Completed Winter's Breath (Jorin Erithan)

[Rinya]

Day 51, Season Winter, 513 AV

"I don’t feel so good." It was the only way for Rinya to describe herself. There was nothing specific she could generally label as ‘wrong’, just the general all around not well feeling. Of course that could very easily have come from the simple winter season at full swing. Over the course of the season it had become easier for her to ignore the cold—partly because when she returned home she wasn’t left alone to wallow in loneliness. Jorin kept her plenty preoccupied… even if it was just resting up against his leg next to the fire while he jotted down a poem.

Rinya however was not currently at home with her mate or husband—it didn’t really matter what she called him, they were both one in the same to her—to currently distract her. No she was at the Warren, patrolling the lowest levels with her rather silent partner at her side. It wasn’t entirely too surprising that Seymantis was silent, but Rhys… well it wasn’t like him. Then again he hadn’t said much to her since he first spotted the Cheva Mark currently adorned on her neck. It didn’t help that she kept her hair braided back and out of her face. The mark tended to reflect like a symbol that she often caught him starring at.

She wasn’t sure if it was disbelief that crossed his face, or something else when she caught him studying it. As though the mark was just a figment of his imagination and would go away if he focused hard enough. Rinya wasn’t stupid—she knew Rhys wasn’t in love with her. But it seemed more than anything a major blow to his ego and pride seeing as he actually believed Rinya would eventually cave and give him at least one child. If nothing else she was sure he would have taken care of her—he wasn’t entirely on board with the whole ‘pet’ idea despite giving her such a nickname. Then again it was moot point to argue the whole idea that she wasn’t a pet anyways—he had to work with her on a constant basis.

However that hadn’t stopped this particular silent treatment. What was worse was that Seymantis—an Akalak of few words to begin with—really wouldn’t speak at all. It was a headache from two ends wrapped into one singular problem. Rhys she could understand, but Seymantis… he was much harder to read than his light counterpart. The worst part was she had no idea how to fix this current problem. With tension higher than normal due to the apparent Zith activity, the last thing she needed was to be at ends with her partner. But simply focusing on said problem was currently harder than normal.

The lower section of the Warren was always damp, but the bitter cold had begun to leech down and Rinya felt as though she couldn’t get warm. Despite wearing her leather jacket beneath her fur lined cloak, it seemed a light set of shivers had settled into her body and she couldn’t quite shake them. Rhys seemed rather fine—quiet—but otherwise unaffected by the weather. Despite her current outlook that staying here for the winter was her choice—at the moment she was quite miserable, and there wasn’t anything she could do to get rid of the feeling.

"What would you like me to do about that?" Rinya jumped slightly, feeling her balance sway slightly at the movement. Unusual... even as a human she wasn’t terribly uncoordinated unless it was training of the physical body with balance. Rhys’ voice sounded ground out, but Rinya simply huffed and crossed her arms beneath her cloak. If he wanted to be that way then by all means she could play that game. "Absolutely nothing Rhys." Rinya snapped a little too harshly, but couldn’t find it in herself to really care.

The large Akalak spun around to face her, a glare set upon his face that made Rinya frown. It wasn’t like him to be so hostile and she was tempted to finally confront him on his pure childish attitude for the past several weeks before his glare softened slightly. "Why are you swaying?" Rhys asked gruffly, but far more gentle than the first time. Rinya glanced downwards, before shaking her head slightly. Was she swaying? It didn’t feel like it. The shivers certainly hadn’t left though.

"I told you already… didn’t I?" Rinya’s frown deepened. She couldn’t quite remember if she had told him… her head felt fuzzy—like she was trying to find her way through the clouds or muddle through a question while half asleep. The answer was right there at the edge of the fog, but she just couldn’t figure a way to get to it. Rhys let out a small groan, stepping up next to her and catching her chin to stare directly into her eyes, his face only inches from hers. "Uh what are you doing?" Rinya wheezed slightly and Rhys shook his head slightly.

"Taking you home apparently." He mumbled and released her face, only to catch her wrist and direct her towards the stairs leading upwards. Rinya growled and tried to twist her wrist from his grasp. "I don’t feel well, but I don’t need to go home. I’m not a child." Rhys simply ignored her, locking her wrist in his hand and quite literally dragging her up the stairs. "Let go Rhys!" Rinya fairly squealed.

As they began to climb up the stairs Rhys stopped next to another guard, pointedly ignoring Rinya as she tried to free herself from his grip. ”Tell Raistren I had to take Rinya home. She’s ill." The guard simply gave him a nod, not bothering to even glance in her direction as Rhys continued to lead her out of the lower levels of the Warren.

----------------

The cold didn’t dissipate as Rhys attempted to lead Rinya home. He had pulled his cloak from his own shoulders at the risk of catching death himself to wrap Rinya further into warmth, but being out in the city just seemed to make her worse. Rhys was no expert in medicine, but he knew well enough of hypothermia. Rinya’s confusion just seemed to get worse the longer she was out and her shivers never failed to stop. The only thing he could thank the gods for was that she wasn’t wet.

He had considered bringing her back to his place—it was closer—but Rinya had never been there. He knew his Kelvic girl well enough to know she wouldn’t stay put, especially with the confusion warping her mind. Several times she stopped in the city and insisted that they should be at the Warren patrolling—completely forgetting that she was sick and in need of rest. And if she stayed out any further he would have to take her to the medical center. So after they had barely gotten half way to the condos, Rhys simply hoisted a weakened Rinya into his arms and literally carried her the rest of the way.

At some point the girl finally gave in to being carried, though he couldn’t help but grunt roughly at her every time she muttered Jorin’s name out of the blue. It was happening only here and there, but it was more than enough to annoy him—and his brother. By the time Rhys stepped up to the door of the condo he could make out light inside. Jorin was home then… Sighing roughly, Rhys balanced Rinya carefully in his arms before he kicked roughly at the door. He certainly couldn’t knock with the sick girl in his arms. At least that’s what he told himself.

Color Space

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

The cold had truly become something that seeped into one's bones and made life miserable. If it were not for the fact that actors insisted upon the show going on, there likely would not even be rehearsals by this point. The stage at the Amphitheater had to be swept near-constantly to prevent the accumulation of snow and Jorin noted an increase in the number of unexcused absences for "medical reasons" that made it difficult on occasion to find someone to cover a particular role.

It was to be expected of course. Winter was always the hardest month on everyone. For his own part, Jorin would be lying if he said this was his favorite season but at least he was not spending it alone. Rinya's presence every night was a warm and welcome addition to his life, bringing joy to his evenings and making things significantly more appealing than if he had to suffer through this alone.

Speaking of his wife, Jorin noted with some concern that she was not back yet. Normally the bitter chill of winter drove her back to their condo as quickly as possible, though it was still rare that she got back before he did. Nonetheless he made sure to set a small fire to warm their home, as he usually did when he arrived first.

Another point of concern was the bond. Jorin immediately sensed something was wrong and it set his teeth on edge. The bond wasn't generally so... fuzzy. Like as though Rinya couldn't quite focus on any one particular thing. Usually during the day unless something fairly major happened the bond was usually rather quiet, besides being filled with the usual love, but now it was almost chaotic and messy. And that was something unusual that Jorin wasn't sure he liked.

That was when Jorin heard a literal kick at his door. At least that was what it sounded like, since it was one very loud bang rather than a series of knocks. Jorin was fairly convinced it was not Rinya since she had a key and could easily open the door, and whoever would kick at his door probably wasn't someone he really wanted to talk to.

He was tempted at that point to simply ignore whoever had so rudely kicked his door, but something inside him told him it would probably be a good idea to at least check on it. Sighing heavily, he groaned as he rose to his feet, his tired muscles protesting the action as he left the warmth of the fire to see what all the fuss was about.

Jorin grasped the doorknob, fully prepared to give whoever was on the other side a full dressing-down for disturbing him in such a rude fashion, but the protest died in his throat at the sight he saw. Rhys was at the door, looking... grumpy? At the very least he did not have the normal debonair smile that he usually sported.

Normally Jorin would be terse and pretty much all but order the man to leave. The day was plenty long enough without Rhys adding bells to it. But it was the woman carried in his arms. Rinya seemed to be muttering nonsense and was clearly not in her right mind at the moment, her face somewhat flushed and it was clear, even to Jorin's untrained eyes, that she was not feeling well. Jorin had half a mind to grill Rhys on what he'd been doing, allowing Rinya to get this sick.

But admonitions would have to come later. It was clear Rinya needed help, so Jorin set his jaw to prevent the torrent of questions from escaping, standing aside silently so Rhys could enter the condo and at least get Rinya out of the cold. Jorin noted that the man was not wearing his cloak, and instead Rinya was. Did she catch a fever? But even a fever would not make someone delirious.

Jorin desperately hoped it wasn't pneumonia. He had seen one of the Thespians come down with a nasty case of it once and it had scarred the man for life. The disease weakened his lungs to the point where the loud emoting that was required of him in his role as an actor became all-but-impossible, and made him rather frail for the rest of his days.

Jorin knew even if that had befallen his wife, he'd still take care of her. Rinya was more than just a pretty face to him, she was everything he ever wanted or needed. No illness would take that away. Still, the worry was there, resting upon his heart like a heavy stone. He looked up at the tall Akalak and for once, he felt no real need to "prove" himself.

In some sense, Jorin did occasionally think that Rhys probably was a more rational choice for Rinya, and that fact alone made Jorin jealous of the man. Because for all he could change, Jorin could never be Rhys. And he suspected that Rinya did not want him to. But it would always be a niggling concern in the back of his head. How perhaps Rinya made a bad choice in picking him rather than a man like Rhys who was bigger, stronger, and wealthier than he was. Farline's poison, it seemed, was harder to shake than Jorin thought.

Nonetheless, the usual velvet insults that Jorin hurled Rhys' way were absent. Mainly because Jorin noted Rinya's struggles and her muted complaints, and the fact that she was quite obviously ill. Rinya, as always, took precedence in Jorin's mind and heart, and he momentarily forgot his feelings about Rhys.

"Thank you for bringing her home," Jorin breathed gratefully, as he moved to close the front door to prevent the chill from outside overtaking the heat the file produced. They'd lost enough heat as it was. "What happened?" he asked. He did not ask why Rhys brought Rinya here, rather than the medical center. Jorin was not bound to look that gift horse in the mouth, though it was probably a legitimate question.

And a darker, more unsettling one arose in Jorin's heart. Rhys could have easily brought Rinya to his own residence. In her current state, it would have been easy for him to take her there and have his way with her. After all, she did not look strong enough to resist. Worse, her status in Riverfall as a "pet" meant that they would not be likely to get any justice, even if Rhys had violated her. The very thought of it almost brought Jorin to the verge of violent anger, before he caught a hold of himself and reminded himself that did not actually happen.

"She looks ill... what's wrong? How can I help?" Jorin finally asked, doing his best to push the darkest thoughts out of his head. Rinya was clearly sick, and he simply did not have time to focus on things that hadn't occurred. Better to focus on Rinya, and anything he could do to help her.

x

[Rinya]

Rinya really couldn’t keep track of anything at the moment. It felt as though there were skips in her memory, one that left her at the Warren patrolling and then she found herself home. Only it wasn’t as simple as just walking home, Rhys had carried her—rather like a child—all the way up to the door. Honestly she would have protested more, but her limbs felt rather heavy. Between the spaces in her memory she could only think of one thing—one person—that she actually wanted to see, but every time she looked up it was her surly Akalak partner instead.

It was a good thing Jorin backed out of the doorway the moment he took in the sight of the two of them. Rhys was more than capable—and likely—to just shove him out of the way if he had to. It really was freezing and neither of them needed to be out in the cold longer than necessary by this point. Rhys barely glanced around the condo, letting his eyes catch the fire and swiftly made his way over to it… all the while doing his upmost best to ignore Jorin. He wasn’t all that pleased by being here either, and he actually started to berate himself for not taking Rinya to his home. He wouldn’t have to put up with the questions then…

"Well it's not like she would have sat still at my place." Rhys growled out at Jorin’s comment of bringing her home, considering Rinya was already squirming in his arms again. He was sure she recognized the place, she was easily confused at the moment but most certainly not stupid. But there was little power behind it and for the moment he simply adjusted his arms to keep her from quite literally rolling out of his embrace. "Is it that obvious that she’s not right? Whatever gave that away?"

If Rinya had the strength she probably would have cuffed him for being so blatantly rude to her husband, but at the moment it was the best he could do. Things were strained enough between him and Rinay, and now he had to deal with the source of the problem to begin with. But she wasn’t going to get warm if he didn’t explain just what was wrong with her in the first place. Huffing slightly, Rhys barely spared Jorin a glance. "Her body temperature dropped while we were patrolling. I need you to get some water over the fire and a few blankets. I think it’s just a mild case—she doesn’t seem that bad off yet."

Gently Rhys set Rinya on her feet and she swayed slightly in her attempt to regain balance. Rhys kept his hands firmly on her upper arms, but let her do the work of rebalancing herself. "Come on pet, you’ve got this." He still sounded gruff, but far more tender with her than he was with Jorin. As soon as Rinya seemed to have a hold of herself, Rhys went about removing his cloak, quickly followed by hers and he tossed them both to the ground. They weren’t wet like he guessed, but he knew the blankets would probably do better.

As Jorin left the room to fetch the blankets however Rhys went about removing the rest of her clothing. Her jacket and shirt followed—however that was the furthest he got. It seemed in that moment next to the fire that Rinya snapped out of most of her confusion. She glanced down at her bare chest and frowned before looking at Rhys. It took her a moment, seeing as she could barely remember why she was home in the first place before she squealed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Rhys!" It wasn’t so much that she was embarrassed—it wasn’t the first time Rhys had seen her topless, much less naked—but the idea of it was just wrong.

Nudity wasn’t such a big deal anymore on her terms, but being undressed by someone that wasn’t her mate just set her off on the wrong tangent. Rinya completely forgot she was even at the condo before she attempted to side step the large Akalak—who of course just grabbed her arm and dragged her back up next to the fire. "Hey let go!" Rhys just gave her an exhausted sigh and glared at her again. "Knock it off Rin, you’re sick. So either you finish stripping or I will do it for you."

Rinya could feel her teeth grind together. Technically Rhys was much stronger than her, and she had no way of actually keeping him from fulfilling his threat. "If I’m sick why am I getting naked… it petching cold!" It took Rinya a moment before she even noticed that she was shivering something fierce. If her arms weren’t crossed over her chest already…

And it seemed in that moment Jorin emerged from the bedroom and Rinya spotted him from the corner of her eye. Well… this looked bad. Rhys still had a hold of her shirt and she was completely topless in front of him. Wait—if Jorin was here then… Rinya frowned and her worry that Jorin had walked in on something that looked as though she was being completely unfaithful shifted into something else entirely. "Wait… I’m home? How did I get home?" Rinya spun slightly to take in the rest of the condo before she lost balance again and tumbled right back into Rhys’ arms. Lovely…

Color Space

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Jorin neither acknowledged nor denied Rhys' statements, not really feeling like rising to his bait. Rinya was sick, now was not the time for sniping at one another. But he couldn't prevent the surge of jealousy, watching another man have such a hold on Rinya. It was Beautyfest all over again, and as much as Jorin didn't want to, the fear resurfaced. Once again Farline's words echoed in Jorin's head.

"They're such a nice couple, aren't they?" her words whispered in his mind. "He's so big, and strong, and wealthy. And if he chose to take her, what could you do? You're weak, Jorin. You don't deserve a woman like her, to say nothing of a woman like me. Face it, you're inferior. And someday she'll see that." For all Rinya's struggles and protests, Jorin still worried. Because truthfully there wasn't anything he could do to prevent Rhys from simply taking Rinya right in front of him. And the sense of helplessness ate at him like acid.

The fact was, Jorin didn't know the man. Didn't know what his true intentions were, what his personality was like. He had only really met him a few times, not patrolled the Warren with him every day like Rinya did. So perhaps it was not so surprising that he would imagine the worst case scenario. The rational portion of Jorin's brain tried desperately to countervail his worries.

If Rhys had wanted to violate Rinya, he'd have taken her to his own place, it argued. What would be the point of taking her here? And technically, he hadn't done anything that could really be termed... inappropriate, at least not yet. Apparently Rinya's body temperature had dropped precipitously and that was the cause of her current condition. Jorin bristled a bit at being ordered about in his own home, but nonetheless recognized that Rhys probably knew more about Rinya's condition than he did.

Right... water over the fire, and blankets. Jorin figured that those particular implements were intended to be used to warm Rinya back up after being out in the cold for so long. Wrap her up in blankets and make her drink plenty of warm water. Jorin wished he had some jasmine to make tea, but unfortunately he did not. He'd have to look into it later. For the time being, Jorin decided to go into Rinya's now mostly-unused bedroom, snatching a few blankets and returning to the main area.

Jorin's pace quickened when he felt a spike of anger. Under other circumstances, Jorin might have been somewhat upset but not entirely surprised. Rhys had a habit of doing and saying inappropriate things to Rinya, and sometimes he wondered if the man did it deliberately. Though whether it was to get a rise out of Rinya, or Jorin, or both, he couldn't be sure. But Rinya was sick, why was Rhys upsetting her now of all times?

When Jorin arrived, his jaw dropped open as he saw Rinya half-naked swaying before the fire. Rhys had her shirt still in his hand, the other gripped firmly onto her. It wasn't so much seeing his wife nude that bothered Jorin; he'd seen her plenty of times before, and they'd mated more times than he could count. Nor was he necessarily upset that she was undressed in front of Rhys; the man had made sure to mention quite a few times that he'd seen her fully nude before.

No, it was the fact that Rhys was undressing her. Why was another man undressing his wife? Rinya's confusion on top of it made Jorin's teeth grind against each other. Was Rhys taking advantage of Rinya in her own home? Right in front of her own husband? Echoes of Farline continued to bounce in Jorin's head. She was right; there was nothing he could do to prevent this. And it burned him inside to realize that for all that he loved Rinya he still could not protect her. Could not prevent another man from simply taking what he wanted from her.

"Mind telling me what you're doing?" Jorin asked, voice surprisingly calm given the anger that was boiling inside. That rage and hot jealousy spiked when Rinya, with a confused question about how she managed to get home, spun around and ran smack dab right into Rhys arms. Rhys, taking advantage of that situation, brought the half-naked Rinya right flush up against him. Despite years of acting, Jorin couldn't prevent the dangerous flash in his eyes.

Tossing the blankets near the fire, Jorin marched right up to Rhys and looked him straight in the eye. "I think I can handle the rest," he stated evenly. "Would you mind letting go of my wife?" He made certain to stress the word 'wife', and he had to take a few subtle breaths to calm himself down. Jorin didn't know how well the bond would transmit feelings when Rinya was sick, but if it was still working she would feel the hot jealousy and frustration peak as Jorin pulled a tight smile.

"I appreciate that you brought her home. The gods only know what would have happened to her if you hadn't done that. And I get that she probably needs to get out of chilled clothing. But I can assure you I'm more than capable of such a task." Jorin's voice was polite, but as cold as the wind outside. It was clear; he'd been genuinely grateful before. But now that gratitude was rapidly evaporating.

Jorin marched over to the fire, drawing some of the water he normally kept nearby and putting it in a pot. He carefully placed the pot over the flames before walking back over to Rinya and reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. Her skin was icy cold - not a good sign.

"Rinya... my love can you hear me?" he called softly, much more gently than he had spoken to Rhys. "It's fine, you're home now. You can relax..." Jorin knew if she listened to him, she'd be relaxing in Rhys' arms. And that was not exactly the situation Jorin wanted to have happen. But the truth was, Rinya's safety was more important than his jealousy. Still, Jorin did not cease his own contact with his wife's skin, making sure to keep a reassuring hand on her shoulder and rubbing gently in as comforting a motion as he could, trying to tamp down on the negative emotions inside for her sake.

x

[Rinya]

There was a multitude of emotions coming from Jorin that normally she would have been able to sort, but the fog in her head made it nearly impossible to decipher anything but the basic ones. He was angry—not much of a surprise considering it was Rhys—but there was worry too. If Rinya had been able to accept that there was something ‘wrong’ with her, she might have put two and two together, but for the moment his worry just confused her. But then… so did everything else at the moment.

The look on Jorin’s face however made her wince. That was not impossible to understand, and honestly she didn’t blame him. It did look rather bad and to top it all off there wasn’t anything she could say. Rhys just used the opportunity of her clumsiness to catch her and pull her straight up to him. Rinya let out a groan, twitching her nose as she rolled her eyes. Confusion or not, he wasn’t familiar. He was too tall, too muscled and smelled completely different than what she was used to. Not that Jorin was soft or anything, but there was simply nothing natural about being pressed up next to Rhys. They didn’t fit, not in the physical way she and Jorin did—much less emotionally. Huffing, she glanced up at Rhys and raised a brow at him.

”What? Did you want to end up on your ass?" It was a surprisingly innocent tone, which faded as quickly as it came as Jorin tossed the blankets to one side and insisted on knowing what he was doing. Rinya could feel the mixture of rage and jealous—practically from both of them—and she pressed her hands against Rhys’ chest in an attempt to shove herself away from him. His lock on her waist didn’t loosen… in fact she wasn’t entirely sure he even knew she was there. He was currently glaring at Jorin.

"I’m getting her out of her clothing. What does it look like?" Rinya felt her jaw snap shut at his words. Now it was her turn to glare at the suddenly intruding Akalak. She knew he had issues with her Cheva Mark, but now he was just blatantly acting out like a child. "Rhys… let go." The shivering across her body had not stopped, the fuzzy feelings and emotions just swirled around her head and she knew if he let her go she’d fall. And she was perfectly fine with that. He just barely grunted a no at her and continued to stare at Jorin. Petching male pride.

Rinya did her best not to roll her eyes at Jorin. The heat from being indoors had only slightly helped her grasp what was going on, but she could hear him just fine. But the fact he wanted her to relax was not helping the situation. If she was going to relax it was going to be with him, not the large Akalak encroaching territorially on space that didn’t belong to him in the first place. "If he lets me go I would be more than happy to relax." Rinya grit through her teeth, despite the fact Jorin’s hand was moving across her skin in an attempt to calm her. He spread fire across her skin—and for once it had nothing to do with desire.

"I’m not letting—" Rinya had enough. Between the emotions that Jorin was trying to tamp down, her own and just the fact she felt plain ill she couldn’t handle it anymore. She could feel tears build behind her eyes, but the words she couldn’t stop anymore than the tears. "What part of ‘his wife’ do you not understand? His not yours." Rinya hissed it like venom and Rhys gaped at her slightly. But the words at least had the desired effect. Rhys seemed to let go on an instant reaction to her words and Rinya felt her knees give out from under her.

Rinya sprawled out across the floor with a painful groan. That… hadn’t quite gone as she wanted, especially since the floor was cold and did nothing for her shivering, but she pushed herself up with her hands to glance between the two of them. Her vision had clouded slightly, and she dropped her head down to her hands twisting her fingers into her hair. "Ow." It was a simple short word that gave away everything that she was feeling. Maybe there really was something wrong with her. Weakness filtered through her limbs, her head and eyes could barely keep anything straight and she felt helpless—utterly helpless.

"Jorin…" Rinya whimpered his name, her left hand untangling from her hair to reach for him… or at least the general direction he had been standing in. She didn’t physically say it, but it was the first time she implied it. That she needed help and it was him that she needed. She never asked for help—Jorin usually just took it upon himself. But she wanted his help more than anything… it was the only thing that was clear in her mind. She wanted him.

Rhys simply stared hard at her, frowning deeply. But after several chimes he growled something under his breath before shaking his head. ”Get her covered and in bed… and make sure she drinks lots of water. The warm water should help bring her tempature back up." He seemed to finally accept that Rinya wasn’t going to accept his help.

Color Space

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

Rhys' attitude was not something Jorin really wanted to deal with, and he was getting more and more frustrated by the tick. If this continued Jorin was pretty sure he was going to throw the large Akalak out of his home. At the time, he didn't think of how he was planning on accomplishing said task. In truth it was probably impossible; the man was half again as large as Jorin and likely twice as strong. But petch if he wouldn't put up a hai of a fight.

"I can see that," Jorin gritted out between his teeth. He couldn't believe he'd actually been grateful to the man before. Actually, Jorin took it back. He could believe it, because he was still grateful. Rinya was home, and safe, and that was the important thing. But Rhys did not need to stay, now that she was.

Rhys refused to let go of Rinya, continuing to hold her against him, and Jorin stood his ground, though both face and emotions displayed his incredulity. Seriously? Rinya for her part did not seem happy with her current situation, which just served to make Jorin more angry. Truth was, he did not want to get into a physical altercation with Rhys over this.

Not just because he'd lose, but because they'd both be wasting precious time they should be spending taking care of Rinya. The blankets sat, unused, next to the fire. Rinya was getting colder by the moment and Jorin knew that the mediocre heat from the fire would not be sufficient to warm her up given how icy her skin was.

"Do we really have to do this now?" he growled. "Any other day, Rhys. Any other day I'd be happy to have this manhood-measuring contest with you. But right now, my wife needs me. So if you don't mind..."

Jorin didn't have time to finish his sentence when Rhys insisted that he wasn't going to let go, before he got interrupted by Rinya. Her short but sharp tirade caught the Akalak clearly by surprise, causing him to release her and Rinya collapsed onto the ground, letting out a groan and Jorin forgot all about Rhys.

"Rinya!" he cried out, springing to her side as she whimpered something. Jorin suspected, he hoped it was his name. Or perhaps something like "help me". But the truth was, the panic in his heart had caused such an intense rush of blood through his ears that he could barely hear anything above the roar. All he knew was that Rinya was collapsed on the floor and he needed to help her any way he could.

"Rinya, it's alright, I'm here," Jorin soothed as he scooped her up into his arms. He didn't know what else to do, so he continued to hold her for a few chimes until the rumble of Rhys from above him broke his concentration. Covered and in bed. Plenty of water. Well, that would explain the towels and water then. Jorin just nodded, picking Rinya up and glaring hard at the Akalak.

"I seriously can't believe you just dropped my wife like a used sack of grain," he snarled, surprised at his own venom. "Real gentlemanly of you. But I don't have time to berate you about it. You found your way into our home. I'm sure you can find your way back out."

Jorin knew he was being terribly ungrateful to the man who had taken the trouble of bringing his wife back to him. If he'd wanted to, he could have taken her to his own place, and Jorin would have never known. And after taking a few calming breaths, he looked back down at Rinya. She just looked so vulnerable in that moment.

"Come on, my love. Let's get you warmed up," he whispered to her as he carried her into the bedroom, pointedly ignoring the Akalak. Jorin had to set Rinya down briefly in order to throw off the covers, but once he had he quietly removed the rest of her clothes and ushered her into the warm sheets, before dashing off into the other room to fetch the blankets.

"Why are you still here?" Jorin asked Rhys when he returned, eyes hard on the other man. It was a legitimate question. Rhys had given Jorin his instructions, and Rinya was now safely in bed. Was he seriously going to stay the night in their home? Jorin genuinely considered the possibility of trying harder to throw the man out, consequences be damned, but a pained groan from Rinya caught his attention.

The anger seemed to drain from him when he heard it, like water from a sieve. It was all so pointless, especially now. With a tired sigh, Jorin shook his head, as he got out of the clothes he no longer wore to bed. If he was embarrassed to be undressed in front of Rhys, Jorin did not show it. It was quite clear he'd reached the point where the man's opinion simply no longer mattered to him anymore.

"Fine. Stay if you want. I don't care anymore. But at least make yourself useful and fetch us some of that water, won't you?" Jorin was barely looking at Rhys as he climbed into bed and pulled Rinya close to himself. His entire body shivered - and not from desire. She was cold. It was like snuggling up to a block of ice. But at least she was home, and Jorin was determined to ensure that she was alright. So despite the freezing temperature he continued to hold her, stroking her back softly and hoping to the gods that Rhys would just go.

x

[Rinya]

Rinya could barely acknowledge the fact Jorin cried out her name… much less that she had been reaching out for him when he was in fact right next to her. She did however notice when arms scooped her up. This was familiar. Jorin had only ever lifted her bridal style once or twice, but as one arm looped lightly around his neck and she pressed closer she could have been blind and still have known it was him. Rinya pressed her face into the side of his neck and took a shuddered breath. While the closeness was enough to bring what Jorin had asked of her before—to relax—he seemed more upset than ever.

His rage was so strong; even if Rinya had the strength she wouldn’t have known how to calm him. Then again—this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t gotten sick period. She was only vaguely aware that Jorin was speaking to Rhys as she was more concentrated on breathing him in. Rhys on the other hand had no trouble focusing on Jorin’s words. "I did not drop her. I tried to tell her that she couldn’t even hold herself up." The venom Jorin was spitting at him didn’t seem to have nearly the effect Rinya’s did. In fact he seemed to rather enjoy arguing with him.

Rhys’ himself couldn’t help but bristle as Jorin clearly dismissed him from their home—much less how easily Rinya just submit to Jorin’s hold over his own. But if he admitted to anything, it was his brother that was affecting his mood more than anything. Rhys did not like to lose, but he normally had little trouble accepting it. Seymantis on the other hand did not want to simply let her go to someone else. Rhys was the only one strictly affected by the man of choice—Seymantis did not care. Rinya had simply closed her eyes and pressed herself the best she could to her husband.

Jorin whispered to her about warming her up and Rinya could barely let out a sound beyond a groan. The fall hadn’t hurt her but she could feel her consciousness slipping almost rapidly. If she wasn’t shivering so violently now, she probably would have fallen asleep in his arms. Being topless however didn’t actually help the matter though. Jorin carried her off to the bedroom, and she did her best to keep her balance while he drew back the covers and stripped her of the last of her clothing. He moved quickly however, much faster than she could reach out to grab his wrist. Before she knew it he had left the room.

"Someone has to make sure you do this right." Rhys growled, arms crossed over his large chest as he watched Jorin shuffle to the blankets. Before Jorin could fully reply they both heard Rinya groan from the bedroom. It seemed instant the way they both reacted, heading towards the room without a thought. Rinya herself had sat up, confused as to why Jorin had just set her down and disappeared. The moment he appeared in the door she mumbled his name, brows furrowed as if she couldn’t figure out what was going on—again.

For his credit Rhys didn’t actually complain about the order Jorin gave him. Not that Rinya herself cared. The moment Jorin climbed into the bed and pulled her close she felt her entire body shudder. His was hot, and for a moment Rinya considered pulling away. Her skin tingled everywhere and it was almost painful, but pulling away from him wasn’t an option. This was the fit she was looking for earlier and Rinya slid a leg between his as usually, letting out a soft but slightly tense sigh as Rhys returned to the room holding a glass of water with steam coming from it, holding it out to Jorin.

"Make sure she drinks the whole thing before she falls asleep… maybe two." Rhys huffed out gruffly before he turned on heel and abruptly left the room. Not moments later Rinya could make out the sound of the front door and her brow furrowed again. Tilting her head upwards to look at Jorin, she tried to take in his face. "Jorin?" Rinya wasn’t entirely sure what she was asking, but it didn’t really matter in the long run. She sat up a little so that she could take the glass of water from him, wrinkling her nose as she stared at it. The heat felt wonderful against her fingers, but she was never fond of plain warm water… at least to drink.

"What’s wrong with me?" Rinya mumbled more to herself than anything else. She took a long sip of water, wincing as it nearly burned on the way down, but even the first sip seemed to warm her slightly.

Color Space

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

In the heat of his anger, Jorin did not notice that Rinya had in fact relaxed against him. He glared at Rhys when the man insisted he did not drop Rinya, but the truth was with his wife in his arms he really didn’t have the option to fight the man. And arguably he didn’t want to. Jorin found he was just tired of dealing with the man and really just didn’t care anymore.

”No, Rhys,” Jorin ground out, ”You did drop her. But that’s not what’s really important. She didn’t want you to hold her up. But that doesn’t even matter to you, does it? Because she’s just a pet, right? Isn’t that what you like to call her?”

Jorin sighed. The anger was beginning to wane already. His wife had been right, it wasn’t something he could maintain. The white hot rage that he felt was simmering down, and perhaps that was a good thing. Because without the rage clouding his mind he knew where his priority should lie - with his wife. He could feel how confused and needy she was at that moment, and even in such a state she still chose him was something that warmed him and drove away the angry thoughts. Even at her most vulnerable, Rinya still wanted him, and by the gods he would not abandon her.

”So you know what, Rhys? I don’t care,” Jorin sighed. He wanted to rub his face with his hand but with Rinya in his arms it was impossible. “I'm tired of talking to you, and I'm done arguing with you. My wife needs me and you're in the way. You win, OK? Whatever argument we're having here, you've won. That's what you wanted right? Go do whatever the petch you want. Leave, stay, it petching doesn’t matter to me anymore. You don’t matter to me anymore. Your opinion matters to me about as much as Rinya’s apparently matters to you - not at all.”

Jorin had never seen Rinya so weak. It was startling, because in their relationship she’d always been the independent one, the strong one. For all that she was bonded to him and loved him, she always had a strong opinion on everything and could sometimes be pushy about the things she believed in. For her to be so dependant on him... Jorin actually felt a little honored that Rinya would show this side of her to him.

Jorin hated to leave her side, but the blankets were still in the other room so he went to fetch them. His question to Rhys had been rhetorical but the man answered it anyway, and Jorin just couldn’t be bothered to argue with him anymore. ”Whatever, Rhys,” was all Jorin could manage as a response. He didn’t even bother to look at the man as he picked up the blankets, but his movements went from calm but focused to panicked and hurried when he heard the groan emanating from the bedroom.

Rinya was sitting up, the bond flooded with confusion as she called his name again. ”Rinya, my love, you shouldn’t sit up,” he insisted softly as he went to her side, gently lying her back down. In another situation, Jorin would have been extremely embarassed to be undressed in front of another man. Male egos being the way they did, there was a sort of unofficial manhood-measuring contest that occurs, whether consciously or not.

But the truth was at that point Jorin no longer really cared. His wife was icy cold and he knew probably the best way to heat her back up would be to hug her close and hope that his own body heat could do what covers were inadequate for. Rhys didn’t even seem to react to Jorin’s nudity, nor did he complain when Jorin effectively ordered him to fetch water for Rinya. If Jorin had cared he would’ve probably thought the man did it for Rinya, and not because Jorin ordered it.

Rinya slid her leg between his and Jorin could feel the shudder again. It was something he was willing to endure, of course. His wife was here with him and he’d be damned if he was going to leave, but that didn’t change how cold it was. Even though Jorin’s body wanted to recoil from Rinya’s icy form it was easy for him to continue to hold her close, grunting a bit in response to her sigh. Already he was beginning to feel her warm a bit, though she shivered in his arms and he knew she was probably only just beginning to feel the full effect of the illness now that she wasn’t half-naked on the floor.

Rhys returned with a glass of steaming water, along with a gruff instruction about making sure she drank all all before sleeping. Jorin didn’t acknowledge the statement, or Rhys, instead he was already steadying the cup for Rinya as he helped her sit up. She called out his name again, a question without any context and Jorin still felt the confusion across the bond, and concern radiated from him as he tried to comfort her as best he could, sending calming emotions across the bond. Had Rhys left? He didn’t even know.

For all Jorin was aware, the man might still be standing at the foot of the bed, staring at them impassively with arms crossed, growling every few ticks. Jorin would probably not even notice him, because he was concentrating on making sure Rinya actually drank the water. Jorin focused on her trembling hands as she unsteadily lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. Her question caught Jorin a bit off-guard, but he just smiled encouragingly at her.

”Nothing’s wrong with you, Rinya. You’ll be just fine.” he soothed, as he rubbed he back slightly. ”You just got a little chilled patrolling the warren, that’s all. Body temperature dropped too much.” Truthfully, Jorin was surprised he didn’t see that more often at the Amphitheater, given that the stage was outdoors and the show had to go on. Then again, they had their nice comfortable fire backstage.

”You’re safe now. Just drink up, and get some rest,” he almost whispered, kissing Rinya on the cheek as she continued to sip at the liquid. Jorin reached out with his hand, gently moving Rinya’s hair behind her ear and waiting patiently until the water was consumed. With a soft sigh, he took the water from her hands and set it aside, pulling Rinya close to himself again as he did so.

Jorin could tell Rinya was very tired. The stress of being stripped by Rhys had already sapped her waning strength, and the heat of the blankets and Jorin’s body seemed to drain the rest of it. At least Rinya seemed to finally relax as she all but collapsed back onto the bed. Jorin’s arm guided her back so that she fell gently backward, and he quickly wrapped her up in his embrace once more. Her head found his heart as she usually did and Jorin held her close, burying his nose into her hair and murmuring ”I love you,” as she drifted off to sleep.

-------

Jorin didn’t know how long he stayed awake after Rinya had finally drifted off. He supposed he must have nodded off himself, though he had no idea how long, but as he awoke slowly he noted that Rinya definitely felt much warmer now, her body no longer freezing cold and her breathing now much more steady. Jorin couldn’t help the desire creeping up on him as he felt her body pressed against his, but he tamped it down knowing that in her weakened state the last thing she needed was the extra strain.

Instead he just gently pressed her against himself. Even asleep, Rinya seemed to react automatically, snuggling closer and Jorin pressed a soft kiss to her forehead as he thought about the day. It had been a tumultuous afternoon, that was for certain. Rhys’ actions had caused a surge of intense jealousy in Jorin’s heart, so much so that he even missed the fact that Rinya was clearly struggling against the other man’s grasp.

Why had he felt jealousy? Rinya clearly did not want it. But inside, Jorin knew exactly why. He knew that had Farline been in the same situation, she would not have struggled to break free of Rhys. She would have wanted Jorin to fight for her, which was a reasonable expectation Jorin supposed, except she never fought alongside him.

It was brutally unfair to Rinya however. She’d done nothing but be loyal to him and he was still worried that she might leave, all because of the words of someone who wasn’t even in the room with them. And Jorin once again berated himself for letting Farline rule his emotions once again. He needed to find a way to control this or it would control him, but as much as he wanted to excise Farline she just seemed to keep reappearing, always at the least opportune moments, to whisper poison in his ear.

But this wasn’t something Jorin could just wish away, as much as he wanted to. It seemed no matter how hard he insisted he was trying, every time a situation like this cropped up the ghost of Farline would haunt him still, and he saw no way of getting rid of her. Rinya should have been enough. She’d proven herself, over and over again, even though she did not need to. Farline was wrong about her. If there was one thing Jorin was certain of it was that. But still...

Jorin shook his head to clear it. Now it was his head that was feeling fuzzy, trying to put his disparate emotions into some sort of order. The one thing he knew was that he needed Rinya as much as she needed him. Because without her patient love he’d fall apart, torn between Rosik’s admonitions and Farline’s venom. Sighing softly, Jorin drew Rinya up a bit and kissed her gently on the lips. Perhaps she would feel it in her dreams.

x

[Rinya]

It was the first time Rhys had ever seen Jorin so… angry. The man generally shoved off his veiled insults—granted they weren’t so veiled now—but in the grand scheme of things Jorin had never once responded to his words. The glare the man was fixing him shouldn’t have been so surprising seeing as he probably could have released Rinya far more slowly than he had, but her words had stung enough as it was. Jorin however insisted on pressing the issue… something that Rhys would have honestly never expected from the man. And then Jorin just made it worse.

The poking at his opinion of Rinya made Rhys clench his teeth tightly together. It would have been easy to blame his culture… it was a general consensus of Kelvics. He didn’t entirely view Rinya as pet, but his nickname for her was more meant as a joke than anything else. Before he could actually try and argue his point of view, Jorin simply charged on. Sighing out that he apparently ‘won’ but it didn’t matter because Rinya needed him and he was just someone simply standing in the way of it. It was the kind of argument he was looking for since the petching mark suddenly showed up on her neck. The symbol that he hadn’t just lost the game, but Seymantis had no way of winning her over either.

Not that either of them genuinely tried either. The worst part being that Jorin might actually be right—in his own possessive way he didn’t take Rinya’s choice into account. She wasn’t in her right mind, but maybe that was all the worse. Regardless of her state of mind she still wanted Jorin first. There was nothing he could actually say to deny the accusation, and that made the whole point of looking for a fight pointless… because he honestly did expect to win an argument with Jorin—but only with blinders on. Rinya had ripped those off with three little words and that left Jorin all but free to actually point out his own failing. That for all he said he cared for her, her choice didn’t matter to him—not in his state of mind.

It was probably the only reason that actually kept him from reacting to Jorin’s order about the water. Because despite how he showed it he did care for the girl Jorin was currently cuddling to himself… completely unaware of his own presence. She hardly looked like herself, completely disorientated and clingy. But that didn’t change the fact of the one person she chose to lean on. It hind sight that she chose her husband should not have come as a surprise. Rinya would not have married a man simply because she could, but now that arguing had fallen flat there was nothing left to say… to do. He had been dismissed and Rhys still had his pride. He refused to truly show how much it actually affected him. Choosing instead to storm from the condo instead slinking away.

For Rinya, Jorin rubbed his hand across the skin of her back in an attempt to calm her. Telling her there was nothing wrong with her, just that her body temperature had fallen. She had no idea why that would affect her this way—especially now. But then she supposed it didn’t matter. He leaned up, kissing her cheek as she forced more of the warm water down her throat. Rinya closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as his fingers pressed her hair back. His touch seemed to be the only thing she could focus on other than her shivering, but in her own opinion that was just fine by her.

He pulled the glass from her unsteady hands once she finally got the last of it down, and Rinya let herself slide downwards in the bed until she rest on her back. Her head was still swimming, but she hummed as Jorin pulled her back to him. His heart echoed in her ear and Rinya simply pressed closer. It wasn’t going to take long for sleep to find her, with his heart beat and murmured words of love.

-----------------

It felt quite a bit like a dream. Fuzzy memories and the feeling that she was just so very cold and nothing could ever warm her. There was no telling how long she was asleep for—partly because she couldn’t quite remember before she fell asleep. The visions shifted through her dreams quite easily, but there was no telling what she was imagining and what was actual memory. The Warren itself was all just a blur… at least when they had nearly finished patrol. She could remember everything before that. Jorin shifted beneath her, and Rinya sighed softly. She knew she was still partly between sleep and waking, and her body still didn’t know which one it wanted to do.

She might have actually fallen back asleep if the emotions that slowly started to shift across the bond didn’t catch her attention. They were difficult to make out—somewhat still because she wasn’t entirely awake—and because they were actually kind of muted. Jorin was in thought, a very deep thought and he probably didn’t even notice she was starting to wake. Whatever was on his mind however didn’t affect his affections for her. He kissed her gently and Rinya resisted the urge to groan. She was not returning to the land of sleep anytime soon—and in fact she was starting to notice she was feeling more than just warm.

Returning his kiss, she sighed happily against his mouth before pulling back a little, sitting up on one elbow. Her eyes blinked several times, trying to get them to focus. She was indeed home with Jorin, and this time she did groan. Between the slight headache pounding in her temples and the fact that part of her dreams were real, Rinya really just wanted to cuddle back into Jorin’s side and forget it happened at all. "Damn it… " Rinya hissed slightly, before shaking her head.

"Are you ok?" Rinya focused herself back on him. He was probably far more worried about her at the moment, but she knew something was on his mind. In something that was a cross between want and habit she reached up to stroke his cheek before running her fingers through his hair with her free hand. "What’s going through your head?" Rinya murmured. He could choose not to tell her, but she didn’t have to say that, he knew that already.

Color Space

[Jorin Ertihan]

x

At first, Jorin thought Rinya was still asleep, until he felt her kiss him back, sighing against his lips as the warmth of their love spread through his body and across the bond. Jorin was glad to see that Rinya's body was warm once more, as he smiled against her mouth and wished the kiss could last forever. When it broke, Rinya blinked several times and seemed to take in her surroundings and the situation, hissing out a small exclamation before asking Jorin if he was ok.

"Yes, my love, I'm fine," Jorin insisted, but he sighed when Rinya stroked his cheek and ran her fingers through his hair and asked him what was going through his head. As always, Rinya had a way of breaking him down, making it so he always wanted to tell her everything. She was always his rock, his staunchest ally and best friend. Everyone else wore masks but here, in their bed, all barriers were down. Rinya had clearly felt his disparate emotions rolling about across the bond, so Jorin just sighed and gave her a weak smile.

"I... wasn't at my best today," he sighed, pulling Rinya up close and running one hand lazily up and down her side before going lower and resting on her thigh. His other arm looped under hers and landed on her back, as he drew himself closer to his wife.

"For all the progress I thought I'd made... I know I said I wanted to excise that woman from our relationship," he grumbled. "and I do, but every time I get put into a tense situation..." Jorin took a few breaths. Rinya had probably sensed the distress, the sense of helplessness. He wanted Farline out of his head but she just wouldn't leave, and he knew that her pessimistic mind might make the assumption that he'd never be fully rid of her. And the worst part was, she might be right, though Jorin steadfastly refused to believe it.

"I should have caught it, Rinya," Jorin continued. "I should have stopped myself as soon as I heard the first whisper of her venom in my ear. But I didn't. Why didn't I...?" Jorin felt so frustrated, like all his intentions and desires were useless in the face of something he seemingly had no control over. The fact that this was happening in his own head made it even worse. Jorin knew he couldn't control what other people thought, but surely he could control what he thought, right? With a mental sigh he realized no, apparently he could not.

"I guess it'll just have to be something I work on," Jorin concluded finally, with a little sigh. The frustration oozed away, fading into the background as Jorin decided that it wasn't worth stressing over when the moment had already passed. Maybe in the future, when such a situation cropped up again, Jorin could catch himself. For the time being, all the mooning in the world wouldn't achieve anything.

Instead he focused his attention on his wife. Rinya appeared mostly ok; she did not look to be particularly unsteady anymore and her skin was warm against his and very soft as usual. And it never failed to surprise Jorin that his wife was just so beautiful. It was beginning to sound repetitive but he couldn't help himself, wondering how he could have been so lucky as to find an amazing woman like her, and that feeling of love and appreciation surged across the bond as he continued to look at her.

He knew part of it was simply his own perceptions being biased by his overwhelming love for her, but he genuinely thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world. Even after having recovered from an illness, her hair messy from not having combed it yet and eyes still bleary from waking up, Rinya still looked beautiful.

Jorin knew that some actresses put on what must have been a quarter pound of makeup, nearly every single day. They would spend bells putting all manner of gels, and creams, and pigments on their faces to try to make them look prettier. And some actually succeed - to an extent, but for Jorin they all looked fake. Rinya's beauty was genuine, and natural, and radiant.

Jorin just couldn't help leaning in for another kiss, drawing Rinya in and pressing his tongue into her mouth. He groaned slightly as he felt the familiar warmth of love spread all the way to his core, the kiss combining with his emotions to produce a happy daze that he loved to get lost in. He wanted her to know she was ok now, she was safe with him and everything would be alright, and as always their kisses were an excellent form of communication.

But as he kissed her, he couldn't help the surge of desire that snaked up his spine as well. Jorin suspected he'd never stop wanting his wife, but the feel of her skin against his was almost intoxicating and the kiss became more passionate, and his hand roamed from Rinya's thigh to her buttock as he drew her even closer.

Jorin broke off the kiss with a gasp. He suddenly desired her very much, not that he was at all surprised anymore. Jorin hadn't remembered hearing Rhys say that Rinya was not supposed to engage in any strenuous activity and she did feel warmer, but he nonetheless controlled himself to bring his hand up to stroke her cheek softly, asking her, "My love, are you up for this?"

But in the hopes of encouraging her, Jorin pressed a hand against her breast, caressing it softly before leaning in and whispering, "I love you," into her ear. He then pulled away only to kiss her again, this time much more hungrily. The desire and passion mixed with love in his heart, snaking through the bond upon contact with her lips as he moaned her name in a rather needy fashion.

It probably wasn't fair of him to do this, as Jorin knew how his wife would likely react. Nonetheless, Jorin knew this might be as far as he would be able to get, so he made the kiss as passionate as he could. He knew, for Rinya's health if nothing else, that this might be as intimate as they were going to be that night.

x