Closed Falling for Water [Kane]

[Eilea]

OOCSorry if this isn't the best, Crazy night super tired but hyperaware of things at the same time. Really have to get this sleep schedule back into order... Suddenly Kane was in the water. “Oh my Morwen!” She gasped and rushed to the edge of the water. While she was untying her boots, preparing herself to jump in after him, he was crawling out. That was probably best considering Eilea didn’t know how to swim. The water HAD to be cold! The Vantha swore to herself, disappointed that their date was going to have to be cut short. Eilea rushed to his side and wrapped her arms aorund him, in an attempt to keep the poor man warm. She watched and felt Kane shiver from the cold and looked back at her horse. ‘Why didn’t I bring the cloak?’ They had only been together for an hour or so, dealing with their crazy horses, not at all as long as she was hoping to stay out. But she wouldn’t let him go back by himself. What if something happened to him? She’d never forgive herself. Ever. So she agreed with a nod at his statement about wanting to go home. They should return home, back into Wind Reach. Eilea stepped away from the man, looked behind her, to see Wine was just wandering aimlessly away from them. “Wine!” She called. The horse didn’t respond. “Come on, girl!” She tried again. No reaction. She put her thumb and pointer finger in her mouth a whistled, loudly. Wine’s ears pricked up. The horse stopped, whipped her tail around and then turned around. Eilea whistled again and the horse began trotting back towards her. “Please be good, girl, we’ll be heading home.” She reached forward and rubbed the windrunner’s neck. She looked back at Kane. There wasn’t any more time for idle chit-chat with a horse. He was soaked and freezing. Once again, out of habit, Eilea checked and double checked that the saddle, reins, and saddlebags were okay and secure. “Alright girl, let’s get going!” She put a foot in the stirrup and lifted herself onto the back of the windrunner, then lead Wine over to Kane and his mount. “I hope we can reschedule our date later.” Eilea said as she began leading the horse away. She looked back several times, making sure that Kane was following. “Sorry you fell into the water.” She said, before pressing her legs together, and flicking the reins, urging Wine to move forward. As they traveled up the hill back towards the gates to Wind Reach, Eilea was oddly quiet. She had a lot going through her head, mostly dissapointments about the day, so she bit her lip and just rode the horse quietly. Wine was still frustrated, obviously, with the other horse. As they passed over the bridge next to the falls, Eilea reached her hand up, to feel the water spray. A smile appeared on her lip. The falls were the main reason for her to go out that day. She looked towards Kane again. It was a wonderful surprise to have run into him. And even though they were heading back home early, she was very happy for the time they did have. “It’s so beautiful isn’t it?”

[Kane]

Kane watched almost in a daze as the Vantha set about calling her horse, the harsh whistles not even having much effect on him. The cold was really taking the life out of him. I hate the cold. I hate it so much. Shivering, he wrapped his arms tighter around himself. Eilea’s horse had finally answered her calls, and the girl was now checking the various gear on her mare. Kane stared blankly. Oh wait. I need to get my horse. Sluggishly, he turned to find his horse. Now where’d that little bugger go. A poke to the side of his head answered his question. “Oh, there you are.” Ansel had been standing right next to him the whole time. “Well aren’t I silly.” Kane laughed lightly to himself and patted Ansel’s neck, the cold causing him to forget his anger for the moment. The horse gave him an odd look. With much more effort then usual, Kane hoisted himself up onto the horse’s back, before making himself comfortable. I’m gonna start bringing coats with me everywhere. Yeah, that’s a good idea. Coats are nice. His idle thoughts were redirected as Eilea approached. Oh yeah, we should go, shouldn’t we. Kane nodded to her to show his readiness to leave. As the windrunner began to move, Kane urged his horse to follow suit. Ansel was willing to follow Wine anywhere, so he moved with little coaxing. The ride to Wind Reach was silent, and had Kane been in his right mind he likely would have realized the oddity of the situation. But currently he was having trouble staying warm and the cold was sapping away his ability to think clearly. He flinched as a strong breeze blew by. And people always wondered why I stayed inside when it was cold. Glancing up, he studied the surrounding area. Wait... Kane noticed a bit of steam coming off the water closer to the falls. Don’t... Don’t tell me it’s warmer here?! Well isn’t that just my luck. He sighed to himself. The air was beginning to warm, most likely due to the heat from the water, and Kane was thankful that he was starting to feel in his right mind again. A thought dawned on him. We somehow made it pretty far from Wind Reach, didn’t we? We’ve been walking for a while now. I didn’t even realize how far the horses had run. “It’s so beautiful isn’t it?” Kane snapped his head back towards where the girl had reached her hand out to the falls. He eyed her for a bit before answering. “I suppose. The water is warmer here, which is nice.” They both fell back into silence. Not much more to say, really. Shrugging to himself, Kane returned to examining his surroundings. He took note of the greater number of people walking the roads the closer they came back to Wind Reach. He watched any birds that flew overhead. He counted the buildings as they passed by. During all this, his mind was left to wander free. Well this was a terrible experience. I know when I left my room today being traumatized was high on my list of things I didn’t want to happen. Well, not really traumatized, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. Or wait, would it be a hyperbole? Aren’t those the same thing? Yeah, I’m pretty sure they are. Kane broke out of his thoughts for a bit when some children ran past. He looked up to realize that they were approaching the stables. Almost there. The Vantha ahead caught his attention. I can’t believe I ran into her again. How did I even run into her there of all places? It’s so off the map. I mean seriously, what kind of luck do I have? What was she even doing there? His curiosity couldn’t be stopped. “What were you doing in that area anyways? It didn’t really look like you were doing much of anything when I first saw you.” Not that I actually saw you, just your horse. Kind of. Well, my horse noticed your horse. Close enough. He refused to verbally admit his lack of attention at the time, and especially not to the girl riding in front of him.

[Eilea]

“I was enjoying the Springtime weather. I guess when you got there I had fallen asleep.” She said as she looked back at him. “What about you?” Kane was acting really strange compared to what Eilea had seen before. Was the cold really that cruel to him? She wasn’t sure if it was actually the cold affecting him or if it was the experience of falling into the water. Either way, they were approaching the stables. “I’ll meet up with you after I get Wine settled away.” She said simply, figuring he would also take care of his horse. Once at the stables Eilea jumped off her horse and led her inside. The stable hand who had offered his assistance earlier rushed to her side offering to help once again. This time, however, the vantha took him up on the offer and let the dek help her remove the saddle from the horses back. As she hung the saddle on a hook outside the stall, the dek removed the other equipment from the horse. “Thanks!” Eilea said to the stable man, dismissing him, and the led Wine inside. She began to brush the mare’s hair while Wine began to eat away happily at some grain, “And thank you for bringing me down to the falls today.” She said, speaking in vani. The whole time, she made sure to regularly check when Kane was, so that he wouldn’t just vanish like he had before. Once she figured Wine had enough love for the time being, she left the stall and found her way back near Kane. She admired him as she approached. He was still so charming and cute, even when he didn’t mean to be, even when he was soaked from a little spontaneous swim. Eilea felt her cheeks blush as she stopped walking. “So, cold’s not your thing.” She stated with a grin. “It’s ironic isn’t it, since I’m from Avanthal, a place where it is so cold.” She moved closer to him. “I guess we’ll have to make sure to pack a lot of blankets when we go to visit my extended family!”

[Kane]

Kane considered his answer as he began to work on removing all the various gear on his horse. Not that there was much to consider. He had taken Ansel out for a long walk and while he wasn’t paying attention the horse had wandered to the falls. Luck, he supposed, was what brought him there. More like bad luck. “I was just riding around I guess.” He shrugged. “I really wasn’t even expecting to end up anywhere special.” Or run into crazy girls again. Kane finished his work with his horse. He sighed and rubbed his hands together to remove any dirt and dust on his hands before looking up to Eilea. Wait, is she blushing?! Kane blanched. She had better not be blushing. Please tell me she’s not blushing. He stared at her face. Oh Eyris, she’s blushing. I’d better break her out of these feelings she has about me before this takes a bad turn. “I hate the cold. And I highly doubt I’ll ever be meetin’ your family. And not just because of the cold.” Just in case this didn’t get through to her brain, he continued. “I don’t like you that way. In fact, I don’t really like you at all. I hate to break your little girl heart, but you can’t be attackin’ random guys cause you think they’re cute.” He sighed and placed his hands on his hips and leaned towards her. “Do you understand me?”

[Eilea]

It was just too cute. The way he stood, the way he talked. Everything. He even tried to lie to her. Eilea smirked. She couldn’t believe how shy he was. She put her hands on her hips, mimicking him. It was ‘Oh so obvious’ that he was hiding his true feelings. She knew he liked her, too! Even though he said otherwise, she knew. “It’s alright, I know how hard it can be to admit one’s feelings sometimes, and especially around those they love.” Eilea took a step forward. “I understand completely, but you never have to lie around me. Or to me for that matter.” Another step. “See, I know you saved me when I fell because you wanted to protect me.” Another step. “And thank you, so much for that.” She flashed him a brilliant smile and then reached forward towards him. Eilea took his hands in hers. “And even today, you worried about me with the horse situation.” She held his hands tighter. “Just like I worried about you, when you fell into the water. We’ve both fallen, so let’s just express our feelings to each other. No words!” The vantha stood on her tiptoes, leaned closer, closed her eyes, puckered her lips and moved in to kiss him.

[Kane]

”Wait, what?” Kane stared at her as she began to speak, refuting everything that he had said. She... She can’t be serious about this, can she? I told her straight out that I didn’t like her! How can she not believe me?! As he took a step away from her, he was beginning to reconsider the depths of her insanity. “I understand completely, but you never have to lie around me. Or to me for that matter.” Another stepped back. He began to murmur frantically. “She actually believes this. She actually believes I was being shy. What is wrong with this girl?!” “See, I know you saved me when I fell because you wanted to protect me.” Another step back. “I didn’t even want to protect you. It was an accident that I caught you.” “And thank you, so much for that.” Another step back had him effectively pressed against the wall. “You’re not welcome.” He ground out. She reached out and took his hand in hers. “And even today, you worried about me with the horse situation.” He tried his hardest to pull his hand away from hers. “It was only a normal level of worried, it’s not like I’m that bad of a person!” Her grip tightened. “Just like I worried about you, when you fell into the water. We’ve both fallen, so let’s just express our feelings to each other. No words!” Then, she began to lean towards him while puckering her lips. “Wait, wha- Oh Eyris!” Kane reacted immediately, pushing her away from him. Then, he ran. The instant he exited the stables, he took off down the road leading to Wind Reach.

[Eilea]

The shock. The abrupt push. The run. The shock. Eilea stumbled back, confused. She watched as Kane fled. The vantha girl balanced herself and then just stood there, dumbstruck. Once he vanished completely from view she leaned against the wall of the stables and breathed. “Did he just…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it. There were just too many questions floating through her mind. The dek from before walked over to her questionably. The vantha tilted her head to the side, studying him. “Did you see that?” He nodded. She frowned, thanked him once again, and then headed back towards town. The walk was long. Too long. “Does he like me? Does he hate me? Why did he talk to me? Does he want to hurt me? Is he just too shy?” She sang to herself in Vani, trying to just make it sound like a old tune. As she walked, her mood changed. First she was sad, then she was happy. It was obvious as she continued her attempt at singing. “He must be shy. That must be it. There’s no other way. No other explanation!” And then she whistled that same tune, all the way back to her room in the Darvina Commons.

[Phoenix]

Eilea

Award

Skill	XP Earned
Socialization	4
Observation	2
Riding	1
Seduction	1

•	Lores Earned
•	Enjoying a beautiful day
•	Horse: Always getting in the way
•	Trapped on a runaway horse
•	Ansel: Lover-pony
•	Kane: True love?
•	The first rejection hurts the most

Kane

Award

Skill	XP Earned
Socialization	4
Planning	2
Observation	2

•	Lores Earned
•	Forgetting a girls name
•	Horse: Love?
•	Planning a terrible escape
•	Ansel: Lovestruck Fool
•	Eilea: Not getting the hint
•	Running away from a girl

The Order of the Phoenix

This thread was SO CUTE. I love the complete misunderstanding between them, and the typical teenager love-at-first-sight thing. The fact that Kane didn't remember Eilea's name had me laughing. Great job you two

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.

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