Closed [Traveler's Row] The Caged Bird

[Noah Amuel]

Noah had surmised wrong, of course. Elann was right: it was impossible to deliver to an ever moving city. He had let the sense escape him in his childish anger. He sighed as the smell of her cooking began to waft into the room, invading his senses. His nose wriggled at the scents. They were good smells, but they did not sway his determination against Elann. What did sway it though was his love for the young woman. He did not want to continue to push when it was becoming clear that he was not winning the battle. He thought, surprisingly, on what his father would do in such situations with his mother. Noah remembered that his mother almost always won and, instead of being bitter, his father would concede, understanding that he had been bested by his partner.

Even though Elann was not officially his partner – he wasn’t sure if that was ever going to happen – she had become his only companion in which conversations like this one could even be birthed.

Noah thought up another rebuttal, but remembered that Elann did not have siblings who could take care of her parents in her stead. Like his father, Noah conceded Elann’s point, but said nothing to affirm it. His silence would prove enough for her, he knew that.

The Kelvic pushed himself to stand. He was irritated and couldn’t take sitting still any longer, injured leg or non. He walked past Elann and went into his bedroom where he beelined for one of his nightstands. He opened the drawer and from it took a grey stone necklace. The stone itself was plain, polished by fierce winds that eroded away imperfections. Old but strong hemp was bound around the stone before forming up a hole big enough for Noah’s head to fit through. Noah put the necklace on and twirled the stone between his fingers.

It was his mother’s necklace, given to him before he left his old home in Zeltiva. It brought him comfort when he was stressed, a time like this when Elann’s looming, but hopefully far off, departure was on his mind. He reemerged from his bedroom and moved to the table on the side of his couch to pick up the cup of water that Elann had previously poured for him. He brought the cup to his lips, took a drag, then glanced around his room. Something in him wished for more furniture, but he knew there would be no use. It would only be a waste of coin.

Noah pivoted to walk towards the window on the north side of the room. The window was on the left side of the hearth, where Elann cooked the meal. He arrived at the window and stared out of it – his height allowed him to do so.

“You know you don’t have to cook my portion,” he told her, eyes refusing to glance at her. Of course she knew, he just wanted to break the silence.

[Elann]

.

The silence from Noah made it apparent alright to some degree how he felt. She had learned back at that day in the tavern that his silence meant he was thinking hard. He had given her every courtesy of trying to be more communicative, however now her words had stung him or had driven him into deep thought. It didn't dissuade her though. She had to return someday. The only offering she could possibly give him would be that the date of her leaving would be further out than she had hoped and that she would miss him horribly. She had never had a friend like him.

They surely could drive each other nuts, but in the end they seemed to come back to a common ground. Noah left the room and Elann sighed, moving over to drink a bit more of her milk before returning to the pot. Everything seemed to be cooking well and she decided it would be best to wash her hands while he was in the bedroom. By the time he returned her hands had already been dried and she was back to using the spoon to turn the meat cooking in the pot.

A small utterance came out of the skulking eagle about cooking for him. Patient to the last, she let it roll off her shoulders and just continued to cook for him. She wondered what her life would be like in Yahebah's surrounding deserts without her friend. She suddenly thought of what to say to break the renewed silence.

"You know what?" she spoke softly toward him. "Never in my whole life have I had a friend like you..." she quaintly turned toward him, angling so she could keep an eye both on the pot, but also on him. "I wish there was a place my family could be and you could come and still be in my life. I fear I'll miss you too much."

He may have been torn inside, but really perhaps now he could see by the emotion behind her shimmering eyes that she wasn't coming to this decision lightly and she herself was torn in two. Slowly she turned back to the blaze and seeing the food was ready, she pulled it off the spit with a hook. She then made herself busy with a plate to dish him up the eggs, sausage, and steak. It was a very fatty meal it looked like, and while not perfect, it didn't come out at horrible and burnt as it could have if he had cooked it himself.

"Here, I already ate this morning." she said, setting it down for him where he usually ate and went about getting him some silverware and a knife to cut the meat. She then cut him some slices of bread and began to make some toast for him; eventually setting it on his plate with jam if he wanted it.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah twirled the necklace until it would turn no more, that was when he released it, let it rapidly spin back to its original position before he would force it to twirl again. The Kelvic was lost in his thoughts as he usually did. He didn’t have to keep his guard up with Elann and so he could let his mind drift. Basically speaking he was unconscious with his eyes wide shut. He shifted his focus from person to person that walked right outside the Traveler’s Row. There was a woman with a basket who also had a child in tow who was carrying his own basket. The boy was blond, hair shifting in the wind, bending to its will without a word of protest.

His focus shifted again to a group of men hauling what looked like crates, another behind them with a wheelbarrow. He wondered what they were doing, how it felt to be productive. He hadn’t worked in so long. There was so much that he hadn’t done in so long, so much like flying, running, hunting. His mouth watered at the thought of capturing a hare in his talons. Even his heart skipped a beat as feigned adrenaline rushed through his veins.

“You know what?” Elann’s voice broke the silence, slid open the veil that was his thoughts and pulled him from the depths. “Never in my whole life have I had a friend like you.” Noah turned his head to set his eyes on her. She stated how she wished her family and he could be in the same place so that he could still be in her life. She said she feared the possibility of missing him ‘too much.’

A bitter taste stained his mouth where imagined hare’s blood once was. Elann’s choice was clearly not one to be taken lightly. Evidently she had thought about it for a long while and the attachment that Noah had to her was requited. It was when the solution to the problem came to Noah’s mind: with no ties of his own in Syliras besides Elann, he could easily travel with her. While in his shifted form he wasn’t the smallest companion, he was still small enough to not draw attention. Elann could behave like a falconer and Noah her loyal bird of prey. It would certainly save money on the trip.

He took a deep breath. His nostrils were overrun with the smell of his cooked breakfast. Noah couldn’t decide what smelled better, distressed squirrels or cooked cattle. His stomach gurgled, deciding for him. Without another word he pivoted again turning towards the dining table. He padded quietly across the room with his limp and took a seat at the table.

The plate in front of him was magnificent. How he was thankful for Elann’s companionship and the talents that came along with it.

“I could come with you,” he started, picking up one of the slices of toast before the jam was applied, “when you leave.” He bit down on the toasted bread and chewed. “That way you could be with your family and have me around.” He awaited Elann’s reply, anxiety tickling at his abdomen.

[Elann]

.

"Go with me?" she asked after he finished, a blush rose to her cheeks. She plopped down into the chair next to him and scooted close, facing him with the chair turned askew from the table. She looked as if she had a billion questions for him. He was munching away at the bread, but the confused look on her face may even have halted his hunger at this point.

One of her hand's rest on the table near his plate and the other on her lap, looking almost as if she were bracing for a hard question. With a curious tone she asked him, "You would travel on a boat for months, wasting a fortune of money, to come to one of the most dry, desolate places in the world, where not even Benshiran can easily live, just so you could still be there with me?"

She felt a twinge in her heart, something she had not felt before, and it caused her to search his eyes for reasons. Her eyes were piercing blue as she faced the window that looked out on to the street. The light from what little sun made its way inside reflected her unnatural hues at him, seemingly all the more penetrating.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

Noah chewed and swallowed his jamless toast. Elann plopped down in front of him and pivoted her chair to face him. His eyes were on the plate though, at the time planning his course of action, how he would devour the meal Elann had so graciously made for him. His eyes drifted from the plate to her hand, soft as it appeared, as it hovered near the saucer. Initially he paid it no mind, letting his sights fall back to his plate as the aroma of beef rose to his nose, teasing it with ghostly fingers of longing.

“You would travel on a boat for months, wasting a fortune of money, to come to the most dry, desolate places in the world, where not even Benshira can easily live, just so you could still be there with me?” she asked.

The Kelvic did not meet her eyes at first, though he felt them on him. He licked his lips, words carefully being considered in his mind. The answer, however, came immediately. What was on his mind were the words to accompany his answer. He could not just speak it and leave it at that, blank, blunt, without backing.

When Noah looked up he instantly met her eyes. They were shining, pierced and enchanted by the sunlight that strewn in through the room’s single window. They were blue like the ocean on a clear day, sparkling like water glittering under starlight. His own hazel-greens could not compare to the beauty, but they reflecting the passion and solemnity in his voice.

“Yes,” he finally said, cutting through the silence like red-hot steel. “How could I not?” He grew quiet again, giving her and her hand a pensive glance. “How,” he stumbled, “How could I not after all you’ve done for me? You’ve clearly set apart aspects of your own life just to take care of me. You come here, to my home, to cook for me, to clean for me. You bring me clothes you’ve made yourself, stuff you’ve labored over when another would simply buy the clothes from a stall. By the gods, you’ve even bathed me.”

He sighed, smiled some, and let his shoulders shrug from a loss of words. Then he grabbed her hand, placing his over hers gently, but gripping it all the same.

“Elann, I probably would be dead if it weren’t for you.” He swallowed hard, the words turning to fluttering butterflies in his gut and chest. He flashed a look down at their hands, then back up at her face, her eyes. “Even though it may not seem like it sometimes, I care a great deal about you. So, yes, I will travel on a boat and spend the money to be with you in a desert where not even your people can survive easily, if that means you don’t have to miss me and,” he paused, “so I don’t have to miss you.”

[Elann]

.

He had initially denied her access to search his eyes. She could see the thought behind his downward stare at the plate of food she had made him. As he rose to stare into her eyes, she finally got what she desired and was able to see even his thoughts coalesce. He spoke.

In her heart she had begun to wonder if he had grown resentful toward her for helping him. It seemed like he had such a darkness in him since she first met him, and naturally being his only help, she kind of felt like she wasn't doing that well of a job. She after all had never done something like this for someone.

She looked back up into his eyes as he began to list out various tasks she had done for him. A blush grew on her cheeks involuntarily and all the more so when he mentioned she had bathed him. Her lips tensed at the thought of him pointing it out, but it was said in a way that showed he didn't despise her for it; in fact quite the opposite.

Elann could hear in his tone how serious he was, and her eyes faltered from his as he took her hand, almost in surprise. Elann did not recoil her hand though, and let him have his way with it as he spoke, even going so far as to wriggle her other hand between his so he could have both. Denial immediately wanted to spring to her lips as he said he would likely be dead if it wasn't for her, but his hard swallow and avoiding glance down to her hand made her reconsider. He was baring it all.

His final words made her heart flutter a bit and she chewed hard on her lip in thought. She tucked in her cheek and looked away with a sigh.

"It's just not fair." she said as her look moved down to the floor. Her legs began to kick a little bit, careful to stay far from his injured leg. She slid her right hand from his a moment later to cross in front of her and rest on her left shoulder. She then laid her head emotively down on it toward the edge of the table; looking perpendicularly up to him. He still had hold of her left hand and she considered bringing it to touch her right shoulder, but instead left it there.

"I've kind of wondered at times whether you hated me for helping you. It has been hard for me..." she confessed in a sad tone, yet with a forced smile she added, "I didn't care though. Even if you ended up hating me wholly, I want to make sure you are well again because I care about you. Like I have said, to me, you've become my family. I would do anything for you."

She remained there, laying on her shoulder on the edge of his table, looking up to him. Her hair had fallen in a slightly curled half circle, spread out over the table cloth under her head, yet was far enough not to come close to his plate of food.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

His heart throbbed heavily in his chest, pushing against its cage forming a visible bound and rebound on his skin, though it was unseen due to the shirt he wore. He had spilled it all then and there but couldn’t help but feel fear after the fact. What if he had said the wrong thing? What if what he said was misunderstood? Noah bit his lip in worry, chest bounding and rebounding. He heaved a nervous breath, it shuddered out of him when he exhaled, rattling through his pipes like they were made of old, rusted metal.

“It’s just not fair.”

His heart sank, the fear pressing to the forefront of his mind, wailing like a banshee. He swallowed, throat involuntarily tense. What wasn’t fair? he wondered, mind racing through heavy snow, hazy and unclear, no evident direction. Then she pulled one of her hands from his, causing his heart to sink again, falling from the pit of his stomach to the soles of his feet. She draped her withdrawn right hand across her chest.

Noah watched Elann as she lay her head down. She still looked at him with her glistening blue orbs. He was aware that the uncertainty and fright in his mind was being reflected in his eyes, his face, brows, as they were the most impassioned bits of his features. The doubt forced him to take hold of her left hand a little tighter. Noah was anxious and was failing to hide it.

Relief swept over him as she spoke again. He made sure not to take his eyes off her -- what if she were to dissipate. While she talked his feelings and expressions went from fright, to relief, and to sadness, sharing them openly with her. However, everything she said reinforced what Noah thought of her, further bolstering his image of her in the way of a kind person, saintly in several aspects, beautiful in others.

He smiled when Elann said that she thought he resented her, hated her for helping him. At one point, in the beginning, it was true. He admitted it: “I did resent you,” he said, hoping to catch her eyes with his own. “In the beginning, I did, but now, it is impossible to hate you.” He followed the curvature of her hair briefly. How could you resent someone whom you loved, be that love platonic or not? Noah couldn’t resent her even if he tried.

The Kelvic sighed and let his eyes fall to the tablecloth. He wanted to say more, but the words weren’t forming the way he wanted them to. They evaded him, slipping between his fingers.

[Elann]

.

Noah bore his emotions openly, something she appreciated as it showed how he was feeling and let her know where she stood with him. She could feel his grip tighten on her own hand, not minding at all.

His smile brought one to her own face, curious in her own way at what he could possibly find worth smiling about in what she had said. She was not let down as he said that he did hate her during that time. Even though it wasn't a laughing point, it was so blatantly obvious he hated her helping him that it just was funny to hear him say it so clearly. As a result her smile grew as he stared into her eyes.

If she could think to "aww" at what he said, she would have, but instead she sat up a little bit and reached out with her free hand to clasp his, encapsulating his hand in both of hers. She shook it a little bit in a loving shake, though the symbolism of it perhaps would have been lost on him in its entirety. Brushing his hand lightly with the thumb of her right hand, she sat up further and took in a deep breath.

"That was sweet to say."

A few moments later she pulled her hands from his. She gave his hands a brief pat with her own to show they were leaving, but not leaving his without a sign of affection for what he had said and done.

"Finish your breakfast while it is hot. I will put the rest of these things away."

She moved to stand and reached out to brush his cheek lightly with her thumb, cupping his jaw briefly and then turning to head toward her glass of milk to take a brief drink.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts

[Noah Amuel]

“That was sweet to say,” Elann had said after giving his hand a little shake, after gracing his skin with her thumb’s gentle pressure. The deep breath she took stole the air from Noah’s own now lifeless lungs. He stared at her, expression blank and confused. He was seriously perplexed by her notions, wondering if she had brushed off what he had said or misunderstood his meaning. Matter of factly, he didn’t understand his own meaning. It was so very convoluted, mixed up and hazed in the heavy fog of a murky day.

He tried, in that moment, to understand his feelings for the situation, his feelings for Elann. She referred to him as family and he did feel the same but it was difficult for him to place their relationship in a family dynamic. At times she behaved like his mother, other times like his sister, and times beyond that he was afraid to label.

The pat on his hand brought him back to the present quickly enough for him to watch her hands flee from his. Elann dismissed herself, stating that she was moving to put something away. Before she left the table completely though she ran her hand delicately over Noah’s face, grazing it lightly with her thumb before letting her fingers slide under his chin.

Noah brought his own hand into himself, placing it at the bottom of his chest where his abdomen began. He rubbed the fingers along the inside of his palm, trying desperately to remember the softness of Elann’s hands in his own. He then brought that same hand to his face, touching where Elann had touched as she walked away. His lungs came to life as he did so causing him to heave a once held breath. He sniffed afterward, hoping Elann would disregard the breath. His hand lingered on his cheek.

With the other hand, the right one, he picked up his fork and stabbed at the sausage. Noah brought it to his mouth and chewed slowly, mind drifting further and further with each bite down. The Kelvic’s thoughts were too cloudy for him to think, the touch of Elann effectively whisking all sense away from his psyche with one subtle touch.

He was thankful when his stomach growled, reinstilling the feral needs within him. He was starving, he remembered and began to devour the meal placed before him.

[Elann]

.

Though his looks were perplexed, she didn't understand them and hoped her caring resolve would even out his worries. She turned from him, not aware of his strange huff or sniff beyond what they were as sounds of him clearing his sinuses. Elann stood next to the table, her hips set up against it briefly as she picked up the glass of milk. She turned and placed a hand behind her against the table and leaned lightly upon it as she looked around the room, drinking the milk. She had a very light breakfast of bread and water, but the milk was filling.

She observed the room, drawing in the various tasks that needed to be done, dishes that needed to be cleaned, and once done with the milk, she swiftly turned back and set down the glass. She scooped up the small pile of clothing she had made and then moved to the bedroom as he finished up his breakfast. For being observant in some regards, she was fairly oblivious in others that she was not used to. One such realm being Noah's feelings for her that perhaps stretched beyond the older sister status she had developed in her mind.

She had pushed through the doorway and headed to his wardrobe to put the clothes inside. It was there, as she drew open a drawer and began to set in various pairs of underwear, that she found a few pieces of paper. She felt like she was going to crush them, so she pulled them out to see what she was disturbing. Scrawled in what she could only guess was Noah's penmanship, was a series of verses. Her eyes scanned the lines and she let go of the clothing pile in the drawer, sliding it closed with her hip as she read it. Privacy like people really valued here didn't really occur to her, and after reading and comprehending what he had written, she pressed a hand to her chest and moved back out to the doorway.

"Noah?" she said softly, trying not to disturb him from eating. If he looked toward her she would turn the page toward him so he could see the writing. The look on her face, inquisitive.

Other's Words ~~ My Words ~~ My Thoughts