Red Wind Caravan [Yuri Lehrer]

by **Saraphina Skyglow** on November 14th, 2014, 7:54 pm

Saraphina Skyglow

Y uri's brief laugh made Saraphina smirk a little. At least her partners sense of humor was still thrumming, even if they were in a combat situation. Saraphina was surprised at how calm she felt standing by Yuri....calm and....complete. She blinked a bit, partially stunned but mostly confused. Was it the fight that caused that...or something else? She had no time to contemplate any further as one of the Yukmen charged at the sandy haired swordsman. The ginger felt a surge of fear course through her as Yuri weapon went flying and he fell to the ground in a bear hug tackle. Even as she raised her Gladius, intending to drive it through the monstrous humanoids back, the mercenary surprised her with a move straight out of her own mind. Bracing his foot on the Yukman's chest, he vaulted the attacker over his head to land a distance away. Saraphina felt a warm glow fill her....pride...she was proud of Yuri. Proud that he'd used her technique, that he'd felt it worthy of being remembered, that she'd given him something of value. Even if it was only a combat trick. As Yuri rolled to his feet, Saraphina darted forward towards the Yukman he'd knocked prone. Gripping the short sword tightly, she lashed it across the monsters neck. Or that had been her intent, a slash across the neck to sever the jugular and trachea. But the Yukman was faster than she'd thought and bucked upwards, caused the Gladius to cut deep into its chest.

T he high pitched scream of pain from the humanoid made Saraphina's ears ring and the Yukman grabbed the blade in both hands, pulling hard and trying to disarm her. Growling in anger, the Kelvic wrenched backwards and the sharp edges sliced through the Yukman's hands. The creature was still alive, though bleeding heavily and badly wounded. Hopefully that would slow it down for a moment or two. Feeling an unfamiliar warmth flicker through her chest, Saraphina quickly glanced behind her to see Yuri once more at her back. He wasn't touching her at all, which made the sensation in her chest all the more unusual. The Broadsword Yuri wielded was coated in blood, a sign that one more of the monsters had fallen. The last, healthy Yukman was still circling around them, now more wary and alert than ever. Swallowing, she pressed her shoulders closer to Yuri and adjusted her grip on the Gladius.

A....sudden and unexpected shift in her mind occurred in the moment when the Kelvic again made contact with Yuri. A welcoming and soothing warm filled Saraphina's mind before travelling down her body to end at her toes. It was abrupt, like a lighting strike hitting the ground. A feeling of completion and renewed energy and attraction....all of it aimed at Yuri. Her instincts knew what it was even if she momentarily had questioned it. A Bond. Sucking in a breath, she almost dropped her sword from shock, but the Yukman she'd injured interfered with that. Howling in pain and rage, it flailed towards her. Arms swinging in wild circles, Saraphina barley had time to raise the Gladius in defence. One meaty hand struck the sword and the other took aim at her belly. A quick twist of her hips made her weight shift enough that she was able to bring her knee upwards into a bent position to block the punch. But the point was made as she surged against the Yukman and forced it back. Deal with the problem that was trying to kill her before figuring out if Yuri had felt the pull of the Kelvic Bond. She repositioned herself and waited for the next charge.

by **Yuri Lehrer** on November 30th, 2014, 8:28 am

When Yuri had flipped the Yukman over him he hadn’t seen what had become of it, forgetting about Saraphina for that brief moment, when he looked at it though, it was clear it was wounded, blood flowing from a wound in its chest, and the source of this was Saraphina, her sword now wet with blood. Looking back around to see what had become of the other Yukmen, Yuri was surprised to find that there was only one more standing, unharmed, thinking briefly to himself That was surprisingly easy… I wonder…Cutting off from his line of thought so that he could return his full attention to the fight at hand.

The single unharmed Yukman was cautiously circling the pair of mercenaries as though it was trying to learn something, but whatever it was that it was trying to learn was currently unknown, focusing intently on the unharmed Yukman as it was the largest threat, Yuri felt something he was unaccustomed to, a flickering warmth inside of his chest, this caused the swordsman to quickly feel at his chest to see if he was injured, yet he was not, at least his chest was not, a dull thumping pain began in his hands where he had been hit previously. Thinking quickly, Yuri tried to place the cause of the warmth in his chest, and failed, wondering about this, he looked over his shoulder to Saraphina to ask her, but the flickering warmth grew from warmth to an all-out flame when he looked at her, or rather when she had moved so that their shoulders touched, back to back; it made him forget to ask his question, as it had seemingly answered itself, instead he saw that she was looking at him as well, and in doing so, she had taken her attention away from the heavily injured Yukman that had been standing before her, and it had begun to move on Saraphina.

Not sure whether she had heard it or not, Yuri began to move to intercept it, as Saraphina moved backwards raising her Gladius hastily, sure that she had noticed it, he turned his attention back to the uninjured Yukman, which had apparently taken advantage of his momentary distraction, charging simultaneously with its injured comrade. Glad he had kept his own guard up because of what the Yukman Saraphina was now facing had done barely a couple of minutes before, Yuri was able to pre-empt what was about to happen on his end, and as such adjusted the way his blade was held, pointing the blade so that if the Yukman didn’t divert its course, it would run itself through on his sword, which he had named ‘The Purifying Light’ Out of respect to Yahal, the god of Purity and Faithfulness, and his own conviction to rid the world of those who would use any power they had for evil, or to at least convince them otherwise. Silently praying now to the deities he believed in, Yahal and Dira, he watched as the Yukman tried, successfully, to hit his blade out of the way, as it charged at him.

Yuri had a single thought at this Intelligent little… the rest of the thought lost as the Yukman fell on him, swinging it’s arms at his torso, this forced Yuri to make a choice, either try to slice the Yukman with his sword and get hit, likely hard enough to push him back, or knock him from his feet, or drop his blade and engage in hand-to-hand combat with it. Choosing the second option, Yuri hoped he would be able to fight it off, considering his hands were injured, it would reduce his fighting potential somewhat, but hopefully not enough to prove disastrous for the young mercenary.

As the sword dropped from his grasp, Yuri attempted to get himself into his ready stance, he was successful at this, moving his arms to their positions, before flicking out a punch to the Yukman’s torso, or that would have been what would have happened had the Yukman not ducked to evade the punch, so that it instead hit the Yukman’s head, dazing it for a moment. Yuri took this opportunity to kick the Yukman back, and retrieve his sword, before returning to cover Saraphina’s back once more, he spoke two questions, lighthearted in tone “When will Wulfric arrive with that pay raise? This is beginning to get tedious, don’t you think?” His mind turning to the fire which had made itself home in his chest, and what it could mean in regards to his companion, and whether she had felt the same thing.

by **Saraphina Skyglow** on December 1st, 2014, 1:02 am

Saraphina Skyglow

H er heart pounded in her chest, the burning desire for a completed Bond driving the Kelvic to finish this fight before anything happened to Yuri. Though she knew the sandy haired warrior to be a skilled fighter, her need to protect rose against her will. A low, menacing growl rumbled from her throat, an alien sound no human could ever hope to mimic. The injured Yukman she pushed back stumbled a bit, wavering on its feet. Probably from the loss of blood. That suited Saraphina just fine, she wanted this fight over with. Before she could step away from her partner to finish off her opponent, the unharmed monster had barreled at Yuri. Fear gripped the Kelvic soul as she shifted, almost allowing herself to foolishly throw herself in front of the charging Yukman. But her better sense won out. She moved out of the way as Yuri parried the charge by dropping his sword to fight bare handed. Admiring the human's bravery and clearly developed skill at unarmed combat, she spun on her heel towards the wounded Yukman. In perhaps a more reckless maneuver, the ginger lifted the short sword over her shoulder and hurled the blade towards the humanoid abomination. The Gladius spun through the air, creating a whistling noise as it whirled before the blade sliced into the running Yukman. The sharp edges bit into the collarbone and torso of the monster causing blood to spurt up and the creature to stagger and fall to its knees.

D arting forward, Saraphina grabbed the hilt of the Gladius and ripped it free from the creature by bracing her foot against its chest. Drawing the sword back, she flung her arms to the side and decapitated the Yukman for good measure. The blackish blood spattered across her cheek and neck, but she ignored the gore. Spinning back towards Yuri, she quickly joined his side again. The warmth and sense of comfort grew exponential better when she stood next to him. Saraphina felt a blush creep up her cheeks and her golden eyes flickered to the side, trying to see if Yuri felt anything at all. It seemed like the mercenary was somewhat distracted, but she couldn't tell if that was from the fight or if he felt the Kelvic Bond calling to him. She knew that any Bond had to be willingly accepted, no force in the world could make someone accept the connection if they didn't want to. Biting her lip, Saraphina swallowed hard and fought to keep a content purr from escaping her mouth. Even just being close to him felt so right, it was hard to concentrate on the combat when all she wanted to do was complete the Bond as her instincts were screaming at her to do.

Y uri's comment on Wulfric and the length of the fight made her laugh. Though the sound probably sounded strained and somewhat faked to the swordsman, "Agreed....I've had enough fun for one day. And I need a bath. Let's finish this, shall we....I-I think we....need to....talk." Saraphina swallowed again, hoping that Yuri would attribute the break in her voice to stress from the fight. Now that most of the danger had passed and only one Yukman remained, she found her fingers trembling a bit. What if Yuri denied the Bond? What would happened to her? Would it hurt? Would she...die? Shaking off the thoughts, she slashed her Gladius through the air at the Yukman, snarling loudly. The monster shirked back and made a mock lunge towards her. If her focus had been complete and she hadn't been torn so much over the changes that were rapidly happening, Saraphina would have easily seen the faked attack and ignored it. But she was still uncoordinated with the blade she used and flustered over the rush of emotion that was taking place inside her. So she fell for the feint, stabbing forward with the Gladius. The Yukman swung out one large, meaty hand and hit the sword's blade near the middle. The ringing vibration that traveled down the blade made her yelp uncomfortable and the she lost her grip. The Gladius fell to the ground with an undignified clatter as the Yukman lunged for her. But Saraphina was still a skilled fighter, especially unarmed. She was Kelvic, a born hunter, a born fighter. As the soil caked monster charged her, Saraphina ducked under the punches and dropped to a crouch. Lashing out with one leg in a wide sweeping motion, she felt her heel hook under the front of the Yukman's leg and heard it fall to the ground. Spinning back to her feet, she spoke quickly over her shoulder as she moved away, "Finish it Yuri!"

B reathing through her mouth so she didn't have to endure the scent of blood, death and rotting flesh, Saraphina dropped into a combat stance a few paces from her companion....and possible future Mate. Looking around to make sure they were safe, she spotted the two horses near the brush line. At least they hadn't darted off. Waiting till Yuri had hopefully finished off the last Yukman, Saraphina shifted uncomfortably, having absolute no idea how to breech the subject of Kelvic Bonds with Yuri.

by **Yuri Lehrer** on December 5th, 2014, 1:29 am

Yuri was glad that his comment about Wulfric had managed to get Saraphina to laugh, however, when she did, it sounded strained, the young mercenary could only guess at the cause of such a reaction, but attributed it to the fight, and possible stress, but what Saraphina said next made him pause "Agreed....I've had enough fun for one day. And I need a bath. Let's finish this, shall we....I-I think we....need to....talk." Thinking to himself, Yuri wondered what it could be that had made her voice break, an injury? He hadn’t seen her get injured, but it didn’t mean that it hadn’t happened, concern and the fire in his chest making somewhat difficult to think clearly, but he made his best effort to keep his mind on the task at hand, rather than focus on other matters.

What happened next made Yuri grateful that he had push the concern he felt to the back of his mind, for even a brief moment, the single Yukman which had remained standing lunged at Saraphina, to Yuri there was something off about the lunge and was about to say as much to Saraphina when she stabbed forwards with her sword. The result was immediate, the Yukman swung one of its meaty hands up at the blade, intercepting it and jarring its movement, causing Saraphina to yelp and drop her sword, making Yuri’s concern more apparent as he began to move towards her, hoping to help her, but he stopped as he remembered Saraphina’s skill with unarmed combat.

From Yuri’s perspective, time seemed to slow down a little as the adrenaline coursed through his veins concern for his friend and partner foremost in his mind, he saw the Yukman lunge towards Saraphina and her immediate reaction to it, ducking underneath the punches, she stuck out her leg and swept it around, hooking it underneath the Yukman, causing it to fall onto it’s back. When Saraphina was out of immediate danger, Yuri’s perception of time sped back up to normal, as he watched her spin up to her feet, she called out to the mercenary "Finish it Yuri!" These words galvanized him into action, rushing over with his sword in hand, he stood over the Yukman, sword pointing down at its heart, or where he supposed it would be, saying a quick and silent prayer to Dira, he brought the blade down swiftly, ending the life of the last Yukman.

Twisting his blade before pulling it out, as he had learned it made the process easier, Yuri looked around at the site of the small skirmish he and Saraphina had just had, and felt a sense of… calm, strangely enough, Yuri was glad that the fighting was now over, he was however unable to focus completely on the present, distracted as he was by the fire in his chest. Resolving to talk to Saraphina about it, Yuri took a deep breath before speaking “Saraphina... I...” Trailing off because he did not know what to say, so instead asked the first question which came to his mind “You said you wanted to talk to me before, what is it you wished to discuss?” When he spoke to her, the fire in his chest grew so that it was seemingly a living entity of its own, almost begging his to do something, yet what that was, was unknown to Yuri.

by **Saraphina Skyglow** on December 6th, 2014, 3:41 am

Saraphina Skyglow

O nce the fight was over and silence again reined the air, Saraphina found herself feeling rather....unwell. Yuri had asked what she wanted to talk about and though her heart beat against her chest in a thunderous rhythm, the ginger Kelvic suddenly found herself unnaturally shy and reserved. A complete personality flip from her usual blunt and daring self. Scuffing the toe of her boot into the ground, she folded her hands behind her back and stared at the ground. Her tongue seemed to have swelled to double its size and stuck to the roof of her mouth, her vocal chords were frozen solid and the burning ache in her chest felt like is was climbing out her ears. Closing her eyes, Saraphina tried to center herself, tried to find some balance in the chaos that was her current emotional rollercoaster. A faint, distance memory whispered through her mind, a familiar voice of her loving Mother, 'There will come a time when you find your other half....your Bondmate. And when you do...do not fear loosing yourself...but rather embrace that you have completed your soul.' Saraphina slowly opened her eyes, feeling a calm overtake her and she turned to Yuri with new resolve.

W alking over to the sandy haired mercenary, Saraphina let her eyes trail over his face, admiring the sharp angles and gentle eyes. Her instincts, her need to Bond drove her forward despite her fear of loosing her freedom and independence. She was Kelvic at heart and she had the chance to complete herself. She would not allow it to slip away, no matter how awkward this conversation might become. Reaching out a hand, the red head gently laid her palm flat on Yuri's chest. She could feel his heart beating under her palm, an erratic rhythm that was synchronized with her own heart. It made her smile a bit before she summoned her courage and stepped closer. Laying both her hands flat on the trim males torso, Saraphina pressed her front against Yuri and rested her forehead on the point of Yuri's collarbone. His scent of sandalwood and ginger surrounded her senses. The burning in her chest lessened significantly and she sighed in bliss. It felt right...standing close to him, touching him, breathing in his unique scent. It felt like....home. Closing her eyes, the Kelvic absorbed the sensations of the Bond, the feelings of attraction, love, protectiveness, friendship. Yes...this was were she belonged.

R ealizing a moment or two later that she hadn't actually answered Yuri's question, Saraphina felt a blush burn at her cheeks, but she couldn't quite bring herself to pull back from the partial hug she'd intiated. So she turned her face to the side, pressing her cheek to Yuri's chest and spoke in a soft, wavering voice heavy with uncertainiy, "Y-yuri...I...I don't....really know how to explain this. It's....I...I am Kelvic, Yuri. And as such...I am born....incomplete...hollow inside. Only....half of what I should be. All Kelvic's....all my kin...we spend our lives....searching...needing... a-and hoping to find our...our other half. Someone who we....love....protect...need to be with to....to make our lives whole....to give us meaning. A Bondmate....a dear friend...lover...master...whatever they will allow us to be...it only matters that...that we find them...and be with them. You...you feel it...don't you? The Bond?...the connection?" Saraphina pulled back a bit at the end, raising her face up to look Yuri in the eyes. Her face was flush with a rose colored blush, her golden eyes darted back and forth in shyness and she licked her lips unconsciously, feeling her mouth grow dry as sand suddenly.

U nable to hold Yuri's eyes for more than a few seconds, Saraphina lowered her gaze self-consciously and tugged at a strand of her hair as a rush of words vomited out of her mouth, "I'd be a good companion Yuri, I won't bother you at all and I could bring you fresh game all the time. And you could still find a human to marry and live with if you wanted ,I'd be fine with that too. I mean, any girl would love to be with you, with you being so strong and handsome and brave. And I could help you find a home in Zeltiva if you wanted, or maybe Syliras...really any place would be wonderful, as long as you're there..." The words were spoken in a flurried rush, running together and sounding nearly incomprehensible. Saraphina's courage had failed and now she felt foolish and stupid. But her near desperation to complete the Bond, to end the longing tugging at her soul made her babble out any compromise, any hope of convincing Yuri to accept the Bond. She didn't think she could bear to be apart from him now that she knew he was a potential Mate. Biting her lip firmly to keep any more embarrassing and pitiful garble from exiting her mouth, Saraphina meekly lifted her eyes to Yuri's face to try and judge his reaction.

by **Yuri Lehrer** on December 9th, 2014, 2:16 am

Saraphina’s reaction to his question left Yuri bewildered for a moment, she looked somewhat unwell, she scuffed the toe of her boot against the ground, making Yuri worry a little, she had also put her hands behind her back, something he had never seen her do before, Saraphina was normally quite outgoing, and never reserved. The fire in his chest however, instead of taking his mind from the worry he had about Saraphina, it amplified it, making it almost tangible, this confused Yuri momentarily, but his confusion was overwritten by his concern for his companion, who’s eyes were now shut. A couple of moments passed before Saraphina opened her eyes, a conviction there that hadn’t existed before she shut them, she began to walk over to Yuri.

As she walked over to him, Yuri saw that she was observing his face, looking for… some sort of reaction? He wasn’t too sure, but when she was less than an arm’s length away from him, she did something Yuri never expected, she lay a hand upon his chest, feeling his heartbeat, which was rather faster than normal, partly because of the fight that had happened not even five chimes before, but mostly because of the fire in his chest, which withdrew slightly at Saraphina’s touch, she smiled after a moment, Yuri feeling a blush burning upon his cheeks. The moment passed, and Saraphina stepped even closer to Yuri, placing both of her hands on his chest, and rested her head upon his collarbone, like a hug, half completed, strangely enough Yuri felt a sense of calm that she had done this, as though it was perfectly natural, he was about to return the embrace when something happened.

Saraphina mustn’t have done what she did intentionally, or rather that is what the newfound blush on her face led Yuri to believe, with her head resting upon his chest now she also spoke, though her tone was uncertain and… wavering "Y-yuri...I...I don't....really know how to explain this. It's....I...I am Kelvic, Yuri. And as such...I am born....incomplete...hollow inside. Only....half of what I should be. All Kelvic's....all my kin...we spend our lives....searching...needing... a-and hoping to find our...our other half. Someone who we....love....protect...need to be with to....to make our lives whole....to give us meaning. A Bondmate....a dear friend...lover...master...whatever they will allow us to be...it only matters that...that we find them...and be with them. You...you feel it...don't you? The Bond? ...The connection?" The young mercenary listened intently to what the Kelvic said, trying to piece together what it could mean, the fire in his chest re-ignited by her simply speaking, when she got towards the end of what she was saying, asking Yuri if he had felt it, he could barely stop himself from replying, as he felt that Saraphina was yet to finish speaking.

She was not finished quite yet, she pushed herself back from the partial embrace looking up into Yuri’s eyes, a blush, the same colour as a rose on her face, her eyes were darting from side to side, probably from nervousness, she also licked her lips, Yuri felt his pulse quicken when Saraphina looked down and started speaking again, this time he couldn’t quite understand what she was saying, as her words seemed to meld together "I'd be a good companion Yuri, I won't bother you at all and I could bring you fresh game all the time. And you could still find a human to marry and live with if you wanted, I'd be fine with that too. I mean, any girl would love to be with you, with you being so strong and handsome and brave. And I could help you find a home in Zeltiva if you wanted, or maybe Syliras...really any place would be wonderful, as long as you're there..." When she had finished, and showed no signs of continuing, Yuri looked down at Saraphina, his face flushed almost like her own, before he embraced her, lowering his head a little, speaking slowly, as he didn’t quite know what to say “I… Have felt this… Bond, or connection… You know how… um… I’m not quite sure how to put this, so I’ll say it like it is… I felt something like a fire in my chest, it amplified any concern I had for you, and diminished when you were near, or even touching me, almost like there was… something tangible linking us together. I would be glad to… accept? I’m not sure that is the right word… But accept this… Bond between us.” When he finished speaking, he lifted his head, and moved to lightly kiss Saraphina on the forehead, unsure what her reaction would be.

by **Saraphina Skyglow** on December 10th, 2014, 2:07 am

Saraphina Skyglow

A s the sandy haired mercenary spoke and came to partially understand the fragile connection that was struggling to form via Saraphina's Kelvic blood, finally accepting the weaving thread, something changed between the two souls that stood alone in the clearing. The burning fire that crackled like a living elements calmed, changing from a scorching heat to a gentle, soothing embrace. The warmth spread through their bodies, coating both in a blanket as comforting and familiar as a Mother's loving hug. One could almost see the heat twisting into a small and thin silver cord, linking Saraphina and Yuri together. New sensations flowed into the Kelvic, emotions not her own. Uncertainty...Relief...perhaps Attraction, but that could be her own flustered state conflicting the feelings. The Bond solidified and Saraphina felt something she hadn't for her entire life.

She felt.....complete.

H er eyes closed in bliss at Yuri's words, at the all encompassing bubble of warmth that filled every inch of her heart and soul. Even as he finish speaking, a tiny crystal tear of pure joy and ecstasy rolled from the coroner of her eye. The gentle kiss to her forehead made her lean into Yuri's embrace more and an unconscious noise rumbled out of her throat. A soft feline purr filled with love and devotion. It was a sound only one other person had ever been able to wrestle from her human form. Her Mother, the loving caretaker that had raised the headstrong Kelvic. Pulling back to look Yuri in the eye, Saraphina suddenly grinned widely and threw her arms around the young human with a joyful laugh.

G iving Yuri one final squeezing hug, the Kelvic's mind seemed to clear a bit, now that the Bond had been made. Unable to keep the bright smile off her face, she chirped happily as she bounced in place, "Well...this was very unexpected. I meant what I said Yuri. If you want to stay in Zeltiva, I'll change my plans. But we can still go to Syliras too. I thought it might be nice to explore a bit. In any case we should probably..." Her statement was interrupted but the distance sounds of creaking wheels. Turning her head, she saw the Red Wind Caravan coming down the road. With the sun beginning to set, it was likely the train was going to rest in the clearing for the night. Saraphina gave Yuri a sheepish shrug and gathered her Gladius from the ground. Wrinkling her nose at the bloodstains, she hoped her employer won't be mad about that. Hopefully her Bondmate would have a way to clean the blade, as her experience wasn't great with weapons.

W ulfric pulled his cart into the clearing and jumped down. His beady eyes glanced over the corpses of the Yukman with interest and he stroked his beard as he came to stand before the two warriors. Wulfric's worn features twisted into a wry smirk and when he addressed them, it was with a much more respectful tone "Had some trouble did ya? Glad to see ya two can handle yerselves. I apologise iffen I was harsh before...I've run into my fair share of useless nitwits when this train gets rolling. Why don't ye two take a break. I'll get some of the other lads to clear up this mess." The seasoned elder gave Saraphina and Yuri a nod before wandering off to bark orders at some of his other subordinates. The ginger Kelvic couldn't care less about the temperamental caravan leader. She'd found her Bondmate! More than that...he'd accepted her. The world could literally explode into fire and she won't care. Nothing could possible ruin her mood now.

T aking Yuri's hand, Saraphina smile with new affection at the sandy haired human, "Guess that means we get the night off...or at least a break. Why don't we get our horses and build up a fire. I think I saw some strips of beef in the wagons, we might be able to coax Bushy Beard into giving us some for the trouble we saved him." Looking over towards where Abaccus and Thophanes were prancing about, Saraphina was rather surprised to find her Bloodbane wasn't trying to fight with the pale Windrunner. With the way the two horses were behaving, the Kelvic swore they'd know about the coming Bond before she had and had already made peace between each other. Shaking her head in amusement and feeling lighter than a cloud, she simple sighed happily. The future looked bright for the young Kelvic.

by **Yuri Lehrer** on December 23rd, 2014, 12:33 pm

When his lips lightly brushed Saraphina’s forehead, Yuri felt the fire which was in his chest, settle into a more soothing embrace instead of the source of confusion it had been moments before, he also felt varying emotions not all of his own mind, happiness, joy… attraction, some uncertainty and relief also made themselves known, trying to figure out what had just happened, he felt something link his being to Saraphina, something intangible, yet there all the same. Standing there holding the embrace, Yuri felt a sense of… completeness, perhaps not his own, yet not completely unfamiliar, unlike the sound which originated from Saraphina, a purr, this made Yuri think to himself briefly, about what had just transpired, and when he looked to himself, thought he saw what appeared to be a silver chord tethering Saraphina and himself together.

In the next moment Saraphina pulled back from the embrace, momentarily confusing Yuri, until she grinned and threw her arms around him, re-joining the embrace with a laugh filled with joy, it proved infectious, as the young mercenary laughed as well, the energy which had been expended during the battle now forgotten and replaced. Saraphina gave Yuri one last squeezing hug before breaking the embrace, bouncing in place, as though she had an unlimited supply of energy, the young mercenary was happy as he watched the Kelvic bouncing on the spot, when she spoke he listened intently "Well...this was very unexpected. I meant what I said Yuri. If you want to stay in Zeltiva, I'll change my plans. But we can still go to Syliras too. I thought it might be nice to explore a bit. In any case we should probably..." Saraphina cut herself off when the sounds of the Red Wind Caravan drifted to them on the light breeze which had built up during their interaction.

Yuri had forgotten about the Caravan, but managed to keep his surprise hidden as the caravan made its way to the clearing, littered with the bodies of four Yukmen, Wulfric jumped from his cart at the head of the group when it came to a stop, he looked around at the site of the ‘battle’ with some form of interest, his features twisted into a wry smirk when he regarded the young mercenary and the Kelvic, when he spoke to them this time he was more… respectful towards them "Had some trouble did ya? Glad to see ya two can handle yerselves. I apologise iffen I was harsh before...I've run into my fair share of useless nitwits when this train gets rolling. Why don't ye two take a break. I'll get some of the other lads to clear up this mess." He gave the pair a nod before he walked off, presumably to take care of other matters, this didn’t bother Yuri as the young mercenary was preoccupied with thinking about the Bond between himself and Saraphina, so much so, that he didn’t notice that she had taken his hand until he looked down from his thoughts.

When he realised that Saraphina was holding his hand, Yuri smiled and looked up to see that she was smiling at him with affection in her gaze, she spoke with what Yuri could only describe as happiness or joy in her voice "Guess that means we get the night off...or at least a break. Why don't we get our horses and build up a fire. I think I saw some strips of beef in the wagons, we might be able to coax Bushy Beard into giving us some for the trouble we saved him." What she said made sense to the young mercenary, maybe they’d earned the night off, he thought to himself about the possibility of Wulfric handing over supplies, but dismissed the idea, then replied to his Bondmate’s observation, happiness entering his voice “I don’t think Wulfric would be so willing, even though we’ve… I suppose proved ourselves to him, but that doesn’t bother me, I bought enough supplies for two people for a week, perhaps we could share them? Also, your plans for travel are a good idea, I was thinking about moving to a different city sometime next season, and Syliras seems as good a place as any, after I finish up any remaining loose ends here I think I’ll go to join you over there, and if you should wish we could share my tent, after all it is big enough for four people.”

Finishing what he had been saying, Yuri looked over to where Theophanes and Abbacus, and saw them playing, unlike that morning where Abbacus had tried to bite the young mercenary’s horse, he thought about what that could have meant, but decided that it didn’t warrant too much attention, his horse was rather sociable anyway. Standing there, holding Saraphina’s hand, Yuri looked to the future with a new determination, hope and goals, make sure that the bond worked out, and figure out what it meant exactly to be bonded to a Kelvic, then move to Syliras to do what good he could there. The future looked bright for the young mercenary, and he hoped it would remain so.

OOCI think we might want to put this in for grading, unless you want to do a final post?