Naveen

"I wouldn't want that to happen...I care about you too much. Eventually time will take you but I am hoping I can spend a long time with you before that ever comes to pass." I said the words softly, while staring down at the earth much like she was.

Rina:

My breathing slowed as I processed what he was saying. "What do you mean?" I asked stealing a look at him then looking back to the ground. When we last parted it seemed like we might never see each other again. Now he was saying he wanted to spend time with me for my whole life. It was confusing.

"I..." I swallowed and took a deep breath. "At some point down the line of being with you...I fell in love." Rubbing my face I groaned inwardly. I didn't know how else to phrase it beyond just throwing it out there like that.

Rina:

I was frozen by his words. I didn’t know what to say or do or even how to feel. I had told him that I loved home when I thought I was dying. That was to only time I could admit it. I knew it was still there but I didn’t know what to do now.

I was never the kind of person to settle down with another. I didn’t know if I could stay with someone for a lifetime.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” I said finally. It was the wrong thing to say in the situation. I knew that, but I could think of nothing else.

I smiled weakly at her response and bowed my head briefly. "I want many things, but I don't need you to make a choice. To start with I am hoping that we are still friends and will continue to be friends."

Rina:

“Can you get past what I’ve done?” I asked. It was hard to believe he could have moved on from what I had done. That I had kept him in the castle, sent him away, and lied about Vera. Furthermore, he never seemed to let go of the fact that I was human.

I raised my eyes up and cocked my head. "I can." Time had given me what I needed to consider what had happened and Rina's part in the whole mix. It wasn't easy, and there was much I still didn't understand. But I accepted it.

Rina:

“There’s a reason why we parted ways, you know…  We have different goals.  Your place is with your people.  And I- I can’t give up on this country.  I can’t abandon these people to Alia.  I don’t see us walking on the same path.”  I took a big breath.  “Certainly not long term…”

I nodded. "I know." Standing I offered a hand out to her for a handshake. "I have spent these past months working to build relations with the various groups to make things better for my people. As one of the leaders of the groups that includes you too."

Rina:

I looked him in the eyes then down at his hand and away. “I’m not a leader of anything. I barely lead my group of men. You know I support what you’re doing, but I can’t speak for anyone but myself.” I kept my arms around myself, holding the cloak closed.

Talon:

I sighed softly and used my offered hand to turn into a bow. "I'm sorry, this has all been much to drop on you at one time. I'll take my leave for now, I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening Rina." Straightening I turned and moved off into the woods.

I stayed away from the camp that night, finding a clearing where I sat under the moonlight. I took what enjoyment I could out of the time even though my mind and heart were preoccupied. When morning came I returned to the camp and did what I could to ignore the stares and sneers directed my way. I was able to handle it right up until I started hearing dark whispering among them. Rina hadn't been seen for several hours and several had observed me coming back early in the morning. They blamed me, and it wasn't until Dorian and Maleen caught wind that I finally let my guard slip and concern to show. Dorian confirmed that she'd been gone far longer than normal, and I tried to suggest to him to send people out looking. Maleen however had other ideas and pleaded with me to go out myself.

Reluctantly relenting I agreed and set out, following the direction the soldiers had last seen her go. Tracking wasn't my forte, but I made due as I could, finding little signs here and there but when it came down to it, it was the signs of something agressively trying to kill something that lead me to the top of a steep incline. Looking down I frowned at the sight of a dead creature, and off a bit away from it, was Rina leaning against a tree. Carefully I made my way down until I found my footing at the bottom.

Rina:

I looked up when I heard him coming and sighed deeply. I hand one knee bent and the other one straight out. I didn’t bother to stand up as he approached. I was rather muddy. Hand my face was smeared with it and my clothes were filthy.

The creature had been dead for over an hour. I hadn’t moved in all that time. The dagger he had given me was sticking out of the creature’s side. In the end I had killed it with Aero. My bow had snapped on my tumble down the hillside.

“Did someone send you?” I asked. I would have thought Dorian or Liam would have come. They usually were the ones to fetch me when I was gone for too long. After our talk last night, I didn’t think Talon would be too eager to come after me.

"Maleen begged me to come find you." I gave her a once over to make sure she wasn't seriously injured before going over to the creature I could now tell was a bugbear. Kneeling beside it I yanked out my blade and frowned at how little energy remained within. Just as quickly as I felt the energy within, I felt it snuff out. I'd poured the absolutely limit of my energy after several days under a full moon into the weapon and it was empty.

Rina:

I watched him for a minute before I stood up and walked over to him with a slight limp on my right leg. I tried to conceal it, but it was still visible. “Do you want it back?” I asked nodding to the dagger. I watched his face carefully. I could never tell what he was thinking.

"You've had a rough time..." I murmured softly. As I heard her get up I turned my head and watched her walk, standing after she reached me I held out the dagger. "It is still my gift to you, though I would like to replenish the energy within at some point." I searched her face a moment then asked softly, "Are you alright?"

Rina:

“Thank you,” I murmured as I took the dagger back. “I’m alright. I’m used to this sort of thing. It’s why I stay away from the camp. I don’t want the others to suffer because of me.” I swallowed and looked at the ground. Even after thinking about it all day I didn’t know what to say to him. I didn’t want him to leave. I wanted to be with him. But I couldn’t say that I would always be with him.

Pity crossed my expression for a moment before I bowed my head, "I see." The treck down the steep embankment had given me a light splattering of mud on my legs and as I took it in, than her muddy form I gestured off towards our right. "I hear a river over there if you wanted to clean up before going back."

Rina:

“I might as well, yeah.” I didn’t hear the river but I knew where it was so I started in that direction. “I thought about what you said last night,” I said quietly. I didn’t look at his face as I spoke.

I followed along, a bit uncertain if I should or even if she would want me too. But soon enough her comment had me glancing at her from the corner of my eyes. "Oh?" I couldn't tell by her body language or her tone just how she'd felt about it.

Rina:

I was quiet for a moment before I spoke. “When we first started our… arrangement you said that you were looking for someone. Not at the time but you said eventually you would have to look after your people’s future.” I didn’t look at him. “If what you said was true last night. If you want to be with me for a long time as you said… Well, I just wonder if that means you’ll be waiting for me to die before you find the one you’re supposed to be with…”

Things had seemed distant between us already, but things seemed absolutely bleak after all of that. I looked away and struggled with knowing how to respond. "I'm going to out live you...I can't avoid that..."

Rina:

“You’re not just going to outlive me. You’re going to age differently than me. I’m going to grow old and you are barely going to change. You would be everything to me and I would… I would only be a phase in your life…” My throat tightened as I spoke.

I sighed softly. I was being proven more and more right. Me coming was a mistake. Maleen would have been better off just showing up alone. "What do you want from me Rina?" Pain laced my voice. "Do you think I don't know all this? Did you think I didn't know all this when I realized I was getting feelings for you?" I stopped and faced her. "I knew all of this when I realized you had feelings for me!" I grit my teeth and turned my face away. "I don't have an answer to this. I don't know how to fix it. I'm sorry. This was a mistake. I should have brought Maleen and then left immediately."

Rina:

“But you didn’t. You came here and you told me you fell in love with me. You can’t undo that.” My face burned. My fists clinched. “I don’t know what to do any more than you do. I’ve never had to deal with this. I’m trying to figure it out just like you.” My eyes started burning but I fluttered my lashes to keep them from watering. “I want to me with you Savien. I do. More than anything. But I can’t say than I’m going to be with you always.”

I sighed and rubbed my face. Why did we always become like this? Why did we always delve into misery and struggled to find our own happiness either together or apart? She was right though, I had shown up. And I had admitted my feelings. It was too late to hide that and too late to try and do something different. And then she laid out that she did want to be with me. I felt a mixture of warmth and cold at it and what followed after. And ultimately I was left speechless as I searched her face.