Spirits of the Earth

The moon hung low in the horizon as the night had begun and the only thing lighting the streets was the the many magic lanterns that hung at the eaves on many of the houses, there were not many people on the streets and the few that were there were either on their way home or trying to find an inn to rest at. In an small alleyway stood a lone figure peering out towards a building on the other side of the street, The figure watched as patrons left the establishment and seemed to wait for something to happen.

-"..."

As the last patron left the establishment the figure moved out of the alleyway and revealed the form of a young girl, She looked around in a careful manner as if she was afraid of something. The girl looked like she was only like nine years old or so and was dressed in tattered rags held together by worn out and loose threads, her shoulder long dark green hair was messy and dirty, mud clung to her feet and bruises and scratches were fully visible on her legs and hands.

-"ow..."

She winced a little when she stepped on a loose stone on the dark street, she looked carefully at the ground as she made her way over to the establishment. She now stood in front of the large door and as she stood there she hesitated, she were afraid of being hurt and betrayed so much that she could not bring herself to knock on the door. Tiny droplets gathered in the corner of her eyes and her throat began to feel dry, she could feel the weight of her collar all to clear now.

-"..."

She brought up her hands to her face and wiped away her tears as she turned around from the door and looked up into the sky towards the moon, the sight of the moon brought stillness to the fears in her mind and she relaxed somewhat and leaned backwards against the door. But as luck would have it the door was not properly closed and swung open at the weight of her leaning body and she fell into the establishment, she fell backwards and hit the back of her head against the floor hard and she could feel how tears gathered in her eyes as her vision spun from the impact with the floor and she was struggling to get up to even a sitting position.

((OCC: Hope this is good :3))

And what a night it had been... The patrons tonight made Lanister work for his pay, what constantly ordering and asking for their drinks, growing rowdy after only a few several and forcing him to kick them out only for the process to start all over again. By the end of it all, the tainted blood had kicked out each and every person that had entered his fine establishment with steel-tipped boot and it had drained his energy more than any other night... Half-heartedly, the brown-haired, red eyed man began wiping down his bar, cleaning up all the alcoholic and crumby residue that was left ever so generously by tonight's paying customers, his other hand running though his hair as he contemplated how he would EVER make it through tomorrow. Of course, it was long after this thought that he started laughing, amused by how easily he had grown accustomed to his lifestyle of freedom and relative comfort. Here he was, with a job he liked, a wonderful wife, two beautiful children, and he was complaining...? Only a few decades ago, he would've given anything just to have another scrap of food, let alone a break off work! He'd have to work on what he took for granted... Make that a personal goal...

Suddenly, Lanister's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening, the little bell above ringing to signal it's swinging ajar.

"Sorry. We're closed." He projected across the bar, not looking up from his current target of effort... gods bless him if he ever got these stains off the marble... heh... Maybe when he did, Boss would put him in for a promotion... When he didn't hear the door open and close again, the exasperated bartender finally looked up, his sanguine eyes immediately flipping up to the door.

"I said we're clo-" He stopped suddenly, surprised by what he saw on the ground before him, a little girl covered in so much grime, one might've thought she had been enveloped by the street itself... Her dark green hair was a mess, tangled and matted with more grime and her clothes only mere rags... On her neck, an iron clasp with a chain dangling behind, cut off at the end as if she had only recently escaped slavery... And she struggled to sit up, her little, wasted body hardly able to support her own weight anymore.

It was as if Lanister's heart had stopped in his chest for a split second as he processed what had just fallen into his bar. In that split second, memories of Lanister's own slavery flashed through his head, his times before living on the street, surviving of garbage and rats... His time during when his blood was drained from his body and he was mistreated at every opportunity... What lay there before him seemed to be a physical manifestation of his sheer helplessness from those times, a blast from the past made manifest...

Another split second later and he was at the little girl's side, leaping over the bar he was supposed to be cleaning and kneeling down by her side, to check the dirty little girl for wounds from her tumble in. Most people would turn their backs on someone like this, someone who nobody would miss, someone everyone would appreciate disappearing... But Lanister knew what it was like to be one of those "untouchables..." one of those "undesirables..." He WAS one for most of his life... No one should feel that pain for a SECOND more than they had too...

"Hey." Lanister greeted, smiling reassuringly, a damp cloth from his time at the bar in one hand, raising it to her arms and legs to wipe the mud and crusted dirt off and away from her bruised and scratched skin. "Are you okay...?" Whether or not she answered, the brown-haired bar-tender would gently push the door to the bar closed all the way with his foot, all the while tending to this girl. "Are you hungry...? Thirsty...?" These were all questions he wished he was ever asked back in his times as a wretch on the streets... No one ever said anything... Just either looked through him or past... He was not those people... He wouldn't be...

She could vaugely hear someone talking to her as she was recovering from the impact with the floor, she seemed very disoriented as she tried to sit up straight and she could barely discern the movement that occured behind her.

-"Owww.."

It hurt a lot on the back of her head she only just realized she had hit her head against the floor, it was not untill something damp touch her body that the world stopped spinning to her and she started to realize that there was someone beside her. Her gemstone coloured eyes peered out from behind her messy hair and she looked up a the person besides her, What greeted her was a gentle smile and eyes that could see her pain just as hers could see theirs.

-"...Y-you're li.. ke.. us?"

Her voice despite her dirty appearance was like a clear bell ringing through the silent night, her voice was beautiful and contained pain and sadness that only a few would understand but it was indeed a voice belonging to a child. "Are you Okay?" No she was not "Are you Hungry" She was starving "Thirsty" she was parched, These words made her eyes tear up even more and her small hands found and clung to the apron of the person and she spoke again.

-"W-we are not.. okay"

Lanister's smile turned a little lopsided in confusion as the girl's surprisingly sing-song rang out through the bar, asking him if he was "like her" in the third person. It wasn't so much her question that caught him off guard, rather the way she asked. The little, dirty girl spoke as if there were another in the room, a double of some sort... the tainted had no idea why she spoke in such a manner, but such details didn't bother him in the slightest. Taking the damp rag, Lanister wrapped it around the girl's hands, the cloth absorbing the dirt and grime off of her skin some more, revealing even more scrapes, cuts and scars across her young body. If the fact she looked like she could keel over and die any second now wasn't enough, she looked as if she had been through the wringer more than once today...

"Yeah... you could say that, sure..." Lanister agreed to her question, setting down the dirtied towel as he listened to the girl's very obvious reply as to how she was doing... He didn't know why he even bothered asking her these things... Quickly, the larger male scooped up the little girl in his arms, setting her down at the nearest chair at his bar, slipping behind and rummaging under the counters for something.

"Don't worry... I'll get you some food and some water..." He spoke these words under his breath as he worked, his hands shifting behind the counter faster than they ever had before, his patron litterally looking like she's about to die on his watch... Taking only a few minutes, Lanister presented the little girl with nothing less than the finest prepared Peanut-butter and Jelly sandwich he knew how to make followed with the tallest glass he had filled nearly to the brim with water, complete with a straw. The only thing that bothered him now... was her wild hair, and that clasp around her neck... surely such a thing impeded her ability to swallow despite it's abnormally comfortable-looking exterior... That's all that these things did, right? Impede? Even if it did not, the little girl must've wanted it off of her... Why wouldn't she? Slowly, Lanister walked around from behind his place at the bar, eyeing up her neck both concerned, and almost... angry?

"Can you eat with that thing on...?" He asked, looking at it cautiously. "Do you want me to take it off, little one?"

She almost panicked when the man picked her up but calmed down quickly as the man set her down on a chair at the bar, She recovered somewhat from her crying and peered curiously at the man as he set to work behind the bar. She used her sleeve and wiped away the remnants of her tears from her face, Her eyes widened when she saw the food and she took a quick glance up at the man as if to confirm it was for her.

-"T-thank you.."

She said in a shaky voice and gave the man a timid smile, what she reached out for first though was not the sandwich but the glass of water and took a big gulp of it and sighed in a satisfied manner as if she had needed some water days ago. The cold water going down her throat soothed her body and she felt better almost immediately, She was about to go for the sandwich when the man came around the bar and asked her about the clasp and she put one of her hands upon the clasp and shook her head hurriedly almost like she was afraid.

-"N-no Don't, it.. it kills people"

She said in a timid voice as she looked up on the man with a concerned expression, there had been a few people who had tried to remove it before but only one of them still lived for better or worse. She was very afraid of hurting those that tried to help her as the clasp used her own magical energy to hurt those who tried to remove it, She did not want anyone else get hurt for trying to help her.

-"W-we can eat with it on.."

She said looking down at the floor in a slightly sad manner, she hoped she had not come off as rude to the nice man as she certainly did not want that.

Lanister smiled softly as the girl thanked him for the meal me provided, more than happy to help. From one Slave to another, Lanister was content to help out this little one in any way he could. When he reached out a hand to touch her collar, perhaps to take it off, their girl's sudden and enthusiastic insistence the the contrary caused him to recoil a bit, as if that would be lighting a fuse on a bomb... The brown-haired bar-tender's eyes widened in surprise as the little, dirty girl explained that her collar killed those it touched... What a mechanism... what an enchantment... That poor little girl has a tool that kills everyone who tried to remove it... Lanister felt even more sympathy for the young-one sitting at his bar, wondering how many people had fallen victim to it's deadly trap just trying to help her.

Instead of just going back behind the bar, Lanister pulled up his own seat and sat down next to the girl, his shock giving way to a soothing smile once more.

"Well, go on then. Eat! You look hungry." He laughed, gently patting the girl's shoulder before letting her get to it. Lanister looked over the little-one with an inquisitive... almost fatherly eye as he would his own children after a long day of playing,  scanning and noting every last splash of dirt, mud and grime upon her form and her messy hair that made bed-raggled style look clean and tidy. Once she was done with her food, satisfying her parched throat and empty stomach, the older tainted-blood would take both her plate and glass behind the counter to be washed once more before returning has attention to the little girl.

"Hey... uh... you seem a little dirty from your time out there... how about we clean you up, huh? Do something about all that mud and then we'll see about your hair..." Lanister offered, the most genuine and kind smile he could offer shining across his expression. He would do all of this without even knowing her name... Unlike what most people would think, if you truly cared about someone in need, their name would be the last thing one would need to know before saving their lives... And in this little girl's moment of need, Lanister judged that her identity didn't matter to him... If she didn't want to tell, that was just fine...

"My name is Lanister, by the way." The sanguine-eyed tainted waved casually. "I run this bar most days in the mornings and evenings. If you plan to stay here in La'marri for a while, my bar is always open to you."

She looked at the man as he reacted to her words but unlike others the man looked at her with sympathy and it somewhat calmed her, When the man smiled again She felt calm and did not recoil from him when he put his hand on her shoulder and told her to go on eating.

-"thank you.."

She picked up the sandwich and took a large bit from it and started to chew, her cheeks blushed a bit and a rare smile crept onto her face and her eyes sparkled a bit. This sandwich was the most delicious and sweet thing that she had ever eaten and it was almost to much for her mind to understand, never once before had she eaten anything like it.

-"It... it's so good"

She said before digging into the sandwich a bit more hungrily and when she had a mouthfull to chew she also took a sip of the water, When the man started to talk to her again she made sure to swallow the food she had in her mouth so she could respond.

-"O-our hair?"

She slightly tilted her head as if she did not really understand what the man meant by it, after all she had only cleaned a few times before and she was often not the one to do the cleaning and it had not happened at all since her escape. The man introduced himself and she looked up at him before she held out her hand for a handshake and displayed a small smile.

-"Our name is Timea"

Lanister only smiled as she thanked him for the food he'd offered and wider-still when she exclaimed how good it was. He too couldn't believe the luxury that was Peanut-butter and Jelly when he first had it... Back in his slave days, he'd be the luckiest if he ever ate at all and even more if the food was even the slightest bit filling. It was a wonderful feeling to help this girl experience the joys of being a free person, the opportunities around every corner, and the little things such as the sandwich he had given. When he looked at the little girl happily enjoying the meal he had given her, he found that he couldn't understand how anyone could've done something like this to her, leaving this sweet person to live on their own with no idea what life was about... How they could sell their own kin into slavery because they had a special talent, how easily they could forget that they were like them in every way except for the smallest of exceptions. It almost made him angry how people could BE this ignorant... but it didn't last when faced with the joy on this little-one's face.

"Yes!" He laughed. "Your hair! Once you're done eating, there's a little bath-house on the other end of town we can get you cleaned up in! If you'd like of course." He winked, wondering if the little green-haired girl ever had a bathing experience in her life... During his slavery, he only had maybe a couple throughout his life-time and that was only when the grime on him was so extreme, one could hardly see the boy underneath. He hoped she was treated better than that but... if her former masters were anything like his... it didn't seem too likely. Lanister smiled as the little girl introduced herself as Timea, a unique, but nice name if ever there was one.

"Nice to meet you, Timea." He smiled, gently taking her hand and shaking it. "If I may ask... why do you refer to yourself as... 'we' or... 'our?' I mean... 'I'm' Lanister and this is 'my' bar.  Is there another you in there...?" He meant it jokingly, of course.

-"Another of us? No ther is not another of us, We just thought it was the right way to talk..."

She explained as she tilted her head slightly sideways while looking up at Lanister with a curious gaze, Why she talked as she did was because of the mage that had onwed her for much of her childhood talked like that as well and she just assumed that it was how one should talk.

-"What is a bath-house?"

She asked and looked up at Lanister as she picked up the rest of the sandwich and started to nibble on it again as she waited for Lanister to answer her, Bath was an unknown word for her and she had only been bathed a couple times before but now it had been quite a while ago.

"Uh... Well... You see..." Lanister cleared his throat, obviously offput by the nature of her question. What was a bathhouse? Oh boy... he as in for something interesting tonight, wasn't he...? "A bath house is... well... Like a hotspring, right?" If she still didn't understand, Lanister would look off to the right, rubbing the back of his head as he desperately tried to come up with a way to make this easier on both her and himself. "It's like a bath, warm water, soap and stuff, but it's meant to hold more than one person... you know?" The young bartender had no idea how he could possibly explain it any simpler than that so he prayed to whatever god he believed in that Timea knew what a bath was and connected the dots. Now, there were hardly anyone around this time of night, everyone either asleep outside their bar either dead-drunk-asleep or having passed out after Lanister kicked them out, or asleep in their own homes, hopefully not dead-drunk and asleep in a bed somewhere. In fact, if it wasn't so that no one went to the bathhouses this late, Lanister would've taken it upon himself to bathe her in one of the empty wine-barrels that they keep around for refilling.

"You know, Timea... I'm actually glad you walked into my bar." Lanister noted, patting her head softly as she nibbled on her sandwich. "What I mean is... I've seen a lot of people mill about in my bar. Hardly any really GOOD people walk in here... Just about they all want is to get drunk and go home right? Well... I'm glad a good person decided to grace my establishment... We need more of those in the world, all grown up and knowledgeable. Maybe you'll come back when you've seen a bit more, huh?" The tainted blood laughed lightly, shaking his head.

"You know... You're the second person to like my cooking." He said, eying her sandwich, nearly completely eaten. "I know how hard it is to mess up a pb&j sandwich but it's nice to see you enjoying it nonetheless."

-"Bath? is it like a washing?"

She asked as she stopped her nibbling of the sandwich and looked up towards Lanister with a curious expression, when she was last bathed it would more likely have been called a washing since those that had washed her treated her more like a large cloth that needed a good rinse. While she had not been injured by those washing her it was certainly not comfortable as the water was rarely even warm and the brushes they used had stiff bristles that scratched her skin quite roughly, rememmbering it made her shiver slightly and she started to nibble on her sandwich again to distract herself from her memories.

-"It is a very tasty sandwich, We don't think we have ever eaten something this sweet before"

She said in a quiet voice and swallowed the last piece of the sandwich washing it down with a big mouthful of the water, she put down the glass of water and took a deep breath after she had swallowed. Her expression was that of exhaustion that finally caught up to her as she had stayed awake for too long and she had been moving for most of that time, she wobbled a little in her chair and thus leaned fowards onto the counter as she could feel her eyelids become heavy but she refused to fall asleep yet and turned her head towards Lanister.

-"We thank you..."

She said with the tired voice of a child as she focused her eyes on Lanister with a tired but truly thankfull expression.

"Yes... It's like washing..." Lanister sighed, running his hand through his brown hair, exasperated to say the least.  It seemed that he wasn't the only tired one, though. As the little girl finished her sandwich, commenting how delicious it was once more, she leaned forward over the counter almost as if she had gotten drunk somehow, her eyes drooping and her neck obviously struggling with her heavy head... The poor thing must've been so tired... He couldn't very well bring her home with him like she was his own child... What would Nevayah think if he was just bringing random people into their house under the excuse of good intentions? She wouldn't have it and if she did the same... chances are he wouldn't either. Luck was abound this evening as Lanister had a small futon down in the cellar from when this place was... smaller and the bar-keeps literally had to live in in their bars.

"Wait here, would you kindly?" The barkeep asked, opening the trap-door behind the bar that led down into their cellar, the place where they kept all their special-vintage wines. There, flat on on the ground, rolled up nicely to take up less space, was the futon, ever so conveniently presented. Shrugging his shoulders, assuming it fell off a shelf or something, Lanister scooped it up in his arms and squeezed the bed-roll through the opening before stepping out himself. Closing the door, Lanister laid out the roll for the little girl behind the protective barrier of the bar before standing up and smiling at the exhausted Timea.

"Hey, listen... I see that you're tired and I wouldn't be an honorable man to just let you sleep out on the streets so..." He gestured down at the old futon. "I brought this up. I know it's not anything fancy.... but you can stay here for the night, if you wish... I open and close most nights, so... yeah... Free of charge to. A good deal, no?"

She followed Lanister with her tired gaze and leaned slightly over the bar when he dissappeared down the cellar trapdoor, she could hear him moving about and rummaging around down there. She tilted her head when some rolled up fabric was squeezed through the trapdoor and Lanister climbed up again, She watched as Lanister laid out the bedroll and when he said she could sleep on it instead of out in the streets she almost didn't belive him.

-"... R-really? are we allowed to?"

She asked as if she could not belive it herself, her drowsiness pushed away because of the situation in front of her. This kindness was something she was very much unused to and it made her doubt herself and others, but this man Lanister had eyes that spoke of pain just like her own if she could not trust him she would be unable to trust anyone. Timea locked eyes with Lanister for a second or so before hopping down from her seat and going around the bar to where Lanister were standing, now standing in fron of him she beckoned him to lean down as if she wished to whisper something to him.

((OOC: i hope this is okay :3))

"Of Course!" Lanister responded, laughing at Timia's question. "Why else would I bring this old thing out? To taunt you? It's not worth the effort! I want you to have a good stay for once in you life because, believe it or not, you deserve it my friend." The man winked before pouring himself a quick drink behind the counter, slipping a gold piece beneath the bar to pay and guzzling it down without a second thought. Immediately, his face contorted in both regret and pleasure, feeling both the strength and the warmth of the alcohol smack him in the face and stomach, something he wasn't expecting AT ALL! He must've grabbed the wrong bottle...

Lanister was about to pour himself a little more because... well... it's been a day worth celebrating when the little girl hopped off her seat and came over to him, gesturing with her hand for him to lower himself down to eye-level, perhaps to whisper something in his ear... or so he assumed. Deciding to humor the little one further, Lanister knelt down so that his sanguine eyes were on the same plane as Timia's grinning at her in a somewhat side-ways fashion, wondering what this was all about.

"What's up, little-one?" He asked, patting her shoulder with his free hand.

Timea watched as Lanister poured up something into a glass and was a little confused as to what it was but did not mind whatever it was, though she was a little worried by his expression when he drank the liquid though when Lanister gave her the nice smile she felt she did not need to worry about it.

When Lanister knelt down to her height she showed a weak but happy smile and stretched out her arms and gave Lanister a carefull hug, She knew no other real way to show him how thankful she really was. her hug was carefull becuase she did not want to get her dirt on Lanisters clothes.

-"Thank you Lanister.."

Her voice was wavering a little as she held back her tears a bit forcefully, she was not sad just very very happy and thankful towards Lanister. After a little while she let go of Lanister and looked at him with small droplets in the corners of her eyes and a wide smile on her face.

((OOC: Sorry for the short post))

Lanister was surprised by the girl's gesture as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a ginger hug, trying to avoid her getting his clothes all dirty. slowly, the bar-tender's lips curled upwards into a grin as he gently returned the gesture before pulling away and looking the little girl in the eyes.

"It's my pleasure, Timea. Everyone needs a place... Feel free to stay for as long as you want..." Perhaps he was being too generous but he didn't care. No one deserved a life on the streets no matter what one's story was... Even if he didn't own this bar and that she wasn't going to be able to pay for the room and board he was giving her, it was all okay... He'd take care of all that. Gently, he'd nudge the little green-haired girl in the direction of the bed, letting her know it was time to go to bed... He was exceptionally tired himself and couldn't wait to get home... Nevayah would be waiting for him and maybe he'd be home just in time to say goodnight to his kids...

"I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." He'd state before heading out the door and in the direction of home.

-x- (Skip to next early morning)

"But daaad.... why do I have to go so earlyyyy....?" Emia griped, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as she and Lanister made their way to the bar about an hour or two ahead of schedule.

"Because, Emia, there's someone I want you to meet. I think you'll like her."

Emia sighed, disgruntled at having been disturbed so early, but she didn't argue any further. It wasn't like she didn't like the bar... In fact, there was always a jolly air and friendliness within that she enjoyed! The issue was... the sun was barely coming up... why now...?

It wasn't long before they made it to the locked doors of the bar, Lanister turning the lock open with his keys before swinging the door ajar and slipping inside with his daughter in tow. Closing it quietly behind him, Lanister would walk cautiously up to the bar much to the confusion of Emia, not quite understanding his behavior... And then she saw it or rather her. sleeping as deeply as Emia wished she was right now was a small, green-haired girl looking about her age, dirty, almost like that of the homeless people...

"D-dad...?" She whispered, looking at her father, caught off guard by this sight. Lanister only smiled lightly.

"I couldn't just leave her outside, Emia... Not children. And besides! I thought you could use a new friend!" He responded just as quietly.

"I have friends!"

"Name one."

"Umbra."

"Another."

Lanister's playful smile grew a little wider as he sat down in one of the chairs, noticing Emia's frustrated silence. he softly ruffled her hair with his hand, managing to get the tiniest smile out of her.

"She's a nice person, Emia... I think she'll be a good friend to you..." The brown haired girl sighed softly and just laid her head on the side of the bar, trying desperately to get a few more winks of sleep before the day started...

She smiled gently at Lanister when he talked to her and nodded a little when he nudged her towards the bedroll, She gingerly snuggled into the bedroll and looked up at Lanister again with a tired but thankful smile.

-"Goodnight"

She said in a sleepy voice and looked after Lanister untill he had moved around the bar and thus out of her field of vision, she listened as the door opened and closed but it was not until she heard the click of the lock as it sealed the door. She somehow felt safe for the first time in a very long time her body relaxed and she could soon not keep her eyes from closing, suprising to herself she fell asleep very quickly and smoothly and went off to dreamland.

((OOC: Next Morning))

As the door clicked and opened Timea turned in her sleep upon the bedroll but she did not wake, She was still deeply asleep on the bedroll even when the two who had entered started to speak she did not stir more than just changing her grip upon the pillow she had hugged between her arms and legs.

It was a while after the two others had arrived that Timea stirred and began to open her eyes still half asleep sitting up still hugging the pillow to her chest as she rubbed one of her eyes while yawning cutely, as she began to get herself awake she looked around a little and recalled where she was and what had happened last night.

-"..."

A small smile spread upon her face as she recalled the nice Lanister and the bedroll and pillow she was allowed to use, she looked down on the pillow and put it aside on top of the bedroll and brushed away some dirt that had gotten onto the fabric. Timea rose from the floor sleepily and climbed onto a chair a little beside her and thus peered above the bar counter, she blinked in confusion as she came face to face with someone she had never seen before.

-"... Eh?"

Emia blinked in surprise as when she looked up... She was suddenly face to face with the green-haired girl, her sanguine eyes peering into her... beautiful multicolored ones...

"Eh...?" She said in sync with the other girl, the two staring at each other in surprise at the other's presence and proximity. "Uhm..... H-hi...." Lanister only grinned at the two, watching them interact (or not perhaps), simply enjoying their expressions. In a lot of ways, Emia was very different than Timea. She came from the streets where Emia was born to a pair of loving parents... Timea had a hard life with a bed of stone and sand as sheets where Emia's was relatively comfortable... But in other ways, they were similar. They were both sweet, kind and caring and because of this, Lanister firmly believed they would be good friends... Not to mention their names rhymed.

"Emia, this is Timea." Lanister nodded to the green-haired girl in tatters. "Timea, Emia. Why don't you two talk? I need to get ready to set up shop." And with that, Lanister would disappear to the back room pleased with himself.

Emia looked back at the girl sitting across from her, not sure what to think. If there was one thing she could say... it was that she looked just as timid as Emia felt... And if she could say another... those eyes of hers were gorgeous... NOT IN ANY OTHER WAY THAN AESTHETICALLY of course... She could think things of a person were beautiful without implying anything else! Embaressed at her own thoughts, Emia's eyes drifted down toward Timea's lips, then her chin, her eyes fixated on the scar that ran along her left jaw-line...

"H-how'd that happen...?" She asked, gently brushing her own jaw with her fingers to signify what she meant.

-"H-hi.."

Timea mimicked the girl and gave her a small nod when she greeted her, when Lanister spoke she turned her head and looked upon him and visibly relaxed as she felt a little more safe with Lanister around. As Lanister introduced the girl as Emia she looked upon Emia with a shy expression and smiled a little, Both Lanister and Emia seemed to have the same eyes so maybe they were family is what she thought.

Timea looked at the other girl as she seemed to be looking at something on her face, at first when Emia asked Timea got a little confused and felt where Emia was gesturing at.

-"Ah.. T-the scar.."

She paused a little as she felt her fingers brush over her scar and tried to recall what happened, the memory was hazy at best but she could still recall the pain from the scar. Her expression saddened a little as she looked back up at Emia again and remembered that she had asked about it.

-"It... it was when we escaped.. Our memory is h-hazy but it was from a blade.."

She timidly explained as she still let her fingers linger on the scar as if to remember it better, her expression did not get any sadder but she seemed somewhat down and hugged her knees close to her chest.

Emia almost looked concerned as she sensed a sort of... change in the air about Timea as she began to deduce what she was referring too, her own fingers running down the scar along her chin as she thought on it. Emia's eyes widened as the girl explained that it came from when she escaped... that it came from a blade...

"Escaped...?" Emia asked, taken aback just a little bit... That certainly added depth as to why she was as dirty as she was, why she needed to take shelter in her father's bar... why she looked so timid and afraid... She must think that everyone was out to hurt her... that they couldn't give a single care what happened to the poor green-haired Timea... And that broke Emia's heart... She had been though her share of tragedies, being enslaved briefly, attacked by a demon... but she always had her family who loved and protected her almost religiously... But... between that scar and her state of living, with no one to protect her... that was horrible... Slowly, Emia would step down from her stool and drag it around to Timea's side behind the bar. She would climb back atop it so that they were level with one another before gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug if she would let her. She was never the kind of girl that was afraid of dirt and grime. In fact, she didn't mind it at all and saw no issue with hugging Timea... the poor girl needed it...

"That's terrible..." Emia whispered, looking into Timea's multi-colored eyes in concern. "I-If you don't mind my asking... Who were you escaping from? D-do you have a home...?" Emia had inherited her morals from her father and perhaps her will from her mother because if Timea said no, she had half a mind to offer sharing her room with the other girl and convince her mother and father to let her stay...

Timea looked up when Emia got down from her stool and drag it around to the side Timea was sitting on, She did not resist when Emia hugged her and leaned slightly into the hug as if she wantd to get more warmth from the other girl. Timea herself was warmer than she was used to as she had not slept in the streets last night, but she still searched for warmth wherever she could find it.

-"We escaped from the Mage..."

Her voice grew harsh as she mentioned the mage her former master as she truly detested that person, she once knew his name but not long after her escape she forgot it out of spite and started to refer to him as the mage. Timea came out of her daze and remembered that Emia was hugging her and thus relaxed more, she shook her head lightly before resting her head against Emia's shoulder.

-"No... we have no home nor anything to call our own..."

She said with a quiet voice and lifted her head and looked into Emia's eyes, She was about to say something when a loud rumble came from her stomach and signified her hunger. Timea looked down at her tummy and placed a hand on it before looking up at Emia with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks.

Emia smiled softly as Timea leaned into her embrace a little, enjoying it from what she could tell... The more she looked at her, her gaze running over her dirty body, the cloth that passed for close, the nervous personality... The more Emia felt the need to protect her... It was akin to a person's natural desire to love and care for something cuter and smaller than them such as a cat or a rabbit, almost feeling responsible for their safety only a person in power might... Now Emia held no power, but she needed to be there for this girl... She didn't even want to let go and so... she didn't. The ruby-eyed girl blinked in surprise when Timea's tone drastically changed, taking on a more sinister and spiteful tone as she stated that she had escaped "the mage", Emia assuming that was who delivered that mark upon her chin... She felt her muscles (what little she had) tense up, the air about her shift once again to something sharper, and dangerous... She couldn't help but feel it inside her self as well, it being directed at this "mage." She couldn't stand people who would do this to others... She couldn't stand that this person would first cut poor little Timea then leave her for dead on the road like this! It was when she felt the green haired girl's head on her shoulder did she snap free of her outrage, gently rubbing the other girl's arm in response. When Emia asked if she had a home, the other girl responded with a decisive no, the young tainted blood finally picking up on her strange vernacular. Instead of 'I' she used 'we'... All this time she had been assuming that when she said 'we' she was referring to a group... she and her group escaped the mage... because they escaped, she sustained that mark to her chin but she had it all wrong... she was alone and probably had been up until now and that realization only made her tighten her grip on the girl a tiny bit more.

Slowly, Timea raised her head from Emia's shoulder and turned to look at her, gazing into her eyes with intent, looking as if she was about to say something important... before a thunderous snarl interrupted them from below, specifically, from the green-haired girl's stomach, Emia smiled widely, amused, as Timea blushed a bit, shaking her head before releasing her from hug and slipping off her stool.

"Yeah... I'm hungry too." Emia agreed, assuming that was what Timea was going to state. "Here... give me a moment... HEY DAD!" She called through the bar, her voice loud, but not obnoxiously so.

"Yes...?" Lanister responded, his voice muffled by the walls and door separating them.

"Mind if we head into town to get some breakfast? Some of the stalls might be open." There was a moment of silence before Lanister peaked his head out of the back-room door, a list supply list in hand. He looked at Emia thoughtfully, as if considering something before looking down at the list and shaking his head.

"Do you have your allowance?"

"Yup!" Emia responded with a smile.

"Alright. Be safe and be back soon before the bar opens." He looked at Timea for a moment with a slight grin before slipping back into the back room, back to counting their supplies.

"Okay! Lets go!" Emia declared, taking the other girl's hand in hers, smiling wider than she thought she would this morning. In truth, Emia thought this morning would be exhausting, frustrating, full of extra chores with helping her dad set up shop and so EARLY too, but today was actually starting up nicely... Before they headed out the door, however, Emia noticed something about Timea... She was completely barefoot... SHE COULDN'T GO OUTSIDE WITHOUT SHOES! The gravel was merciless to bare feet!

"One second..." Emia stated, holding up a finger before she too disappeared into the store-room. As if knowing what his daughter would ask, Lanister would gesture over to the corner to where Emia would find... her old summer sandals... They still fit her, of course, but she never found a reason to wear them... it was a bit chilly for those shoes but they were the only other ones she had and Timea looked about her size... Without saying a word, Emia would slip back out with them in hand, shoving them into her friend's hands with a large smile on her face.

"Here! Put those on!" Emia said almost enthusiastically, wanting to see what the green-haired girl would look like in her sandals.

Timea looked upon Emia as she hopped of her stool and talked with Lanister who as Timea had guessed was Emia's father, She hopped down from her own chair and followed behind Emia and when she grabbed her hand she blushed a little.

-"Hmm?"

She tilted her head curiously when Emia stopped and looked down towards her feet, Timea watched as Emia went into the room where Lanister were for a little while. When she came back and placed something into her hands she was somewhat tacken aback, she looked upon her gift and realized they were sandals and when Emia told her to put them on she nodded meekly before sitting down on the floor and started to put them on. She had some trouble with tying the sandal tight but eventually got it okay, When she was done she stood up testing the feel of the sandals.

-"... We thank you"

Timea said with a happy smile as she looked into Emia's eyes with a thankfull expression, Once again she was reminded of her hunger with a low rumble from her stomach and again she blushed a little.

Emia watched as her friend tied on her new shoes, actually quite impressed with how they looked on her... It was like they were meant to fit her somehow... Now, Emia was no fashionista, but she could tell when someone looked good in something and somehow, that dirty green-haired Timea managed to look amazing... When she thanked Emia in her special way, the sanguine-eyed tainted winked sweetly at her, once again taking her hand and leading her outside once more and into the market-place.

As if for their convenience, the market wasn't exceptionally busy this morning, mostly stall-keepers setting up shop and only a few early customers exploring the wares here... That gave the two girls a bit of time away from prying eyes, especially those that would judge Timea for her withered appearance. After a moment or two of walking together Emia and Timea would come to a cal-de-sac of sorts where three stalls sat, one on each side and one in front of them. They each sold foods that could be served at breakfast, one had fruit, one had breads, the other meat and eggs... This was usually the place Emia came for her food when she was out around this time because it was cheep, it was good, and the people were nice.

"Come on, Timea! Lets get some breakfast! I'm buying." With that, she'd give her friend's hand a gentle tug before leading her through the stalls, buying up a picnic's worth of food... She wanted to show Timea a good time... It was her sacred duty as a friend after all to entertain, but also to just... make her happy... she wanted her to smile because she honestly really liked it... it brought butterflies to her stomach... After all their food was bought and tucked away, Emia would lead Timea to one last place, though an ally and up some stone stairs... to a house's flat roof that seemed to overlook the general area, large enough to house a couple of girls eating breakfast. Emia would smile as she looked over her waking world before staring off into that line that split the earth from the sky: the horizon.

"Nice view, huh?" Emia asked, before smiling at Timea, handing her an apple and than a piece of soft, sweet bread. "I love this place... its so quiet... and you can see everything..."

Timea was pulled along by Emia she just marveled about the fact that she did not need to watch her step as the sandals she had been given protected her feet from the rough ground and gravel, She kept herself behind Emia as she procured food since she did not really know what else to do.

-"..."

Timea found herself on the flat top of a house staring at the horizon still holding hands with Emia, When she was handed some food she looked upon it before gingerly taking a bite out of the bread.

-"It's sweet.."

She murmured as she chewed the bread with a happy expression on her face as she looked out over the horizon, She took a decent bite out of the apple and simply kept looking at the horizon admiring it's beauty. Personally she preferred the Moon at night but the horizon at dawn had it's own charm and beauty, she quietly continued to nibble upon the bread and remembering the sandwich that Lanister had made her last night.

Emia didn't notice until they were a little ways into their meal that she was still holding hands with Timea. It was like she had forgotten they were still intertwined and once she saw their hands still tightly coiled around each-other, Emia smiled softly, scooting a little closer to the green-haired girl and this time, leaning her head on her shoulder as they watched the sun rise together. It was a beautiful moment indeed... and for some reason, she didn't think she'd rather be anywhere else but here with this girl she'd just met.

After they were done with their breakfast, full as could be and content with their stuffed stomachs, Emia turned her gaze back over her friend, looking over the dirt... and the grime that covered her, almost like a second skin. Her expression of happiness turned to that of concern as she raised her head from her shoulder and ran a finger down Timea's arm, taking with it a long stripe of dust.

"Timea...." Emia asked. "How would you.... like to be clean?" The tainted-blood smiled softly, gently tugging her friend up as she stood. "Come on... I want to see what you look like..." And with that bit of encouragement and if there was no resistance, Emia would lead her green haired, gorgeous-eyed companion a little deeper into town to a certain large building made mostly of stone and wood... The bath house. Of course, the two would walk in, not even looked at twice by the guy that managed the desk. He simply referred them to the nearest bath on the right, informed them of the soaps and towels available and let the two go about their business... Closing the door to their bath behind them, Emia smiled softly as she began to get undressed, slipping into the bath's waters the instant she was fully free of her outfit. The water was warm, almost hot, steam rising up from it's surface. The girl was already cleaning her self off with a bar of herbal soap, looking over at her friend and grinning. What did it matter? They were both girls here.

Before Timea realized it the food had been eaten and for the first time she could remember she felt full and satisfied, She kept looking at the horizon until she felt Emia run a finger down her arm. She turned to look at the nice girl and observed her concerned expression as she seemed to be checking how dirty she was, It make Timea remember how dirty she was in comparison to Emia and in turn made almost made her feel a little bad but she did not have time for that before Emia asked her if she wanted to be clean.

-"What we look like?"

She answered with a confused expression before being dragged along and soon they came to the bath house where Emia led her through the house and past the man sitting there who said something about towels and soap, She was a little confused as she was led into a room with what seemed to be hot water.

-"Is this that bath house Lanister told us of last night?"

She asked looking around in the room in awe and when she looked back to Emia she noticed she was already naked and slipping into the hot water, She did not seem embarrased about Emia being naked but she seemed to hesitate for a second before pulling off her sandals and the rags that served as clothing revealing that it was all that she had for clothes on her. Her body was thin from lack of foodand too much running away and though her arms and legs were the most dirty on her the rest of her was pretty dirty too obscuring most of the specifics of her body, She followed Emia into the bath carefully slipping into the water not used to how warm it was.

-"It's so warm"

She said a few seconds after sitting down next to Emia not really sure what to do with the soap she had picked up from the side of the bath, Timea had no idea of how to clean herself properly and such looked at Emia as if looking to mimic how she did it.

Emia smiled strangely as Timea watched Emia go about her daily cleansing ritual with a soap-bar, completely forgetting that she had no idea what soap was, let alone what do do with it. Laughing at her own forgetfulness, Emia decided that she would show Timea how to bathe manually for her first time in forever, giving her the general idea on how to do it herself some other time.

"Okay!" Emia spoke enthusiastically, dipping the soap-bar under the water, lathering it between her fingers until mittens of suds coated her hands. She'd set the bar down on the side of the bath and smile lightly at the other girl, gently taking her shoulders in her hands. "This is how you use soap! It takes away all the dirt." She explained, gently and slowly rubbing her hands up and down Timea's arms, the suds slipping the dirt and grim away into the water, making them disappear beneath their scented mass. once Timea's arms were suitably lathered, the tainted-blood would move onto her hands, gently taking her hands and intertwining her sudsy fingers with hers, the white bubbles running over the girls' fingers, hands and wrists, leaving them suitably clean... Emia smiling strangely all the while. She still noticed that strange collar around Timea's neck, one she had neglected to take off before entering the bath... it must've meant a lot to her...

She took the soap in her hands once more dipped it under the water once again and caressed it until her hands were covered in bubbles once more, contemplating whether or not Timea would be uncomfortable with this stage of the bath.

"Uhm... I'm going to need you to stand up..." She explained, intending to help her wash her torso, thighs and so on as well... "The bubbles wash off in the water..."

Timea felt at loss when trying to mimic Emia and was about to give up on it when Emia spoke and came over to where Timea sat, she looked up at Emia when she placed her hands upon her shoulders and when she explained about soap she nodded with interest in her eyes. Being cleaned felt really good it was as if a suffocating second layer of skin had been removed on her arms, her arms free of dirt now revealed her slightly pale skin and many small scratches and bruises.

-"T-this feels nice.."

She said i a slightly timid tone as Emia was done with her arms and hands comparing when she was dirty to when she was clean was like night and day, the dirt made her look as if she had tan skin but in reality she was somewhat pale. When Emia said that she needed to stand up to wash her she simply nodded and stood up in front of her, Timea did not hide herself since she thought that would just make it hard to clean her.

-"The Soap smells good."

She said with a slight smile as she looked at her own arm in awe as if she had frogotten how she looked beneath the dirt and grime, and to think that this bath house could be entered without even having to pay at all. "Bath huh... It feels like we want to do this more in the future" thought Timea to herself lost in her own world at the moment.

"It does, doesn't it?" Emia responded to Timea's comment, standing up with her friend and wading around behind her so she could start on her back. As she began to run her hands along her seemingly tan skin, it was revealed that the dirt was what kept her skin looking this dark, revealing through the suds that she was just as pale as Emia was, if not a little more-so. The more she worked on Timea's shoulders-blades, her spine, her sides, more and more dirt fell away to reveal small scratches and bruises, evidence of a painful life... She sighed softly before returning to the other girl's front, running her sudsy fingers over her stomach in almost a ticklish manner, though Emia's face was somewhat serious.

"You had it rough, huh...?" She asked almost sadly before gently running her hands along Timea's hips, scrubbing away more dirt and revealing more minor wounds. Emia found herself feeling sadder the more she cleaned, revealing more and more pain written across the girl's body. By the time she had finished scrubbing the dirt from her front, all she wanted to do was just sit there with her in the bath and hug her, hug Timea for all the times she wasn't in her life, the times she had no one to protect her or care for her, the times where rock was her bed and dust was her water... And so she did... Once Timea was squeaky clean (besides her hair of course), Emia pulled the other girl into a hug, holding her there silently for a moment.

"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, pulling away. "I just... I wish you didn't have to be hurt like that... No one should be..."

Timea smiled as Emia cleaned her body and shivered slightly from the feeling of being clean, She was somewhat lost in the feeling and did not notice Emia's more serious expression. She opened her eyes when Emia talked to her and was about to respond to her when she was suddenly pulled into a tender hug, for a few seconds she was a little confused but hugged Emia Back and let go at the same time she did.

-"We Thank you Emia...for caring for us when others would not.."

She said with a suprisingly bright smile as she sat down next to Emia on the edge of the bath, She leaned against Emia and put her head against her shoulder. Thinking about it Timea wanted to do something for Emia but realized she had nothing to offer her, being close to her was the most she could do for Emia but Timea hoped that in the future she would be able to do something for Emia too.

-"We feel a bit better with you here..."

She said wiht a somewhat quiet voice and blushed slightly before looking away a little embarrassed.

Emia smiled softly as Timea thanked her for being there for her, for caring for her when no one else would. Of course she would! What self-respecting person wouldn't? But then... it might've been more than that... Slowly, she sat down at the side of the bath beside her friend, shivering in surprise as she felt Timea's wild hair fall across her shoulder once again as the girl laid her head atop her shoulder, scooting a little bit closer than she had that one time before. When she said that she felt better with Emia here, the brown-haired girl blushed in surprise, almost freezing, her sanguine eyes shooting down to the other girl's face... Emia slowly began to relax as she saw that she was just as nervous as she was, her own face blushed a certain shade of red as she spoke these words. Slowly, nervously, Emia wrapped an arm around the other girl's back and waist, pulling her a little bit closer in the bath. The taintedblood contemplated something... something she saw her parents do... Well, rather her father. She didn't quite understand all the mechanics or it's complete meaning... all she knew was that it meant great affection...

"T-Timea...?" Emia asked, hoping to get her attention, to turn her face her way. If she did so, Emia would slowly, gently peck Timea's forehead with her lips, holding her face there for a long moment before pulling away slowly pulling away, her face blushed red more and more by the second. Softly, if the other girl would allow, Emia would stroke her cheek with her hand, brushing her green hair out of the way so she could see her beautiful eyes.

Timea closed her eyes when Emia put her arm around her and shivered slightly from her touch, it was something she was unfamilliar with but she welcomed it. When Emia said her name she looked up at the red eyed girl and tilted her head ever so slightly as if wondering what she wanted, she blushed some more when Emia kissed her on the forehead and shyly looked back at Emia when she put her hand against her cheek.

-"..."

Timea seemed at a loss for words as she looked into Emia's eyes and just as she was about to respond to her she shifted her feet in the bath a little, she winced in pain instantly as she felt something on her foot that hurt quite a bit. She looked down into the bath before leaning back and lifting her foot above the water, it revealed that there was a small wound on the sole of her foot that had begun to bleed again from the hot water.

Emia looked into Timea's eyes with both a look of confusion... and a certainly she couldn't quite explain... When she was there with her... she didn't want to leave... Already and so soon, she had already grown so used to Timea's presence, every moment with her was one worth looking forward too... So when she kissed her head, she only wanted to be closer than before, not push her away... She wanted to hold her and never let go... Emia seemed to grow more nervous as the green-haired girl stared back at her, a darker blush flashing across her nose and cheeks. She only stared in silence, perhaps even stunned silence, but a moment later, she looked like she was going to speak... What would she say? Would she shun Emia? Would she ask for more? She didn't know where to go from here! Everything was so weird, so chaotic! She didn't know what to do!

Before any sound could escape Timea's throat however, her face seemed to scrunch up in pain as if she'd stepped on a rock. Emia's face of embarrassed anticipation morphed into concern, watching closely as Timea raised her foot out of the water, revealing a nasty gash on the sole of her foot, one that made Emia flinch herself...

"Oh... th-that looks painful..." She whispered, her face darkening... then brightening up once more as a thought passed through her mind. "One moment...." Emia quickly slipped out of the bath and went to her pile of clothes, rummaging around in their pockets for just a moment before she found what she was looking for... a small vial with a milky white substance inside... Slipping back into the bath beside her dear and wounded friend, Emia popped the cork at the top and handed it to Timea, smiling almost expectantly.

"Drink that. It'll help heal you..." This was one of 3 tonics her mother had made for her today, and was often required to always have one on her person.... but now she was giving it to Timea because she needed it... The only real side-effect was a somewhat moderate jump in hormones as the chemicals inside began coaxing the body into accelerated healing, but that only lasted until the wound was healed.... almost instantly.

Timea watched the wound on her foot in silence as a small trickle of blood dripped from the wound, When Emia left the bath she looked after her and tilted her head slightly. She observed the red eyed girl as she rummaged through the pile of her clothes with a little more than just idle curiosity in her eyes, she looked away quickly as Emia was done with her rummaging.

-"Eh?"

She was a little flustered when she was handed the vial and looked back and forth from it and Emia before nodding slightly and downing the contents of the vial in one gulp, it tasted sweet and Timea gave a smile at it's sweetness. There was a rush of warmth spreading through her body almost making her drop the empty vial into the bath, the wound on her foot closed almost instantly as it was not that big of a wound but even the scratches and bruises vanished leaving her body mostly unmarred.

-"Wh-what was that? It tasted sweet.."

Timea said as she held one hand on her forehead as she felt very hot as if having a fever, it quickly passed however and she blinked in supprise as she no longer felt the warmth from before. She looked at her foot and was clearly supprised to see that the wound was nowhere to be seen, as she reached out to touch the spot where the wound was she also noticed that her arms had no bruises or scratches either.

-"Woow..."

Emia smiled softly as she watched Timea's scratches and scars fade away, her skin back up to it's perfect shape in a matter of moments, the act of her mother's tonic at work always bringing a smile to her face. Moreso now, however, now that someone she considered her close friend was being healed up by it's magic, her surprise as well only making Emia smile a little wider. When she asked what it was, the tainted blood re-wrapped her arm around the girl, smiling at her warmly.

"Its my mom's healing tonic... She makes it to take care of wounds and sicknesses just like those..." Emia giggled lightly as Timea made a full check of her skin, stroking her foot where the gash once was, looking over her arms and shoulders for any scratches and bruises where she would find none... Emia found herself completely smitten with this little girl as she looked herself over, almost in a way a cat might, checking for any impurities in her soft, shining coat.

"There's one more thing... well... two I want to give you..." She murmured before suddenly dunking her hands under the water, taking a handful and just dumping it all over Timea's messy green hair. Emia had intended it to be a surprise, but also for the purpose of washing and straightening it, making her look even better than she already did. Emia would do it again, this time much slower so that she wouldn't recoil away, opening up her fingers over Timea's head so the water came down in almost a shower-like fashion over her hair. Once she was good and wet, Emia would start to run her fingers through Timea's messy emerald locks, making sure the water had touched each part and began working out the knots... Each time she had to push through one, she'd apologize, scooping up more water and dumping it over the other girl's head for the heat to soothe. It took a little while, perhaps longer than washing the body, but in the end, Emia scooted back a bit and smiled as she observed her handiwork... Timea looked absolutely stunning... beautiful was the only word she could use to describe it... Her hair no longer stuck out every which way, no longer had been imbued with the chaos of the streets.

"Wow..." Emia said, her cheeks burning somewhat with blush. "You.... you look so cute..." She honestly couldn't believe how much of a difference straightened, clean hair could could make on a person... Timea was already adorable to be sure but now... she took it to a whole new level.

When Emia explained about the tonic she was rapt with attention and looked at Emia with an expression of awe, Timea marveled at her now smooth skin some more before looking back at Emia with a wide smile.

-"Your mother must be a great person"

She said with a happy expression before looking at Emia with curiosity when she murmured something, Timea was certainly supprised when Emia dumped water over her head making her hair fall over her eyes and blocking her view. She was about to move away from Emia but stopped when she felt water pour over her head again but this time more gentle, she moved her hair away from her eyes just as Emia began to run her hands through her hair getting caught in knots hurting somewhat. Timea looked at Emia meekly as the red eyed girl apologized for the pain from working out the knots in her hair, a little while later she looked up as Emia stepped back from her and looked her up and down.

-"U-um.. thanks.."

She said blushing a little as Emias compliment and looking slightly sideways, she ran a hand through her own hair impressed at how silky it felt. She looked down onto the surface of the water and saw her reflection, she played around a little with her hair while looking at her reflection with a smile upon her lips.

-"Heh.. we might want to have a bath everyday"

She said with a little giggle before standing in front of Emia with a wide smile, She looked upon the red eyed girl with an expression of gratitude and happiness as she walked up to her. She placed one hand upon the other girls cheek before standing on her toes to reach and gave her a peck on the forehead as Emia had done to her not long ago, She let go of Emia and took a small step back and gave her a wide smile.

Emia blushed a little herself as Timea did, then laughed somewhat shakily as she remarked she'd want to have a bath every day.

"That's what I do!" She giggled before getting up, ready to get out of the bath and bring her to their next and final stop of their little journey... She didn't get very far however because as soon as she rose from the bath, Timea rose with her and soon found her smooth, warm hand on her cheek, gently brushing her brown hair aside. Emia nearly froze, her eyes locking onto the multi-chromatic hues of the green-haired girl as she drew closer, her lips curled into a gentle grin. Slowly, Time rose, standing on the balls of her feet as her lips made very gentle contact with her forehead, pushing against it with only the slightest of pressure before she took a step back and smiled widely. Emia found herself smiling warmly herself, so warmly, one thought she was a conduit for the sun... she slowly raised a hand and took Timea's in hers, softly pressing it against her cheek with a little more force than before, an electric feeling coursing through her skin at Timea's mere touch...

"Timea... Uhm... I..." A swift blush splashed across her face as she tried to put her emotions into words, breaking her gaze with the girl and, instead, stared down at the water up to their upper thighs. "I... I know w-we only got to know each other today.... B-but.... uhm...." She fidgeted with her free hand, her sanguine gaze now flicking over to Timea's... Slowly, if she let her, Emia would take her other hand and bring Timea's from her cheek, holding both between them. "B-but... I like you... I do... M-maybe m-more than.... than like...."

-"Hmmm?"

Timea tilted her head a little when Emia started to speak and listened to her curiously, She was a little confused about why Emia was acting so fidgety all of a sudden.  She looked down at where they held hands and her eyes stopped to look at Emia's chest, Her eyes lingered for a while before looking down at her own chest and she somehow felt a heavy feeling but she did not know why.

-"More than like?"

She said tilting her head to the other side and looked at Emia with a confused expression on her face, Timea wondered about what Emia meant with "more than like" was there something more? Her body shivered some from being out of the warm water but resisted sitting down again.

Emia couldn't help but blush a deeper shade of red as Timea's eyes flicked down to her chest, seeming to stare at them inquisitively before looking down at her smaller variants, but still just as precious. Emia wouldn't even pretend that she didn't take a look at Timea before while she was washing her... Even if she lacked any... obvious features like Emia had, She was still the cutest, and perhaps the most beautiful girl Emia had ever seen and found that she didn't ever want to let her go... In fact, she wanted to be closer... Timea's obliviousness to what Emia was implying didn't exactly boost her confidence either. She found herself barely able to maintain eye-contact with those gorgeous multi-colored eyes of hers, resisting the erg to stroke the other girl's hips and rear with her gaze.

"I.... I love you, okay...?" She confessed, forcing her emotions into a mold that may or may not fit what she was trying to convey. Perhaps her emotions would fit better with the description of "lust", but then... that wouldn't quite fit either. What she felt was far deeper than some simple, passionate attraction... She just didn't have the confidence to know for sure if it was that extra level up.

"I... love you..." She felt Timea's body shiver as they two of them stood out of the warm bath, their bodies both craving the heat only the water could provide. "Y-you're just so sweet... cute... precious... I... I w-want to be with you... for as long as I can..." Softly, Emia would lean in, her lips ever so gently pressing against Timea's pale cheek, too nervous to take it the next step forward. If Timea would allow it, Emia would then take one hand from one of Timea's and wrap it around her lower back, hugging the other girl closer to her, but still allowing her to look into her eyes.

Timea listened to Emia with interest as she said that she loved her, her expression changed a little to one of confusion. She shivered a little from the warmth of Emia's body as she was kissed on the cheek and Emia hugging her closer, She looked into Emia's eyes and felt a little strange as if something was fluttering in her gut as her head got a little warm.

-"Love? What is Love?"

She asked and looked back into the other girls red eyes with a slight blush on her cheeks, Timea could not really put a finger on the feelings that rolled around in her body even though she felt strange she was not afraid of the feelings but she did not understand them.

Emia's own expression turned into one of confusion herself as Timea's response to her actions was to ask what love was... Oh boy... this was going to be a challenge for the young tainted-blood as she barely had an understanding as to what it was herself and now she had to teach it to the girl she had feelings for... The brown-haired girl's own cheeks blushed as she contemplated how exactly to explain it, to tell Timea in such a way that wouldn't scare her off.

"Um... Love is... its... its when you care about someone... when you want to protect them..." She smiled nervously, hoping she was making sense. "It's when you look at someone and you get this... feeling in your stomach and it won't go away... It's when... you look into their eyes.. and find it hard to look away." As if to emphasize her last point, Emia never once took her eyes off the girl she held in her arms. Her gaze grew more intense... warmer.

"I-It's when.. You hold someone this close and don't want to let them go..."

Timea lookied into the eyes of Emia as she tried to explain to her what love is, She was nut really sure she understood it all and by the looks of Emia she did not seem to fully understand it either. But as the red eyed girl hugged her closer she could feel the warm feeling in her gut spread through her body and her head got a little hotter as her blush spread upon her cheeks, it was hard looking away from the other girls eyes and truth be told Timea did not want to look away.

-"..."

She could not find any words and even if she had she was not sure she could speak, She just could not bring out any sounds as if they got stuck in her throat. Timea embraced Emia softly as she pressed her body against the other girl, She closed her eyes as she placed her forehead against Emia's own and smiled softly. She was unsure whether this would be a good answer but she felt it was right to her self, it was also the only answer she could give as she still did not truly understand the feelings she had right now.

Emia held the girl as tight as she could without causing any kind of pain, her grip suddenly loosening however as she felt the green-haired girl's body press against her own, tighter than before, their skin slick from the bath surrounding them though the water seemed to fade into non-importance for Emia.... Timea was all that mattered to her. Slowly, Timea closed her eyes and leaned in, Emia's face blushing about as much as hers, anticipating a kiss or something similar before she felt the girl's forehead gently tap hers, the pressure increasing but only slightly before coming to a rest a moment later. There the two girls stood in the bath, wrapped up in each other's arms, warmed only by their own heat shared between them. Slowly, Emia's own eyes began to flutter shut, as she barely shifted, just enough to adjust herself as she returned the very slight pressure between their foreheads, sharing a moment that compared to one shared by a kiss.

A little while would pass before Emia would pull her head away, gently and slowly, at first, not wanting to break their embrace. She softly raised a hand from around Timea's waist where she held her, up to the girl's pale cheek, smiling as gently, but also as happily as she could without her girl splitting her face in half. In truth, she was having difficulty speaking herself. Timea was just so cute... so gentle and soft, so... vulnerable... She never wanted to let her go from this point in time... She just wanted to hold her... to stand there with Timea forever... Unfortunately, life was not so simple and they REALLY needed to get back to her father. Lanister was probably pacing back and forth in his bar, waiting for the two kids to come home and the only reason he wasn't doing it right now (even if he got fired from his job for doing so) was because of some minor confidence he had that the two got side-tracked. Probably. Emia BELIEVED her father would be so mad with them when they got back... and go back they must...

"Hey..." She whispered, rubbing Timea's cheek with the slightest of pressure. "We need to get back to dad... Ready to go...?" If she agreed, Emia would smile before leaning in and placing a kiss on Timea's forehead, staying in their embrace for only a moment longer before pulling away once more, almost immediately craving to be in Timea's arms again... Still, through these trying times Emia persevered, drying herself off as she stepped out of the tub with a nearby towel, offering to do the same for her friend should she ask for it. From there, Emia would get dressed, or at least begin to before she stopped, looking at Timea strangely... the last thing she wanted was for her to end up ruining her bath by wearing that old thing but there was little they could do... besides GET HER NEW CLOTHES! Emia's face brightened as this idea popped into existence, waiting for Timea to (barely) get dressed before reaching out and taking her hand, her fingers intertwined with hers.

"Lets get you something beautiful!" Emia declared, grabbing their stuff and making their way to their last stop before home: the clothing booth. He was not far from the bath-house at all, in fact, he was right out side. She figured the reason they didn't notice him before was because he hadn't set up shop yet.

"Welcome!" He greeted them before going back to organizing his various articles of clothing on their respective shelves. Immediately Emia's eyes scanned the various shirts and pants for anything Timea might look good in before she stopped and looked over at the girl who stole her heart.

"See anything you like?" She asked.

Timea's breath grew steady and her heart calmed down as they simply stood there in the bath embracing eachother, She slowly opened her eyes when Emia pulled away a little and looked up on her calmly. She leaned into Emia's hand when she placed it on her cheek and closed her eyes cutely, When Emia let go of her and got out of the tub Timea followed suit and mimicked her friend with her own towel and dried herself off.

-"Yeah.."

She still had quite the blush on her face from both the warm bath and the closeness that the two had shared mere moments ago, She looked over the dirty sheet of cloth she regarded as her clothes with an indifferent expression before putting it on and then sitting down to put on her precious sandals. Not long after her hair had started to dry it slowly started to become frizzy and unruly all by itself and it was only a matter of time until all of her hair would become like that as if unruly and messy was her hair's natural state, As she got her sandals on she stood up only to be pulled by the hand again but she willingly followed Emia.

-"Eh? S-something we like?"

She answered to Emia's question while looking around on the clothes in the shop with wide eyes as she was awed by all the garments on display, she looked around some more and even let go of Emia's hand as she walked around in the shop untill she stopped in a corner of the store. Timea's gaze rested upon a small simpl plain sundress it was blue like the sky and the hem of the dress was a cloudy white colour, the dress had no special things about it and it was only made of a normal fabric but for some reason Timea found herself drawn to the dress as she reached out and felt the fabric with her fingertips.

-"... It looks like the sky..."

Emia wasn't offended in the least when Timea let go of her hand to explore. In fact, while she did, the tainted followed suit, looking about at the different scarves, skirts and specifically sandals on sale, looking of a pair to replace on her next month's allowance. Every couple of moments, though, Emia glanced back at her friend to see how she was doing, if she had found anything worthy of her, though for the first few times, she was still thoroughly checking. About the 5th or 6th time, Emia looked at Timea to find that she was somewhat entranced by a cloudy white hemmed blue sundress when there were far more beautiful garments around. That was not to say that Timea would not look good in this (as she would look good in anything), but Emia was simply surprised by her choice. The red-eyed girl walked up behind Timea, leaning her head over her shoulder to get a better look at the dress she was eying, but also to get a glance at her expression. She looked entranced... enraptured almost by the dress as if it spoke to her... told her things. That was reason enough for Emia to buy this for her, was it not? She wanted to see that gorgeous-eyed girl smile once more.

"You like it, huh...?" She smiled, glancing at Timea from over her shoulder before taking a step back and addressing the cashier.

"Do you mind if we try this on?" She asked. The man nodded before going back to his work, leaving the two girls alone with that answer. "I guess he means yes..." Emia gestured towards the back of the shop where a changing room awaited, most eager to see Timea in her new dress... No doubt it would be better than what she had on now.

"Ready to try it on...?" Emia asked, winking lightly.

Timea looked upon the dress until she heard Emia talk to her and thus looked at the red eyed girl, Did she like this dress? Yes she did very much so actually. When Emia asked her if she was ready to try it on she nodded silently with a excited expression before picking up the dress and going into the dressing room, the tattered cloth she had been wearing almost flew off from her as she undressed and revealed her naked body.

-"..."

She held up the dress in front of herself and looked at it for a few moments before carefully putting it on, she had a little trouble getting it on but she eventually got it right and when she did she took more than a few moments simply reveling in the feeling of actual clothes. She blushed slightly as she stepped out of the dressing booth and stood in front of Emia with a shy expression on her face.

-"How... how do we look?"

Emia waited outside the changing room patiently, wondering what exactly Timea would look like in her new dress... She already knew Timea was cute, and beautiful on her own and the dress was all that and a bag of chips but would the two go together...? Obviously she thought so, but she wasn't really an expert on fashion... One thing was for certain, though and that was that she couldn't wait to see her adorable friend in her new dress.

After a few minutes, Emia was starting to grow impatient. It wasn't as if she was getting frustrated, but the anticipation was killing her. She wanted to see her now... she wanted to see what she looked like before the ideas in her head got too far out of control... Slowly, shakily, she raised a hand to the wooden door but before she could even knock, it swung open... revealing the gorgeous sight of Timea in her beautiful blue dress...

It looked as if she were wearing the sky herself with clouds woven into the lining. She looked like a goddess, if a meek one, asking how she looked in the most adorable way of communicating. At first, Emia didn't have an answer. She was in awe, dumbstruck, surprised and other words that mean the same thing.

"I... wow, Timea..." She whispered, taking a step closer and to observe her from all angles... The dress brought out her best in curves and lines, but not in a revealing sense. It was pleasant, not really arousing and somehow that got Emia regardless... perhaps the way she wore it.

"You... you're beautiful..." With that, she blushed... hard... she couldn't help it. Perhaps it was the way she said it, the gravity in her voice, the way she stressed that word of beauty or perhaps it was the fact that she wanted to say more, to praise her appearance to the high heavens...

"Uhm...." She muttered, looking back towards the cashier who was now behind the desk. "L-lets go pay for it..." If Timea grabbed her old "clothes", Emia would walk with her up to the counter and pay what was on the price tag, surprised by how much of a BITE it took out of her remaining allowance... They'd have some explaining to do when they got home... They'd walk outside together, but Emia would stop her a few steps back outside the shop, pulling the girl into a loving hug, one hand wrapping around her mid-back, the other wrapping up and placing a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair.

"I'm so happy to know you..." she whispered before pulling away and gently pressing her forehead to Timea's in their own special way, but this time her eyes weren't closed... she was staring right into hers.

Timea tilted her head slightly when Emia was silent and worried that it did not look good on her, But she breathed in relief when she complimented her and got closer to look at her. Her blush grew more intense as she felt Emia's gaze sweeping over her form but somehow it also made her feel warm all over, she went back into the changing room and picked up her old rags when Emia asked if they should pay for the dress before following her to the counter.

-"..."

Timea had not really processed all that had happened yet and followed Emia as they went outside but when she stopped and got hugged her mind started to catch up, Many thoughts ran through her mind and she even got a little scared that she had acted as if she had taken the clothes and Emia's money for granted and many other similar thoughts made her almost panic. "I'm so happy to know you..." Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes grew wide as she looked at Emia as she put her forehead against her own, Timea's worries melted away when she looked into Emia's eyes and her eyes began to tear up.

-"T-thank you.. thank you so much."

Warm tears rolled down her cheeks as she smiled and embraced Emia tightly as she kept thanking Emia through her crying, She was thankfull to Emia who had shown her such selflessness and love Timea would likely never be able to repay her for showing her these things but she was sure gonna try.

Emia looked worried when tears started to roll down Timea's cheeks, wondering if she had done something wrong or if she had upset her special person in some way... but then a small smile began to form on her lips as she thanked her over and over, her arms tightening around Emia as she returned her hug as much as she could. Emia couldn't help but tear up herself, holding the green-haired, gorgeous-eyed girl as close to her as she did, the two of them sharing another moment together that Emia wouldn't ever forget.

"It's okay..." she murmured, pulling away just enough to stare into Timea's eyes. Softly, she traced the area around the green-haired girl's lids with her thumb, brushing away any tears of joy that still marked her face. Emia was smiling too, a warm, loving smile that told Timea that she'd never leave her. Slowly, she'd lean in and kiss the girl her forehead before taking her hand from behind her head and gently cupping her cheek as she had a little while before. She kept thinking that there was no possible way Timea could get more cute than she already was and each time, Emia was proven wrong... It was actually rather impressive that she kept surpassing her ever rising expectations... it made her even more adorable...

"It's okay..." She repeated softly, staring into those multi-colored eyes of hers... those eyes that seemed to draw hers in like a vortex of emotions. Emia softly moved her hand from Timea's cheek down to her hand, intertwining their fingers before raising them together as if to show them to her. She smiled warmly as she did this but she eventually lowered them, gesturing with her head back in the direction of the bar.

"Ready to go...?" She spoke, her voice soft and smooth.

Tears kept rolling down Timea's cheeks when Emia reassured her it was okay, but they dried up quickly when Emia brushed them away with her tumbs and she blushed as the red eyed girl kissed her on the forehead. When Emia grasped her hand and intertwined their fingers she gently squeezed her hand while smiling brightly.

-"Yes."

She answered with a nod gave Emia a big happy grin as she took place beside her precious friend while she used her other hand to wipe away the wetness on her face from crying, Timea would follow Emia wherever she took her even if in the very back of her mind she held some caution but such was only natural for her damaged mind. At this point Timea's hair had almost returned to it's natural unruly and frizzy state making her hair look much like before but with all the dirt gone it actually looked kinda good.

Emia smiled as Timea did, the two of them sharing a wide grin before heading off in the direction of the bar for real this time... At this point, Emia didn't care if her father was worried or angry, if she grounded her or punished the red-eyed girl in any way. Nothing was going to ruin such a wonderful day... not for her and certainly not for Timea. Speaking of her... Every so often, the tainted-blood would look over at her and grin, sometimes surprised with how drastic a change she had made since this morning... Why, only a little while ago she was covered in mud and wearing a dingy piece of cloth as her only article of clothing... Now, she was clean, her skin smooth, almost pure, and that she wore the most beautiful sundress she had ever seen. In addition, while her hair had naturally taken to it's wild, unruly state, with it so clean and shiny in combination with her dress... it looked great. She was gorgeous... Emia couldn't help but smile each time she looked upon her because each time, she saw the transformation of a girl who once lived on the streets with no one to look after her to a girl that now had a home (in a bar, but it was still a home) and now had a friend that would do almost anything for her.

It wasn't long until they returned to the bar, Emia surprised that there wasn't as much noise or drunken singing as she was used to. Granted, the clinking of mugs and the clanking of tankards could be heard inside, but it was very slow-pace... passive almost... today must've been a slow day... Pushing open the door, Emia would lead her friend inside, observing that her conclusion was correct... The place wasn't even half full and those inside were drinking their liquor sparingly, almost sips, attempting to make it last...

At least, that's what it looked like. Meanwhile, Lanister was at his post, wiping down the counter in such a way it seemed as if he was drying to pick up every last crumb, drop and speck off the wooden surface lest they defile it permanently. It was a way to relieve stress, but also alleviate boredom, at least for him. Now...? It seemed that he was using it for both those purposes... Movement near the door caught his eye and he raised his gaze to see his daughter standing there. He smiled and opened his mouth to say something, but then he noticed the green-haired girl beside her, grinding his words to a halt. At first he didn't recognize her... She wasn't dirty enough, wore something fit for the rich and her hair was so much cleaner... It was when he looked into her eyes, saw their unique color to he realize just who this girl was... Timea and she cleaned herself up nicely... No doubt aided by his daughter who came up to the bar, pulling up a stool for her and her friend. From the looks of things, it appeared as if the two got along famously. He quietly laughed internally. He WAS right.

"Welcome back, you two!" He greeted, reaching out a hand to ruffle Emia's hair. "How was your time?"

"Good, dad!" Emia spoke, looking over at Timea with a warm gaze, Lanister following her eyes to the girl he'd let in. He waited for her response before continuing with his questions.

"Have you two been getting along?" He asked. By the looked Emia gave alone, it was clear what the answer was but he couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah!" Emia responded enthusiastically. "We had a lot of fun!" Her lips curled into a wide smile. Lanister's own grin grew tainted with speculation.

"What about you?" He asked, looking at Timea. "What do you think of Emia?"

Timea did not loose her cheery attitude one bit when they walked through the town back towards the bar, but as they neared the in she got a little shy as she heard the noise comming from the bar and kept herself behind Emia almost as if to hide a little behind her. Timea followed Emia to the bar and hopped up on the chair next to hers, When Lanister spoke he looked up at him with a happy expression on her face.

-"We had a great time"

She said with a cheery voice as she looked over to Emia and nodded in agreement that they had a lot of fun, When Lanister asked her about what she thought about Emia she lightly scratched her cheek on the end of the scar she had there before looking up at Lanister wiht a big smile.

-"We Love Emia."

She said with a bright voice and gave Lanister a wide smile, Timea was not embarrassed to say it because she did not fully understand it but Emia had told her that she loved her and Timea was pretty sure that she also loved Emia.

Lanister smiled as Timea reaffirmed what Emia had stated that the two of them had a good time. However, it was what she said next that made the tainted stop. She stated that she "loved" her... Lanister set down the rag he was using to wash the counter and took a good look at the girl before him... She wasn't shying away in the least as she said this... her face wasn't flushed red, she didn't hesitate for a moment... The only conclusion he could draw was that either this girl was so confident in her love she had no hesitations what-so-ever... or she didn't know what love was or what it meant. Either way, he glanced over at his daughter who seemed to be in the complete opposite state.

Emia was a wreck, her face so red it might as well have been steaming, shaking in her seat as if hypothermia had set in. She was taken completely off guard by Timea's complete admittance to the fact she loved her back and also the fact she would say it to her DAD of all people! The things he would say... he might not even let them see each other again! What would she do!? But that didn't stop her from wrapping an arm around Timea's sides, pulling her close even as she trembled in embarrassment and fear.

Lanister watched the two's contrasting responses with a silent gaze, his expression changing to one of a thinking neutrality. What should he do...? This was the first time something like this had happened to him, where he had to look out for his daughter in THIS way... Of course, like most parents, Lanister's first response was to become hostile, his parental instincts taking over like wild-fire... His second instinct, though was much more controlled... While he wasn't overly happy with this turnout at all, bringing the two of them together as friends and ONLY friends, he couldn't help but appreciate what was going on... The same thing happened between him and Nevayah and the two of them were still deeply in love all those years later. In the end, he made a silent decision... He was going to watch them... They were still young... children really, and he had to make sure nothing too... extreme happened on either side but beyond that, he wasn't going to interfere.

"Oh really?" He responded with a light smile, leaning on his elbows before reaching out with a hand to ruffle Emia's hair again, getting her attention. When she looked up, she was met with a kindly grin from her father, one that took away most of her embarrassment and her blush. Emia leaned her head on Timea's shoulder, Lanister watching the action with a certain minor intensity before his eyes flicked back up to Timea's. "I love her too, you know. She's my kid." He grinned a little wider, causing Emia to blush a bit deeper. "But in all seriousness, is there anything I can get you two to drink? This is a bar after all."

"W-water..." Emia responded, Lanister silently snickering as he pulled out a glass from under the counter (two if Timea wanted something as well). After getting the two their drinks, Lanister would return to his cleaning of other glasses on the other side his bar, making sure they was crystal clean... He was really gunning for the promotion.... But also leaving the two alone so they could talk more naturally. His presence would only be an inhibitor after all.

Emia would turn to face her friend, wondering whether she should be angry or if she should cry... Heck, she might do both of those things... In the end, however, she only let out a soft laugh, feeling more comfortable that they were relatively alone again.

"I love you too..." She sighed, holding her friend close.

Timea was somewhat confused by the silence of both Lanister and Emia after that she had said she loved Emia, her gaze moved between the two until Emia hugged her close making Timea blush a little but otherwise leaning onto Emia with a sweet smile. Timea followed Lanisters hand with her eyes when he reached out and ruffled Emia's hair, she began wondering how it would feel to have her own hair ruffled gently like that but focused back on Lanister when he spoke to her.

-"Water"

She said almost at the same time as Emia with a bright smile and leaned onto Emia some more, When she turned to her and told Timea that she loved her again a blush spread on her face and she relaxed a little in her embrace. Timea reached out and picked up her glass of water and took a big mouthful of it using the straw, while drinking she thought back on the events of the day and also the wonderfull breakfast she had shared with her close friend.

-"We are glad we came to this bar last night..."

She said in a soft voice as she put back the glass onto the counter and looked over towards Lanister who was the one who had let her sleep in the bar and then introduced her to Emia.

Emia couldn't stop smiling as Timea leaned into her a bit more as they both ordered their drinks, the same thing at the same time. When Emia reciprocated the green-haired girl's statement and saw Timea's blush, Emia couldn't help but snicker, tempted to pull the other girl into the same seat and sit with her. Though that would certainly be a post perilous task for everyone involved, Emia would be willing to take that risk were there nobody else around... especially her dad... Speaking of him, the young tainted noticed that there was a distinct lack of ice that came in her cup, a fact that bothered Emia to the extreme. Her dad knew how she liked her water! When she says "Water" she expects there to be ice in her cup! Is that unreasonable? No... What was was that her dad made this into a quiet little joke between them. That one accident that day when her dad forgot her ice... that day where she maaaaybe overreacted too much and caused a scene... that was now a gag between her and her dad, Lanister seemingly testing his daughter to see if she'd be baited... Well... not this time... Huffing frustratedly, Emia reached out and took her cup in her free hand, interrupted by Timea's remark before she could do anything. Suddenly, then anger melted of Emia's face as she spoke, letting out a soft sigh of contentment.

"I'm glad too..." She agreed, gently squeezing Timea's side in an effort to tickle her. Snickering, Emia brought her cup to her lips but before she tilted it back to get to the water itself, a light wave of frost washed over the cup, some of the water freezing over into ice within... Granted, it wasn't perfect cubes... but it was ice... Emia still hadn't gotten that good with her minor magical talent yet... not yet... She hadn't had the time to practice with aesthetics... Smiling nervously, she'd look over at Emia as she put her cup back on the table.

"Do you want ice with that...?" She asked, laughing, trying to imagine herself as a waitress.

Timea closed her eyes and giggled a little bit when Emia tickled her and squirmed a little against the red eyed girl, when Emia used magic she could physically feel it and it made her gut feel like it froze and tightened. Fear gripped her heart as she stared at the ice in Emia's cup, she did not want to hold such fear towards Emia who had been so nice and selfless to her but she could not help fearing those using magic.

-"...Is.. is E-emia a m-mage?"

She stuttered as if she was terribly afraid all of a sudden, she had suddenly started to break out in a cold sweat she asked and looked timidly at Emia. She did not however move away from Emia she wanted to at least belive in her that much, Timea hoped with all her being that Emia had nothing to do with any mages.

Emia snickered a little herself as Timia squirmed in her grasp, encouraging her to tickle the green-haired girl some more, though she stopped lest it get too competitive. When she froze her drink a bit and asked her friend if she wanted hers chilled as well, Timea's expression completely changed, becoming fearful to the point of breaking into a cold sweat. Emia could feel it on her own skin as she held her friend, Timea's increased pulse, her quicker breathing, the sweat on her skin but mostly that terrified look in her eyes as if Emia had just threatened her life... At first, Emia didn't understand why she was acting this way, what she did to make her friend become so terrified but then... when she stuttered out if she was a mage did it all click with the young tainted.... Emia thought back to the story Timea told her about her life, how she had been enslaved to a mage, how she had gotten that scar across her cheek and jaw because of that mage... She must be fearful of mages because of how they treated her and by extension, magic! Emia couldn't help but feel horribly guilty for bringing that kind of fear upon her, for unknowingly making her fear her like she was her enemy... If Timea let her, Emia would gently set down her drink on the counter and pull her closer onto her stool (stools meant for much larger men), gently pulling her into her lap so that now Emia sat behind her. Emia looked into Timea's eyes with sincerity, but also with a warm, gentle look designed to soothe the other girl.

"No..." She stated, wrapping her arms around Timea's stomach, gently resting her cheek on her shoulder. "I am no mage.... I just know a little magic is all...

Timea was trying her best to calm down as she looked at Emia's expression and it looked like something clicked in her mind after a few moments, Timea twitched a little when Emia pulled her onto her lap but she did not resist. She was still like a frightened little animal even though she tried her best not show it, She looked back at Emia as best she could from where she sat and saw only warm feelings. The icy feeling in her gut melted away slowly and her shaking stopped as she leaned back onto Emia, She listened to Emia in silence and softly leaned her head against Emia's own.

-"S...sorry for getting scared.."

She said almost whispering as she placed one hand on one of Emia's hands that was around her stomach, She smiled slightly and looked foward not really focusing her gaze upon anything in particular.

As Emia held Timea in her arms, she felt her shaking, her fear... the way she seemed to hesitate when she pulled her into her lap... One might've thought Emia was some kind of bear, wolf or other intimidating clawed animal with a green-haired bunny in her grasp, the poor thing quaking and shivering as if to plead not to die. When Timea's eyes met hers, all she'd see was the warmth in the tainted's eyes and her shivering would slowly come to a stop, her fear slowly fading away as well. Emia smiled softly as the green-haired girl leaned into her chest as she held her, gently resting her head on hers as the two sat together, as content as could be. When Timea apologized for getting scared, Emia merely chuckled before letting out a soft sigh, her warm breath running down Timea's shoulder and chest.

"It's okay..." She murmured, her skin tingling somewhat as the other girl placed her and around Emia's as she held her stomach. For a short while, the two just sat together, staring ahead into the empty space before them, enjoying each-other's warmth like it was the only thing they needed. After a bit, Emia would let out another soft sigh of contentment before lifting her head a bit, gazing into Timea's eyes as best as she could from this angle.

"A-are you uncomfortable...?" She asked, just realizing she never asked Timea what she thought about sitting here like this. She was so timid... not voicing her opinions on things unless asked and now she could help feeling as if she was imposing this on her dear Timea.

"Do... do you want me to let you go...?"

Timea smiled happily when Emia told her it was okay and relaxed a bit more as she leaned onto the red eyed girls chest, Though if Emia could use magic then maybe she could help her with her problem but Timea decided to leave that for when it was necessary. When Emia asked if she was uncomfortable  she looked back at her friend with a confused expression and when she asked if she wanted to let go of her she tilted her head a little, After only a few seconds she smiled softly before looking back fowards and leaning more onto Emiaand placed both her hands onto the hands wrapped around her.

-"No.."

Her answer was as simple as it was meaningful and she blushed a little bit as she remembered what Emia had said about love back at the bath-house, She leaned her head back and looked up at the ceiling as she relaxed in Emia's embrace.

Emia nodded softly when Timea stated that she wasn't uncomfortable NOR did she want her to stop... She simply leaned back further into Emia's chest, causing her to blush and apparently the green-haired girl as well because that's what they seemed to do together... Timia leaned her head back and, coincidentally, this caused her face to rest right besides Emia's, their pale, blushing cheeks gently brushing each other as the sweet, dress-wearing girl stared up into the ceiling. Emia couldn't help but blush more the moment their cheeks touched, perhaps one of the closest contacts the two of them ever shared. Her eyes fell on her friend's as they sat there in each-other's arms and soon... Emia found herself shifting even closer... Somehow... she wasn't quite satisfied with the way she was holding her, their shared warmth not quite enough... the room felt colder... she felt colder... and she craved Timea's body-heat. Maybe... maybe she was getting sick or something... When she had a fever, she often was overwhelmed with chills but this... this was far less agonizing... Her body didn't ache... she just needed Timea's warmth...

With a slight squeak, one barely auiable, even to Timea, the younger Tainted would softly nuzzle under Timea's jaw where she leaned back, her cheek and (to a lesser extent) her lips gently pressed against her throat. A lot of blood passed by the throat and that meant a lot of warmth... Emia's breath gently slipped over Timea's skin like a ghost, ticking her pale flesh as it made it's way down her chest, stopping where here dress cut off it's journey. Timea was so warm... so soft... She wondered if she was always this way...

Timea smiled when she felt her cheek touch Emia's cheek and she leaned slightly against Emia thus squishing their cheeks together, She blushed a little more when Emia got even closer to her but she closed her eyes and relaxed even more in Emia's embrace. She could feel it when Emia shivered and opened her eyes to look back at Emia and was a little confused as Emia did not look cold at all, she craned her neck a little when Emia nuzzled against her neck.

-"You're so warm Emia.."

She said as she looked away from Emia for a little as she looked out over the bar just to make sure everything was alright, She looked at Lanister for a moment before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath just before her stomach made a small cute rumble. Timea looked down at her tummy before giggling a little bit amused at the sound her stomach had made.

Emia blushed as Timea quietly made the comment that she was so warm, only causing the girl to bury her face deeper into the girl's neck.

"So're you..." She whispered, holding her a little tighter as if she was the only thing anchoring the little green-haired girl to the world....


(Little bit of a timeskip)

Hours had passed and no it was time to pack up and go home.... for Lanister. Emia had BEGGED her to stay over here on night, one night to have a sleep over with her friend and, with much bargaining and arguments made... he eventually obliged... Now, were it Izayah and a friend of his, then that would've been a COMPLETELY different story... They were just so... energetic... defiant... and he didn't exactly trust the state of his bar with them... With Timea and Emia though... they were both so gentle and sweet.... He honestly believed they would be safe within it's walls, especially sense there were only two exits: The front door and the servant's exit through the store-room downstairs... He himself had tried to pick both locks and made no headway and Lanister was forced to do such things all the time as a slave...

He had set up a smaller bedroll for Emia out of blankets in the store-room besides Timea before waving goodbye and leaving the two alone...

It was late in the evening and Emia took the other girl's hand, intertwining her fingers with hers before scooting off the stool. The poor girl was tired... Exhausted really, the craving of sleep gnawing at her mind. If Timea would let her, Emia would gently tug her friend off the stool behind her and lead her behind the bar, smiling wearily at her. Perhaps especially in low light, Timea never looked more cute...

"So... What do you want to do now...?" She asked before gently kissing her scarred cheek.

While Emia had bargained with her father Timea had simply stood by passively staying relatively silent, of course she did want to spend more time with Emia but she was a shy girl and did not want to make herself a bother. She was happy that Emia had gotten to stay the night with her sleeping next to eachother would surely make Timea calm, She calmly followed Emia when she led her to where they would be sleeping and blushed when she was kissed on the cheek.

-"You look like you need sleep Emia"

She said with a little giggle and looked over to the two bedrolls with an equally tired expression as Emia, Just as Timea was about to take a step foward small glimmers of light started to appear on her arm slowly forming irregular arcane patterns. Timea quickly noticed them and an expression of fear coloured her face as she almost in a panic looked over to Emia, She closed her eyes and looked as if she was concentrating hard and slowly the patterns of light vanished and when the last one went away Timea breathed out before falling on her butt panting heavily.

"So do you, Timea." Emia retorted, giggling as well as she followed her friend's gaze toward their bedrolls. Before they could make their way there, however, Timea suddenly began to glow... rather, symbols that appear on her arms began to grow, symbols that formed complex and unreadable patterns across her skin in such ways that the taintedblood had never seen! Sure, she had seen summoning circles and pentagrams... such things were in the arcane beginner books her mom and dad had bought her to read but these... they were on a whole other other level.

Timea's reaction didn't help much either... Her face flashed with fear, yes, but it was a familiar fear... like she knew exactly what was going on... Emia couldn't move as she watched her friend battle the spontaneous swarm of symbols internally, concentrating and supposedly forcing the magic away... When they all disappeared, the little green-haired girl let out a breath before falling back on her behind and Timea was right there beside her, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"What was that!?" She demanded, staring into the gorgeous eyes of the girl she loved.

Timea shivered in both exhaustion and fear while being embraced by Emia but when the red eyed girl looked at her and asked her for what just happened she took a deep breath to calm herself, Her nerves settled down a bit and Timea pulled up her knees and hugged them to her chest before looking back at Emia.

-"It's the reason we have this.."

She said gesturing towards the metal collar on her neck before continuing after another deep breath to calm down, Timea was scared beyond her wits she had thought that she would not overcharge this soon she thought that it was way too soon.

-"We... we almost overcharged.. we.."

She dared not keep that thought the thought of what would have happened if Timea had been unable to hold back what would have happened to her beloved Emia, Timea started to shiver all over again but this time she was also crying.

-"When the.. markings cover us it brings us pain, things around us shatter and people die around us... we were able to hold back now but it's going to be harder next time..."

She said looking at her own trembling hands still not calm from what just happened, Timea had some rough knowledge about what was going on in her body but did not know the details and such had trouble explaining her condition.

The little green-haired girl quaked Emia's arms, her knees pulled up to her chest as her body cried out against the exertions she had suffered... She looked so fragile... The way she sat there and shook, almost like a leaf falling from a tree... Emia only held her tighter as she noticed the fear upon her face, almost like she had barely escaped something horrible... Timea glanced up at her, saying something about over-charging... Emia looked down at her precious little green-haired girl as tears welled up in her eyes, the taintedblood doing all she could to comfort her friend... She softly raised a finger to her eyes, wiping away her tears, held her as close as she could without it being uncomfortable or painful... she even softly kissed Timea's forehead in an effort to ward away her sorrow... nothing seemed to work...

"It's okay, Timea..." Emia whispered soothingly but she had no idea if it even was... "It's okay...."

The little girl explained that the markings that had covered her... when they appear, they bring her pain... that things "shattered" and people died all around her... Emia's eyes widened in shock as she heard this, especially since she claimed it would be harder to hold it back next time... There would be a next time? Did this happen to her all the time... The tainted-blood's heart broke as she saw Timea cry in her arms, her hands trembling, her body shaking.... she seemed to be falling apart right there on the floor of the tavern...

"Timea..." Emia whispered, gently taking her shaking hands in hers, intertwining their fingers, a soft glow of magic floating all around their bodies. Emia released a light pulse of soothing magic, one that was designed to relax someone, both mentally and physically... She couldn't stand to see Timea cry... not at all... And so... Emia would do the most bold thing she had ever done...

Emia leaned in slowly, gently squeezing Timea's hands for assurance, searching her eyes for anything that would indicate hesitation... Before she closed the distance and their lips touched... It wasn't much of a kiss really... Nothing to look at but it meant so much... Emia kissed Timea gently, softly, not having much experiance with the act at all so it might've even been WRONG for all she knew... She found herself enraptured in the act, her eyes slowly closing as she pushed a little deeper, kissing Timea a little more passionately, though she could break away at any time.

Timea did not stop her shaking even after all Emia did to try and calm her even when she intertwined their fingers nothing seemed to calm her down, The more kindess and love Emia gave Timea the more she feared hurting her unintentionally. When the magic washed over Timea her shaking abated and eventually stopped entirely, She looked up at the red-eyed girl she so adored when Emia closed the distance and their lips met she at first was shocked, Her shock soon melted away as her body relaxed slowly and she pushed herself against Emia.

The soft magic around them seeped into Timea and suddenly the markings appeared around her mouth and on her hands, It all happened so fast that Timea did not have time to react to it at all not that she noticed it while kissing Emia anyways. The symbols transfered over to Emia's body and in one powerful shock a tremendous amount of magical energy transferred over to Emia in the blink of an eye, this made Timea react strongly as she pulled back as if she had gotten a shock from Emia but in reality it was probably Emia who had felt that.

-"What.. what was..."

Timea looked down on her hands in wonder as she felt that she did not need to hold back at the moment, about a fifth of the energy she had inside of herself had transfered over to Emia easing the pressure on Timea's body.

Emia's kiss with Timea was the sweetest and softest she'd ever had, the tired, frightened green haired girl seeming shocked when their lips touched, but after a second or two, she leaned into it, embracing the gesture. Emia's eyes slowly closed as she kissed Timea and, because of this, she didn't notice her seals flowing from Timea and onto her skin, glowing with magical power. Suddenly, Emia was thrown back a few feet by a bolt of invisible force, suddenly ending their kiss and forcing the tainted-blood to land hard on her back, her eyes shooting wide open, stunned and shocked. She had no idea where that bolt of power had come from... and why her chest hurt to much... It was as if a pro-boxer and struck her right above her breasts without remorse... she could hardly raise her head on her own.

Emia lay there on the floor, her chest rising and falling as she had to actively force her lungs to take in air for her, the blast causing her muscles to swell painfully, making it difficult to breath. She could hardly hear Timea's exclamation of confusion as her head was rocked, ruining her sense of hearing effectively for the next couple of minutes. However, he was able to raise her head (despite it spinning like a merry-go-round) and she smiled at Timea... Alluringly... despite everything as she attempted to gulp down more air.

Timea eventually overcame the confusion of what had just happened as she realized that Emia could have been hurt, She looked up from her hands and towards Emia suprised to find out that she was a few feet away on her back but relieved that she did not seem hurt.

-"A-are you okay?"

She said as she quickly tried to move over to Emia almost slipping and falling face first into the floor when her legs almost gave out from under her, When she got over to Emia's side she pulled the Red eyed girl up a little and laid Emia against her lap while looking down at her with a worried expression.

-"H-how did you do that?"

(( OOC: Sorry for the short post, Nova is kinda tired X3 ))

Emia winced as Timea pulled her head into her lap, the pain of that sudden blast of energy still making her sore to say the least. The little tainted stared up at the green-haired girl, confused, but still somewhat smiling, drunken in a way due to the kiss she finally shared with her... When the former slave asked how she did that, Emia frowned, confused. What did she mean...? The blast...? She did that...? She had no idea...

"I... I don't know..." She murmured, staring into Timea's eyes. She looked back at her, contemplating what exactly had happened before smiling softly, realizing she didn't care all that much... She slowly, shakily raised a hand up to Timea's cheek, lightly stroking it with her thumb as she smiled. "B-but... Timea... I do know something... I love you..." It was a phrase that sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach, a phrase that made her want to say it again and again and again. She sighed, then winced in pain, the dull ache of being thrown across the bar floor still there.

"M-maybe w-we should get t-to bed before something e-else happens...." She suggested, a light blush washing over her face.

Timea was still a little worried about Emia as she had absorbed a lot of energy and a few thoughts went through her head untill Emia spoke, "I Love You" more than before her words made Timea freeze up and develop a deep blush on her face but she smiled and looked upon Emia.

-"W.. we love you too"

She said as she helped Emia over to the bedrolls as best she could, Timea was not very strong but she was determined to help Emia as she seemed too exhausted to move much herself. When they finally got to the bedrolls Timea sat down besides Emia and looked down at her.

-"Are you sure you are okay? You absorbed a lot of our energy.."

Timea knew that her body housed a lot more energy than even a great mage and she was worried the energy Emia took might do the same to Emia as it did to her, But she did not seem to react to it like Timea did maybe those able to use magic reacted differently.

[[OOC: Really sorry for the long wait and a kinda short post *Hugs*]]

Emia smiled warmly as Timea reciprocated her feelings, the poor green-haired girl getting cuter and cuter with each passing blush. Without even Emia asking, it seemed that Timea knew what she wanted, gently pulling the wasted tainted-blood back to the bedrolls before helping her onto one of them. Her body seemed to have taken more damage than she thought because it just wouldn't move they way she wanted... She could raise her arm somewhat, clench her fingers but there was no way she was getting up on her own...

Her smile intensified to one of love as Timea sat down beside her, asking if she was okay.

"Yes... I'm fine..." She murmured, gently taking one of her friend's hands in hers. She gazed up at the former slave, her eyes drooping more and more as exhaustion took over. "I-I'm... just... really... really..... tired......." And with that, Emia was out like a flickering light, the last of her energy used up in that small statement... The little tainted blood's body fell limp as her consciousness faded until nothing...

(we could end it here after yer post if you wanted OwO)