Closed Not Alone

[Taurina]

Night of the 43rd of Summer 518

The last twenty-one days had been long. Not because of any trick of Syna or Leth, though the time between them had grown longer in Syna’s favor, but because of the new burden laid upon the Ethaefal’s soul. It was as though the world around her was moving at the speed of light, but she was stuck in one place unable to pick up her feet faster than a chime at a time. It did not matter that she still maintained her schedule. That she still attended her lessons and still continued her work, still kept a constant check on her bondmate through the silver chord of their bond. Every movement was like fighting to stay afloat in a tumultuous sea, a constant grab for a surface so near but so far. She was like a bird without wings, a fish swimming through sludge, a cat stuck in a tree. Everything she had known was false, all that she had made herself believe proven wrong. And it had shaken her to the very core of her soul.

Days had been spent just going through the motions. Smiling at strangers, saying hello to clients, filling jar after jar with ink. Emotionless actions with no real consequences. Those in her life had noticed. Her Akalak trainer had shoved her to the ground harder than usual and demanded she snap out of it. She had not. Herrlock and Garad had both gone to bite her head off when she had made a client bleed so bad that they had to be sent to a healer. Even with her job threatened she had not reacted much. Had not felt the sting of shame or the blush of embarrassment. Had barely managed to make her apology honest. Had barely managed to make herself care at all. She did not want to. She did not want to care about anyone or anything except for one thing. The one thing that had been a constant on her mind since his return to her life.

‘Azmere… Azmere.. Azmere.. Alive… Back… Empty…’

Not the man she had known. Not the man who knew her. She still struggled to understand it. Still struggled to wrap her head around the idea of her beloved Azmere being torn into so many pieces that he did not know himself anymore. That he did not believe in himself anymore. He wished for the mercy of death. For the mercy of the pain ending, and he had gone to bring it to himself. He had tried to force himself into Dira’s arms and it had been her who stopped him. Taurina still felt his blood on her hand even though she had washed it many times since. She still felt the warmth of his touch on her neck and his phantom grasp surrounding her wrist. She wished to be near him again, to be held by him again. Even if it was just a hand grasping a hand and not the surrounding embrace she wished for, she would settle. She would settle for whatever he would give her because being apart from him in death had been torture. Being apart from him in life was worse.

The library had been a place of answers. She had not known such a place existed in Riverfall because one had not existed in Endrykas, but things were different here. Knowledge and how it was transferred was different here. She was glad for her fluency in the common language when she had looked upon the seemingly endless tomes and scrolls that filled the small building. She had been thankful for the first time since before moving to Endrykas for knowing how to read well enough that she did not have to struggle or ask for help every other chime. She was sure the Akalak who oversaw the library had likely been thankful too without knowing it. She had asked him enough questions as was. But they had been necessary inquiries that had led her to the section she needed after a couple days of searching. The information she was armed with had led her to a tower and that tower had given her the answers she needed. The answer to how she was going to help him pick up all the pieces of his shattered soul. Now all she had to do was find him.

Taurina walked through the night unafraid as the city buzzed with quiet life around her. Whatever had happened to dispel them, whatever answers had been found, the shadows were gone. The ban on night had been lifted and slowly the city had come to life again. At first there had much hesitancy, especially for the Eth whose heart was had always been ruled by fear’s controlling hand, but she had made her way out. First to the Blue Bull a couple times to talk with Ann and have a drink or two. Then a walk through the park, a ride on Starfire, or a sketch sitting by the waterfall done by Leth light. Taurina loved the night, had missed it greatly. This was the time of her lord. The time when life made a little more sense because she felt close to her god. And during those initial days after Azmere’s return, it had been only during the night bells when Taurina had felt capable of thought. Felt a little of the weight ease from her soul so she might come to seek out answers.

She was wearing her lilac dress with its flowing skirt and soft ruffled sleeves. Sand colored sandals adorned her feet and her ebony shaded hair was left down with a single braid twisted with her wrap falling down one side of her head behind an emerald horn. She carried little with her. Her pack with her journal full of charcoal and a handful of mizas in it. She had stopped carrying around her dagger because of its uselessness in a city full of warriors. Any of them could overpower her in a single moment, it did not matter what she carried with her if she did not know how to use it. All she had to arm herself were the handful of blocks and strikes she had been taught, was slowly practicing and learning. It was not enough, it would not do much, but it was what she had and it was better than nothing. Besides, she felt safe enough. The Akalak revered women for the most part, she did not think one of them likely to make a move against her.

“Excuse me, have you seen a man with scars down his face and a limp? Might have had a big grey dog with him?” Taurina paused her walk to question a pretty Konti woman out with her daughter.

The woman covered with delicate scales that shimmered like stone gave her a look of first confusion and then pity when she saw the hope on her face. Taurina sighed when she saw that look, the shake of the head that followed. It had been the same the last several people she had asked. No one knew of Azmere. No one had seen him and those who had thought they had had no idea where she might find him. It was not like Endrykas here. Not everyone knew everyone else. Taurina had thought he looked unique enough that it might be easy to find people who had seen him, could lead her to him. She had been wrong.

“Thank you,” the Ethaefal said softly, forcing a small smile before turning and continuing on her way.

Feet hit the ground in a pattern of left and right. Her shoes sort of shuffled and clicked, not the soft demand of the boots she was so used to wearing. She had thought about going back to the apartment and changing but had not wanted to waste the time. Not after having gotten the answers she had promised him. She had wanted to find him the moment she found out there was a way. Had gone out to do just that. Now it seemed as though it did not matter anyway. She was not going to find him tonight. She was discouraged that she was going to be able to find him at all, but she tried not to allow such thoughts to sink in. The place they took her was very dark and cold.

“Miss?” a voice came from behind her, a hand reaching out and tapping her right shoulder.

Taurina spun, her shoes sliding across the stone of the road. At first there was panic in her indigo gaze, a hand raised instinctively though she looked about as threatening as a prairie dog. It was only when she saw a woman of bronze skin and dark hair who wore a cloak around her shoulders that her hand lowered and her gaze softened. The woman did not look like a threat with her tensed shoulders and panicked breath. Perhaps one more unknowing than the Eth herself. Taurina winced apologetically.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to..” she managed to get out before sighing and shaking her head, “how can I help you?”

The woman’s green eyes swept over her with uncertainty before she nodded as if in confirmation to herself. Her shoulders relaxed and then she began to talk.

“I think I know who you are searching for,” she said, her voice warm and sweet, “the man with the scars and the limp? Two different colored eyes?”

Excitement shot through the Ethaefal like an arrow as she heard those words. Heard the description of the one for whom she searched.

“Yes! That is him! Where? Where is he?” she asked with frantic excitement.

The woman looked almost sorry as the answer formed on her lips.

“The Velvet Curtain,” she answered, “I have seen him working there as a guard.”

Confusion marred Taurina’s features as the words fell on her ears. She did not know what this place the woman spoke of was, let alone what went on there. Much of Riverfall remained a mystery to her and she was naive enough not to know such places as the one this woman spoke of existed. Her confusion was more focused on the look on the woman’s face, the tone laced in her voice.

“Where is it?” Taurina asked, deciding she did not care enough to ask anything more.

“Just down the street, you are very close actually.” The woman pointed towards the building just within eyesight range to which Taurina nodded before giving her thanks. The woman reached out and grabbed her wrist as the Eth began to move. “Keep your eyes out, search for him. Sometimes the clientele there is not trustworthy, avoid them if you can.”

Taurina just nodded and the woman released her wrist. The pair parted ways after that, Taurina left wondering what the warning had met. What sort of guard work had Azmere gotten himself into? She did not understand. She understood less when the building was close and she noticed the big window in the front, the woman behind it. Eyes went wide as she swallowed once, twice. What in Leth’s name? Why was Azmere at such a place? Her hand shook as she went for the door and pulled it open, exposing the room within.

The place was extremely busy tonight. Plenty of men with plenty of women tending to them. The hostess meant to greet whoever entered was not there, busy sitting someone who had just come in before the Ethaefal. It was with shaky steps that she walked further in, those indigo eyes wide as they scanned for the one she looked for and saw so much she had never wished to see. Women clad in too little clothes, men looking as though they wore too much. These people… They were not the kind of people she had spent her life around. Not the kind of people she had ever known existed. It had been naive of her to not know, but then she was naive. Her life experience limited. She did not know what to do around them. How to interact with them. All she wanted was to find Azmere and get him out of here. Find him and drag him somewhere safe where she could tell him what she had found out. Tell him how he could fix his broken memory and remember who he was, who she was.

“Hello there, who might you be?” it was a male with burgundy skin who came up beside her and grazed his fingers over her cheek.

“I am no one..” Taurina answered in a too soft voice, “I am just looking for someone. I was told he would be here.”

“Oh? Is that right? Who is he?” the male asked her, his voice calm and warm, undisturbed by her lack of being like the other women in the room.

Taurina bit her lip gently. Did she trust him? No. But then her gaze snagged on a women wearing only lace and bare skin twisting her body over a metal pole on a stage with men looking as hungry as dogs watching her. She decided she trusted the male enough and fixed her gaze on him. She wanted to get out of here as fast as possible.

“A man with a limp and scars on his face, one yellow eye… Drykas,” she described, unsure if Azmere used his name here or if he had given another in his uncertainty.

“I know of such a man.” The Akalak smiled warmly and nodded. “I know where he is, this way.”

A sigh of relief escaped as shoulders sagged and Taurina nodded, thankful for someone knowing who Azmere was. Thankful that he would take her to him and she could get out of this room. She followed him through the room, keeping her gaze down and not noticing the mild looks of confusion some of the other girls were throwing in her direction. It was known that she did not belong, obvious even, but the male either was oblivious or did not care. Probably the latter. And everyone else was too busy to stop them as they slipped behind curtains into one of the rooms buried at the end of the hall filled with only a bed and a mirror. The door was closed behind them, the room empty besides them. Taurina turned around with confusion written across her features.

“Where is…” she did not get the chance to finish before his hand was over her mouth.

Taurina panicked at the rough touch of his skin on hers. She yanked her body backwards to try and get away, but there was no where to go. He had already wrapped his free arm around her thin torso, pinning her arms to her sides and holding her close. She was in her larger form, but it did not matter, he was still the size of a mountain compared to her. The more she struggled the tighter his grip around her became. She whimpered softly as fear clasped its claws around her. She did not think she was getting out of this one.

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

Word CountPost Total: 2,539
Total Overall: 2,539

[Azmere]

“Alright, you did good walking the artist around so we’re putting you in rotation tonight.” The stern brow of Morgal came together as he scowled at his newest underling. “Don’t screw this up.” The big blue man spoke in Common. His words were very clear and he had a voice that was without rasp or rattle. The scarred man took a moment to identify what he knew and what he didn’t then he used the basic understanding he had for his new career to fill in the gaps. The Drykas lifted his head to look up at his superior and gave a single firm nod.

“New job tonight. Do good or else.” The blue and gold stare locked upon the dark gaze of the head bouncer. The man had donned a new pairs of pants and boots since the matron, Silka, offered him a job on the condition that he clean up and dress more appropriately. The wayward newcomer looked much more professional tonight than he had on his first day of work. With help, he was directed to a bathhouse where he was given private attention in the art of how to get clean. It was comforting yet odd but the results couldn’t be argued. Once that was done, he made his way to a woman with wrinkled fingers and eyes that smiled in the corners to cut and braid his hair. She spoke his language and handled things for a fee. Finally, he was directed to a store that sold durable clothing that wasn’t flashy or overly expensive. He was able to acquire a new pair of pants and boots that didn’t look like they were going to fall apart.

So there he stood, hair pulled back and braided along the sides to reveal that each side was shaved up. One of the braids held a piece of cloth which the hair dresser explained that it must have meant something. The scarred man didn’t reveal to her that he couldn’t recall why. He wore his black armor but removed the hood so it was simply the well-made vest. Bare arms showed all the way down past his elbows where his black gauntlets covered up the rest. Fortunately for the forgetful one, he was encouraged to cross his hands when in view of the girls or the patrons since it made him seem less threatening -so they claimed- and this allowed him to control the shaking instability that he’d recently encountered. Black leather pants fit well, snug but not tight and they lacked any stains, rips or holes. His normal, half-busted boots had been replaced by high black leather boots that sported three buckles across the ankle that stacked to hold everything in place. They clicked a bit when he walked but Morgal said that would fade once the boots had been worn down.

The only weapon the Drykas carried was his kukri, sheathed on his hip. This was never to be drawn inside the Velvet Curtain. Morgal was sufficiently clear on this point. ”No blood on the Velvet! Got it, hero?” The wanderer got it. He was unsure about the word ‘hero’ and how it applied to such rhetoric but it was not something the man planned to argue about with his boss.

The man with two faces followed the big Akalak around once more. He had done a lot of that in the past few days as a means of ‘learning the ropes’. The employees who worked at the Velvet Curtain rarely wore enough clothes to cover a child yet they were full-grown women. The gold and blue eyes spent the better part of his first few days figuring out how to watch the interactions without seeing too much. Most of the acts made him feel uncomfortable or made his cheeks burn. The most amazing thing was how much money was exchanged here in such a small amount of time. He had spent a good portion of the money he had in his possession on a few items of clothing and being pampered. The concept here was- well, mind-blowing. As pretty as these women were, he couldn’t see himself spending that much money. Then again, his curiosity was high since there appeared to be customers from all walks of life in the establishment.

There was a routine. The big room was a party but it was merely the introduction. Inspections had to be done and agreements made before a pair or group descended into a set of rooms in the back meant for more private and intimate affairs. Morgal patrolled the back hallway by himself most of the time unless there was something more pressing. For this contingency, an extra bouncer was kept in reserves down the private hallway which lead to the ladies’ dressing rooms. There was medical staff on site and, of course, Silka.

She sauntered up wit her six arms, full figure and penetrating stare without any shame or shyness for her body. A single piece of golden silk, swirled with silver filigree, was wrapped around her bosoms, her waist and hips then trailed along one leg before it dangles just off of the ground. She was stunning to see and the man with stars in his eyes did not miss the red hot hate that boiled under Morgal’s cheeks when the madame slipped right past his warm smile and stood before the new guy. “Well, you clean up niiiice.” Her voice was thick like honey but the tone made the guard’s scalp tighten with goose flesh. It didn’t feel bad but it didn’t exactly feel good either. The scarred fellow dismissed it in his mind as nervousness. “You’re not too bad for a human.” she put a hand on his chestplate and leaned in until her cheek was against his. The woman took an audible inhale and smiled then sighed as she stepped back. “You smell fantastic, though. I’m glad you took my advice seriously.” With her piece said, she turned and gave Morgal a thoughtfully playful glance and moved on.

The scarred face watched the eyes of his supervisor follow the woman until she was out of sight and then some. Morgal eventually snapped out of his trance and saw that he had been busted. The scarred fellow looked away quickly but it was too late. The big akalak gave a brief ‘hn’ but said no more then turned on his boot and motioned for the lowly security guard to follow him. They walked along the public room to one side where there was a table tucked in a corner that divided the bar from the hallway. Morgal stopped next to this tall, round perch and kicked his boot up on the footrest. He turned and gave a smirk to the new hire. “This is the watchdog table.” He pounded his big hand down upon it. The blue fingers popped up and pointed then waved past the whole room. The scarred man turned and followed the indication and was surprised to see that this point saw everything. He took a moment and mimicked his boss’s stance then waited for his instruction.

“Every man has to get checked out by the healer.” The big finger pointed to a set of women directly across the room in a high-backed booth next to a cordoned off area. They saw Morgal and smiled, waved and laughed. He simply waved then continued with his speech. “All the girls know this so they’ll walk the John over, usually with a look to acknowledge you first. The man gets his body inspected and if he passes, they’ll walk back together.” The akalak started to leave then turned and took hold of the collar of the Drykas’ armor. “No one goes back without being checked. If they do.” He drug Azmere out from behind the table and pointed to a small door at the far end of the hall. “You watch which room they go into then you run down to that door and tell the man in the chair so he can go investigate.” The human was released roughly and Morgaladjusted his belt. “Got it?”

“No follow?” The shaking hands indicated going into one of the rooms.

“No. No follow.” Morgal sighed. “Watch. Observe. If someone breaks the rules.” He pointed to the door. “Report.” The big blue stormed away and disappeared down the hall and through the door. The scarred man nodded to himself then walked around and stood at his table...watching….waiting…

The vagabond grew tired, fought sleep and fought being distracted. It did not take him long to realize that some woman was pulling some guy over to the healer every five to ten chimes. Sometimes, several would go over together. The male bouncer shifted his weight from side to side. He flexed his arms and lifted the table quickly and for as many times as he could then put it back down. The stare like sunlight and a blue sky counted candles, torches, how many women worked on the floor and how many men came in dumping their large bags of Mizas. After a while, one of the girls brought him over a mug of the cheap ale served at the bar. She placed a cool, dainty hand on his arm and smiled at his calm demeanor. “Thanks for looking out for us.”

The man was a little bit shocked by her interaction but after a few chimes, he processed that she was just being polite. It wasn’t a bad thing and he was grateful for something to keep his throat from turning into sand as he waited. Then, like a flash of wine-colored skin and lilac fabric moved past him down the hallway. He blinked and shot a wide-eyed stare at the healer’s table. One girl had seen it as well and she bore a serious expression then shook her head from left to right. The golden and blue eyes nodded. With surprising speed, the rookie slipped around the table and to the edge of the hallway just in time to see the couple enter a room. He walked quickly, his weak leg burned and threatened to reveal his limp but he buried it by tightening the muscles in his legs harder. He paused at the door that had just closed and studied the symbol upon it at eye level.

With the same determination, he shot down the hallway in a flat out run. His boots thumped with every contact. Arms pumped up and down in an alternating rhythm to his strides which felt weird and may have even looked awkward but he ran nonetheless. The man reached the end and pulled open the access door with a gust of wind, his eyes expected to find another guard that he could report the breach in protocol. There was a chair but no body. He clung to the doorframe and leaned in further, his head swiveling about from side to side as he looked for someone to tell of what he had seen. There was no one.

He shot a glance back down the hall and saw that two of the healers were standing there looking at him with curious and nervous wonder. The scarred warrior sighed. He shot into the hall and turned left which he hopes lead to the hallway behind the room with the symbol that looked like four lines broken by a tree. Azure and amber irises scanned each mirror. The rooms were revealed on this side and it was a lot to take in for one who didn’t remember anything. An adjustment period of a chime was needed just to get past the couple in the last room. The way she was bent and the sounds he was making did not appeal to the guard but he was finally able to locate where the glyph was etched. This was how the bouncers could identify rooms from the door to the mirrorside hallway. Two more mirrors, one blessedly empty room but neither matched the symbol.

The fourth room came up and even though he saw the woman’s lilac dress and the man’s red wine skin, he still matched the symbol in the upper left corner just to be certain. There it was -four lines and a downed tree. The new hire moved up and down the side looking for Morgal. The guy was nowhere to be found so the human tracked back to the room again. The woman’s mouth was covered by a large hand andher body writhed as the customer held her tightly to his body, a grip that kept her hands restrained at her sides, he noted.

His stomach churned and his palms ached as if they were falling asleep. He shifted his weight from side to side constantly as he wrestled with what to do, hands shook as they dug at each palm. There was a pause in the action within the room. The scarred face leaned in and he thought he saw her hands twist to push the man away. An excuse he was told he would hear a lot was that the “liquor made me do it”. He didn’t buy it. Lost and confused as he was, he did not believe that any substance could make a person do something they would normally do otherwise. With a deep breath that swelled his chest and an exhale like a bull preparing to charge, the Drykas had made up his mind. He took a step to the right of the mirror and pushed through the access door into the room.

Purpose drove him. Disgust gave him discernment and anger gave him power. He made two large strides, the second sending a shot of pain up to his scar tissue which felt like he had been struck by lightning but he did not waiver or hesitate. He had to separate them and he could only think of one way to do that. Using the momentum of his strides and the factor of surprise, the man raised a balled fist up by his ear. He felt the muscles tense and his fingers tighten then like an arrow, he unleashed the stored energy straight at the big man’s burgundy jaw. The poor guy was in the process of releasing the woman when the connection was made.

Crack!

The scarred man had enough mass and strength behind the punch that his leather-clad knuckles rocked the rule-breaker to his core. His head twisted behind the force and his knees went weak. The well-dressed and handsome customer swayed a bit as he tried to gather his control but he was never given the chance. Instinct propelled the human into action. The girl was somewhere behind him and that made her safe but he wasn’t done securing the culprit. The warrior’s next step came as a raised kick. He aimed his boot at the bent knee and stomped on it which sent the large man down on both knees almost instantly. The akalak was coming around but by now, it was too late. When the bouncer planted his boot, his body was almost against the violating customer. He brought his right forearm down and across for the other man’s face. To his credit, his hand came up to block but there simply wasn’t enough room to deflect and he caught most of the blow which took him off his knees and sent him sprawling onto the bed face down.

Just then, Morgal came rushing through the open door and stopped when he saw what was happening. He shot a glance to the girl. “Who the petch are you?” When his angry stare fell upon the bouncer, he opened his mouth but was cut off by a very honest statement of broken Common and a shaking hand with a finger pointed at the downed customer.

“No see healer.”

WC2647

[Taurina]

Taurina struggled as those arms like steel tightened around her. Whimpers caught in her throat as hands balled into fists and arms flexed in a frail attempt at breaking free. She feared not so much for her life but for her soul, her mind, her heart. It had happened before, a male coming towards her to try and take what was not his. Last time she had the men of the Lilacwind pavilion to scare him off before he did anything. Last time she had been able to go home and know that Lodai could scare anyone off with a look and that Azmere would not stand for harm to come to her. She had been able to go home to her Ankal’s arms and find comfort there, safety, because he would not let anything happen to her. Would take a life if it meant keeping hers intact. Things were different now. Taurina was alone now. When she went home there would be no one there to protect her. Just her in a vastly large apartment that would feel far too empty with far too much space within where an intruder could hide. Another pitiful whimper escaped at the thought.

It came down to strength in the end. He had it, she did not. In such a position as they were in, strength won every time. The Ethaefal was not to the point yet in her training where she could use his strength against him. Where she knew a way to slip out of his hold and break free. She did not even think to use a knee and aim for the soft tender part of his body that she could have so easily reached. All she could think was that her arms were not accessible. That this male had her and was not going to let her go. That a piece of her was bound to die tonight because she had been so foolish as to believe he would truly take her to the one she sought. Foolish foolish girl… Never learned anything. This was her fault, had to be, if she had just been a little smarter than she would not have gotten herself in this situation. Tears pricked at her eyes. She felt no shame as they started to fall.

‘Please.. just let it be over fast.. I don’t care.. just quick..’ A silent prayer sent to her lord, to any god who might listen and take pity on her. A plea sent into the hollow night from a house full of those who profited off the pleasures of flesh. Taurina did not know what she expected from it even at the words poured from her mind. Too much of her doubted the gods care for what happened to those on the ground. Life, experience, had proven to her that if they heard they did not move on any’s behalf except maybe their own. Still, she sent out her silent cry. Still, she held onto some shredded piece of hope that there was someone, anyone, out there watching out for her. That someone cared what happened to her.

She meant every word of her plea. She would take whatever tortures it was he wished to bestow upon her. She would quiet her sobs and choke down her whimpers and do as she was told if it meant it could be over quickly. If it meant that he would be done sooner rather than later. His hold upon her caused her to accept the hand fate had dealt. Accept that she was going to go home tonight bruised and broken and soul crushed. Accept that she might never be the same again. Might never let anyone touch her the same again. She just wished for it to be done because she did not dare wish for someone to save her. There was no one here to do so. No one knew she was here. Even if Azmere was in the halls somewhere, he did not know her anymore. He had forgotten her just as Leth had forgotten her. She whimpered again. Azmere… her Azmere… the one who had been there when her god had not been, the one who had saved her from herself… had forgotten her.

Balled fists relaxed, muscles unclenching. No use. It was no use trying to fight him. Taurina closed her eyes and swallowed a sob. No use crying either. It would probably just make him angry. Tears tended to do that, make people angry. Either anger or sympathy, Taurina was sure in this situation it would always be the former. So she swallowed again and again till her whimpers dispersed. She opened her eyes as he was growling vulgar words in her ear. He promised to do things she did not fully understand, only sure that they would hurt, and called her things that she desperately tried to forget. Never had she been strong, her self worth always teetering on the fine edge between love and hate. Did not matter who he was, the type of male he represented, she still took those brutal words to heart. She still struggled to tell herself that none of it mattered.

A wave of hatred hit when he began to move towards the bed. His arms still held her body tight, her limbs locked in place as both he and fear worked to paralyze her, but that bolt of emotion was enough to cause a small stir of action. She balled her fists again, an attempt given to twist her arms. If she could just get her elbows free then maybe… Nope. His arm locked down across the joint in the middle of her right arm hard enough to cause a small cry of protest. Anger flared in his eyes, lips parting in preparation for words that never got a chance to form. A fist was sent right into his jaw.

Taurina shrieked at the jolt of movement that sent the Akalak down and gave her the freedom to move again. For a tick she remained just frozen in place staring at the burgundy skinned male whose stance wavered, but she quickly snapped out of it. She jumped out of the space in between the two men and scurried to the only place there was to go, the head of the bed. She crawled onto the plush pillows and buried her feet in the silken sheets. She stood on the uneven surface, ready to run or jump should she need to get away, a hand on one of the four poles of the bed frame worked to steady her. Indigo eyes dared to look at the scene going on once she was sure she was safe and well out of the way. It was when the wine-stained male was sent sprawling towards the foot of the bed that she saw who had come to help her. Save her.

“Azmere..” her voice was breathless, raw, her eyes red and puffy from the tears that had dried in them.

There was no chance to rejoice or be scared or go to him. No chance to even run away. Not before another Akalak burst into the room. This one had skin a shade of the daytime sky and was dressed as a warrior rather than a patron of the establishment. That was anger and confusion in his eyes, his body, as beheld the scene in front of him. His light eyes settled on her first, a demand to know who she was. She did not get a chance to answer before he turned with the snap of his head towards Azmere. She could see the way his muscles bunched in his back and she was sure that meant Azmere was about to get in trouble. Her heart lurched in her chest jumping into her throat, her body physically moving forward as if she was going to try and stop him from going after the ex-Watchman. Azmere stopped them all though. A hand raising with a finger pointed towards the wine stained Akalak who remained still but breathing upon the edge of the mattress. Taurina noticed how his hand shook.

“No see healer.”

Such simple words. A clear statement of fact even if his knowledge of the language was not up to par. Taurina just blinked. What was he talking about? Though she did not know what she had expected. That he remembered her? No, not really. That he had come for her because of what they had once been to each other? Definitely not. Whatever had brought him here, it was not her. He had not come to rescue her. He had come to do his job. That fact stung a little bit. Perhaps it was a blessing that it was not allowed to sink in too deeply before the blue Akalak was turned back towards her demanding answers.

“Who the petch are you?” he growled out a second time, “I am not going to ask again.”

The Ethaefal’s mouth opened and closed again, only unintelligible sounds making their way out. She drew in a breath and swallowed hard. An exhale was released before she tried again, slowly in an effort to calm herself down.

“I came for him,” she answered honestly, her gaze falling to Azmere as she nodded towards him, “I needed… I need to talk to him…”

Her features twisted into something like concern and then sorrow and then defeat as she sighed and climbed down from the bed. Her sandaled shoes hit the floor, the woman wincing slightly at the sound they made against the carpet. She looked at the blue Akalak and then the burgundy one, wishing only to ensure that he was still down. She never wished to see him up and about moving ever again. She did not wish him dead, not really, she just did not want to be a witness to him still being alive.

“And what is it exactly that could not wait till morning?” the blue Akalak bit out, causing Taurina’s gaze to settle back on him.

A flutter of nerves beat in her stomach when she gazed upon his angry face. It did not matter the color of his skin, the red of his rage still showed in his cheeks. In his eyes. She turned her gaze to settle on Azmere instead. Her safe place. Even if he did not know her… even if he had forgotten her… still the one she wished for. Still the one she looked towards. Would always look towards.

“I found answers,” she told him, only him as she switched to their native tongue though his boss had not left, “I needed to find you, tell you right away. Then this happened and… I did not know… I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry… I did not mean to cause any trouble..”

Taurina looked down to her hands in shame. Red colored her opalescent tinged skin, becoming a temporary flaw in her otherwise ethereal beauty. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, wringing hands together in an attempt to almost make herself small and unnoticeable.

“I am sorry..” she repeated in a soft, weak, whisper, “I just needed to find you.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

Word CountPost Total: 1,868
Overall Total: 4,407

[Azmere]

The scarred man was better dressed and properly groomed but the more collected look was merely that; a surface adjustment. Beneath the neat braids and a fresh shave lied a sea of unrest and confusion. The frustration came as every connection was missed until there was a pile of fragments heaped and scattered all at once without any logical way to approach sorting the mess. He had done his job to the best of his ability. Lo was about to defend himself when he noticed how the woman stared at him. He found it odd but took the chance to study her. She did not look like the other girls in terms of dress but she was easily as beautiful as any he had seen so far. Her skin sparkled and she was built like someone had taken the time to sculpt every single edge and curve. A creature such as this one was made through pains for there had to have been suffering for such a gift to exist.

She had hair that was pure black like the night and eyes that matched her dress. The glow from them was only slightly tarnished by the irritated skin caused by the brick colored buffoon who was just now starting to come around; a groan into the sheets. The braid was loose but it made the cascade so flattering to the angled lines of her face, round cheeks and plump, pouting lips. Her every feature gave pause to the bouncer as he absorbed her into his mind. His chest ached with a sick feeling as the thought that he would never touch beauty so pure set in like an arrow. There was an anomaly, though; something the scarred man did not expect. She had horns. They were green like lush grass and spiraled in such a way that made him tilt his head to try and follow the twist. They completed the image as a creature of extraordinary beauty but also one of grace. Lo, as he had taken to the name given by Silka, found himself pining for this woman in her lilac dress. A splash of guilt crossed his mind for the fool akalak who had gotten on the edge of the mattress and was whispering softly with Morgal.

The woman and Morgal had a conversation as if Lo wasn’t even there. It annoyed him but allowed the multicolored gaze a chance to soak in the lady. He caught the nuances of her dress with the ruffles and the way her hem danced against the straps of her sandals. Soft scents floated from her but he could not identify what they were. All of this kept him from paying attention to their words until she looked directly at him and started using his language. She came looking for him. She had answers. To what questions? The confusion showed on his face and the supervisor picked up on it right away but was not so rude as to interrupt the girl mid speech. The gold and blue stare had never seen this woman before so how could she be seeking him? He was a nobody - a vagabond; lost.

The blue man rose and walked the other to the door then the head bouncer turned and stalked up to his employee. “What did I tell you?!” He was mad. His cheeks turned purple as blood rose to the surface in anger. “Go to the door and tell the man there or find me!” He threw his hands up like he was going to strike the human. The wanderer didn’t flinch. He felt powerful for taking down the larger man and still held that rush in his veins. The additional motivation to not appear weak in front of this lovely woman certainly bolstered his resolve.

“No man at door.” The pavi was thick on his tongue as his arm lifted, his brow leveled. Lo pointed at the mirror. “You not there. Lo stop man from bad choice.” His hands trembled as he motioned to all of the room indicating that he, the man with two faces, had saved the maiden who hung near them both with her curious words and shimmering complexion.

“I- hmn.” Morgal stopped himself. He was in another room solving an issue when he heard the racket of a fight break out. He would question his other man later as to why the door was left unattended. At the very least, he expected to discover that Lo was lying and would then fire him so a smirk crossed the blue face. “You’re right, Lo. Good job.” the gaze swept the room and encountered the Ethaefal in her splendor. “As for you- why did you bring that man back here? Don’t you..” Morgal stopped himself again mid-rant. He took a step closer and leaned his head from one side to the other. “You don’t work here. So that vagik lied to m-!” A growl escaped his lips. He swept around and pointed at Lo. “Take her out of here before Silka thinks she’s freelancing and find that brick-faced scum. Do whatever you have to to bring him back here - and Lo… make sure you keep him alive!” Morgal started to spout words in a language that the subordinate had never heard before so it was with wide eyes that he simply watched him leave.

The man in black turned and looked to the woman who had needed to find him. She had succeeded and now he was told to escort her to some place else. He didn’t know exactly how far that extended but he would surely get a chance to figure out more about her and what she meant. He took a step towards her and then another. She spoke his native Pavi so he decided to use it with her. “Are you alright?” He came up along side of her and put a hand against the middle of her back which he used to usher her towards the door into the back hallway. He was careful to keep her on his right side and constantly looked from the corner of his blue eye to take in the way the shadows from the small candles danced upon her face. “There’s a door at the far end which let’s us out near the road. Can I keep you safe and walk you home?” He offered her a gentle smile on the right side of his face, the cerulean orb shined warmly.

The bouncer felt god next to her; proud. He grinned a bit to himself as he knew this kind of thinking was just wishing. The girls at the Curtain liked Lo because he made them feel safe and did his best to not look at their bodies so much as their faces. That didn’t mean he didn’t see the weird looks when his scars caught them offguard. Or when his soft padding allowed him to sneak up on a group and then they jump or shriek when he asks an innocent question. No, the man with two faces was an ironic representation of the akalak species in general. The blues had two souls in one body. As far as he knew, the drifter only had one soul but he had two faces. Loneliness was pounded into his brain every night at work as he watched handsome to average men take their pick of attractive women. That emptiness came home every day to an empty apartment where there was no laughter, no conversation and no joy.

Lo shook his head to chase those horrible thoughts away as they reached and passed through the exit out into the night. He stepped out first and made a few small circles to cover the immediate area. He did not want that big fellow to come back and try to harm this woman again. If he did, he’d find the business end of a kukri jammed in his handsome face. The shaking hands settled upon the blade’s hilt as eyes bounced everywhere on a scan for trouble. Satisfied that they were safe, he turned back around to his charge.

“My name is Lo. Will you allow me to-” his words vanished. When the light of Leth touched this woman, her beauty multiplied. The man was speechless and simply stood with his mouth open for several ticks before he shook his head free of the stupor. “I”m sorry. It’s just that you look so beautiful it’s almost like you’re not real.” The scarred man refused to look at her and turned his back. He couldn’t look at her and his right hand clenched his chest. He wanted to look, to stare. He wished to be a painter and a sculptor so he could immortalize her in craft but he was none of those things. In a whisper to himself, he chastised the fool who had suddenly appeared within his armor. “Stop talking, moron.”


WC1491

[Taurina]

There was confusion written on the right side of his face as her answers were spoken. He did not remember… Did not know her? A murmur of agony guttered through her. How? How could he forget? Was his mind really so fractured that nothing could be remembered? She did not believe that. She did not think him incapable of forming new memory. Not when he was still able to speak the language of their people and had told her some of what had happened during his absence last they met. It had to be something else… Something about her… It hit her suddenly like a smack in the face when the blue Akalak began leading the wine colored one out of the room and she turned to watch, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror. All beautiful lines and curves, ethereal beauty given by her god. She felt like she was going to be sick.

It had been day last they spoke. Day since he had seen her, touched her, drawn her near. Syna’s morning rays had been hot and burning and golden. Not the soft white light of Leth. Not the reign of her god so not her god gifted form. It was a struggle to breath. A struggle to realize that she was going to have to somehow make him see and understand. Her knees grew weak beneath her. A part of her thought she might fall, but enough strength challenged into her legs kept her standing. Kept her afloat if only just barely. The blue Akalak turned from the door, rage set in his eyes. It was enough to shake her from her thoughts and draw her away from the spiral she was being sent down.

Anger flooded the room as employer turned to lay into his employee for instructions left unfollowed. Taurina squeaked softly, flinching as heavy words were aimed at Azmere. She felt guilty, all this her fault because she had come instead of just waiting till morning. None of this had been meant. Getting him in trouble at his place of work certainly not. She had not expected things to go like this. Had not planned for anything besides finding him. Though, to be fair, she had not expected him to work at such an establishment either. Had expected to be directed to his place of residence or to some place he liked to frequent during the night. Nothing had gone the way she thought it would. Nothing had been how she had expected it to be.

Indigo eyes rose to stare at the man of her every affection as his words of broken common washed over the room in a clear explanation of his view of things. He seemed unafraid as he spoke, maybe even a little bit proud of what he had done. The Ethaefal did not understand the meaning of much he said, but she did catch what he called himself. “Lo”. A ripple of confusion marred her features as her head tilted just ever so slightly to the right. She thought that maybe she had understood the word wrong, but then the blue Akalak used it when addressing him and she knew that was the name he had taken. The name he had chosen for himself. Her gaze dropped back to the ground as something like disappointment clawed at her soul. The hurt that came with the knowledge was unexpected. The sting that stabbed at her heart equally so. He had not taken his name even though she had told him what it was… Had not even used a part of it. She knew it was unfair of her to have hoped he would. To have hoped he would blindly accept it as his own when he did not know what it meant, where it had come from, or who had given it to him. She swallowed hard, biting down on all that was rumbling in her soul. Not now.

The Akalak’s attention suddenly trained on her with that same anger still simmering in his face and lacing his every word. She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes, her chest inadvertently caving inwards as shoulders slumped forward. She wanted to hide, to run away, get out of this room and situation. It was unappealing to think herself a coward, but she knew she was. In situations like these, she most definitely was. There was little she could do to hide it. Little she could do to fake confidence when every bone in her body trembled in the face of one much mightier than her. She looked to her broken Ankal, a plea for help written in her gaze, before the rant suddenly stopped in the middle. Her attention returned to the blue male then as he realized she did not belong here. As he realized she was a cause of trouble, but not one that was truly his problem. He seemed more angry about the fact that the wine-colored patron had lied to him. Was angry enough about that he demanded Azmere- Lo take her out of this place and then track down the Akalak and bring him back alive. Then he left with a language she did not understand in the slightest but had heard spoken playing on his tongue.

Taurina exhaled a breath when he left, her slumped shoulders raising slightly as the charged energy of the room began to simmer down. She closed her eyes as her body swayed backwards and then forward again, hands clasping and unclasping. Her world was spinning. Emotions rising and falling in rapid succession as she attempted to make sense of all that had happened. Azmere had saved her. Somehow he had found her and rescued her without even knowing what it was he was doing. Who it was he was rescuing. Then it had gone unappreciated, nearly punished, by the one who was in charge. The guilt still weighed on her, only very slowly lifting because of how things had ended up. Azmere asked if she was alright. Eyes opened to see him moving towards her, coming near enough to see how her body still trembled with the fear that had clamped around her heart. She crossed her arms in a futile attempt to make it stop. To make herself still. It did not work. He touched the small of her back where the soft ends of her long hair brushed over his fingers as a choked sob broke free from her chest.

“No,” she admitted in a frail whimper of pavi, “I’m not alright.”

He guided her to the door with a gentle touch. They slipped through some secret entrance in the mirror before entering into the hallway lit only in candlelight. She quelled her whimpers by pressing teeth against the inside of her lower lip, wishing to cause no further troubles. He offered to take her home, keep her safe. She did not know why, he did not know her anymore, the blue Akalak had only asked him to take her out of here. Yet, she was selfish. She wanted him to take her home. She wanted that time with him so that she could tell him all of what she had found. So she could explain to him that they had met before and that she knew him. She wanted a chance to be held by him again, even if it was just hand holding hand, to feel his warmth against her own for however long he allowed. She needed that, craved it. Especially after all that had happened. Besides, he was smiling so kind and the blue of his eye was so warm.. how could she deny him?

“You can take me home,” she told him, her frail whimper turning into a trembling whisper, “I live on the other side of Riverfall. The Kuahala estates.”

They walked to the end of the hall, Taurina careful to keep her gaze firmly locked on the ground as they passed the multitude of mirrors leading to scenes better left unseen. She was glad when they reached the door, glad for the night air as it hit her face. Her gaze lifted to find the moon, taking a moment to breath as her father’s light touched her face. ‘Thank you’ she murmured in silence, to him and all the gods who had kept harm from coming to her. Somehow they had heard her and deemed her worthy of answer. Somehow that had cared enough to keep her from undergoing the torment that some foul beast had planned for her. She owed them for that. She had no idea how she would every repay such a debt, but she knew it was there. She knew someday it would come due, but not tonight. No, tonight she got to have with the guardian who had come for her.

A rosy blush flushed cheeks as starstruck words caused fire to stir in her belly. Her shy gaze fell to he who would not look at her and she smiled soft. She knew what she was, how she looked, and the effect it had. Had used it to her advantage in this city starved of women. Had used it to get drinks out of men at the Blue Bull, to gain their attention and feel it on her until she grew tired of it and left. Once she had even allowed things to go as far as a night in a stranger’s bed, but that was only once. She had regretted it instantly because of the man before her now. Because of who they had been to each other and how greatly she cared for him. Even in death she had not wanted to hurt him. Had not wanted to betray him. Perhaps it was that her soul had known his death was only a lie. Perhaps a warning from the gods to just wait a little longer. Taurina was glad that she had not slept with any others. Still regretted the fact she had slept with the one. A soft sigh escaped her lips.

“It’s Leth’s gift,” she explained gently, “this in the night.. my broken form by day.”

Taurina shook her head, her smile fading. She should have waited till morning. Should have made this as easy as possible. Too much information, too much to try and understand. And now… Now he thought her beautiful because of the face she wore. It flattered her, but the more she thought about it, the more she did not want it to be this way. He had always thought her beautiful, she knew that, but it had been different before. A connection of souls rather than an attraction of bodies. It had been both but the former before the latter. They did not have that anymore. He did not have that anymore. To him she was nothing and no one, just a pretty face in the night. When they had met in the Syna-light she had just been a piece of his past he did not understand who had made him promise to give her the gift of time. A breath shuttered and she stepped away from the door into the night.

She looked back up towards him, seeing how he clutched his chest and scolded himself for saying such things. An almost sad smile graced her lips as she stared at him in Leth’s light. She took a moment to notice that someone had cut and braided his hair, that the clothes he wore were new and there was no longer dirt covering him. He looked good aside from still being much thinner and paler than she was used to. Aside from still looking lost. He was handsome, even. She wished he thought better of himself than those scolded words suggested. That he could step into her shoes and look at himself and see what she saw. He was no villain, no lowly creature, or part of those who made up the scum of the earth. Scars might have marred his face, but his heart remained without blemish. She even found the scars beautiful. A marking of his strength and will to survive. A weaker man would not have been able to handle it. A weaker man would have broken apart at the mass turning away of all those around him because they did not know how to react to that which was different. Such fools were those who let looks keep them from seeing what was truly before them.

“Do you remember the stables?” she asked him, “the horses.. the woman who came up to you and said she knew you? Who called you Azmere?”

The Ethaefal was nervous as she spoke, her shifting from him to the ground and back again. She was sure he would get angry with her. Sure that the moment she revealed who she truly was he would think her some sort of con artist. Sure he would turn her away and never wish to speak with her again. She dared to fix her gaze on him, that fear showing in her innocent gaze.

“Please don’t be mad…” A desperate plea that rose barely more than a whisper. “That was me.. is me. I am Taurina.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

Word CountPost Total: 2,212
Overall Total: 8,080

[Azmere]

His head snapped up. The man with many colors in his eyes turned slowly to regard the beautiful creature with a raised eyebrow on his right side. There was a great deal in this world that he did not know and even more of that was true since the life he lived had been stripped from his mind. His body was raked with a warm breeze but it was the sadness in her eyes that made him shiver. She talked about being different in the day; broken. There was a word he related to almost constantly. In fact, tonight was the first time in a very long time when he had felt strong. The initial reaction to felling the larger man was purely primal. Lo had perceived it as physical action resulting in emotional satisfaction but now as he watched this woman, he started to believe something else.

What if he had reacted in such a powerful way because he was drawn to her? Was it jealousy? Selfishness? Lust? These things escaped him most of the time and when thoughts grew deep they were discarded to maintain his simple structure of making decisions and handling day to day life. Rooted in a fight for what was real and what was perceived, the man with scars ran a shaking hand along the freshly shaved side of his head. It felt strange to drag his fingers against the braids. He paused to fidget with the piece of old cloth tied among the strands. The stylist had mentioned something to him about it and he only felt that familiar ping of numbness when he tried to remember something from before.

Lo moved near her again, his hand coming around to her back but not touching her this time as before. He felt -intrusive and did his best to lift his gaze in such a way that he could steal glances of her while also appearing to look at other things. The night was his friend even though the moon was quite bright. “You can tell me more about yourself as we head towards your home.” They walked along the short road to the main one which intersected adjacent to the medical center. The eyes paused as he looked past her to the south. For no reason at all other than it seemed fair, his baritone floated a piece of information out which he had not shared with anyone, not even his employer. “Past that butcher shop is a small set of rooms named Cora.” He lifted his hand around behind her and pointed with a gently trembling hand. “That’s where I live should you ever…” The wanderer stopped and looked at her then looked down while allowing his arm to lower back to his side. He chuckled a short exclamation that made it sound like he’d had a small epiphany.

“I don’t know why I told you that. Part of me thinks it’s because I want you to always feel safe. To be alright.” His hands twitched like they wanted to add a sign or something like he had seen others do but there was no recollection of the shape. He started walking towards the bridge with slow steps to hide his limp as much as possible in a soft and casual gait. “The rest of me doesn’t have a clue.” This was whispered but she likely could have heard even though the roar of the waterfall was growing louder as they approached the academy. When she talked about the woman at the stables, the man stopped and turned to face her. His shoulders and hips opened so that he was pointed only to the gorgeous woman. His face was hard to read in the dark. The left was frozen in marbled skin that would never register emotion while the right was plagued by shadows and flickering torchlight. Azmere. He said the name in his head. He repeated it many times in different voices that he could mentally muster. Azmere. Azmere. Azmere! That numb plunk of flinging rocks into a pool of black water echoed in his soul. Was there something to the name? Or was he just wishing it to be so?

The deeper he traveled into the thought, the more his brain pleaded and tugged for him to return and address that this beautiful creature before him was the same as the cute little lass from the stables. She had been his family. She said many things that angered him and brought him hope only to drive him further into despair. Lo had trusted the gods that day. He had not ended his isolation at the promise of caramel eyes and warm skin swearing to bring him answers; to bring him back. Now this woman, different but claimed to be the same, found him at his job. She needed to talk to him. She was almost hurt because of her search for the man with many colors in his eyes. Was it just a curse that those near him were imperiled? Even without his memories, his life was toxic. If this woman was telling the truth, her desire to help him and nearly cost her a price that he could never have repaid. The swirling mass of darkness filled his soul and took him back to that place where he believed that his former life was one not of honor and goodness.

Anger. She feared him. If this was the same woman, she would know of his unstable rage and this thought made the fingers of weathered skin tremble much harder than before. He had been relaxed but now he felt on edge and to stem his twitching digits, he clasped them behind his back but this only dispersed the rattling nerves up his wrists and into his arms. He wanted to run away. Home was so close but now he had told her where to find him. He looked away south and then to the river. The soft rumble of water, heavy and pure and cold, as it tumbled down the cliff into the bay called to him. It would be easy to leave. A handful of painful steps could end it all as they took his broken body to a peaceful dive. His eyes hung upon the upcoming bridge with rimmed tears and a hollow sadness behind the wet stare. His breath had gone shallow as he thought of these things but he had not noticed.

Taurina. She said that was her name at the stables and now she claimed it again. The name stirred in his core like a leaf along in a clearing. It rode the wind of his inquiries with nothing else with which to play. A lonely leaf upon a desperate breeze made the amber and azure gaze twist to find her in the night’s embrace. Oh, how her glow softened the evil and selfish thoughts in his husk. Taurina/ A shell of who he used to be, he wished it to end when the man focused upon himself. Yet when he thought about her, even without the comfort of memories or knowledge, he felt more at peace. Taurina. The searching eyes spotted something in her hair, a contrast to the ebony braid. He reached out to touch it but drew his hand back halfway between them. “What is that in your hair?” It was a tone of sheer curiosity. He stared at it like it held all of the answers. His hand started to fall down at his side but he took a step closer to her that was so quick, his hands came up at her arms to grab her in case she tried to flee from instinct at his advance.

Desperation flooded his face as he bent into the light of a lantern that hung behind her. “Why does your name make me believe in the things you say?” The scarred man shook with uncertainty. The man with two faces cursed his empty soul. The wanderer praised the path that brought him here while the warrior stood in silence and prayed to a nameless god for his hands to stop shaking. “Taurina.” Time stopped when he said her name. His heart jumped to hear him speak the word that had been on repeat within his skull for the past few chimes. He stared into her deep, soft gaze until the storm of turmoil had passed. Confusion, longing, fear, anger and hope wrestled one another in his mind until he was forced to close his eyes so tight that his head bowed and his shaking hands fell back to his body. He wrapped one around the other to try and stem the seizures and felt only shame for his unpredictable behavior. Anchorless, he stood adrift next to this radiant being - a trophy, an obstacle or riffraff. Her responses would tell him all he needed to know. His fingers bent over one another in a sign that he did not lift from his own grasp and, in truth, he did not know he had made it. Apology.

WC1525

[Taurina]

The night hummed with a soft silence as the pair walked out into it under Leth’s brilliant glow. Before there had been a sort of quiet life to the city, but now it was as if everything had gone silent. As if the world had witnessed what had almost happened and went mute in a sort of solidarity with the woman who had survived and the man who had ensured she did. Or perhaps this was the night turning from her. Those that flourished in Leth’s light ashamed of her foolishness and naivety. Taurina could not be sure which it was, but she was inclined to go with the option that branded her a coward. It seemed fitting after the shame filled show she had put on struggling and gaining no ground against the wine skinned Akalak. Cowering when faced with the anger of the blue skinned one. Taurina swallowed and looked to the road. Fingertips absently ran down the length of her braid, an attempt to soothe her tumultuous mind. She twirled the edge around once and then twice, pressing the partially frayed end of the wrap between forefinger and thumb before letting it go. A bit of strength taken from such a simply action.

“Your home?” Taurina asked soft as it was pointed out to her, her gaze following his trembling hand.

She knew that street, she even knew those apartments. Had seen them every morning as she passed by to reach the Tuyva Sasaran for her lessons. How many times had he been home just a lot away while she was in the Sasaran taking the lessons that had failed her today? How many times had they just missed each other in the daylight? It seemed like it should have been ironic, but the Ethaefal had no humor left in her this night. She felt like the world had gone serious and her along with it.

“Thank you,” she said softly when he admitted to not knowing why he had felt the need for telling her, “for telling me.”

Taurina offered the scarred man a smile before they began on their way again. He did not know how much it meant to her for him to want her to feel safe. For him to wish her to be alright. She hoped one day he would again. That one day, whether his memories came back or not, he would be that person she was always able to go to again. That he offered up his home to her.. it gave her a light to shine in the darkness. An extra spark to the flames that had turned to embers in the ashes of her soul.

“And for saving me,” she added, “I will always be thankful for that.”

The waterfall had started roaring long before they reached the bridge. She could hear its call as her words caused Azmere to pause and turn towards her, his gazed locked as silence fell between them. She waited for the anger. She waited for the hatred. For him to tell her that he never wished to see her again. Every nerve in her being braced for it, sure that it was coming. Sure that he would not tolerate what she had done. That all he had just said about his home, about wanting her to feel safe and be alright, would be taken back. That he would say good riddance and just leave. Tears threatened her eyes at just the thought. She had spent so much time fearing she would lose him again and now she was sure that she would. Now she was sure she had cut the final chord.

It was filled with nervous energy that Taurina watched as he shifted only slightly. As he looked to the south and his the shaking of his hands worsened to reach his arms. He looked towards the river only maybe yards away, perhaps less. She swallowed. What was he thinking? What was he going to do? She braced for that too. Legs preparing to run if she needed to. Not away from him, she was certain he would never harm her, but towards him. She was not certain he would abstain from harming himself. Not after their last encounter.

He did none of which she worried. Instead he reached out towards her, fingers almost brushing against the side of her face before he pulled back. No, not her face, her hair. It became clear when his question was asked, something like pure curiosity filling his voice. Taurina knew such wandering well. Had spent her life needing to know all that she could. It brought a lopsided smile to her lips for him to exhibit such need too. Something she could share with him, a similarity she had not known of before. Perhaps it was knew. She was not completely sure.

The woman was not able to answer before he took a quick step towards her, hands reaching out to hold onto her arms. There was a slight shock, a tensing and jerking back before muscles relaxed and she pressed herself into his hands. Taking whatever warmth and comfort she could from them even as his grip trembled. He did not frighten her. Though her initial reaction had been to pull away, it was only because of his quick movement. After what had happened tonight that should not have been surprising. Taurina tilted her head slightly as she saw such desperation in his eyes. What was going through his mind? He asked about her name, why it made him believe what she said. She did not know the answer to that, but she hoped it was because their connection was more than memories. Was more meant to be rather than happenstance. When he said it… “Taurina.” She could not help but close her eyes and savor the sound. So beautiful her name was on his lips. A sweet song that inspired such a great hope and longing to stir within her.

“Azmere..” Taurina spoke gentle as she felt him drift away from her, a hand reaching out towards him, “do not pull away.. please?”

She wanted him to take her in his arms and hold her forever. Go to her home with her and never leave. She wanted to be by his side always, love him as she had never allowed herself to love him when they had been home. Be loved by him as she had desired but never asked for when they had been back home. But now was not the time for that. Now was not the time for all of her selfish desires to be laid out upon him. She pulled her hand away, fingertips grazing over his gauntlet covered forearm before she did so. Her eyes noticing the pavi sign shaped in his hand but left it unacknowledged then as he did.

“It is a wrap,” she decided to answer him instead, her hands reaching for the grayish white colored clothe entwined in her hair, “you gave it to me.”

Taurina pulled carefully at the knot in the bottom of her hair before slowly untangling the locks that had formed the braid. She was most careful to keep hold of the clothe, it her prize possession. Never had she lost it. Never was she willing to hand it over to another. Azmere was the exception. The only one she would show this piece of her heart to. Fitting, since he had been the one to give it to her. The wrap came free and she offered it to him to touch, to feel, to hold if that is what he wished for.

“It came from the blanket of your yvas,” she tried to explain to him, “what us Drykas use to ride our horses. You cut it off one morning and gave it to me to prove to me that I was apart of our people. I had… I had a hard time accepting that. You were the only reason I was ever able to.”

Taurina smiled fondly at the memory. It had been her breaking apart that had happened that day. Her learning of what being an Ethaefal meant, the price it came with. He had taken all of the pieces of her soul and bound them together with the wrap she shared with him tonight.

“I never leave home without it,” she admitted to him, “it means everything to me, just as you do.”

A soft sigh escaped her then. How would he ever be able to understand just how much he meant to her? How would he ever be able to understand why she acted the way she did around him? Why she said the things she said? Without his memories… Taurina sighed again. She tried not to go down that path. She tried to believe that even if retrieving his memories failed they would make their way back to each other. They had to. This, them.. it was meant to be. She refused to believe anything else.

“I want to believe it is because there is something greater at work here.” The artist reached out towards the warrior, a hand clasping around his trembly arm with a gentle grip. “Like whatever this is between us was set in stone from the very beginning. Of time, of life… Souls meant to find one another no matter what.”

She offered him a smile, wishing he could see it too. Wishing for him to know all that she felt. All that she knew.

“Azmere..” she spoke his name with such tenderness and care, like it was the very thing that was going to keep her alive. “I know you are lost right now. I know I probably sound crazy and strange and all sorts of weird. But I cannot believe that you returned to me for no reason. I cannot believe that it is just by luck or chance that you came here and were there that day at the stable.”

That hand left his arm so she could reach towards his face. Slowly, almost hesitantly, she touched the right side of his jaw with her fingertips. Her touch slide back so it was her palm that cupped his jaw as thumb met cheek and fingers touched cropped hair. She smiled as she touched his smooth skin, this side unmarred by the scars of the other. Then she reached out with the other hand and did the same thing to the scarred side of his face, her smile growing. He was still so beautiful to her.

“Do not apologize to me,” she told him, her voice almost stern but too soft for her to sound truly mad, “never apologize to me, in sign or otherwise. You have no reason to.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

Word CountPost Total: 1,794
Overall Total: 9,874

[Azmere]

The man watched her from the corners of his vision. She was timid and uncertain even as she stood more radiant than any he had seen in this city full of beauty and wonder. This was something he could not fathom no matter how hard he tried. She thanked him for trusting her then again for saving her. He wanted to thank her for the chance. Something had led her to seek him out and that had put her in peril. The thoughts of toxicity filled his mind again but they were swept away i a breeze that made the light dance upon her skin and it forced his breath to catch in his throat. The woman watched him like a hawk and he drifted about in his mind trying to lock hold of his strangely weak imagination as the falls bellowed in the background.

“I think I’d do just about anything to save you.” His face looked surprised by his own words and a fear took over his expression. Where did that come from? The voice that spoke was calm and even but the face that released the words seemed to be in turmoil over the statement. He found himself longing for the electricity they had shared a moment ago and yet fully aware that he would not be able to sustain it for long. She overwhelmed him in every sense including the ones which existed beyond the physical world. His soul scratched at the walls of nothingness where it had been caged. Whatever had placed him there certainly did a thorough job of isolating the spirit of the warrior.

She begged him to not pull away. Taurina- beautiful sadness, reached for him. There was a pause and then she addressed his previous question. Graceful fingers untwisted the braid until the small piece of fabric was produced. Wide-eyed and shivering hands moved over the wrap until his fingers hovered above the item that he had supposedly given to her. Before he took it, a final glance lifted to her face for a final confirmation from the eyes that swallowed him in their luminescence. He pinched the thing and withdrew into himself to reduce the quaking hands even if only a small amount. He studied it, rubbed the material between his fingers then handed it back. He remember nothing but could see no reason why she would lie about such a thing- especially as to go so far to always wear it. No one would do that with a meaningless trinket or something meant to be a joke.

The story she told swept him away to the grasslands for a moment and he felt a familiar feeling creep up his spine like the first time he saw the horses with the knights and the same with the stallions at the stables a few days ago. Lo-Azmere thought on these things and feelings as he tried not to stare at Taurina. Taurina. Her name filled him with warmth even though the emptiness swallowed it and quickly buried it beneath the cold hollow feeling in his gut. Her next words might as well have been a mighty hammer for his knees nearly gave out though it might have appeared as a chill to her. How can I mean everything to someone I do not know? His heart wept silently and alone. How can I ever live up to that which I can’t remember? His body ached as if he’d been beaten a thousand times over by the giant blue monstrosities that rules the city where they stood.

Taurina’s touch was like ice that did not burn but soothed the deepest burns. HIs arm shook slightly more under her touch but after a few ticks it eased into almost nothing. The starburst eyes turned to look at the shimmering skin over his weathered canvas. More beautiful words filled his head but he did not have time to process such statements for that healing touch ran up against his cheek. The man instinctively turned into her caress and closed his eyes as the voices in his mind stopped. The headaches and body aches ceased almost instantly as she held his face in her hand. When the second one ran against his scars, water held in rims beneath his eyes fell down his cheeks unchecked but he did not make a sound nor did his face curl into a mask of sobs and discomfort. Peace held sway over him as he reveled in the stillness that she brought. His hands slowly rose until his fingertips graced her elbows. Rough fingers trembled as they crawled up along her lithe muscles and tender skin until his large and rough hands covered her own.

“Who are you, Taurina?” He whispered as his face creased behind a wave of emotion that drove him harder against her palms. The woman’s touch seemed to seal the cracks and ease the fears. Even if she couldn’t restore his memories, the gentle givings of affection had made his night the first since he could remember where he did not feel alone. As he pressed and slowly rolled his face against her hands, his own grip keeping her in place, his body perceived some kind of need that radiated from the young woman. He slowly looked up and lowered her hands though he did not release them. “I still have a job to do.” He choked on the words and stifled a cough. His eyes read of a longing to linger but there was something deep inside of him that knew they were exposed.

The peace she had given him remained and his hands still quivered but not as much as they had before. He held her in his hands and with his gaze as the blue and gold eyes searched her face for answers. She had claimed him for some reason and he felt that in her touch and in her words. There was no way for him to describe it, simpleton that he was, but he knew -deep down- that this was right. “We should keep moving.” He turned to start walking towards the bridge then stopped as he didn’t want to let go of her hands but was unsure how he could walk and hold on to her. His eyes unveiled all of his thoughts as they stared from his hands to her eyes. The endless way he shifted his weight to give his weak leg time to rest and the nervous expression all told of a desire to stay near her that wrestled with an innate knowledge to take Taurina to safety.

Unbeknownst to him, djed began to pull itself from his palms and slowly cover the woman in a thin film of magic born from within the wanderer. The azure and amber stare leaned in towards her while his hands pulled her hands down by his sides as a way to close their bodies within a few inches. His breath caught her own and his nose filled with her scent which fired a chain of lightning down his spine. His gaze never left her own as the right side of his face expressed a deep nervousness and his voice would not have woken a dragonfly. “I don’t know how to walk and hold on to you…” It was as innocent as a child’s thought but he was completely serious. The vagabond simply stood there not-quite-pressed upon the gorgeous woman with all the awkwardness of a teenage boy and yet somehow, he filled the space with his body as it continue to subconsciously pour djed into a protective layer down her arms. Please don’t let go. His eyes pleaded. She was warm and made him feel needed like she gave him purpose- or that she was his purpose. To a normal man, these might be dangerous thoughts but to the bouncer with no memories… it was like seeing in color for the first time.

[Taurina]

Pretty words that made her blush as they curled warm around her fractured heart poured from his lips. He looked surprised, scared, but it mattered not. Just that he had said them, that a piece of him cared so much about her, was enough. It was all that she could ask for, more than she could ask for, because things had changed and she was no longer to him what she had been. To him, she was not one whom he had promised to always be there for. To him, she was not one he had claimed as his own. No army, he had once said, and no god would ever take her from their home, only she could make that choice. And she had made that choice. She had foolishly made that choice. And yet, he had still come for her. Whether he knew it or not, he had come for her. Her Azmere, wherever he was tangled up in the core of the man before her, had found her and all that had gone wrong did not matter anymore. Did not matter because when he was near, when they touched, it was fire and light and all the wrongs made right.

“Let me save you.” Was Taurina’s gentle spoken response. “I will be okay now. Let me save you instead.”

The wrap was tied around the curl of her right horn when he handed it back to her, the time not taken to tangle it within another braid. She had more important things on her mind for once. Something more important to do. To touch him, to let him know she was near and feel as his shaking arm become so near still. Her little smile which had not faded grew at the simple thing that was his tremors becoming still. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as breath caught and heart pulsed. This was what it was to care for him as he had cared for her so many times before.

Tears born of something that was not sorrow or torment began to fall as her gentle touch brushed across the paths of his many scars. Taurina’s smile faded into something more serious as she wiped over each eye with a gentle caress of her thumb. She could not put words to what she felt, could not put words to what he was feeling, but she knew it was something right. Something good. Something needed, necessary. His hands shook again when he brought them to her elbows. She feared for a tick that he wished to pull her away, but he did not. Instead his touch filled her with warmth as he brought his hands to cover her own. A peace settled over her. A calm that she wished to understand but did not need to. Not this moment.

Tears threatened her own eyes as he asked such a simple question. Her body rocked as knees became weak and the only thing keeping her upright was his tightened grip upon her hands. A gaze of indigo lined in silver rose to meet his gaze of stars, her lip trembling as she leaned nearer him but did not come close enough to touch his body with her own. She felt that if she did, if she allowed herself to collapse against him, she might never stand on her own to feet again. That once she was in his arms, there would be no letting go of him again. She did not even want to release him as things were now.

“No one,” she breathed as tears began to spill over in slow succession, “no one important. No one special. Except maybe, maybe, to you. Once… hopefully again.”

Another soft stroke of her thumbs ran down his cheeks, rougher than before due to the weight of his grip over her hands keeping them in place as he pressed his face against her palms. She wanted to say more, explain more, tell him all that weighed on her heart. All that was rolling and boiling within her. But he was remembering where they were and what they were meant to be doing. The home he was suppose to be walking her to. He lowered her hands from his face, his hold upon them remaining as he drew them down to his sides and brought her nearer as he did so. He spoke of the job he still had to do. Her gaze turned sad, her heart sending an aching pulse through her. She did not wish to go home. She did not wish for their time to end and to have to go back to being as alone as she was before. The burden of his lost memories was so much easier to bear when he was beside her. When the weight was shared.

“Azmere..” her voice was just a whisper, a whimper trapped in her throat as hands tightened in his own.

She had seen the longing in his eyes. Knew he would have rather lingered as well, but he was right. Despite herself and what she wanted, she knew he was right. It was better to get moving. At the rate they went now it would be morning before they reached the apartment, perhaps afternoon. Taurina could have staid there by the bridge with him forever. If only such a thing were possible. If only time would freeze so they could have lingered in this moment for as long as their hearts desired. But time did not bow to their whims. Did not care about their desires. So he insisted they get moving and her agreement hesitantly came. Though movement did not last long as hands remained clasped together, neither wanting to let the other go.

Taurina could not hold in her smile as she looked down to their hands and then up to his eyes, finding his gaze doing the same. Her gaze held a gentle sort of playfulness that delighted in his shared longing to remain close to her. His weight was ever shifting, his grip pulling her closer once more. Mere inches, less, separated them now, so easy it would have been to wrap her arms around him and close every gap. The temptation was great, but there was still that voice in her head that told her it was too soon. That told her she would only push him away if she brought him closer. She struggled to make it quiet. In the end, it was Azmere who did that for her. Such nervousness marred his face as he admitted to not knowing how to hold on and walk at the same time. As he admitted not wishing to let her go. Her smile grew a little bit.

“Then don’t let go,” she spoke gentle, calm, but also so relieved.

She began to shift then, moving to his side instead of in front of him. Slowly, so slowly so as to not spook him and also to make sure this would work for him, she draped his left arm across her shoulders. Her left arm bent up at the elbow so her hand could take hold of his, fingers intertwined loosely but firm enough that the hold would not slip without one of them trying to break it. Her right arm wrapped around his waist, finding his other hand should he give it to her. If not she just let her hand rest at his side, content with that. There was an awkwardness to this hold. Not quite comfortable, but not uncomfortable either. There was a closeness to it too. A closeness that they had not had for what felt like an age. Taurina leaned into it, a warmth spreading through her where all had been cold before. She never wanted to let go.

“Is this alright? Tell me if your leg hurts,” as gentle of a demand as a demand could be, “or if you’re uncomfortable.”

Her innocent gaze lifted to meet his own, eyes searching for anything he might be hiding. She rested her face against his shoulder for a tick, nuzzling against his warmth before pulling away so that they might actually walk. His scent surrounded her now. It was different but also the same. It was the smell of this city, of flowery shampoos and oils from some luxury bath that overwhelmed most, but beneath it she found earth and something sweet. The scent she had always known him to have.

“There’s my Azmere,” she whispered into his shoulder the moment she noticed it, unable to keep the words at bay, “different, but the same. Still there. Not lost, just hidden. So much of you hidden away.”

She smiled up at him then, not an ounce of sadness in her face.

“We’re going to get it all back. I have a plan,” she promised him, “but if it fails, I want you to know that it will be alright. That we will figure it out. Together. No matter what comes. I promise.”

Common | Pavi | 'Thoughts'

[Azmere]

The man with two faces stood a moment and listened to her words. She wanted to save him. He wasn’t entirely clear on what that meant but he was not concerned in the slightest. Taurina had proven that she cared for him. Taurina. The name sent a shock down his spine and split off into each limb until the tingling reached his feet and fingers. The woman smiled at him with her entire face. The full, thick lips and shimmering eyes worked in tandem to put his doubts and fears at ease. Her thumbs wiped away his tears. Her body leaned against him. The more he held her hands, the more she pressed into their space and brought him to a place he didn’t recognize. His body tingled and trembled with a longing that welled up from somewhere deep down. Blood rushed up to meet his cheeks and it warmed his face.

He couldn’t hide the shock on the right side of his face when she verbally doubted herself. How could this woman be no one? The water that tried to fill her eyes broke something inside of him and he took one of his hands from her grip. He cupped the side of her face, the weathered hand still shook slightly but Lo or Azmere was able to keep a firm and consistent pressure to support her waning strength. She said his name, the one she knew him to be. It was so soft, that his hand drew her closer for a tick before their bodies began to move. The momentary pause prior to their little dance warmed the core of his body so suddenly that it made the scarred man want to shed his armor.

The way she moved them around did not make sense to the bouncer, yet he did not struggle or resist her. Everytime he touched the woman, more djed slipped from his grasp and smoothed over the shape of the slender woman. He kept hearing his supposed name repeat in his mind just as she had said it. The choked tone, soft and wanting, haunted his mind even as his arm was draped over her shoulders. Then she interlaced their fingers and drew him in by the waist. Without prompting, his free hand found the one that rested on his side and closed around it. Her delicate fingers were silky and seemed to fit exactly between his own. Her shoulder nestled under his arm as if they had been made to stand like this and the man took comfort in that.

“No, it feels good. It feels…” He paused and looked down at the gorgeous woman with shimmering skin as she rested her head against his body. “Natural.” The air was cool with the mist of the falls and the roar of the water had not stopped but Azmere believed them to be in their own little world. Taurina told him that he was not lost, just hidden. She said she had a plan. The man started walking towards the bridge and led her along in the process. It took a few steps to make the connected march work. Such a simple task as walking became a complicated task when two people had to do it together. The scarred man didn’t mind. It felt right to be walking with her under his arm.

As they crossed the rushing river, the gold and blue gaze turned to see the mist cloud dancing along the edge of the falls and he noticed the thousand tiny shards of color that danced within the light of the moon. He didn’t pause but his mind focused upon its beauty for a few ticks. Then with a slight grin on half of his face, he turned to look at her. The moon made her radiant and the half braided hair was the perfect amount of tussled mess but he had no way to describe her eyes. They captured him, held him hostage and had broken down the walls of every prison he felt within his mind and soul. She stripped him bare without anything other than her stare and his mouth elected to expose his inner musings without asking for his permission. “Not even the waterfall is as beautiful as you are.” His arm instinctively pulled her closer against his side. She had called him hers. My Azmere. Does that mean that she was his? He smiled at the thought of belonging to someone.

They walked onward and Azmere admired the massive structure of the arena. Next, they came to the place where the massive tower of one of the gods. The noise from the building across from it was filled with drunken laughter and music as well as other types of revelry and belligerence. He did his best to ignore it but he needed to take a brief pause. Walking was not a hard task but the tissue in his leg ached and his desire to stare at the white stone tower was stronger than the last time he crossed this way.

The gaze filled with broken stars followed the spiraling staircase up and to the top deck where it reached towards the sky. Sometime was connecting him to this place but he did not know where it came from. He leaned upon the warmth of the woman under his arm. The sweet smell of her body and the flowered fragrance of her hair caused him to turn his head while keeping his eyes fixed on the tower. He pressed his cheek against her hair and craned his neck until his lips felt the elegant fibers of black hair. The warrior closed his eyes and inhaled her- took her into his being. That same tingle rippled through his body again and he curled his arm tighter until there was no space between their bodies. “Tell me about this plan of yours.” The scarred man knew very little of the world or at least he remembered next to nothing but if it meant he could spend more time with her by his side, he would listen to any speech she cared to make.