Remain...Calm...(Aren and Aleksi)

[Aren]

Aren acknowledged Aleksi's desire to talk to her friend with a nod, but he wasn't so sure about her idea to get him up on her horse. The akalak wasn't much of a rider, and mounts usually didn't appreciate being burdened by someone of his size. In addition, striders were not like normal horses, as far as Aren understood it. They were much more intelligent, although he didn't know if that was the right word, but they were definitively not just beast of burden. The issue arose when Aren recalled that this particular strider had seen him threaten the life of it's rider and though the matter was a little more complicated than that, was Night really capable of understand this? The akalak eyed the horse with as much trepidation as the animal seemed to have at the thought of bearing the man on it's back, but the truth was that Aren might have tipped over if he was currently leaning against Night. Unable to do much of anything, the warrior simply stood and waited. Aleksi and her friend seemed to have something to discuss, and he didn't want to interrupt them. He did continue to lower the illumination of the general vicinity, but now he was doing this more concerned with the supposed danger of the Nykan night. They were lingering in one place overmuch, and this was never a good idea when the streets were said to be dangerous at this hour. The cover of complete darkness might prove advantageous should the trio find itself in unexpected trouble, at least with someone who could see in that darkness to guide them. Unfortunately, Aren's fatigued mind didn't really consider the possibility that, depending on the situation, this tactic could do end up doing more harm than good.

[Aleksi]

Aleksi nodded a bit. It was so difficult to see Xi like that. To see him cold, yet so angry one could literally slice the particular emotion in the air with a knife. Her fingers reached down, underneath his cloak and gently grazed over his hands, biting her bottom lip and trying to remain calm. After all, she didn't wish Aren to see any form of dramatic behavior from her, after all that has happened that night. The thought of him made her turn around just to check if he was fine. And he seemed so, as much as he could be of course, after all of that. Shaking her head and then just giving up, she looked back at Xi, noticing the moonlight getting just a bit stronger. Its softness was barely able to show the purple forming hand print on her throat. She completely forgot about that.. about the fact that her pale skin bruised up so easily. And she didn't care at that particular moment either. After all, there was a valid explanation for it. Her arms moved up and wrapped around Xi. It was obvious that she couldn't hold back. She gave him a warm kiss on the cheek and whispered I missed you in his ear before blushing bright red. This emotional stuff was never her strongest line, so she had no idea how the man would react, or how much the Akalak behind them would tease her about it. Thinking for a second, it actually made her giggle. The fact that she turned from this cold, somewhat mean creature into a woman that was actually affectionate and kind to some was slightly unbelievable. If only her mother could see her like that. She heard that even though she was a great fighter, she was very kind as well. Liked helping and loving everyone that came close to her family.

[Ximal]

Xi let his shoulders slump watching aleski before him noticing the light around him slowly growing dimmer and dimmer. until the moon broke the clouds and shone down on aleksi....and there he saw something that made that cloak of anger that low blaze of mild irritation burst into a full blow fire-storm. That anger erupted like unlit res flowing off of him and skating across the ground like literal liquid fire. Xi tried to take a breath and calm himself as she wrapped around his chest. Even as her lips touched his cheek he could feel the anger venting off of him like a beacon. He felt hot, almost on fire he felt as if he was giving off the heat that his anger was bringing forth. Xi lowered his eyed and pulled her off slowly his face still looking very calm. He pulled her off slowly not harshly nor strongly but carefully now that he could see how bruised she was. "Aleksi...Who did this?" The edge of his voice was now no longer cold and harsh but full of anger and protectiveness, he wanted to make sure she was ok but he could feel the anger above him just flowing off. "Who bruised you? Who put their hand around your neck." If aleksi could look into his eye's a little bit of his ancestry would be showing in that his eye's would be close to glowing blue, in his rage the flickering fire he felt would be emanated with a slow glow of his eye's asa he peered out at her from beneath his hood.

[Aren]

Aren eyed the pair, but he couldn't really make out what they were talking about. The streets of Nyka were as silent as the grave, but the akalak was neither inclined, nor able, to pick up on the hushed tones they were speaking in. It was almost certainly a personal matter, Aren assumed, and as such he wouldn't dream of eavesdropping on their conversation. Unfortunately, time wasn't going to stop just so that Aleksi could explain the situation Xi currently found her in, and the akalak found himself growing agitated at their insistence on lingering. It was not a good idea to ignore the advice of the locals, he kept thinking, even as ominous clouds moved to cover the little moonlight that was illuminating the night. The darkness did not bother him, but the inauspicious omen certainly did not do anything to improve his disposition. Normally, Aren was not one to read too much into signs and portents, but he was tired now. His mind was enervated, and as a consequence his body felt heavy and sluggish. In addition, just to top it all off, he was continuing to expend his djed without realizing just how drained he was. The truth was that all he really wanted to do was close his eyes and wander off into the land of dreams, the impossibility of such a simple act in the current situation frustrating him to no end. These were the times that Aren wished he and his Other were on good terms. The fatigue he felt did not have a physical cause, and so perhaps it was possible to hand the reigns over to his brother, whilst he rested. Of course, since it had been Seros' outburst that had precipitated this situation, that wasn't exactly possible. Still, the akalak couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he were to lose the tenuous grasp he had on consciousness. "Come on... you guys. Finish it up, and let's get out of here," Aren thought, his eyes threatening to close against his will. Though he was desperate to rest, and despite the fact that he could barely stand, his hand did not cease what he likely thought by now was an unnecessary drain on his mental fortitude. In fact, the akalak had practically forgotten he was doing it, an actuality that would have alarmed him terribly... if he discerned what was happening. Unfortunately, he was in no shape to realize that part of his body was no longer his own.