Insert Weaponized Object Here

by **Narifa** on August 3rd, 2018, 6:18 pm

84th Summer 518 AV

What the hell was wrong with her?

It was a legitimate question that Raeyn had let slip. And deep down - amidst the irritation and worry and warped threads of affection flooding her veins - it was a legitimate fear. Narifa didn't have an answer. She simply didn't know. She couldn't see what was wrong with her, couldn't see whether they would even be fit to watch the clouds disperse on the morrow. She was confused, and afraid.

She may not have known the true answer to such a pointed question, but she was all too aware of what Raeyn needed to hear. As he ripped her fingers from his person and found his own purchase on her top's neckline, Narifa simply smiled. The toothy grin split her face in half. The flames of her wrath still flickered in her stormy gaze and juxtaposed the dimples on her cheeks. She rallied all her self control to utterly annihilate her anger, squashing it down, down, down, through her being, until it dispersed back into the darkest corners of her mind. She sucked in a sharp breath through her smiling teeth and exhaled her worry and her fears. She was not an emotional wreck. She had never been an emotional wreck. It had been her choice to be kind and outgoing, optimistic and generous. She refused to let something so trivial ruin the results of a lifetime of effort.

So she continued to smile at the broken man whose fist twitched closer and closer to her throat. The hand he'd tossed to the side came up, ever so slowly cupping his quivering cheek.

"The real you is beautiful, Raeyn." Her words rang with truth; he was beautiful. But not because of his outward appearance (although it didn't hurt much). It was the tears that sat un-shed on his lashes. The cracking of a voice raw with terror and a decade of loneliness. His fingers shook against her collarbone, and every tremor made him real, alive. Watching Raeyn was like watching a star explode - a magnificent spectacle, one which could lead to any number of disasters - and moving closer to its remnants anyway, because they were warm and colourful and bright.

Her other hand, which up until that point had remained limp at her side, came up and placed itself against the other side of his face. The blood on her finger smudged against his cheekbone, staining his sallow tawny skin with her very life force. She even breathed a tiny giggle into their diminished personal space.

"Look at us. Nose to nose, you threatening me within an inch of my life. What disasters we've become. But can you feel it?" Narifa sought to bring his head the rest of the way down, so that her forehead could rest against his, "How painful it is to breathe. How fast our hearts is being. I bet your fingers and toes are tingling, just like mine. Proof that we have survived in this world of endless horror. Doesn't it make you want to fly?"

Somewhere alone the way her eyes had slipped close, ceasing their relentless stare.

"I need you to listen to me again. Listen to my voice. You are strong. Stronger than me, stronger than your sister. You have an endless potential. And so many doors just waiting for their knobs to be turned stand in your path. You have already begun to accomplish something that I've been wanting my whole life: your dreams. You may have been a stranger I stumbled into on the street, and you may still consider yourself as such. But you must trust me, Raeyn. Make my voice the one you hear in the middle of the night, and the one you are hearing in this moment."

Narifa's eyelids fluttered back open, ready to flick up and down Raeyn's facial expressions. No longer were they clouded by uncertainty.

Word Count: 648

by **Raeyn** on August 3rd, 2018, 7:11 pm

How strange it was that in a world of constant uncertainty and a daily fight for survival there was one thing that he had grown to truly be certain of. That thing was Narifa. No matter how much he had tried to push her away; that he couldn’t. No matter how selfless he thought he was being by hacking miserably at the lifeline of friendship that she had given him, that line wouldn’t break. She wouldn’t allow him the one selfless thing he thought he was doing. For truly there was no altruism in it at all. And she knew it. Somewhere deep down inside he knew it too.

Raeyn didn’t push people away because he wanted to. No. It was easier to be alone. Alone he had no one to answer to, no one to care for and no one other than himself to waste his time on. Even Mara, however much he adored her kindred spirit, was a nuisance every time they had thought, every time she was sick or needed someone to talk to when he was otherwise occupied. Raeyn’s loneliness was entirely selfish. But the human that he was needed companionship as anyone did. An introvert will needed an ear to listen, a helping hand to raise him when he was down. That hand was Narifa, cupping his cheeks, raising him up above the stormy clouds of his misery.

Raeyn was entirely selfish. Every decision, every action was rooted in selfishness. And thus when someone of such deep altruism and a kind heart as Narifa showed him another way, he had no idea how to interpret it. In his mind there had to be something behind the action. Some kind of deep, hidden selfishness. But what? Was it possible that someone could simply just accept him as he was when ever Raeyn himself sometimes had troubles with such acceptance.

He hated himself for her every complaint was true. He did threaten her. Yet in spite of all that she still called him beautiful. Every thing she felt, he did too even though every part of it wanted to hide those emotions away under lock and key. Hide them away from her until such a time where he was ready to share more. If he would ever be ready. But she saw right though him as if looking though a vase of tadpoles, water so clean it outlined every tiny black creature that wiggled beneath the fluid surface.

Was such kindness possible with no ulterior motive to speak of?

She was so close that she overwhelmed every ingle one of his senses. Her voice in his ears, her scent in his nose, the soft skin of her forehead pressed against his. So close they could kiss. And for a moment he thought she was going to do just that. But instead her lips spoke every single word needed to quench the forest fires of his fear and anguish one by one. A reminder that yesterday morning wasn’t just a happenstance meeting of two complete strangers but that of kindred should who had waited too long to meet. And now that fate had at last thrown them together, they could not part again.

Once she opened her eyes once more she’s find the same expression on his face. Brows pulled together, Cheeks flushed. Teeth so deep in his lips that specks of blood pooled around the corners. But he wasn’t the same raging fire that had grabbed her before. Something had changed about him. His eyes were glazed over.

“Where have you been all my life.” Was about as much as he managed to whisper before his arms alas wound around her tightly, brought her into his chest and squeezed her against it so tenderly that she could feel every beat of his heart though his clothing. His hair fell around her as he buried his face in her neck, cheek against cheek. His fingers grasped at her clothing, squeezing her even tighter and trembling like winter twigs. He didn’t know how to say it but hopefully the embrace was enough to make Narifa aware quite how much he needed her. How much, in spire of trying to sever the bond between them, he still wanted her to cling onto him at his very core. Her best friend and worst enemy; that way Raeyn. If she was to remain in his presence she’d be forced to have him at his best and his worst for he was far from perfect. But at least, in spite of all the shit flung at his this season, at least there he still was.

Word Count: 772

by **Narifa** on August 3rd, 2018, 8:34 pm

84th Summer 518 AV

Narifa just about cried from the relief that shot through her being. Her legs wobbled and grew weak, but with Raeyn burrowing deeper into the space between her neck and her shoulder, she forced her knees to lock up, to hold his weight. Her own hands had let go of his face to wind around his neck. He was bent over so low that she didn't even need to stand on the tips of her toes to reach all the way up and around. Her tiny figure radiated all the affection in the world as her fingers tangled themselves in the loose hairs at the nape of his neck, her smile becoming genuine, parting the storm clouds that had been on her face.

Narifa never once regretted her decision to become a truly kind person. Kindness was hard. Sometimes it made her want to rip everything apart, gnash her teeth and scream at the world, for the world was too unjust. Just because she had a big hard, however, did not mean that she was nice. In truth, she was a monster. She was fierce, and had a fuse as short as her. Her generosity and unending reservoir of forgiveness were the most terrifying traits of all. Narifa was a force to be reckoned with, and her conscious choice proved that she knew all too well how black this world really was. How dark it had become. Even if she had lived all her life within the borders of her mountain city, even if her time in Lhavit had been the first of her cultural exposure - Narifa wandered much too often. She heard things others would never take note of. The innocent pictures she had as a child had been systematically set ablaze to make way for the views she held now.

It was this force that had given rise to Raeyn's whisper. This force alone that caused his arms to continue winding even tighter around her body.

Where had she been his entire life?

"I've been right here, waiting for you, silly." She'd barely even scratched the surface of this man-shaped mystery. She didn't know that the universe had made Raeyn into its personal plaything, throwing anything and everything at him, left and right, until even his soul had become bruised and battered. But some sixth sense told her that she had appeared in front of him at just the right time. The horrid, out-of-control unraveling of his existence had been pulled to an abrupt halt, that night out in the storm. Narifa knew that she could be something good. Something precious, like a thirsty man's first sip of water at the end of a dry spell. She would be Raeyn's first sip of water at the end of a season of absolute hell, even if she wasn't entirely aware.

Raeyn was stuck with her now. There was no way she would let all that exhausting anger and effort go to waste. For better or for worse. Standing in his arms, knees trembling as she molded herself into his supportive pillar, Narifa swore an oath. She mouthed the words of her promise into the maw of the open door, out into the corridor, and sent them up to the Ukalas, to Leth.

She would be there for him, whenever he needed it. She would be there even when he shoved her away, cursed her name, and threatened her. Even if she was hundreds of miles away, she would be there. And she hoped he would do the same. Narifa may be eternally optimistic, but even she needed a shoulder to cry on, and a cloak to protect her from the rain.

"Now, let's see about getting someone to clean up those shards. And possibly some food, to energize you. Do you happen to be any good at Battle? I think I saw a deck of cards in the library. Not to boast or anything, but I was a fairly decent player, back in the day. Although, now that I think about, Master probably let me win...oh, that man!" Her lips barely moved, buried as they were against the crown of his head. Her words were soft, lighthearted and in jest. Out the window, a single beam of sunlight broke through the roiling storm clouds.

Word Count: 716

by **Raeyn** on August 3rd, 2018, 9:10 pm

It wasn’t easy for Raeyn to form bonds. Such a solitary animal was he, so very used to his own company that when he found the missing puzzles to his life, he’d become attached to them so deeply that only the bonds of Kelvics could be considered stronger than the ties of his love and friendship.

Though there was still confusion in his heart over just why she had put such trust in him that after all he had told her she still held him like this, that would remain a question for another day. Perhaps even a question that would never need an answer. Perhaps one day Raeyn could simply learn to accept it. It all remained to be seen. For as he held her close, breathed in her scent and forced back his own tears and shame, seeing them retreat into the dark corners of his mind in which they lurked, Raeyn could muster no more questions.

But no matter how special this gesture was, for he had seldom even hugged Mara or his own parents, in spite of having so many years of time to do so, what he did next would be even more.

Eventually after a long moment of darkness beneath eyelids and little more than he feeling of her smooth skin against his cheek and her soft tunic beneath his fingerprints, Raeyn would alas manage to calm himself enough that his breath became rhythmic and regular. Using the many meditation techniques he had learned over the season, Raeyn let go of each fear and let them flow down the river of thoughts that coerced though his head. The tide cleared his mind, allowed tranquility to lighted the dark clouds inside. Her waited until Narifa's knees too would cease to shake so that he could be sure that when he let go of her, she wouldn't fall.

Wordlessly raising, Raeyn smiled at her. He wasn't yet quite capable of talking without sounding like he had a little too much to drink the night before. Truthfully he couldn't even begin to know what to say. Hopefully the smile would suffice.

Raeyn seemed a little reluctant to let go of her but alas he did and slowly walked over to the night stand. Soon enough he'd return however, having picked up something that now sat in his closed fist. The little necklace from the night before. The golden metal gleamed though his fingers as the raised the chain and clasped it behind his neck. The moment the little magical pendant fell to dangle at his chest a familiar light erupted from the gem at the centre. Warm and affectionate, the jewel glowed as he stood facing her, smiling. A light to match the single ray of Syna that broke though the crimson clouds outside the window.

At last a change of scenery had been in order. This particular room in the inn began to hold some rather sad memories. And so Narifa offered a game of cards that Raeyn had not heard of before and perhaps something to eat. Both their stomach must have been stuck to the inside of their ribs by now after all this drama.

"Well I promise not to let you win by going easy on you, but simply by being truly tragic at card games. Honestly I've never had the pleasure to familiarise my self. But some food and a stiff drink sound heavenly just about now." With those words the hid the pendant beneath his robes that his the light. She'd feel the pinky of his left hand brush against her's timidly before coiling itself around her pinky. A little assurance that she wasn't going to disappear once the storm was over like a strangely confusing dreams he never wanted to forget.

Word Count: 631

by **Narifa** on August 3rd, 2018, 10:00 pm

84th Summer 518 AV

The absence of Raeyn's body warmth had Narifa rubbing away the goosebumps erupting on her bare arms. Now that her blood had settled, and rampant emotions had been put to rest for another day, she realized how chilly the rain had made the room. As the other Inarta turned his back, she quickly ran and snatched the topmost blanket off of the bed closest to her. It went over her shoulders, tied at the base of her throat, and she became the equivalent of a walking bundle of fluff. The more obvious choice would have been the heap of wrinkled cloak on the ground, but it really wasn't that warm. It was a length of fabric not meant for dealing with the chill of magic Lhavitian rain, just the chill of a regular foggy day. The material was still damp and therefore out of the question.

Narifa didn't care if any of the staff saw. The inn was practically a ghost town anyway, so there was no one around to witness it. And it would certainly make things more comfortable. Raeyn came towards her once again, wearing that familiar little pendant. It released its secret glow upon impact with his skin, and she cocked her head to the side with a delighted grin.

"Please, it's probably one of the easiest games in the world. It's meant for children, you know, so I bet in no time you'll be wiping the floor with me in victory." They left that awful room with a reverberating slam of its entrance. With the closing of the door came a closing of one of the most exhausting chapters in their life. The walls of the Shooting Star Inn would forever remember what transpired there that day. Such ferocious intimacy was hard to come by. And it had been intimate. They had shared parts of themselves more personal than anything on their corporeal bodies in that room. Those heightened emotions had come from the depths of their souls, and spilled onto the floor, the walls, the ceilings, and out into the hallway. Their cries had dyed that room much like smoke dyes walls with its immaterial existence.

Narifa held her head still, facing forward, as the feather light touch of Raeyn's pinkie registered on her fingers. She didn't need to think twice for her own digit to tighten the hold. An anchor. A way to reassure herself that he wasn't going to hide away anymore, that he was going to choose to trust her as she'd asked.

"Oh, and we'll certainly have to make plans over that drink. I seem to recall you promising to take me shopping?" The two stood pinkie in pinkie, striding down the silent corridor. A blanket dragged on the floor behind them and an aura of sheer contentment radiated out in front. That drink did indeed sound heavenly, and as they passed the few workers listlessly roaming around on their way into the serving hall, Narifa laughed with the purest leisure that she'd felt in years.

She tugged on Raeyn's finger to get his attention.

"Also what's your favourite drink? And food? Might as well get the small stuff out of the way. Oh, oh, what about your favourite animal? I have two: misty foxes and merlins. And your favourite season? Hey, how old are you?" The litany of chatter Narifa kept up the entire walk down deserved a medal of some kind. They were questions of the inane variety. There would be plenty of time to ask them again in the future. She planned on it, in fact. Their future would span out in front of them, shiny and brighter than her personality, consisting of many things, inane questions included. After all, Narifa had an entire lifetime of disasters to make up for, all in the form of the sweet giant holding her hand.

Word Count: 644