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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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 Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:13 pm
The very day Detra left for a job Ara found herself sending word off to her mom, inviting her for a visit. Her emotions were wild and she was confused. She needed a visit from her mom. It had already been too long since she’d last seen her. As luck would have it, Niyol wrote back, letting Ara know that she had already planned on being on Eowyn later that month but that she would up her schedule to arrive that very week. Ara smiled at the letter, grateful for the chance to see her mom again. She bit her lip as she tucked the letter away safely and laid in bed. Her mom would arrive tomorrow afternoon, so best she was well rest so she could clean up around the house.
The next day Ara was up early, rising with the sun and getting busy on tidying up. Each time she passed the room Detra occupied she paused and glanced up. Conflicting emotions ran through her mind about the oblivionite. Made even worse from the events of his last pit match. She shoved those thoughts away and continued on with her cleaning.
Before long the house was spotless and Ara found herself in her kitchen, pulling ingredients from shelves. She always found comfort in cooking. So, with plenty of time to spare, before her mom was due to arrive, Ara began preparing the dough for a fairly new recipe and before she knew it, she had the ingredients for the pastry Detra so loved. She frowned down at the berries and chocolate, wondering when her mind had decided that this was the best option. She was suppose to be distracting herself from him and instead, she was fixing something that would always remind her of him. She couldn’t waste the already prepared food, though, and so she got busy assembling the pastries and baking them in batches. As she took the last pan out of the oven and sat them to cool with the others she sighed. The smells of chocolate and berries had filled her house. Cleaning herself up quickly, Ara headed out and to the docks to welcome her mom.
Ara hurried through the crowd, her feet carrying her as quickly as they could to the docks. Without her hastar to get her through the crowds and to the other side of town, the going was slow. Finally, though, she broke through the crowd of people just in time to see her mother disembarking from the ferry from the Celestial Plane. A large grin broke onto Ara’s face as she rushed to embrace her mom. The older woman laughed as she caught up Ara in a tight hug. They both greeted each other and were quickly catching up. Grabbing some food, they ate and chatted about a job that her parents had recently been on on Serenia. Some higher up’s daughter had been ill and they’d been called upon because of a family acquaintance.
The talk of orderites reminded Ara of her houseguest. As they headed back to her house, she bit her lip, contemplating on how much to tell her mother. “What is it, Ara?” Nyol asked as they entered Ara’s place.
“I…” She glanced around her empty house and frowned. She knew Detra wouldn’t be there but had glanced around for him, anyway, out of habit. Ara moved into the kitchen, gathering up a small plate with her pastries piled onto them and headed over to the couch. “A lot has happened lately,” Ara said as her mom sat down. She told her about the couple of times Detra had saved her, once on Soudul and once on Eowyn. Still, Ara left the small fact that Detra was an oblivionite out. Still not one hundred percent sure how her mother would react to that news. Then Callum came up and Ara winced as she traced her fingers lightly over the scar on her cheek. “Callum did this,” she said as she looked away from her mom.
“Callum? Your boyfriend Callum?” Niyol asked, stunned beyond belief. “That b*****d.”
Ara blinked, slightly surprised by her mom’s language. She couldn’t recall a time where she had heard her mom curse. A small smile curved her lips. “Yes, well, he won’t be bothering me anymore. Detraeus and, Lithian’s friend, Casseth came to my rescue. So Detraeus has saved my life three times thus far.” Ara told her mom about the caves and going through them with him and even showed her how many orbs she had managed to gather.
Finally, they got to the subject of the reason for her mother’s visit. “I’d offer my house for you to stay but,” she bit her lip before continuing. “Detra’s staying with me. He needed a place.” At her mom’s look Ara held up a hand. “He’s paying rent, helps me around the house and we’re not doing anything mom. So you don’t have to worry.” Ara quickly changed the subject and they talked more, laughing and getting serious all in the span of minutes. Ara told Niyol about Leio and that got her a tight hug.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:15 pm
Detraeus had needed space. After his kill in Veinrith Stadium — his first real kill of someone of orderite blood, in his mind — he’d felt off balance. As though, after all the years where he’d been so certain of exactly where his path lead before him, he was straying. Largely thanks to Araceli. He had only just barely won the match, scraping in on a stroke of luck provided in the form of another man’s arrogance, and that, in his mind, was a pitiful way to win. Effective, yes, but never something to rely on.
He was still weak.
Stronger than he’d been the last time he faced up against a pureblood ord and found himself crushed into the mud in his own homeland but still weak overall. And he had needed space. He needed distance, again, and time to separate himself adequately. He was growing far too comfortable, far too accustomed to the pleasantries that Araceli’s home, and company, and friends brought to him. But it was not his path, and he knew it. Eventually, he either left things behind, or they were taken from him. That was his fate for as long as he had the memory to think back on and he knew that with every moment that he allowed himself to draw closer to Araceli, the harder it would be to remember that truth.
He couldn’t bare to have her ripped from him. So, he would need to leave on his own time.
First, though, he needed to build his strength. His first fight on tier three had proven that beyond measure and so, both to give himself space and to satisfy his need for more practical experience, he’d taken on another mercenary gig, guarding a transport from Taliuma to Tukyere and back. The job took less time than he anticipated. Barely over a week, and he was back in Taliuma’s walls, the familiar scent of the sea wafting through the eaves of the port city that he had come — for better or for worse — to consider ‘home’.
He made the trek from the drop off point to Araceli’s home on foot, his mind busy the whole while. What were they, the two of them? Why did he care? Why did the question plague him, no matter how he traveled or distanced himself? They had only kissed once — twice — no, three times, total.
He frowned.
Had she decided she did not like his kisses?
He shoved the thought from his mind. Best they didn’t get any closer, and pointless to fret himself over it. Besides—
Seconds after opening the front door to the home he now shared with the woman most forefront on his mind, Detraeus froze. His attention flit over the strange woman in Araceli’s company, immediately dragging in the details. Dovaa. Older. Fifties, likely. Nicely dressed, though not extravagant. Comfortable in Ara’s company — and Ara in hers, clearly — until the moment he walked through the door. Not a stranger, then. Someone familiar. Defensive of Ara, even, given her posture shift and reaction to his arrival.
A close friend Ara had somehow failed to mention this entire time who happened to be completely outside of her age group? Or…
Family.
He tilted his head, leaning half his weight against the doorframe, though his hand — at rest — waited close to the hilt of a dagger, in the off chance that he had entirely misread the situation. “Ms. Doryu?”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:16 pm
At the sound of her door opening, Araceli froze. Her mind ran through all the possibilities on who would be walking through her door uninvited and without knocking. The last person, however, that she thought about was the very same one that walked into her house. She tensed at the sight of Detraeus and her mind raced as her gaze flit to her mom and she noticed the stiff posture her body had taken on. He wasn’t suppose to be home yet. His trips protecting various caravans had always lasted much longer.
Ara bit her lip as her mother stood and Niyol tilted her head. “You seem to have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am but I haven’t a clue as to who you are.” Her voice was stiff, almost icey as she spoke to Detra and Ara flinched as she looked away. “Who are you and what are you doing in my daughter’s house?” Ara saw the glint of a blade, out of the corner of her eye, as her mother’s fingers flit to the small sword tucked beneath her cloak.
In an instant she was up, hand covering her mom’s as she gave Detra a small, apologetic smile. “Mom…” She started as she moved forward, placing herself slightly between the two of them. “This is...Detraeus.” Her mom’s shocked expression told Ara everything and more and she flushed as she glanced away from Niyol. “He’s...my friend.” A small smile curved her lips at that word. “The one I’ve been telling you about.” Ara glanced up to Detra. “Detra, my mom, Niyol.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:20 pm
Detraeus tilted his head, attention flicking between ‘Niyol’ and Araceli, trying to pick up on every piece of available information at once. He’d been correct, first of all, and he noted that immediately, moving his attention onwards to the weapon Niyol carried on her person. Not a large threat — given that the woman was older, and a healer at that, experienced, yes, but not tailored towards fighting. Unless she was like Lithian, in which case she was only the tiniest fraction more dangerous, potentially.
“Mine was a lucky guess…Ms. Doryu,” he said at length, and stepped in, closing the door behind him. Niyol did not intimidate him, and as Araceli’s mother, he assumed she was of no danger there, either. In the aftermath of the initial tension, the smell of pastries — chocolate, in particular, a guilty pleasure — came to him, and his attention flit back to Ara, and then to the treats on the platter before them. He shifted his weight and glanced to ‘his’ room, then the door. “I can leave.”
Lovely as the food smelled, they had not been baked for him; Ara clearly had not expected his return, and Niyol was completely unprepared for a strange oblivionite visitor. Best, he thought, to leave the pair be and make his exit without a fuss.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:20 pm
Ara’s gaze followed Detra’s and she smiled lightly. The pastries she had made sat, only a couple of them gone. They were one of Detra’s favorites and she had made them on instinct, even though she hadn’t been expecting him home so soon. “You don’t have to leave.”
“My daughter’s right.” Niyol spoke up, much to Ara’s surprise. “It seems this is as much your house as it is her’s. She’s been telling me all about you, all good things, mind you.” She let her hand relax, dropping away from the blade as she glanced over Detra, eyes pausing at the markings on his body. She frowned as she glanced back up to his face. Niyol moved to sit back down, leaving Ara and Detra standing. “Stay.”
Ara blinked as she watched her mom sit and then glanced back up to Detra, shrugging. “You can join us, if you want. There’s plenty of pastries. Or if you’d rather go to your room, you’re still welcome to the food.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:21 pm
Detraeus eyed the woman, trying to discern if her offer was genuine or a forced courtesy. Ara, he knew, meant her words, but the fact remained that he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep the company of this stranger. He knew full well that he wasn’t any parent’s idea of an ‘ideal’ house guest, and from what little he knew of her, by word of mouth from Ara — as well as his even more limited current experience — she wasn’t precisely ‘pro’ oblivionite in the least. And was mated to far worse. He felt, however, that her invitation was a challenge, of sorts, and that in this instance, backing out of the interaction would be a retreat.
Thus, eventually, he grunted and shrugged, stepping in from the doorway and moving over to linger by the small table in front of the living room couch — upon which Ara’s tray of pastries was perched. He did not sit, or speak — what was he supposed to say in such a situation? — but did lift one of the remaining treats from the tray, plucking off a corner and popping it into his mouth.
Chocolate, he’d found, was a favorite flavor of his. One he’d never tried, until Martrae’a had prepared some with him in her company, but one he had immediately latched onto with relish — much to his own chagrin at the time. Generally, he did not take to sweet things, finding saccharine foods overbearing and unpleasant to stomach, but chocolate slipped past the grid on that front, and to this day, the taste would always remind him of the woman who once saved his life, housed him, and taught him more than he ever expected to learn from a single source.
He waited for Araceli or her mother to fill the silence. Gods be damned if he was going to.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:21 pm
Ara glanced between her mother and Det, chewing on her lip as she debating how to handle this situation best. Finally, she opted to sit and glanced towards Detra’s way. When nothing but silence continued to fill the air, Niyol cleared her throat and glanced towards Ara. “Weren’t you talking about needing to buy some things for dinner? From a lady you know...what was her name? Valla?”
Ara blinked, glancing to her mom, confused. She had spoke of fixing dinner but those thoughts had completely left her mind when Detra had walked into the house. “I...yes but now…” She glanced back to Detra, frowning.
“Go. We’ll need more ingredients anyway, now that your roommate is home.” Niyol arched a brow, slightly, as she glanced in Detra’s direction.
She wanted to argue, to say that she had plenty of supplies but that would be a lie. She had already checked that morning and a run to the market was needed before she would be able to cook anything for them. Ara mouthed a quick sorry to Detra as she rose. “I suppose you’re right. I…won’t be long. Promise.” She left, knowing she would rush through her shopping just to get back home in a timely manner.
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:23 pm
Detraeus’ posture stiffened as Ara was ushered out by Niyol’s none-too-subtle hints to clear the room. In the aftermath, he frowned and thumbed at his pastry, but no longer had the appetite. Clearly, the dovaa woman wanted his company — alone — for some purpose. Likely to drill him on what precisely he was doing sharing a home with her only daughter. Detraeus, though, wanted nothing to do with such a conversation. He didn’t ‘do’ conversations. Particularly not important ones. With parents. Of women who he had no real relationship with. At all.
He eyed his room, rubbing at one of his ears as he shifted his weight, and after an extended pause, cleared his throat.
“I…am sure you had a long journey, and would appreciate some peace…” When he moved to go, however, Niyol stopped him.
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:24 pm
Niyol stood as Detra went to move towards his room. “We should talk,” she said simply as she bent to pick the plate of pastries up and moved to the kitchen. “My Ara told me a lot about you.” She paused in the middle of putting the pastries up and glanced up at Detra. “However, she forgot to mention one curious fact about you.” She tilted her head slightly. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised.” As she finished putting the sweets up she moved back around to the living room and closer to Detra. “And as kind as her words were, I can’t just leave Eowyn without first talking to the man my daughter’s sharing a house with.” She crossed her arms, eying him closely. “Come, let’s talk and you can tell me about yourself.”
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:27 pm
Detraeus watched her, posture rigid, but despite his best efforts to make his legs move and take him out of the room despite the woman’s interests — insist that Ara’s choice of ‘roommate’ was her own, and that he did not have to answer to anyone — his body did not move, and neither did his tongue. He did not want to talk about himself. He didn’t want to talk at all. But Niyol seemed to maintain a sort of presence in the room, disallowing him to walk out without a word.
He mentally leafed through possible responses. ‘What about me surprised you most?’ ‘What has she told you already?’ ‘What would you like to know?’ ‘What do I have to say to satisfy you?’ ‘You’re likely to be disappointed in my conversational skills.’ ‘I don’t make a habit of talking much — about myself, or otherwise — outside sources are more reliable.’
Instead, what came out was: “Has she told you I kill people?”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:27 pm
Niyol’s wings tensed and she paused just as she was moving to head back over to the couch. “No. She left that little fact out.” She forced her wings to relax as she turned back to face. him. “Though in this day and age, it seems to be a common occurrence. Fighting and killing.” She shook her head before she narrowed her eyes at him.
“Have you ever harmed my daughter?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:28 pm
Detraeus tensed. “Never.” He eyed the woman, his own tail flicking from side to side behind him. “I would—” ‘…kill to protect your daughter.’
‘Die to protect your daughter.’
Detraeus frowned, startled at his own mental revelation. He didn’t suppose it was a new thought. He would have killed Callum, had Casseth let him. But to think it so fiercely without a blink of an eye. And the second portion…
That startled him. His wings stretched as he glanced away. “I will never harm your daughter…I swear to the dark goddess.” He eyed her. “And your dragon god, if it please you. What do you want to know of me that she hasn’t said?”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:28 pm
“That is good.” Niyol visibly relaxed at his answer and she tucked her wings in close as she sat down. She thought, for a moment, about what she might ask of him. Those markings on his body interested her, no doubt, but she figured that would be a conversation for later. She vaguely knew what they meant but thought it best to avoid that subject for now, if she wanted to keep him talking. “How did you come to be on Eowyn?”
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:29 pm
Detraeus was no fool. He’d notice the direction of Niyol’s glances, often as not — particularly when he’d first entered the house, but afterwards also. From his experiences with the other races, reading the way eyes moved had become something he discovered to be highly useful, and hence, he knew the question he expected. He rallied himself for it. Tense. Waiting.
Then she asked something entirely different.
He blinked. “Soudul was small, and I had grown too large for it. I was strong enough to leave…and weary of relying on other’s hospitality. It seemed fitting. But you did not dismiss your daughter and hold me aside to ask why I am on Eowyn…”
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Tangled Puppet Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2014 9:30 pm
“No, you’re correct.” Niyol looked at him, thoughtful. “What interests you about my daughter?"
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