Closed The First of Many (Jorin Ertihan)

[Rinya]

Day 64, Season Fall, 513 AV

17th Bell

The day after seeing Jorin on stage for the first time was draining. Well perhaps not so much draining as she was still recovering from the night before. The both of them had an extremely emotional night—followed by some extremely intense mating on top of it. Rinya considered it a highlight that they found all of their clothing in the dark and managed to make it home in the first place. Part of Rinya had wanted to just stop at the first tavern they crossed just to curl up into a warm bed with him beside her. But it really was just a waste of Mizas by that point. They had a home and they belonged there.

Jorin had work to return to though, and he had left fairly early—by her standards anyways—with a gentle kiss and the usual words of love he always left her with. And she had remained pressed into his side of the bed since his departure. She always missed his presence, but it always seemed keener when she stayed behind in their home. Their bed. The warmth of his body and the sound of his heartbeat when she curled up against him. With only his scent left behind to comfort her, she usually spent a few bells just hazing in and out of dreams until she could force herself to get up.

It happened to be one those days. There had been a chill sliding through the air from the night before, and it seemed to cling to the atmosphere the whole day. She had thought about going back to the Stained Pelt for more archery practice—in her opinion one could never have enough of that—but there was a slight melancholy that clung to her. By now her instincts told her she should have migrated further south. She had never followed them before, but the first signs that fall was beginning to give away to winter always made it worse.

Though in her opinion there was no where really worth going when Jorin couldn’t follow. She wouldn’t have even made it with a full day’s worth of flying before she’d end up returning if she tried. They had spent most of the season with all their free time together since they had moved in with each other. Rinya couldn’t imagine trying to spend all of winter without her mate. Much less even a few days—though she knew that would be easier than the previous option. She wasn’t so attached to him that she lost herself—mostly. It was a willing give, an easy one. One that Jorin never used anyways.

So Rinya did little things that didn’t really affect her day much. She had made a quick trip to Zhongjie Warren to finally pick up something she had been putting off for some time now. She knew that she could have the smithy create a dagger matching the one she had borrowed from the Warren, but having something crafted just for her was a little too expensive for her taste. She had wandered through several different kinds of weapons before she had found what she was looking for. A small assassin’s dagger—as Rhys called it—though it looked somewhat different than the one she had on hand. It wasn’t entirely silver, the black hilt and so was the tip of the blade, fading into silver towards the top.

She had wondered at first if the blade would do any good—it looked more like it was for show than for damage—but after a small demonstration of the weapon’s usefulness Rinya relented and bought the petching dagger. Just like the one from the Warren, she was aware of it attached to her hip as she made her way home. A close combat kind of weapon that didn’t quite seem to fit her. She truly wondered if over time she would get used to having it at all.

With the chill in the air Rinya refused to remain out for too long. She had dressed in her work clothing to make it to the bazaar, but she hated to wear them when she didn’t quite need so she had changed back into her skirt and blouse from the night before the moment she returned home. There was still the urge to light them on fire after all the trouble they caused, but she would have to do it later. Tossing the dagger onto Jorin’s desk—she didn’t really use it for much herself, but he kept several of his books on it—she went about braiding her hair across her left shoulder.

The shealth of the blade however bounced off one of Jorin’s poem books and knocked it to the floor. With a resigned sigh, she bent down to pick it up. The book had opened upon landing and as she lifted it from the floor she turned it over in her hands so she could see the writing sprawled across the page. In the back of her mind something told her this was wrong. Even if she couldn’t identify a single letter on the page, looking at it was almost like invading Jorin’s private thoughts. He may share much with her—including a poem now and again—but this was just plain nosy.

But she couldn’t help it. She took to studying the writing on the page much like she did anything else with Jorin. The curve of the letters that he now actually wrote with one of her feathers, she had to suppress a grin trying to spread across her face. Jorin’s romantic influence was wearing off on her. Regardless she couldn’t find it in herself to just put the book down. Stepping over to the bed, she lay back down—taking over most of his spot again—and stared at the words as if she could actually make them out.

And she really wanted to be able to. Jorin had promised her that he would teach her, but there just hadn’t been much time for it. This kind of knowledge wasn’t something she had craved before, but being able to read had become something she yearned for. Reaching out, Rinya ran her fingers down the length of the page. Being able to read Jorin’s words would be amazing to her.

LedgerAssassin’s Dagger -4 GM

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 64, 513 AV

It had been an... interesting day at the Amphitheater. As Jorin wound his way back home, his cheeks burned with slight embarrassment as he recalled what had happened. The moment he'd walked into work, the entire cast and crew had exploded into applause, with the occasional cheer or wolf whistle thrown in for good measure. At first, Jorin had no idea what was going on until Laran had come forward and clapped a congratulatory hand on his shoulder.

"Jorin!" he laughed, a twinkle in his eye giving away how amused he was. "That was quite the... performance you had last night!"

Performance? At first Jorin thought Laran was talking about the play. But that couldn't be it, he'd done nothing particularly special and... oh no. He couldn't be referring to... and then Jorin belatedly recalled that he and Rinya had not been quiet during their love making. At all. In fact, had they been any louder, they would have probably woken up half the city. His cheeks had burned at the realization that, given that he and Rinya had left the afterparty prematurely, many of the actors were undoubtedly still there during their tryst. Just how many heard?

And then Jorin's eyes raked across the assembled actors, understudies, and stagehands and he buried his face in his hands. They were all there. Every single one of them. Which meant everyone knew. Laran just guffawed and squeezed Jorin's shoulder sympathetically. "Hey now, it's not all bad!" he grinned, trying to get Jorin to cheer up. "Seriously, Jorin. You should have seen the look on that kid's face when you two started shouting each other's name!"

And it went downhill from there. Not that it really ended with anything bad happening; mostly he just suffered through endless ribbing and suggestive questions. And it seemed the stage master was in on it too because he kept giving Jorin parts of the next play that had nothing but double entedres in the lines.

But Jorin kept an amused grin throughout the good-natured ribbing. It was a common theater practice and he knew they meant no harm by it. Though an interesting thing: he hadn't seen the annoying understudy that had, in a drunken bout of bravery, brazenly kissed RInya in full view of her mate last night. In fact, he hadn't even seen the kid during rehearsals, which was unheard of for an understudy trying to make Actor. He should know; it was exactly that sort of behavior that got him kicked from the Thespians.

When he questioned Laran about it, the other actor just shrugged with a knowing smile, merely telling Jorin that he'd "see the kid soon". Jorin wondered briefly what Laran meant by that, only to find out later that day when he went to the latrine to relieve himself... only to find the kid cleaning them. Well. That was certainly quite the tumble down the social ladder. And in one night too. Laran and Torik certainly moved fast.

In any case the day ended on a bright note. Besides some jokes at his expense and an endless stream of innuendo, he hadn't suffered greatly for his indiscretion. In addition, the vast majority of the women who had been bothering him (most likely for the game though Jorin honestly didn't know) had all but left him alone after they either heard his nocturnal activities with Rinya, or else heard about it second or third hand.

However, a very small but very determined contingent appeared to try even harder, which rather surprised him but really it didn't matter. Jorin had always only had eyes for Rinya, it wasn't even last night that this was the case, although certainly after their intense mating he was even less inclined to respond to anyone else if that was possible.

But still, Jorin was eager to get home to his mate. After the night they had yesterday, he just wanted to see her again. It was always such a rush to be with her, even on quiet nights when they do little except enjoy each other's company. And tonight he really wanted to just be there with her. Ever since last night blew away any barriers that might have existed between them, not that there were many to begin with, he felt a draw to her that had always been there but was now that much stronger.

Walking through the threshold of their home, Jorin put down the few things he'd taken to work that day near the door, and placed his shoes carefully next to them. Rinya was usually busying herself with one thing or another in their home by the time he got there, but this time she seemed to not be in the main area or the kitchen. He figured she was in their bedroom; perhaps their passion last night was more tiring to her than he'd thought.

As he walked in, he noticed that Rinya was on their bed, head propped up with a pillow as she frowned cutely at one of his poetry books. It was the older one, the one that Jorin had painstakingly copied what few poems survived the summer storm that had ruined his first book. Smiling as he walked over to her, squeezing in next to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulder and nuzzling her neck with his nose.

"See anything interesting, my love?" he asked.

[Rinya]

Day 64, Season Fall, 513 AV

Rinya wasn’t sure how long she had been staring at Jorin’s poem book. In some ways it had become severely hypnotic, tracing her fingers over letters and words that she had no idea how to sound out. So many of the letters twisted around themselves she truly wondered how she would ever figure out how to read. And then the further question was—would she actually want to learn how to write as well. As if learning how to read wasn’t a daunting enough task, Rinya realized it may actually be a part of learning how to read. Being able to write it as well.

Frowning slightly, she was tempted to just return the book back to the desk again. The idea that she was invading what little personal space Jorin had left tugged at the back of her mind. She had no idea how long it took for normal humans to live together, but Rinya was fairly certain there had been faster relationships than her and Jorin—but most more than likely moved at a slower pace. And then there was the fact she had invaded his room shortly after. She still used her room for storing her clothing or things too large to leave directly next to the door, but she hadn’t spent a night in that room since her nightmare that sent her scurrying into the very room she was laying. Jorin had allowed her to invade every single space she could. He deserved some kind of outlet that she didn’t intrude on.

She was actually so caught up in trying to decide what to do with the book, that she didn’t even hear Jorin return home. Or the fact that it was most certainly dark outside. Rinya had spent at least a good bell just staring at one page in the poem book. So when the bed dipped beside her two things went through her head. One was pure surprise that actually took her nearly swallowing her own tongue to keep from squealing, the other was she had been caught and she didn’t know how to entirely handle the fact she been snooping in his books. Swallowing heavily she tried to ignore the nerves in her stomach and act… normal.

But normal for them had shifted again. Between them every time their dynamics changed it seemed like by large a big change. There was the budding friendship that landed them as nearly instant bondmates. Or the first kiss—although that one had nearly been ruined by her jealousy. The admitting to one another of their love for one another… which quickly turned into not only bondmates but roommates as soon as Jorin was well enough. Perhaps the gentlest transition between them had been becoming lovers—for some reason that had seemed like the easiest and most comfortable position for them to be in.

This new shift between them however ran deeper than she had expected. Some of the emotions were still left over and Rinya had firmly decided that this new openness should remain. It seemed so minor when up against some of the other steps they had taken, but somehow it felt to be the most important. Accepting that she had given him everything, and he was free to take as he pleased. Do as he pleased. But even with Jorin it left her feeling a little vulnerable. All the more easy to break should anything happen to him, or between them for that matter. It had been bad enough he was capable of reducing her to tears before, but now… she could only trust him. And knowing Jorin he was most certainly enjoying this shift.

Rinya considered that perhaps she should actually make room for him on the bed, but she rather preferred having him so close. His arm snaked around her shoulders and his nose brushed against her skin. If there was any doubt about still feeling emotionally raw from the night before, the simple action caused her to shudder. It wasn’t just a pleasant feeling trailing across her skin like normal. Her heart simply swelled at his closeness and threatened to close her throat to speech. Closing the book, she hugged it to her chest. It would take time to become accustom to this—to him. But she had little doubt she would take to it like the rest. She looked forward to actually.

Clearing her throat a little, she shook her head. She couldn’t see him with his face buried in her neck so she tilted her body towards him and shrugged almost helplessly. ”Uhm… I accidently knocked it off the desk. I couldn’t help myself.” Rinya didn’t bother to make an apology. She wasn’t actually sorry—yet—for invading his space. If he was displeased by her actions then she could apologize. Or did she have that backwards? ”How was work? Did anyone give you hai over that understudy?”

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 64, 513 AV

Jorin removed himself from Rinya's neck and looked at her with the tiniest bit of surprise when she mentioned that she couldn't help herself. What was she talking about? Then he belatedly noticed his book again. Was it about his book? Even if she could have read it, which he remembered her saying she couldn't, he wouldn't mind sharing his poetry with her. They'd shared so much more over the past two seasons, her reading a few of his poems wouldn't have bothered him much if at all. But perhaps he could change that now.

After all, their coupling last night had done more than felt incredible. He could feel that it had shattered all barriers that might have existed between them. There weren't many to begin with; Jorin certainly had very few and RInya... Jorin wasn't sure but it felt like somehow, even though their bond, their relationship, their love had always been open, it was now even more open.

How that was possible, he didn't know, but it was like the last vestiges of whatever walls that might have existed between their hearts were gone and they were truly joined. And Jorin was glad of it. He always told Rinya: no secrets. He never kept anything from his beloved bondmate, always told her everything he could, even if it was embarrassing or frustrating. He trusted her completely, just like she trusted him.

"Don't worry about it," Jorin insisted, and he meant it. He was sure Rinya could feel it across their now incredibly open bond. He wasn't at all upset. "Besides, most of the poems in that book are finished, anyway." Not that he would be upset with her reading his unfinished poems either, it was just that since they were unfinished, they were often missing whole lines and made for rather poor reading.

When she asked about his work, though, Jorin couldn't help but blush heavily again. Ah yes. That. Jorin didn't know how to explain it so he cleared his throat and looked sheepish. "Uhh, well, you remember last night?" he asked, rather rhetorically. Of course she would remember last night. They would both likely remember that night for the rest of their lives.

Off Rinya's reaction, Jorin continued. "Well, apparently so does everybody else at the Amphitheater." Jorin's blush grew deeper as he waited for Rinya's reaction before continuing.

"On the bright side, at least nobody thinks I'm gay anymore..." Jorin tried, with an attempt at levity. Rinya would almost certainly feel the emotions that were coming from Jorin at this moment, but most importantly she would also feel the emotions that weren't coming from him. He was embarrassed, of course, for being found out. But he was not ashamed. Not in the least. Not a bit. There was not a single shred of shame in his soul. Nor was there any regret. What happened last night was worth all the ribbing in the world and then some, and Jorin would defend that opinion until the world ended.

"Oh! The kid!" Jorine exclaimed, just remembering what it was his mate had actually asked him about. "Yeah he... well apparently they've got him working the latrines now." Jorin shrugged a bit. "It kinda sucks for him, actually. Because in theater, you have to work your way up to being an understudy if you're a stagehand," Jorine explained to Rinya, absently playing with her braided hair as he spoke.

"You remember I told you I left Zeltiva five years ago? Well, five and a half now," he amended. Off Rinya's reply, Jorin continued. "Well, it took me nearly two years to make understudy. Before that I was just a stagehand. If this kid's been bumped down to stagehand it means at least two years of work has been wiped out and he needs to start all over again."

Jorin shrugged. "If they'll even let him. Technically he needs an actor's recommendation to be bumped up to understudy. Or else an actor has to agree to take him under their wing."

And of course, thanks to the efforts of Torik and Laran, no actor in the Amphitheater would touch the kid with a ten-foot rusty halberd. It was truly amazing how quickly they could work their magic when they needed to. But despite what the kid did, what he stole from Rinya and by extension, from Jorin, he couldn't feel the white hot anger and hatred any more.

Rinya was right; those sorts of emotions just didn't belong in his soul. Was he too kind a person? Perhaps, but it was just who he was; and he suspected if he fundamentally changed in that way, Rinya may well not love him anymore. That was not something he wanted to see happen. For her, he'd be happy to stay the overly-nice fool, if that was indeed what he really was. It didn't matter as long as she loved him.

Eager to get off the topic of the embarrassing day, and the stupid kid, Jorin turned to the book she was holding. "Soooo, do you know any reading at all? Like, anything?" Jorin had no judgment in his voice. He wasn't judging Rinya on her illiteracy, he loved her and something as minor as that would never change his feelings. He was only asking because, depending on her answer, he'd have to adjust how he was going to try to teach her. It was a different process, after all, to teach someone fully illiterate than it was to teach someone only partially illiterate.

[Rinya]

Day 64, Season Fall, 513 AV

”Mostly?” Rinya blinked and tilted her head to look up at him. For some reason Rinya couldn’t quite see Jorin just up and leaving a poem until it was finished. Nothing he ever did was by half—but then she supposed when one was stuck, sometimes the best thing to do was walk away and let it come later. Humming to herself she lifted the book from her chest, letting her fingers thumb through the pages without looking for anything in particular.

The shot of embarrassment that moved through Jorin however caught her attention, and she sat up on one elbow as she watched his face turn red. Well that was highly unusual. Normally she was the one that went and blushed over everything. He inquired whether she remembered the night before and she almost missed the fact that it was a rhetorical question. There was no way to forget the night before. So instead of answering him, Rinya just cocked an eyebrow at him. And Jorin rushed on to answer his own question, stating that everyone else remembered too.

”Well yes… I would assume they would remember. After all they all saw the petching boy practically attack me.” Rinya stated as it was as obvious as his previous statement. The party had been at full swing when the event had occurred and most of the people there—from what she saw at least—hadn’t even had time to fully get drunk. But Jorin just turned even redder and for some reason she got the feeling that she was completely missing something. She frowned slightly and shook her head.

”Jorin everyone saw that kiss on the dance floor—they have no reason to believe otherwise after that point.” There had been no way to fake that kiss. It had been entirely romantic with Jorin kissing her while she was bent down in a dip. She could still remember the cheers that rang out as Jorin had finally pulled away from her. There was no reason to doubt it, so the statement did not make any sense.

She herself didn’t make the connection that maybe perhaps the others had heard far more than that. His embarrassment simply made no sense to her and she just tilted her head slightly. Normally she would have let the subject pass, but she couldn’t help the curiosity that nagged at the back of her mind. First the book, and now Jorin’s attitude. ”Why are you so embarrassed? It’s not the first time you’ve kissed me in public. I mean… I guess it was a little more romantic than usual but…” Rinya finished with a light shrug.

At the mention of the kid however Jorin perked up a little. While Rinya would have preferred a slightly more violent correction to the understudy over stepping his boundaries, she couldn’t help remember that Jorin almost had. Nodding slightly as Jorin asked her if she remembered him explaining a little about his past she pushed the thought into the back of her mind. It wouldn’t hurt her to take some of Jorin’s patience with people. Violence was not always the best way to solve things—especially if they brought out the bad side in even someone like him. ”In other words he’s going to be stuck there awhile.” Rinya surmised and decided that it was better than nothing.

As Jorin asked her however if she did any reading—even a little—she tore her eyes away from his face back to his poem book resting on her chest. It was impossible to keep the blush from spreading across her face even though she knew there was no shame in the fact she was uneducated. Well—to Jorin there was no shame in it. Anyone of a haughty character would have probably just sneered down at her for it. It wouldn’t have bothered her before either. Now it just seemed like another glaring difference between them.

”… No. I don’t know… anything.” Sitting up, she tucked her knees underneath her and looked down at him. ”I never needed it before. I never had a reason to want to read. But…” She shrugged shyly, biting her bottom lip with a soft sigh. ”I want to be able to read what you write though.” She couldn’t remember if she had ever actually told him that. Perhaps in a different way, but really that was the only reason she had the drive to learn.

It seemed though in that moment she realized she had been so shocked at being caught and trying to change the subject that she hadn’t even welcomed him home. She blushed even harder before she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. ”I’m glad your home.” Rinya murmured against his lips before pulling away just enough to look him the face. She really had missed him; it had been a lonely day without him. The coming winter melancholy only made it worse.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 64, 513 AV

Jorin shrugged at Rinya's question about mostly. "Well, you know me, Rinya. I don't like leaving things half-finished. But what I've discovered about poetry is that sometimes the more you force it, the further away it fades. Sometimes you just have to let go, and let it come to you."

Which, surprisingly, was a lesson he learned about life and love too. Sometimes pushing was good. Jorin had pushed Rinya slightly last night, and if he'd been rational he would've been afraid that he was pushing her too far and she might be unhappy but instead she seemed happier than ever. But then there were times to let go, and just trust in one's partner fully.

Rinya, though, seemed to have misunderstood what he was saying. In her own way it was very endearing. For no perceptible reason it just filled Jorin's heart with love. His mate was adorable, and lovable, and wonderful, and he just felt all those fuzzy feelings in his heart and it warmed him greatly, even as he chuckled a bit nervously at her misunderstanding of his words.

"Uh, well, my love, it wasn't that which they were ribbing me about," he explained, his face growing even deeper red. "It was our... activities. Outside. In the grass."

Jorin kissed Rinya's cheek and snuggled her closer. "Apparently they heard us when we were being intimate," Jorin futher explained, "but I'm glad they did. Because now everyone knows we belong to each other. Now and forever."

Truthfully, Jorin would've preferred that their love remain between them. The depths of his passion for Rinya was an intensely private matter, not something to be shared with others. But in another way it was the ultimate deed in terms of claiming Rinya for his own; the act they performed, and everyone heard, firmly solidified Rinya as his and no one else's, beyond any shadow of a doubt. And for some reason that pleased him greatly.

And of course, that he was hers. Hence why most of the actresses no longer bothered him anymore, as his act effectively removed him from the game entirely. Or perhaps he was simply playing it on a whole other level, with only Rinya as a partner. Either way, his cries of passion and love for Rinya erased any doubt who was first in his heart, for all the world to hear.

Jorin simply nodded to Rinya's understanding of the situation with the understudy. It was indeed that way, though he didn't think she fully understood how much of a blow to the boy's reputation and pride such a fall would be. In an environment where status was so important, to lose your place and fall so far was quite crushing.

The boy tried to maintain his dignity in his own way when he met Jorin, asking after "sweet lips" in his usual cocky manner. But it fell rather flat with him stinking of offal and carrying a dirty stick, cleaning the latrines. Once again Jorin couldn't help feel a bit sorry for the kid; yes he was beyond arrogant but his fall had been so far, so harsh... and it was clear he wasn't even a player in the game anymore, regardless of his attempts to continue to play.

Jorin did not have any feelings of judgment when Rinya admitted she didn't know anything. That was fine; he was happy to teach her. And it warmed him to know his mate wanted to read his work. As he once said to her, he felt that his poems were pieces of his soul, given form in line and verse. And he wanted to share his soul with Rinya, just like he shared his heart, mind, and body with her.

"Well, I did promise to teach you..." Jorin mused, and he would've continued, but Rinya pressed a soft kiss to his lips and Jorin just smiled. Even though the contact was feather-light it set his heart fluttering. Every act between them now was tender and loving, and he just kissed her in return.

"I'm glad to be home," he smiled at her, when she pulled away slightly. Jorin could feel a slight melancholy from Rinya though, and he frowned a little bit. Was something wrong? "My love," he asked softly, looking her in the eyes. "What's wrong? You seem... almost sad. Is everything alright? Is there anything I can do?"

[Rinya]

Day 64, Season Fall, 513 AV

"It was our... activities. Outside. In the grass."

For some reason it took Rinya several ticks before the full impact of the words could really hit her. Everyone at the party… had heard their love making on the grass. In retrospect it really shouldn’t have been a big surprise. They had barely gotten away from the party before the full wrath of both their moods hit them. At first it was the anger and fury—then the intense desire and love. Neither of them may have cared at the time, but Jorin had ended up going to work alone.

The fact he wasn’t upset when he got home—much less the fact he worked all day—told her instinctively that nothing too bad must have happened. Just a lot of teasing, which given Jorin’s nature so long as it was friendly enough wouldn’t bother him in the least. Though she had a feeling it would be something that he would never live down—and probably become some kind of legend of the Amphitheater at that. Just like the tree prop that had so many different colored stories, she had a feeling theirs was bound to become one as well.

But none the less, as Jorin confirmed further that they had been heard her own face began to really match the color of his. It was a hard thought to swallow, if she ever turned back up at the theater, she was bound to be ribbed like Jorin. And she wasn’t very good at handling that type of teasing. But in the long run Rinya couldn’t feel regret—just embarrassment like him. Rinya was thoroughly convinced she was going to be in the audience next time. No actor’s box for her unless she was firmly in bird form. Which wasn’t a terrible idea in itself.

Jorin hinted at the promise he had made to her some time ago, about being willing to teach her. She had planned on it being him in the first place, but if he had decided not to for whatever reason, she had been willing to seek out possibilities around Riverfall. But she had the distinct impression she would pick up more from Jorin as he held her attention much better than others. Plus his infinite patience would pay off when she would undoubtedly lose her temper in frustration. ”I was hoping you would still be willing to teach me. For as long as you can handle it anyways.” Rinya teased lightly.

The melancholy had considerably lightened in the short time Jorin had been home—especially with the nice distraction of knowing everyone at his work knew just how in love they were. Every cry of pleasure of it to be exact. But Jorin noticed it none the less and Rinya let out a resigned sigh. While she hadn’t been hiding it from him on purpose per say, there wasn’t anything either of them could really do to remove the feeling either. He sought out her eyes and she gave him a watery smile. ”It’s… not that I’m sad. It’s just—I’ve got instincts screaming at me to … ya know… fly south for the winter.”

Rinya shrugged lightly before reaching up to tug at the end of her braid. ”I don’t have to fly south. It just kind of tugs at the back of my mind. Especially since I hate winter so much. I cannot fish, and flying in the snow is difficult. Plus icy wind between the feathers kind of hurts.” Rinya wrinkled her nose just at the simple thought of the coming winter. At least this year she wouldn’t be miserably alone up in a tree or stuck in a rented room while her father went out and hunted. She had a job to attend to—unfortunately in human form—and more importantly she had Jorin to make sure the winter didn’t overtake her mind.

Picking up the book she had placed next to her when she had leaned forward to kiss him, she held it out to him. ”So if you’re going to teach me how to read, when would you like to start?” As much as Rinya would have loved to have him start now, he had just gotten off of work. He was probably hungry or tired—she knew she would have been if she had to put up with the ribbing all day.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 64, 513 AV

Of course, as he expected, Rinya was just as embarrassed as Jorin for being found out. But he was gratified to feel no trace of shame or guilt from her. Just like himself, neither of them was at all sorry that they'd done what they'd done, or even where they'd done it. Jorin couldn't be necessarily sure they'd have had the same fiery, needy passion if they'd waited until they got home before mating with one another. Perhaps they would have, but for some irrational reason he had felt, and still did feel, very strongly that it wasn't worth the risk.

Rinya definitely seemed willing to learn reading and writing from Jorin, which gratified him because he was very eager to teach her. He'd never taught anyone from scratch before, but he knew that Rinya would be a very attentive student. He was sure she would be; after all, he would never lose patience with her, and would always be there to guide her if she needed any help. In the end, the most important thing when it came to learning to read and to write was to constantly be doing it, and so he would make sure to always bring something interesting to the table in order to entertain his mate and keep her interest.

"Of course, Rinya. I'll always be willing to teach you. And I 'handled' you pretty well last night on the grass, didn't I?" Jorin teased Rinya back, snuggling her slightly as he said the words. Then the topic turned to her melancholy, and Jorin listened attentively as Rinya described her own instincts to travel south in Winter. It made sense; Jorin knew some birds were migratory and apparently ospreys were one such bird.

But he was rather glad she didn't. In a rather selfish way, Jorin really didn't want to be apart from Rinya for such a length of time. It wasn't so much that he was afraid that the bond would break, or that their love would fade. But he already didn't like their daily separations, when he had to practice at the Kendoka then work at the Amphitheater and Rinya had her work at the Warren.

They spent so much of the day apart that these moments together in their home were all the more precious. And her migrating south would mean even these priceless moments would be taken from them; he would spend all night at home, wondering where his mate was, missing her presence by his side every night. And their house just wouldn't be home anymore.

Holding Rinya a bit tighter, Jorin comforted, "I'll always be here for you Rinya. I... I would miss you, if you flew south. I would miss you every day you were gone, like a piece of my heart was missing. But... if you feel you need to go, I'll wait for you as long as it took."

Jorin shrugged, kissing Rinya lightly on the forehead. "But if you don't have to go... if there's anything at all I can do to help make the winter easier..."

Jorin really didn't know what he could do, really. He couldn't beat back the cold with his quarterstaff, couldn't act away the bitter chill in the wind when she flew. He couldn't melt the snow with his glare or prevent Rinya from being cold and miserable and stuck in human form patrolling a large, cold cairn of a Warren every day.

In fact, given the shape, size, and depth of the place, it would be a wonder his mate didn't come down with something, patrolling that place all day. Jorin made a mental note; if Rinya didn't have winter clothes he'd buy her some. And if she protested maybe he would make good on his "threat" at the Amphitheater and kiss her into submission. He always wanted to know if that would actually work.

But Rinya asked when he wanted to start, and Jorin grinned at her brightly. "Well, now seems like as good a time as any," he said, taking the book from her. Jorin decided that he was done putting off teaching her. He said he'd do it, and there truly was no time like the present.

Jorin gently took the book out of Rinya's hands and opened the page, looking for an easier poem to start with. Honestly if Rinya didn't know any of the letters then he needed to teach her those first, so he tried to choose poems with very simple verses.

"The sun comes up today
It drives the monsters away

Ziths from Xy and more
Bad guys waiting in store

Quickly we come to see
Freedom soon will be

Golden rays shall shine
Victory will soon be mine..."

Jorin read the lines slowly to Rinya, then gave her a sheepish grin. "I think I must have written this one, oooh, maybe four years ago? It was more an exercise than a proper poem, really. The idea was to use as many letters as possible."

Jorin decided to start the lesson by going over letters. "Well, let's start your lesson, RInya. There are 26 letters in the Common alphabet, and they are arranged in a particular order."

Jorin readjusted his position so that he could cradle Rinya underneath his arm, her head just under his chin and lying against his chest as he leaned back against the back of the bed, making sure to cushion it with a pillow first. He held the book up for her to see with his left hand, and pointed out the letter.

"The first letter is 'a'," he explained, pointing to it in the little poem. "It's the first letter in words like apple. In this case, 'away' begins with it."

Jorin somewhat mischievously lifted Rinya's blouse a bit, and traced the letter on the smooth, warm curves of her stomach. He paused a little when he reached her bellybutton, before retracing the letter again. He bent his face down to nuzzle Rinya's neck, and breathed in her scent before saying, "And that's how you write the letter 'a'. Now you try..."

[Rinya]

Day 64, Season Fall, 513 AV

"Of course, Rinya. I'll always be willing to teach you. And I 'handled' you pretty well last night on the grass, didn't I?"

Rinya couldn’t help the surprise that flooded her. It wasn’t terribly uncommon for Jorin to be playful with her. But there was something to be said about the pure confidence that flowed through the statement. Nothing to be offensive, but it had been quite some time since she had heard him speak this way. He had been so full of confidence when they first met—though she was realizing perhaps then it had been an act, before she could truly identify when Jorin’s abilities came into play. And that was an interesting thought that crossed her mind.

She wasn’t sure if it was the change between them—him being far less worried about offending her in some way—or if it was a slip up. While they may have gathered their minds since last night it could have been left over from the simple amount of emotion. After all her nightmares could leave her feeling drained for days regardless of the amount of sleep she got. But she couldn’t help but cock an eyebrow at him, a sly grin coming to her lips. ”Is that so?” Rinya challenged, but she honestly didn’t expect much of a response. But the tone of her voice alone could have told him she was enjoying the barbs. She just refused to push it too far without knowing if this was a permanent change.

To Rinya however there was no surprise when he admitted that if she left she would be taking a part of him with her. Or that he would just simply wait for her return. And it solidified her decision to ignore the rather blatant instinct. ”I do not have to go. I couldn’t… I couldn’t leave you for that long. I would be more miserable in a warm climate being so utterly separated from you.” Rinya leaned into him as he kissed her forehead, closing her eyes and letting several breathes shift through her before she opened them again. ”I will be fine. I didn’t migrate last year either even though I was old enough.” Though if she was completely honest with herself she wasn’t sure if her father would have approved of her migrating. She had been too terrified at the time.

So the fact that Jorin brightened up considerably to her question of when to start learning, it was easy enough to ignore the thought. Jorin took the book from her and began to leaf through it looking for something in particular. After a chime or two he seemed to find what he was looking for, reciting the poem out loud for her. Rinya knew very little about poems in general, but it seemed so simple and lacking of Jorin’s general spirit. The mere fact that he wrote it quite some time ago made a little more sense however.

Jorin shifted so he could hold her more firmly to him and Rinya took the invitation to rest her head back against his shoulder without a second thought. He was incredibly comfortable really even with the muscle beneath her. Rinya immediately began to file the information he was giving her. Twenty six—she could count in the very least, but she had no idea what the numbers looked like. She fought the urge to frown. Apparently it wasn’t just the alphabet she would have to learn—but she could inform him of that later.

Jorin pointed out the letter ‘a’ to her and she just nodded. The first letter of away was ‘a’, but she didn’t know the rest of the letters to make an image in her head other than what was in front of her. Which honestly felt a little odd. She could physically see it, but knowing that she had no idea what it was… Rinya quite literally jumped in his arms as one of Jorin’s fingers traced a pattern into her stomach. She had been so focused on memorizing just the first letter that she had not noticed his wandering hand.

For a moment she wondered if he even knew what he was doing. Often when she woke after him on days they could sleep in Jorin was tracing her spine or shoulders with his hand. Being so close to him, it could have just been habit to feel her bare skin. But Jorin’s hand moved further down to her bellybutton and her stomach muscles instantly went tense. He didn’t disappoint either, repeating the pattern again against the sensitive skin. He pressed his face into her neck and Rinya had to force her eyes closed, taking a deep breath to try and steady herself as his breathe trailed over her skin as he spoke. The rush of emotions coming to the surface was strong, but she held back.

Repeat the pattern… right. She could do that. The petching sneaky little… It was becoming obvious that Jorin’s earlier confidence was not just a fluke. He seemed intent on showing her that he knew how to handle her—and the worst part was he was right. And not in an aggressive forceful kind of way, though it certainly was manipulation. But she was not about to be outdone either. Jorin never started something she couldn’t fight back in.

Unfortunately there wasn’t much she could reach with her back pressed against his chest. So instead she reached out until her fingers splayed across his left thigh. She would have much preferred some sort of bare skin, but she wasn’t going to complain at the moment. Rinya repeated the pattern of ‘a’ into his thigh once—twice before she gripped his upper thigh lightly. ”Like that?” Rinya forced her voice to remain strong—unaffected. For now anyways. It was likely he was getting the flutter of emotion across the bond as it was. He didn’t need any further ammo. Though she was rather sure she liked this side of him.

[Jorin Ertihan]

Season of Fall, Day 64, 513 AV

Jorin was actually not sure if he was being too forward with his mate, with his little quip about 'handling' her. He wasn't being serious, of course. Well... OK that wasn't true. He was being sort-of serious, but not in any insulting way. Besides, Rinya definitely knew just how to 'handle' him right back, and Jorin was more than happy to let her whenever she wanted to.

But on another level, he hadn't really teased her quite like that before. At first, he actually was worried that he would insult her in some fashion. Later it was because he wasn't yet comfortable enough with her; their budding romance was just getting off the ground and he didn't want to risk it by doing something that might drive her away. After that... after that he wasn't sure why he didn't.

It wasn't because he didn't want to. This sort of banter between them felt familiar and friendly. 'Like an old married couple', as the saying went, and he wanted that with Rinya. For his relationship with her to be so secure that they could both get away with this sort of behavior without either of them taking offense. Perhaps, now that all their barriers were gone, they could have that.

"Is that so?" came Rinya's arch reply, but Jorin sensed no anger from her. Surprise, perhaps; and honestly he was surprised in himself as well, but no anger. So he just grinned back at her. "Well, I guess we'll see," he replied lightly.

On the topic of Rinya's migration, Jorin couldn't hide his relief when she confirmed that she didn't have to go, and would prefer to stay there with him. The truth was, if Rinya had insisted on going, or if the instinct was simply too strong and she had no choice but to go, Jorin would have supported her with everything he had. But fortunately that proved unnecessary.

"I'm glad you're staying, Rinya," he replied to her. "I mean, who's gonna get me into trouble if you're not here?" Jorin grinned even more as he said it. He was definitely liking this. It almost felt like when he was back in the Thespians again, ribbing fellow understudies and joking around, playing pranks and laughing about it later. Why hadn't the two of them done this more? Jorin decided that he'd have to rectify this in the future.

Rinya was a very attentive student, looking closely at the letter when he introduced her to it. He was a little embarrassed by the simplicity of the poem; even though it was just an exercise and was written a long time ago it really didn't have the flow that his later work did. At least the simplistic verse would serve a good purpose today.

Rinya responded beautifully to his touch, just like he knew she would. It was a little wicked of him, to tease her like this, but Jorin couldn't help himself. He just felt such emotion whenever he was with her. She produced in him feelings that never existed before, and he liked them and wanted her to feel it too. He knew she was feeling a rush, even if she was trying to tamp down on it; despite being muted the bond told him his tracing the letter on her sensitive stomach was definitely having an immediate effect, as was him nuzzling her neck.

But then she did something he didn't expect. Well, OK that was also a lie. He sort of expected her to return the favor, maybe twisting around to retrace the symbol on his chest. But she surprised him once again, opting to trace it on his thigh, and even despite the cloth separating her finger from his skin, an involuntary shiver ran through his body. If this kept up, he wasn't sure they'd get very far past "A".

"Y-yes," he replied. Curses! Rinya's touch was having more of an effect than he thought. Well, two could fight this battle, and Jorin was determined to win. He decided to "reward" his mate for her success. Since he was already nuzzling her neck anyway, he lifted his nose just slightly so he could whisper, "Exactly right..." into her ear, his hand light tracing now random patterns on her stomach.

Deciding to continue the lesson before they get too excited to concentrate, Jorin readjusted them a tiny bit before continuing. Clearing his throat slightly he continued, "The next letter is 'B', and it's at the start of the word 'bad'," and Jorin pointed to the word in the poem. "You put the two letters we've learned so far and you get 'ab'. Like these!"

Jorin's hand went to Rinya's abdomen, lightly running his fingers up and down the toned muscles and enjoying the feel of her skin before returning to her stomach and traced the letter a big higher on her body, closer to her sternum. After doing this two or three times he dropped his nose to her neck and nuzzled again. "Try this letter, Rinya," he suggested as he continued to trace the symbol on her skin with his finger.