Into Darkness (Part 2)

by **Zhol** on April 26th, 2015, 11:38 pm

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The statement hadn't been meant to sting, but it did; a little, at least. It certainly was true - he was better at fire - but for Zhol that wasn't necessarily a good thing. He smiled past it, though. Words were like wood, and moments like this were the splinters: minor annoyances and irritations that were never intended and couldn't be avoided. You didn't disown a gift just because it gave you a splinter; you fixated on the good, the generous intent behind it, the design, the craftsmanship. Zhol knew Khara's words, and the discomfort that accompanied them, were all about her own doubts and self image, and how they connected to him hadn't even been considered; there was no room for malicious intent.

"Seems like you've got everything under control," he offered warmly, letting his gaze and his smile linger on Khara for a few extra moments before he moved, quite deliberately striding away from her, making it clear he had absolutely no intention of interfering or subverting her efforts. It didn't matter that he could start a fire with a thought; she could, too, she just happened to need a flint and tinder instead of her bare hands. That was the thing about Zhol using his reimancy for tasks as mundane as this; it wasn't special, it wasn't impressive. It was lazy, and easy; but that didn't make it better. So what if he was better at starting fires than Khara was? She was better at shooting targets than he was; that didn't mean she stepped in and shot so that he wouldn't have to. Besides, Khara had managed on her own in the wilderness just fine before; he was eager to help, but not when she didn't need or want it.

Bringing himself to the entrance of the cave, he peered out at the sky, now an almost uniform shade of glowing grey. Zhol doubted that anyone could have spotted where Syna was right now; that caused a shift of discomfort in his stomach, though more because he knew how anxious it would make Khara when she realised how precarious their timekeeping now was - if any. He wasn't sure if Khara had been somehow keeping track of time, or if they were simply intending to reach the rendezvous as swiftly as possible and just hope that they were there first; but while trudging down the mountain was in theory easier, and not needing to be quite so vigilant for tracks meant their pace did not need to be so cautious, it would still be slow and perilous going. Unless this rain let up soon, Zhol wasn't sure they'd make it at all, let alone on time and uninjured.

"There's a lot of rain in that cloud," he mused, feeling his insides squirm; knowing the Ivak's advocate statement he was about to have to make. "If it doesn't let up soon, we might have to wait out the night, and try our luck and the rendezvous tomorrow."

by **Khara** on April 27th, 2015, 1:13 am

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It took a few tries of striking steel against flint before the sparks managed to catch the small bit of tinder she had collected alight. A few gentle breaths were given to encourage it to full flame before she tucked the small bundle among the rest of the waiting fuel. She wished she had something to encourage the fire to grow, but little by little it proved she wasn't as inept at such a thing as Khara had feared.

Her eyes rose away from the small blaze to watch Zhol walk towards the cave's entrance and felt a small bit of a frown form at his statement. Tomorrow? They had been lucky enough to have an Endal agree to even take them out and bring them back on his schedule, but asking him to return a second day when they missed the meet up? There were some among the Eagle Riders who would simply choose to leave the two to fend for themselves at that point. As much as Jensen didn't seem the sort - and neither had the Eagle, Cetan - Khara had to admit she didn't really know anything about the man who had agreed to ferry them.

Khara slowly got to her feet and walked up to where Zhol stood, an arm wrapping around his waist as she leaned against his side and nestled against him in the strangely perfect way that she once assumed their height differences wouldn't allow for. She watched the steady rain for a tick or two more and felt even further worry pull at her at the fact that Zhol was right, it didn't exactly look like it was going to stop or slow any time in the near future. Even if it did, there was no telling how long it would take for the path to actually be traversable again.

She didn't want to openly admit that Zhol may very well have been right, that they would be forced to spend another night in The Unforgiving. It wasn't like they were in danger of running out of supplies, they both had packed over-cautiously to the point where Khara was fairly certain they could survive an entire ten days if they had to. That didn't exactly mean it was something to look forward to, either. Especially if the rest of the day and evening were determined to be as damp as it was right now.

A gentle tug was given as she took a step away but didn't release her hold on him. "Come warm up then? We can try to dry off a bit, at least."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on April 27th, 2015, 1:53 am

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Warm certainly sounded nice; but without the exhilarating feeling of the cold rain falling on him, he had been left to realise just how effectively the rain had soaked him to his core, and how chilled the air was, especially in this cave. It may not have been deep, but coldness seemed to seep from the stone; idly, Zhol wondered if there was something exceptional or unnatural going on in these hills, to cause stones that oozed coldness, and waterfalls that froze in place. Khara's fire would certainly help to stave off the worst of the chill, but dry? Zhol wasn't sure he'd ever be dry again.

A nugget of wisdom from his first journey to Wind Reach wriggled into his mind. After wading through a gorge of ice cold water, their guides had insisted they shed their damp clothes immediately; the same was true whenever they made camp after a particularly wet day. Never sleep in anything wet, was what they had said. No damp pant legs from wading through snow; no damp hair from bathing; not even a moist shirt, damp with sweat. Nights in Kalea could be frighteningly cold; the last thing you needed was for your clothes to freeze solid in the night. That would be unpleasant at best; fatal at worst.

He followed as Khara pulled him towards the fire, and sat in silence, letting it gently warm his hands. All the while he couldn't bring himself to look at her, or to articulate the thought that was running through his mind. It was simple. It was sensible. More than that, it likely wouldn't phase Khara at all; the Inarta looked at such things differently, after all. It was all on Zhol; all his reluctance, all his embarrassment. He mustered his determination, blew out a breath, and began to speak before his better judgement could stop him.

"We would get warm faster if we weren't so wet," he pointed out, a simple observation and a good, solid start. He built upon his foundation, trying to sound both confident and casual at the same time, trying his utmost to avoid even the illusion of any untoward ulterior motive to what he was pointing out. "And our clothes would dry much faster if we were not, uh -"

Blast it! His mind fumbled frantically at his voice, catching a hold of a verbal ankle as the words tried to sprint off his tongue before they could be restrained. He was glad that the blood had already rushed to the surface of his skin - he could feel the burning of his hands, cheeks, and ears as they desperately eked out every last glimmer of warmth through the air - because it hid the violent blush that his body demanded at that moment.

"- not wearing them," he finished sheepishly, suddenly taking an intense amount of interest in the current condition of the fire.

by **Khara** on April 27th, 2015, 4:58 am

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Khara could objectively find the sense in what Zhol had suggested. There wasn't a shred of deceit or hidden objectives - the man that was her sunset wasn't capable of such a thing, of that was she was certain - but hearing it from his lips was still surprising. He was always so private with his moments of nudity, the baths a source of anxiety more than the typical comfort they should have provided, even around her when they were utterly alone his discomfort still remained. Stripping off their wet garments was something Khara had suspected she would have to nudge him towards as the day turned to evening and the air become cooler, maybe sooner if the damp cold from the cave seeped further into their bodies.

"That is probably a right idea, I think," She replied, the timidness that crept into her own voice surprising in a way, and yet entirely comfortingly like her as well.

Her hands stretched towards the meager fire a bit more before she finally chanced looking over at him. As much as the idea had come from his lips, Khara certainly didn't expect Zhol to begin the process. Not that she would start with herself either immediately. Whether by pure choice or stroke of genius, she had chosen not to wear her katinu that morning and had rather bundled it up and shoved the item to the top of her bag. Where the canvas had failed at keeping the rainwater out, the hooded coat had absorbed and managed to keep most everything else more or less dry within.

A bit of dirt was preferable to it's current drenched state and she draped the deep green fabric out along the ground. Another glance was given to Zhol, almost curious in nature before her hands reached behind her and began to undo her vinati. Khara couldn't say if the way she turned her back to him in that moment wouldn't have been followed if she had been with anyone else - her ease with such things had been compromised, after all - but with Zhol there was still care, no matter how familiar he was with the body parts she was revealing.

Only one fact really remained, she didn't mind if he was watching her or if he took her own action as the starting point for his, she simply and calmly continued to strip away the clinging wet wool that she wore. The cold air that hit her skin caused a small shiver, but it was undoubtedly far preferable to the wet clothing she had been wearing only moments before. More objects were retrieved from her carefully and tightly packed bag - two blankets, the top of which was her own and the usual she brought on work days where her return to Wind Reach that day was uncertain. It was slightly damp where the other was entirely dry and her decision as to who would receive which was instantly made.

For her own comfort as well as to help with Zhol's modesty, she wrapped the slightly damp blanket around herself before she cautiously looked over and offered the other to him. If he was ready, he could take the tightly wrapped length of warmth from her hand, if not then she would place it down next to him. Either way she gathered the one she had wrapped around herself and returned to sitting by the fire, thankful for her small frame that allowed her to make full use of the thick material. She knew Zhol had a blanket or two stashed away as well if he needed more than the dry one she had offered.

It struck her how very oddly peaceful she felt in that moment. An effect of the tea from earlier, perhaps, but Khara couldn't deny that she liked this. They were at Chaitanya's mercy in this place - perhaps Zulrav's too, she wasn't certain - but for some reason the scout didn't find that terrifying in the slightest. It wasn't that she wasn't aware of all the danger that still surrounded them; the cave might be a suitable place for other, less friendly things to take shelter; their fire could go out and the cold could very well claim them when they slept that night; any number of other horrors could befall them - but it was beyond her control at this point.

Her bow was nearby, her quiver with it's supply of arrows at the ready should she need to make a quick move. Even the small hatchet that Zhol had bought for her had been removed from her pack and was within arm's reach, though Khara wasn't even sure how to use it as a weapon. It had a sharp edge though, and that was all she needed to know. Those things - along with Zhol's very presence, which was perhaps the truly defining factor - were more than enough to cause her to feel entirely secure.

A small laugh left her, amused and dismayed in equal parts at the situation they found themselves in. "So," she began, the soft twitter of Nari leaving her in a rueful fashion. Her next comment, however, managed to actually bring forward more of her typical hopeful manner. "I don't suppose you have any ideas of how to pass the time? Do they have any games where you came from that we could play?"

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on April 27th, 2015, 9:19 pm

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This should have been exciting; enticing; all that stuff you were supposed to do when you did something forbidden or frowned upon. He was alone in a cave with the woman he loved, and she was naked. Granted, for her people it wasn't forbidden or frowned upon - for the Inarta, they could have been caught wrapped around each other in carnal bliss in some infrequented corner of the warrens, and people would have done little more than rolled their eyes. For Zhol though it was a much more sordid taboo; but instead of the excitement that the prospect should have brought, all he felt was the crippling and uncomfortable weight of guilt.

As Zhol peeled off his damp clothes, it felt almost like a punishment; the embarrassment of being naked around her serving as his penance for having tricked her into removing his clothes. He spread them on the rocks around the fire, his clothes taking up far more room that Khara's considerably smaller and more scant clothing, both smaller in size and more frugal in fabric. He kept the blanket that Khara had provided within reach, and retrieved more from his own pack - stalling for time, mostly - spreading them on the ground to provide the two of them with something a little more comfortable than katinu-covered stone to sit on. Zhol could feel his hands beginning to shake as he ran out of other things to do, and he knew it was as much from nervousness as from the cold. It wasn't that he didn't want Khara to see him; on the contrary he did. He wanted this, so very much; he just felt immoral having it happen this way; felt like a thief, this advance in intimacy stolen because of necessity rather than voluntary intent.

He drew a breath that trembled it's way out of him, and then swiftly slid the pants from his legs. He didn't grab the blanket instantly; didn't want Khara to think that he was hiding from her - it was her who should have wanted to hide from him - and instead methodically stretched out his canvas slacks, trying to work out the best way to position them so that they would dry entirely; the rain had managed to drench them from every angle.

At last, he settled down beside the fire, careful to leave a respectful distance so that Khara wouldn't think he was taking advantage, and draped the blanket around his shoulders. Intended for people of Inarta stature rather than of Zhol's much taller frame, there wasn't quite as much fabric available to cover Zhol's modesty as he would have liked - not much at all, in fact - but at least it would help to keep him warm.

His hands fidgeted with each other as he sat, his fingers rubbing across his chilled knuckles, his mind permitting them - and the slight nervous tremble of his shoulders - to be the only outward signs of his discomfort. He tried to focus on her question; tried to let his mind fixate on something other than the fact that he and Khara were now naked together, somewhere other than the baths, and there wasn't anything but a few candles to make it even remotely romantic. His want, his need to make everything perfect, to make everything memorable, to make it so that Khara's head was so filled with experiences with him that there would no longer be space for the dark thoughts about the other guy, had been utterly thwarted, ruined by the rain and the fact that for a moment Zhol had cared more about the two of them being warm than he had about doing right by Khara.

"When I was young," he explained, his voice sounding strangely small and flat, the echoes that a cave would normally respond with seeming to ignore his timid voice. "There was a game we would play, all of my siblings and I, to help pass the time and stop us from complaining about the walk. It is a very simple game; I'm sure they probably play it in Wind Reach, though maybe the Inarta have a different name for it. My mother called it Hawk Eyes; you say a little rhyme, and then the letter of something that you could see. So, if I was looking at the fire, I would say, I take a look at the world around me, and then all of a sudden my Hawk Eyes see: something that is spelled with an F."

A sheepish tug of a smile danced at the corner of his lips, realising the slight hint of wistful nostalgia that had crept into his voice. "And then you would try and guess what the thing is. It's... it's kind of silly."

by **Khara** on April 27th, 2015, 10:04 pm

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It didn't sound like any sort of game that Khara had ever heard of before, though she did have to admit that might have had a lot more to do with the fact she never really did get to play games with the other Yasi rather than Wind Reach honestly not having some version of it. It sounded simple enough, though a quick glance around the cave made her question just how long the game could possible go on for, but that was hardly the point. The point was more to get their minds off of how they were and maybe kill some time while waiting on the rain - or the day itself - to pass.

She wasn't entirely sure which of them needed the distraction more, though. Zhol looked... Well, miserable wasn't the right word, but certainly uncomfortable. Granted Khara had only barely just managed to get her own shivering under control and she guessed that Zhol had been either unaware of just how cold he was earlier, or had done a good job at hiding how he felt. It was probably to keep her from worrying more than anything else, Khara assumed.

Her eyes moved from the fire to Zhol a few times before she rose from where she had chosen to sit originally and moved closer to him. There were no untoward intentions, just the recalling of some sort of lesson on using body heat to keep each other warm in case trapped from an avalanche or something like that with another person. Khara couldn't quite remember exactly how the teacher had put it - more recalling the crude comments that came from some of the boy Yasi at the time and how much they had made her uncomfortable - but she hoped she was remembering right.

For a second Khara considered leaning her head against his shoulder, but a quick view of one of the slightly clumped together strands still practically dripping with rainwater from the corner of her eye made her think better of it for the moment. Slowly she eased closer and closer, just enough so that they barely brushed against one another.

"I think I am understand," she spoke quickly, immediately trying to drag his attention from whatever discomfort his lack of clothing was causing. "You go first, though? Then I can pick something after? I promise it will not be the fire even if it is so easy to see."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on April 27th, 2015, 11:43 pm

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Zhol smiled a little as Khara moved closer to him. It didn't alleviate his discomfort entirely, but it certainly helped. She was forever doing things like this: whether she could perceive his discomfort or not, whether she understood the reason for it or not; it didn't matter. Khara wanted to be close to him, but she knew that given the circumstances, that might not be something Zhol was comfortable with. Most people might not have cared, and thrown their arms around the person they loved without any consideration for such things; or might have just stayed where they were, keeping their distance. Khara wasn't like that. Khara didn't sit there and watch his discomfort; but she didn't try and force him to change, or to suffer through it for his benefit. She did things like this: she showed him that she wanted to be close, but didn't force him to be; she didn't push her luck, didn't initiate anything that might be unwelcome, but she made it so that she was easily in arms reach, so that if Zhol wanted them to be close, he could make it happen.

And he did; he did want that. Tentatively, he let an arm creep out from beneath his blanket, gently wrapping it's way around Khara's shoulders, drawing her a little closer against him. Her hair was cold and wet against his skin as she came to rest against him, but he didn't care. She could have been cold as ice, hot as fire, or covered in thorns; he would still want her in his arms. With his other hand, he tugged at the edge of her blanket, drawing it across himself so that together, the blankets covered them completely, a protective curtain of warmth with the two of them contained within. Khara kept her touch careful, but eagerly let her arms fall into place around him; his heart quickened a little as her chest touched against him, but he forced himself to focus; to not get to excited; to not let himself get too anxious about what else she might accidentally touch.

"I take a look at the world around me," he said, using the words to distract himself; to focus his mind, "And then all of a sudden my Hawk Eyes see -"

His voice trailed off, smile growing a little as he chose the object of his eyes' attention. His head lowered to hers, nuzzling against her gently so that her head tilted up towards him, just enough to plant a kiss softly at the edge of where her face became her hair.

"- something that is spelled with a Y."

by **Khara** on April 28th, 2015, 12:34 am

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She was happy he had enfolded them together within the blankets, happier still that he didn't draw away when she put he arms around him in their familiar place that would have been perfectly acceptable if they'd been clothed. Not that this wasn't acceptable, Zhol had made that entirely clear, but like most things between them, Khara had wanted to be cautious rather than risk any harm. As much as she could tell Zhol was the same way; asking for permission more often than not, even for things she had already told him were okay. Maybe that was the reason she snuggled against him just a bit more, he'd taken the first step to letting her know he was okay with this, now it was her turn to do the same.

A smile formed as he kissed her forehead and her eyes closed as she simply focused on the feeling, even after it left. A content sigh left her as Khara settled fully against him and she turned her mind - albeit a bit reluctantly - towards the game.

Y? Her eyes moved over their haphazard resting site, trying to name everything that she saw. None of their clothing was named with that and neither was their equipment as much as she could tell. A small hum of thought came as Khara idly nibbled at her lower lip. Maybe this game wasn't so easy, after all.

"You are not cheating and putting names of things into Pavi, are you?" She teasingly asked and glanced up at Zhol. Defeat wasn't something she wanted to admit so quickly, but she was at an utter loss for what he could be seeing that she could not.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on April 28th, 2015, 1:15 am

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Zhol wasn't sure what it was about Khara teasing him that he loved so much; perhaps it was the way it reminded him of just how far the two of them had come, how much had changed since their friendship had first begun. Back then, Khara would never have dared to mock an Avora, especially not the one who had saved her during the riots. When she had first begun to act towards him that way, those first few playful jabs had been followed by such nervousness and apprehension, especially when they had slipped out without her intending them to; it had been adorable and sad in equal measure. This though? Snuggled together for warmth, utterly at ease - more or less - with each other, Khara pretending to accuse him of cheating? The Zhol of a season ago would never have believed that things between him and Khara would ever be like this; and the Zhol of before then, the lonely worthless boy in the pavilion bursting with relatives, in-laws, nieces, and nephews, would never have believed that things could be like this between him and any one. Khara would never understand just how precious she and this was to him; but he would try and convince her, again and again, until there wasn't enough breath left in his lungs to speak, nor enough strength left in his body to show.

"You," he replied, allowing an arm to creep out from within their blanket cocoon, gently brushing aside a strand of damp hair that had fallen across Khara's forehead. "I see you."

Khara wasn't wrong to call him out; it was an unfair choice, the one thing in the cave that Khara couldn't completely see, regardless of which direction she looked, and the one thing that she'd never in a million years notice even if she did look the correct way. She would see a blade of grass, a grain of sand, a smudge on the wall before she thought of herself as something worth being noticed. Zhol and Khara seldom disagreed on things - there were instances where their opinions differed, but they never clashed, or argued, or debated them; they merely took it as a fact about the other, and stored it away for later reference - but that was one of Khara's beliefs that Zhol couldn't possibly disagree with more strongly, not even if he had the strength and resolve of a god. To him, there was no currency, no metal, no jewel, no secret, no position, no item, no nothing in all the world - or any other world for that matter - that was more precious or valuable as Khara was to him. He would rather sacrifice absolutely every part of himself than have Khara be gone from his life. Whether she believed it or not, she was worth everything to him, and he believed with absolute certainty that he could live longer without air than he could without Khara.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever known. With you here, why would my eyes want to see anything else?"

by **Khara** on April 28th, 2015, 1:38 am

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An amused smile tugged at the corner of her lips; a less than perfect disguise for the sudden rush of heat to her cheeks and the fact her eyes wanted to dart away and her mouth wanted to protest, even if she couldn't think of anything within the cave as being a particularly good example of something more beautiful for him to look at. Despite feeling entirely unworthy of such comments, they still made her feel as though she had breathed in a bunch of feathers that were now determined to tickle her insides with each inhale or exhale that followed.

She never knew what to say in return when Zhol complimented her in such a way. There were things about him that she could speak on, about the way she cared for him and how very much of her life he had come to be needed in, but Khara always worried it would just seem like a retort, a way of taking the attention off of her, of an expected return of such things. There were other ways to let Zhol know she understood and appreciated what he had said, though.

From the moment he finished speaking to when her mind made it's decision was only a tick or two at most but her arms moved from around his waist and quickly were flung around his shoulders as she sat up just a bit more and pulled him towards her to remove the gap between them so their lips could meet. Actions are worth more than words, was something she had heard once and Khara hoped desperately that the kiss would reflect that.

Of course, she hadn't exactly taken their current state into account; or the sudden feeling of her chest pressing against him, of skin making contact where it normally wouldn't, or how that seemed to warm her all the more but out of embarrassment rather than comfort. Khara drew away slowly though, not wanting to recoil sharply as her mind practically demanded of her. She gently eased her hold on him and returned to where she had been seated only a moment before. Mostly; she couldn't quite bring herself to let her arms settle around his waist again and instead her hands trailed down away from his shoulders and arms until they found his hands.

"S-sorry. I did not mean to make you... if I did. I do not want to discomfort you." Khara rested her head against him once more. "I just do not know what to say and 'thank you' does not seem so enough."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

Closed Into Darkness (Part 2)