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Goin' Back Home [P, Blink!] [M]

Started by Marakai Trin, July 04, 2017, 02:39:51 PM

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Marakai Trin

It'd been a little after a month since Itachi had left the Citadel, alone, to head for Pickham. He'd crossed Serendipity and Adela in a little over two weeks, carrying nothing but his weapons and a bedroll, sleeping when and where he could.

He'd avoided Ketra like the plague, naturally. He'd purchased enough supplies in Arca to last him for the trip, with a few of the jewels he and Jaela had liberated from the Adelan treasury, and had carried the rest of his share - including a gilded, jewel encrusted broadsword - in a smallish sack tied behind his shoulders.

But a month, since Jaela had departed the Citadel for business somewhere in Serendipity. He hadn't seen her during his trek, and failed to make assumptions as to her location. Kaida had ordered her off as soon as she was healed enough to leave - much to Itachi's professed irritation - and they had made an agreement to meet in Pickham after her business was concluded.

A month. He missed her, terribly. He'd have remained in the Citadel, but the town needed checked up on. A small village in a plain full of bandits and brigands typically wasn't the safest place, so he needed to assure himself that the place hadn't burned to the ground since he'd left almost three months ago.

Luckily, it hadn't. He'd finally arrived the night before, and had slept in his own bed for the first time in forever, in his own house. Just like his tent, it was full to the brim almost with supplies - dried herbs, lots of water, maps on top of maps on top of maps, food, and local storage for the village.

His house, the largest of the village, also served as a warehouse of sorts, as well as the meeting center for the Craol. He had perhaps three rooms for himself, but he was happy with that. He was barely there, anyway.

He was sitting in his bedroom, looking at his array of weapons sitting on their rack on the wall. Everything was there - knives, stars, hundreds of darts...but one thing was still missing.

His father's knife, the last resort, he'd left in Jaela's care, a symbol to the Craol for when she finally arrived in Pickham. His most precious possession, left in the care of that wonderful, allegedly crazy woman.

Eh. It'd be fine.

Blink

"You've got to be kidding right?" Jaela stood with a hand on each hip and tapping her foot as she faced off with the two bandits standing in her path. "You want how much?" Her question directed to their demand of at least 30 gold to keep walking without interuption.

The two men looked to one another and then back to her as they were in agreement. "That's right lass. Fifty crowns to keep on walking down this ere' road. Else you're gonna need to turn back around." The two idiots were laughing and elbowing each other at the request, as if they could pull one over Jaela's head.

"Ugh... One day of travel without a problem... is that too much to ask? Oh well..."

Still leveling the men with her intense glare Jaela suddenly turned towards her more charasmatic ways. "That's all really?" The serious demeanor all but completely fading away at the bat of an eye as she now stood giggling at the men. "I would have asked for at least 200."

Confused the bandits looked at one another and then narrowed their eyes on the small pink haired woman. "If that's what ya wanna pay then don' let me an' my frien' stand in your way.".

Removing a hand from her hip Jaela wiggled her finger back and forth in front of them, her foot still tapping on the ground. "No no no... You seem to have misunderstood. I said that I would ask for 200." Her dissaproving finger then flattened with her hand as she held it out to the men. "C'mon then... pay it."

Clearly Jaela was irritating them. It was evident from the moment they stopped acting like a bunch of gawking fools. "Listen ere' miss..." The other man then picked up where the other left off. Stepping forwards he placed a hand on his side as he reached for his sword. "I think yer confused. This is our road... not yers."

Sighing Jaela crossed her arms. "Before I continue I suppose I should ask... Either of you happen to be a member of the Craol?" Immediately the two burst out laughing. "I'm gonna take that as a no then. Shame really... I feel like we could have been such great friends." Her demeanor showed that she was anything but afraid of them. If anything, she was portraying someone who was completely amused by their disturbance.

"Bye bye" Jaela waved at them as she tilted her head, still smiling like an idiot while she drug her tapping foot backwards, creating a line in the dirt.

Suddenly the earth opened up beneath them, swallowing them whole before slamming shut. The entire time Jaela had been tapping the ground, she had actually been breaking it up from beneath as she channeled her magic through her boot. Then, when she drug her foot back, she pulled at all that was left on the surface, creating a cavern of sorts that swallowed the two men whole.

Clapping her hands together Jaela then skipped past, stopping just where the ground had swallowed the men and stomping. "Psh... Fifty crowns."

Another hour or so of walking and Jaela had finally arrived on the outskirts of Pickham. Immediately she was rushed by a handful of people. Without even saying a word Jaela reached behind her back, pulling out Itachi's dagger and then holding it out in front of her.

"Chirp chirp"

Marakai Trin

Itachi tilted his head, having been listening to the sounds of daily life for the longest time while he rearranged his room. He'd been clearing space, anticipating Jaela's eventual arrival - he'd finished with storing his part of the treasure, hanging that gilded sword on the wall just above his bed.

He'd been standing there, looking about the room when he'd noticed that it had suddenly gone silent outside, and instantly narrowed his eyes. Someone was here.

He slid his longcoat on, and grabbed a handful of stars, slipping them into the small hidden pockets sewn on the inside. Then he dashed out.

Against the wooden wall of his house was an outdoor addition, a tower of sorts that soared high above the center of town, atop which was a large warning bell. Itachi climbed about halfway up the ladder, and leapt onto the roof of the house. Atop the top of the houses was a network of plank bridges, connecting all of them together. Itachi followed these bridges toward the front of town, ending on a large house whose roof overlooked the gate of the bandit village.

As he walked, he had felt a familiar tugging in the back of his head, as if a part of him was desperately trying to return, and a smile graced his lips. He was looking down on the group of his kinsmen, and just so happened to spot a shock of purple hair amidst the crowd of bandits.

He grinned, and simply lifted his hand, focused, and pulled. The blade she held in her hand would suddenly jerk forward with an overwhelming force, wrenching out of her fingers, and fly end over end toward Itachi.

The slapping of leather against flesh would signal the return of the blade as Itachi caught it, holding it high above his head.

Jade eyes looked toward the group, burning above a smug smirk as Itachi sought that peridot gaze he'd come to love so much, seeking to lose himself within it again.

Blink

When the dagger began to pull away from her grip Jaela simply smiled, releasing her grasp as she let it fly upwards towards the rooftop where a man stood. The moment her eyes locked on his no one else mattered, only him. "You gonna come down here or you gonna keep standin' there gawking at me!?" She shouted with her hands cupped around her mouth.

From there she waited, deep down anxious for the moment the two would be less than a footstep away from one another. Her entire time away all she could think about was Itachi. Every morning and every night he was the first and last thought to enter her mind.

Never before had she ever wanted to be near someone as much as him and because of that in this moment, she was standing on the tips of her toes waiting for him to come to her.

Marakai Trin

Itachi grinned, bringing a hand up to his temple and closing his eyes for a moment. That's how she wanted to play it, huh? Fine.

He'd oblige.

Itachi took two steps forward, standing there on the end of the roofs peak for a moment, a confident smile plastered on his face.

"Make way, ya damned fools. If'n ya don' get outta me way, yer gettin' stepped on, y'hear?"

And then he jumped, up and out and clearing the wall. At the apex of his jump, he flipped his body forward, his coat fluttering and flaring behind him. As he fell, he threw his arms outward, catching the shoulders of a particularly larger Craol - he remained there like that for a moment, leaning his legs forward so his feet pointed straight up into the sky.

Slowly, he pitched forward, pushing off the shoulders of the rather disgruntled Craol he'd landed on, and landing on his feet before Jaela.

He raised his head, jade eyes rising from her feet to crawl over her body, ending with his face and gazing into her eyes. A rather cocky grin cracked his face, his hair fallen over one eye.

"Didja miss me, pretty bird?"

Blink

With arms crossed Jaela watched as Itachi made his way down in the most dramatic way, which is exactly how she would have done it if she had the chance. Just as his eyes scanned her Jaela did the same, taking in the sight of him finally standing in front of her.

Part of her wanted to lunge forwards right there and wrap her arms around him, but then again that would mean showing all of these lovely people how Jaela truly felt.

"Nope" she laughed as she walked past him, catching his gaze in the corner of her eye hoping he would see the desire really was there.

"So this is Pickham..." Jaela stopped after making her way through the crowd of people and placed a hand on each hip. "Looks safe enough. I'm not picking up any butter witches in the area." Whipping around Jaela then pulled a gray rock from her pocket. "This is my magical new witch detecting rock!" In truth, it was nothing more than a river rock she picked up along the way... but that was need to know information.

"I almost had to trade your lovely little knife for it... but I didn't." Winking Jaela continued, ready to give these people a big enough of a show to never doubt her sanity. "Speaking of which... I don't see any cow legs hanging over ANY doorways. How on earth do you expect to keep your people safe without them!? This will simply not do..."

Turning to the nearest Craol Jaela then began spewing orders. "I'm going to need at least twelve head of cattle..." Jaela paused to count with her fingers while she mumbled out loud. "... four legs... twelve cows... that's....." Running out of fingers she placed her hands back on her hips. "Well, I think it will be plenty. Also, we are going to need horseradish and a really really sharp butcher's knife." Again Jaela paused as she pretended to be running through some list in her mind. "Oh, and an apron... because I don't want to get all bloody right now."

After finishing with her list Jaela darted her eyes towards Itachi. "While they gather the supplies you should show me your house. We can't have the leader of these lovely people going unprotected either." It was subtle enough she thought but just in case Jaela then winked at Itachi in hopes he would catch on. "This needs to be done immediately of course or else all of our lives could be at risk."

Marakai Trin

"Aye, an' double time, too! Keep th' witches away, an' mebbe th' other bands ou' there'll be plagued wit'em instead, eh?"

He caught Jaela's less-than-subtle hints, and fell straight into following along. Inside, he smiled broadly, looking forward to spending some alone time with her after a month of separation.

"Well be hangin' them over th' gate, too, as a sign ta them! Send a band o' the best ou' and grab wha'ever loose 'eads ya c'n get'cher 'ands on. Go on, now, get ta work!"

With that,  he took Jaela's arm and began steering her toward his home, seemingly intent on witch-proofing the building.

As they walked, he mumbled in her ear. "Luckily, the best are also the smartest. If we're lucky, we won't have clouds of flies swarming the village." He grinned a bit and, when they were out of sight, stepped in front of her.

He placed his hands on her waist, and pressed his forehead against hers, searching her eyes with his own.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I missed you. Whole lot of walking, thinking about you every damn day. I'm just glad I left you my knife...easier to know how far away you were, that way."

Blink

With Itachi's forehead pressed to her own Jaela smiled. He was right, it had been a long and excruciating month of separation and at last, they were together again. "So you were keeping tabs on me then?"

Leaning in just a little closer Jaela whispered again. "And what if I had lost your knife? What then? You would have been feeling someone else the entire time." Her fingers then slid up the front of his jacket. "I'm not sure I like that."

The moment of her being serious then faded away. "What if a golem had captured me and taken the knife as a toll to continue living!? Then you would have fallen right into its trap!" Letting go of his jacket Jaela then dug in her pocket again, pulling out the all too familiar river rock she had just flashed in front of everyone moments before.

"Take this. I feel its magical properties could pick up more than just a butter witch." Her tone was serious again. Reaching down Jaela then grabbed his hand and placed the rock in his palm. "Seriously though, I found this rock and something about it is different... and I know my rocks."


Marakai Trin

Itachi smirked at her, listening to her going on about the knife, a brow raised when she mentioned someone - or something - taking the knife from her.

"You serious? Little miss, "I can stop a sandstorm and fling half an army of Dragon slayers off of a mountain...." can't handle a golem? Please. I left it with you, because I knew you can keep it safe." He shifted his weight to one side, grinning. "I've seen what you can do. I think I can trust you with it."

And then she took his hand, and placed a stone in his palm. Slightly rounded, and made smooth by its time in the water, it held a grayish-blue color. He inspected it for a moment or so, before he quirked a brow at her.

"Magical rock, huh? Well...we'll have to look at it later, hmm?" Itachi gestured toward the eye rune on her shoulder, remembering how he'd shared in her sight long before, when they'd cracked the Adelan treasury. Perhaps together, they could figure out what the deal with this stone was.

In the meantime, though, he had other plans in mind. He grinned, and grabbed at her hand.

"Let's worry about that later, though. We've got a month's worth of time to catch up on." His jade eyes seemed to glimmer as his face took on a rather roguish look.

Blink

Stopping sandstorms and flinging men off of cliffs just barely scratched the surface on Jaela's abilities. Itachi hadn't even seen the one that set her apart from other elementals yet. "If only you knew" she smirked as she let him continue.

A month's worth of catching up on though was something Jaela was all too happy to take care of first. "Yes, clearly you must describe every single detail of every single thing that happened for each day while I was away."

Of course, she was joking but still... Jaela was all about starting everything with a game.

Jaela would ultimately end up following Itachi to his home and the moment his door was closed.....

"Game on"

Marakai Trin

"Hmph. Every moment of every day, starting with that harrowing descent down that blasted mountain. I really need some way down from there, you know. I really pushed it, getting back on level ground...."

And so, he talked as he took her inside, telling her that he'd left what men they'd taken with them to the Citadel there to guard it in their stead, and his travels across the countryside.

"Really, just a whole lot of walking and staring at the scenery. Not to mention spending far too much money in Arca....you wouldn't believe the prices they charge for basic supplies. Like survival is a damned hobby."

Itachi cast his gaze around the house as they walked through, noting the similarities between his old tent and his home, sighing a bit. Some things never changed. But the bedroom....

He opened the door and led her inside, gazing around at his ironically lavish room. A massive four-poster bed, hand carved and elaborately designed, served as the centerpiece - truly a bed fit for a king. A large overstuffed couch lined the wall opposite the beds foot, with a short but long table before it. On the tables surface was his work - hand drawn maps of the major cities of each province, some based on his own sights and others copied from other maps. Each had their own little notes, scribbled along the margins with arrows pointing at random entrances to random buildings. Each and every piece of parchment was a plan, detailing which buildings served as what and what could possibly be found there.

Naturally, over the years, he'd been working. Alot.

"Well....here's home. Not too shabby for a bandit, eh?"

Blink

Once inside Jaela couldn't help but let her eyes take in the place Itachi like to call home. Just like his tent, there were supplies literally everywhere and it left her thinking if he even really lived here. Her question though was quickly answered when Itachi led her into another room that adorned a large four poster bed, couch, and tables covered with maps and other pieces of parchment.

"No kidding," Jaela muttered as she walked over to tables, picking up one of his hand-drawn maps and studying it. "How did you even get your hands on some of these prints? I mean I know you drew them but still... the detail is impeccable!"

Setting the map down Jaela then picked up another one. "Do you have Craol scout the buildings first to find all the doors?"

She truly was fascinated with this kind of stuff and it was evident by the bewildered expression in her eyes. Jaela quickly skimmed through some of the maps on the table, picking them up one at a time and gazing before setting it down and moving onto another one. When she had gotten her fill Jaela then looked at the large bed in the center of the room. "Trying to compensate?" A playful grin then emerged at the edges of her lips.

Already she was imagining the fun they could have right there, not having shared a moment with him like that but once. After that, she got hurt and then had to leave... no time for anything else.

Marakai Trin

While she looked around, Itachi again emptied his coats hidden pockets. With meticulous care, he placed the few throwing stars he'd grabbed before leaving the house back onto their rack, carefully placing them where he could without bringing the rest down on his head.

When she'd mentioned his maps, Itachi had just finished hanging his coat on its book by the door. A moment later, he found himself beside her.

"Doors, windows, balconies...Reijh has an interconnecting sewer system that has access into most of their larger buildings for maintenance, as well, though it's not detailed here." Itachi sat on the couch, and leaned forward on his knees to look at the maps.

"Between me and my boys, yeah, we figured all of them out. And the originals were all either bought or stolen. You'd be surprised how much detail was missing, as well. Some of them, like...."

He reached a hand down, and tapped the map of Ketra, along with a detailed floor plan of the castle.

"This one, here, I drew myself. It's really more of....a hobby than anything, though...rarely do we take anything from honest folk, unless they've got far more than they need, or they're less honest than they'd appear."

That said, he pulled away from the maps to lean back into the couch, his arms folded behind his head as he watched her, smiling. She'd turned her attention to his bed, and he couldn't help but grin when she'd asked if he was trying to compensate.

"And just what do you think I've got to compensate for, hmm?" He chuckled a bit. "No...this was a gift from the village. For the longest time, when I stayed here, I'd just sleep on a bedroll on the floor. Never needed anything else, and a bed seemed impractical at the time...needless to say, they weren't having it, said I'd 'done too much' for them, and they had it made for me."

Itachi winked at her with a grin. "Can't say I can complain, though. After weeks of sleeping on the ground, it's a welcome change. Though, all that empty space can make it feel....lonely sometimes." That wink came again, a throaty chuckle accompanying it.

Blink

"Clearly the only solution to that is to get a smaller bed..." Jaela smiled as she made her way around the table towards the couch.

Taking a seat next to him Jaela leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling. "I mean it's only logical." With a deep breath, Jeala then rolled her head to face Itachi, resting her hands in her lap as she took in the sight of him.

It was time to drop the act. "I missed you so much Itachi."

Marakai Trin

Itachi smiled warmly at her as she sat down. "Yes, clearly. Certainly, I wouldn't need so much space, sleeping all on my lonesome. Not like I've got anyone to share my bed with." He smirked as he slid an arm over her shoulders, and drew her close to him.

He caught her lips with a kiss, realizing just how much it had been killing him this past month when he was unable to. His hand found its way to the back of her neck as he gently pulled her into him.

After several seconds, he backed away with a smile. "And I, you, Jaela. The time apart seems to have opened a hole in my heart. And yet, here you are, filling it."

He was content just to hold her for a moment, pressing his cheek into her hair. His hand slid down from her neck to wrap around her, palm finding a grip at her waist.

"I love you, Jaela."

Blink

His embrace was something she had missed dearly. His lips... something she missed even more.

She was all too happy to lean into him as his arms pulled her closer and even her own wrapped around him as well. Closing her eyes she leaned against him for a moment, up until he called her by her name.

Pulling her head back she looked into his beautiful jade eyes and smiled. "That's Bird to you, mister." Something about the nickname always resonating deep within her. "Or was it Princess Bird? I forget..." Taking one of her hands she rested a finger on her lips as she thought for a moment.

"Ah yes... Princess Bird."

Wrinkling her nose turned her head back and leaned against him once more. "By the way... you are going to freak out when you see my scars. They have turned into something interesting." Her words leaving it open as to them being horrifically infected and she didn't have a care. However, that was not the case at all.

Itachi had noticed a while ago that Jaela healed rather efficiently and this was no different with scars. In fact, nothing remained on her skin that showed she was once stabbed or stung.

Marakai Trin

Her declaration of her preferring her nickname over her actual name brought a chuckle out of him. "Okay, Princess Bird it is, then. An' while I'm at it, should I go back ta usin' the accent, too? No' too much, is it?"

His lips spread into a grin while he held her gaze, marveling at how the light from the high window caught her eyes just so, giving them an almost otherworldly illumination. For a moment, he trouble deciding whether he was seeing things or not, as if his idea of her painted her in a different light.

After the moment passed, he decided he was not being fooled by a trick of the light. She was truly just that beautiful.

After a moment, she mentioned her scars, and he pulled back slightly. "Interesting typically isn't a word I would associate with scars, love. I'm sure the one on your belly isn't the prettiest sight, is it?" Truth be told, she could be as scarred up as he was, and he'd still find her beautiful. Scars were nothing to him. He just hoped he wouldn't resent her own scars.

"Well...let's see them, then, and I'll see what I can do."

Blink

"But it really is interesting..." Jaela then unwrapped her arms from around him and reached down to pull up his tunic that she had managed to get away with when she left. Slowly she revealed her entire torso where there was no scar to be seen. The only visible things being her muscles, tattoos, and belly button.

"Told you it was interesting."

Jaela moved a hand to trace over where the scar used to be. "The one on my leg is gone too..." Her eyes then moved to meet his again as she bit her lip. "You can look all over and I promise you won't find a single scar."

Marakai Trin

He was, of course, wrong. The scar where she'd been stabbed was a pretty sight - there was naught to see but smooth, perfect skin atop taut muscle. Almost in disbelief, he put a hand forward, tracing the line where he knew the scar should be, edging around her own finger.

"That's...amazing, Jaela. How did...how...." he sighed, and brought his hand to his face, covering his eyes as he chuckled slightly.

"Truly amazing, but I suppose I should have known. I suppose at least one of us should get to be beautiful." He lowered his hand, and looked up into her eyes yet again.

"Glad it's you, though." He winked at her, then, before placing his hand back on her abdomen. One finger traced a wide circle around her belly button, before that feather-light touch began to trail upward.

Blink

The moment his hand touched her skin Jaela drew in a deep breath. However, when he mentioned at least one of them gets to be beautiful her smile quickly faded. Playfully she slapped his hand trailing up her stomach before narrowing her eyes at him. "You are beautiful too!"

Extending a hand she then jokingly pinched one of his cheeks. "I mean look at that face!" After pinching him her hand then sat on his cheek as she met his gaze again. "You are many things to me Itachi, and devastatingly handsome is one of them."

As his hand moved up her stomach Jaela then removed hers from his face and trailed it down his neck, then his shirt before stopping on his lap.

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