So a heathen, a heretic and a God enter the city... [Shizzy]

[Rhindeer]

...Well, alright, so a God didn't enter the town, but a heathen and a heretic did at least, the heretic being a young woman with messy, chin length blonde hair and the heathen being man much taller than her with strange eyes. But, hey, if Vec had been with them at the time, the joke would have been complete...even if he was only a former God and not an actual God right now or something like that. Ah, it was still so confusing! Even after everything, Niamh was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around that. Kind of. For the most part she'd come to terms with everything that had happened, though.

A few weeks of travel gave you a lot of time to think, after all. And in this case it had been all for the better. What had happened weeks ago in Cerenis, as far as Niamh was concerned, was a thing of the past, a nightmare that she was already doing her best to forget. Man, to think, so much had happened in three little days...and in the course of almost two months she'd been kidnapped three times, tortured, had her faith broken, become a heretic, met a former God, nearly been burned alive at the stake, and developed a very odd friendship with the very person who was responsible for it all. Yeah, it had been pretty eventful and to think that the bulk of that had happened in the course of only three days. Yet for all of its craziness and trauma, looking back she probably wouldn't change a thing. Strange as it was, she'd come to accept everything as just one pivotal, even crucial, part of her life. It hadn't been easy, Light no, but she'd finally come to terms with it...and she understood it, too.

What had happened there, she knew, would probably shape the rest of her life...

Still, after all that, the trip out of Cerenis had been blessedly and wonderfully uneventful and it was no secret that for all of her acceptance of what had happened she had no desire to go back there ever again. The further away from there that they got, the better. There had been some good memories there among the bad and for those she was grateful, but...still, there was no point in going back, and every step taken across the grasslands had relaxed her that much more.

The moment she'd caught the first glimpse of civilization in the distance, she'd been elated.

In fact, she'd pretty much run the rest of the distance there. Needless to say, she'd long since recovered from her ordeal and ah, but she was glad to see a town! City...whatever the heathens called this place! Er, people. Not heathens. Whatever. Maybe she should have been more cautious, considering they still weren't certain if Vec's little sermon had affected the Lumenari and gotten them to bugger off, but after a few weeks of travel with nothing happening, what was the harm? Niamh was pretty confident that it was fine, and that was saying something; she'd finally started to lose some of her paranoia, not be so afraid that something was lurking around waiting to grab her, and the nightmares that she'd been having had started to lessen. Finally. She was certainly thrilled about that because she hated being afraid...it wasn't something she was used to, not something she'd really experienced until that first meeting with Nexus, so it was good that everything was finally just starting to normalize again.

About bloody time. She had really started to worry that she was cursed and just didn't know it. Honestly, eighteen was like a cursed number for her and she couldn't wait until she was nineteen...but that was still nearly a year away. Jeez.

Entering the city, hands shoved in the pockets of her dark gray breeches, Niamh wondered if she looked like the foreigner she felt like, gazing around the city with wide eyes and trying hard not to gape too much, a small smile on her lips. Even as she walked there was an extra bounce in her step, and if she wasn't too busy staring she would have probably been humming cheerfully. Ah, she couldn't help it and she didn't care, Mother Sun...er...the sun was high and bright, she was full of energy, and she was in an exceedingly good mood right now, excited to explore the city and just...well...figure out where they were going to go from here.

It was all good. There was only the future now, and it looked bright.

A while ago and she had been cranky about entering a city, Ketra to be exact, because it was an odd and foreign place filled with heathens. Now, however, she was just eating it up. It was still a foreign place to her and it would probably take a lot of getting used to...these heathen cities, from what she could remember, were full of just...weird mages and...stuff...even if she wasn't seeing too much out of the ordinary yet--they were still near the entrance, though. While that shouldn't bother her anymore in theory, it still really did. Old habits died hard. But as long as there were no drow anywhere, she could manage. Drow, however...oi. Yeah, sure, they had a right to live and all, but...no. She didn't think she'd ever get used to them.

Some prejudices just ran a bit too deep.

But oh well! She wasn't thinking about that now, her mind was totally focused on the positive, and the positive was that cities meant food, beds, and entertainment. And she was sure as heck tired of sleeping out in the open under the stars. While that might be some people's dream, it was horrible for her. Night and darkness was something she would never be able to get used to...and being under the open night sky made her uncomfortable, like she was going to get swallowed up by it and lost in the blackness. Ugh. It wasn't too irrational a fear; she was blind in the dark, after all, and weak in it too.

Finally tearing her eyes away from the sights she turned and looked up at Nexus, still wearing that goofy grin. Yeah, she was in a really good mood. Nexus might not have seen much of her cheerful side considering the circumstances of the past, but now it was back in full bloom. Finally. At least until he decided to pull some sort of lecherous move or make some sort of lewd comment, then it would probably be straight back to blushes and embarrassment. And pain for him, probably. They were in public now, after all!

"So! What's the plan, Nexus?" she asked him. Weeks of travelling together had also made her more comfortable with him. "I mean, this is Arca, right? And...we're gonna be staying here a while, right?" Man she hoped so. A break sounded excellent.

Pulling her hands out of her pockets and stretching her arms over her head, she sighed contentedly. "This place isn't half bad."

[Anonymous]

No, it was true that only a heretic and a heathen had entered the city of Arca. At least nexus knew the difference between a heretic and a heathen. A heathen was someone who didn't believe in the first place, where a heretic was someone who believed at one time then stopped believing. Heh, as for the God...Nexus hadn't smelled a thing on the winds so far, so the God was still behind him. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. Nexus was afraid. Afraid that...for the most part...Vec was dead. Killed by the Lumenari. He wouldn't put it past them.

Reaching up to his head he slowly readjusted his hat, pulling it down over his eyes. Sometimes the Fedora could come in handy, like in an urban setting when you didn't want to get recognized.

Ah hell, who was he kidding, one could spot him a mile away. He wasn't exactly the most nondescript person in the world after all.

Still, at least Niamh was happy to get back into the city. Nexus had been expecting a Lumenari road block, a fierce battle, and bounty hunters galore. No...people barely took notice of them. Some even flashed friendly smiles at them. A confusing gesture, and a bit suspicious but Nexus wasn't going to start questioning all this. No. They were safe from it all for now.

They were safe.

He couldn't recall how many times those three words ran through his mind over and over and over again. It just...it was a huge shock even for him. As his eyes gazed to Niamh from under his hat, he wondered if she had ever been to a city other than Solis...after all, she had said the Lumenari had stayed away from them. She looked like the black sheep in a field of white. Not hard to pick her out. With this cheery, grinning, overly excited woman beside him, it was hard for him to blend in with the rest of the sheep. He knew if he tried to stray away from her and pretend they weren't together he'd get dragged right back to her side.

Still, he wondered if he could break poor Niamh of her habit of thinking everyone was a heathen. He knew that she was thinking it too, because Nexus could smell Drow in the air. Ugh...Maybe whenever Vec showed up he could help to ah...make her see the light just a little better even! Though, he had to stop relying on Vec to help out. After all, before Vec arrived, he was helping her as best he could. Gods above he would have to keep her around some Drow from now on. Hm, the Men were used to slavery weren't they? Well maybe he could pick a few up to keep around the house...No! Niamh wouldn't allow slavery or Drow. Best not to go that way.

His eyes looked down to his hands, to the one he had burnt actually. Mm, still had a little reminder from that night. Curse Feris for making him scar and never heal. It was on his left hand thankfully, not a very important hand at least. Though he ran a few fingers over it and smirked. Just another reminder of all he had done for Niamh and barely knowing why.

Barely was the key word here. He chalked it up to his deal and promise he had made with her.

"Hm? Oh...well...I suppose that we should find someplace that can sell us a house. Usually there is a housing registry or something that we can go to. I can't say for sure, I've never been here before." Nexus told her as he looked from his hands to her with a small grin. Ah she was a treat to have around at least. He smirked slightly and rolled his shoulders into a bit of a shrug.

"It's a nice city, yes, I can agree to that. I look forward to seeing what it holds." Nexus said with as soft smile. Of course, as his eyes looked ahead, he didn't expect to find himself staring face to face with...Vec of all people.

The white clothed man with the golden pants and strange creeping golden ivy design all over, the familiar blindfold and the like. Nexus actually blinked, his eyes focusing elsewhere for a minute, then back onto Vec. Gone. Huh. He must be seeing things, Vec was a day away, he had to be. There wasn't a scent in the air that said Vec, and as he knew, Vec wasn't a God right now so he couldn't hide his scent in the air. No...this was just him seeing things.

"So let's keep our eyes out for a nice official looking building. If you spot any sort of guard, just run up to them and ask where we can buy a house alright?" Niamh had an advantage over Nexus for getting information. She was a woman. She automatically had the upper hand. Though, by how much he knew Niamh and her...feminine ways well...seducing wasn't going to be her biggest help in this city. Ah well, with a bit of coaching then she would get by just fine.

[Rhindeer]

Nexus' answer made Niamh come to a grinding halt right then and there.

"A...a house?" she asked, looking up at him blankly as though not fully understanding, finally picking up her pace again. Of all the answers she'd expected from Nexus, that had not been one of them. She'd expected something along the lines of, oh, staying a night or so at an inn, getting a bite to eat, and planning where to go next and when. Purchasing a house, however...that was a bit more long term! Plus it was a house. Which meant they'd be living together. Okay, so they already were living together, but there were just certain connotations that came along with living in a house together! Wait, but now that she thought about it, Nexus had mentioned that whole thing with becoming a tailor, opening a business, and to do that you had to be kind of grounded. It only made sense. She just wasn't expecting it to come so soon, she supposed.

And yet, surprised as she was, she also found herself liking the idea. That meant they wouldn't have to go anywhere for a while...no more staying in tavern inns and living like nomads. Not that she minded travel, it was one of the reasons she'd joined the Lumenari to begin with, but after all that excitement and stress, the thought of home, taking a break, and just living a normal life had sounded more and more appealing.

Running a hand through her hair, she quickly smoothed over her features and tried to grin again, but it looked more sheepish than anything. Hopefully her body language hadn't given anything else away, though that was probably too much to hope for. She'd been told that she wore her emotions on her sleeve, and she had that tendency to act and react without actually thinking first. She listened to Nexus' instructions, then nodded in acknowledgment. "Right...a house. Alright. That sounds like a plan, I'll keep an eye out."

She really had no idea why Nexus told her to scout for guards. She just figured it sounded practical and yeah, whoever saw a guard first should go up and ask for information. Made sense to her! That it was because she was female and thus might have an impact on a male guard, making getting information that much easier...that never even crossed her mind.

She glanced around the area as they walked, running her eyes over the crowds of people in search of someone who looked official and...guard-like. "So we're just gonna stay here in Arca for a while, then? That sounds good. I dunno about you, but I could do with a break. Just..."

Niamh paused for a moment and gave Nexus an odd look, eyebrow raised, and crossed her arms over her chest as she walked. "Just if anyone asks, you're my brother, okay?" Then she blinked, gave him a quick once over from head to toe, and quickly reconsidered. Who the heck was she fooling? He looked nothing like her and was about as un-Solisi as un-Solisi could be, like night to day. Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes at her own mistake. "...Make that distant cousin's nephew. Something like that. Whatever, we're related somehow, got it? If we're gonna be living together here, I don't want people...gossiping. Because it's probably gonna look kinda weird otherwise." She cleared her throat, turning her head and looking away awkwardly--mostly just to hide a small blush.

Luckily she was soon rescued, for it was at that moment that her eyes fell upon what she could only assume was a guard, dressed in a uniform with a sword strapped to his back some distance away. Niamh leaped upon the opportunity to escape, hardly waiting for Nexus' response. "Ah! Be right back!" she said before taking off at a jog, weaving her way through the crowd and doing her best not to jostle anyone.

She hadn't even noticed Vec, if he had indeed been there. She hadn't even noticed Nexus looking elsewhere. She'd been a bit...distracted, and now she was distracted again, but it was a good distraction. Ahem. Yeah. She hadn't exactly forgotten what Vec had told her...it had been on her mind a lot lately, too, for some reason. Just to torture her, probably by rearing its head at the most random of moments. Ugh.

It wasn't long before she'd come to a stop before the man, a guard not too much older than her that looked bored out of his mind. Probably a new recruit put on some menial task when he'd joined for the fame and glory. It took a few tries to get his attention. "Excuse me? Hey! Excuse me!" Nexus was certainly right in his assumptions. Feminine ways? Seduction? Niamh? Haha, not happening, but at least she had no problems being forward.

The man blinked and finally looked over at her when she tapped his arm, having been watching the crowd. Or, more appropriately, a couple of pretty women in the distance that he'd probably wished would cross the street. Spotting her, he smiled and raised his eyebrows in interest, quickly losing his bored look. "Oh, many apologies, miss! You now have my full and undivided attention." There was an amused look in his eyes.

Niamh smiled back politely, completely missing it and cutting right to the chase. "Yeah, hey, I was just wondering if you can you tell me where I can buy a house? Where the registry board is or whatever that thing is...where...um...you buy houses?" Niamh winced, flushing a bit. Wow, she sounded smart...

"Oh, you want to buy a house?"

Niamh nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow. Was that a trick question? "Uh...yeah."

"Well, the registry is only right around the corner here, you can't miss it, but..." Chuckling at her, Niamh was completely unprepared for when he seized her by the wrist and pulled her close. For a few seconds, Niamh could only stare up at him stupidly as his other hand gently cupped her chin. "You don't look like you have a copper on you, dear. But that's okay. You're welcome to come to my place."

With a gasp, color flooding her face, Niamh shoved hard at him with her free hand and violently wrenched her other arm free. "I think not, wet-lander!" she snapped, and if he hadn't been a guard and she hadn't been, well, a foreigner, she probably would have left him with a nice red mark on his cheek. Turning sharply on her heel, she pushed her way moodily through the crowd.

When she returned to Nexus, her hands were in her pockets and her head was down...and she was grumbling something under her breath about "filthy, dirty heathens" among other choice words. Frowning at Nexus, she shot him an accusatory look, as though it were his fault the soldier was a pervert. "The registry's over there," she said shortly, jerking her chin in its direction. "Light, are all heathens this lewd?" It was more of a rhetorical question.

Yeah, it was true. Niamh hadn't been in many cities. To be honest, she'd only been in the main part of Solis a grand total of...once. And she had been leaving with the Lumenari then. No, her experiences had been mostly in small towns and villages, and the place she'd grown up in had, indeed, been a small town. She really wasn't used to what was probably considered just the standard, playful behavior of a bored guard. They just didn't do that in Solis!

Well, actually, they probably did. She'd never been long in the main city, and people were people wherever you went. Solis had no fewer incidences of murder, theft, rape, and just casual debauchery as anywhere else in the world.

[Anonymous]

"Well...yeah...I'm not living in a tavern or anything like that anymore. Not while we can live in a house after all." It was a city, not a small town or anything like that. They were going to be living here for a while he assumed so...he planned on living here for quite a while. Tomorrow he would have to go out and find an empty business that he could take over and open. Ugh. He wasn't looking forward to things like dealing with strange characters and the like...and having to find out what Niamh could do. Maybe she could be an assistant in his shop? Heh...maybe.

"Now if only they had some signs..." Nexus muttered as his eyes scanned around. His eyes cut through people and buildings, using his special eyes to look for empty places. However after bumping into a few people while not paying attention he gave that idea up and sighed, just deciding that looking for the guard would be a heck of a lot easier actually. Hopefully they could run into a guard that would be useful and just wouldn't stay there gawking like an idiot.

"Yes we're going to stay a while." His head turned to look at her, blinking a few times. Blinking didn't have the same effect with Nexus since his eyes ignored the eyelids...ahem. Now, what did she want to say anyways. When she finally spoke it sorta...hurt actually. He didn't actually know why either, but it had hurt...I mean it made sense that she wouldn't want anyone to think something about them. Though he wasn't sure he really cared what other people would think about them. Bah, let them think anything they wanted. Niamh however seemed to care what all the people thought. Strange too.

"Yeah...yeah sure no problem." At least he sounded convincing right? That was always good at this point. He watched her as she moved off to talk to a guard, his arms crossing over his chest as he focused, trying to hear them talk. Well...Niamh sure was awkward when it came to talking people wasn't she?

It was endearing almost.

He wasn't sure he liked the way he was looking at Niamh though, but he couldn't really blame the man. However...things just seemed to get a whole lot colder as he continued to watch.

He touched her chin.

He had TOUCHED her chin. Oh...oh that would really NOT do at this point.

Flirting with her as well.

That soldier was dead. Nexus had locked the man's face in his mind. Tonight he would hunt the soldier down and make him eat his own entrails. Then he would have to dispose of the body. Sigh, and they were going to start this life a new, and it was going to be ruined. Damn...Well maybe he could be careful about killing this man. Yes...

"Gee Niamh...let me think here...Oh that's right! You believe in the United Church of nothing!" Rhetorical or not she should have kept her mouth still because Nexus had been waiting to use that one for quite a while actually. Now he finally got the satisfaction of saying it and damn it felt good too. He had finally got the chance.

"Oh and by the way..."

Nexus turned to her suddenly, his arm slipping around her waist and pulling her close to him. He bent down slightly to suddenly press his lips against hers. Even if she didn't protest, he kept her there, his tongue even slipping between his lips to run along Niamh's in a teasing manner. He wasn't going to go too far with this kiss, it being their first one technically. He was enjoying it though, the closeness, the soft feel of her lips, the intoxicating scent...Then, he finally broke the kiss with her.

"Mwah! Ah, not bad at all. Now let's see you pull off the relation ploy. Let's go find the registry board." With that, Nexus was off and walking, just knowing that he was going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble with her because of this.

"Hurry up now!" He made sure to walk a ittle faster, just incase she was...who was he kidding though, she was going to be angry...very angry.

Ah well, who cares! He was going to buy her a house after all...He deserved to have a bit of fun? Right? He had saved her from death after all...

He deserved the fun.

[Rhindeer]

And to think, Niamh had been so relieved to hear Nexus agree to be "related" to her. Ah, she usually didn't care what people thought, but...maybe she did sometimes? Honestly, she just knew it would look weird and improper for two unmarried people to be living together. The neighbors wouldn't know that they were just friends. And then there would be gossip, and she just didn't want to have to walk around town with people whispering behind her back. Then again, maybe it wasn't like in Solis? Ah, still, it was...kind of bad and embarrassing at least.

Unfortunately for her, the security she found in Nexus' agreement was going to be squashed very soon.

Still grumpy from her incident with the "pervy heathen", Niamh fixed Nexus with a malevolent a glare. "Haha. Very funny, Nexus," she scoffed, frowning and then shaking her head. "Ugh, alright! I get it, I know, point taken, I'm a heathen too! Technically. But that guy was acting like a filthy, rotten...just...argh! And he's supposed to be a guard, too! Light, if all the guards behave like that, it's a wonder this city hasn't been conquered by outsiders yet, it probably wouldn't take much!" Yeah, it had bothered her. She'd never been propositioned before, if that's what that had been. Maybe it had been a joke, but she didn't see the humor. It just made her feel kind of dirty...to be just seen as an object like that. Ugh, guess she had been sheltered. All that time among the Lumenari where everyone was an equal...

And then she paused and looked over at Nexus as he spoke, waiting for him to continue.

Man, did he continue all right.

Niamh hardly had any time to react at all before Nexus' arm was suddenly around her waist, drawing her close to him, and she didn't even have time to gasp or blink or even really register what Nexus was doing before his mouth was on hers.

Even then, it took a moment for her to comprehend just what was happening to her lips. Eyes ridiculously large and confused, all she could do was stare unblinking up at him as he kissed her, her arms trapped against his chest though she didn't even make an attempt to shove him away. Hell, for that matter, she didn't move or protest at all, completely and utterly frozen, not even her mind working at the moment--though her heart sure was thundering in her chest. Nexus. Was kissing her. Nexus was kissing her. And it was no chaste kiss, either, as became pretty damned obvious when she felf his tongue against her lips, teasing. A shiver ran down her spine, making her shudder, but this time it wasn't a shudder of disgust. Actually, it was the exact opposite, and much to her chagrin her knees felt oddly weak.

When it ended, she came up a bit breathless, having momentarily forgotten how to breathe. And then she could only stare at Nexus, who seemed way too cheerful about the whole thing, switching gears already. Right after he'd kissed her. And then it was right back to the registry. But...he'd kissed her! Realizing her mouth was still hanging open, she closed it abruptly.

"Uhh..." And off he went, walking away just like that, leaving Niamh standing there and staring blankly at his back. Maybe...that...hadn't really happened...? "O...okay...alright...registry, yeah...heh..." she muttered, even though by then he probably couldn't even hear her. Delayed reaction, much?

No, her face felt like it was on fire and her lips were tingling. It had happened. Blinking slowly, she reached up and touched her lips, then let her hand fall away. Okay. This...was really weird...

Swallowing hard, she gave a wooden nod when Nexus told her to hurry up. Yeah. Right. Registry. Uh. House. What the hell?

She raised her hand to her lips again and finally started to follow after him, though she was indeed trailing far behind him, her movements a bit stiff yet kind of shaky, too. It was a weird feeling. Light. He really had kissed her. Her first kiss, too. Part of her, the part of her that wasn't completely shell-shocked, wanted to smack him and beat him and yell at him because how dare he steal a kiss like that, especially her first kiss, without asking, without anything like that--it wasn't his to take, it was hers to give! But then there was that other part of her, the part that kind of scared her right now. It was the part of her that kept her quiet now, the part of her that had shivered in response. The part that hadn't protested.

And she didn't understand it at all.

One thing was for certain, though. A lot of people had just witnessed her first kiss, too. Which completely blew the whole relative thing out of the water beyond repair. Which also made her pick up her pace just a little as some of the shock started to wear off to be replaced by sheer embarrassment. He just had to do that in public!

Wait, no, he shouldn't have done that at ALL! Dammit!

Augh...this was so damned screwed up...and she didn't want to go to the registry now. Right now, she just wanted to...hide. Yeah. Hiding sounded good. Away from Nexus and witnesses and just...yeah. But then Nexus would probably get a kick out of that! No! Breathe, Niamh. Her best defense was to act like nothing had happened. Yeah. That would work. She didn't know what she was trying to do exactly, but...sure, that would work!

It wasn't long before she caught up to Nexus, though she still trailed quite a few feet behind him. "So...ah...what kind of house are we looking ...um...for?"

Yeah, so much for sounding casual. Not that she could help it because he'd just kind of kissed her.

[Anonymous]

He couldn't blame her for not wanting people to think things about them.

After all, it did seem a bit scandalous. A man and a woman, living together?! And they weren't married or related! Well, that would be grounds for execution after all. Nexus smirked to himself as he tried to imagine poor Niamh being dragged away to be executed again for something so trivial. Besides, they could get their story straight later, or at least, Niamh would have to find a way to get the story straight. After what he was planning on doing.

Oh it was going to be good.

Nexus was almost afraid of the fact that poor Niamh had...no reaction. While in the embrace of it all she never tried to push him away, never tried to even go against his tongue or his arm. It was...well it was strange, but it still felt damn good. It was almost like kissing a statue, she had gone completely still and was playing possum at this point. It was sort of disappointing really, he expected a struggle from her, something to show that she was still...in control. Then...he felt it. There was a shiver, a shudder that ran through her, and with his arm about her he could feel it. He knew that shiver quite well actually, and it made Nexus feel a bit better about this kiss.

Afterwards was the best though. She was left breathless, now THAT was a kiss then.

Stunned, complete silence almost, unable to think and move or act on what had just happened.

Oh this was gold, he would remember this incident forever.

"Yes, we'll need the registry to buy a house after all." He was going to try and just play it off like it was a normal everyday occurrence at this point. After all, she didn't really need to know what was happening at this point. He wondered what part he enjoyed more, the fact that she was in complete stunned silence, or the fact that she, or a part of her, had liked it. Oh who was he kidding though, he adored the part that had liked it. That showed potential and at the same time...curiosity. She had liked it. Of all the things for Niamh to do in that situation was...to like it.

He grinned as nothing happened, but she was playing it off too as it had never happened. Nexus was fine with that, because now she could deny it, and he could bring it up till the end of time.

"A nice big house I think, something with two floors at least. One bedroom though, as you'll be the only one sleeping. I only need a chair." Nexus told her carefully. Yes, one bedroom, also because he WANTED rumours to be spread. No one would really know that Nexus didn't sleep. All they would know is that Nexus and Niamh lived in a nice big house, together, with only one bedroom.

"Though, we might want to make sure the bed is nice and large, just in case we want to stay up late and smooch a bit more. Can't say it would hurt you though, you could use the practise." Oh Vec he was going to get in trouble. She was going to pop him one in the jawbone no doubt, and he almost welcomed it really. The bit of pleasure that he would receive from such an injury would be a welcome change of pace. It seemed like the only sort of pleasure he got lately was the stuff he derived from pain.

Well, such was life though, and he would deal with it as he could.

"I hope Vec is alright." New subject change at this point. Just to keep her from fully understanding what had happened. No he wanted it all to sink in later so that she might finally explode into some anger. Oooh, maybe there would be a bit more wrestling. However, subconsciously his hand gently ran across his neck. Urk. She knew this crippling weak spot, and he was sure that if she was going to spar him again, she'd use it.

That...would be a very bad thing. Ergh. Trouble would be in the future it seemed for them. Feh.

This was almost his fault. Almost.

[Rhindeer]

"Yeah..." Niamh was still trailing behind Nexus at a distance, now focusing intently on the ground as she walked, her mind still a jumbled mess and her body still a little shaky, clearly shook up. But it was also true that the more she thought about it--and right now it was the only thing she could think about--the more other emotions started to slowly filter through the shock. One of those emotions happened to be anger, slowly building and welling up inside her the more she replayed what had happened.

The more Nexus acted like nothing had happened.

Like it had been absolutely nothing to him.

Just a joke. Her first kiss had been a meaningless joke, just to tease her back and get revenge because he was a stubborn bastard and probably hadn't liked her suggestion. How could he do that? You didn't joke around with things like that, it wasn't funny...it meant something! Or it did to her. It just wasn't something she took lightly. Maybe he could just do stuff like that on a whim because he'd lived for over a thousand years and it had all lost its meaning, and maybe heathens just didn't take things like this and see their importance, but...it wasn't fair...it was important...

And Light, why did she even care? It was Nexus. She didn't care if it meant something to him! It wasn't like the first time he'd teased (well, more like tortured, since it drove her nuts) her with innuendo, seeming to get a kick out of her because yes, she was modest. But it was the first time he'd gone that far and actually <I>done something.

But she should have expected it, right? He was just joking around...maybe it didn't count...

And why the hell did she feel hurt by the fact that he was acting so nonchalant?! Especially when she had wanted him to act like nothing had happened because she also wanted to pretend that nothing had happened in order to save herself the embarrassment. What, she wanted him to act like he'd done something and yet also act like he'd done nothing? And why? Augh...

Light, nothing made sense anymore.

Niamh finally raised her eyes up from the ground when Nexus began to speak again, exhaling on a sigh and deciding that it was indeed best to just forget. Easier said than done, though. She was finally starting to calm down and all the little annoying tingly sensations had faded, but...so why could she still feel it? Dammit, this was so stupid. Deciding that it was best to stop acting like a foolish coward and trailing behind him like she was, she licked her lips a bit nervously and finally picked up her pace to be beside him once more.

"A...two story house? That...that sounds nice..." she said quietly, her attempt at conversation failing miserably. Poor Niamh. She didn't even pause to really think about what he'd just said concerning that whole one bedroom thing. Her mind was still elsewhere and besides, she'd learned about Nexus' whole trancing thing, that he didn't actually sleep. It made sense to her, sounded practical. Unfortunately, she'd probably regret not thinking about that later, but for right now she was oblivious.

And then the thoughts of houses and bedrooms and anything else flew out of her mind completely. Because no. Nexus didn't seem to know when to stop.

Niamh's body went completely rigid and if her cheeks had been hot before, one could have probably cooked bacon on her then as a look of utter and complete horror settled on her face. That is, right before her eyebrows drew together and she clenched her jaw. Unfortunately or fortunately for Nexus, that comment was the final straw, and the familiar anger finally flared up in her as something within her finally snapped. The spark had already been there, it had just needed to be fanned a little, and man did Nexus do it. She hardly even heard his comment about Vec, an attempt to change the subject. Even as he was speaking it, she was turning on him, acting without even thinking.

"Speak for yourself!" Niamh snarled venomously, right before bringing her open palm hard across his cheek with a loud clap, putting her whole arm into the motion. "You weren't much better!"

Then she was off, turning on her heel and taking off at an all out sprint toward the building that she could only assume was the registry, since it looked all fancy and ornate and pretty, like she'd expect an official building to look like. She didn't look back, only ran as hard as she could, dodging around people and positively fuming and not even caring if Nexus got all pissy at her, either. How dare he...how dare he say something like that! Stay up and "smooch"?! He'd kissed her, what made him think she'd want to do something like that! And need practice?! She could have died from humiliation right then and there and even as she ran her cheeks were burning, though she welcomed the air that rushed against her as she ran, hoping it would cool her down.

Practice! In a bed! She still couldn't believe he'd had the audacity to say something like that. And after that! It was just...just...well of course she didn't know what she was doing. It wasn't like she'd ever been kissed, and he'd taken her off guard! Not that it mattered. She didn't care if she was horrible, she hoped that kiss really had been horrible so he never tried it again!

[Anonymous]

This was actually good for Nexus, to see Niamh so flutstered. If he had known back in the warehouse that this might get her so...flustered and speechless he probably would have done this in the warehouse. Hm, that would have required things like a large random audience and the like...damn, so it wouldn't have worked for him. Probably for the best right? He was pretty sure the relationship would have been much different had an audience been there. Though, he could have made a nice show of it...

Nah, when he did his torture thing he liked the numbers to be at two.

Now in all fairness Nexus knew he could have just argued with her against the whole idea of being related. He could have just spoken up and voiced his concerns over why he didn't want to be thought as brother and sister of cousins. Yes, instead he took a different route witht his and...well he had pretty much violated poor Niamh. Albeit, it was only a kiss but if Nexus had known that it was Niamh's first kiss he might not have gone through with it. Might. Without a time machine Nexus couldn't see if things would be different, he only had to assume they would.

The kiss had just been a simple way to stop her little relative plan.

Did it really mean nothing to Nexus?

Of course, he wasn't going to dwell on that right now, instead he was going to watch her become a bright red and look horrified at this point. Ah yeah, that was something that he-SLAP. Now, the slap was almost predicted, or at least, some sort of bodily harm, but where it would happen he could never be sure. Though he seemed to get his answer right about now though. To insult his kissing too! That was just...wait...how exactly would she know if it was bad or not? Granted it was forced and it was just meant to make her blush but well...Yeah, maybe it was a bad kiss.

Oh well, not like he couldn't bring it up still and use it against her!

With Niamh running off mortified at his words, he began to chase after her. She wasn't hard to miss in the crowd, but she seemed to be better at dodging around people. For some reason he almost felt like...apologizing to Niamh. Him! Apologize! That was a fool's dream no doubt. He didn't apologize for any of his actions, well...not verbally. When they got their house he would find a way to say he was sorry without...saying it.

He noted that Niamh was at least headed for the registry though, that was always a benefit. Nexus was right on her tail though, catching up to her finally now that the people had dispersed a little bit. His hand was on her shoulder and he brought her to a halt with him, stopping just short of the path leading up to the Housing Registry. His grip was tight as he kept her in place, looking down at her with slight anger and...even...remorse in his eyes. Well, it was hard to tell with his eyes but there was something there in his features that betrayed him and showed some true emotions.

"Now look, I'm going to admit, that wasn't the best way for me to argue your point. I just...I wasn't up for the idea, and I don't like how in a city full of strangers you would openly care about what they thought. I swore to protect you and that's what I'm doing. If they want to think something else then let them." Now, Nexus wasn't one to care what other people thought of him but...he cared what she thought. He wasn't exactly sure why either but he didn't want to have this on his record with her. Thought it was just a tiny blemish compared to the other things he had done to her, it did bother him a little bit.

"So...I promise next time that I will voice my concerns instead of just, erm, acting on impulse and habits." Ugh! Why did apologizing have to be so complicated with her. His eyes travelled to his hand which was still on his shoulder and he let go of her just like one would if they were holding a hot coal. He didn't care what she-erm...did to him. Yeah. He cared what she thought, this much he would accept.

"If you ever think you can forgive me and put it in the past I'm going to be inside looking for a house." With that Nexus moved past her toward the housing registry, of course coming short when he saw a familiar person standing there. Vec. He seemed to be fiddling with something on his hand, a ring of some sort. Odd. No...odd that Vec was here. He had no smell.

"Ah! Nexus. Finally. Seems I am in range now. Ahem. I am using this odd projection ring to contact you. I sort of stole some of your hair when you were sleeping so I could get some essences to lock onto. Now don't say anything yet! I can not hear you, but you can hear and see me...I hope...Just nod if you can." Nexus was perfectly still until he nodded finally. Yeah, Vec was there but...not there. It would explain why he had seen him earlier on the streets.

"Good! Now hold on, I will try to get audio with this." Then Vec's fingers began to twist and turn the little ring's diamonds and rubies, trying to adjust them apparently. For a moment Vec flickered in and out, as if the magic was failing, then it stopped being so jittery and he smiled.

"Say something."

"Er...hello Vec." Vec grinned and clapped his hands together in joy. Apparently it worked?

"Excellent. I only have a few minutes here but I wanted to tell you both that I am fine and unharmed. I can see the city off in the distance, but it will take me a day to get there, so I should be there by noon tomorrow." Vec explained to the two of them. At least this was a good way to get them to forget what had happened, at least for the time being.

"So what Inn will you be at...?" Vec asked him as he looked between the two of them. Nexus carefully rubbed the back of his neck, very careful not touch the scar of course, and to barely touch the skin itself.

"We're buying a house actually...at least...I think we are." Vec's look became one of concern, then his gaze looked to Nexus. Irk. At least the immortal kept his blindfold on? That...didn't really comfort him actually.

"What did you do Nexus?" Of course Vec would know it was his fault. What would Niamh do that would ruin their relationship? Besides continue to call everyone a heathen of course...

"Something very stupid."

[Rhindeer]

Ah, maybe that had been a little childish of her, resorting to an insult like that. But it had been the first thing that had popped into her head and so she'd said it, even though...it wasn't exactly the truth.

The truth was that while Niamh didn't have any past experience to compare that kiss to, her body had decided that it liked it, even if she didn't know what to think and hadn't known what to do other than just freeze up like a scared rabbit and let her mind shut down. And that was frustrating. It was about as frustrating as being kissed in the first place...and she felt kind of ashamed for it, for having her body betray her like it had, for shivering and standing still instead of struggling and shoving him away like she could have. The truth was it wasn't just Nexus she was mad at right now. She <I>was mad at him for doing that...but she was also angry at herself.

Why hadn't she pushed him away? Like she had with the guard? Like she had with anyone in the past that had tried to pull some stunt like that on her? Why had she just let him do that?!

Her eyes widened at that, a new horrifying thought entering her mind even as she ran.

...Oh Light, she'd allowed it. Oh Light. She had...she could claim that she'd been stunned in the beginning, but that hadn't exactly been a short kiss. She'd known what he was doing after a few seconds, and she hadn't stopped it even then.

What the hell was wrong with her?

The crowd had thinned out finally and she picked up her pace, eager to get inside the building. It was a safe place. Official. Public. She didn't exactly know what it was safe from, just that she wanted to get there. Talking about houses would be a good distraction, and Nexus couldn't make any crude comments in there without them getting kicked out! It was only a short distance away now, she was almost there, and--

"Ack!" Niamh gasped, jolting in surprise as a hand grasped her shoulder and forced her to come to an abrupt halt. Pulled to a stop, she was suddenly facing Nexus, panting lighty from her run and staring up at his face in bewilderment and anger. Then a strange, fluttering sensation started in her stomach and her heart beat quicker in remembrance of what had just occured, and with another gasp she attempted to pull away from him. "Let go, Nexus!" she ordered, feeling strangely panicked. But he had a tight grip on her shoulder and he held her firmly in place.

And she was forced to listen as he spoke.

...And admitted that he was wrong?

Niamh froze, no longer struggling, just standing still again, and she seemed to slowly calm as his words registered. And then she blinked. That whole relative thing had bothered him? And here she thought he'd kissed her just to be facetious. After all, he'd said it was all right when she'd first mentioned the plan...but...now as he talked she could kind of understand where he was coming from. Had her comment upset him because she was just being far too worried about what other people thought? Oh jeez...now that she thought about it, it made sense. After all, Nexus didn't exactly have the best...track record when it came to morality. If she was going to worry about what a bunch of random strangers thought about them living together to the point of telling lies...maybe he was worried that she felt ashamed to be around him if she had to make up excuses as to why she was with him, and even after everything he'd done for her.

Oh...

That hadn't been what she was trying to do at all. She wasn't ashamed to be around him...he pissed her off sometimes, but she really had come to respect him, understand him, and view him as a close friend. She just...she just got embarrassed about stuff like that and...she supposed she hadn't really been thinking, hadn't seen it as something that could be hurtful.

The anger slowly began to recede, replaced instead by a thoughtful look, and she sighed even as he quickly released her and walked away. Dammit. She was supposed to be the one mad at him right now! He wasn't supposed to be making her feel bad.

How the hell did that happen?

Maybe it also helped that he was sincerely apologizing as much as he could possibly apologize and that, like...never happened. Light, he even seemed worried from the way he was wording everything that it was all over and she was going to ditch him over this. Hardly the case. This was minor compared to past things, but she was still allowed to get angry. Still...maybe he didn't get it. He wasn't a mind reader...ugh, maybe she should explain why she was so upset, too. He'd done as much for her.

...Wait, maybe not. He was still Nexus, after all, and if she told him that was the first time she'd been kissed...oh Light. That could be bad.

Neeever mind then.

With another sigh, she turned to follow after him. "Nexus..." she began, but then stopped.

Because Vec was right there.

Niamh gave a start, and relief flooded her. After all, they hadn't heard anything from Vec for weeks, though Niamh hadn't exactly been too worried because she couldn't help but keep thinking of him as a God and not the mere man that he was right now. Blinking, at first she thought he was real, which was why she found it incredibly odd that he said he couldn't hear them yet. Huh? Audio...?

The he played with that strange ring of his and began to flicker in and out, and her eyes widened. Ah! It was some sort of magic, and for a moment alarm struck her before it was replaced by fascination. So...Vec wasn't really here? That was just an image...somehow...?

She had no idea how that worked.

She listened to he and Nexus' exchange, and once he got to the part about asking what inn they'd be staying at...well...that was where she frowned over at Nexus, who suddenly looked awkward.

Heh. Served him right.

"Something very stupid," Niamh agreed dryly, shooting Nexus a sharp look before looking back to Vec. Yeah. Best not to go into details. "But he's been...forgiven and we're still buying a house," she added, still not looking at Nexus. If he was going to apologize indirectly, she was going to accept it indirectly, too! "Anyway...I'm glad to see you're alright. I never did get to thank you for what happened a few weeks ago. I could have punched you back then, but that was before I knew you were a distraction...heh."

[Anonymous]

Nexus couldn't quite remember, but he was sure that she had told him that she hadn't had a man as a suitor or anything like that. Her life had seemed very...by the book. The Solisi book that is, staying in the temple and trying to serve the Mother Sun in whatever way she could. Then again, Nexus had lived for about seventeen hundred years, and from that, he had experienced many things. Niamh probably had experienced barely one one thousandth of the things that he had gone through. Then again, she was still very young, and had just been liberated.

Still, he had reason to assume that she knew pleasure from disgust, and from that...he could only wonder why she had shuddered.

She had liked it.

Either that or it was just her body that had liked it. Her mind could have been outraged and disgusted by the act but her body knew...her body had wanted it. Hm. That was something he was going to investigate. Not now though because that was going to be a bad thing.

However, he had to explain to her. That was why he was forcing her to listen to him, to listen to what he was saying. He would never say 'I'm sorry' out loud to her, but he would figure a way to apologize in a quieter fashion, one that wouldn't have to use the word 'sorry' or 'apologize' in it.

At least she was more responsive to him, considering what he had just done though. The truth was Nexus was hurt that she'd rather have almost nothing to do with them even though they would be living together. He would have rather they knew the truth, that they were just friends as it were, living together and supporting each other out of friendship instead of family obligation.

Everything with them was spontaneous and sudden, they lived on the edge, no matter how much they didn't want to admit it of course.

Only one person, or being rather, understood this sort of thing. Vec. Who was smiling and listening to the two of them. They were so adorable together!

"Splendid! Very splendid!" Vec clapped his hands together, smiling warmly at the two of them. At least with a house they could have privacy, and of course Vec would be able to mooch off of them. Well...mooch was such a harsh word. Vec would be there to mediate and pretty much keep the peace if...no...when Nexus screwed up again. It was inevitable when Nexus was around. There was going to be another incident, and Niamh would get angry, and hopefully just like before Nexus would be smart enough realize his wrong and try to right it.

"Ah yes, well Niamh, we could not let you in on the plan. After all, you had been captured beforehand and well...if they tortured you they might have expected us." Nexus smirked slightly, knowing more of the truth. Vec had seen Niamh getting captured, and he could have stopped the incident...but...he was really glad he hadn't. Things had turned out better.

"Well, the magic is running out children. I will see you both sometime tomorrow. Do not worry, I will find you." With that the image of Vec began to fade and disappear slowly until not even faint residual image was left. Nexus let his eyes wander to look at Niamh, smiling ever so softly. He couldn't believe it though that she had...forgave him like this. It was quite refreshing to know that he could still ah...indirectly apologize to her and she would still forgive him. Indirectly of course, he had caught it though.

"Thanks...Niamh..." She had forgiven him. That was all he cared about, and now he felt much better. His hand came out to grab the door to the registry office, holding it for you.

"Ladies first of course." He was grinning slightly when he said this, but hid it of course with a bow as he held the door. Ah if she got the grin she might just punch him. Hm, and he was hiding it too, how odd! Still...Nexus was worried about living together with Niamh. It would be strange for Nexus, who never had a place to settle down, or had anyone to stay with. At least, no one that he wouldn't be able to ah...well, the deal was still on so it didn't matter.

[Rhindeer]

"Yeah, I know that now," Niamh said, cringing a little at the word "torture". That was one word she wasn't fond of and for very good reason, too! Light, now that he mentioned it, she had been very lucky, too...and the Lumenari really had gone easy on her. Well, as easy as they could go on someone who was about to be executed.

Now that she thought of it...oh crap. Usually there was a bit of creative torture involved. If you were fell out of favor like that, you were regarded as little more than an animal...worthless...exiles were flogged and then cast out of the city and into the desert naked to fend for themselves and suffer the full brunt of the sun. Which, of course, meant they tended to die a rather long, horrible death, dried out in the heat with sand filling their wounds--unless they were lucky and got claimed by some animal. Heretics...well, she didn't even want to know what they normally did to them prior to burning...

She had been very, very lucky...

"Eh heh...good point. Though hopefully you guys would've gotten me before they went that far," Niamh said quietly, rubbing the back of her neck and looking over at Nexus. What was he smirking about? She opened her mouth, on the verge of asking bluntly, but then Vec spoke up and Nexus was spared an interrogation. She turned her attention quickly back over to Vec just as he began to fade away, soon leaving nothing behind. There and gone in a few seconds...it was kind of trippy and a little disconcerting. But then again, prior to Nexus the only magic she'd really been exposed to were those that were acceptable to Solisi.

And then Nexus said something that made her blink and look back over at him. He'd thanked her? For what...? Oh, wait...for indirectly accepting his indirect apology? Well. It wasn't often that she heard him actually say "thank you", either...this was interesting.

Somehow despite it all, Niamh managed a small smile, the corners of her mouth rising just a little. "Yeah, well...like I can never not forgive you after everything. Just..." She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. The whole thing still bothered her, it was still on her mind as much as ever, but she'd finally calmed down at least. She was still as confused as ever, but at least that blinding anger had receded. Still, whatever she had been about to say she seemed to think better of, and she shook her head. "Never mind. I'll tell you later." Maybe. Just maybe. If she didn't chicken out, that was. Maybe that's what she was doing now, chickening out, because there wasn't really anyone around them now. But...ugh...all the same. This whole thing was bothering her...

Damn confusion.

In any case, she was not going to explain anything while they were out in public! And she felt she did owe him an explanation at least. He'd explained his side of it, after all...even though she'd found that explanation oddly disappointing. He'd kissed her to argue his point. That was all that was. That should have been a good thing.

Ugh...she just had to stop thinking about it all before she gave herself a headache. Yeah. Stopping thinking about it now. He'd apologized, it was over. Done with. Time to just move on...and just...not think about it.

Sigh.

When Nexus grabbed the door and pulled it open for her, even bowing and then saying "ladies first", a characteristic smirk finally broke out on Niamh's face. She remained where she was, looking at Nexus before motioning inside with a hand. "Oh, by all means, Nexus, don't wait on me. Ladies first, like you said. Here, I'll get the door." Then after a pause she snorted and shook her head before finally walking on through the doorway--and flicking Nexus' hat off his head casually as she passed by, since he was bowing and thus very easy to reach. But then she continued on into the building like she'd done nothing...

And then paused inside, gazing around blankly. Well, she was here, so...now what? Er, well, she decided she'd just let the guy with over a thousand years of experience handle this area, since she certainly didn't know how to buy a house. Plus, she didn't have any money. Heh, it was true, the guard that had flirted with her was right. She didn't have a copper on her and, in fact, the only things she did have on her were the clothes on her back, which Nexus had made her, the loose gray breeches and the tunic. Other than that, she literally had no possessions. The last of her possessions, the dagger forged from Incendia, had been confiscated by the Lumenari when she'd been captured.

She was literally traveling very light.

It was Nexus that had everything on him. He and his ability to make money, as well as owning a very nifty satchel that could carry anything...

[Anonymous]

Torture was probably the last word that she wanted to hear but it was true after all. That and Vec had this thing for drama and for showmanship really. Hell, Vec used to talk with the Thous and the Thees and whatnot, until of course very few people could understand him so he had to switch to the more updated version of common. His propecies weren't as dramatic but at least people knew what they had to do right?

"Vec would have seen it if they were torturing her. It would have been fine. Besides, they're probably half the torturer that you are." Nexus made very careful NOT to voice this little quip of course. Niamh probably wouldn't be all too happy with such thoughts. He found it a little sad that he wouldn't be able to torture her ever again, but he also found that...he knew there would be no reason to. She had done nothing wrong, her eyes opened...and she was safe.

"Later...that...yeah that sounds like a good plan." You know, whether it was sheer dumb luck or some sort of Cosmic force and power at work, Vec always seemed to be able to show up and just...save the day. That was his showmanship at work again no doubt, but still he was thankful for Vec.

Still, he wondered if Niamh would go the extreme like he had when she was arguing her point later.

Oh that would be a treat.

Probably never happen of course, Poor Niamh didn't have the courage for that after all. His thoughts were broken when she spoke and he gave a dubious look to her, but said nothing. He could have made a snippy remark but...he held his tongue. He had no idea why he had done it but he had. This was a sign that Nexus was changing for the better. Something that he didn't ever think was possible but-Gah! She knocked his hat off too!

If it had been any other person there would have been severe ramifications.

Instead, he simply managed to pick it up and reposition it on his head. He hated when people messed with his hat, but when Niamh did it...well it didn't bother him as much and that was a real strange thing. He paid it no heed as he followed Niamh inside the building after her, wondering just what they were going to have to do. He looked for the right counter or desk, which was easy to find. It was clearly labled after all. The man behind it looked...well he looked a little surprised to see Nexus step up to his counter. Ugh. Please let this go well.

"Afternoon." Nexus said curtly as he avoided lifting his gaze to the man. This of course, was to hide his identity, not to be rude. The man would no doubt take it as rude though.

"Er...yes. Good afternoon...how can I be of service." The man behind the counter seemed a little...wary of Nexus. He didn't look rich after all but appearances were just that. Appearances. Nexus reached into his satchel and began to look for something. This had taken him the entire travel time to make, trying not to wear himself out. For those weeks he needed to keep his strength up, so he only made this a little bit at a time. He used just enough energy at night to become tired. Sort of like how one would read a book until they got tired.

With a clunk he set a gold bar onto the counter and grinned. He could see the man behind the counter, his face having lit up brightly like a shooting star. Gold bars ALWAYS got people's attention. At least the man seemed a little more responsive now.

"I'm looking to buy a house, good sir. Two floors, ah...two bedrooms if possible. Furnished as well." As much as Nexus 'enjoyed' shopping he could see Niamh picking out furniture and it would be a disaster of sorts. No, he figured it would be better if he let someone else furnish the house for them. The people of Arca had nice architecture and the like, so it made sense to him at least. Oh, that reminded him too.

"Also, I would like a map of Arca as well." Nexus had no sooner said it when a parchment was placed on the counter by the smiling man. Opening it up for Nexus, the man pointed to a few spots where houses were available. He wanted something close to the business district but not too close, for fear of the noise. One house seemed perfect. About ten minutes walk from the market as well, and only ten minutes to where main businesses had been set up. He turned to look toward Niamh, smiling at her.

"What do you think Niamh?"

[Rhindeer]

Amazing, Nexus seemed to just ignore her comments and the whole knocking off the hat bit. Interesting...really interesting. And it was a little oddly disappointing, too. After all, Niamh had done it mostly just to get a rise out of him--as well as to subtly lash out at him some more in her own way. Yet while his lack of a reaction was a bit disheartening, it was also a relief because maybe it had also been a test of sorts. He seemed to be growing more tolerant, for she could remember how irritated he'd gotten when she'd laughed at him for confessing that he was considering being a tailor while in Arca. But this time...well, she was actually proud of him!

Maybe he was learning some control...kind of.

Niamh was glad to let Nexus do all the talking for once, and in fact, it seemed only fair. She'd gone off and asked that guard for directions so it was Nexus' turn now! Besides, she wasn't really in any hurry to talk to any other male strangers at the moment, considering how that last encounter had gone...not that hanging around Nexus on a day-to-day basis was any better, really. He was a "heathen", too--though she also was, so, well, she couldn't really complain and she had to stop using that word, she knew--and he wasn't any less crude, he'd even kissed her, but at least she knew him? They'd both gone through hell and back together and so far he'd kept all his promises to her. She trusted him...he'd proven himself to her and she'd even come to really enjoy his company, so it was...different.

Wait...maybe he hadn't kept all his promises to her. What about their "deal", the one where he was supposed to keep all his urges at bay. Hadn't he just kind of broken it by kissing her? That seemed to be a total breach of it, because she was pretty sure that counted as an "urge", not to mention it was thoroughly improper and just...augh...

Yet she held her tongue all the same and didn't bring it up.

Not that she could bring it up now anyway, not inside the housing registry with some stranger at the counter! Yeah, best to just not think about anything pertaining to that subject for now. Even though it was horribly difficult. After all, it was a big deal. For her.

Standing off to the side, Niamh couldn't help but watch with a bit of amusement as the man behind the counter regarded Nexus rather suspiciously, and with good reason, too. It wasn't like Nexus was the least intimidating of people, he was bloody tall and rough around the edges, that was for certain. And then if you caught a glimpse of his eyes...yeah. That could be pretty creepy. Niamh had gotten used to them ater being around him for a while, now they were just one part of the whole package, but she could remember being thoroughly unnerved and even scared of them in the beginning. Come on, noose pupils? It was more than a little disconcerting. Nexus at least seemed to realize this and kept his eyes averted, though the man seemed to interpret this as rudeness.

Ah man...hopefully this would go okay. Niamh had actually started to get excited by the idea of living in and owning an actual house, because it had been over a year since she'd actually had a home with an actual kitchen and rooms and furniture, a place to call your own. Not to mention that, silly as it probably was, she was kind of looking forward to decorating it. Not that she'd ever tell Nexus that.

Besides, she did not really trust his judgment when it came to decor. Ahem. She'd make sure the place was all bright and cheerful! Of course, the only problem was she'd have to ask Nexus for the money to buy that stuff with, so...ergh. If he said no to an idea, she was kind of screwed.

All the more reason for her to go out eventually and get her own job, she supposed. That way he didn't hold the monopoly on money and thus couldn't boss her around.

She still just needed to figure out what she was going to do to make said money...

But she'd just have to think about that later!

Not that that was an issue, though, because she was quickly snapped from her thoughts by the sound of something heavy clinking onto the countertop, and she nearly had to do a double-take. HOLY! Where did Nexus get THAT from?! No, she'd been completely unaware of what Nexus had been spending his time doing in the nights over the course of their travels so the sight of that bar of gold came at about as much of a surprise to her as to the man behind the counter, and she soon found herself gaping. Well. That had to be the largest hunk of gold she'd ever seen...not that that was saying much, since she'd grown up modestly.

After that, she could only listen as Nexus listed what they were looking for, and she finally stepped over next to Nexus as he was provided a map, peering over the counter and studying the places the man pointed out, as well as the larger picture. Heh...two bedrooms, huh? Oi, yeah, probably a good idea now that she thought about it--she hadn't before Nexus kissed her--though...ugh...what Nexus had said was still in her head. She shouldn't care what people thought, right? Ergh...maybe. But if Nexus was going to be the one suggesting a two-bedroom place, she wasn't going to argue! Fully furnished, too, huh? That was a bit disappointing...she kind of wanted to pick stuff out, but...ah well! That just meant they could get in that house faster and it didn't mean she couldn't still go out and get stuff to decorate with!

Heh heh heh...she was going to have fun.

Whoa...Arca was huge, too...but...hmm...that one house looked like it would work. It looked close to everything so you couldn't really get lost, and it would make working and shopping convenient. As for the house itself...

"Hm? Oh!" She blinked up at Nexus, then smiled. "I think that one's perfect. It's close to everything, so...I think that'll be good. It looks bigger than the one I grew up in, too, and...I...well...I really like it. I think it'll work for us. Can we afford that one?" Ah, this was going to be a new experience for her. Her first time actually living in a city...this was going to be interesting. But it couldn't be that much different from living in a village, right? Er...well...she supposed she'd see.

And she wasn't even going to ask how many bedrooms that particular house had. She swore she wasn't going to make a fuss whatever it was. After all, it shouldn't matter...right?

Right...

[Anonymous]

It had taken all his willpower NOT to do anything about what she said. As for the hat thing...oh she was lucky he didn't burst at this point. Nexus had a thing about his hat really. First it covered his eyes, the wide brim was perfect for just pulling down over his eyes. Also it looked neat for that matter, and had this air of mystery about it as well. It made Nexus look a lot scarier than he really was, and that's all he cared about at this point. He had an image to uphold, a certain look that was himself. A look that wasn't going to be there once he became a tailor of course but...he would figure a way to keep a certain air of his old ways.

If only he could hide his eyes from the world, if only he could change them and make them different.

Nexus would have to figure a way to get around that using some cheap illusions or some such thing.

For the time being Nexus was keeping the fedora pulled down over his eyes and just using the special powers of his eyes to look at the world around him. Nexus was thankful that Feris had included that in the little curse, it was always helpful to have, more so when he hunted people. They couldn't hide from him, not when he could look through trees and what not. Heh, it was one way he had caught Niamh...not to mention using scent to track her but that was a different matter.

Did he believe he had broken the promise about urges and what not? NOpe. Not in the least bit. If he had kissed her with the intent to have relations with, a kiss because of deep emotions and such. This kiss had simply been to throw her off guard and ruin her plan.

Though, Nexus was almost certain that he would hear about the little incident later.

There was no hostility toward the man behind the counter, it was simply nexus trying to hide his eyes from people so they wouldn't be recognized and what not. If all went wrong, Nexus could flip the eyes into the back of his head and pretend to be blind, or...do what Vec did and tie a silk blindfold around it. It might seem a little suspicious at first but he could come up with some sort of extravagant lie couldn't he? Nexus knew there were illnesses and disorders out there that made your eyes very sensitive to light, so he could always use that excuse. In fact, he probably could use such a good excuse...Hm, he'd have to ask Vec about that when the man arrived.

Nexus was rather proud of having gotten the attention of Niamh and the man behind the counter. He probably should have told Niamh about the gold bar but...well it was a hell of a lot more fun just to watch the expression on her face when he dropped the big chunk of polished gold onto the table. Nexus was quite certain had he tried to make this gold bar all at once, in one sitting, he'd be asleep for at least half a week if not more. The kind of skill it took to make gold, which in essence was refined earth, was quite a lot. That was the main reason he had made it over the course of the few weeks. Niamh might berate him after he woke up after a week of sleep. Though, the punishment probably wouldn't be too bad.

Heh, if only Nexus knew how much he was affecting Niamh's thoughts, he'd have something more to brag about. Sadly he just wasn't a mind reader, and that probably was a good thing.

"With this bar of gold, it should cover your home nicely." The man behind the counter said. Nexus could see the greed in the man's eyes, and the slight twitch that the man was having in his hands. When Nexus was bored, he'd get that same kind of twitch, in his left hand, but thankfully he was far from boredom. Now, Nexus wasn't consciously aware of this little twitch, but the idea of boredom was raised in his mind. Would...he be bored here? So bored that he would turn to Niamh and break their deal? All a very...ahm...valid and good point perhaps. However, he was sure that Vec was going to be staying near them for a while, so at least the former God could be there to ...supervise and keep him in check.

"So this place has two bedrooms right?" Nexus was careful, wanting that to be specific. It was his way of making up to her for kissing her without her permission. The man nodded and smiled, Nexus giving a small smile in return. There, now Niamh would be a bit happier about the arrangements. Though, she'd probably want to decorate the place a little bit, which he'd be fine with as long as it wasn't too...bright and gaudy. Yeah.

"Alright, sign here please...initials here...here...and here...then sign once more here." Nexus had a rather nice signature for a rather crude looking fellow. The words were old script, having a flourish to them at the end. It had been a while since Nexus had learnt to read and write, and since he kept a journal, he pretty much practised every day...or in the very least, he would update it at the end of the month if it was a slow month. When done the man took the gold and went into a back room it seemed, giving Nexus the opportunity to look at Niamh for a moment. However, he didn't say anything, he just...watched her. Then the man returned with two sets of keys, placing them on the counter. Nexus took them both, handing one to Niamh of course.

"Please enjoy Arca. Oh, don't forget the map." The man said as he held the rolled up parchment to them. Nexus smiled gratefully and took it, slipping it into the satchel, careful not to let the man see the special satchel.

"Well Niamh, shall we go find our house now?"

[Rhindeer]

If Nexus would be bored, Niamh would be far from it! This was to be her first real time in a city--well, without being hunted in some way, shape, or form, at least--and it would probably be years before she saw everything, she was certain. But she also hadn't lived as long as Nexus, of course, so a lot of things were new to her, naturally. Of course, she wasn't quite sure how soon she'd want to go out exploring alone yet. Her track record when it came to exploring cities alone was...pretty bad so far. Let's see, the first time she got kidnapped and the second time she got...kidnapped. Yeah. Pretty bad. Hell, being left alone in a forest had ended with her getting kidnapped. So maybe it was just best that she <I>didn't go walking around alone for a while at first, just so she didn't...get kidnapped. Jeez.

Speaking of, she'd have to buy a weapon of some sort first thing. She just didn't like walking around unarmed, especially after all that insanity.

In any case, she was relieved to find that the gold was enough...not that it should be surprising to her; it was a LOT of gold, something she imagined she and her family could have lived comfortably on for a lifetime in Solis. Or more. Or less. Ah, she didn't really know, actually, because such sums of money just...didn't really exist in her head. She was used to dealing in coppers, not gold, and she really didn't know how to calculate its worth. It was a lot, that was about all she knew. And then she also knew that currencies varied and this was a different country, so...ah, it was confusing.

Not that she dwelled on that long, because even better news soon came. The house had two bedrooms.

YES!

Of course, she kept her little celebratory shout of glee in her head, and only beamed happily over at Nexus, mouthing a quick "thank you"--even if through it all her smile was a rather tense one with all the other underlying thoughts that were weighing heavily on her mind. Still, it was genuine. Nexus was making an effort...he was the one that had asked. Huh. So maybe even if he didn't like it he'd taken her words and feelings to heart at least? He better have on this issue since he'd sure made a huge screw up because of it! Of course, it probably wouldn't mend the damage Nexus had done when he'd kissed her, a lot of people had...seen. Niamh gave a slight twitch, feeling the embarrassment rushing her as her thoughts started to stray back to that incident, and she shifted and stared intently at the counter in an effort to take her thoughts back away from it. Or, rather, she stared at the map that was on the countertop, noting the compass that was drawn in the lower corner of it before studying the rest of it, trying to figure out where they were in relation to their new house.

At least, she did until Nexus started to sign the paperwork, after which she just watched him, noting his nice signature which was far fancier and neater than her own. Hers was neat, legible, and clean from hours spent practicing copying scriptures over and over again until the letters were just right, or at least her hand had been neat and legible a year ago when she'd last really written anything. She was a bit out of practice.

Then it was done and the man vanished into a back room, leaving her alone with Nexus, though she continued to stare at the countertop. At least, she did until she got that tell tale feeling you tended to get when someone was looking at you, and that made her finally glance up. And see that it was Nexus, staring at her. With a slight start, Niamh quickly averted her eyes back to the counter and was surprised to feel the heat of a blush in her cheeks and spreading down her neck. The hell?! Why was he looking at her like that? And why was she blushing? Light...like it was the first time he'd ever looked at her before. Jeez, she was acting paranoid again and she knew it.

Something seriously was wrong with her. She did not want to know what, either.

Then it was soon all complete, just like that, and Nexus was handing her a key, and she didn't have to think about that for the time being. That...was it? Well, that had been surprisingly quick and painless! Then the map was gathered up and put away, and she looked back over at Nexus as he spoke. Thank the Light that by then she felt much calmer.

She was quick to thank the man politely before turning to Nexus. Snatching up the offered key calmly, she quickly pocketed it. "Do you even have to ask?" she asked him with a small grin. "Of course. So let's go already! You know your way around cities better than I do, but I looked at the map and think I could find it...maybe...I wanna try, alright?" Even as Niamh spoke, half to herself, she was already heading out the door and out onto the street, pausing just outside to look up unsquinting and note the sun's position in the sky, getting her bearings and quickly figuring out which direction was where. Then, glancing back once at Nexus to make sure if he was following she set off.

She knew she probably wouldn't be able to do it, but she just wanted to see how close she could get to finding their house, how well she could navigate the city. She'd have to learn eventually and now was the best time to start.

In the end, though, she ended up letting Nexus do the leading. He had the map, after all, and he knew cities better than she did. It wasn't giving up, it was just...wanting to get to their new home as quickly as possible.

Niamh didn't know how long it took them to get there. It might have taken a while, but to her the time flew as she busied herself with looking around at her surroundings and observing, taking in the sights of her new home and committing them to memory. She didn't trail too far from Nexus, but rather she stuck pretty close to him, somewhat uneasy as they got further in and around more people. There were a ton of people...many of them strange. She'd caught sight of a few people doing some sort of magic, and at one point had caught sight of a woman with skin so dark and hair so light that she'd at first mistaken her for a female drow, the very worst of them--until she saw that she had the rounded ears of a human. Still, Niamh's heart had leaped into her throat and her breath had caught and that had been the point in which she started sticking very close to Nexus.

Light help her if there were any drow here. At this point, she could deal with anything but drow. Well, or the Lumenari, but it seemed like they were safe.

But soon enough they came to it, a two story house a comfortable distance away from all the hustle and bustle of the main roads and businesses, and Niamh wasted no time in bounding up the front steps and digging for her key. "This is the one, right?" she called to Nexus excitedly, but she was already turning the key in the lock by then. If it wasn't their house, it just wouldn't open! Simple! Besides, it looked vacant and it was the only one in the area that matched the description and was empty. Process of elimination really! The lock clicked, she tested the door handle, and the door swung open as she pulled.

And Niamh sucked in a deep breath. "Oh Light..."

With that, she slipped inside and went right to lighting the various candles in the room as she went, using her "gift" to feel them out and set the wicks aflame, illuminating the place. The house was, for Niamh, the single most amazing building she'd been in, or at least the most amazing house. Not only was it her house--well, theirs!--something she could call home, but it was beautifully and comfortably furnished. It certainly matched its price tag. Of course, she did note a few places where she'd need to help decorating, it needed more color for one to make it a bit brighter, some personal touches to really make it uniquely home, but she didn't care about that for now! And it even had a large kitchen! And a fireplace! And a living room! And stairs!

Ah! The bedrooms!

"Hey, Nexus, just so you know I'm taking the master bedroom! Since you don't need a bed and everything, alright?" she called, though she wasn't asking, she was telling. Made sense to her. He said he just needed a chair and didn't actually sleep, so it sounded fair to her. Besides, she was a woman. Women needed more room for all their...stuff. Not that she had any stuff, she had nothing on her right now but clothes and some pocket lint. Hah, still. She'd pull that card on him, too, if he complained and it would be the first time she'd ever pulled the gender card, too. But hey, it could come in handy!

That said, she raced up the stairs and was quick to find her room, which was nice and spaceous, just like she loved, with a nice big bed, like she also loved, and a large window facing East. Perfect. So it was big and she'd get a lot of sunlight! Yeah, Nexus would have to fight her for this one. She'd already staked her claim and the first thing she did upon entering was part the drapes and throw open the window, letting all that light in and some fresh air, too.

The next thing she did was check the door for a lock. Which it didn't appear to have.

Hrm...not that she was worried, all things considered. Still, it might be nice to have if Nexus decided to pester her a lot and she just wanted to, ahem, escape for a while. Because there were times when she liked to be alone, mainly when she was upset or angry about something, and he seemed to be the type that wouldn't let her be alone when she wanted to because he'd try and figure out what was wrong.

Ah well...she'd wanted to be left alone when she'd broken down that night at the inn, too, but she'd felt better when he'd comforted her...

Gah! She rubbed her face quickly, feeling another blush, remembering how he'd held her then and then held her again when he'd...well...kissed her...how the hell did she connect those two events?!

Plopping down onto the bed, she bounced idly on the thick mattress and soft blankets where she sat, amazed at how soft it was and idly thinking that she couldn't wait until it was time to sleep and test it out. But it was daytime now and she should go explore the rest of the house.

Except, she suddenly didn't really want to. Because Nexus was there and...ugh...maybe she was hiding now...

She didn't really know why, though, but...just that she still felt horribly awkward and didn't really want to face him.

Because it would be embarrassing. Yeah...she just needed a few minutes to collect herself. That was all...

Yeah...a few minutes to clear her mind. Light. Maybe he would be too busy checking out downstairs to really notice, and by then she would be cool and collected again.

[Anonymous]

If there was one thing that Nexus was thankful for, was that he didn't have to work for gold. Not many Magi used their powers to create Gold, even though a lot of them could. They didn't have the knowledge of how to refine their 'gifts' to create the gold stuff. Even so, Nexus could go up to a mountain if he wanted to and sniff out the gold then dig it up so to speak. There were tons of ways to get Gold, besides working for it, just a lot of Magi had an honour system. As most people knew though, Nexus wasn't one to have said honour system, at least, one that coincided with other people's morals and what not. He was above it all because he just didn't care what people thought of him...save for Niamh. He at least wanted to be in Niamh's good graces if he could.

Nexus had caught Niamh's excitement and happiness to his enquiry about the bedrooms. Though he only caught her happy smile and the quick thank you that she mouthed, he knew that she was quite happy for this turn of events. Heaven forbid they look like a couple in the eyes of complete strangers after all. He had slightly ruined that by the kissing though, and now them living together was going to start some rumours as well. Poor Niamh, she just couldn't catch a break it seemed when Nexus was around. Kidnapped all the time and forced into such strange things, he was glad that she still retained all her sanity throughout this.

Still, there was always a chance to break her sanity later.

No. No that wasn't the right thing to think about.

Oh my. While he stared at her, she seemed to feel it, feel his eyes upon her. Then she looked away and was blushing. Oh that was excellent. Seemed like a very deep blush for that matter. The corner of his lips pulled themselves into a smirk, quite proud of that little bit. It was a bit of a game to make her smirk, because she seemed to do that so well. No matter what he did it made her blush really, now he just had to look at her. Of course, he knew that eventually his little entertainment would get out of hand and he'd have to stop. Of course, until she stopped blushing whenever they were in a quiet place together and he stared intently at her, the game would continue.

"Well...yes I do. In case you wanted to just loiter here for a while." He shot right back, a grin on his face as he followed the girl. "Lead on then poppet, lead on." Walking around the city wouldn't hurt them either, they would be able to look at certain places and find out where most thigns were first hand. Nexus followed her out the door, feet moving swiftly as he stopped beside her. What was she doing? Heh. "It's about an hour after noon." He told her calmly, knowing how much it annoyed her to know that he could read the sun's time better than she could. Another little thing that he did to annoy her for his own amusement.

Nexus had rested well that night, so he could walk for days around this city looking for their house. If they got too lost he would intervene and point her in the right direction, or pick her up and haul her away to their house.

Apparently though he would have to guide them. He didn't need the map, he had seen where they had to go, gauged most of the steps and was pretty sure he could get them there. Of course, Nexus was subtle with this. He was trying to make it seem like she was still in control of all this.

It took them at least half an hour to finally reach their house, the registry was sadly further away than he had expected. Nexus was quick to try and point things out to Niamh, drawing her attention away from any Drow he saw. They had passed at least ten of them so far, but he was quick to point out some person doing magic tricks or a particular building that she might want to visit. Like a Soothsayer's shop for one, a fortune teller, even a blacksmith. Nexus knew that Niamh couldn't handle the Drow at this time...he would make friends with a few of them and bring them home for her to meet and get used to. He wanted to get her fears of them out of the way eventually. Not anytime soon, he would wait many a week before bringing any Drow home. Probably start tame with a Drow that had been in the city for quite a while, then move to fresh out of the Under dark.

He was good at keeping her attention off any Drow or suspected Drow, good at checking their ears as well from afar.

Niamh seemed to have spotted a house, very well could have been their house actually, she was already trying the lock and key. Ugh, please let it be their house. He didn't feel like explaining why he and Niamh were going to every house trying the key in the door. Though, thankfully the door swung wide and she was in, he however wasn't too quick to follow. A house. He had...bought a house. He was living in a city. For once Nexus feared he would...become bored...that urge to wander would rise again and he would have to leave. Then he just hoped that everything stayed...exciting here.

Stepping inside the house he looked around, already Niamh was prancing about setting the candles ablaze. Ugh, she was planning on redecorating, this much he knew. The place wasn't bare at least, it had furniture and what not already, but the design scheme even he wished he could change. He'd leave that to Niamh though, she should be able to do something handy like give this place a much needed woman's touch. Nexus was in the process of lighting the fire, which thankfully was already stoked when he heard a call from upstairs. Master bedroom? Well, THAT name would change for sure.

He wouldn't argue with it of course, she needed that place, probably had a huge closet that he was going to have to fill for her. Oh clothes. Now, Nexus could make all her clothes, it would be a simple thing, and unlike gold or silver, it wouldn't drain him as much. He could whip her up a wardrobe of the finest garments in just over a week probably. Shoes she'd have to get somewhere else, he wasn't a cobbler of them after all. Hm, he might as well check on her now though in her ah...'master' bedroom.

Quick to find the stairs he ascended them quickly, searching until he came to the master bedroom, his footfalls stopped. He could see throught he wall after all, right to her. She was blushing and sitting there bouncing on the bed. She didn't seem like she wanted to be disturbed right now. Turning on his heels then he decided he would head back downstairs to go explore the rest of the house. It...had a basement. Nexus was quick to rush down those stairs to look around in the darkness. A few threads of fire came from his hand to light up a couple candles. There was a wine rack at the back, empty of course, a few chairs and a couple of sofas, no doubt spares. This was...this was perfect.

No.

It wasn't actually.

It was very imperfect at this time. The first thing that had snapped into Nexus's mind when he saw the basement was 'torture dungeon' and that was it. He couldn't have that here. He WOULDN'T have that here either. It reminded him of the warehouse, the stone pillars that were sticking up and supporting the floor above them. Though fine architecture, Nexus wondered if someone could pull the entire foundation down if they were stuck here.

No!

Bad Nexus. That wasn't something he should think about. New city, new world, new life. Yes. That was it. He felt...he felt hurt now though, he felt hurt and confused. He wanted to be himself but he knew he couldn't. Not with Niamh around. Not with Vec around. Doubts began to plague him as he began to pace back and forth. He couldn't go. He couldn't leave her here by herself. He had sworn to protect her. Why was that weird and bothering him? It...shouldn't have. Maybe it should have actually...he kept his promises, no matter how mundane or macabre they had been, he kept them. This one had to be kept. A strong gust of wind suddenly blew through the basement as Nexus conjured it with a semi transparent rope. Then he left the basement, locking the door behind him and going straight to the kitchen.

He needed to get the basement out of his mind. He had to occupy his time. While Niamh stayed quiet in the bedroom then, he would have to...cook. Yes. They hadn't eaten lunch, only breakfast. He still had cuts of meat in his satchel from a deer he had caught, plus there seemed to be a basket of fresh bread on the counter top as well. Lighting the stove and getting a frying pan out, not to mention some cheese and meat, he began to fry up the meat. Hm, no spices in the house, they'd have to stock that up. Plates and glasses though, that was always a good thing.

Then Nexus did something he would never have guessed. He took his hat off. The weatherbeaten Fedora was placed on the small table t that was in the kitchen, a table surrounded by only two chairs. The living room had a larger table and more chairs thankfully. Still...he had taken his hat off. That was his security blanket in a sense. He felt safe with it on, he felt like nothing could harm him and no one could get to him...

Wow, was he really that deep? Nah...he couldn't be. He was just Nexus, big tough Nexus with a heart made of coal...

"Niamh, Lunch is almost ready!" He called out to her, cutting up the bread and the cheese so they could make some sandwiches. The meat was going to take a little bit longer, but by the time he was done cutting and getting plates ready, the food would be all done! The first meal in their new house, a daunting thing he would admit. It was all scary to him, that he would have to settle here in this town with Niamh...but...he was slowly warming up to the idea. It might be fun actually, and there was no telling what could happen. It was all a mystery, even to Vec no doubt.

When was that man going to get here anyways?

[Rhindeer]

It still hadn’t really registered in Niamh’s head that this was their house. Her house. She and Nexus’, that they actually owned it. Sure, she heard the words and she knew it, but it still felt a bit surreal and it hadn’t really hit her yet. As she sat there, though, running it all through her mind, the fact that it was really theirs, a permanent place to live, that she no longer had to wander and stay in inns and worry about being hunted, that they were finally safe, that they could actually begin to live normal lives among normal people…it was a really strange sort of realization. She was living in a house. With Nexus. In Arca, In a city. He’d actually bought them a house. A really gorgeous, fancy house (or at  least it was fancy to her). They wouldn’t just be living here for a couple of days and then moving on…

And she was living here with Nexus. Of her own choice. Because she wanted to.

It was insane how quickly everything could change. Her whole life had changed in the blink of an eye, that was for sure. But...all things considered...she was happy now. She could never go back home, never see her family again, and that...well...she tried not to think about that, but at the same time a huge burden had been lifted from her shoulders ever since she'd learned the truth about her religion--and since she'd finally learned to forgive herself for her past wrongs, instead of looking to a Goddess to do that for her.

Poor Nexus. He may have been worrying about boredom and wanderlust, but Niamh was more than ready to settle down for a while. This was a whole new experience for her. Man, they really were total opposites...

It was probably a very good thing that Niamh stayed up there in her new room, finally laying back on the bed and staring up at the ceiling, enjoying the sunlight on her bare arms and face and the softness of the bed. She hadn't really explored downstairs except to glance through it quickly and light up some candles, so she was blissfully unaware of the basement for the time being. She was even more blissfully unaware of the little thoughts that were running through Nexus' mind and his little inner mental struggle upon discovering said basement. Ah, ignorance was bliss when it came to things like that. The last thing she needed were any reminders of her warehouse nightmare, and that basement probably resembled the warehouse just a little too much.

But for now, the only thoughts she really had to wrestle with were all the...awkward, embarrassed emotions she was currently experiencing, and she would have really liked to just stay up there for a while longer to try and sort through them all, but she also knew she couldn't hide forever, because it would be, well, suspicious if she stayed up there for too long.

Luckily, the time spent alone was enough for her to cool down, calm down, and regain her head, and after just a few minutes longer she sat up, rubbed the back of her neck, and got up. She left the window and curtains open, though; it was really nice out, after all. Then she glanced over her room for a final time, occupying her mind with what kinds of things she wanted to add or alter to personalize it--lots of candles, nice scented ones, different colored bedding, and some nice wall hangings would be a start! Maybe some flowers too, those were always good--and that was when she heard Nexus calling from downstairs.

Lunch? Whoa. Niamh had been so distracted she hadn't even felt the hunger pangs in her belly, but as soon as she thought "food", she could feel them clearly.

"Be down in a sec!" she called back, tearing her eyes away from her room, the master bedroom...heh. She hadn't even thought about it before when she'd first said it since that <I>was just typically what the largest bedroom in the home was called, but...man, wasn't that ironic? With a little grin, suddenly feeling quite pleased with herself no matter how silly the issue probably was, she turned and headed out of her room to get ready to bound down the stairs, but then paused, hearing the thudding of her own footsteps. Oops. Jeez, it had been ages since she'd actually been in a house as opposed to an inn and she'd sort of lost her manners. Kicking off her boots, she picked them up in one hand before continuing on her way, padding down the stairs and stopping first at the front door to set her boots there, as was proper.

Then she finally headed for the kitchen, realizing she was probably also stalling a little.

The scent of the food hit her first, making her mouth water, and an idle thought passed through her mind that it was great to have a guy around that could and would cook. Then she stepped into the kitchen where Nexus was doing his thing, and she looked around curiously at the spaceous kitchen...which was certainly a lot bigger and had more going for it than her family's modest little hearth back in Solis. She...could really get used to this. A stove and everything. She didn't even know how to work a stove, she'd only ever seen them before...this house seriously was fancy...

"Hey, Nexus! Food's smelling great, by the way," Niamh greeted with a smile, leaning her arm on one of the counters nearby and watching him cook. Not that they hadn't had venison, cheese, and bread a million times before on their journey, but she was just hungry and food was good. "Ah, need help with anything? I mean, you did just buy a house, so...yeah, speaking of that, thanks, seriously. I...heh, Light, I think it's still kinda registering. I hadn't even thought you were serious at first," she admitted a bit sheepishly, glancing down to the countertop and then back up at him again. "And I've never even been in a house this big. I didn't even know about that gold you had. I just...well...thank you. For everything."

Honestly, Niamh felt a little bad for slapping Nexus back there. He'd seriously deserved it, that was very true, but then he'd gone and bought them a house with two bedrooms so now she felt just the slightest pangs of guilt for having done that--even though he still shouldn't have stolen a kiss like that, in front of everyone and just as a meaningless, and very scandalous, joke. She gave a little shiver. Right. Moving away from that subject. Still...maybe this was also her way of apologizing.

"I still really can't believe you bought a house..." she murmured, blinking a few times before shaking her head and pushing off from the counter, crossing her arms.

"So, anyway...wow, our first day here. I dunno about you, but nice as everything is, it could use some touch-up. I mean, hmm...I think it needs more color myself. And food. We'll need to stock up. And clothes too. More pillows, a couple of rugs and wall hangings, probably, and some of those useless knick-knacks rich people stow all over their property. Some plants, too. They're good for the home, they liven it up a lot and bring the outdoors in! Whatcha think? Man, I don't think I've even seen the whole house...hey, what happened to your hat?" she asked suddenly, switching gears, when it finally dawned on her that it was missing. He always wore that thing, after all, and got all moody when you messed with it. He was pretty funny about that thing.

Ah, and there she went, babbling away like her usual self. Though, of course, while she did like to talk it was usually when she went on and on about pointless stuff that she was trying not to think about, and to avoid, other issues. Not that this was entirely pointless. Their home did need to be decorated! That was important!

[Anonymous]

Well, there was the worry about being hunted still in this city of course, there always was a chance that something bad could come along and try to collect the reward on them, if of course such a reward existed. He had no idea if a bounty was on them or not, he knew there might be one on him but she would still be safe he hoped. Nexus hadn't even registered that he was living here with Niamh as it were, all he knew is that he had bought a house for three people...well...two people and of course the eventual visitor that would be Vec. He was delighted though at the thought of Vec living with him, and a little scared about Niamh living with him. He wouldn't touch Vec, he'd feel too weird about that...but Niamh, despite having a deal with her....

It was a complicated thought process, and he kept remembering the deal.

That stupid deal which kept him from doing anything like had earlier.

Well. Earlier hadn't been a violation of the deal, it hadn't been an urge after all.

Still, things had moved so fast so far, it was crazy how fast they were moving at this time. Well...It wasn't like this was anything but a friendship. Yeah. That's what it was. Just a friendship, and there would probably be nothing more. Nexus really didn't see himself as Niamh's type. First of all he was crude, overbearing, arrogant, and an overall jerk as it were. Sigh. He just saw her as a very strange woman with too many morals, too many things to get worried about, and too many things to be uptight about. After all, she was still thinking everyone was a dirty heathen despite the fact that she was too.

He'd get around to fixing that though...when he had more time and they were settled.

Nexus knew that after lunch they'd go outside, and get some stuff for the house. Like more clothes for one, until he could get around to making them. His eyes glanced upstairs for a moment to where her voice came from and he smiled. Well, at least least she was talking to him now. That was always a bonus for him, he did love to hear her talk. She had a good voice, better when she was being defiant against him. Loved it when she fought back and stood up for himself.

She was taking her time wasn't she? It was...well...she probably didn't want to see him right now for some reason, and he didn't know why. Had he done something...ah yeah...wrong. He had done something wrong. He figured that was the reason why.

"Thanks..." He looked over at his shoulder for a moment to smile at her before looking back to the meat. It was almost ready...almost..."Hm? Nothing at the moment. I'm find at this point Niamh, don't worry alright? Just have a seat at this time." Nexus said as he finally finished the meat and flipped the cuts onto a plate before turning around and setting it on the table. "I'm always serious aren't I Niamh? We're going to be here a while I assume, so I'm under the assumption that staying in an inn would not work out. The house was the best choice." Nexus said as he slid into a chair at the kitchen table,

He smiled a little bit as she started listing off some things, he was barely listening to what she was talking about at this time. The list was endless and he had already planned on going out already to get items and what not for the house. Then...she said something and he smiled lightly. "My hat? I took it off. We're inside, it's not particularly bright out. So I removed it." He said as he looked at her with a grin as he gestured for her to sit down at the table with him.

"After lunch we're going out to get us some stuff. Clothing, food, knick knacks I suppose, plants if we can find them...however those plants will be your job to water and make sure they get enough light and what not." Nexus told her, chiding her lightly as he smirked afterwards. He was the man of the house at this time so he was in charge of the house and what not.

"I created more gold over the few weeks as well as the gold bar so we'll be fine for that for now. Then tomorrow I'll go and buy a shop and what not..." That would be an interesting thing as well. "Maybe you should come along so you can help me locate it. You can talk to a guard again." Not the same guard of course. That guard was going to die tonight after all. He was going to end that man's life. Snuff it from the world easily.

Tonight would at least be fun. He had to remember not to get covered in blood or else Niamh might get wise to him.

"Kidding. Now eat up poppet, then we go shopping." With that Nexus made himself a sandwich from the ingredients on the table before taking a bite of it. Mmm, that was delicious, the melted cheese, the warm meat, the soft bread finally...delicious.

[Rhindeer]

Well, that was certainly true. He was always serious, as she'd quickly learned. Not serious as in humorless, but serious in the sense that when he said something, he tended to mean it and carry through with it. That she'd learned very early, like within the first few minutes of meeting him for the first time, but even while she knew this and even while he always did what he said, that didn't always register.

"Yeah, you are," she admitted wryly, watching him finish up the meat before setting it on the table. Light, that smelled good, and her stomach gave a small grumble of agreement. Nexus certainly didn't have to tell her to take a seat twice, she was already on it! She started across the room, pausing only for a moment to smile over at him as she pulled out a chair across the table from him. "Sometimes I still don't expect it though. But yeah, gotta say, this is way preferable to inns and stuff. Way nicer, too." After that, she was quick to follow Nexus' lead as she dropped down into the chair, and she wasted no time in taking up some meat and cheese and slapping it onto the bread, quickly layering it all into a sandwich. Niamh didn't care how nice and neat and pretty it looked, she just wanted to wolf it down.

But before she could, Nexus answered the hat question and she snorted, the sandwich half raised to her lips. "Wow...I would've never guessed that you took it off. Or that we're inside. Thanks for pointing that out, I might've missed it. I mean, it wasn't like it was obvious or anything," she said, sticking her tongue out at him. Alright, so maybe it had been a dumb question that could only be answered with an obvious response, but still...he hardly ever took that thing off so she'd just had to ask out of sheer curiosity. She was just so used to seeing him in that he almost looked different without it. Heh, well, not really, but that was her story.

As Nexus spoke, Niamh ate her sandwich hungrily as she listened, thoroughly enjoying the combination, and she couldn't help but feel suddenly excited when he said they could go out to get things after lunch. Ah, yes! Already! Ugh, man, if any of her old Lumenari friends ever knew how hyped up she was getting over decorating a house, she would never hear the end of it. After all, she wasn't the most...domestic of people, and she had a tendency to avoid "girly" things like the plague--especially since she could dress and behave how she wanted now that she was out of Solis--and here she was thinking about what color sheets and curtains and candles she wanted. Blah! But...it was her house! Their house! It had to be different when it was your own house. That was it. Still, she couldn't quite stop the grin from forming, giving her away.

She was looking way too forward to this. Hmm...maybe she really had gone slightly insane somewhere back there.

"Heh, so what, are you assigning chores now?" Niamh asked after she'd swallowed a bite of food. Good thing he didn't say his little "man of the house" thing out loud. Niamh would have balked. "Yeah, yeah, I'll handle the plants, though. I like them anyway, and sunlight won't be a problem!"

She had opened her mouth, about ready to ask him about the shop thing or, more specifically, if he was really going to be a tailor, but that was when she caught his last comment. Niamh grimaced and kicked at Nexus' shin from under the table, though it probably wouldn't hurt because she'd removed her boots. "Augh, I think I'll pass on that one! I've been manhandled enough for one day, thanks," she said dryly while shooting him a knowing look. She was very proud of herself, though, because she didn't blush. Then, blinking, her look turned suspicious as she reconsidered. "Actually, on second thought, yeah, I'll handle the guards. If all guards are like that one, I think you'd get along just a little too well with them," she kidded back, raising an eyebrow. Though maybe she was just a little serious about that, too. Really, no sooner had that last guard tried to make a move on her than Nexus had gone ahead and kissed her, not a couple minites after that incident.

Wait a minute...

That was some fishy timing right there. And now that she thought about it, and with what Vec had told her before...was he...jealous maybe...?

ERK!

The blush returned and she shoved more food in her mouth, chewing furiously to distract herself and hoping that Nexus was too busy with his own meal to notice. Light, this was so stupid! She really, really needed to kill that dammned memory. A vivid memory, too, so it especially needed to die. This was driving her crazy.

Swallowing, she stared down at her sandwich, which was almost gone. "But guards and whatnot aside, I'll go with you, sure. I mean, it's not like I have anything else to do. I should probably start looking around for work, too, and that would be as good a time to start as any. I still haven't figured out what I'll do. I don't really have any useful skills, I guess." She cleared her throat, and ate another bite, that having slipped out before she'd even thought about what she was saying. Ahem. Another thing she hadn't quite let go and she didn't know why. Even though Nexus had apologized and said he hadn't meant it when he'd said it, it still kind of bothered her. For some reason, it kind of...well, hurt that he'd said it and she had a feeling it was true. Not that she cared what he thought! Psha, never! Why would she?

...Yeah.

"So anyway! You still gonna be a tailor?" she asked after a small pause, looking up again.

[Anonymous]

Nexus loved to be a serious man, or at least, one who kept his word when he spoke it. He had kept all of it so far, even kept all his urges in check. He was never going to count that kiss between them as anything but a foiling technique. That was it. Of course, Nexus had no idea that he kiss was affecting Niamh so at this time, that it was causing her to have some rather impure thoughts as it were.

"Yes, and with this place...we can make it our home, make it to our...specifics."

Well. Not all of their specifics. Nexus would have to keep the basement...off limits to himself, and as well he'd have to ensure that his room doesn't...cause any problems for Niamh, or for Vec. Hmph. He really was changing for the two of them. He really didn't like the whole having to change his world in order to create peace for them. He wanted to make a basement that was a dungeon, racks, restrainers, instruments of torture, a display case for...trophies that he took of them, a fireplace, ice box, and a whole host of other delicious things for him to use on victims.

No kidnapping either...Which meant he'd have to go to the...questionable parts of town and hire people for him to torture. That meant keeping them alive as well of course. "Really? It wasn't? Oh my well then, I guess I could tell you some other things. Gee Niamh, you're hair is blond, and my your eyes are blue! Did you know that?" Nexus said as he looked up to her with a grin, his gaze upon her.

Still. He feared letting the woman decorate the house up.

What if it was...too bright and cheery. Even worse, if she put a bunch of foul smelling things in?

Wait. Why the hell was he worrying about that? This was pretty much going to be Niamh's space after all. Nexus would only really be here at night, in the day he would be working, and...even so, he'd really only need to spend five hours here to trance in peace. Vec and Niamh would be the ones stuck here for the most part, so perhaps bright and cheery would work out. Also satin and silk would be everywhere....and there was the throw pillows. Vec loved throw pillows....perhaps a little too much. Then again, Vec was pretty much androgynous after all...So the god was allowed to be just a little...on the strange side.

"We're getting better curtains though, something that can block the light a bit better. You can have whatever flimsy material you want for your blinds of course." Nexus told her as he just thought about getting the thickest blinds possible for his room. Well...technically his room would be the living room...Vec could have the actual room, that is...if Vec actually slept. Yes he was a man now but...at the same time....He was still Vec...Hm...When Vec arrived he'd ask him about that whole thing.

There was a bit of a thump at his shin and he smirked. Had she just kicked him? Or at least, tried to kick him at that point? He couldn't have been sure, but he assumed so at this time. "Ah huh? Well I'd like to see you maybe handle maybe two gaurds and me at the same time." He spoke with that familiar grin of his that showed that it was innuendo at this point. She blushed afterwards, but...he wasn't sure if it had been his comment or not. She had just suddenly blushed and started to shovel food into her mouth. Hm. What was going on in that mind of hers?

"Well you know, in cities like this, you can take up an apprenticeship with one of the tradesmen. Blacksmithing, Masonry, working with a sculpting artist, that sort of thing. You can get skills trained by them, and eventually take over one of their professions. " Nexus explained to her quietly, trying to raise her spirits. It...it wasn't good. He had been the one to instill doubt into Niamh, and he felt rather bad about it too. He hadn't meant to be so...harsh to her. He had just been angry at the time because she mocked him but...Damn it. This had been his fault.

He'd really have to kiss some butt to make up for this one.

Not that he minded when the owner of said butt was a rather fine looking...Ahem. Right. Urges at bay.

"Hm? Yeah probably, people don't expect it, it's the perfect cover really." Nexus told her as he continued to watch her face, trying to figure out why she had blushed so much before. That was still locked in his mind at this time...he didn't know why either but...no matter for now. He'd have to ensure that Niamh was alright during her apprenticeship of course, maybe see if there wasn't something she was interested in somewhere near his own business. She would have to be armed at all times...

Why was he so worried about her safety though? Ah, because he had promised such a  thing, and he couldn't break his promise. That and just...the things that can happen in a city were numerous, and a lot of them were bad too...She would be a prize amongst any Drow, and there was no telling what bounty hunters would do to her if they found her. Probably sell her like he had planned to do. In the Underdark they would pay handsomely for a woman like Niamh. The idea angered him actually...selling Niamh. Earlier the very idea aroused and excited him...Damn

Vec was right, he was changing after being away from Heiroth.