aftermath ║ one on one w/ avior.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

Her mouth turned downwards in a frown as she looked up at him. She couldn't help but feel the corners turning upwards as she broke into a soft laughter. Arrana waited for him to sit down before leaning against him and taking the tea, sipping it before closing her eyes to try and ignore the bitterness. With a bit of hesitation she downed the medicine, immediately reaching for a glass of water as the bitterness set in once again. Her head turned to face Arlen as he began talking about how they were safe. She gave him a reassuring smile and said, "well, I'd rather be here than in some tree stump..." Her smile faded as he claimed that it was simply his exhaustion that was making him act like this. Gently she elbowed his side and muttered, "were asleep when I was taken in here..." Her tongue caught for a bit as she tried to find a series of words that would complete the thought without tainting it with something she didn't want in it. "...ah- you're probably right about being tired..." She could hear the thoughts running around her head, thoughts about the stupidity of her statement, how it was unfinished and simply restated what Arlen had said, and most of all how the sense of safety was likely nothing more than temporary. Arrana found herself holding his hand again, the fear of being left alone sinking in again. If something did happen she could return home, but as a coward and a traitor. Any other option would result in becoming a traveler, or simply a outlander without a purpose. Her head hung low for a bit before she finally let a thought loose, allowing the words, "please don't leave... promise..." to slip out of her mouth.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen couldn't help a faint shiver at her request, feeling his eyes widen. He hadn't really thought about what would happen once they reached the city, but there had always been an underlying expectation that she would want to split off and they would go their separate ways. She was a high elf and he was a wood elf, after all. He would've accepted it, too, though with some reluctance. But he hadn't expected this. Then again, he didn't want to leave- or be left- ever again. He adjusted his grip so it was tighter around her hand and then tilted his head, gently resting his cheek against the top of her head. "If you won't leave me," he replied at last, "I'll never leave you. Ever." It was a strange thing to say, and he wasn't exactly accustomed to expressing himself like this. Still, it didn't feel awkward. It felt nice. Maybe he'd actually made a friend- was that what they were considered? He didn't know where they would end up, either, but they could deal with that later. Staying in the city, so close to their home kingdoms, probably wasn't a smart idea, so they'd have to move on eventually. He didn't voice that thought, though, wanting to revel in her closeness for a bit longer.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

A sense of comfort settled over Arrana as she tightened her grasp on his hand. She could feel herself leaning into his warmth, embracing it as if it was the last time she'd been there. After a moment she lifted her free hand to rustle within the tangles in his hair. She felt a broad smile breaking through the walls she'd put up before and during the war. No, they were still in the war and yet he'd given her the strength to smile. Her hand stopped moving for a bit, then drifted down to the nape of his neck as she leaned in, hugging him and mumbling "I promise I won't leave."

(sorry for the sort post, I have a thing I need to go to)

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen felt a shiver run down his spine as she touched his hair, instinctively tilting his head into her touch. His heart thumped unnaturally and he felt his breath catch for a moment, almost phsysicallt melting when she embraced him. It was unexpected, and he really didn’t know what to do- he’d never been a good hugger, probably because he didn’t have much practice. After a moment of hesitation, however, he brought up his free arm and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Feeling a strange prickling in his eyes, he let himself relax slightly. ”Thank you,” he finally replied, a strange relief settling over him. A small part of him wanted to pull away, unaccustomed to long periods of contact, but he also knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he wouldn’t be able to even if he actually wanted to.

[that’s fine!]

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

Arrana sighed softly as she reluctantly released him, a similar shine in her eyes as a her gaze meet Arlen's for a brief moment. Shyly she looked away, part of her brain scolding her for simply remaining someone who was once the enemy. However, there was the ever growing part that viewed Arlen as anything but an enemy protesting it's claim. After a moment she cautiously lifted her hand to grab a roll, the lone hand clumsily smearing some buttery substance, and handing it to Arlen. She waited for him to take it before making on for herself. Without hesitation she bit into it, the warmth of the food causing the butter to melt just enough to become gel-like. It was sweet, in the sense that the butter was sweet and the roll was simply the means of transferring the butter, but it was better than most the food she'd had since the war started.

Arrana finished the bread quickly, hunger forcing her to reach for one of the hunks of cheese, taking a bit then frowning at the potency. She finished it quickly, glad that it was some form of food even if it hadn't been as good as the roll. The tea was working now,
her headache subsiding for the moment. Arrana leaned back onto Arlen's side with a tired thud once she'd finished what she could eat.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen smiled somewhat shakily and took the roll, dipping his head in thanks. He was quick to eat it, enjoying the warmth and feeling of solid food in his stomach again. He hadn’t realized how hungry he had been. He let out a content sigh when he finished, feeling Arrana’s head on his shoulder once more. She was probably exhausted, but he felt okay for now. He’d rested enough. He carefully shifted the arm she was leaning on and moved it up around her shoulders, then tried to find a way to word his thoughts.

”So... we should probably decide what we want to do from here.” In all honesty, he was reluctant to go straight to figuring out their futures, but it was better to do it now. They had enough money to pay for the time they’d spent at the inn, but they would probably need to find somewhere else tomorrow. Where, though, he had no idea.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

Their futures... something that was so far away and yet relevant none the less. She hesitated before lifting her hand to grab his, her thumb gently rubbing the back of his hand as she lifted her head to look at him. His question troubled her a bit as she opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She had wanted to claim that they could simply go back to one of the kingdoms,
but there was still the war. It was foolish to forget something so important.

Arrana's head leaned back, resting on her companion's arm before she spoke. "I think there's a kingdom a week or so away... and there might be jobs or something like them there so that's a possibility..." Her face brightened a bit before she added, "or we could start raiding people and become rouges of some sort" The later was spoken with a rather lighthearted and joking tone as she gave him a broad smile. Her eyes shined as she leaned towards Arlen and excitedly said, "but if we actually make it to the kingdom then we could work for the royal family! Well... that might be stretching it but you could open some sort of training workshop or take on an apprentice... but you don't have to if you don't want to... it's just an idea... " Her headache was all but gone by this point, so moving her head didn't cause any real discomfort.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen couldn’t help cracking a smile at her joke, then broke out into a laugh. ”Good idea. By this point, we would make great rogues.” He sobered as she took the question seriously again, expression falling into contentment. ”Going to the kingdom is a good idea, actually. I’m sure there would be work for you somewhere. I-“ he cut himself off, then decided Arrana wouldn’t judge what he had to say. He flushed slightly. ”I wanted to be a tailor when I was young. Maybe... maybe I can find someone that will teach me as well.” Ever since he was a child, his future in the army had been laid out in stone. But maybe this could be a fresh start for him. Obviously, Arrana’s suggestion on starting a training workshop or taking on an apprentice was a good one, since that was where his skills were, but maybe he’d have the time to try something else as well. He moved back on the bed so he could lean against the wall, shifting his position slightly.

[parker;]

➸ ( arrana )

She paused for a moment, watching him move to the back of the bed. A tailor? Arrana smiled, moved so she was sitting across from him in a cross-legged position. She paused again, awkwardly looking down at the wrinkled sheets. Her mind told her to speak, and after yet another moment she did. "I... I guess I did't really see you as the tailor type..." She moved herself closer, gently reaching out her unwrapped arm to touch a scar on his neck. It made sense, the scars, the hatred for the war, everything made sense. She moved once again, sitting upright next to Arlen as she said, "you can use me as a test subject of sorts... I mean I don't look that great but it's better than nothing, and you'll end up becoming successful and then you won't need me..." Her arms moved to bring her left knee close to her face, allowing her chin to rest on it. She didn't want to be alone again, although she knew that there was something working in the back of her mind to plan for what would happen should she end up alone.

[avior.]

━━━( A R L E N !! )

Arlen shrugged halfheartedly, not really blaming her. By this point, it would be next to impossible to see him as anything but a soldier. It had been ingrained in him since he was young- in the way he thought, spoke, and even walked. He tilted his head slightly, giving her better access to the scar and feeling a shiver run up his spine. He smiled. "I don't know. I think you would look good in almost anything." He hadn't planned to say that, but that was mostly because he'd never thought about it before. Still, it would be hard to deny that she was very pretty. He shifted his position slightly, sighing. "But I will definitely use you as my test subject, then." He turned his head, frowning slightly. He knew how he wanted to answer- he knew what his answer was. But he wasn;t sure if he had the bravery to say it. It was kind of ironic; he could fight battles and spar enemies without batting an eye but a few words made him suddenly nervous. "Arrana?" He asked at last, leaning a little closer. He took a breath and flushed, suddenly shy. "I'll always need you."