Closed Working Closely (Nai'a)

[Erekez]

The two books sat side by side on the table top as they had been left, each opened to pages detailing the same things. One was the damaged and coded journal that had originally been on the shelves for people to read, had they been able to. The one next to it was the book that Erekez had been working on for most of the morning. He traced his fingers over the pages, pointing out different areas that had held significant damaged and parts that had been heavily coded, showing Nai'a why it had been essential for this particular book to be rewritten. Erekez was unsure how much of Nai'a's wonderment was her being polite, but every expression he saw on her face appeared to be genuine. It made him feel better about himself to think that she was interested in what he had to say. Out of his own interest, Erekez watched for her reactions to the use of poisons, not as weapons, but as distractions to cripple leaving enough time to do what was needed. He knew little about her beyond what he had learnt the night before. Although he did not need to know out of protection for himself, he found that he wanted to know, like he had wanted to travel and discover so many cultures and places that he had. This wasn't survival; Erekez was enjoying his time with Nai'a. Looking back over the books, he heard Nai'a laughing to herself. It was an innocent, almost child-like sound, coming from her, and Erekez had always enjoyed working and playing with children. He had told so many stories to the young ones on his travels around Mizahar and child innocence remained the same wherever he went. Erekez thought about what Nai'a did as a part of her job. His reminiscing about everything he had been doing brought to light that he had asked very little about her today. She'd been asking all the questions. Then again, he had hid himself during the first part of the conversation. "Is there anything further that you would like to know?" Erekez asked. He gestured back over to the shelves of books. "Perhaps some more books you are interested in? If not, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to know about you ad your job please?"

[Nai'a]

Nai’a was thoroughly intrigued by Erekez work, all the passion and time he put into the books was very respectful. She smiled brightly nodding her head as he went over the books and showed her how he had transformed the damage one into the new one. It was utterly amazing.

When Erekez got to the part about poisons Nai’a’s face contorted into a small frown. She thought this was a healer’s book, why would they have poisons in there? When she glanced over the words in the new rewritten book, she saw that the poisons weren’t for hurting or killing people, rather for protection against foes. Nai’a’s eyebrows rose, which would be good information to contain in her brain, just in case she ever needed such uses. Though at the time being she did not need to know about the poisons, but she would come back and check out this book later, that was for sure.

When Erekez finished showing her the books that he was working on, he turned and asked her if there was anything else she would like to know, or if there were more books she needed. Nai’a thought this over as he questioned her about her job at the infirmary.

”No I think that you have answered all my questions, and this book will suffice for now. Thank you so much for all your help, and showing me your work.” Nai’a looked into those bi-colored eyes of his and smiled brightly at him, ”What would you like to know about me?” Nai’a did not know people that ever asked her this question, they usually did not want to get to know her on a deeper level, and the fact that Erekez did intrigued her.

”And my job at the infirmary is pretty self-explanatory. I use my mark of Rak’Keli to heal those that I can, all the while learning more about medicine and herbalism with Mistress Claira. Some make it, some…. Aren’t so lucky.” A haunted look appeared on the Kelvics face, sadness dancing in the depths of her eyes. The children… Nai’a inhaled deeply to keep herself from crying, shaking off the sadness and haunted look, and smiling at Erekez. ”Anyways, what is it that you’d like to know about me?”

[Erekez]

Mistress Claira was well known and had the age and knowledge of such things in her area of expertise as Lisaelis did in hers. Erekez had great respect for both of them, devoting their time to help others, albeit it different ways, it made no difference. It had been Claira that had requested the medicinal texts for the infirmary. She was quite lenient and accepted the time that it would take to probably get only one book done, but she had gone with thinking it was better to ask earlier so that they are done earlier. She'd also said that, if Erekez hadn't been asked, it would've taken much longer for any of the books to be done. He didn't need to think much about his questions, as he found himself wanting to ask similar questions to those he would usually ask when trying to find out about someone. He stopped momentarily as Nai'a began to appear dazed, almost sickened or shocked. She might have been thinking about something quite upsetting, leading on from her last comment about not everyone making it in the infirmary. Surely seeing so many deaths would take a great toll on any individuals mentality. How did anyone learn to cope with it? Claira seemed to manage, but how? He appreciated the work that medical practices did, but the atmosphere of such areas, pain and suffering, was not one that Erekez could deal with. He had killed without remorse on a number of occasions, but it had always been quick, and only when they had tried their luck first. Erekez was going to offer a hug of his own, hoping it would comfort Nai'a and take her mind off of whatever had saddened her. However, before he spoke, she had covered her expression well and replaced it with a smile. She seemed to be good at such things, and Erekez let her have it. If she dealt with such things the same way he dealt with people, he had no right to call her out on it. He returned her smile before asking. "What made you want to come to Zeltiva, of all places? I've been to many towns and cities. What made this one appeal to you so?" It was a simple question. Why here? It was also an obscure one, Erekez had found. Not many people expected it, so couldn't really fake an answer on spot, so the answer was most often the truth and revealed slight things about the intentions of the individual. It was common that his questions were asked back at him, thought not all the time. Erekez had only changed his answers with the locations he had stayed, as there had been different reasons he had ventured to such places. Personal interest was a common factor of all his answers though. He had heard something about the area, and wanted to see and experience them himself. He never stayed for long though, his stay in Zeltiva proving to be the longest time he had spent in any one place before, an entire season almost. Continuing to watch Nai'a, his gaze drifted back to her hair. The colour is what made her stand out, and it was her personally that had kept his interest further. She was different from the norm, and that is why Erekez was intrigued. He briefly looked over her clothing after her hair. The two contrasted greatly, but it was her choice, and possibly to prevent any clothes like the one she wore last night getting ruined in the infirmary. He suddenly became very aware of some of the patches and stitching of his own clothes against his skin.

[Nai'a]

His question was a simple one, which had a complex answer. There were many reasons of why she chose Zeltiva. Reason’s that would reveal a lot about herself, and that made her feel slightly nervous. She knew that Erekez was kind, but would he hurt her if he knew all about her? Nai’a wasn’t sure, but to be a good friend, she shouldn’t lie about herself, she should be honest. With that in mind, she decided to tell him the story of how she came to be here.

”The answer to your question is rather long, but I will try to shorten it the best I can.” Nai’a sat down in a chair and cleared her throat, as she crossed her legs. ”When I was younger, I was a slave.” Nai’a’s hand rubbed at the scar around her throat from the collar that was placed there, then dropped her hand back down, ”Then a mage adopted me, and I lived with him for a little while, he was my bond mate. Then he was murdered, and that is what sparked my travels. I traveled the lands from Riverfall to the Wild Lands, then to here, searching for information about my bond mate’s killer. I did not turn up anything useful though, only that I may find what I am looking for in Ravok or Sunberth. But my kind is not welcomed in Ravok, so I decided to stay here and do what I can to heal people, because my goddesses will comes first, before everything else in my life. So I made a vow to stay in Zeltiva until the sickness has lifted its shroud from the city, then I will find a way to travel once more.” Nai’a inhaled a deep breath, leaving out the part that now that she was pregnant she would more than likely be stuck here until the child grows old enough to travel. No one needed to know that she was pregnant, not for a while yet anyways.

Nai’a cleared her throat once more, and a warm smile made her face glow, ”What brings you to Zeltiva Erekez?” Nai’a wanted to know more about this kind man, the bi-colored eye man, he was interesting to her, and his personality did not match the scars on his arms, which made Nai’a even more curious as to who he really was.

[Erekez]

Nai'a sat, pondering the question. She had said that it was a long story and was going to try and shorten it to be told. Apparently, it wasn't as simple a question as Erekez had initially thought. It implied that there were many reasons that Nai'a had come to Zeltiva, some of which were possibly very personal. He said nothing as she began her story. Nai'a rubbed her neck as she opened the story with her time as a slave. Erekez could see the scars that her hand gently brushed over. These ones weren't erratic like his own, where a sudden and unexpected object had broken skin. These showed straight lines, as if they had been neatly cut, but by what? A collar perhaps? A rope? There were very few things that could be tied around a slave's neck to prevent escaping. As she continued Erekez picked up on a certain word. "Bondmate? You're a Kelvic." It was a statement, not a question. Nai'a continued to explain how her bondmate was murdered. It was the reason for her travels, she was out for revenge on whoever killed her bondmate, yet she had found no leads that she could work with just yet. Rak'keli demanded that she stay here during the Blight, helping those who fall ill and need healing. Rak'keli was a benevolent goddess, but she unintentionally put chains on her followers when gifting them with her mark. Erekez chose to follow Eyris. All he needed was a desire to learn and protect it, regardless of the consequences of knowing the truth. As long as he could promise these, Eyris allowed him to do as he wished when the promise was not necessary to be called upon at the time. Nai'a's revenge had to be put on hold, but Erekez was still free to do as he wished. He understood why she wanted it, and agreed with it. She would need to be careful. Revenge was dangerous if one did not carry it out carefully, and the law systems were unlikely to be able to do anything about it. Erekez was unsure if they would even put the time into something that had happened so far back. He gathered his thoughts as Nai'a asked they question he knew she would. He lowered himself down to one knee, getting himself level with Nai'a as he spoke. "I came to Zeltiva with the intention to learn Familiary." He explained in as soft a voice as he could manage. "I was hoping to find someone who would be able to help me do so." His fist clenched. Maybe there would be something that he could do to help. "Believe me when I say that you have my full support with your search for your bondmate's killer." He extended his gloved, right hand to her. "If there is ever a time you need any assistance, do not hesitate to find me and ask." His smile was small, yet warm. Did you just offer your help? Yes, he did, and he meant every word of it. Whilst their friendship still had a lot to build upon, Erekez had a feeling it would get there at some point. Right now, Nai'a sounded like she would need help, and he was more than happy to offer it to her.

[Nai'a]

When Erekez made the statement about her being a Kelvic while she told her story, she just gave a small smile and nodded in agreement. She did not usually let people know these things, even though she was a dolphin, who were smart animals, people assumed her to be rather childish and stupid. Though the fact was that she was just like any other human. She loved to read on rainy days, she wanted to be loved and held, she wanted to be cared for and care for someone else, and one day she wanted a family. Nai’a rubbed her stomach briefly at the thought of family. She had hoped to have a family with someone she was married to, but it seemed that Rak’Keli had other plans for her. The thought of being a mother frightened her, made her soul tremor with fear. She loved children, but she did not know if she would make a good mother. She never had a mother figure in her life, so she did not really know if she could be one, nor knew how to be a mother either.

She wanted to seek out revenge on those who harmed the man that was like a father to her, the man that saved her from falling into the depths of insanity. Those with the mark of Rak’Keli cannot be abused for long periods of time. They are not meant to be slaves, and if they are and are abused for a long time, they lose their minds. Thankfully Nai’a did not lose anything being a slave; she just suffered from the nightmares when she had time to sleep. Though the nightmares tortured the very sanity of her mind and kind soul, she would take that over not being able to heal or help others. The kelvic being a slave made her that much more strong willed to help other people out, especially children.

Nai’a abandoned her thoughts, as Erekez began to tell her why he came to Zeltiva. She shut the memories and thoughts away, giving him her full attention as she listened in intently. The man wanted to learn Familiary. She had heard about this, but did not know much about it. It sounded like a fun thing to learn, she wished she could just point him in the right direction, but she did not know any mages that knew that certain magic as of yet. When Erekez fists clenched Nai’a could not help but raise her brow at that. He spoke with passion when he told her he would help her get her revenge on those who killed her former bond mate. He extended his right gloved hand to her, and she grasped it softly, looking into his eyes, when he said that if she ever needed his assistance, to find him and ask. The small warm smile that he had on his face, made her smile in return.

”I do not know a mage that knows that particular magic, and I am only a novice at Reimancy. I wish I could help you some way though. Thank you Erekez, you are so kind and sweet to offer your help. I cannot bring myself to hurt another being, not just because of the mark of Rak’Keli, but I know what it feels like to… be hurt. And I never want to inflict that kind of pain on anyone, human or animal.”

Nai’a spoke softly, almost in a whisper as her eyes cast down to the floor, ”That is why the poisons in this book interested me.” Nai’a cleared her throat and looked back up to Erekez, ”It is my entire fault that he is gone. I should have known, should have felt the pain he was feeling. As a bond mate you are alerted to each other’s feelings. When you are bonded you can get the general location of your bond mate, and know what they are feeling. I should have been woken up to his feeling of fear and pain. He passed away in his sleep, so someone somehow slipped him poison. But I failed him… I did not protect him as he did me.” Nai’a’s head bent down as tears slipped out of her eyes, she felt exposed to this man that she thought was her friend, that she hoped was her friend.

She really needed a friend, someone she wasn’t afraid to show herself to, and someone who she was not afraid would reject her. Nai’a could not control her emotions like she wanted to, so she sobbed softly, watching the tears splatter softly on the floor. She did not know why she exposed herself to him, but she felt like she could trust him, that he would not hurt her, instead it felt to her that this man would protect her if he had to, and that made Nai'a feel safe to let these feelings she kept pent up out.

[Erekez]

Reimancy was not a type of magic that Erekez had had good run-ins with in the past; in fact, there was still a reimancer he owed greatly for his past actions against Erekez. He would get what was coming to him, but for now, Erekez didn't know where he was, neither did he intend on trying to find any leads. He was still not prepared yet. He looked back at Nai’a, feeling is stomach tightening at her words of not being able to hurt another. He had suspected as much, but Erekez worried about what she might think of him when she discovered how easy it was for him to do so. He could live knowing that he did not enjoy killing, but was anxious if whether or not Nai'a would understand his reasons for why he did so. Nai continued her story, going in to great depth on why she believed that it was her own fault that her bondmate died. They only one who would be able to convince her otherwise was the man she spoke of. She was torturing herself. She had no way of knowing that it was going to happen and, even if she did, what could she have done? If they could kill a mage so easily, was she not lucky that she survived so she could avenge him? This was not the time to pry, not when Nai'a was in such a state. A glimmer of light fell to the floor, and splashed outwards. Nai'a was crying, because he had asked a question too private. Erekez couldn't remember the last time he had cried, he only felt his throat clamp up, causing him to take slow and steady breaths. He wished he could, just to prove that there was something he cared enough for, but he didn't, not like Nai'a. He couldn't truly understand what Nai'a was going through. He had never lost someone to death before, but Dira was not kind to all. He had only lost those he held dear because of someone's ambitions, whether their own, or another's. Erekez had an idea of how she felt, remembering what he felt when he lost his usefulness to others, but what Nai'a felt was on a completely different spectrum of pain. Taking his hand away from Nai'a's, he took a deep breath. She believed that she was on her own, that people would leave her without a moments notice, that people would hurt her. He understood, all too well. Nai'a had trusted him with very personal information, hoping that he wouldn't leave her. How can I? She is worried of what I have lived, and quite rightly so. She has already been through enough. I can't let her go through what I have on top of it. Erekez slowly moved closer, placing two fingers under her chin and lifting her head up to face him. He looked into Nai'a's grey eyes, contrasting greatly with her hair. Even after all this, you are still analysing her? No. He saw that there was nothing in her face but sadness, but that was not his intent. Erekez's intent wasn't to look at her face, but to show her his. In one swift movement, he pulled her in closer, wrapping one arm around Nai'a's waist, and the other gently resting on the back of her head. He was not hugging her just out of sympathy or to comfort, he hugged her to show that he not only offered his help, but offered his protection alongside it. His right hand clenched again. Lykata was going to get some heavy use.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a sat there sobbing lightly, feeling slightly exposed by doing so. Though no matter how hard she tried to fight of the wave of tears, she could not succeed in doing so. She hiccupped lightly from trying to swallow the lump that formed in her throat from the attempt to quell the tears. It was then that the man before her surprised her once again. He placed two fingers under her chin, lifting her head up to gaze into those beautiful eyes of his. In this moment Nai’a felt naked, although she was clothed. She wanted to cast her eyes away from his, but she could not summon the strength to do so. She looked at the seriousness that was upon his face, the sympathy that danced in his eyes, and something more that she could not place her finger on. She felt connected to this man, though she did not understand why she felt this strong connection. His eyes briefly took in her facial features, and then in one swift movement she was wrapped up in his arms, in a tight embrace.

Nai’a gasped slightly at this gesture, she had been embraced before, but this felt different. There were no sexual gestures about this embrace, it was a true embrace. One that spoke volumes, which told Nai’a he would protect her that he was there. They only knew each other briefly, yet this connection that had formed itself between them was already so strong. Her tense body relaxed in his arms, becoming slightly fluid as she wrapped her arms around him as well, holding on for dear life. She rested her head on his shoulder, her sobs dying down to a small gasps. Then she inhaled his scent slightly, out of habit. He smelled of warmth, books, inks, and something else. Nai’a nuzzled her nose into his neck, and sniffed slightly. He probably thought of her sniffing from crying, but it was to get that scent she smelled. She directed her nose to his clothing and sniffed again. This time the smell triggered a memory. Horse. Nai’a thought and leaned back, only slightly though still embraced in his arms, and glanced up at his face.

”Thank you. You will never know how much this gesture meant to me Erekez. You have filled my heart with such warmth.” Nai’a said with a small smile, her eyes glistening from the tears she had previously let spill. ”But.. do you own a horse?” Nai’a knew this was a little comical. Crying one minute, happy the next, then inquisitive another moment. Her pregnant emotions were out of control, and her belly seemed to be getting bigger day by day, making her wonder if it was a Kelvic child that grew in her womb. Nai’a’s eyes re focused on the handsome face of Erekez, and she gave him a warm smile and sniffled lightly.

[Erekez]

Her hair fell as smoothly as water and was just as gentle to touch. Any and all tension left as Nai'a held on, as if worried that he would disappear if she let go. Her tears receded, replaced with short intakes of breath, as she rest against him. For the first time in a long time, Erekez felt accepted, like Nai'a wasn't going to leave him. He wasn't going to be alone. He continued to hold her as she nuzzled his neck with her nose, feeling her warm breath wash outwards and over his skin as she breathed out. The feeling was unusual to Erekez, but no less unwelcome. He loosened his grip on her slightly, as he felt Nai'a moving backwards, thinking that she was moving away, but she continued holding on to him. He turned his head to look down at her. Her eyes were still red, as was her face, as she continued to rest her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him as she lay there. She spoke with gratitude when he had done nothing more than promise to be there for her when she needed it. It seemed to be enough for Nai'a. "Do you own a horse?" Well, that was unexpected to say the least. She was a random, little, pink-haired bundle, and he had no regrets on choosing her at the ball last night. How old is she? Not in appearance, but actual age? They mature faster, but some seem to keep childlike tendencies. A short attention span seemed to be one. Erekez only smiled. He meant no offence, he only teased. Still holding, he answered her. "Yes. A gilding. I call her Moonraker." Once Nai'a felt comfortable, Erekez would let her step away from the embrace. She was the one who needed it, so he would stay as he was until she felt better. "I last left her just outside the city. She has an attitude about her, and like to explore herself. She's not stupid, and I've been warned many times by her to let her do as she pleases. She's quite the prankster, so I don't provoke her. Perhaps you would like to meet her sometime?" Nai'a looked so cute from this angle.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a seemed to like this man, a great deal so, something that was rather strange. Sure she was pleasant and friendly to everyone, and sure she liked them unless they were rude. But there was something different about this man, something that made her trust him with her life, something that made her feel something similar to love for him. It was rather strange and frightened Nai’a slightly that she had such strong emotions for this man so soon, but she brushed them off as he began to tell her about his horse, named Moonraker.

When he said that the horse was a prankster and did as she pleased, it made Nai’a laugh, and all rememberance of the tears forgotten as her soulful, melodic laugh filled the quiet library. When she calmed down, Nai’a brought her hand to her eyes, wiping away tears of happiness from the strong laugh, ”She sounds like a wonderful companion to have, I would be honored to meet her. I love horses, well, I love all animals really. When can I meet this lady of yours?” Nai’a’s voice came out pleasant at first, then slightly teasing at the end speaking of his lady.

Nai’a secretly hoped that she would be able to meet Moonraker soon, for she was easily excited by such thing, and at the present time she was excited to meet his horse. Not only because it was an animal she adored, but also because it would tell her more about this man. What better way to get to know this man more, than through one who knows him very well, his companion that has seen much with him?