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 Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2024 6:19 pm
Kayde 1 True to her word, the new house wasn't too far way, though it wasn't right around the corner either. They left the kids behind with a neighbor before heading off on their own to look at it, now that it was completely finished. Deric had recently traveled back to Zena, leaving the key behind in the care of his sister. It would be more her house than his, after all. A fact that Kayde couldn't help still feeling a little uncomfortable over. Empty rooms or not, it still felt wrong to accept such a large gift as if it were nothing, but maybe that was the way of the richer folk. Leaving an extravagant gift like a huge manor to a family member was common place for all he knew. He didn't ask. Didn't want to risk digging up more of those awful memories his first reaction had left behind.
Elka told him all about it on the walk there. She had, of course, visited it many times already, to make sure the wing that would be for her family was up to her standards. The kids hadn't seen it, yet. She wanted it to be a surprise. Though, by now, he'd be shocked if they had no ideas of its existence. They must have heard the arguments over it.
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2024 4:55 pm
Elka 1 After the weight of the fight was finally lifted, Elka had felt the happiest she had been in a while. She hadn't quite noticed until now how comfortable her life had been since marrying her old sweetheart. How they had settled into their life together as if there had never been a time before it. She knew all his little habits and quirks, and he hers, and had grown to tolerate, sometimes even to expect, them. She had missed that companionship over that one awful week. The kids as well were feeling the differences. They looked less stressed and could be seen to enjoy themselves fully when left to their own devices. Just as things should be.
The Zenan woman was walking along at an easy pace beside the Leaf, telling him all about the construction of the house. How many rooms it had. What furniture she thought might look good in each room. Which rooms were essential for their new life.
"The kids will most certainly need a nursery," she continued, barely pausing to give him time to answer her. "Though they are already halfway towards not needing one anymore. I wonder if a proper tutor would be appropriate. Elenora certainly doesn't need one, but Elias? That boy needs to focus on something other than the sword. If he grows up to do nothing but carry a real one around, I shall surely go grey way before my time." She looked over and, seeing his eyes focused intently on the road ahead, gave his shoulder a little push with her own. "Kayde! Are you listening to me at all?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2024 5:22 pm
Kayde 2 The cliff that ran parallel with the road curved away from it slowly. Kayde's pale eyes watched it while his ears strained to hear the waterfall he was told would be nearby. He hated to admit that the thought of the house appearing around the bend as it surely would do was causing him some anxiety. It was difficult to focus on anything else but that upcoming view. His first impressions of it. What would they be? He hoped the sight of it didn't bring all those angry feelings back up. He no longer trusted his emotions to know when was the right time to declare themselves.
A bump on his shoulder startled him, making his heart do a little flip in his chest. Glancing over to his side, he caught the annoyed look in his wife's golden eyes and adapted a sheepish smile, like always. And, like always, she seemed to easily melt under it, her eyebrows straightening themselves above her eyes. "I am sorry, love. I am distracted. This whole thing still makes me a little...Uncomfortable. I will try to listen. What were you saying?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 26, 2024 6:42 pm
Elka 2 Love? The term brought a blush to Elka's cheeks. She reached up with a hand to brush aside a strand of hair that had fallen over her eye, feeling a little flustered. Oh, so he was laying the affection on thick now, was he? Perhaps she should be annoyed by it, but she found she couldn't argue against the pleasure it brought her. She had always enjoyed being the center of someone's attention. Only he hadn't been paying attention to her.
Pretending to be mad, she pursed her lips and puffed out her cheeks a little, like an animal trying to be intimidating. Knowing it would hardly work, at her small height.
"I guess nothing important." She tried to keep her voice annoyed, even put her fists on her hips. The illusion was broken quickly as he continued to smile at her in that sweet manner he had. It left her to do nothing but giggle at the situation. "Just a mental tour of the manor. That's all. It shouldn't be necessary, anymore. I think I can hear the waterfall."
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2024 5:05 pm
Kayde 3 The steady hum of falling water grew louder the closer they got to the edge of the cliff. It had started up during their small conversation, so Kayde hadn't been aware of it until Elka had said something. He looked up at the top of the cliff, trying to see where the water might be. Bushes covered the side, obstructing his view, their small forms dotted with the color of tiny blossoms among the leaves. What a pretty view it must make from the house.
And than suddenly there it was. It peeked slowly around the corner of the cliff, the sunshine glinting off the many windows covering the front of it. Large windows on the bottom level, with smaller ones above that he assumed belonged to bedrooms. The front door was shaded, supported with beautiful white columns carved in designs he couldn't quite make out from this distance. It was large by his standards, though Elka had said many times it was rather small for a wealthy family. He couldn't imagine how big those might be. Though he had lived in Oba for all of his childhood to early teen years, the Leaf hadn't had the opportunity, or interest, in seeing the large manors of the noble family's who shared the city with him.
Kayde looked back over at Elka, who was staring at him with anticipation. "It's, uh....Big."
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2024 5:17 pm
Elka 3 "Of course it's big to you," Elka answered with some irritation in her voice, the words coming out breathy. "Believe me when I say it's actually not." She studied him a moment, checking to make sure he wasn't about to explode on her, again. He seemed calm, as his pale eyes roamed around the outside of it. She thought it a beautiful house. The green coloring of the bricks would match nicely to the flowers she would have planted all over it. It already matched the natural landscape around them, with the bright blue of the waterfall nearby feeding into the small pond below it in easy access to anyone who wanted it.
Elka stopped and turned towards him, planting herself in front of him. Her expression softened as she clasped her hands in front of her in the most demure pose she could adapt.
"Come on. What are you afraid of? It's just a house." Holding out her hand, she waited for him to take it, to lead him closer to their new future.
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Posted: Sat Jul 27, 2024 5:29 pm
Kayde 4 Kayde tried not to feel anything at her words, but it was difficult. He felt that familiar stab at his confidence. It's just a house. It wasn't. It had been the focus of his anger and the cause of their first huge fight. He couldn't help looking at it and remembering all the bad times. All the hurt. He closed his eyes and gave a sigh. Elka was happy about it. Clearly beyond excited. This was her world and she had obviously missed it. Now she had a chance at getting it back for less the work than normal. He didn't like it. But he also didn't want to ruin her mood. So instead, he took her hand and allowed her to lead him closer, all the while he remained silent, trying to squash the guilt and insecurity that was threatening to overcome him once more. If she noticed, she showed no signs.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 4:22 pm
Elka 4 Elka was none the wiser to the turmoil going on inside Kayde's head. The fact he was going along with her was enough to make her happy. He had already said he approved of this idea, as much as he opposed it in the beginning. How could anyone not? A growing family needed their space. And her family needed the space deserving of them. They couldn't go on living in small houses their entire lives. Even a large house wouldn't do. She would make a name for herself and that meant fame for her children just as much as for herself. They needed to reflect that.
But she also knew how Kayde might react if she said these thoughts out loud, so she kept them to herself. His outburst had taught her to be a bit more secretive.
When they stepped inside, she let raised both hands above her head and spun in a circle, her skirt flaring out around her in an elegant way. "Isn't it just beautiful?" she couldn't help sighing as she came to a stop, looking at him for his first reaction of the place.
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Posted: Sun Jul 28, 2024 4:32 pm
Kayde 5 The excited look on his wife's face was enough to help keep Kayde's feelings down. She appeared ready to burst, as she dragged him down the rest of the way to the front door, pausing only to pull out the key from a pocket in her skirt. It gave him time to look closer at the outside. The columns had carvings of fish and a large sea creature circling them. Even the door to the front had tiny sea stars and swirls bordering the windows and edge of the wood. It was all to a level of detail he wasn't used to. It was too elaborate for his tastes. Like the house wasn't meant to be lived in, but just looked at.
His thought was cut off as the door opened and he followed her inside. Any negative feelings he had left vanished at the sight of her smiling face twirling in front of him. Kayde couldn't help but smile back. He was about to answer her when something caught his attention.
"That is an...Interesting design on that window." It was hard to keep the edge of laughter out of his voice.
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 5:47 pm
Elka 5 Whatever reaction Elka got from her question and display, it wasn't that. The tint of laughter in his voice made her raise one eyebrow and look at him quizzingly. What did he mean? The windows had looked fine when she was here last, what could possibly be wro---
Than she turned around and saw it. Though whatever it was, she couldn't quite be sure.
"Bergchi save me, what is that?!" Starting up the stairs as fast as her heeled sandals would allow her, Elka stared at the....Thing in the window above her. It was clear it was some sort of animal, though what kind was beyond her. She couldn't even tell what kind of animal it might be. It seemed to be some mix of a few she knew. Did it have the face of a big predator from Tale? But the tail looked too birdlike. As did the feet. Nor did it seem to be covered in fur or feathers. Or was it and the light was confusing her eyes? The artist clearly took a lot of liberty with this design. Or maybe a few worked on this together, each one taking up a certain spot on the glass.
"This is unacceptable."
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Posted: Mon Jul 29, 2024 6:39 pm
Kayde 6 The urge to laugh only got harder to fight when Elka reacted to the window, yelling out against it. The smile playing across Kayde's lips grew in size until it took up half his entire face. Not a religious man at all, it always amused him when his wife used her Goddess' name like that, something that she herself tried to avoid. It was disrespectful, she said.
Following behind her, the Leaf man got a good look at the offending design. He chuckled, which earned him a glare, only making him laugh more. "I like it. It gives the room character." Made the place feel less stuffy. This was something he didn't like about the families higher in status than everyone else. Everything always had to be perfect and expensive. They always had to show off. He didn't want to be like that. If he could be a more humble person going forward, despite his rich environment, that would suit him just fine.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 2:41 pm
Elka 6 "Character?!" Elka hadn't meant to get that loud. Her voice bounced off the walls of the large, empty room, filling it up easily with its noise. She couldn't help it. How could anyone think this window had character? It was ugly, is what it was. It made no sense. It should have been thrown out into the trash as soon as it was finished. Before it was finished, even. No self-respecting house would have a window like that. She would never be able to invite anyone over with this thing hanging over everyone's heads.
"It might have something, but character is does not." She emphasized her words, giving an angry swipe at her skirt with both hands. How could Deric have let this abomination into the house? Did he even notice? Did he even check the artist's work when he commissioned them? It was seeming more and more likely he had not.
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:32 pm
Kayde 7 Kayde gave another laugh, biting down on his tongue when it earned him another offended glare. He always forgot Elka was apart, or used to be, of that social group. It was nothing but amusing when she showed it in her behavior. Almost endearing, in a way. He might have had a lapse in judgement not too long ago when he misunderstood her intentions, but he now more than ever knew she didn't look down on him for being "lower" then her.
Putting a hand on her shoulder, he bent down long enough to kiss her cheek. "It can be changed if it bothers you so much," he reassured her. Wasn't like he cared all that much anyway. Let her have her fun with her interior decorating. As much as he'll be sad to leave their current home behind, it pleased him far more to see her happy. "There's more to the house than this one window."
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Posted: Tue Jul 30, 2024 6:06 pm
Elka 7 Against her wishes, Elka could feel herself deflating under the kiss, the window suddenly not seeming as important as it had seemed just a few seconds ago. Sometimes she disliked this effect Kayde had on her. She wanted to be upset by this window. It's design was ridiculous! This didn't deserve to be in the future home of her family. She'd have smashed it now had that not left a giant hole in the side of the house for the rain and insects to easily climb through and that would be worse than an ugly window.
She gave a little stomp of her foot, turning her back on the offensive creature. "Yes, there is." Looking at the stairs to the west wing, she waved her hand in that direction, but didn't go up the stairs. "That is our side of the manor. Deric will have the other. Downstairs is where we will entertain our quests."
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Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 4:46 pm
Kayde 8 So easily influenced. It made Kayde wonder if she truly had been all that upset over the painting if she forgot about it so easily. He wouldn't put it past her to make up things to be dramatic over. Though she had mostly stopped behaving like that since leaving Jauhar, Elka still had a bit of a dramatic streak in her. It was always short of amazing to him how well they got along despite it. He never seemed to mind her attitude and could usually defuse it fairly quickly on his own. But he should give some of that credit to her. She was pretty easy-going for someone also quite selfish.
"Guests?" he asked, catching into her words slowly. "What guests would we be entertaining?" Was this the start of him becoming a noble? The thought was enough to melt the smile off his face and fill his stomach with dread. That was not the life he wanted for himself. He was far too honest to be that deceitful. Not all of them would be as cordial as the ones he had personally met so far, a credit to the family they all belonged to. "I think you are getting ahead of yourself, now."
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