Chills [Rina]

[Tally]

"Sound idea!"  The belt one, he meant.  Love was so practical.  It meant they'd have to spend more money, but it was her money and this was her excursion and if she was dragging him along she could very well see to his comfort and convenience.  It was only fair.

The gloves he found weren't in any better condition than his rather unfortunate coat, but it was all they had.  He tried on all three styles, then held them before Love.

"I can't decide.  These ones here are softer...but then these feel like they would be warmer to me.  But these other ones have such personality!  Which ones should I get?"

[Anonymous]

Love wanted to scream. Nell was driving her nuts. Maybe she had been a little hasty in taking him with her. But...she needed someone that could read the dead language and there weren't many options. This one had a pretty face at least.

Forcing down her irritation, Love smiled at Nell, "Go with the softer ones. I'm sure I can come up with ways to keep you warm. Now pick out the damned boots and let's pay and get out of here."

[Tally]

"Curse at me more, that is so very helpful.  You know, if we are going to be traveling companions, you will have to learn to be more civil. "

The boots in this place looked worse than the coats, all cracked leather and fraying laces.

"I suppose these aren't bad."  The pair he picked up had some fur lining about the tops.  Not in bad shape, save for some specks of dirt in the fur.  Little black specks of dirt.  That...were...moving.

"Ah!"  He threw the flea-ridden thing across the store and jumped back, shuddering and brushing himself all over.  "Are they on me?  Are they on me, can you see??"

[Anonymous]

"And you'll have to get used to my language. Gods but you are prissy. Loosen up-!" Love startled when he suddenly hurled the boots, shocked. She had not been expecting that. No one liked fleas, but when one was poor, they sometimes happened. Nothing to freak out over.

"Calm down! You're fine! Kia's tits! Just pick a different pair!" What was wrong with this kid?

[Tally]

"No no, that will do."  He flinched and jerked at every itch, touch, and twinge on his skin.  Great gods.  The whole place could be filled with them!  "I will make it with what I have!"

He gave the coat and gloves an intensive scouring, examining every bit of fluff and speck he saw on them.  He tried not to stand too close to any of the other clothing.

[Anonymous]

"Relax. They aren't on you. Promise. Now go give the nice man your stuff so he can tell us how much I owe him." Love nudged Nell back to the counter where the leering man gave her a toothless grin, licking his lips.

With a shudder, Love did her best to smile, "Well, what do we owe you?"

A bit of haggling and Love got the stuff down to a price she was willing to pay and all but hauled Nell out of the place by the back of his neck. Taking a deep breath of the somewhat fresher air, Love rubbed her arms, "Ugh. Glad to be out of there. Now suit up and lets go."

[Tally]

"Would you tell me if they were?"  He wasn't entirely sure he would want her to.  He held the clothes at arm's length and tossed them onto the plant of wood that served as a counter top in this place.

Settled up, he was fairly rushed outside by Love.  She was always in such a hurry!  Nell gave the clothes another brushing off.  "Very well, then.  Let us be off."

[Anonymous]

It still amazed her that Nell...didn't quite seem to get that he was kidnapped. It was cute really, and she still couldn't tell wither she wanted to fuck him more, or strangle him. Both appealed to her, but she wasn't really kinky enough for both.

Slinging her arm around his shoulder, she gave him a huge smile, "Well, off we go then."

It wasn't a long trip to the gates and the guards waved them on, giving them a few odd looks for leaving so late. Out of the city, Love gave a revealed sigh. She liked cities better, but she could feel him getting closer and it was good to move again.

"I hope you are ready for a hike Nell my love."

[Tally]

The closer to the gate, the more ambivalent Nell became.  On the one hand, he would see new sights!  Possibly they would pass through another city or town on their trip and he could perhaps find a library there to visit.  Those little libraries in older towns occasionally hid away very rare, antique books.

On the other hand, he had work to be done at the library here.  It was also far too cold out to be truly comfortable, even with a coat.

He said all of this to Love as they strode through the city.

"...and furthermore I don't believe this coat is entirely sufficient.  Maybe if it were of better quality.  We should patronize a more...uh...a cleaner establishment the next time we see one.  Oh look, there's the gate!  As I was saying, at first chance I would like to visit a tailor and see about changing the lining in this.  The boots aren't so bad. I do hope they stay comfortable.  Do you know how shoes can feel all right at the start but then after you've walked in them awhile they start to hurt?  We may have to visit a cobbler if that happens."

He waved at the guards on their way through.

[Anonymous]

Love was starting to develop the trick of just zoning out and not listening to Nell as he prattled on. He just never seemed to shut up! If she didn't need him and his ability to translate that book for her, she would have taken off running. He wasn't cute enough to put up with the chatting.

But hopefully she could at least get her bed warmed tonight if things went well. Not even Nell could talk through sex, right? Right?

The wave caught her eye and she almost laughed. Did he not get he was kidnapped? Apparently not. She wouldn't complain.

"Sure sure. Tailor and cobbler. Right."

[Tally]

"Very good.  We shall get ourselves properly outfitted.  Love, are we going north or south?"  He glanced back at the walls of Arca getting smaller and smaller behind them.  "How long until the next city?"

[Anonymous]

"Oh, I donno. Doesn't matter to me. The important part is moving. Always, always moving." She looked up at the dark sky, scanning it absently. Not that she expected to see the dragon there, he didn't feel that close, but it made her feel better.

"Do you have a preference?"

[Tally]

Nell ruminated on the many many worthy places they might venture to.  He ruminated on them out lout and at length.  Somewhere in the midst of enlightening Love on the beauty of the Ravensway forests he stopped.

"What was your goal again?"  She'd told him in the library, something about dragons or some such, but he'd clean forgotten.

[Anonymous]

Love's eyes had glazed over, really not wanting to hear. Mental note, never ask Nell his opinion ever again. When the talking finally broke, it took her a moment to process what he had asked, "Oh, what? Ah, see, well, I have a teeny, tiny problem of a dragon stalking me. So I'm hoping to use your brain and that book to break the curse. If you know anywhere that might be better for that, say so. Otherwise, I think we should take a trip to Northwatch."

No real reason other than she had never been. She might even venture up into Connlaoth soon. They had some stashes of books she wanted to get at.

[Tally]

"Oh yes!  Indeed!  It was a mage you needed."  One good with enchantments.  Nell could read the book but he could do little else for her affliction.

He hugged himself against the chill and huddled close to her.  "I don't recommend Northwatch.  You might try one of the colleges, but that will be expensive if they agree to help you and they will demand to keep the book leastways.  Oh.  Oh, I shouldn't have told you that, should I?  I could have gotten the book back to the library that way.  Your best option—and I do hesitate to suggest it—may be La'maari.  You will find mages there less...restricted in their activities than you would at the colleges.  They have more freedom to take on projects like this."

[Anonymous]

"Oh Nell. Don't you worry a thing about what you should have said." Love wrapped her arm around Nell's shoulders and leaned close, planting a kiss on his cheek, "We've moved beyond simple thief and...sort of hostage. We're friends now! I really feel like we've bonded in the time we've spent together."

[Tally]

He looked over at Love, smiled.  He ought to have been indignant she was kissing him after the attack in the library, but it was quite a bit warmer with her so close so he deemed her forgiven for that.  She probably hadn't even meant to hit him that hard and would feel utmost remorse if she realized it.

"Does that mean we can go back?"  Hope welled up, and he even pulled to a stop and glanced back at the tiny lights of the city wall so far behind them.  If they were friends, she might see reason now and let him take that book back.

[Anonymous]

"Oh no!" Love beamed again, shaking her bright hair, "We're friends, remember? And friends help each other out! You wouldn't want me eaten by a nasty old dragon, would you? That's what would happen if I don't get this curse taken care of."

[Tally]

"Oh, well...hm."  He nodded.  She made a good point.

"That's true," he said.  It didn't sound quite right, but he could scarcely argue with her logic.  "But then when we're done with that, we bring the book back, right?"

[Anonymous]

"Nell, baby, if this book breaks my curse, I'll bring you back ten books along with it!" Love laughed and kissed Nell's cheek again, heading deeper into the dark woods. It wasn't very easy to travel at night, with so little light out, but Love needed to put distance between her and Arca. She was too jumpy to sleep.