Fear And Trembling (Edreina)

by **Razkar** on November 24th, 2013, 7:39 pm

Words. Goddess, how he was growing to hate words...

Show Razkar an enemy of flesh and sinew with steel in his hands, and given time and chance, the Myrian could probably kill it with his own. He was very good at it. Dozens, scores had fallen to his blades, arrows, bare hands and whatever else he could use to end a life. The fact he was still alive to remember it was proof of his prowess...

But the Svefra was even turning that word on him, too. He'd felt buffeted as if by a hurricane, trying to turn his face away from the wind but there was no sanctuary. Now, when he looked up, he felt her arguments... without answer. Attacks without defense. His gall rose as she came on and on, invisible in her form, undeniable in her arguments.

The Myrian wanted to hate her. Would have given much to rip apart her points and cast them down as worthless, trivial, unworkable. But she was canny, this one. People always mistook her beauty for being the fullness of her features: they never expected there to be a wry and cunning brain behind those guileless blue eyes. And even as he listened and winced when she made a clear and cutting reference to the scar on her shoulder.

It was right. No... it was necessary, regardless of what some pompous deity thinks. I didn't see him in that hold, offering to help-

But she plowed on. Whenever he opened his mouth, tried to find an opening, it was denied with utter verbal ruthlessness. It was like trying to sword fight with one arm against an Eypharian. Razkar's eyes flashed when she dared to call the curse that sapped his strength a blessing, actually jerking to his feet, but still she did not back away.

She knew when she had him on the ropes. She wormed her way into the martial logic that ran Razkar most bells of the day; painted a hard but hardened future, as it were, with him triumphant even over the limitations a god would place upon him.

He snarled inside. He champed and raged but his face was still save for his wide, pitiless eyes... and he sighed.

Truth is truth, regardless of whom speaks it.

... fuck.

She stopped, and it was his turn, but Edreina was in no mood to continue this. She circled the bed and without any words or explanation, slid under the covers. Razkar stood and just gaped at her, willing her to get back up, to continue this! Why should she just say her piece and go to bed?! That... That wasn't fair!

You really want this to continue? Remember what you were told in the Wildlands. At some point, fighting loses its purpose. You're not going to batter down her arguments; better to simply... sleep it off.

Edreina would hear his grumbling and shuffling, clothes slipped off and accompanied with guttural, savage spitting in his own language, words too fast and garbled for him to follow. Then the mattress shook and tilted her way as the bulk of him settled next to her...

Next to. But not touching.

The Myrian stared up at the bare ceiling and let his breathing settle. Goddess... today, of all gods-damned days! He had no time to investigate this! No time to find a scholar or priest to explain what had been done to him! Well, she would know, but... no... no, he wouldn't argue with her again. It was solving nothing and Razkar had no stomach to hear her damn preaching about-

Sniffling. Wet, muted... sobbing? He turned slowly, silently, and saw her pale shoulders bobbing under the tangle of red hair that covered them. She was crying. Razkar watched her with eyes like stone for chimes... then closed his eyes... sighed...

"Damnit..."

The crying ceased the moment she heard him, but the Myrian didn't say anything else. Instead he shifted closer, tentatively settling his hard, warm torso against her back... snaking one arm under hers and one arm over it... joining them together over her chest... sighing into the bramble patch that was her hair...

"Don't lie to me again." He whispered, and edge in his voice of mingled grim warning and pleading. "And speak to me not of Yahal. I will overcome this. I will... adapt. Become better. Change... if I must."

He sighed again and a warm wind blew across her ear. So much better, like this. Without the screaming and yelling and endless, pointless recriminations.

"And I must. But I do this for us, Edreina. Not for him." She may have heard the smile in his voice now, returning like a lost and near-forgotten friend to a house of poisoned love and tortured trust. "If you'll still have me, of course..."

by **Edreina** on November 25th, 2013, 8:30 am

She had thought that he was asleep, he had been quiet for awhile, after all. And so she had allowed herself a moment of weakness, to be washed away with the feeling of being overwhelmed so that later on she would not obsess over it, so that she could move on. But apparently he had been awake, only lost to his own troubled thoughts. Her body stiffened automatically at his curse, preparing for the barrage him grumbling over her weakness, for the argument to renew now that she lacked the strength to carry it on.

What she did not expect was the gentle way he reassured her. The tension left her body and instinctively she relaxed back against him. When his hands joined one another, she wrapped her own around his and brought them up to rest against her chin, sighing softly. "I cannot promise never to lie to you again. If your health or safety relies upon it, I will lie gladly. But, I will not be so naive to think that hiding something like this from you would ever help you again. I was wrong, and I'm sorry." She released his hands and rolled over against him so that she could bury her face against his chest.

The scent of him calmed her as did the sound of his heartbeat in her ear. Even though they fight and disagree, when it came down to it, they loved each other and sometimes, no matter how strong your ideology or your points, arguing will solve nothing. They just had to pick up and move on to face the troubles that surely still awaited them. Best that they could do it together.

"Razkar," her voice was soft, and a weak smile returned to her lips, cracking the heaviness that came with crying. "Razkar I cannot be without you, and you know that." A freckled nose traced lightly over his collarbone. "I love you..."

When silence seemed like it would claim them again, a sigh danced through the air between them. "Since we are already like this, I might as well tell you of what I've been doing for a few days..." With a rustling of sheets, she pulled herself higher onto the bed and then propping her head up on her hand so that she could look him in the eyes.

Again, she raised her hand and showed it to him. But, this time, she pointed to several thin scars lining her palm. "Over the past few days, I've been visiting with a local mage named Ignotus... Well... studying under him, more like. He helped me to further myself as a Hypnotist and, well-" the very same digit absently traced the new geography- "he taught me a new kind of magic and... Well it's something called Reimancy and I would show you, but I am not really sure about how to control it yet, myself." Her smile grew sheepish. "I really did not want to tell you because I know how you feel about hypnotists but he has really helped me to grow!" Hopefully, that would be enough to keep him from getting annoyed all over again. In any case, once she was done speaking the Svefra slid back down the bed and nuzzled up against her Myrian. Her heart felt a bit lighter after that; she had been debating on telling him about Ignotus for a while. Now that he knew and the majority of their debate was, hopefully, over, she would be able to sleep a bit easier.

NOTEThe scars and abilities mentioned in this post are parts of threads not yet complete, but planned out. I kept it vague for this reason in case anything changes

by **Razkar** on November 26th, 2013, 3:42 am

She was wrong, and she was sorry. That was all.

But was it? When had Razkar uttered those words? When had his self-righteous armor been so much as dented enough to prompt doubt into his actions? Lying next to her, over her, that warm, lithe body pressed to his in utter trust... Razkar understood perhaps a fraction of what Yahal had been blathering on that damned day before. It was whispered under the thunderstorm of his indignation, but it was there... a seed, a fragment...

All of us err. What matters is we learn from them, and face our... failures.

Then she spoke again. Her words rolled trembling off her tongue and Razkar had to strain to hear them. But he heard enough, and the tightening of his arms around her, unwilling to let even an ounce of her presence leave him... it was enough of a confirmation in itself.

"We are bound now, Reina." He whispered, staring at the back of his eyes, seeing horror and hardship ahead. Physical and mental... of their fragile feelings that would be tested and twisted by gods and mortals. A saga for the ages, perhaps, but those reading sagas oft forget the heroes and heroines would sooner have lived without such strife. "Where this path leads... I do not know. But I will walk it with you. I will not... I will be..."

Another fragment. So deep in his heart and beyond the terrifying visage he thrust at the world that one would scarce believe the words could come from his lips. He was Beast. He was Reaver. He was Master of Blades and Taker of Scalps. He had been called all these things and they crafted the image of one without care or passion beyond the wet release of blood... but...

"I will be worthy of you... my love..."

That was the truth; that was how and what he felt and the sheer, jarring otherness of it... meant nothing.

The words hung there for a few chimes; it could have been hours to the Myrian. Rain pattered on the window pane as if entreating entrance. The night sounds of the Denvali Quarter started to fade away as true night descended, even the dregs and shadow-walkers crawling back to their holes. For... long enough, they lay there, both so far from home, but each more at peace in the arms of a barbarian than on the sea or jungles of their birth...

Razkar would remember that... peace, in the long seasons ahead. He would have to.

But then, without ado or fanfare, she was up! Voice chittering and skittering, throwing off her covers, wiping the tears from her eyes and bursting with the news of the day. Razkar rolled onto his back and spread his arms, eyes continuing to roll, sigh of mock exasperation huffing from his smiling lips.

"Reina, Reina, Reina," he said, warming to the nickname he'd heard others call her, "Only you could end a night like this with joyful chattering and a child's smile..."

But, as he listened, and his smile faltered somewhat, it was certainly not the tale of a mere child that was told. The Myrian's eyes flickered darkly to the fresh but faint scars on her hands... and he saw a strange, esoteric pattern there, almost as if they'd been... burned on.

Mages. Hypnotism. This... "Everto". Reimancy... the djed of the Fire-Handed. He'd heard much of it, and seen it before, from a wounded Syliran Knight who could still throw fireballs enough to turn a man's armored torso to a mass of dissolving flesh and dripping metal-

And in Riverfall. Sanctuary. When a boy no older than Edreina had merely put his hand to the pitch sky and simply... set it ablaze.

Razkar's eyes filled with concern as he imagined the untapped djed flowing through her, fire and water and earth all out of control, for what could his innocent Edreina do to control such power? She had said so herself! No, this was too dangerous. The hypnotism... well, she had an aptitude, he'd seen that personally. The shielding was the same, and at least he was learning some of that, too, but...

Wait. Stop. Think. She is not a child. She has learned much and learns more every day. She made it across the Wildlands with you. She has... grown. Don't let her stop just because-

The Myrian shuffled as if something was crawling over his skin, and some worry marred the Svefra's features. She may have thought his disdain and stark distrust for all trained in hypnotism would rise forth like bile. Memories of Karin, that snake, that monstrous coward, were still fresh and painful in his mind.

No warrior likes being defeated; especially not by an enemy who never even had to lay a finger on them.

But instead some new insight was elbowing through his reflexive dislike. It wasn't the warm revelation that had struck him before; it was... more sobering. As if he could see the full sculpture of his form, like he was... walking around it... an exhibit... and he could see now, some flaw in need of correction.

You have come so far, you and her. You have both changed, and she...

"... you are not a fool, Edreina." He spoke slowly, clearly, making sure he had her attention with his firm gaze and proper use of her name. "You embraced hypnotism, and someday, I know you will master it. The same may be said for this Reimancy..."

He sat up and took her hands in his.

"I will not... resent, one I love for... outstripping me." Goddess, the words came as if dragged with scorching pokers... but words, as as been said, can hold such power if said in truth. "But I ask you, I... order you, apprentice-" just a twinkle of mirth in his eyes "-be careful whom you trust and how far you trust them in these affairs. Not all teachers instruct solely to pass on knowledge; and when it comes to mages, to the wielders of wyrd... power corrupts, my love."

Razkar stroked her face with his knuckles. Eventually his face softened, the taut stiffness of anxiety draining away. That was the downside of words, after all: they had to be heeded. If not, they were just sounds on the wind and scrawls on parchment. He'd said his piece; now it was up to her to listen.

Slowly, gently, he pulled her back to their rough covers and hard mattress. Settled her head on his chest and thought it could be a king's chambers, for all the company and comfort he needed was beating against his breast at that moment.

"Peace, Reina," he said with a sigh, uncaring if he sounded like the old male to her youthful wisp. "Sleep... now that I feel better about the dawn.."

by **Vanari** on January 14th, 2014, 6:42 am

Razkar

Unarmed Combat	+2 XP
Intelligence	+2 XP
Intimidation	+1 XP

Lores :

Edreina

Intelligence	+1 XP
Hypnotism	+1 XP
Subterfuge	+1 XP
Persuasion	+3 XP
Rhetoric	+2 XP
Flux	+1 XP
Brawling	+2 XP

Lores :

Notes :