Girls' Day Out (Kendall)

by **Jaelyn Baroth** on June 18th, 2011, 4:40 pm

Kendall's talk of spending time with guys and gender caused Jaelyn to think. She'd never really spent terribly much time with other girls. Maybe that explained why she found... had found Kendall so attractive? At Kendall's toast Jaelyn lifted her mug, banishing those thoughts, and smiled warmly, "To girl time."

Kendall's words regarding Markus only brightened Jaelyn's blush, and her eyes dropped back down to the mug in front of her, "You... You think so?" she asked softly, fingers nervously playing with the handle of the drink container, "I... Thank you," she turned an embarrassed smile up at Kendall, glad her friend wasn't upset about the admission.

"There is no real rule against it, but I have always felt it best to focus on our training as Squires," Jaelyn offered softly in response to Kendall's question, though she felt a little silly admitting it, "I... I have never really had a relationship yet."

At Kendall's question, followed by her little story regarding Markus, Jaelyn gave a little giggle, "That sounds like Markus," she took a little sip of her ale, drawing encouragement to speak freely from the warm drink, "I like his strength, and the fact that he still is friendly and playful despite it. Maybe because of his strength he can still be so friendly," she gave a small shrug, "Honestly... I have not known him for terribly long. Not even as long as I have known you," she gave a warm smile to Kendall.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on June 18th, 2011, 11:08 pm

"Anytime. It feels good to still be able to somewhat pair people up. I used to try with my friends in Zeltiva but I was a little obsessed with my own boyfriend back then. Or… exboyfriend now." Kendall's smile died out a bit when he thought of Kay'lan. The longer he was with Hadrian the more he wondered why he ever been with the Vantha. He had been sweet when he had wanted something. He always wanted the same thing though, the chance to have Kendall sleep with him. "I really do mean it though. Markus would do well with someone as nice as you." Ever since Markus had left Zeltiva after his mother's death Kendall had worried nonstop about him. It made him happy to see that he had moved on and made new friends.

Kendall shrugged as he took another sip of his ale. "Relationships are nice, although only when they are worth having. It is good that you waited. My first boyfriend was Markus but I was only twelve at the time." Kendall was sure that Markus would have preferred if he had not told Jaelyn about their little stint of puppy love but he told her regardless. "In truth though, the best relationship I have ever been in is the one I am in right now. You just need to wait until I feels right." It had not felt right with Kay'lan and with Markus he had been too young to tell. "I can understand wanting to wait though. There is nothing wrong with that. You have your priorities and the best thing about it is that Markus' are similar." The talk of priorities made Kendall think about his own and Hadrian's for that matter. He thought he had known his own. He was going to find his body and get back to normal. Now he was not so sure. He just wanted to be with Hadrian and learn from him. Most of all, he wanted to be a woman for him.

A playful giggle bubbled from Kendall's lips. "I always loved that about him." It used to make Kendall marvel in wonder when Markus would fight for him or speak of honor. He had always thought of him as his own personal knight. It was a beautiful coincidence that he was now on the way to becoming an actual knight. "I saw him again actually." A bittersweet smile itched at his lips. "I was walking with Hadrian and I saw a man that looked like the Markus I remembered but older of course." Kendall took another sip of his ale and looked solemnly at Jaelyn. "It was awkward to say the least. He did not take the news of… my gender as well as you did." The fact bothered him a bit. He did not think that Markus would run back into his arms and return everything back to the way things used to be. Kendall did not want that. He was happy with someone else now. It was hard for him to see his childhood friend so confused at his presence.

by **Jaelyn Baroth** on June 21st, 2011, 2:51 pm

Kendall's words regarding setting people up, especially concerning Jaelyn and Markus, did certainly not help to calm the blush on Jaelyn's cheeks. Embarrassed at her flustered state she brought up her mug for a slow drink, both covering her face and taking the time to try and calm herself down.

Lowering her drink back down to the table Jaelyn kept her gaze down as Kendall spoke about relationships, her cheeks still flushed, but nodded in agreement. At least until Kendall mentioned she had been in a relationship with Markus at 12. That brought Jaelyn's head back up quickly, her eyes wide with surprise. It wasn't that she thought it was wrong, Kendall certainly hadn't been a Page at that age, but Jaelyn hadn't even thought about relationships with boys back then. This new revelation made her friend seem much more... womanly.

When Kendall then mentioned that her and Markus' priorities were similar Jaelyn's flush deepened in color, "They are similar... Though I am pretty sure for Markus a relationship is a bit higher priority," she glanced around, a bit nervous at someone overhearing what she was about to say, and then leaned up on the table and towards Kendall, "The other day, at the Soothing Waters, he... well," she leaned a little more forward, her voice dropping as low as she could while still being heard over the background noise, "He tried to kiss me..."

As embarrassing as it was to share that information, it was relieving to finally tell someone, and Jaelyn smiled warmly at her friend as she sat back down in her chair. Her smile fell somewhat as Kendall spoke of seeing Markus again, and that the Squire had not taken the news well. Reaching across the table she lightly touched Kendall's hand and gave her a sympathetic smile, "I suppose it would be harder having known you before, but the Markus I know will come around and realize the truth. I am sorry though that he could not do so quickly. I am sure he will be better the next time you see him," she gave a little giggle at the thought that popped into her head, "I will make sure of it."

For a few moments Jaelyn's hand remained on Kendall's. Her skin was soft, especially against Jaelyn's hands which were roughened by years of training, and surprisingly warm. For a few moments Jaelyn's fingers lightly trailed against the top of Kendall's hand, but as she realized what she was doing she quickly withdrew her hand and gave Kendall an apologetic look, "Ah, sorry! I was... I mean... Your hands are soft," she trailed off as she finished, looking down in embarrassment.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on June 22nd, 2011, 12:54 am

Kendall felt a little wrong in fact that he was making his friend blush so much. He hoped that he was not making Jaelyn uncomfortable. He could not deny that he was loving the chance to gossip so much about boys. A boyish smile graced Kendall's face when Jaelyn spoke about Markus trying to kiss her. It was not exactly the face of a gossiping girl but more so of a interested young man. The blond clearly was not hiding his femininity as he once had though. "He tried to kiss you? What did you do? Did you kiss back?" He wanted to know the whole story but he could tell by the girl's hushed tone that it was a topic that she wanted to keep quiet.

Kendall's smile softened a bit at Jaelyn's words about Markus. He did not hold any distaste for the squire because of the way he reacted. Blue and green eyes looked down at Jaelyn's hand on his own. He knew that this connection was one between two female friends but he could not help but wonder what other people were thinking as they looked at him and Jaelyn. He was not exactly the most manly looking guy and clearly not none that could have found himself paired with a girl as beautiful as Jaelyn. People clearly would not think a man like him would be out on a date with a date with a girl like Jaelyn, would they? "I don't hold it against him. It was a lot to take in. I am just happy that he is doing so well." There was a lot less worry in Kendall's life now that he knew that Markus was well adjusted in Syliras. "I'm really happy he met you too. You need to take care of him when I am not here. He was my best friend once upon a time."

Kendall took a sip of his drink as his eyes dropped down to look at Jaelyn's hand that still lingered on his own. Her skin was much more rough than his own. Her jolting move to get her hand away from his own surprised him a bit. His mismatched eyes shot up to look at Jaelyn as she appologized. "Heh... thanks." Kendall could feel it. He might not have wanted to but the emotion was still lingering on Jaelyn and thanks to his mark from Ivak he could sense it. He tried to relax a bit and clear his mind. He still had a bit of difficulty using his auristic vision without a bit of meditation. When the aura started to show around Jaelyn it was becoming clearer to Kendall that his friendly feelings toward Jaelyn were not as mutual as he had though. Her aura seemed to glow with a certain shine. A shine that was set alight with the emotion of attraction. Kendall blushed as he started to see a glimpse into Jaelyn's emotions. "I suppose my hands shouldn't be. Men are supposed to work..." The words seemed a little strange but he really was not sure what to say to his friend. While the more masculine part of him was a bit proud that Jaelyn had taken a liking to him the more feminine and currently dominant part of him wanted to back off. Jaelyn was a female friend just like Aello had been. "Ummm... Don't worry about it."

"So..." Kendall seemed to fumble over his words as he tried to think of something to say to change the subject. "I bet your family is excited about you getting closer to your quest right?" It was a stupid question. Of course they were. Why would her family not be? Kendall was not an expert in all things Syliran but it seemed like a honor to be one of their knights.

by **Jaelyn Baroth** on June 22nd, 2011, 6:16 pm

Kendall's little barrage of questions regarding Markus trying to kiss her left Jaelyn bright red, and only able to respond with a small shake of her head at first. After a moment she lifted up her mug to her lips and drank deeply of the ale to try and help calm herself. By the time she returned the mug to the table it was empty, but the warmth of the drink had definitely helped sooth her nerves.

"I stopped him," Jaelyn finally answered Kendall, her voice having become a bit softer than her normal precise way of speaking, "When I saw him coming towards me I just... panicked," she turned her gaze towards Kendall again, "All I could do was just put my hand on his strong chest and ask what he was doing..."

As Jaelyn's voice trailed off she found herself looking at Kendall's lips, and wondering what it actually was like to be kissed. Her mind wandered briefly for a moment, imagining what would have happened if she had let Markus continue to lean forward and press his lips against her own...

Realizing what exactly was going on in her head Jaelyn's eyes widened, and she gave a small shake of her head briefly before turning to wave someone over to ask for a new drink. When her gaze returned to Kendall she hesitated a moment, and then softly asked, "You have kissed people before, right?" she fidgeted a bit, hoping she wasn't going to offend her friend, "What... What is it like?"

Returning to the conversation at hand Jaelyn gave her friend a soft smile and a nod at her request, "Yes, I will do my best to take care of him. I am sure he can do well taking care of himself, but it would not hurt for me to help watch his back," she thought it might be hard to do so once they both became Knights, but she didn't want to worry Kendall with that thought right now.

Kendall's words and assurance drew Jaelyn's embarrassed gaze back up, and she gave a sheepish smile to her friend. For a moment she contemplated saying something more, trying to explain herself maybe, but Kendall started to move the conversation on and Jaelyn was happy to follow, "My Mother is excited, but nervous. She is worried that I will get hurt or worse," she paused a moment as her thoughts turned to her Father, "My Father, well, he will be proud," her smile fell a bit as she softly added, "I hope..."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on June 24th, 2011, 4:52 am

Kendall was about to take a drink when he heard Jaelyn answer his question. "You stopped him?"" Kendall was a little disapointed in this news but of course, Jaelyn's love life was not up to him. He pouted a little as he looked down at his ale. "Well..., I suppose you should do what makes you comfortable." He looked up at her playfully. "If you could do it over again would you have let him kiss you?" The question might have been a little pressing but he asked it regardless. He truly wanted to know. This was what really made gossip interesting. The what ifs.

Now it was Kendall's turn to blush. Jaelyn had asked him what it was like to kiss someone. "Yeah, I have kissed people before." He seemed to get a bit bashful at the topic. It was a sure sign that he was not as manly as he tried to pass himself off as. While most men would boast about their romantic endevors he tended not to talk about them much. That is, unless he was drunk. Jaelyn had shared with him so he felt like he needed to do the same. "It feels nice... Like... hmmm, how so I explain it?" He pondered this thought. How did it feel to kiss someone, or better yet, how did one put it into words? "It's like fire spreading through your body... but it doesn't burn, it just warms every inch of you." He smiled warmly as he thought about Hadrian's lips and how they felt against his own. He bit down on his lip as he tried to hide the huge smile that was trying to take over his face. "I've kissed many people but when my lips first met Hadrian's I knew that it was right... Like they were meant to be on his." Kendall's cheeks seemed to burn with a shy blush as he spoke. "I had a serious boyfriend before I... had my accident. He was a Vantha named Kay'lan. We were planning on getting married and everything. He left me after what happened to me." Kendall seemed to dwell on the fact for about a moment before a small smile lightened his looks. "I think that it was almost worth it though, the accident. Without it I would have never met Hadrian. He makes me so happy." Kendall's voice still held it's deep tone but it seemed to be light and bubbly like a swooning girl. Techically he was, just in the wrong body.

A nervous smile twitched at Kendall's lips as Jaelyn spoke. "I'm sure they would be proud." He knew that he was extremely proud when his brothers become sailors for Zeltiva. Of course, Kel always seemed like he was better suited for other things. "I know if you were my sister I would be proud of you." He offered her a more legitment smile. "I'll always be proud of you. I would never have the guts to be a knight."

by **Jaelyn Baroth** on June 26th, 2011, 5:23 am

Kendall's surprise at Jaelyn's admission that she had stopped Markus certainly didn't help her to calm down, and then came the what if question. Kendall's timing on her words could not have been more perfect, for they almost seemed an echo for Jaelyn's thoughts.

"I... I do not know," Jaelyn's voice was soft as she fidgeted a bit in her seat, her gaze on the table, "I am not sure I am ready for a relationship," she glanced up at Kendall with a faint smile, "But I do wonder what it would have been like."

Jaelyn's new drink arrived as Kendall began to shyly describe what it was like to kiss someone, and as her friend spoke Jaelyn listened attentively. She brieftly started to imagine what it would feel like, but that drew her mind back to imagining what it would have been like to kiss Markus. Unwilling to confront that thought again she forced her focus on ever word Kendall spoke, and Jaelyn smiled warmly at seeing how much her friend cared for Hadrian, "I am very glad you found him too. Anyone who makes you that happy can only be good for you."

"Thank you," Jaelyn said warmly in response to Kendall's encouragement, her gray eyes meeting Kendall's mismatched ones, "I would have been very happy to have you as a sister, much better than my half brother," she gave a small shake of her head, "And not everyone can, or even should be a Knight," she gave a reassuring smile to Kendall, "I bet you could be one though. You are very strong on the inside Kendall, and that is what a Knight needs most. Strength of the body can be trained."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on June 26th, 2011, 10:19 pm

"I suppose I can understand that. I should have been like that when I was at the University. I was more concerned with getting a boyfriend." Kendall was surprised at the level of dedication Jaelyn had. He knew that if he had been in her situation he would have let Markus continue. He looked male but inside he was still a twenty-one year old girl. One that still wanted to flirt and play. Of course, he got to do that with Hadrian. "I suppose it is best to do what you feel comfortable with. You are the one who needs to deal with it the rest of your life if you do something you regret." The words were terribly blunt but they were true.

The blond frowned a bit at this. He felt as though he might have heard of Jaelyn's half-brother before but he was not sure. "What is wrong with your half brother?" The words made him think back to his own brothers, Layton and Ra'kel, or as he preferred to be called, Kel. He missed them with all of his heart. Layton was always the stereotypical older brother. He was strong, masculine, and protective. Kel had always been more quiet and sensitive. He did not think to much about Suanna. The sisters' relationship had been ruined and Kendall had stopped trying to make it better.

Kendall blushed at Jaelyn's words. "Thank you, that means a lot." He did not believe he would make a good knight. He was not brave and he could barely even lift his sword. "I'm sure. I don't think any amount of training will stop me from being afraid of my own shadow though." He giggled lightly at this even if there was a hint of embarrassment behind the statement.

by **Jaelyn Baroth** on June 28th, 2011, 8:53 pm

Jaelyn nodded in response to Kendall's blunt words, completely in agreement with them, but all this talk about boyfriends and kissing was not helping her mental state. So she took a good sized drink from her mug of ale, and let the warmth help bolster and sooth her feelings. When she put her mug down she gave a slightly content sigh, "You are right Kendall, it is best to do what you will not regret later," she smiled warmly at her friend from across the table.

Jaelyn quirked an eyebrow as Kendall asked about her Half-brother. Had she mentioned him? After a moment of thought she realized she had, and she gave a soft sigh, "Do you remember when we first met, in the Stone Gardens? That was not long after I met my half-brother. Me and Ser Raynard were out on a patrol during the winter when we met him. He was not a good or nice person," realization struck her suddenly, and she turned wide eyes on Kendall, "Oh! He was from Ravok! Whatever you do Kendall, you should stay far away from him!" she frowned a moment as she tried to remember his name, "I think he said his name was Leaf, but he might have been lying. His eyes are like mine though, that's how we recognized each other, and he was a little older than I am," the worry was plain in her eyes as she almost pleaded with Kendall, "Please, whatever you do stay away from him. He is not a good person at all."

Wanting to move on from the subject of her blood relation she smiled softly at Kendall's words, "I am sure you could do it Kendall. It takes a lot of work, but you have the mental strength to do it. I do not think I could handle what you have been through myself, it sounds much more difficult," again Jaelyn reached out to touch Kendall's hand reassuringly, but didn't pull away this time as she just wanted to comfort and encourage her friend.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on July 12th, 2011, 5:16 am

Kendall watched Jaelyn with concerned eyes. "Yeah, I remember." He tried to give her a small, reassuring smile. He had been on edge that day and he was surprised to see that Jaelyn had even wanted to see him again after the meeting. His smile faded a bit as Jaelyn spoke of her brother, Leaf as she claimed he was called. "His eyes are like yours?" He looked at her curiously. Jaelyn's eyes really were very unique. "Well, your eyes are quite beautiful. Not to sound odd or anything." He tried to picture a man with eyes like that. One that looked a bit like Jaelyn, possibly more rugged. "I'll try to keep an eye out for him. I'm sure Hadrian won't even let me out of his sight, let alone be around some strange man." He chuckled a bit as he thought of the tall hydromancer. "Umm, not to say there is anything wrong or strange about your brother of course!"

"I think I'll just leave the knight business to you." He smiled lightly as he took another drink from his mug. "I want to get back to Zeltiva someday, maybe even get to live there again. I don't know though. Everything seems so unpredictable." With a sigh he looked at Jaelyn. "So this is what the real world is like." Life in Zeltiva had been easy. A little too easy in fact. It was all that Kendall knew though.

Kendall thought as he drank. What did he want to say to Jaelyn? He tried to think of what he would want his friend to ask him in case this was their last meeting before he left the city. "What are your dreams? Knighthood aside of course." He looked at her intently when he asked this. He never thought to much about dreams when he was a girl but now they seemed to be all he had. "If you could be anywhere right now, where would you want to be?"