The sun hung peacefully in afternoon sky, shining through the treetops, beaming down on Ashara and her partner as they made their way through the Niahi Forest. As usual, Ash's steps were energized, despite how long they had been travelling, and nevermind the fact that the ground they had slept on had been particularly bumpy last night. It had been a while, though, since they had seen any other people on this path – it was as if the forest had been emptied of all other humans, and there were none that they could stop to speak to their quest about. It had been a little discouraging, but their lack of good luck only made Ash more determined to keep up her steady pace.
In the distance, through the treetops, one could see the makings of a town – buildings and houses, adults and children, all bustling and going through their daily motions. It was a small place, but at the very sight of it, Ash's mahogany brown eyes widened at the sight of it, and she stopped dead in her tracks, standing on her tippy toes, to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing. A town! Civilization! She looked back towards Ritva, grinning like a child.
"Rit, look! There's a town up ahead!" she squealed, bouncing on her toes. "C'mon, let's stop in town for a bit – we could grab something to eat while we're there!" She took hold of Ritva's hand, not really waiting for a response. "Its been forever since we've been in a town, hasn't it? I wonder what the people will be like there... Maybe we'll even find someone to plant a sapling!" Her eyes were wide with the possibilities, and she was talking a mile a minute, as usual – it was hard to keep her quiet when she laid eyes on a peaceful town.
Unlike Ash, Ritva was enjoying the empty forest. She liked the peace and quite, just her and Ash. Though, the lack of people did make her nervous. Time was ticking down, something Ritva had never been aware of until she found out Ash was the Martyr. Now suddenly it seemed all important.
Curling her white hand around Ash's, Ritva snorted, "Oh god. Another town full of people. They smell! How you can be so excited is beyond me."
She would find the first sacrifice here. No matter what, she was going to have Ash complete her task. Reaching over with her free hand, she tucked a strand of Ash's rich auburn hair back behind one of her ears, "Calm down or you'll wear yourself out before we get there."
It was hard for Rit to judge human endurance, so she tended to treat Ash like she was frail.
Ash squeezed Ritva's hand, laughing. "Oh, they're not so bad, Rit! You've just gotta get used to 'em is all," the Martyr assured with a nod, looking with bright eyes toward the little town. Every now and then, Ash liked to immerse herself in amongst people – while being in the forests had its own charm, one that she had gotten used to during their venture, there really was nothing like just relaxing in an idyllic village.
The Martyr wrinkled her nose playfully as Rit told her to calm down. "Pfft, I'll be fine!" she assured, swinging her hand back and forth while changing her gait to a childish skip. "It takes a lot more than a little excitement to wear me down." As Rit tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she couldn't help but grin a little at the feel of her hand against her ear.
It didn't take long for them to reach civilization, and Ash's skip slowly down to a walk, her eyes taking in everything. Nowadays, she didn't take anything for granted, so she took in the whole of the village, before looking to Rit, eager. "Are you hungry? 'Cause I'm starving – maybe there's a tavern around here somewhere..." Too bad Ash had an affinity for getting lost in new places, especially when it came to new towns...
"Oooh. Food. I would love food!" Rit perked up at that mention, smiling at Ash and enjoying the feel of the human girls hand in her own. The pysical contact helped, made her less prickly as they entered the town.
The fae drew a number of stares, her inhuman appearance a rarity, though she paid them no attention. Her beauty deserved to be looked upon. Tugging lightly on Ash's hand, she turned a corner, "I smell bread over this way."
As Rit tugged her hand and turned around the corner, Ash eagerly obliged. She was the kind of person who would easily get lost in town if she had to navigate one by herself. "Oh, I smell it too!" she noted, realizing they were getting closer. "Oooh, it smells freshly baked, too!" she went on, bouncing on the tips of her toes.
She couldn't help but notice that all eyes had been drawn to Rit, but as usual, she didn't pay any of them the slightest of mind. "Looks like everyone's got their eye on you, Rit! You always steal away poor villagers' hearts without even trying~" she teased, shaking her head. She couldn't blame the villagers, though – seeing a dryad waltz into a town must not be an everyday occurrence for them.
Finally, they closed in on the source of that freshly baked bread smell – a small little tavern, cozy and warm, displayed itself to them. "C'mon, let's go!" she urged, a skip returning to themselves. "I'm so hungry I could eat everything on the menu!"
"Of course. It's because I am beautiful." Rit grinned, flashing her white teeth, almost the same shade as her skin. She let Ash drag her into the inn, her dark eyes scanning the room to make sure there was no danger.
Finding none, she rocked on her heels, bear toes wiggling, "Let's eat then. We have money?" Paying for things was a strange concept to Rit, but it was one she had learned over the years. She was utterly awful with it though, lacking a real concept of the value of things.
Ash bit her lip, patting her side in search of the little pouch that she carried her money in. After a minute, she grinned, finding it strapped to her side. She held up the little pouch triumphantly, grinning easily. "Yep, we've got tons!" she assured, but jingled the pouch in her hands a little, her smile growing sheepish. "...Well, we've got enough to have a hearty lunch, anyway!" Which was better than nothing, Ash figured – the allowance they had received from the Hierophant before leaving was starting to run dry, but that was something she'd worry about later.
She took a seat at the bar of the tavern, motioning for Rit to do the same. From there, she could smell the fresh bread baking, and see people hustling back and forth, preparing stews, meats, and other tasty dinners. The barkeep, who had been cleaning a beer mug before, turned his gaze towards Ritva instantly, his gaze fixated on her, before he remembered he had a job to do. "What can I get ya?" he asked, but Ash was still hard at work, thinking.
"I definitely want some of that bread," she was murmuring, tapping a finger to her chin. "But bread alone doesn't make a meal... Maybe some stew would go good with the bread? Or some soup?" She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting. "Actually, there's not really a big difference between soup or stew... What is the difference anyway? Huh... But I wanna make sure I choose something really good! I dunno..." She was really bad at making little decisions...
Rit didn't pay much attention to the man, brushing her long hair aside and taking a seat next to Ash, her legs swinging, "I want cider and bread." She turned her strange eyes on the barkeep, who was still staring, "You have a vegetable soup?"
Rit only rarely ate meat and she only ate it raw. Cooked meat was disgusting and she refused to even taste it. The man nodded, "Sure sure. Wife's got some on the pot. Ain't got stew though, if that's okay. Just the soup and a bit of bacon."
"No bacon for me." Rit wrinkled her nose, making a face at the word.
Oh, so the man didn't have any stew? That was probably for the best, though – the less food he had, the easier it would be for Ash to choose. "I'll have the soup too!" she chimed in, finally able to make her order. "Along with some bread, and to drink, ah... water will do fine."
As the man mentioned that he had a bit of bacon, Ash's eyes lit up. "Oh! I'll have some of the bacon, if Rit doesn't want it!" she exclaimed, eager to have a bit of meat. Ever since they had left Baile, she hadn't been able to eat cooked meat as much (it was such a hassle to prepare!), so swiping that last bit of bacon was a plus for her.
The man left to retrieve their food, and Ash placed their pouch of money on the bar, so she'd be ready to pay him when he asked. "You should really try bacon one day, Rit! Maybe you'd like it, who knows~?" Granted, she knew Rit hated cooked meat, but it was always fun to tease her.
"No!" Rit looked as if Ash had asked her to eat dung, working her mouth as if she had eaten something gross, "Meat should not be cooked! It was meant to be eater raw! Charing it ruins the flavor."
She shuddered, turning away from Ash to face the bar, "Will you ask him? To plant the sapling?"
Ash couldn't help but laugh at Rit's aghast expression. Her vehement reaction to cooked meats never failed to amuse her. But, at her question, Ash bit her lip, looking back towards the tavern owner. The man was ladling their soup into stone bowls, humming a merry tune under his breath as he did so. He was painfully ordinary, just a man working hard to take care of his wife, and maybe kids, if he had any.
She looked back at Rit, shaking her head. "Oh, I dunno... He doesn't seem like the type who'd be interested," she noted, a little downcast. A working man would probably not take thirty days off to water some mysterious tree that would suck away half of his lifespan.
But, speak of the devil, he had soon returned with their meals – the soup, bread, and their drinks. Ash grinned, picking up a slice of bacon and chewing a piece off, chewing it overeagerly and heartily, in a playful attempt to annoy Rit. "Mmm~ bacon suuuure is tasty~" she exaggerated, laughing.
Rit just continued to stare at Ash with a look of disgust, "It is crunching! Meat is not supposed to crunch!" With a shudder, Rit turned away and focused on her soup, using the bread to soak it up. She always had a weakness for soft, flaky bread, so much better than pottage, but much more expensive. Bread and sugar and cream. The fae could put away horrifying amounts of sugar.
"No wonder you are so short. When you eat that filth!"
Ash burst out in a fit of giggles at Rit's horrified expression, it was exactly what the Martyr had been fishing for. She put the bacon down — it had served its purpose well — and focused on her soup, sopping it up with some of the freshly baked bread.
At Rit's comment, however, she wrinkled her nose playfully. "Hey! C'mon, I'm not that short!" Ash huffed, shaking her head. "Well, it's better than being too tall! Like a—" She waved her hands in the air, searching for the word. "—like a tree!"
...Ash wasn't even sure where she was going with that argument, but seemed like a satisfactory comeback at the time.
"And what is wrong with being like a tree." Rit gave Ash a flat look, unimpressed with that statement, "If more humans looked like trees, your race would be much more attractive." She shifted a little in her seat, unsure for a moment, something she rarely felt.
Leaning close, Rit peered at Ash with her odd eyes, "Do you think I am too tall? Too tree like?"
Okay, she had a point there! Ash was always horrid with arguments— she could start them well enough, but she could never finish one. Her comebacks had all dried up, but it wasn't like her comeback had been impressive to begin with.
Ash: 0, Ritva: 1.
But then Rit looked at her, and almost seemed hesitant, before asking if she was 'too' tree like. At that, Ash shook her head, almost laughing. "Whaaaat? No way! Being tree-like is totally what makes you so pretty in the first place!" she gushed, being completely honest. But then— ah!
"Oh, but you'd still be pretty if you weren't! You know?" Rawrgh, okay, why wasn't anything coming out right? "Bottom line— I think you're perfect as you are, Rit! C'mon, you know that!" Aaaand awkward Ash was shutting up now.
Awkward as it was, it seemed to sooth Ritva and she quickly recovered, her normal confidant arrogance back, smirking and tossing her head back, her long, pure white hair shimmering down her back, "Good. I am quite beautiful. You are too, despite being so short."
She shifted a little closer, peering at Ash, not as confidant as she was trying to appear, "So, you like how I look then? Honest?"
Despite how garbled Ash's recovery had been, it seemed to do the trick to bring Ritva back into her normal, confident spirits. Honestly, the question had come out of nowhere, really! She was sure Rit knew how pretty she was— such a question was unnecessary! At Rit's complement, Ash's eyes lit up, laughing a little. "Hey! I think my height is kind of a plus, don't you think?" Or rather, her lack of height...
Rit came closer to her, asking if she really liked the way she looked, to which Ash giggled. "Seriously, Rit, we all know that you're the prettiest druid in the whole guild! You're totally gorgeous!" The Martyr placed her hands on her hips, peering at the dryad. "I could go on, you know, if you want me to. Shall I ramble on awkwardly about your long ivory white hair, or gush on about those stunning onyx eyes of yours?"
Ash's face flushed— while it was no secret that she thought her partner was beautiful, she did not normally complement her so fervently. She humbled the back of her neck bashfully, casting her eyes elsewhere. "...I could, but you know, we'd be here all day!"
Rit perked up, making a pleased sound as Ash complimented her. She knew that Ash thought she was beautiful, after all, who could not think she was beautiful? But she always liked hearing complements and they were even better coming from Ash.
Reaching over, Rit stroked the other girl's hair and nodded, "Yes please. I like hearing those words from you. Tell me more!"
Ash laughed a little as Rit strokes her hair — honestly, she was too easy to please! Granted, Ash could understand where she was coming from: she loved it when Rit doted on upon her, so it was only fair for her to do so as well. But at this point, Ash was wondering if she had run out of complements.
"Ah...hmm... I dunno! You're so pretty, Rit, I don't think there are any words that can properly describe you!" Ash went on, crossing her arms over her chest and nodding firmly. "Anything I told you wouldn't be able to describe your beauty properly, you know?" She laughed a little, grinning. "Words don't do you justice!"
"Well, of course not. But it's still nice when you try." Ritva beamed and started tearing up bits of bread, dunking them in the soup and pressed one to Ash's lips. She liked fussing over her partner when she got the chance and her often awkward social skills meant that her attempts often came off oddly.
Ash shook her head — she would learn not to threaten Rit with complements next time, she relished them too dearly for them to ever be taken seriously as a threat. The Martyr watched as Rit ripped up chunks of the bread and pressed it to her lips. Ash ate the bread from Rit's hands and laughed. "Hey, your soup tastes so much better than mine! I think he gave you all the tasty bits, Rit," she joked, teasing.
"Only because I am beautiful." Rit smirked, looking smug. She fed Ash more of the soup soaked bread, "Eat, eat." Her free hand slid along the curve of Ash's side, "I don't want you to get too skinny."
"Maybe too beautiful for your own good," Ash rebutted, pouting a little. She ate the soup-soaked bread that Rit fed her nonetheless, preferring to be fed rather than eat it herself.
As Rit slid her free hand to Ash's side, the Martyr couldn't help but flush a little at the feel of Rit's touch. Rit was always touchy-feely, sure, but there was something about how intimate their setting was — snug in a cozy tavern, being fed soup-soaked bread by her Bond's hand — that made Ash's cheeks redden.
"Me? Too skinny? Puh-leasee~ I think you're the one who needs some fattening up, Ritty!" Ash laughed, grinning. "Should I call for the barkeep, ask him if he's got any dessert to share?"
"One can't be too beautiful." Ritva snorted at Ash, "And I do not gain weight. I am perfect. That is something mortals have." She cocked her head to the side, "You can eat more and get large breasts."
Leaving her hand on the Martyrs hip, Rit fed her more bread, er cheeks just a tad bit pink, "Though I would not be opposed to something sweet." The fae adored anything sweet. The amount of sugar she would eat was rather disgusting.
Ash turned a darker shade of red at her suggestion, and looked down at her chest, furrowing her brows in thought. "I don't know if I'd want them to be any bigger..." she murmured, and then widened her eyes. "Plus, what if the fat doesn't go there, but to somewhere else! Like my thighs, or, or..." Or some other unsightly place! Rit may not have to worry about gaining weight, but she did! Not that such a thing crossed her mind ever since she started travelling.
The Martyr ate more of the bread Rit fed her, grinning. "Let me order something sweet for us then! Hey, Mr. Barkeep—" Ash called, but before she could even finish her sentence, the barkeep had swung over toward her, asking what she needed. "Do you have anything sweet for dessert?"
"We have honeyed cake," he offered, after some thought. "And we should have some sweet strawberries left, fresh from the summer's harvest."
"Oh, oh, we'll take that!" Ash exclaimed, and the man left to go retrieve the dessert. She looked to Rit, and gave her a teasing grin. "Try not to eat all the cake, Rit! I know how crazy you are about sweet, tasty things..."
Rit had started to respond when Ash's mention of dessert ruined her concentration. Her strange eyes followed the owner, even when she could no longer see him, she tracked him carefully. There were cakes to be had and Rit was not missing them.
"Why not? If the cake is good, it would be a shame to not take such a sweet offering." She had paused in her feeding Ash, her hand curled against the other girls cheek, thumb pressed against her lower lip, focused on what was going on with her cake.
"You and your cake! It's probably your only weakness, Ritty," Ash teased, giggling into her hand.
Just as she said this, however, the man returned with two slices of cake. It was a plain vanilla, with a simply cream frosting, topped with, as he promised, fresh strawberries from his garden. They even smelled as if they'd been recently plucked, fresh from Mother Nature herself.
"An offering, you say?" Ash echoed with a mischievous grin. Her voice grew bolder, mimicking that of a priest. "Then let this cake be a sacrifice to Ritva, goddess of the almighty dryad!" She laughed, and as the barkeep neared the table, Ash took one of plates of cake, and held it before her Bond, closing her eyes — but still grinning like a fiend — as if she was actually making an offering to her 'god.' "With this offering, may the great Ritva continue to protect her lowly follower!"
She was being unnecessarily showy and some people were beginning to stare at her, but Ash couldn't care less. She was pretty sure Rit didn't care about her being a total goofball, and that was the best thing about her. When she was with Rit, she could just be herself.
Rit beamed.
Everything about her radiated pure joy. There was cake and Ash and offerings! She had never had a real one before, but it filled a deep, primal need inside her, teeth bared in a feral smile. She leaned over, pressing her lips to Ash's in a chaste kiss, "I accept. Though, traditionally, there is blood and cake."
She wanted desperately to deepen the kiss. She wanted to take Ash right there on the bar, but her Bond wasn't interested in sex, she she only lingered a moment before pulling back.
It meant everything to Ash to see Rit smile like that. So she was acting like a total dork in front of everyone in the bar, so what? She didn't care — it was worth it to see Rit beam the way she did.
Her cheeks flushed red as Rit pulled her into a quick, chaste kiss. She hadn't seen it coming, but leaned into it nonetheless. When she pulled away, Ash found herself wanting more, as usual, but wasn't sure how to tell that to her. It was always like this— with her being too shy to bring up her own secret desires.
For a second, she was speechless, an attempted to make a sound, but words refused to come out of her mouth. Instead, she laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Right, I knew I was forgetting something," Ash laughed, shaking her head.
"Blood and cake, got it. Does it matter what kind of blood...?" She was rambling now, joking, yes, as a way to distract herself from the fact that she knew not how to take things further with Rit, if that sort of thing could even happen between them...
Rit stayed close, leaning towards Ash, one hand absently playing with the small hairs on the back of the girl's neck. Her eyes were half lidded and it was hard to fight the urge to kiss Ashara again, the taste still on her lips, "Any blood, but I think yours would be sweeter than the cake."
Rit was so close, it was almost enough to make Ash's heart stop beating. She had to remind herself to breathe, or else she feared she'd drown in Rit's presence, lost. She was her Bond, Ash knew, and they were always close, but this was the closeness that Ash had always craved, that Ash had never brought up, because she didn't know what would happen if she dredged up those feelings, expressed them verbally, put her heart up on display.
She laughed as Rit specified she wanted her blood on the cake. "For the next offering, then. I'll keep it in mind," she noted, shaking her head. The Martyr hitched a breath, teetered on the verge of saying something more. "Or, you know... if you didn't want cake..." She started, groping for words. "Maybe you could have me instead? Ah, I mean..."
Ash looked down, gathering her hands in her lap, her voice slowly growing soft. "I mean... you and I, we're close, you know? I mean, we're Bonds, we are supposed to be close – but I've always felt... ah, I don't know the word... more." She placed her hand over her heart at the word, to accentuate the word. "What I guess I'm saying... or asking, rather?... is, ah, I don't know..." She laughed at herself, finally looking up at Rit. "I want to feel closer to you." Her cheeks were flushed red. "I want to be... more... with you."
It wasn't often that Rit was stunned. She went perfectly still, not moving at all, her strange eyes locked on Ash. She couldn't believe the words that she was saying, sure it had to be some trick. Her Ashara wasn't interested in sex, she never liked anyone in that way.
For once, Rit chose her words with care, lacking the normal total confidence she had, "Do you want to bond our flesh together as well? Is that what you are asking?"
It was strange, seeing Rit be so still, and Ash wondered if maybe she anything she had been rambling about made any sense at all. Hell, looking back, she wasn't sure if she understood anything she had said. It all had made sense in her head – somehow. But Rit was different, Rit always knew what Ash was trying to say, even in her most awkward moments.
At her question, Ash's cheeks turned as red as her hair, and she twiddled her fingers together, looking down, around, everywhere, not wanting to look directly at Rit, in case she was rejected. She nodded, before saying anything, groping for words. "Y-Yeah," was her quiet answer, accompanied by more nodding. Her eyes went wide, suddenly. "But, you know, if you don't want to, that's okay! I'd—I'd totally get it!"
She was baring her soul right in the middle of some tavern in La'marri, she was certain people were staring at them and this was not how she pictured this going at all in the many time she'd fantasized about confessing in her head. She had pictured it all being so glamorous! Why couldn't she be smooth, sleek, fearless? She normally was, in the face of so many things, including her destiny – but with Rit, it was another matter entirely.
Rit didn't say anything. She didn't know the words to express what she wanted to say. They all felt heavy and useless on he tongue. Her eyes flicked across Ash's face, watching every movement. Then she reached over, pulling Ash's face against hers, kissing her deep and hard.
She had wanted this moment for so long, dreamed about it. But Ash had always seemed to not want sex. But now, now her beloved Bond was saying she wanted her too.
Leaning into the kiss, Rit didn't care that people had all stopped to stare. She pressed Ash back against the bar, hands sliding along her slender curves.
Ash's face flushed red as Rit pulled her in for another kiss. There was nothing chaste about this one though — it was deep, hard, hungry. It was the kind of kiss Ash had only figured would happen in her dreams, but now that she was finally getting what she wanted, she was freezing, unable to move. Rit's hands crawling up her sides, pressing her up against the bar, it was everything she wanted, but — not here! And not now!
It took all of Ash's willpower to break away from her Bond, despite the fact that her skin tingled from her electric touch. Her whole face was flushed, nearly as red as the phoenix feather in her hair, and she couldn't help but feel the stares of everyone at the bar, looking at them.
"Rit," she began, breathless. "We can't— we can't do this here. Not with everyone watching!" Her voice was a hushed whisper, her face still red — Ash wasn't an exhibitionist, but she couldn't help but adore the attention Rit had been so quick to smother her in, even if it was in front of everyone...
Rit made a low, unhappy sound when Ash pushed her away. Rit wanted to kiss her more, feel her flesh against Ash's, hear her pretty cries as she brought her pleasure. The fact there were people there meant nothing to Rit. They weren't important, simply background.
"Why? You said you wanted me."
Ash twiddled her fingers, biting her lip. She was used to having to explain human culture to Rit, but her explanations had never taken such an intimate turn. Ash nodded a little, trying to work out how to explain this to Rit in her head before saying it out loud.
"I do! I really do, but," She paused, choosing her words carefully. "Humans, they don't— well, it's not proper, in human society to do this sort of thing in public, where everyone can see." Her face was still red, thoroughly embarrassed. "Mating, you know, or bonding — that takes place in a private area, usually behind closed doors."
She had always pictured her first time being out in the wilderness, though, where she was most comfortable. It was an embarrassing fantasy, a private thought she had always kept to herself.
"So, if you want to, well, you know..." She was still twiddling her fingers. "We'd have to go somewhere where there weren't any people around. Does that make sense, kinda?"
Rit blinked at Ash. She was used to Ash telling her things that made zero sense because that was just how humans did it. Glancing towards the door, she gave a short nod, "Yes."
Reaching over, she grabbed Ash, flipped her over her shoulder and started for the door. She would go somewhere without people around then.
Ah, okay, at least she had managed to explain this properly and— wait, wait, what was going on?!
Before the Martyr could even register what was going on, she had been flipped over Rit's shoulder and dragged out of the inn. Ash gasped, clinging onto Rit for dear life, her heart beating wildly in her chest. "Ritty!" she gasped, clinging onto her Bond. "Where are we going?"
She already knew the answer, and didn't expect one — and that was what made her nervous. She had wanted this for so long, but now her chance had come, butterflies were fluttering rapidly in her chest. All she could do was hang onto Rit, tightly — she was her support, as she always was.
"Where there aren't any people." Rit snorted, one hand absently stroking along Ash's thigh, "I want to be with you and you want to be alone. So I'll take you somewhere there isn't any people."
Rit really hoped that outside town would work. And she had power enough to keep any animals away. There were a number of strange looks as she moved through the town, but there was something about Rit, something dark and feral that kept people away. Anyone that even looked like they might approach was given a dark look.
Passing through the gates, Rit glanced around. She didn't know this area well, but she was a creature of nature and she followed her instincts to find a forest.
Ash couldn't help but laugh a little, shaking her head. "I could've just followed you, you know!" she huffed, but had grown complacent with being thrown over Rit's shoulder. It was just another day with her Bond, for Ash.
"I mean, I know I'm not as fast as you — being a squishy human and all — but I could've walked by myself, thank you very much~" She couldn't help but notice that nearly all eyes were on them as Rit moved quickly out of the town, and could only wonder what they were thinking. "Everyone's going to think you're kidnapping me, or something..." she said with a laugh.
Still, Ash was surprised to find that Rit seemed to be looking for a forest. Her cheeks grew red at the thought of her first time being out here — just like she had always girlishly imagined. She grew silent, not sure if she wanted to mar Rit's search for a forest with words.
"What do I care what they think?" Rit shrugged her shoulder slightly, "And I like holding you." She gave a hiss of annoyance, "Why must humans live in such annoying places?"
There was a forest, but it was farther away than she would have liked. Her long legs ate up the ground, not even breathing heavy.
Ash grinned, leaning her head against her Bond, closing her eyes. "And I like being held by you," was her soft response, humming under her breath. It was probably better that Rit had picked her up anyway — they could travel a lot faster if she took the lead.
"Towns are fascinating, I think! But they're so confusing to navigate." Ash noted, missing Baile a little. "It's much easier when everything's joined together by a tree."
"They are dirty and too full." Rit shook her head, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She made an annoyed sound, heading towards the forest. It took her far less long than if she had been human. It wasn't the great woods they were used too, the trees sparser and the animals less wild.
But it was a forest. Rit glanced around, "Will this do?"
Before Ash knew it, a forest had slowly enveloped them. It wasn't the Draconi Forest, of course — it was not dense with trees, thick with foliage and green, but there was a calming aura to it, something that all forests possessed that made Ash feel right at home.
She grinned at Rit's question, deciding to tease her 'til the end. "Hmm," she murmured, feigning deep thought. "We seem to be very far away from others... and we are surrounded by a lot of trees..." She wiggled a little in Rit's grasp, and finally, gave a final, approving nod. "Yep! This will definitely do."
Ash paused, laughing. "You can put me down now, you know."
"Finally! Humans are so picky." What did it matter what the surroundings were? Rit liked the forest better, felt more at home there, but she didn't see why it mattered so much who was or wasn't around.
She set Ash down, then tugged her close, kissing her roughly.