He offered her a mirthless grin, a murderer's slit across his face of neither blood nor malice. Standing, he crossed around the fire towards her. The firelight leaped up his body like scarves of orange and yellow, sending spiders of shadow dancing across his skin and clothes. She tensed as he came near to her, it was an instinctual thing that would have similarly happened for him. They were warriors, distrustful at their cores.
The world had reached up and slapped them, hard, and perhaps continued to do so till they were forced to throw up their hands and fight back. Theirs were bodies of finesse and hard-won survival. So when he knelt beside her, he was not surprised she was on her guard. But he did not intrude too far into her personal bubble, sitting nearly knee to knee, he regarded her with dispassionate clarity.
Sideways to the fire, one eye was cast in brilliant hues while the rest of his face was plunged into flickering obscurity.
"You think me a slaver?" He asked her with no intonation, "You believe I want you to follow me till you find some honor to throw yourself upon? No. You have your life and if the fates desire, you will have opportunity enough to repay me."
He reached out as if to cup one of her cheeks but paused inches from her skin, letting his hand drop, "Fierce, proud, beautiful. You would follow if I asked, your honor demands it. But you owe me nothing. I spared as no favor to you, but as to the person you may one day become."
He settled back on his knees and smiled, "I offer your life to Vayt, who values strength above all else. May the weak become your food and the bones beneath your feet, and may you only let yourself die to one superior."
Stifling a yawn, he shook his head. Exhaustion was written across his features as the night wore on. There was a yearning in him, to touch her, to feel the taut muscles coil in different purpose...but also the desire to sleep, and still the desire to be cautious.
Like a strange dog who has shown you favor but only when you have proven yourself with violence. A biting dog will always be that.
"Perhaps we should rest," He said quietly, "The day will be upon us and I will part ways...Unless..." Looking at her, he debated internally before offering the tent across the fire, "You'd like to join me?"
The world had reached up and slapped them, hard, and perhaps continued to do so till they were forced to throw up their hands and fight back. Theirs were bodies of finesse and hard-won survival. So when he knelt beside her, he was not surprised she was on her guard. But he did not intrude too far into her personal bubble, sitting nearly knee to knee, he regarded her with dispassionate clarity.
Sideways to the fire, one eye was cast in brilliant hues while the rest of his face was plunged into flickering obscurity.
"You think me a slaver?" He asked her with no intonation, "You believe I want you to follow me till you find some honor to throw yourself upon? No. You have your life and if the fates desire, you will have opportunity enough to repay me."
He reached out as if to cup one of her cheeks but paused inches from her skin, letting his hand drop, "Fierce, proud, beautiful. You would follow if I asked, your honor demands it. But you owe me nothing. I spared as no favor to you, but as to the person you may one day become."
He settled back on his knees and smiled, "I offer your life to Vayt, who values strength above all else. May the weak become your food and the bones beneath your feet, and may you only let yourself die to one superior."
Stifling a yawn, he shook his head. Exhaustion was written across his features as the night wore on. There was a yearning in him, to touch her, to feel the taut muscles coil in different purpose...but also the desire to sleep, and still the desire to be cautious.
Like a strange dog who has shown you favor but only when you have proven yourself with violence. A biting dog will always be that.
"Perhaps we should rest," He said quietly, "The day will be upon us and I will part ways...Unless..." Looking at her, he debated internally before offering the tent across the fire, "You'd like to join me?"
