Completed Red is my favorite color [Eosi please]

[Leo Varniak]

If Leo realized how shameless he was being, he did not seem to show it. He was the same Leo Zaital who had once shot a fireball at Akajia; he may torture himself over something for months on end, but once his mind was made he knew no hesitation. In the grim things as well as the sweet he was implacable, and when he wanted something with all his essence he made no pretense to the contrary. That he managed to embarrass Eosi with his not-so-veiled references was so very endearing, but he already knew her well enough to be certain that she enjoyed his attention. He was nothing if not single-minded in his focus, and attention was one thing he had never lacked. For better or worse, she had that attention completely to herself. Leo hoped it would forever be for the better.

And while he had never needed or overly enjoyed compliments, hers filled him with inexplicable pride and fulfillment. He knew she was sincere, and her admiration not easily given. "And you are the country where no maps are needed, as the traveler can't help but desire to be lost," he reciprocated easily, from the heart. Such things he could think of, if he put his mind into it; but it had always been employed for sterner ends. Hearing himself speak like this was at the same time strange and revealing on a personal level. So Leo Zaital could be this? For her? A true lion as opposed to the fire ant he'd been so far?

When Eosi explained, in more detail than was really necessary, how it might be best if she accompanied him into Godiva's to keep anything unpleasant from going on, Leo simply made a humming sound with a half-smile. "But I could answer those questions very well indeed," he gave an innocent mock shrug and let the matter drop. She was a honorable woman and he'd never do anything to damage her in any way... still, the harmless thrill of rule-breaking was something he might revisit with her later on. There were so many things, and his life such a limited segment in time, threatened by all kinds of danger, that he wanted to pack as much raw experience with Eosi as he could, in as short a time as possible. It may not have been the healthiest thing, but it was the right thing. He wanted no regrets when his flame was finally extinguished.

Not having been able to recognize his father Alvias was actually one of Leo's most painful mistakes. He simply hated leaving unfinished business behind, and while he'd never really met the man as a father he still felt a strange attachment to him. He thought Eosi could understand him. That she fully realized what they were going to become - legends - certainly reassured him. Indeed, there would be no happy ending. This had been very clear to Leo from the start, and it was a rare woman who could embrace that finality without flinching, simply out of love and devotion. The urge to embrace her was strong. Later on he would, and not all their embraces would be filled with consuming heat. There would be reflection also, and gratitude, resonance and healing. He would drink as greedily from that fount as all the others if the fountainhead bore Eosi's likeness.

Her reaction to his mention of the Akalaks surprised him with its intensity, and he actually found himself murmuring a word of apology for even suggesting the thing in jest. She apparently took great pride in her essence as a strong, independent woman. Leo made a mental note to never bring up the subject again. As for her life story, he took great interest in it and pressed himself a little closer to her as he listened. As expected, she had all reasons and none at all for coming to Riverfall. One may very well call this chain of events pure happenstance, but Leo knew better. There had to be something, something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. It was all good, however. He knew this couldn't be the full story and a time would come when it would be unraveled. He smiled back and his right hand tucked a rogue strand of red hair back into place. Could he come up with any more excuses for touching her?

Her question came unexpected as they traversed the gates and made it into the city proper. "Ah, my first kiss," he trailed off. "I was fourteen, I think. It was shortly before... yet another dark tale coming up, my love. Leaving that for later, she was a very normal baker's daughter and perhaps the only chance I might have had at a normal life. But I... scared her away, so to speak." It wasn't hard to imagine at all. He had always had a way of doing that. "My life came crashing down shortly afterwards, and romance was the last thing on my mind. I had darker interests by then. You could say I became obsessed with the meting out of justice." He was not going to hide anything from her, if only she decided to ask. They were similarly shaded, after all.

His face brightened as he prepared to answer the second half of the question. "The time when I first felt grateful to be alive... it may very well be today, being next to you." He meant it, as he meant everything he said. "There was another time of great epiphany, but in a completely different way. Our journey to Ivak's prison took us into the depths of Semele, deeper than any mine or cave in the world. No man of flesh and blood can make it that far, so I was made into something other than flesh and blood. I became one with the elements, you see... there are no words for it, my love. To be fire and earth and air and water, one with the endless flow of things. All my problems seemed so petty and distant. I was free. I remained in that state for well over a year, and I almost forgot my mission." He wished he could have explained it better, but words failed him. The experience wasn't a human one. "In the end, though, it came back to me and I emerged on the other side, fully remade. Just like I had been, but changed. Maybe one day I'll be good enough at using my mark to share those feelings with you." He sounded hopeful. He knew she would want to feel it, too.

[Eosi]

Leo was pleased by her words and replied with a compliment of his own: "And you are the country where no maps are needed, as the traveler can't help but desire to be lost." She blushed prettily but said nothing. His eloquence far outclassed her own. Eosi now knew she had initially assessed him wrong. He truly was a romantic in his own unique way. It was surprising, actually. Leo had shifted as well as she had, though in a far more subtle way. At first glance he seemed dry, intellectual and very nearly detached. From their brief interaction she’d assumed he would be interested in a working relationship and nothing more. Common sense should have alerted her to the fire that smoked beneath his seemingly placid exterior. The man was an agent of Ivak. That should have been enough. But appearances truly could deceive, if one maintained them well enough.

Her lover remained defiant. She could see the machination hidden beneath his feigned innocence. "But I could answer those questions very well indeed," he said with an apathetic shrug of his shoulders. Eosi grinned at him, knowing full well that he’d do as he pleased regardless of what she might say. For better or worse, Leo Zaital was a battering ram. She gave a helpless little sigh and shook her head. He had leave to act as he wished, but in no way was he fooling her. The young warrior was far too keenly observant for that level of deception. Still if he wished to take her in the night, against a building, in the town square… Any resistance would be half-hearted and overcome in short order. Eosi was his.

Having a window into the young priest’s soul was double edged. It gave her great joy and great sorrow. Every pained expression hurt her just as well. Watching him wrestle with the recollection of innocence lost put a hole in her chest. It was so strange how immediately and utterly they’d been tethered to one another. The sensation was as if Ivak himself had slipped a coil of rope around their wrists so they’d stand together - even until the end of days. There was no complaint in her. In fact, as her partner slipped out of his grim expression she gave a contented little purr. They were well across the waterfall by then, and he went to answering her inquiries.

"Ah, my first kiss," he became contemplative. "I was fourteen, I think. It was shortly before... yet another dark tale coming up, my love.” He was riddled with dark tales, it seemed. Had he ever enjoyed the fruit of a happy ending? ”Leaving that for later, she was a very normal baker's daughter and perhaps the only chance I might have had at a normal life.” Of course, the catch was rapidly approaching. Leo Zaital did not have a normal life. Something obviously went awry. ”But I... scared her away, so to speak." They’d run aground at the crux of it. Whatever happened must have inspired the worry he now held within. Eosi could see it eat away at him each time his disconsolate stare trailed off into empty space. ”My life came crashing down shortly afterwards, and romance was the last thing on my mind. I had darker interests by then. You could say I became obsessed with the meting out of justice."

Desperately she wanted to pry further, but they were nearly to the Gull. He filled the space by replying to her alternate question. "The time when I first felt grateful to be alive... it may very well be today, being next to you." Her grin broke out into a brilliant smile. He was too good to her, already. Leo meant everything he said. ”Me too,” she whispered. It was hard not to feel the same. Her life had been wonderful and terrible in equal parts, but never had she felt so… Invigorated, renewed, alive.

"There was another time of great epiphany, but in a completely different way. Our journey to Ivak's prison took us into the depths of Semele, deeper than any mine or cave in the world. No man of flesh and blood can make it that far, so I was made into something other than flesh and blood. I became one with the elements, you see...” He’d done such incredible things. He became pure djed, then? That was the only rational interpretation of what he’d just said. Eosi looked over him in pure amazement. There are no words for it, my love.” He continued. ”To be fire and earth and air and water, one with the endless flow of things. All my problems seemed so petty and distant. I was free. I remained in that state for well over a year, and I almost forgot my mission." For a moment she was still, grasping for some frame of reference. He was right; what phrase could represent a feeling that didn't exist in their current, fleshy state? Language was a human conceit. Nature had no use for it. ”Remarkable,” she breathed. That was about all she could manage as a reply.

"In the end, though, it came back to me and I emerged on the other side, fully remade. Just like I had been, but changed. Maybe one day I'll be good enough at using my mark to share those feelings with you." Eosi reverted back to the smile. ”No wall can stand between us.” In essence, they’d share everything. Being two individuals capable of tasting emotion… There could be no barrier between them. Leo and Eosi would experience every little nuance of the other. That sense of completeness brought her immense joy, like she’d never felt before.

They stood before the cozy little establishment. Wordless, she led him across the threshold and into the ambient front room where guests were received. The server that stood to usher them to their seats reviewed her simple appearance critically, but said nothing. The two of them were a strange sort to be seeking such an expensive meal. They weren’t dressed extravagantly enough to fit with the other patrons. Still, they were seen to a table and asked politely for their drink orders. Eosi looked at Leo for a lingering moment, and her cheeks bloomed again. ”Wine, please.” The server gave a curt nod. She was suddenly feeling the cowardice. The idea that he’d have every part of her drove her to drinking. It was so very unlike her. ”You, sir?” The woman inquired with a level stare.

[Leo Varniak]

Reminiscing about his stay among the elements had left Leo with an inexplicable sensation as he realized the experience had been both alike and completely different to the way Eosi could make him feel. Both carried a sense of being in the right place, being where he was supposed to be. Merging with the elements had brought him a feeling of the deepest ataraxia, though. While not apathetic in the least, it had taken most of his human reasoning away, replacing it with the endless flow of something large and incomprehensible, a mechanism of perpetual wonder. Eosi was multiplying everything that was human about him in a way that would have made Ivak proud, and she needed no mark to do it. It was completely, tangibly alive and present in the world; a flow of a different kind.

The way she was drinking his words made him wish she would speak a little more, but he was coming to know her quite well. For every word said, three hundred more lay behind her eyes, unsaid or maybe kept in store for later. He made a point to try and coax more detail out of her by whatever sweet means he could find. She had a lovely voice, meant to be heard more often. He would have to gently twist the conversation in her direction. As they walked side by side, he felt a strange pride at her presence next to him. He was suddenly aware of how uncommon her behavior must have seemed even to herself. Eosi seemed very much like the type to project her aura on others; that she was allowing him to do it to her spoke of the heights of her feelings for Leo.

Would he able to treat her the way she deserved? Would she end up taking an arrow meant for him? Suddenly all empty corners were crawling with assassins. It had been remarkably easy so far, with only himself to take care of. Companionship always came as a double-edged sword, and he knew he would never be allowed to forget this for even a single moment. Still, he smiled back at Eosi as his tale came to an end. "I pity the wall that thinks otherwise," he remarked, letting her guide him inside. It was his first time in years having a meal in an expensive establishment, and they did look rather out of place here, but the atmosphere seemed private and cozy enough for his tastes.

Leo looked around, mindless to the staff's disapproving gaze. He knew he hadn't brought his good clothes, and he'd be hard-pressed to care. Rarely had the Gull hosted a more distinguished clientele, at any rate. Still, he was faultlessly polite, as he had been taught. He knew better than to hold Eosi's seat for her, although he was tempted to. He wasn't going to take any more of her pride from her on this day. He thought it strange that she blushed when requesting the wine, and it did block the instant refusal he would otherwise have voiced. Leo had always abhorred the very idea of alcohol. It was one of the things reminding him of Allistir Varniak's meaty fingers either curled into fists or pressing around his mother's throat... Leo could still remember the last time he'd been in a tavern with Sondra, looking at her sternly over her mug of beer and insisting for her to quit the drink.

Still, Eosi's blush did not go unnoticed and Leo made the obvious connection. She was only drinking to gather her courage. It was a tiny, but important show of weakness, and his refusal would only manage to make it all the more apparent. Catching himself, Leo nodded at the waiter and somehow managed to say: "The same, please." He didn't plan on drinking more than a token amount, but he wouldn't have her drinking alone. The server gave the shadow of a bow and retreated without a word. Leo thought he noted a slight apprehension in his feelings over the customers' ability to pay, but paid no great notice to it. He was seated politely, the way Lina had taught him from a very early age. He met Eosi's hazel eyes across the table, and for a while he was content with that sight and nothing else. Then his hand slipped towards his copy of the menu and he opened it casually in front of him. One look at the list informed him that the house's specialty was, indeed, the prices. "Why don't you choose for me?" he ventured, searching her face for a reaction. "You have my complete trust." He thought the little but significant reversal of leadership might please her, and he was no gourmet. He ate to live and didn't live to eat.

The server returned with a bottle of red wine that he uncorked expertly in front of them. He filled Eosi's glass first and then Leo's before setting the bottle down on the table. He would then stay a little longer in the event the two of them were ready to order, but would leave if they still needed some time.

[Eosi]

Leo was all but oblivious to the disapproval aimed at them. Eosi knew he felt it; he had to, given his particular talents. Yet there wasn’t a single shred of love lost between him and the other patrons. They assumed their seats without remark or incident and she’d already ordered her wine. What struck her as odd was the clear flash of distaste in his eyes when she did. Leo choked out his reply: "The same, please." The young woman eyed him critically. There was no rhyme or reason to it, given her pointed lack of experience with the young man. Concerned and yet unable to express the feeling with speech, she instead bit her lip. He’d know how she’d felt when seeing his reaction. It prompted some bizarre, circular communication between the two of them. He’d react to something physically, in turn igniting her emotions, which he would then read. Not having his gift put her on the short end of their interaction, which was uncomfortable to say the least. Eosi was not okay with being so transparent while he remained a mystery. There wasn’t really a way to remedy that either. Not yet.

He opened the menu with a negligent air, giving it a cursory glance. His gaze returned immediately. "Why don't you choose for me?" He was clearly dodging responsibility for his own meal. "You have my complete trust. For a moment, she indulged in admiring him. Eosi couldn’t tell if her quiet sensibility bothered him or not. There was really no way to tell. She followed the curve of his jaw to the soft divet of his temple. Her eyes admired the straight angle of his nose and the clear frustration in his eyes that she no doubt would incite. Her face was content, lips pulled up into a crooked and mischievous line. Eosi prided herself on being troublesome at times. It was her right as a woman, after all. She maintained this smirking silence until the waiter’s return, her eyes never once flitting back to the menu.

After the wine was distributed, he readied his tiny pad for them to order. Before the poor individual could find the will to even ask, she answered: ”We’ll both have the sea bass, thank you.” His reaction was somewhat mollified. ”Yes… Of course.” He replied. Eosi’s curt tone left no room for debate and darkly, he stalked off toward the kitchen. Her eyes never stopped committing Leo’s every detail to memory. After a few ticks, she broke into a small laugh. ”I hope you like seafood.” If not, he’d be struggling through two separate items of the meal. Still, that was the danger of leaving it up in the air. She’d feel no guilt if he disliked her selection. After all, she couldn’t read his mind. Not exactly. The time would come where she’d know by instinct what he wanted. Eosi would know his heart.

”Does it bother you?” Her silence. He’d know what she meant. With that, she showed her teeth. ”I have not always been so reticent.” She picked up the wine glass and drew from it delicately. Her thumb and forefinger held the fragile stem from the top of its neck. The woman inhaled deeply through her nostrils, then released a sigh. ”I spoke often and at great length as a child. It led to heartbreak. For that reason, I don’t reveal much.” With a mysterious little grin, she swirled the crimson liquid about in its glass. ”You must desire to know my mind.” It was not a question. He drank from the water of her heart, yet could not know her thoughts. That she still had to herself. As if enjoying a private joke, she lightly chuckled. ”It’s driving you mad.” The fire from the wine already shot through her veins. With a show of bravado, her eyes narrowed seductively. ”It’s driving you crazy.” She purred.

That was more the woman she knew. Once over the newfound innocence, she could truly demonstrate some of her more sensual qualities. Taking another sip of her drink, she cocked a challenging brow. ”Mmm,” she crooned, again setting it down. ”Is this something you like…” Her voice trailed. ”Or something you dislike? My mind is your library. Choose a volume and read.” A taste of his own medicine might do him some good.

[Leo Varniak]

Communicating with one's lover was apparently an artform in and of itself. There were just so many hints to pick up, little gestures to be interpreted, actions and reactions and causes and consequences. One might even call it a science. It had never occurred to Leo just how much interaction went even into the simplest exchange between two people sharing a link. He was learning, though was he learning fast enough? He saw her bite her lip as he hesitated over ordering wine and finally did. Was she wondering? Was she inquiring? He thought he sensed a tinge of curiosity, but he couldn't be sure over what. Probably over his obvious distaste for the drink. The truth, Leo still hadn't unlocked his mark to the fullest potential, or, more accurately, he hadn't probed the depth of human feelings to such an extent as to reveal all their nuances, especially when they weren't overwhelming. Eosi's heart held so many shades, his eye would have to get sharper to read it in full.

Her particular choice of meal quietly begged his brow to rise a little. Seafood? It wouldn't have been Leo's first choice, nor what he had imagined Eosi's first choice would be. For some reason he had imagined her going for meat. It may have been the bow suggesting the idea of hunting, or the woman's predatory attitude to things, but he could have sworn she would go for steak instead. Something you could cook with fire, not something spawned from water! Still, it was her right to pick and Leo had no true objections. He supposed that pretty much anything in such a high-class establishment was going to taste remarkably good. Well, at least he hoped so. She certainly managed to surprise him sometimes. Seafood.

"Like it? I think we're going to find out soon," he replied with a small grin. "Let's just say it wasn't a staple of my diet in Syliras." Leo tried not to think about the meal. Her presence was not exactly conducive to most kinds of eating. The knot in the pit of his stomach and the tingling in the middle of his mark had not subsided. He regarded the wine in his glass with a pensive look about his eyes. It truly looked like blood in this light. What was that old adage again? Wine is man's worst enemy, but the man who runs from his enemies is a coward. He was about to break his own greatest taboo for the sake of Eosi Barlowe, whom he'd only known for less than half a day. How incredibly dangerous she was. Who really held power over whom was up for debate.

He looked up from the glass and watched her help herself to the forbidden nectar. His eyes rested on her lips as they set themselves against the edge, but he turned his gaze away, blushing at the inappropriateness of the images coming to his mind. The alcohol seemed to have an instant effect on her, releasing her inhibitions. He frowned slightly, mostly in concentration rather than displeasure, as Eosi teased him about her silence. He could already sense his breath getting shorter, and became acutely aware of his lungs inside the body. He felt his lips dry and licked them while her eyes narrowed on him. What could he possibly say to that? Leo was a truthful person. He omitted things when it suited him, but what he said was always true. The truth required little explanation. "Yes." The word fell somewhere between a whisper and an actual word.

More wine? Was that healthy on an empty stomach? Leo could not have stopped her. He studied her wordlessly but with obvious eagerness. She taunted him with his ignorance of her, and the truth of it almost made his blood boil. Truly, he could know her emotions but not their true source. Her reasonings still dwelt in worlds he wasn't privy to, or he would have known about the seafood. His fingers wrapped around the glass and he dared himself to take a sip before responding. A part of him cringed, as if he were about to fall into some abyss, and the taste flooded his mouth. It was surprisingly warm even though it must have been served at room temperature. It felt even warmer as it went down. Almost instantly, Leo's sharp survival sense noticed that his field of vision had narrowed ever so slightly, but the warmth in his chest was not unpleasant in the least.

He set down his glass and gave his answer. "It's both things and more, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He swirled the red liquid in the manner he'd seen her do. He was getting a glimpse of her darkness, and his darkness would reply in kind. "If I could read your mind, I would be deprived of the pleasure of pulling it out of you word by word, letter by letter. It's the eternal struggle of the fisherman and the fish. One casts the line and pulls, the other bites and pulls. Our roles appear to be... fluid." He gave a smile that conveyed both affection and the joy of the hunt. He was certainly loving every second of it. "You will not be reticent forever."

[Eosi]

Her lover’s face was priceless. At the mention of sea bass, his eyes widened slightly. Truth be told, the woman wasn’t particularly fond of seafood either. Eosi sometimes did things arbitrarily, simply for the shock value. She wore an ironic little grin, secretly pleased at his confusion. A little mischief was healthy here and there. "Like it?” His reply was still somewhat congenial. “I think we're going to find out soon," He wore a grin of his own. Leo’s handling of the situation was rather graceful. He was willing to tolerate her little rebellion with tact, which spoke well of him. "Let's just say it wasn't a staple of my diet in Syliras."

She seemed pleased with the outcome. ”You’ll have to forgive me.” Lightly amused, she stared down into the burgundy pool of her wine. ”I intentionally betray your preconceptions.” Her eyes trailed up to meet his. ”You look very innocent when disarmed.” She smoldered from beneath frayed lashes. There was nothing wrong with how he looked normally. Eosi simply enjoyed her unique power to see him at his essence. Leo could be himself around her; now she was attempting to learn what made him most vulnerable. It was a matter of testing the boundaries.

The Azenth regarded his glass of wine cautiously. Intrigued, she watched his facial expression shift. There was some hesitance there, especially in the set of his jaw. ”You don’t have to drink it.” She spoke softly, mercifully. No matter what his reasons were, she’d never push Leo into doing something he wasn’t comfortable with. Eosi was determined to have him feel safe. He’d been to hell and back. Leo Zaital deserved the precious little security she could offer.

"Yes." His gust of a whisper gave her immense satisfaction. Nearly smug with pride she slid the half-drained glass away from her, indicating she was temporarily finished. He watched her altogether too closely each time she pressed the edge to her lips. It’d be better not to press the issue. Still, despite all her concessions he seemed willing to try. Leo lifted to the offensive object to his mouth and drank. The half-Inarta watched him intently. It was impossible to tell the reasons behind his obvious distaste for alcohol. Was it just wine or was it spirits as a whole? What could have happened in his past that made him react in such a subtle and yet obvious way? The same sort of questions arose with the tree. There was a whole world hidden behind his onyx eyes. Leo held within some dark and drafty fortress, only kept warm by the hearth of his soul. There were so many ramparts and corridors to wander. It was a journey in itself.

"It's both things and more, but I wouldn't have it any other way." His open affirmation of her question sent her shivering. "If I could read your mind, I would be deprived of the pleasure of pulling it out of you word by word, letter by letter.” His exclusion of just how he planned to do so was tantalizing. Both of her brows were raised now. She still wore the look of burning desire. “It's the eternal struggle of the fisherman and the fish. One casts the line and pulls, the other bites and pulls. Our roles appear to be... fluid." They were very successful fishermen, in that case. “You will not be reticent forever."

Teeth caught the flesh of her bottom lip. If they raised the stakes, he very well might leap over the table. Yet it would deny her nature to do anything but just that. Upping the ante, her eyes blazed at him. ”On the contrary, I think I’ll be rather vocal tonight.” Eosi’s voice was a low growl. Her face felt very hot. Was it the audacity or was it the alcohol? Both surged triumphantly through her veins, racing to every inch of her supple skin. The moment was like an airborne coin, tossed up and left to chance.

How long had it really been? The server cleared his throat, holding their meals in either hand. Clearly off-guard, the woman cleared her throat to regain some measure of sensibility. ”Yes, thank you.” It was a timely intervention, no doubt. Straightening a bit, she looked down at the pale meat laid before her. It steamed in the tepid air. ”They cook it well enough that you’ll appreciate it nonetheless…” Her idle musing helped bring the conversation back on her track. The server stalked away again, clearly put out with the two of them. Her fingers itched toward the wine glass, but that might indicate a dependence on the substance she didn’t actually have. Not wanting to appear a lush, Eosi instead stared down her meal. It would be hard to recover from the spectacular bravado he'd just witnessed.

[Leo Varniak]

Leo knew better than to take Eosi's apologies over her choice of meal very seriously, so he just cast her an amused diagonal look containing a little of the innocence she'd just referred to. It looked as if she had a penchant for drawing him out of his comfort zone when he least expected it. In truth, it brought him very little discomfort, but he could easily see how this relationship was going to be far from monotonous or repetitive. Already his mind was spinning, searching for ways to give back in similar fashion. The wine worried him a little more, especially the way he'd just nonchalantly let the substance into his body out of sheer emulation; but he was thrilled as well, and for once he was focusing on the here and now. He gave an imperceptible nod as Eosi mentioned not having to drink it, which spoke of both her empathy and her curiosity, but he had realized something else.

"I don't have to," he said, "and I never did before. All I have ever seen of the drink is the worst side, but there's something I'm coming to realize thanks to you. I'll never be a champion for mankind unless I get to know all of it." This was truly dawning on him now, and entirely because of Eosi. Only by experiencing the heights and the depths of what it meant to be human, could he possibly become a blazing torch for the surviving humanity. He would taste of the wine once, even if it might never happen again. "All of it." The intensity with which he looked at her hinted at how she would play a large role in all the experiencing.

It seemed like the tension between them could not help but grow, and neither of them was doing anything to stop it. Neither of them wanted to be the one to take a step back; it just wouldn't suit them. Suddenly Leo felt rather frustrated that the meal proper hadn't even started yet, and he just wished it would end quickly, not because of the company but because of the promise it held. She had already succeeded in making him regret not losing control back then on the treetop. Her teeth on her lip clawed a wound in his flesh instead. Had he been a normal human, this might not have been a problem; Ivak's champion had a little more than his fair share of trouble dealing with emotional buildups, and while he could take care of them, it was always in the same way: by releasing them.

The mention of vocalness had his fingers curl a little along the fine cloth covering the table. Instantly he wondered what her screams would sound like, and darker thoughts began occupying his mind. This, too, was humanity. The temptation to use the mark's power on her without restraint, right here and right now, to amplify the atmosphere and make her writhe in ecstasy was growing inside him like a tide of fire. Perhaps it had been a mistake coming here. Had Leo known himself and Eosi better, he might have made a different choice. There was a fine line between blanking her mind for a short moment and driving her insane. He opened his mouth as if to reply, but the server apparently came to the rescue with the actual reason they'd stepped inside the place. Leo leaned back on his chair and studied his countenance to understand just how deeply in trouble they were.

The server's gelid attitude almost made him shiver by contrast. Leo cleared his throat as well, straightening as the bass made its way onto his plate. He realized he was almost holding his breath as he waited for the man to finish. Maybe they weren't meant for classy establishments after all. When the man finally left them, headed back to whatever abyss he lived in when not serving his customers, Leo found himself in control of himself once more; for the time being, at least. He stared down at his meal and decided it wasn't poisoned, then gave an encouraging nod. "Might as well get this done and over with." He picked up the cutlery, noting the expertise with which the meat had been arranged on the plate, and separated a little mouthful that he brought to his mouth. He chewed on it lightly, focusing on the savor. "Not bad..." he left the remainder in the air, "... but it sort of disappears after the appetizers." He could still remember far better tastes in his mouth from earlier, this much was for sure.

His hands were surprisingly gentle despite all the inner power behind them. His knife never made a sound against the porcelain. "I was very close to using the mark on you without permission," he stated in a confidential tone, seeking her hazel eyes, "and at this rate I just know it's going to happen sooner or later. How do you feel about that?" He had no wish to take away Eosi's control in a way she didn't want to, but a point would come when he no longer had a say in the matter.

[Eosi]

He acknowledged the kindness with a slight nod. "I don't have to," he replied smoothly. "and I never did before. All I have ever seen of the drink is the worst side, but there's something I'm coming to realize thanks to you.” He’d mentioned that she was teaching him, earlier on. That was something she failed to understand. “I'll never be a champion for mankind unless I get to know all of it." There was truth there, a whole wealth of it, but Eosi couldn’t help but feel preoccupied by the former thought. Her countenance suddenly bore the stern look of disbelief. "All of it." Normally, she’d be in the throes of her own need by then. Leo’s blazing stare had some effect on her, but it was lost in a sea of incredulity.

Of course, that was overridden in short order. There was no description for the way he reacted. His glistening black stare fell on her lips as she worried at them; his hand tensed at the suggestion of her pleasure. Watching him felt very much like tending a roaring hearth. You prodded the logs, hoping the flames didn’t surge forth and devour you. She was very close to his blazing interior, and much like an animal she was hypnotized by the danger rather than repelled by it. There was a certain lack of fear so closely linked with ignorance. Eosi didn’t know to be afraid of Leo Zaital. All she understood was the glowing chain that hung newly forged between them. The young woman would soon learn how far was indeed, too far.

It seemed the server really did have impeccable timing. The awkward lull between them subsided in a tick and Leo sat up to survey the meal. Eosi felt the urge to hide behind her mass of hair, the way she did as a young girl. It would be incredibly fruitless - he knew the sheepishness in her heart. "Might as well get this done and over with." His gentle voice brought her back to the now. Tentatively, she glanced up to see his face. There was something so remarkable there. She’d seen it in the very beginning. Eosi knew from the moment her eyes fell upon him that he was a person she had always known. There had been a Leo shaped hole in her life that he’d abruptly filled.

"Not bad..." With a small start, she realized she hadn’t touched her food. Carefully she began to remove a fleshy triangle. "... but it sort of disappears after the appetizers." She allowed him a small glance before returning to her food. Her lips curved up in a crescent. Even when she was lost in her own mind, he had a way of bringing her back and propping her up. At the worst of times he could make her smile. There had never been anyone who’d affected her that way. Her heart had always been too rocky to bear seed. Nothing had grown in its soil. Yet here was a tree, miraculous and blooming overnight. It reached its branches toward the sky, nourished in the light of a newfound sun.

"I was very close to using the mark on you without permission," he said, prying her away from the beautiful metaphor. "and at this rate I just know it's going to happen sooner or later. How do you feel about that?" The stern look she’d donned earlier returned in force. Eosi could look very maternal at times and naturally, it was a trait inherited from Layla. Her gaze dropped to the side as she considered it, then returned. ”You must endeavor not to, if you can.” She sighed. ”I cannot comprehend the power you wield and I feel that what transpired earlier was but a taste.” Oh, she was absolutely certain of that. ”In time I will be more equipped to handle such a thing. For now, I won’t push you any further.” Learning the true force of his power the hard way might leave scars. That would not bode well for the future.

”Unless of course, you want me to.” Her face softened a bit and she winked. ”I do have a question for you.” Eosi tore into the meal with restrained vigor. ”You continue to mention that I’m teaching you.” Again, a single brow arched. ”I can’t comprehend how that is.” Inhaling deeply, she prepared to speak at length. “Before I met you today, my sight was dark. You took a torch to the blindfold I wore and now I see with startling clarity. I feel like a child, naked and vulnerable, stumbling through a world I no longer understand. The only thing that allows me comfort is your guidance. In time, I will learn to walk on my own again.” She took another bite, the mastication giving her time to think. ”There is nothing to be learned from ignorance.”

[Leo Varniak]

The meal was coming unexpectedly useful as a stress relief. Chewing on the seafood longer than its meat really warranted, Leo was gathering his tattered self-control. He could imagine his days becoming like this, a continual battle to stay ahead of the all-consuming flame. Never before had a hopeless battle sounded so enticing to his ears. He focused his thoughts on the mechanical motions of his lungs, the wood resting against his back, the cloth covering the table. Only after a moment or so did he dare concentrate on Eosi once again. By the time he could do so safely, she was smiling secretly, busy with her own ration. There was a hidden sweetness to her, all the more precious because it showed at the most unpredictable times.

Once, as she had hinted at, she must have been a vastly different person, but then layers had piled up like cities building on the ruins of their forefathers. It would be his duty and joy to find out, no matter how reticent she professed herself to be. Leo endeavored to finish his fish as quickly as he could without seeming impolite for it, but he still stopped to take in Eosi's reaction to his confession. He had no idea how she would take it. She had always been very careful about giving away her control, even though she had quickly grown to trust him. Her answer was nothing if not honest, and the Azenth nodded at the request. Apparently she understood how he was not always his own master. "I will do anything in my power, love." He meant every word, too, but he wondered if anything in his power would be enough. He wondered also if he doubt had shown in his voice.

Her wink surprised him and elicited a heartfelt smile. He was not an easy man to have around, and he made no mystery about it; he knew she was attracted to him in spite of it, like a moth to the flame. "I do want you to," he said in a rare moment of weakness. He knew he would have to get used to feeling like this, stripped of his defenses. He wiped his mouth in the napkin and took a sip of wine, more comfortably this time. He studied its effects with an almost scientific interest. He would be fine with such a small amount. As he set down his glass, Eosi came up with an interesting question. Indeed, they had touched on the topic more than once now.

"Imagine a world without mirrors," he began, and the oblique way he was approaching this suggested that the answer was going to be philosophical. "A world where water holds no reflection of you. A world where hardly anyone speaks your language, and those few who speak it do not know the word 'hazel'. Then you may very well live your entire life and die without knowing the color of your own eyes." He let the matter hang in the air as he gathered the last bit of seafood, all in all glad to have it vanquished. "Then you meet someone who knows nothing but the word 'hazel' in your language. At first you don't understand what they're talking about, but after a lot of wild gesturing there's a moment when you suddenly do. You instantly make sense to yourself."

Leo let out a deeper breath. "I had never really prayed before. Not the way I did today. Just so you know." It must have been a shocking confession to the devout Eosi. "Surely I did not want for drive or conviction, but heartfelt prayer had almost no place in my soul before I met you. I knew nothing of fire, the real fire that leaves you blazing glorious in the night." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The world is a strange place. A god's champion can take lessons in faith from a simple worshipper of his god. We learn by teaching, and our ignorance becomes someone else's wisdom. I should know. I lived through most of my years in ignorance. Even when I learned new facts, my heart was slow to respond." All his mistakes, all his shortcomings flashed before his eyes. There had been so many of them.

"I think we are all children in the end, we just learn to cover it up as we go. And when someone rips the mask off our face, we can either make a new one or learn to love our own and move on." Leo gave the lightest shrug of his shoulders. "I'd be honored to stumble through this world with you." The fulfillment he felt from being able to say this was stronger than he could have imagined. It was as if a lot of pieces were finally clicking together.

[Eosi]

His smile was sincere. "I do want you to," he confessed. The vulnerability made her stomach flutter. How was he free to commit to her? The remarkable man who sat her opposite was dynamic, humorous, intelligent and devoted. The list could continue if she so chose. The fact he somehow was there, waiting for her. It was all too good to be true. Eosi was tempted to ask as she devoured the fish eagerly, but he’d already moved to address her other inquiry. "Imagine a world without mirrors," he began. Leo always chose the road less taken in his musings. "A world where water holds no reflection of you. A world where hardly anyone speaks your language, and those few who speak it do not know the word 'hazel'.” To an extent she could see where he was headed. To be blind of something, much as she’d said before. ”Then you may very well live your entire life and die without knowing the color of your own eyes." He lived in a world completely unable to relate. If Eosi could be construed as distant then Leo was all but remote, in orbit around humanity but never within reach.

He finished the last bit on his plate before continuing. “Then you meet someone who knows nothing but the word 'hazel' in your language.” Someone more similar than he’d ever met. ”At first you don't understand what they're talking about, but after a lot of wild gesturing there's a moment when you suddenly do. You instantly make sense to yourself." How interesting. She took the final few morsels on the end of her fork and stared at them, chewing instead on his words. "I had never really prayed before. Not the way I did today. Just so you know." Rather than eating them, her eyes moved back to his face. He prayed? "Surely I did not want for drive or conviction, but heartfelt prayer had almost no place in my soul before I met you. I knew nothing of fire, the real fire that leaves you blazing glorious in the night."

She placed the fish in her mouth and ate them thoughtfully. It was a prayer of passion he referenced. He learned from her in a wholly unprecedented way. There was joy in that sentiment. The idea they were truly equal, that in a way she could show him the world he’d been blind to. Leo could discover love in her – a language he’d never before known. That brought her back to the earlier thought. Beyond divine intervention, why her? Hadn’t there been other women, other flames? "The world is a strange place. A god's champion can take lessons in faith from a simple worshipper of his god. We learn by teaching, and our ignorance becomes someone else's wisdom.” That elicited a wry grin. Indeed the world was strange, and all the stranger now they’d come together.

“I should know. I lived through most of my years in ignorance. Even when I learned new facts, my heart was slow to respond." To that, she felt compelled to reply. Setting her utensils down lightly, she folded her hands. ”Now that I find hard to believe. Your heart was fast to swallow me up. There I reside and joyfully so.” Eosi was just as sincere as he’d been. Being around him made her feel as an artist. She’d never been possessed to paint, draw or sculpt. But looking upon him, she wanted to sing as she did with her Father - to make clever songs and craft tiny baubles. More than that she wanted to scale mountains and etch his name in every last one. They lifted one another up.

"I think we are all children in the end, we just learn to cover it up as we go. And when someone rips the mask off our face, we can either make a new one or learn to love our own and move on." He gave an amiable little shrug. Somewhat comically, she replied. ”You are indeed wise. Valuable in ways you don’t seem to comprehend. Ways I can show you. You see me as a mirror. The only other to speak your unique language.”

She shifted in her seat. ”How is it? How am I the woman so incredibly fortunate? You are everything. Tell me no one else has seen you as I do, and I’ll call you a liar where you sit.” Her voice was sweet. ”You make a girl want write a symphony that only you may hear. I have never felt this way in my short life. I cannot understand why you don’t belong to another.” Surely women desired him. He was not plain. The more see gazed upon him, the more handsome he appeared. Dark or light, the synthesis was breathtaking. ”You are but a legend to some smith girl, some halfbreed from Denval.”