Completed [Job Thread] The Difference (Rinya)

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Season of Winter, Day 65, 513 AV

The Thief of Hearts.

It was a play apparently written about a hundred years ago by some man who, in Jorin's inexpert opinion, had clearly never laid with a woman before. That, or he was utterly incapable of understanding how a normal romance was supposed to work.

The play itself was not particularly difficult to act. It seemed his character, Forthan, really only had about five different emotions in total - six if one counted "love". Jorin really refused to accept that the love as portrayed in the play was anything approaching actual love, but then he might be biased. The love he shared with Rinya was so much deeper than this.

Speaking of his wife, she was due home any chime now. Jorin had returned from the Amphitheater at his usual bell, his head still pounding with trying to keep up with the play he was forced to rehearse. The good news was, the stage master had, after days of persuading, cajoling, and occasional outright begging, agreed that it was not necessary to have Jorin kiss Alia every rehearsal.

The bad news was, of course, that the play still required it. Meaning when the production went up on stage, he'd still have to do it.

Jorin had half a mind to back out of the role entirely. He knew Alia herself was none-too-pleased to be cast in her particular role; and while they were both professionals and could handle a stage kiss, it was still not something either of them were entirely comfortable with. Nonetheless, as the saying in that line of work went - "the show must go on".

The other issue Jorin was facing was that he rarely had anyone to rehearse with. Oh sure, he could rehearse at the Amphitheater but given the... kiss-happy nature of the play, Jorin did not exactly have a plethora of options. He could of course continue to rehearse with Alia, but he'd already worked so hard to avoid having to kiss her more than he had to. Not that he necessarily hated Alia, but kissing anyone but Rinya just did not feel right.

Which was why Jorin was pacing nervously back and forth, glancing at the door every few chimes and unconsciously rubbing the back of his neck. Rinya undoubtedly already felt his nerves across the bond - Jorin never hid anything from his wife. But she wouldn't know what he was nervous about.

The truth was, he wanted to rehearse with her. It was the only way he could think of that he could get rehearsals out of the way without any trouble. Rinya he could kiss for bells without any issue - a fact they were both well aware of. But still... Jorin knew his wife made no secret of her opinion of "The Thief of Hearts" and his role in it.

As much as she was reasonable, and understood that it was his job, he could not blame her for being jealous while watching her husband kiss another woman. After all, hadn't he been jealous seeing his wife kiss another man? Jorin empathized completely with Rinya's position, so he wasn't sure if bringing up the play at all - to say nothing of asking her to help him rehearse for it - wouldn't just make things worse for her.

Oh, Jorin was sure in the end she'd agree, if only because he asked. But Jorin never wanted to take advantage of his wife's kindness. She spoiled him in many ways, and he loved her all the more for it. He knew she hated that play and for a brief chime he considered dropping the idea entirely. But even as he was debating the thought, he heard the telltale sound of the door being unlocked.

Jorin whirled on his heel, nearly dropping the script he had clutched in his hands in surprise. He wasn't normally that jumpy, but the nerves were playing havoc on his senses and he blinked a few times before he realized that the door had already opened and his wife had stepped through. He gulped and gave her a smile.

Despite what he was feeling, the smile was warm and genuine. Jorin was always happy to see Rinya, regardless of circumstance. He took a few ticks to compose himself, before walking over and gently wrapping his left arm around her waist, his other hand occupied with the script. Pulling her close, he pressed a soft, gentle kiss to her lips, humming with delight when she responded like she always did.

"Welcome home, my love," he greeted her, when the kiss broke. His nervousness seemed silly now. In hindsight it was always silly. Rinya was the one person in all the world who wouldn't judge him for this. Besides, Jorin reasoned to himself, it would be an excellent opportunity for his wife to practice the letters she'd learned, and get started putting them to use forming words in her head.

"I... umm, I'd like to ask you for a favor," Jorin began, turning a bit red despite his previous convictions. A few breaths later, he continued.

"Do you remember that play that I've been asked to star in?" he asked, though he didn't really wait for an answer before plunging forward. "Well... I mean for every play I always rehearse at home too. You know that." And Rinya did. Gods knew, she was the paragon of patience for all the rehearsing he did at home. Jorin was incredibly grateful his wife was so understanding - he was sure at first his rehearsing would drive her up the wall, but Rinya actually seemed to rather like watching him rehearse.

"I was wondering if you'd be willing to help me rehearse this one," Jorin concluded, with a small smile. "I... kind of need someone to play the opposition part..." Jorin vaguely wondered if Rinya remembered that part. Given the... confused nature of the play in general, he wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't. But Jorin needed his wife to play the part of Dalissa, the scullery maid his character was madly in love with, and ended up kissing at the end of nearly every scene.

The irony was not lost on Jorin.

x

[Rinya]

Day 65, Season Winter, 513 AV

There was something up with her mate. He had spent most of the day annoyed, but it had shifted into something else entirely as his shift at the Amphitheater ended. The first emotion she had grown used to honestly - seeing as he was being forced to once again be the lead in ‘Thief of Hearts’. She could understand those feelings, seeing as the play was ridiculous. She only knew a few of the lines, but the fact that Jorin had to spend his days kissing Alia wasn’t… well it didn’t always sit well with her. There was always a sense of ‘wrong’ that melted through the bond periodically during the day and Rinya knew what it exactly meant to. His lips having to meet Alia’s… Rinya was thankful actually that she didn’t feel it more often. Jealousy tended to be her weak point.

But this wasn’t a feeling of wrong, or even a feeling of annoyance. This was… nerves. It wasn’t something Jorin put out very often - usually before a play and never to this extent. It grated at her own nerves and it was terribly difficult for her not to assume the worst. Jorin must have returned home by now, and a million different thoughts ran through her head as to what could be causing his anxiety in the first place. Some were simple thoughts such as having to pull long shifts at the Amphitheater or having extra kissing scenes added to the play - as if that last one was even possible. Then there were far more harsh thoughts she couldn’t help but wonder about.

Maybe Jorin wanted to change his mind about children? Something in the play made him doubt the urge to have children with her… or maybe all the kissing had shifted his perspective? Perhaps the reason he felt wrong now was he didn’t want to be with her anymore? The last thought however was just as ridiculous as the play. Jorin came home to her and that never felt wrong… plus despite his nerves she could still feel his love - though she was confident even if she didn’t she wouldn’t have doubted him. If nothing else she trusted Jorin… maybe even more than she loved him, but just marginally.

The only thing she really could work out was that his nerves weren’t fading with time, but only getting stronger. Rinya had considering picking something up for the both of them to eat to have a relaxing evening since she didn’t have work the next day, but she had a feeling that he didn’t even realize what he was doing… his nerves likely covered his unconscious mind, which was pulling her towards him - well towards their home anyway. He had done it before unconsciously, and Rinya wouldn’t put it past her mate to do it anytime he got nervous. According to him she had some kind of calming affect on him…

So she skipped the meal - they could always make eggs at home - and made a beeline from the Warren to the condos. The moment she managed to open the door she could make out his form whirling around to face, looking very much like a startled child caught in the act. The nerves didn’t subsist with her appearance, but after several ticks of just staring at each other he finally managed to give her a smile. It warmed her insides like always and it was easy to push away any worry that might have bubbled up at his nerves to focus solely on him.

While she focused on him however, he seemed to do the same. The paperwork in his right hand didn’t hinder him from approaching her and wrapping his free arm around her to kiss her welcomingly. Rinya didn’t hesitate to return the form of affection that was easiest for the both of them to understand. One hand came up to brush against his cheek, and he hummed in response. If nothing else, this felt no different. There was a rush of love, and even the faintest traces of desire… this had not changed. It was an easy conclusion she had already reached, but it made her feel better none the less. After several ticks the simple kiss broke and Rinya smiled shyly up at her husband as he welcomed her home with words this time. His nerves seemed to have lightened with the kiss and she continued to stroke his face. ”Thank you Jorin. What has you so far up the tree?”

Rinya slowly untangled herself from his grasp so that she could work her bow and quiver off her shoulders, leaning them up against the wall right next to the door, before carefully pulling the dagger from her belt and letting it join the bow on the floor. At her question however Jorin stumbled slightly over his words… which was odd because he rarely did so. He always knew what he was going to say - or at least it seemed that way. She faced him slowly, watching his face turn red as he mentioned that he had a favor to ask of her. Rinya couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at her mate. Since when did he have trouble asking for favors from her?

At the mention of ‘the play he was asked to star in’, Rinya did her best to keep a frown off her face. ”You mean the one that the stage manager forced you into so that you could have a day with me at the Warren?” There was a dangerous tone to her voice, one that wasn’t actually aimed at him. If the stage manager had done something to further trouble Jorin, she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to keep her mouth shut. Jorin just muttered that she knew how much rehearsal meant to him and Rinya swore inwardly if the stage manager insisted all rehearsals be done at the Amphitheater and not at home - in turn stealing time from her with him - she was going to turn around and storm out of the condo.

His next words however caused the flare of anger building in her stomach to dissipate as quickly as it grew. He wanted her to help him rehearse? Rinya blinked up at Jorin for a moment before she laughed slightly. ”Is that what had you all worked up? That you wanted me to help you rehearse?” Rinya rolled her eyes and pulled her cloak from her shoulders, seeing as she wasn’t actually going to need it. Only her husband would be nervous to ask such a thing from her… ”Of course I’ll help Jorin… though I’m afraid I don’t quite remember the characters. I was too busy being mad at the stage manager.”

She shot him an innocent grin before pointing to the papers in his hand. ”Is that it? I mean… just show me what you want me to do or say.”
X

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

It had not occurred to Jorin that he was effectively calling Rinya home to him with his nervousness. In fact he wasn't even aware that it was possible to do so - she had never told him that was the effect his nerves had on her. If she had, Jorin might have tried to be more careful, and attempt to not be so nervous as to compel Rinya to his side. But then, he might not have been able to.

The truth was, several seasons of being so open physically, emotionally, and mentally with his wife had left Jorin utterly unable to hide his emotional state from her. The irony was not lost on Jorin. He was an excellent actor... but to his wife he was an open book. At this point, any attempt at hiding his emotions would only trigger more suspicion - and wouldn't succeed anyway.

Jorin had honestly been a bit worried he was asking too much when he felt the surge of anger when he mentioned "The Thief of Hearts". Though he knew his wife had a temper, the truth was he rarely ever saw it. She was always soft and loving with him, her face usually brightened by a happy, content smile. And the truth was, Jorin was determined to keep it that way, which was why the fact that she was upset made him worried.

Jorin knew his wife was not angry at him. He loved and trusted her far too much for that. Still, her being angry at all was not something Jorin had wanted to have happen, so it was with relief that he saw her anger dissipate when he mentioned that he wanted her to help him rehearse the play.

Rinya mentioned that she didn't remember the characters - she'd been too busy being angry at the stage master. Jorin certainly remembered that; he'd rarely felt that sort of anger coming from his wife, even on the few occasions she'd been angry with him. Rinya certainly did not like the tone the man took with either herself or with him, and he couldn't blame her for mostly concentrating on that rather than the insipid lines of the play.

Jorin returned her grin and nodded when she pointed at the papers he still gripped. "Yup," he sighed. "All fifty-six pages of it. You know for how long this thing is, it's rather surprising how little is actually said." Jorin gave an amused chuckle as he leafed through the pages.

"Oh don't get me wrong, there's plenty of dialogue," he assured her. "Altogether too much dialogue, actually. But for all the talking these characters do, none of them ever seem to actually say anything." Jorin shrugged. In all honesty that could be said of most of the plays he participated in. Regardless, he was an actor, not a critic or a playwright. His job was to perform, not analyze.

Jorin nonetheless regained much of his former cheer as Rinya seemed game to do whatever he needed of her. Almost unconsciously, Jorin's demeanor became more business-like as he quickly directed Rinya to sit in a nearby chair for the second act of the second scene. Unlike the first act, which was taking place at the party, the second one took place in the kitchen of Forthan's betrothed's estate.

It was when Jorin's character was to truly "make his decision", as it were. Of course by this point, given direction the play was taking throughout the course of the first act, the audience already knew what he would choose. It was one of those things Jorin found very annoying about the play. Granted, his choice of Rinya was equally easy - but then he never thought their story was worthy of a play either.

As far as Jorin was concerned a play, especially one regarding a love triangle, was only interesting if there was a legitimate chance the lead actor could choose either woman. But the fact was, Forthan was making googly-eyes at Dalissa from the first scene, and it was abundantly clear that he had chosen her over his own betrothed, which an astute observer would be well within his or her rights to ask how he managed to get betrothed to her in the first place.

Jorin was having something of a difficult time maintaining a professional demeanor, however. It was one thing to do so in front of his coworkers at the Amphitheater - he might like them personally but ultimately they were friends at best. But doing this with Rinya, the woman he loved above all else... it felt different. Not a bad sort of different, but he always had the urge to forget the play and just be with her.

"Right, so, you're Dalissa," Jorin explained. "You may or may not remember but your character is a maid in the household of my character's betrothed. At this point, my character, Forthan, is meeting you in secret in the back of his betrothed's estate's kitchen." Jorin gave her an understanding look as he explained the setting of the scene. But he knew that Rinya was aware of his own feelings about the play, and honestly there was nothing whatsoever either of them could do about it. The show had to go on... sometimes Jorin really hated that phrase.

"I'll prompt whatever lines you have, though we can also go over words too," he explained. "You don't have to actually act if you don't want to," Jorin assured her. "Just repeat the lines as naturally as you can."

Jorin nodded once, then cleared his throat and glanced down at the page. Right - act two, scene two. The directions indicated he was to approach Dalissa in a "cautious fashion". Jorin was not entirely certain about that particular stage direction - cautious how, exactly? Not that he was necessarily opposed to vague stage directions that left much to the stage master or actor to interpret - it allowed for creativity in the art.

But that was only for plays that were actually good. For a play like this one, Jorin really would have appreciated more structured direction. In any case, he was not getting it, so he made a judgement call and decided that Forthan likely was "cautious" because he was worried about his station. After all, despite being a former rogue, he was now a "respectable" man and being seen with a scullery maid was likely socially stigmatizing. At least, that was Jorin's interpretation of the direction and if it was wrong, petch it he didn't care.

"Greetings, Dalissa, your radiance shines bright as ever this sparkling morn," Jorin cried with an appropriate amount of enthusiasm, while also glancing about as if to see if there was anyone watching. Jorin knew how ridiculous this whole thing was and wouldn't be surprised if Rinya burst out laughing. Jorin honestly wanted to laugh too - his wife certainly would be feeling the mirth - but he was a good enough actor to not break character.

"Alright, Rinya, your line will be, 'Forthan, your position is lost if we are discovered. Let us not linger here thusly much longer but away to seclusion,'" Jorin prompted. The lines were stilted as always, but Jorin managed to prompt her with a straight face. While Jorin rarely was a prideful man, he did take some measure of achievement in his abilities as an actor. Regardless of his personal feelings toward the play, he would maintain character while rehearsing; no exceptions.

True, it was only a rehearsal. And at home, with his wife at that. But the whole point of rehearsing was practice for the real thing. And so Jorin made sure to respond appropriately to Rinya's line, regardless of her delivery of it. "My dearest Dalissa! Would that I could fly with you," he groaned out, straining the words slightly to give the effect of pained love. "Mine past shines darkly upon the present, this heart and soul is yours yet I cannot break the chains of time." Jorin wailed.

Prompting again, Jorin indicated that Rinya should stand up, before realizing that she likely wouldn't understand the stage direction. "Rinya, stand up my love," he instructed, before glancing down at the page again and prompting another line for her.

"Those chains bind only that which you permit," he prompted her. "But that I could hear the mellifluous tones of the song of morn, enhanced by the thrum of a beat that I know so well, can break any such chain if such we desire," he concluded. Jorin tried mightily, but broke character and frowned down at the page. What the petch did Dalissa just say there?

"Um," Jorin hummed as he browsed his next line. "I have... no idea how to deliver this next line," he confessed to Rinya with a sigh. "Since I have no petching clue what Dalissa just said the line before." Jorin sighed and rubbed his temples, before shooting Rinya a small grin.

"Sorry... broke character there. Not supposed to do that. Let's take it from your last line?" he suggested. He prompted the line again, and searched his heart for what Dalissa was trying to say. How would Forthan respond? Rosik's math problems were easier than this...

x

[Rinya]

Rinya cocked a brow at her mate as he grumbled about the lines of the play. That was one thing she did indeed remember about the play. She had trouble understanding the first few lines that Jorin and Alia had recited during the first rehearsal that she had attended. The words had seemed thrown together and very… ancient. The words would come out, but if they had any sort of meaning they had been completely lost on her. It didn’t make sense that this supposed love story was a big hit… she had a feeling females attended for the idea more than the quality - and to watch a sexy actors kiss beautiful actresses and pretend to put themselves in their shoes.

That thought didn’t settle well in her stomach. Females imagining themselves kissing Jorin… or at least the character he was playing. Wrinkling her nose slightly, she shook her head. "Being one of few words… this play just makes no sense in the first place. What exactly draws women to it again?" In some ways she was hoping Jorin might enlighten her to something far more… deep than what she had just thought about it. Though given the fact he hated the play - perhaps more than she did - he probably didn’t have any better insight than she did. Rinya counted herself extremely lucky Jorin wasn’t the kind of man to wander. She couldn’t very well go around the city scarring women throwing themselves at him…

Rinya took a seat as Jorin directed her to a chair. While she could still feel his cheer, he was far more… into his acting space as she liked to call it. She had seen it before of course, when he had snuck her into the Amphitheater. He had been a fairly major part that play, so she hadn’t seen much of him. If she attended this play she probably wouldn’t see him at all, but despite the words and the kissing of another woman - she would probably still attend if she had the time. Other than doing this at home with him - helping him rehearse - she didn’t actually have much else to support him with. Besides it was easier to help him rehearse here at home alone than the actual Amphitheater.

Rinya however did her best as Jorin explained to her that she would play Dalissa - the character his was currently trying to chase after. Well as if that wasn’t the twist… an expected one if nothing else. A maid of the woman he was supposed to marry. Rinya didn’t doubt that love could spring up from anywhere… but she didn’t quite count it as love if he was so worried about his supposed station. Meeting in secret indicated they had something to lose… and if they truly loved each other it shouldn’t matter. At least that was her interpretation… then again Jorin and her never had anything to lose but the other.

Rinya nodded gently as Jorin reassured her that she didn’t need to actually act - not that she probably could. She had never really tried before, but since this was a rehearsal it would probably be easiest for him if she at least tried. If she made a fool of herself he wouldn’t criticize her anyways… after all acting was his thing. After a moment of scanning the lines, Jorin fell into character. He seemed cautious - probably about getting caught - but gave her character Dalissa a… well was that a compliment? Sighing internally Rinya realized this was going to be a hard rehearsal. He prompted her lines, which made even less sense than his and Rinya took a deep breath.

"Forthan, your position is lost if we are discovered. Let us not linger here thusly much longer but away to seclusion." Rinya tried to whisper at Jorin as if she feared getting caught herself. The best she could make out of the sentence was that her character wanted to find a safer place for them to talk. "Why doesn’t she just say ‘We should find somewhere else to talk before someone walks in on us’?" Rinya twitched her nose slightly before she realized she probably had ‘broke character’. Jorin was attempting to remain in character as he would need to on stage and Rinya grimaced slightly. "Sorry, but this play really makes no sense. I may be no romantic but… neither are these lines." Rinya tried to apologize.

Jorin instructed her to stand up after his next line… wailing it as if she had wounded him by asking him to find another place where they weren’t likely to be caught. But other than the wailing of words she actually couldn’t figure out what he meant by the chains of time. Time was not the thing keeping them apart, it was apparently their stubbornness. Why didn’t Forthan just admit to wanting to be with Dalissa and drop his supposed betrothed? Rinya pushed herself up from the chair, still resisting the urge to frown as he gave her lines to repeat back to him.

"Those chains bind only that which you permit," Rinya had no idea how to actually deliver this line. It… didn’t actually make sense. "But that I could hear the mellifluous tones of the song of morn, enhanced by the thrum of a beat that I know so well, can break any such chain if such we desire," Rinya’s voice strained slightly. There wasn’t even a way to naturally deliver a line like that. In the very least Jorin didn’t seem to understand either. His next lines must have made no sense either, as he stared at the lines of the page before confirming her suspicion.

"Jorin it doesn’t bother me since this play just… doesn’t say anything." Jorin insisted however she repeat the line and she sighed inwardly. Lovely… He prompted the line and she did her best to repeat it, but it sounded flat even to her. Someone should really burn every last copy of this play...

white

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Rinya asked a very good question - namely, what drew women to the play in the first place. Jorin honestly had no idea. The lines were overdone, the scripted action was ludicrous at best, and somehow this was the play that drew hundreds of swooning women?

Then again, Jorin highly suspected the sort of women who were particularly drawn to this sort of play were nothing like his wife. She was, as she mentioned, a woman of few words. She was shy and endearingly awkward in social situations, and Jorin just loved her even more for it. He couldn't say why, other than the fact that it was a part of who Rinya was, and he loved all of her. Then again - Jorin himself was not a woman, so he could not say that for certain.

But despite her social awkwardness, Rinya was a brave and fiercely loyal person who loved him with all her heart. It was one of a million things he loved about her, from the way her nose twitched whenever she found something distasteful to the way she tended to preen her feathers when she got nervous. Jorin suspected his wife was probably the exact opposite of the sort of woman who'd enjoy a play like this - though if the audience size was anything to go by, the number of airheaded fools living in Riverfall was depressingly large.

"I have no idea," Jorin confessed to Rinya with a small grin, shrugging slightly. "I imagine they like to put themselves into the shoes of Dalissa and dream about being swept away by their prince on a white horse." Jorin chuckled slightly, grinning brightly at his wife as he did so.

"I mean, don't get me wrong, I have absolutely nothing against love," he added, "After all, what you and I have, I wouldn't trade for anything. And the sentiments in this play... I might actually agree with a lot of them. If it hadn't been so over-done as to appear... artificial."

The play proceeded as Rinya spoke the lines he prompted for her. Jorin could tell his wife, despite herself, was trying to act for his sake, so as to make the scene more realistic for him and assist him in his rehearsal. He greatly appreciated her effort - even though he almost chuckled at her exaggerated caution and fear. Like most novice actors, his wife was not yet skilled in learning how to limit her emoting, so the acting was painfully obvious.

Still, Rinya was no actor herself, and Jorin was very grateful to her for trying at all. She hadn't tried for the stage master; almost deliberately repeating her lines in as monotonous and bored a tone as she could get away with and almost daring him to "fire" her. Of course, that was absurd. She didn't even work at the Amphitheater - and thus could not be fired from it.

But as Rinya continued to read the line, she broke character to ask Jorin why Dalissa didn't just say, "We should find somewhere else to talk before someone walks in on us". Jorin was half-tempted to continue in-character and ignore her question. After all, he was trying to rehearse, and one of the cardinal rules was that even if a fellow actor broke character, that did not mean you were supposed to.

But he was at home, and rehearsals after all meant repetition so he'd be able to take this from the top again if he needed to. So, he temporarily broke character with her, giving her an apologetic smile and shrugging. "Almost all the lines are like that," he sighed, as he watched his wife's nose twitch in that cute way of hers. She quickly apologized - probably for breaking character and causing him to do it too - and commented that despite not being a romantic, the lines really weren't either.

Jorin chuckled, which quickly became a full-on laugh as he held his side and shook his head with an amused grin. "No you're right, my love," he confirmed. "These lines are as far from romantic as it's possible to be. I seriously wonder what goes through those women's heads when they watch this and actually think it's how romance is supposed to happen." He shrugged slightly, hand going up to rub the back of his neck a bit as he reddened slightly.

"I... I don't think you're not a romantic though," he insisted. "You've always come home to me with a smile, even if some Akalak dropped fifty weapons on six different levels of the Warren and you had to patrol a double shift. You've been so patient and kind with me when I had to rehearse here at home, even though I'm sure it can be so grating to hear the same lines fifty times over."

Jorin reddened even further as he approached her, having asked her to stand for the next part of the play. The irony of his own romantic words was lost on him as he wanted his wife to know how much he appreciated what she did for him every single day. Not that he didn't reminder her of it constantly - the bond practically humming with his love for her after all - but nonetheless he was determined to show her regardless.

"You show me every single day, my love. And I want you to know, I love you too. More than words can express." As usual, Jorin felt that words did not really do his feelings for her justice, and before he could stop himself he'd already closed the distance between them and kissed her, his hands wrapping around her waist and neck to pull her close. At this rate, the play was never going to finish - though at least he was getting in some good "practice" for a later scene.

The warmth that flooded through his heart and across the bond spread like wildfire as their lips touched, and he pressed even further, his hands wandering as he closed his eyes and just felt their love rebound between them. This was what a real kiss felt like, Jorin decided, and no amount of pretending was ever going to compare. Jorin knew at that moment that no matter how good an actor he became, he'd never be able to recreate this passion on stage. Not because he might not necessarily be able to. No, it was because he wouldn't want to. And that was perfectly fine with him.

The kiss ended with their gasping for breath as usual, lungs burning pleasantly as they both suddenly remembered the need to breathe to survive. Jorin coughed slightly when he realized they were technically still in the middle of the rehearsal and he'd broken character much worse than she did. Well - technically speaking if Forthan was as in love with Dalissa as Jorin was with Rinya, he shouldn't have any problems just kissing her like Jorin just did. The play petching made no sense - why didn't he just kiss the woman at this point? She clearly wanted him to... in any case the play had to continue.

Rinya delivered her next line somewhat woodenly, her face openly displaying her confusion over what the line was trying to say. He himself was not sure even as she was speaking, his mind going over and over the words, trying to comb for meaning, but nothing came forth. It... had something to do with morning songs and ... something about a beat? And breaking chains? He didn't understand.

Rinya's reply that it did not bother her because the play didn't make any sense or say anything drew a sympathetic sigh from him. "I know," he groaned. "This is by far the most absurd play I've ever taken part in." Regardless, Rinya dutifully repeated her line for his sake, and Jorin was struck by how willing she was being. He couldn't even express how much it meant to him that she'd put up even with this absurd play, just for him. He could feel a pleasant warmth spread from his heart just thinking about it - about her.

But he had to stay in character, so he took a few breaths, cleared his throat, and read his next line. "Oh, but for the shadows of dusk that covers Syna's light, given our disparate stations now unioned as one," he insisted, his face serious and intense as the script demanded. Jorin suspected the man was probably talking about how, at night, they were just a man and a woman and "station" ceased to exist. Or at least that was what Jorin thought he said - the words were so confused he might as well have been talking about the moon.

Jorin instructed Rinya to approach him even closer, and prompted her next line. "Then if our stations be unioned, what of Sarlina, thine betrothed, who holds for you not a story above us?" For once, Dalissa made a salient and very valid point. What about Forthan's betrothed? It was like the play was just shunting the woman off to the side to be ignored while the primary couple run off into the sunset... it all seemed so ridiculous. And of course, Forthan's answer made about as much sense as one would expect.

"A heart cannot beat in two, and mine heart can only love you," he cried, and for once, Jorin was not acting at all as he said it, though for entirely different reasons. Jorin had, unintentionally, method acted at that moment, as he was saying the lines he realized that unlike nearly every other line in the play, this one he agreed with entirely.

He loved Rinya. Had he met her while still with Farline, he knew he would likely have left Farline to be with Rinya. It might not have been immediately. It could possibly have taken quite a bit of time, circumstances depending. But he knew in his heart that he would love Rinya with every ounce of his being. Forthan was saying that you did not marry one woman when you clearly love another. It was a sentiment Jorin found himself agreeing with, and his delivery of the line perfectly mirrored it.

In fact, it was a few moments before Jorin realized he was looking at Rinya with that look again. The look that she seemed to like very much - the one that said he thought she was the most precious thing in the world to him. No matter how much time passed, Jorin knew he'd always look at her like that, but with a small shake of his head, he snapped himself out of his little daze and continued, prompting his wife's next line.

"Hark that we take care in this locale, for shadows of intrusion do snake upon us," So, in other words, let's be careful because anybody might come by. Didn't Dalissa just say that, except with different words? Jorin figured by this point in the play, the women in the audience were just waiting for them to kiss and weren't even listening anymore.

Jorin suppressed a sigh, annoyance with the play rising but he nonetheless glanced down at the script and read the next line. "Then let the shadows watch as the light of love shine upon the shaded twilight," was Forthan's reply. Jorin very nearly sighed. It was a fancy way of saying, "so what". And of course, the script now instructed him to kiss Dalissa.

When he had to rehearse this part at the Amphitheater it was always a bit awkward, regardless of attempts by himself or Alia to try to keep things professional. But here... Jorin looked at his wife, whose lack of training in acting was obvious in how she utterly failed to hide her opinion of the play he was taking part in.

But nonetheless... the play instructed him to kiss his wife. Well, that he could do, and gladly. Despite having already kissed, Jorin knew he'd never be fully satisfied. He'd always want to have another kiss with her, to hold her to him just a bit longer. It was why the intimate contact with each other always resulted in them gasping for breath later. The script called for a "quick, chaste kiss". Oooh, that would be tough...

Jorin attempted it. He approached Rinya and leaned in, kissing her soft lips and reveling in the surge of love that passed between them like always. And what started as a "chaste" kiss quickly escalated as he found himself wrapped up in her - every one of his senses diminished until all he could see, smell, hear, taste, or touch was his wife. His entire universe had once again shrunk down to just her, and he wouldn't have had it any other way.

x

[Rinya]

Jorin couldn’t actually give her an answer on what others might see in the play, which of course didn’t surprise her. Still she had hoped for some shred of… a decent idea in the least. Being swept off their feet by a man wasn’t something that actually sounded all that… entertaining. Granted Jorin’s appearance in her life was more than welcome, but considering all their emotional scars the two of them shared together - much less bonded over - it wasn’t exactly something someone could call romantic. Jorin certainly swept her off her feet, but that was long after a week of separation and anxiety that he may choose another woman over her. There was no easy fix to life… perhaps that was why women flocked to see the play. To see something that worked no matter the supposed circumstances.

If nothing else, at least Jorin simply agreed with her that the lines of the play were as far from romantic as possible. Even Jorin’s flowery poetry at least made sense… she could tell by the words that he meant them to be romantic. But this was not romance this was… lines thrown together in hopes to make the lovers sound - gods she didn’t even know honestly. Maybe like they longed for each other more than emotions could express? There had to be a better way to describe this though… even monotone straight answers would have been more enjoyable to repeat. However Jorin didn’t continue on with the play after he answered her question, despite having to break character.

Jorin insisted that she was romantic. That she greeted him regardless of how either of their days could have gone, that her patience was something that amazed him because it couldn’t have been fun to pull a double shift then come home to listen to Jorin repeat lines over and over again. Granted yes it wasn’t always the most pleasant of scenarios, but when she thought about how she could be alone with no one to greet her back… she would take triple shifts at the Warren if it meant Jorin would still be there to greet her when she returned home. Rinya simply just shrugged as Jorin’s face turned red and he closed the distance between them. "Jorin it’s not as though you don’t do the same for me."

Jorin simply insisted that she showed him every day that she loved him. It wasn’t always easy actually, showing him how much she appreciated him. It wasn’t something that came naturally to her, and sometimes she had to make sure she didn’t just sink into her own thoughts and forget her mate might need the same attention she needed at times. Either way he didn’t let her respond, just leaned forward to kiss her. There wasn’t a time Rinya could ever remember that she had resisted a kiss from him - actually there was a good chance she never had. There was absolutely no reason that she couldn’t return the kiss now either, with his hands wrapping around her to pull her close. Somewhere in the back of her mind it tried to remind her that they were trying to help him rehearse, but it wasn’t as though the kiss would completely ruin that… right?

Besides she loved the feeling too much. Something she honestly never believed she would have, and it flared every single time they kissed. It was something she grasped onto with both hands… and that could be why every time they kissed like this, that it tended to get out of hand. Rinya reveled in emotions that had been so foreign to her at first. Heat, desire and most importantly love… part of her wondered however if she’d feel this much love for someone else. If she had bonded to someone other than Jorin… would her heart still feel the same way? It was of course a what if she didn’t bother to dwell on, she did have him and that was all that actually mattered.

Luckily the kiss didn’t entirely disrupt the rehearsal however. With much needed breath they parted and pushed onwards, dragging out lines that just failed to make any sort of sense. As Jorin asked her to repeat a line and moved onwards with the play, it just seemed the lines got worse. He motioned her closer, though really she hadn’t stepped back to give him any room to begin with. Any closer and she might as well just climb up on his back. "Then if our stations be unioned, what of Sarlina, thine betrothed, who holds for you not a story above us?" This line actually made a little sense… at least enough for her to draw a conclusion from.

Honestly if Rinya felt bad for any character of the play, it would probably be Sarlina. There was no telling if the woman loved Forthan of course seeing as she didn’t know the play, but she assumed there was supposedly love between them. After all it was a love triangle. The woman knew nothing of what was going on below her as these two characters made eyes at each other and whispering ridiculous lines as if it was some kind of grand secret. The character of Sarlina was obviously there for drama, but Rinya felt for the woman. She would have hated to of been in that kind of a situation… nearly thought she was actually. But honestly that would have been only if Farline had an actual chance with Jorin.

Jorin’s character insisted with passion that his heart could only love Dalissa, though she could feel meaning behind his words. A line of the play that could actually mean something to Jorin based on who he was currently rehearsing with and Rinya felt her face blush a deep red. That familiar look on his face that he always seemed to wear to some degree around her, was quite intense and Rinya swallowed thickly as her heart jumped in her chest. It wasn’t often he meant something he said while acting, but when he did it was rather intense and Rinya felt the urge to simply kiss him because of it. But that would be further interrupting his attempt to rehearse so she barely remained rooted to her current position.

"Hark that we take care in this locale, for shadows of intrusion do snake upon us," Rinya repeated as prompted, but once again it didn’t entirely make sense to her. Her attempt to act any further was dropped and she simply did as Jorin asked… repeat the lines as naturally as possible. Her best guess was it was another warning about their current position… why the hai did they meet here of all places if it was so dangerous? There was after all nothing but a bit of planning at that. Gods, why didn’t they just tell the truth period?

Jorin’s next line was - unsurprisingly - confusing to her. If it had been anyone else asking her to repeat these lines, she probably would have told them to shove off. As it was Rinya could feel Jorin’s appreciation across the bond, even he knew that these lines were painful to put up with. But in the very least he didn’t prompt another line for her as he scanned the script quickly. Instead he lowered the paper and leaned forward to press his lips to hers in another kiss. Their emotions naturally swelled at the simple touch but it didn’t take long for things to shift from innocent to passionate - again. In the back of her head she vaguely wondered if the script actually called for this kind of a kiss, or if they simply got caught up in the moment.

Pulling away was not in fact a natural thing for her, it was only luck that she needed to breath that caused Rinya to pull away just enough to gasp for breath. Her fingers had hooked onto the back of his neck in an attempt to keep him close against her knowledge and she knew her face was flushed red. There was the familiar pound of desire crawling up her spine and making thoughts foggy. "Are you sure the script says this?" Her voice came out breathy, and she wondered if he could even hear her actually. Logically it made no sense since they were trying to be discreet after all… but honestly she didn’t care. If Jorin wanted to modify the play, well he could probably make it a hundred times better without even trying. Besides with her lips still so very close to his she couldn’t resist pressing them back to his.

white

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

The kiss was everything the play was not - romantic, loving, and intense. In comparison to their other kisses, perhaps one might say it was relatively tame, but to Jorin every kiss was an adventure all its own. As they breathlessly separated and his wife quietly asked whether or not the script had in fact called for a kiss of this nature - gods Rinya was a smart girl - Jorin just whispered back, "Not at all..." knowing full well that neither of them cared by that point.

Rinya proved it by pressing her lips back against his, and Jorin felt a surge of desire and love radiate throughout his body. Rinya had become bolder as the season went on - becoming less and less afraid to initiate kisses of her own. For his part, Jorin was very happy his wife was comfortable enough to no longer be shy about showing him her own feelings for him in every way she could.

As they kissed, Jorin's grip on Rinya tightened, the script dropped onto a nearby table as he brought his now free hand to wander across her back and waist, enjoying the warmth of her body pressed up against him while her lips remained firmly locked to his own.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Jorin knew he probably should put a stop to this. After all, he was supposed to be rehearsing for his play, and the script did not call for a kiss like this, to say nothing of the second one his wife was giving him. But Jorin hardly cared - it felt right, and as always the desire and love rebounded between them across the bond until it filled their senses and their hearts.

When their lips parted for a second time, they were once again gasping for breath, and Jorin nuzzled into the crook of Rinya's neck, taking a slow breath to breathe in her scent while humming happily. It wasn't what the play called for but it felt right, and he really enjoyed the warmth of Rinya's body pressed up against his. It felt like she fit him, like she belonged in his arms.

"You know," Jorin murmured, face still pressed against Rinya's neck, "It seems to me like if Forthan really loved Dalissa so much, he should kiss her like I kiss you, or you kiss me. If someone loves another person I just fail to see why they shouldn't show each other whenever they feel the urge to."

Lifting his face to look into Rinya's eyes, Jorin marveled at how beautiful they were. Almost the perfect shade of gold - at least in Jorin's opinion. Just like the rest of her. Perhaps Rinya was not the perfect woman, but she was certainly perfect for him. He brought up a hand and gently stroked Rinya's cheek, smiling softly when she closed her eyes and leaned her face into his hand.

"You know, some might call the two of us hopeless romantics," he chuckled, even as he leaned forward to plant a quick kiss onto Rinya's nose before continuing to stroke her face lovingly. "Look at us, barely married a season and we've already spoken of children... but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, Rinya. More than I could ever express." Jorin sighed and shrugged.

"I'll bet a play based on the two of us wouldn't get nearly as much of an audience as the Thief of Hearts," Jorin laughed with a twinkle in his eye. "But I wouldn't trade our life together for anything. I think I finally figured out what was bothering me about Forthan."

Jorin reached over and grabbed the script, though he refused to allow any distance between Rinya and himself and his other arm kept her pressed firmly against his chest. He brought the script up and looked at it with a strange expression on his face, his emotions swirling with understanding and a bit of contempt. "He doesn't see Dalissa like I see you, Rinya. Because you're not just my wife, someone to love." Jorin smiled at Rinya, looking back into her eyes as he continued.

"You're my best friend too - someone who will listen when I occasionally grumble and somebody I never have to act around. You're my closest confidant - someone I can tell all my secrets to because I know I can trust you with my heart and soul. And you're my staunchest ally, somebody I know will always be on my side." It wasn't news to them, but Jorin liked to say it. Because he realized - it wasn't the case with Forthan.

"This character Forthan - he's got this idealized vision of what love is supposed to be like. He thinks Dalissa is some perfect Alvina, and they'd run away together and live happily ever after, without a single thought to the consequences of his actions," Jorin explained. He smirked at the copy of the play in his hand. "I never thought you were perfect, Rinya. No one is - we all have our flaws. The gods know, I certainly have a fair share of mine. But I'd always believed you were perfect for me. You're my other half... you complete me in ways no one else ever could."

In the past, that sort of speech would have probably left Jorin beet-red in embarrassment. Indeed, he likely would not have been able to get the words out properly at all, despite his practice in public speaking. But Jorin had realized over the last few seasons that there was no reason to be embarrassed. His love for Rinya was something tangible and real, and the words only confirmed what they both already knew. The bond was growing stronger every day, and it was only fed by the fact that they cared for each other so much.

Jorin spent nearly a chime just looking at his wife, before he looked back over at the script in his hand. Technically, they still had the rest of the script to cover, but fortunately there wasn't much script left to rehearse. That was good - the Thief of Hearts was becoming tiresome and their recent kisses was making Jorin want to be the horrible tease his wife kept insist he was.

"We should probably finish the rehearsal," he sighed, feeling a bit disappointed as they separated to do so. It was much harder than he thought it would be, especially since it felt so nice with Rinya wrapped up in his arms. He felt like he could stay like that forever. Clearing his throat slightly, he flipped the pages until he reached the section where they had left off.

"Well, you're supposed to say to me, 'Forthan, you should not have! Would than thine betrothed had appeared, we would have been undone!'" And once again, Dalissa made a very valid point. If Forthan was indeed so incredibly worried about something as worthless as "station", then he undoubtedly was risking a great deal by kissing Dalissa in such a relatively public place.

Jorin suspected the whole point was to "prove" that Forthan truly loved Dalissa, but all it proved to Jorin was that Forthan was an idiot. By doing what he was doing, Jorin felt that Forthan deserved to lose both women, but then again he wasn't the playwright. He was just an actor. Sidling up to Rinya, his face took on a mask of concern and a trace of hesitancy.

"The heat of my heart could not permit me to act otherwise," he insisted, looking glancing about warily as he said so. In Jorin's opinion, if that had been true the kiss should have been more like the one he and Rinya had actually shared, not the quick, chaste one specified in the script.

"A heat only amplified by your beauty, framed by the silver light of yon moon," he breathed, even though it was technically only the afternoon and Leth was nowhere to be seen. Still, the potential romance of the words was ruined by their awkwardness. "Yon moon"? Jorin was quite sure even when the play had been written, no one talked like that.

"Would that we could away, to somewhere far over the hills and rivers and mountains, where none would stop us," Jorin prompted Rinya to say. To which, Jorin replied, "Let us go, then, light of mine eyes, into the darkness we plunge across hill and dale, over to yon town where none knows our names. For one night, let us not be Forthan and Dalissa but He and Her, one and the same of all strangers of the land."

Truth be told, it was a little difficult to act in front of Rinya. Mainly because he never did it before - never hid his emotions behind a mask like he did on stage. And really, even though he was rehearsing, he wasn't acting. Jorin's emotions were still running free across the bond, flowing to Rinya just as easily as it had always done. Jorin figured by this point in his life, he simply no longer wanted to hide anything from his beloved anymore.

So despite the fact that his actions spoke one thing, all eager insistence and grand gestures as his arm indicated the "vast open expanses" that Forthan and Dalissa was to run off to join, in his heart Jorin was still thinking of Rinya, and how despite spending all day at the Amphitheater like every other day, he still missed her voice and company. It was strange - he never ceased to miss her even though he knew he'd get to see her in the evening.

And when he did get to see Rinya... they had to do this stupid petching play, because he needed to rehearse. He suppressed a sigh and did as the script told, grabbing Rinya's hand and pulled her forward slightly, before stopping. "This particular scene ends here," Jorin explained. "The stage direction calls for Dalissa to hesitate for at tick, and then for Forthan and her to run off together. Which is just ridiculous in my opinion. What about Forthan's betrothed?" he sighed and rubbed his temples, then shrugged.

"In any case, the next scene takes place a few miles down the road. Apparently, they're definition of 'running away', while romantic in theory, was not particularly romantic in execution since they ended up in an inn at the edge of town, waiting for a caravan to take them away." Jorin actually found it surprisingly rational for a play that was sorely lacking it thus far. Given the nature of the play he'd have expected Forthan and Dalissa to somehow "miraculously" survived the wilds and found themselves in some other city. Or something.

In any event, Jorin led Rinya to their bedroom, and off her curious look he just shrugged. "It does say the next scene takes place at the room in the inn," Jorin argued, with a little grin. But nonetheless, he still couldn't help but swing around and planting a kiss firmly onto Rinya's lips first before the next scene began. He wasn't in character yet, and he wanted to take advantage of that fact for as long as possible.

When the kiss broke, Jorin smirked. "I'm not in character yet," he chuckled. "But like I said, if Forthan really loved Dalissa as much as I love you, he should kiss her like that," he argued. In any event, Jorin coughed and prompted Rinya's next line.

"Far we have run, and quickly. Yet as far as we have come, we are still too close. The hounds of your house will be upon our heels soon." Why was it that Dalissa actually made sense sometimes, but Forthan sounded like a brain-damaged idiot almost all the time?

"Dearest Dalissa, your radiance grants me strength to fight a hundred dogs. Lo! For I have strength now, strength to see, strength to fight, strength to love, strength to be." Jorin tried to give the lines the gravitas he knew they were intended. And while he did not necessarily agree with the exaggerated nature of the words, he couldn't deny their meaning.

He couldn't deny that Rinya gave him strength in ways she probably didn't even know herself. To Forthan they were just words but to Jorin they were so much more than that. Rinya was so much more to him than a pretty face, or a shoulder to cry on. She was as much a part of him as his arm or his leg. She was as important to who he was as his mathematics or his poetry.

Rinya was his everything.

Now if only Forthan could say that in a way that didn't make him sound like he'd been dropped on the head as a baby.

x

[Rinya]

Rinya did not honestly expect Jorin to pull away from the kiss anymore than she would have, but it was still somewhat difficult for her to initiate kisses between the two of them. Sure it was one thing when she returned home and she got the rare chance to actually kiss him first, but most of the time Jorin was the one that had no issue showing her how much he loved her. Rinya often forgot that she was just as capable despite the fact that her mate never actually complained that she never initiated kisses most of the time. However it didn’t take a genius to know that he certainly did appreciate it when she did.

Jorin’s grip shifted and she vaguely heard something like paper hitting the table – or the floor she really didn’t pay it much mind – the only thing she was really capable of focusing on was the emotions and the feel of his other hand stretching across her back. Happiness seemed to radiate from Jorin just as much as love, and she wanted nothing more than to keep it there… keep them there. She had no love lost over the play and if Jorin decided that kissing her was a better way to spend their time, well she certainly wasn’t going to say no. However the need breath was too great and they separated a second time, completely breathless and pressed up against the other.

Her husband shifted slightly so he could press his face to her neck. Rinya sighed herself, letting her own face press into his shoulder, arms still wrapped around his neck. He muttered into her neck that if Forthan really loved his girl so much, he would show it much like they did. Despite the fact that Rinya had no issues with kissing – or other such things that it led to in public – with her husband, she did technically know that showing such things wasn’t always welcome by others. "Jorin just because we have no issue with doing it, doesn’t mean everyone else wants to see it." Though in the long run, that didn’t actually change her choices. She would kiss Jorin where and when she wanted – if he didn’t beat her to it first.

The comment didn’t faze him of course. He lifted his head to stare at her, shifting one of his hands so he could stroke her face. Her mate was not stupid, he knew the effect it would have on her, and the fact she couldn’t resist leaning her face further into his hand. The little touches told her just as easily as the big gestures, how much he loved her… especially that look on his face again. Rinya had no idea how, but she was utterly precious to him. There was no arguing about it, or trying to convince him otherwise. He commented that some might call them hopeless romantics. "Come on Jorin… you know they’re probably right. Doesn’t mean we don’t love each other any less, but they’d be right."

Jorin mentioned a play written about them would probably never get nearly as much of an audience however and Rinya snorted at the thought. "So not true. A play written about us would have the same romance… and the audience would actually understand what the characters would be saying." She grumbled as Jorin snagged the play from the table. In the very least she had to work with him as he leaned towards the script… seeing as her mate wouldn’t release her waist. For a moment he scanned the play, but he clearly wasn’t happy with whatever it said.

He mentioned that Dalissa wasn’t someone Forthan saw like Jorin saw her. His next words brought the flush back to her face that had faded since the kiss. All the ways Jorin saw her – she felt the same, but only he could have put it so simply and mean it. But Forthan was apparently idealizing Dalissa… to some extent Rinya agreed, but Jorin wasn’t any better. She knew to some extent they both idealized each other – they had just had the unfortunate experiences not to be so in the clouds as these two characters. "I don’t disagree with you Jorin… our love is something special. But that doesn’t mean what this… Forthan feels isn’t true either."

Rinya shrugged slightly as she glanced down at the script. "It’s true it’s idolized… but aren’t most love storys written into plays? Most are not this… insipid but the fact still remains true." Rinya pursed her lips slightly before looking back up at her husband. One hand shifted from its place around his neck to stroke his own cheek. "But even you can’t deny that every love is different. That’s what makes it special to begin with… that regardless of the future we will never feel the same way about anyone else. You could love after me… but it would not be the same love." It seemed like an easy thought now actually. While she had intense jealousy while she was here now, she had no animosity to the thoughts of the future – where Jorin could love someone else after her.

Jorin insisted however that perhaps they should finish the rehearsal. That had been the point of all this… but Rinya would have rather spent the time kissing her husband instead honestly. He was right – it never got boring. However she had told him she would help him… kissing could come later. He prompted a line for her and she resisted the urge to wrinkle her nose over it. "Forthan, you should not have! Would than thine betrothed had appeared, we would have been undone!" Weren’t they technically already ‘undone’? If they wanted to actually be together… there was no way Forthan could hold onto his station… much less Dalissa continuing to work for the said forgotten betrothed. So long as they continued their romance, eventually their so called lives would come undone.

Rinya was tempted to say it Jorin, but honestly they didn’t need another debate, another distraction from the play. ‘Forthan’ declared the heat that drove his heart wouldn’t allow him to act otherwise… that her beauty only made it worse. But it was her next prompted line – despite actually understanding the words – that made no sense to her. "Would that we could away, to somewhere far over the hills and rivers and mountains, where none would stop us," Now they wanted to run away? Well there was her previous thought… that their lives were officially coming undone. At least in the play…

Forthan apparently didn’t even need to think about Dalissa’s request. He agreed immediately to leave with her – probably the only really romantic thing he had done thus far. Luckily the scene ended, but Jorin was of course displeased by the ending of the scene. "Jorin they happen to be in hiding as it is? You honestly expect Forthan to stop by his bethrothed to let her know ‘Hey darling, I’m leaving you for the maid. Don’t chase after us’." Rinya couldn’t help but smirk up at Jorin, one eyebrow cocked. Either way Jorin explained what happened next in the script, and even managed to press his lips to hers for a moment – not long enough in her opinion – and declared that Forthan should kiss Dalissa the same way he kissed her. Rinya could only roll her eyes playfully.

"Far we have fun, and quickly. Yet as far as we have come, we are still too close. The hounds of your house will be upon our heels soon." Rinya repeated. Apparently the script decided there wasn’t enough drama of a love triangle, and now they were to be ‘hunted’. Jorin put feeling into Forthan’s next words, but Rinya was tempted to break character again.

It was terribly difficult not to criticize the play.

white

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Rinya had mentioned that just because they loved to kiss and show affection, that did not mean everyone else wanted to see it. Jorin just shrugged and grinned, holding his wife a bit tighter and squeezing her against him playfully. "Well, what if I don't care what everyone else wants to see?" he smirked at her, but the truth was he really didn't. There was a time, before he'd met Rinya, that he might have.

But a season of being married to her had taught him one very important thing. His wife was significantly more important to him than any other person. So long as Rinya was happy, Jorin was happy. It was a fundamental truth that Jorin was happy to accept, and why he was only half-joking when he told his wife he simply did not care what other people thought of their intimate behavior.

And of course, Rinya reacted to his touch exactly like he knew she would. He did not do it to control her - far from it. He did it because he loved her, and he knew that she knew this. There was such trust between them that she didn't even hesistate to nuzzle her face into his hand, humming happily and just letting him continue to stroke her face. His comment about them being hopeless romantics drew a comment from her, though, as she agreed that they probably were.

"Yeah, you're right," he smiled softly at her. "But you know what? I'd rather be a hopeless romantic, helplessly in love with you, than a 'realist' with no one to come home to." It was something Jorin rarely thought about. What if he'd never had Rinya? He wasn't really one for "what ifs", mainly because while they might be fun thought experiments, ultimately they were pointless. He did have Rinya and that was what was most important.

Rinya herself seemed to think that their lives would have made an acceptable play. Jorin wasn't so sure - while he loved his wife more and more with every passing day, he was not certain such love was something an audience would want to see. After all, six years in the company of actors had taught him one fundamental thing - people liked conflict. Still, he continued onward and he couldn't help but feel happy to see his wife flush with pleasure when he told her just how much he loved her.

Rinya's own disagreement about Forthan, and the fact that many love stories had been brought to the stage, drew a shrug from Jorin as he smiled gently at her. She echoed his own words about each love being different, but Jorin shook his head when she said that he would love after her. "I... I don't know if I could. Love after you, that is," he confessed.

"What we have is so special, so unique... I don't just love you. I trust you, I want you. You are the only person in all the world I'd want to open up completely to. My mind, body and soul belong to you... and I know yours belong to me. It's something I'm not sure I'd be able to share with someone else, even if you're gone. Frankly even if I was able to... I'm not sure I'd want to." Jorin's hand went to cover Rinya's that was stroking his cheek, and he closed his eyes briefly to lean his face to her touch.

Jorin noted absently that like seemingly everything else about his wife, her touch was soft and gentle. Apparently, she was normally supposed to be fairly prickly and hard to approach, but Jorin had only very rarely seen that side of her. For the most part, Rinya had always been gentle and soft to him, and he reveled in the fact that he so often got to see a side of her she so rarely showed anybody. Jorin was highly tempted to indulge himself in yet another kiss, but with some difficulty found some self control.

The play continued apace, with Rinya mentioning partway through that Forthan and Dalissa happened to be hiding as it was, and he couldn't help but chuckle when she sarcastically mentioned that Forthan couldn't exactly tell his fiancee about what they were doing. "Well, that's true Rinya, but let's face it, that would have been a hilarious part of the play," he grinned back at her little smirk. Certainly it would have livened up the play some, and made it less tiresome just in general.

Jorin couldn't help but grin at Rinya's playful rolling of her eyes when he mentioned that Forthan should be kissing Dalissa the way he kissed her. Truth be told, Jorin genuinely wondered if anyone kissed their wife like he kissed Rinya. He certainly had never seen his father kiss his mother quite like that, though Rosik was an exception in many ways to begin with and probably was not the best example to draw from.

Jorin could easily sense Rinya's growing frustration with the play's many plot holes as she dutifully repeated the line he prompted for her. He could only give her sympathy across the bond - his face remained the mask of Forthan. It had to be that way, otherwise rehearsals would have been all but pointless. In reply to her words, Jorin spoke his next lines with as much conviction as he could muster.

"It is no longer 'my' house, Dalissa my gem," he intoned, voice low as required and somewhat breatheless. "Come, you must be tired from all this running. Perhaps I can help you relax." It was as blatant an invitation as Jorin had ever heard.

He remembered, clear as if it was yesterday, what his first time with Rinya had been like. The entire day was imprinted in his mind. Every detail of that day, from how beautiful Rinya had looked, framed by the Fall sunlight streaming through the trees, to their shy yet passionate kisses at the archery range. There was such desire and tension that passed between them, and Jorin remembered how awkward and bashful they'd been at first to even touch one another in such an intimate way.

Rinya had been nervous that she wouldn't know what to do, and Jorin had worried he wouldn't be able to please her like he knew she deserved. In the end the pleasure was quite enjoyable for the both of them, even though Jorin still remembered with no particular fondness the fact that he had, in fact, finished too early the first time they'd laid together.

Certainly, he had gotten significantly better since then, but it was not something that was pleasant to recall, even though Rinya had assured him that regardless of that fact, she still enjoyed it immensely. In any case, Jorin remembered that he and Rinya had danced around the subject for quite some time before they'd eventually mated. Rinya herself had noted that by some standards, the two of them were moving much too quickly.

Compared to Forthan and Dalissa though, Jorin felt he and Rinya were practically standing still.

He could understand, intellectually, why the scene was playing out the way it was. As he instructed Rinya on her next line, "Why Forthan, whatever do you intend? Are you not concerned with the wolves at the door?" but to be said in, apparently, a coy manner, Jorin mused that it did make a certain amount of sense.

They were running now, fugitives almost. Forthan's fiancee was certainly not going to be pleased to discover he had run off, with the maid no less. They were alone, exhausted after bells of running, and in a small enclosed space. While Jorin certainly understood the narrative appeal of what the situation was suggesting, he himself felt that it all seemed a bit forced.

It was like the playwright wanted Forthan and Dalissa to couple, so he put them in the most blatant situation he could think of, in order to force the issue. Jorin for his part felt like given how the play was turning out to begin with, their mating was inevitable. As such there was no reason to rush it, but then he didn't write the petching thing.

"The wolves frighten me not," Jorin announced, bravado surging through his voice and across his face. "Come, my gem, let us linger a bit here. For mine fiancee knows not that we have fled... here in this humble abode you and I are alone. Alone and safe at last."

Jorin wanted to snort at the words. Forthan and Dalissa were far from "safe". They had at most six bells before they were discovered, Jorin figured. And that was assuming his fiancee did not wake early or some other such unpredictable event occurred. But of course, the play was a work of fiction, and chose to follow its own logic. Meanwhile, Jorin instructed Rinya further, prompting even more lines.

"Methinks the pressure has cost the poetry from your tongue, Forthan," was the prompted line, to which Jorin replied, "Then let us make our own poetry tonight, my gem," Jorin was rather surprised that Dalissa would respond to this at all. Where was the shyness? The awkward yet romantic insistence of love between them?

Then again, Jorin was basing everything on his first time with Rinya. It was entirely possible theirs had been a unique experience. In fact, it was quite possible that was the case, as Jorin was sure not every couple was nearly as shy as they were at the onset. Regardless, the script now instructed him to kiss Rinya. Very little further instructions was given, as the scene ended at the kiss.

"Well, the scene ends here, with a final kiss from Forthan," Jorin explained, breaking character in order to do so. At that point he no longer cared about the play. Instead, he dropped the pages onto the floor as he approached his wife with a mischievous yet determined grin on his face.

The situation Forthan and Dalissa found themselves in, and the fact that the curtain dropped as soon as the two kissed, heavily implied what was to have transpired between sets, as it were. Regardless, Jorin really did not care. He'd waited far too long to do this, and now he had the perfect excuse. Jorin wrapped his arms firmly around his wife, bringing her as flush against him as he could.

Like every other time he'd kissed her this day, or any other day for that matter, Jorin felt the familiar rush of emotions surging and crashing through the bond. Love, desire, and happiness all rolled into one. With a soft groan, he slipped his tongue in to enhance the intimate contact, knowing full well what such "enhancements" often led to. He saw no issue with it... the play did very heavily suggest it after all.

When their lips parted with the usual gasping for breath, Jorin's left hand had already slipped underneath Rinya's shirt, tugging it upward as he maneuvered them toward - and then onto - their bed. Jorin remembered the fiery, passionate kiss he shared with Rinya at the Warren. Despite the bitter cold of the place, despite the fact that they could have been discovered - the truth was, if they'd allowed that to escalate, Jorin would have made love to his wife regardless. Her pleasure and happiness was paramount to him - more important than even his own life.

Even as Jorin continued to attempt to remove Rinya's shirt, he pressed another kiss to Rinya's lips. But this one was a little different. Even despite the heat of passion burning within, he kept the contact soft yet loving. Even as his heart pounded heat through his veins, it clenched pleasantly at all the soft, gentle emotions that floated across when he did so.

Rinya was right. These were the best sort of kisses.

x

[Rinya]

"Don’t care huh? Well I remember a time where you might have." Rinya grinned teasingly at her husband. Well perhaps that was only half true. Jorin cared enough to put up a mask with everyone else… even when she was nearby. However the longer they were together, the more he seemed to lighten up on the whole public thing. Of course he could partly be mirroring her - she certainly didn’t care nearly as much as what was socially acceptable. Their jaunt in the grass at his work certainly said as much. Either way, Jorin no longer seemed as… stiff as he was before when she had first met him.

Rinya couldn’t help but roll her eyes however. Of course Jorin would rather be the hopeless romantic. He had always been the hopeless romantic - she was the one that was constantly playing catch up to him. While Jorin insisted he was just as new as she was to relationships, he had a natural knack to them. Probably would have with Farline too, if the woman would have let him in. She however still had trouble being the hopeless romantic. It was getting easier with time, being with him. But there were times she just didn’t get it like he did. But for the first instance she thought they were worthy of a play compared to Jorin’s opinion. Why wouldn’t they?

If people flocked to see this play’s kind of love, there was no reason they wouldn’t come to see theirs. They loved each other, were devoted… petch they had enough drama between them and others to make a decent play out of it. Especially since it would be likely that whoever would possibly take the time to write the thing would embellish. Though Jorin surprised her - stating that he wasn’t entirely sure he could love after her. She had been so sure he could… after all lots of humans did it. People in general did. It wasn’t impossible to think that her mate could love someone after her, he always had so much to give. He tried to explain it though, that what they had - trying to share it with someone else wasn’t something he would even possible want to do.

"Mmm." Rinya hummed slightly. She highly doubted if she lost Jorin that she could love again. Bond perhaps, but finding a love like his… that tempered her most of the time, and contained the amount of understanding… well it just wasn’t likely. "Well it isn’t something we’ll know for sure until it happens. I have faith that you could however, you just have too much to give." She let the subject hang for a moment. He was likely to argue, but Rinya just shook her head. "It doesn’t matter right now." And it really didn’t. She was here right now, and she wasn’t going to focus on the fact that someday she wouldn’t. She had worked hard for quite some time to avoid that kind of thinking.

Jorin finally continued with the play however, and Rinya took a deep breath. My gem? Seriously? Rinya thought to herself. Who really gave someone a nickname like that - much less clearly indicate that he was after much more than rest. Rinya may have only been with one person, but she wasn’t blind or stupid. Forthan clearly had intentions to bed his run away girl. Though the idea of relaxing while they’re being chased down for running in the first place… it didn’t really seem all that possible. But then most of the play thus far had been ridiculous, why shouldn’t this part?

"Why Forthan, whatever do you intend? Are you not concerned with the wolves at the door?" The line came out sarcastically rather than in the coy manner Jorin was probably looking for. It actually took effort for her not to groan at his response. Forthan was insisting that they continue to attempt at a tryst… all the while mentioning that his ‘fiancee’ didn’t know they were gone. In her opinion bring up the other woman in his life wasn’t exactly the best way to wiggle a woman into bed - but that could have just been her. Rinya still wasn’t fond of Jorin mentioning Farline. "Methinks the pressure has cost the poetry from your tongue, Forthan," That was a complete understatement.

Rinya groaned at Jorin’s next line, about making their own poetry. "This play is seriously bad. Make their own ‘poetry’? And she actually falls for it?" Jorin simply insisted that it was the end of the scene, which Rinya couldn’t be more thankful for. However he tossed the pages of the script to the floor and Rinya couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at her mate. There was a sudden determination coming from him - one she recognized easily from him. He was looking for trouble much like Forthan, and much like Dalissa - for whatever reason - she had no intention of turning him away. He slipped closer and pulled her into his arms.

Rinya was not incorrect when Jorin moved to kiss passionately, and she matched his groan with her own soft moan. He, unlike the two in the play however, was wasting no time. The moment they broke for air, he was sliding his hand under her shirt and made for the bed. She couldn’t help but giggle against his lips. All things considered she could put up with helping him with the terrible play if they ended up like this. As he slid them up onto the bed, she helped him remove her shirt before pressing her lips to his.

"Ok so the play isn’t that bad..."