There was a man, a horse, and oh! A butterfly too (Erzotol)

[Tessa Poe]

He was alright, Gods be thanked he was alright! She grinned, letting out the breath she'd not even realised she was holding as she leant slightly to one side to get a better look at the forest floor below. There he was, right as rain with his... pet... cradled in his arms. But... that same pet had saved him, near as she could tell. She still wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being near it... but maybe she could cut it a little slack? It had risked itself for him, and sort of for her as well. Silly as it sounded she owed the little dog. At least she thought it was a dog, it was hard to be sure. It wasn't like she spent a lot of time round them was it? She sighed to herself, knowing full well what she was doing, keeping her thoughts fixed on something else to put off having to deal with, well everything. It wasn't any good though, sooner or later she'd have to climb down, and she didn't want to disappoint Erzotol any more than she had done already. I'm coming down... be right there... please don't leave. She bit her tongue to cut off those words off, it was hard enough getting the nerve up to face him, never mind adding that into the mix. She reached out for a nearby branch, testing it to make sure it’d hold her weight before climbing to her feet. Heights had never bothered her, and there was always something reassuring about being in trees, besides the fact that wolves couldn’t climb them. Maybe it was just the fact that they were old? Sort of solid and old. But that was enough messing around, she had to climb down, and the sooner it was done the sooner it’d be over with. She took it slightly steadier on the way down than the way up, the branches rustling with her passage, pointedly ignoring the way they almost sounded like whispers. She stood above him for a moment, gauging where she’d land before she jumped down from the last branch, landing lightly a couple of feet from him with her back to him. She straightened, hands reaching up to pull and tease her hair back into place again, brushing the bits of twig and leaf that’d gotten caught there away at the same time, anything to delay facing him. She took a deep breath and turned, her face full of worry as her lips parted, but she didn’t know what to say. What could she say? She’d run off and left him alone and hidden in a tree for God’s sake! At last though she had to turn, her eyes drifting over his shoulder to make sure the wolf was actually dead, before flicking to his face and searching for his. He looked… worried, or angry, she couldn’t tell. Maybe both? “I… that is… thank you. I don’t know what to say, you know? I mean you… killed it, you really killed it and all I could do was hide in a petching tree. I’m sorry Erzotol, I really am, I just couldn’t… so I left you all alone and there could’ve been a whole pack of them down here and all I could do was...” whatever sense of composure she’d had vanished as she babbled and repeated herself, and by the end her voice had fallen to nothing more than a quiet murmur. Her hands were clasped in front of her, wringing round themselves as she tried to stay calm, at least a little calm, but all she could think about was what might’ve happened if there had been more of them. His little dog wouldn’t have been much use then would it? She so wanted to know what he was thinking, if she was right the first time and it was worry she’d seen on his face… maybe he understood? Maybe he wasn’t going to hold it against her? In that case this could all turn out for the best, right? Oh please, please let it be that she was right the first time. She didn’t want him to think ill of her. They might not have known each other all that long, but she knew she wanted to spend longer in his company... there was something about him that drew her to him... maybe it was the way he smiled, or just that he'd put up with her for as long as he had done. She knew though that she'd never figure it out if he left now.

[Erzotol Silverden]

Even with her clothes, her back looked slender, almost having a delicate quality about them had he not known her own strength to stand on her own here in the dangerous wilds. Underneath he was sure lied compact lean muscle that shaped her shoulders in such a way that made them look softer than they actually were, a formidable deception. He didn't let his mind's eye wander below her shoulders, his divided still concentrated on Tessa's well-being coupled with the worry of the chance of more of the denizens of this wild land coming after them in the wake of a fresh kill. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he could take another attack like that, and Tessa would be helpless if he couldn't manage to protect her. His jaw firmed as he clenched his teeth with the dark thoughts spiraling in his head, and cocking his head to the side he listened very carefully. Laeon did the same in a cute mocking of his master, and when Erzolol determined there was nothing and relaxed a bit, so did Laeon.

He smiled, something he was prone to do whenever she decided to turn his gaze upon him, and with all the willpower he could muster, he struggled to contain the scarlet that reflexively desired to gather at the top of his cheeks. It wasn't hard to continue containing it though as the words that spilled from the woman's mouth revealed her own feelings about what had just happened. The way she talked in broken, excited sentences illustrated her own anxiety about her decisions when things got dangerous. Before she could possibly continue on her rambling speech he took a few steps forward and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, his eyes taking on a slight sparkle that he was glad she couldn't see. It didn't make any sense how stood out to him so, but right now, in this moment with her in his arms, it didn't much matter. "You needn't worry"

[Tessa Poe]

Tessa had indeed been about to carry on trying to explain, half formed words just about ready to leap off her tongue in another confused babble before they were suddenly stolen away by his encircling arms. She stood there, her body stiffening with her hands still held in front of her and her eyes open wide in surprise. Of all the reactions she'd thought he'd have had this wasn't one of them. She didn't know quite what to do, what was she supposed to do!? Finally something clicked in her mind, why didn't she do what she knew she wanted to? He wasn't going to run away, he'd been the one to start this, so she should just go with it, right? With a sweet little smile gracing her lips Tessa relaxed into his embrace, her arms slipping around his waist as she stepped in closer, her head turning to rest against his shoulder. The scent of his armour and his horse filled her nostrils, but underneath it all was something that was all him... and she found she liked it too. Her eyes slid shut as she squeezed at his waist a little tighter and found herself leaning into him, resting against him. She could hear his heartbeat through his armour, a faintly drumming sound that was slowing after his exertions against the… wolf, it was a wolf dammit, she could think the word couldn’t she? Her brief flash at irritation with herself was swept away by the moment, the sounds of the forest returning to normal after the excitement of a chime ago, the breeze rustling through the canopy above them, the sound of the insects buzzing here and there and even the songbirds started up with their calls again. This moment was perfect, there was no other word for it. Simply, purely, perfect. “I don’t run away from everything you know,” she said as she softly broke the silence between them, still smiling happily as she was in his arms, “Just… well you know, and I haven’t thanked you yet have I? Thank you Erzotol, for everything, I mean thank you for saving me, and for… just everything else.” She couldn’t quite think of how to explain what she meant, there was too much involved and she didn’t really want to think about it, she was far too busy just enjoying the moment. Though speaking of thanks… there was someone else she had to thank too. She lifted her head from his shoulder and glanced around before catching sight of his little… dog sitting patiently behind him. What had he said its name was? Laeon? That sounded right, as far as she could remember anyway. She took a deep breath and tentatively stretched out her foot, relying on Erzotol to keep her balance and ran the tip of her boot ever so lightly over Laeon’s back, brushing over him in something like a stroke. “And thank you too Laeon, I saw what you did and if it weren’t for you…” she realised she didn’t want to voice those thoughts, so she didn’t. She also realised she was talking to a dog as if it were a person. She still wasn’t doing a good job of being sane was she? “Sorry,” she said as she got her balance back again, leaning slightly away from Erzotol so she could see him, “figured your dog, I mean he deserved to be thanked too for what he did… that’s not too weird, is it?” She grinned happily up at him, her arms still locked at the small of his back with not a care or a worry disturbing her. She’d almost forgotten what that felt like.

[Erzotol Silverden]

He thought carefully as his chin rested on her shoulder, his eyes wandering blankly to the woods behind them, though they saw nothing. They had survived, it hadn't been as bad as it could of been, but yet Erzotol could take no satisfaction in that, not when he had only barely managed to put the beast down. It was fine to barely be able to hold a sword when he was mostly contained in the safe walls of Endrykas, or even when he was traveling with a group bound for Syliras, but when it put another's life in danger, that he could not abide by. His lack of discipline so far had yet to be tested, but low and behold leave it to his first time in the woods to expose truly how inadequate with a blade he was, and in front of Tessa no less. All the more reason to throw himself into his training and avoid the fate he had come to know in Endrykas, that was his reason for leaving after all was it not? He couldn't help but grit his teeth at the continuing reminder the broken wolf body offered him of how he had only just managed to slay a single, malnourished wolf. What would he have done if there had been more? What if it had been a bear, or something even more formidable?

Closing his eyes tight, he tried to ignore the onslaught of questions that continued to race through his mind and simply focus on the good feeling of holding the woman in his arms. Focusing on little things at first, he slowly distracted his mind by thinking of everything about Tessa from how light she felt in his arms, to how her steady breathing possessed a rhythm all it's own that seemed to calm Erzotol. He smiled as Tessa's own words broke the silence, and turing his head slightly to face the back of her. "And thank you for your fine company, and showing me the plants of this forest" Erzotol said, his voice soft and low for there was no reason to raise his voice being so close to her. With a slight shift of his head he rested his chin gently against her again, his eyes staring forward again but instead of being plagued by negative thoughts it was instead filled with thoughts of the woman in his arms much to his liking.

He shifted slightly as Tessa shifted, but couldn't get quite a good look at what she was looking at behind him so he relented and continued to stand facing where he was, his arms encircling her a little tighter. Her words where quick to tell him what she was looking at though, and moving his hands up to hold her elbows he helped her keep her balance as she shifted to do something with her leg. Just behind him, Laeon regarded the foot oddly but allowed it to stroke his for provided it was gentle. As it moved away from him, the little fox would hop forward a pace and lick at it before returning to his sitting position, staring curiously up at Tessa. She was shifting her weight again, and this time moving slightly back to face him, and doing the same Erzotol smiled as she came into view, his hands still locked around her elbows. "Weird never, animals understand more than we give them credit for. Though he isn't a dog, he is a fox and a quite nimble one at that." He said, chuckling softly as the warm smile that framed his face became a little wider.

[Templar]

Tessa Poe: Cooking: 1 – Observation: 2 – Storytelling: 4 – Wildernes Survival: 2 – Teaching: 2 – Running: 1 – Herbalism: 1 - Climbing: 2 Lore: Teaching Plant Lore – Trusting Strangers – Syliran Wildlife – Geography around Syliras Additional notes: Good thread! Excellent it might add! Feel free to PM me if you feel I have been unjust!