the rug, and he didn’t want her to think he needed to be coddled. “You keep it. I’ll be fine under the rug.” The corner of his mouth turned up; the hint of a smirk, even though he felt awkward bringing it up. “Besides, it’s not like I just fell into a freezing river. It’s not that bad here.”

He looked over at her, and saw her breasts nearly spilling out of the band she wore over them, and forced himself to look at her arms instead, her hands doing their best to warm them up. “Besides, it looks like you need it, anyway. I’ll be alright. Really.”

He saw her wince, and wasn’t sure what to do to help. He felt like it would be strange to get up now, after sitting in the bed. So, he slid down, further under the blankets, and lay on his side, facing her. If she did the same, they could look at each other comfortably while they talked.

By Samsara, it had been so long since he’d worried so much about these little interactions with anyone, about tone and body language, about how he was coming across. He knew the bishop and the higher-ranking monks sometimes had passive-aggressive spats with each other brought on by just this sort of thing, but since he had no interest in advancing, he’d been spared the Order’s politics. Now, stewing over every touch, every word with Lina; it made him feel like an adolescent again, especially with what she said next.

When she called his scales pretty, he smiled just a little bit. He tried to hide it, to force his face into a neutral expression, but it didn’t really work. He wasn’t sure what to say, either. He didn’t know why her compliment affected him so much. He was about to say something about it: to stammer out his thanks, or give her a compliment of his own, when she spoke again. He quickly shut his mouth, thankful for the subject change.

If Lina was going to speculate, he might as well tell her. It would be strange not to, now, especially since it wasn’t really a secret. And then it might make it a bigger issue than he felt like it should be, if she ever did find out. Better to blurt it out now and hope she reacted well.

“No, not Lamia. I, uh…I’m actually part dragon.”