Spirits of the Earth

ooc: Tags to @Solaire

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The city was on fire- and it wasn't her fault.

It had been a day like every other day; cold, crisp and autumn. Winter winds threatened, causing each heavy breath she took to flutter out in white, wispy puffs. Earlier, she had been irritated by the chill, but now she was near gracious as it felt wonderful against her sweaty flesh, even if each breath felt like the cold was rubbing it raw.

Before this moment....
She had been shopping for a new dress. The one she wore now, in fact, and had been beaming over the joyous feeling of a new, silk and velvet dress that hugged her form in sweet teal colors and amplified her femininity and glittering color of her eyes. Hey- it wasn't her fault that she liked attention, even if it never got her much of any where.. not that she had been allowed.

On the bright side, after such an incursion, at least she was alive.
"Always the optimist," she muttered to herself, trembling as she remained within her top-sided cage, which during some point in her apparent kidnapping had toppled over a hill side, smashed a few good times against jutting rocks and thick, old trees before a heavy crack secured it teetering over the remains of the mountain side.

Her would be kidnappers were in a hurry, charged by a massive assault from the army as they raced away with her from the burning city. It was under siege- a terrible sight that smelled god awful as she coughed and wheezed, even a mile or so out of town as the wooden prison she was in bounced violently behind a horse drawn carriage. They took a turn too sharply, hurriedly trying to remain out of the view of the damn military who was hell bent in a chase-
And that was all she could remember. Dangerous turns, a sudden- was it an explosion? And then the jail cart she was in was thrown loose and....
It seemed it wasn't her lucky day.

A mountain side, she decided, as gravity tugged he dark hair over her shoulders and dangling down before her as she trembled with knees on the thick, wooden poles of the wheeled cage; that was definitely more cliff than hill. She swallowed thickly, careful not to move as her large eyes surveyed the damage and took in the very scary and very real detail of the situation she was in.

It didn't matter if she looked left or right, she was, for the most part- in deep shit. She drew in a breath and exhaled slowly.

"Okay..." she swallowed again, closing her lips as she tried to conjure any type of logical thought. "Well..." she shivered. Her entire body was trembling. "I'm alive.. at least.."
.. For now. She shivered when she heard the wooden cage creak.

Her eyes moved around to survey just what happened. The fall, it seemed, dented only the part of the damn cage that teetered over a massive tree, that jutted out from an old rock sunk deep and thickly into the earth. She attempted to move, just to see how sturdy she was from resuming a fall back to her doom. When she attempted to move her hand- even briefly, she winced and shot her gaze leftward to see a large, snapped in half piece of wood jutting out of her arm-
and her arm, was coated thickly in her blood, fresh and dirtied from the fall.

She grit her teeth and swore between them. Lady like talk could take a hike, now that she knew she had a gruesome injury, she continued swearing a few more times before checking the rest of herself over. It seemed her dress tore and there was blood here or there, but thankfully no other injuries except her arm.

"Of course on the day I get a new dress," she muttered.

Sighing, she swiped at something that tickled at her face and froze-
the hand that just wiped her face was now coated in blood.
A. Lot. Of. Blood.

She released a trembling breath, that came out in a long stream of fluttering white autumn breath. She swallowed thickly again and closed her eyes, now feeling the pain seering across her skull.

"Well, since the fall didn't kill me," she told herself cheerfully through a trembling, chilled breath. "The bleeding most definitely will." She laughed in spite of it all, an empty but desperate sound. "At least I'll die in a new dress."

But then she heard something- something stirring above her. She went still, and then goosebumps raced down her skin.

"You have got to be kidding me."
Up above her... she could hear them. Them. Her would be kidnappers or whatever!

'The cage is hanging off the cliff!' she heard one of them call.
'We must retrieve her before the army finds us!' another hissed.

She grit her teeth, her hands shaking as she tried to hold in a breath, heart beating rapidly as she tried to think of what to do...
When a rope dropped down beside her from above.

'You've got to be kidding me!' she thought, eyes following the dangling rope, all the way, way, way up to the top of the cliffside road.

Turning away, she peered over at the door to her cage. It was bent, godawfully bent, but perhaps it had come unlocked during her fall?
Testing each crawled step, she made her way over towards it and fussed about-
"Really!? The locks are jammed?"
She gave an angered kick to the door and yelped when the entire cage she was in teetered. And Hyathia D'al Asarot went very, very still- a hand clasping over her lips to keep herself from shouting again.

She heard their voices carrying from up above.

"Hear that?" The men were shushing.
"Sounds like the girl is alive."

As the wintery-gray skies blackened with smoke across the near-surrounding plains of Sirantil Valley, the drowning cries of war-- both valorous and desperate, rang out into the distant air. They married and blended into a cacophony of voices, none more significant than the other, each little more than a whisper on the wind the further from the capital. The panicked dispersing of commoners and farmers eager to escape the chaos that had taken hold of the capitol echoed along the roads leading to and from the city. The bitter cold, too, was fitting-- it matched the dread one had to assume beset every soul struggling to make sense of the turmoil that had gripped the lands they loved so easily. It nipped and bit at the skin, as if tearing away man's only barrier 'twixt himself and the harsh reality of the world.

Good ol' Connlaoth!

Erin Shire, son of no noble, heritor of no land, master of no man and answerer to few save his doting parents and his contractors, had grown accustomed to the cold. Connlaoth was his homeland, after all, and though he'd traveled the four corners of Le'Raana in search of fame and fortune (to varying degrees of failure), never did he tire of the brisk breeze upon his armor-clad body... even if it was only because it got really hot and clammy in his 'glorified tin can', as guildmates of the past had referenced it. Travelling atop a hearty, tan-hide steed he'd been graciously loaned by the guild upon his departure from Falkenrath, The Pheonix couldn't help but enjoy his trek through the somewhat unfamiliar lands of another duchy. He'd passed Vythe in years past, on his way in or out of the kingdom, but never had he come so close as the trails leading to it's outer walls. Why now, one might wonder then? Why ever?

"I should've had them write step-by-step directions out..." The armor-clad warrior mused off-handedly as he reached into the pouch on the side of his horse's saddle, and pulled forth what appeared to be a scrolled map; A rather flimsy one, no less, but one that bore Falkenrath's adventurer guild's seal. Yes, in the middle of a literal civil war, such requests still came in-- more frequently than in times of peace it seemed, as Erin hadn't left the kingdom in well over a month now-- no shortage of work in the homeland, from taking down small groups of criminals and highwaymen to hunting wild beasts along the countryside that had been threatening trade routes. All work for any duke's armed guard and/or patrol, you might think, yet with the chaos within Connlaoth it seemed everyone was short handed. Only seemed right that Erin would pick up a couple extra contracts here and there to help out where he could.

Today, for example, he'd been asked to seek out and subdue a particularly dangerous primal mage who'd escaped imprisonment during the outbreak of chaos in Vythe. The Duke's men were already particularly busy with the turmoil on their hands as was without having to worry about magic destroying the capital from within as well. Thus, Erin-- particularly suited for 'dealing with' mages, took on the job and made his way from his home on the outskirts of Falkenrath to Vythe, with little more than a contract and a map to the capital in hand. But boy... boy oh boy, was Erin bad at following maps. And, really, who could blame him? It wasn't even a cartographer's map-- it was hand drawn (though admittedly well-drawn), on scroll paper! Had he not thought to keep it safely tucked away in a leather pouch, half the thing would've likely faded clean from the parchment in the snow! That aside, it had no legend on it-- who draws out a map with no legend!? He may as well have been riding blind, for as much sense as he could make of it. And ride blind he did-- hardly relying on the 'directions' he'd been given, and still managing to make his way near the capital.

He rounded yet another mountainside, putting the map away, reaffirmed in his ways, before the monotony of the ride was interrupted by far sharper, clearer voices. Erin raised an eyebrow and pulled at the reins of his steed to come to a stop before dismounting himself. Some few meters ahead of him were what appeared to be the remains of a caravan of... 'traders', perhaps? At a glance, it appeared that in their journey seemingly out of the capital, they'd run into some trouble and met the edge of a cliffside. How fast were they going...? The armor they were clad in definitely didn't tell the story of farmers or commonfolk, escaping the chaos, and... did he by chance spy a blade one of them? Well hell, who wouldn't be interested? Bemused as ever, Erin bade his horse to wait for him, a safe 9-ish meters away, before he approached on his own-- Vanagandr in tow, of course.

"Hello, friends! Looks like you could use a bit of a hand!" He kindly and warmly called out, his swift stride very quickly (and unnervingly) closing the gap on the 'traders'. They had all begun to pool around the edge of the cliff-- Erin could only assume that the 'wares' that they'd been traveling with had gone over, but didn't have a good enough look. Not yet, anyway. One of the 'traders'-- furthest from the group, half-mindedly heard Erin's voice, but waved him off-- too preoccupied with their current situation to fully grasp who-- or what-- he was speaking to.

"Who? Hey, bugger off, you-- Ansgar's flamin' ass, the hell are you!?"

Erin couldn't blame the poor guy, who finally turned to face him and practically emptied his bowls, falling over onto the ground. Who wouldn't be a little nervous at the sight of a man dressed neck to two in blood-red steel, a massive battle axe that looked like the head of a demon slung over his shoulder like a plaything? The man composed himself quickly enough, picking himself up and motioning to a couple of the other 'traders' who'd heard him yell in the first place. "Wh-who are you? Are you one of the Grand Duke's men?" One such man quickly approached and asked, not so outwardly shaken as the first fellow, but equally concerning.

"Me? No, no-- I'm just passing through. Looked like you could use a bit of help? Did you lose your luggage over the cliffside?" Erin's voice was rather even, but as he spoke, it seemed as though he found himself further and further struggling with keeping the amused grin at the corners of his lips from spreading any further than it already had. The two men, now joined by a nosy third and an approaching fourth (whom Erin couldn't help but notice had already begun to slide his hand toward the dagger on his waist), looked between themselves uncertainly, like children who'd been caught stealing bread. The grin became harder, and harder still, to resist. "...Ah, w-we, ah, yes! We... lost some luggage on the bend-- Just dropped a rope down to... collect it! We, uh, we'll be fine on our own, though, we just, ah--" The man attempted to explain, only to, unexpectedly, be interrupted... by a snort. A snort, which was followed by barely contained chuckle, before giving way to a great and hearty laugh-- the laughter of a man amused beyond words. It wasn't an evil, condescending or even arrogant laugh-- Erin's echoing voice carried nothing but a sense of helpless levity that washed uneasily over the four 'traders' gather before him.

And then, in an instant, like the passing of heartbeat, four traders became three.

None of the men, save Erin, were even able to conceive what had happened; It was so incredulous to believe that they would've rather convinced themselves that their eyes hadn't seen what they clearly did. And yet, the first 'trader's' head, which flew through the air for a few moments, deftly landed at the feet of the approaching fourth, rolling to meet the toe of his boot with a light thud. Erin, who's face now somewhat matched the blood-red colour of his armor, lifted his battleaxe back over his shoulder and rested it there again, his laughter finally subsiding. And as his mirth did fade, so too did an unnervingly overwhelming sense of fear and dread fill the others. With a whimsical, confident look in his eyes, Erin spoke once more. "Sorry, sorry. I figured, we were going to fight anyway-- might as well take the first blow, right?"

"...K... K-kill him! Kill the bastard!!!"

What could be heard over the edge of the cliff, one might wonder? Those voices that moments earlier sought to collect the noblewoman now stirred to wrath. A collection of battle cries could be heard... followed by the ever-so-sickening consequence of steel rending flesh and bone, of swords and bodies alike falling to the ground. Of pained screams and fearful please for life-- snuffed into silence moments later. And then, some 2 minutes after the uproar... dead silence. A single heavy set of footsteps crunched the earth as they approached the edge of the cliff... and then the jilting of the rope that'd been thrown down some time earlier. It shifted, seemingly of it's own accord, as whomever stood above manipulated it. And at last, the sound of metal running roughly against rope as from above, the figure of a man in crimson armor descended to meet the cage that'd fallen to it's near-doom... and the wounded lass within. "Figured," Erin stated to himself as he tightened his grip on the rope, stopping his descent about shoulder-level with the cage's doorway. He looked a bit like some sort of great war hero... or mythical figure.

"Hey there! My name's Erin. You'll probably wanna brace yourself on something for a second." Erin, unfortunately, was neither of those things. He wasn't even particularly smart. So, in classic Erin fashion, the man drew his great battleaxe with his free hand, and with a great swing, sundered the door of the cage straight off of it's hinges-- in turn causing no shortage of swaying to the cage, which already seemed more than ready to fall from it's saving grace of a ledge at any moment. As what remained of the door fell to the base of the mountain below with so many rattles and clanks down the side of the cliff, Erin holstered his weapon of apparent mass destruction and reached out to the sole inhabitant of the cage, the same confident smile on his face as ever.

"Think you can get out on your own? That cage is probably tumbling down if I hop in there."

Perhaps she hadn't overheard the entire conversation above as she was too concerned with trying to figure a way out, while the men seemed interested in finding their way down to her. So when Erin showed up, she flinched back- noting the armor, but none she recognized upon him as she stumbled into a defensive crouch.

She didn't quite catch all of his words, but when the door open- she shrieked and jerked back away from the door and panicked, clinging to the sudden rocking wooden cell until it creaked to a halt. Her eyes were wide as she peered over at Erin, uncertain about him and this situation. But the door, it was open.

"Who.. who are you? And what do you want?"
She didn't notice any symbols on him depicting that he was with the Grand Duke. Was he a rebel? Another person hired with the cities attackers?

"...Ooooh-- right, right, fair questions. Good questions." Despite a less than welcoming reception, Erin maintained the proverbial wind in his sails in response to the reaction he received from the woman in the cage. And, honestly, in hindsight? Probably was his own fault. Guy swoops in out of nowhere and starts telling you what to do, you're injured and--more importantly-- very capable of dying if you make the wrong move? Of course she'd be apprehensive. Sometimes he tended to forget how very... guarded, normal people could be. Especially given his own unique circumstances allowed him to be as defenseless as he so chose to be (and warranted the heavy armor as a result).

Still, he wasn't sure how he felt about the cage that this young lady was in-- it teetered and swayed precariously with every moment--the very breeze of the chilled northern air seeming to rock it at will, if it pushed hard enough. It certainly wouldn't do for her to stay in there while he told her about his backstory. He needed to think quickly. He needed to take action! And as the two braincells in his head (one in the left hemisphere, one in the right) finally linked together on this, Erin came up with the perfect idea. 

"Don't worry, I'm an adventurer from Falkenrath-- and I have a plan to save you! I'll just... One sec..." This plan required some dexterity, admittedly, but dexterity was Erin's middle name-- He took the remaining length of the rope into his free hand, and, for whatever reason, began to swing. On the rope. Over the edge of the cliff. If he was suicidal, he certainly didn't look like it-- the self-confident look in his eyes told the story of a man who had done this hundreds of times, and was still here to tell the tale. Back and forth he rocked, gaining momentum on the rope as he did so, as well as distance in kind. Before long, his bounds swung wide enough to cover the gap in the distance between himself and the door to the cage... and with one final swing and a 'umph' of effort, Erin leapt forth into the doorway of the wooden cage, landing squarely inside on the precarious beams... right at the edge of the cage. "There-- now you can just come over to me, and--" He began, quite proud of his genius, before he began to realize what the lady in the cell likely concluded the moment he landed.

Gravity was not a huge fan of this plan.

The cage had been swaying in the wind, accommodating the noblewoman's movements prior, but it now had to deal with an steel-clad man some 3-4 times her weight in full, and deal it did-- The cage now rapidly shifted towards Erin's side, the beginnings of losing it's balancing act taking effect as the 'floor' quickly began to become the 'wall', in a sense. Physically, visually, the warrior seemed every bit as confident in his genius plan as he did when he landed. Mentally, however, Erin couldn't help but facepalm. 'Next time I resurrect, I'm really going to need the girls at the guild to teach me math. This can't keep happening,' He chided himself, surprisingly (or at least to him, unsurprisingly) accepting of the situation at hand.

For the life of her, Hyathia could NOT believe what this strange armored knight intended to do.
"No, don't do that! Why are you swinging from the rope!?" How could it possibly hold his weight? But swing he did, and as his intentions dawned on her she paled.

"No! No!" She waved her arms. "D-d-don't jump!"

But it was too late. The heavy man landed and the cage rocked up like a see saw and she found herself slipping down the barred side his way until her arm, wounded of course, slipped through a cracked opening and got stuck between an awkward jutting rock prrssed agaibst the cage and... she let out a wail as her injured arm was forced to hold onto her weight as her legs kicked frantically.

Admittedly, Erin wasn't sure what surprised him more-- That the wooden cage in which both he and the wounded maiden-- somehow-- still stood in hadn't swayed enough under his own weight to begin it's tumultuous descent down the side of mountain upon which it was caught, or that the reason it held barely to the balance was due to the girl's evermore-unfortunate circumstances. Showing a little tact for once in his life, Erin whistled, mentally; His eyes once, twice over the woman's wood-pierced arm, as if trying to discern the odds. 'And I thought I was unlucky,' he remarked to himself, watching the girl cry and flail, but not moving-- at least not yet. He'd given pause to the thought of death for a few moments, humored and humbled by the sight before him.

If it were any other part of Le'Ranna, he'd tell her to relax, stop fidgeting; That he'd free her in a bit, and take her to a creation mage that he knew, real wizard of a guy, and have her patched up good as new. Oh Connlaoth... only Connlaoth. "Alllllllllright. So, hear me out; First plan, probably wasn't a great one, but we're still alive-- counts for something, right?" Erin wasn't particularly good with... whatever one might call this situation. Really, he was only good with adventuring, and the glory by combat that came from it. With his already lacking mental emphasis on death, he found he often didn't take situations nearly as seriously as he should-- For example... jumping into a precariously-hanging wooden cage. "Maybe I just chop the entire cage apart... Try to catch you in the falling rubble. Gotta say, this is probably the strangest life-saving situation I've ever been in," He remarked, this time out loud, as he grabbed for his battle axe, unsheathing it as if genuinely considering the idea of sending them both tumbling down the hillside alongside tons of wooden debris.

Hyathia paled at his words.
"Wh..what!?" She yelped. "N-no, no, no..." he couldn't be serious! "Are.. "she winced from the pain where she dangled from her wrenched arm. "Are you trying to kill us?"
Her eyes widened on the axe. She let out a yelp. "Don't!"

Though likely not the most encouraging thing that the maiden could've been expecting as a response, Erin could not help but let out quite a mighty laugh in response to the woman's pleas for mercy. "Merely an adventurer's joke," he managed to convey in between full-bodied bouts of laughter, apparently quite pleased with himself. True, his unique circumstances often left him quite disassociated with the plight of folk who valued their lives. He valued his own as well, but had lost it so many times by now that he could part with it at a moment's notice and be accepting of the circumstances.

"You needn't worry that much. My battle axe weighs quite a bit on it's own; If I set it down here, I should be able to..." He began, looking to the 'floor' of the wooden cage and finding a convenient-enough spot; splintered wood, along the ridges of which he was able to semi-carefully wedge Vanagandr's metal into the fractured boards of the cage on his side. It seemed sturdy enough, at least, to not collapse under the weight of the massive axe, but only time would tell, Erin supposed. "...There we go, so now..." He continued, turning back towards the injured and indignant woman and taking a single step... then another. Each time, he tested the weight of his position fairly firmly, before taking another. "Alright; let's try this again," He spoke, as the distribution of weight within the cage began to even out with each step. "Free your arm, and come to me. Quickly, if it's all the same to you; probably don't want to let that wound of yours fester for too long, after all." Connlaoth's great duchies had some of the science and medicines Le'Raana had to offer, but all of the medicine in the world wouldn't be able to fix up that arm if it were to get a serious infection. Erin, who had no qualms about the use of magic in all of its forms, would have no problem crossing the borders of the kingdom and getting help; But lifelong Connlaothians could be a lot less... agreeable, sometimes.

Hyathia paled, then blanched at the laughter. She looked at him, wide eyed. Was he a madman? Of course she'd be rescued by someone crazy! But as she observed his actions, she held her breath at each rickety teeter and groan of the wooden cage.

By the time he was over to her side,  she was in tears, and at his suggestion to 'free' herself, those welling tears broke and streamed hotly down her face. Her mind was in a whirl, panic still in control.

She shook her head.
"I.. I can't!" She attempted to move her arm and yelped in pain. "I think it's stuck!" She turned to confirm. The bars were bowed inward, her arm having slid into them and with the force if her tumble, and confirmed her fear as she trembled,  "I'm stuck!"

"Can't, or won't?" Erin's slow yet steady stride stopped just short of the fallen lass, taking a closer look at her bewildered and, admittedly somewhat bemusing situation. She was fine; Her wounded arm had lodged itself awkwardly into a set of the cage's bars, but she could've easily pulled her arm free by now had she simply removed that jutting bit of wood from her body. 'Fear makes fools out of all of us,' Erin reminded himself as he debated the frantic girl's situation. Fear of pain, in this case; a few moments of discomfort were all Erin could see as standing between her freedom and her inevitable death. What to do, what to do... What would his teacher have done?

'A kind man is a good person; A brave man is a great hero.' Erin had that beaten into his skull so many times growing up that he practically muttered it in his sleep. What did it mean? Well...

"Okay. Don't hate me too much, yeah?" He said with a confident smile, before closing the remaining gap between himself and the maiden. The cage shifted ever so slightly, a strong breeze causing it to sway in an unnatural way, reminding Erin how time-sensitive this situation was. He kneeled down at her side, eyeing the arm that's gotten caught in the cage's bars. And, regardless of plight or plea from the woman, he reached down in between those bars to where her injured arm lie locked in place, grasped for the splintered wood lodged into it, and roughly pulled it free, ripping it out of her almost off-handedly. Never did his expression change; the entire time, the same confident, "things will work out" smile on his lips. "Alright— now pull your arm out. If you can't manage that even now, I might have to just chop it off instead." It was an idle threat— one he didn't intend on following through with, but was more than capable of doing so. He stood once more, crossing his arms and looking down to the entrapped woman. "Sooner you're up, sooner we can get back to safety, after all; what's a little pain for your life?"

As the man approached, smiling of all things, she went wide eyed again, and even more so as he reached toward her arm.
"What.. what do you think you're doing-Aaaaaahhhh!" Wrenching the sharp piece of wood from her arm caused her to scream out as she saw stars of pain. But her arm managed to slide once the wood was gone and suddenly she was in a panic, legs kicking frantically into the man's chest before she awkwardly fell while clutching her injured arm...
And the cage rocked forward...the wooden pieces cracking,  as was the tree supporting it.

And.. then it moved, beginning to teeter forward as more slow lurching cracks from the tree branches began to buckle like breaking ice on a pond.

Hyathia paled,  body stiffening as the cage now leaned precariously on a corner- more bars threatening to bend from the weight and more of the branch below them groaned on protest. She was breathing insanely fast, heart racing at the realization...
They
Were
Going
To
Die.

Another bout of laughter erupted from Erin's crimson armor-clad form as the woman fretted and fought against him, doing more harm to herself in the process than anything else. "Good! You've still got some fight in you. I was a little worried you'd given up on yourself." He noted rather proudly, as if praising a child, or athlete in training. Her morbid cries and distress met his unnervingly unwavering confidence and coolheadedness head-on, in the form of a couple kicks; with so little trained force behind them, the man felt little more than taps on his heavy platemail. He's rather that than the alternative, anyway.

His laughter was cut short, however, by the sudden undue shift of the cage beneath and around them. Erin's eyes shifted back towards the entrance, spying Vanagandr still rooted in place; his counter-weight hadn't failed them... so the Roots of the fern below them must have instead. Shame... The cage offered a nice view of the horizon, really. "Times up, it seems," He noted aloud, before turning to walk away from the woman, each step measured even now as the tree failed beneath them. Hazardous footing indeed; yet Erin had traversed worse, under worse circumstances, and was able to fairly quickly make his way to his axe, only hastening the cage's inevitable fall. "Now, let's try this again."

Just beyond the cage's door lie the rope Erin used to enter; the same rope the brigands had planned to use to secure their "prize" earlier. "When I was a kid, I had a tough 'teacher' who said something along the lines of... 'Men and leaves fall to nurture the land for the sake of the strong'. Made no sense back then... but I wonder which one you are?" Having collected vanagandr, Erin looked back at the panic stricken woman with a smile, and exited the cage once more with a light leap; a leap which, "light" as it may have been to Erin, was all the wooden prison of impending death needed to cause the wood beneath to begin fully giving way in earnest. The last fraying splinters of the tree below snapping away, the adventurer watched on from relative safety as he gave what he was ready to assume would be his last chance to the girl, reaching a single hand out.

"Come. Jump, or fall."

Terrified as she was, her face contorted at his words.
Was he just going to leave her there?! And then he gave her the ultimatum,  'Jump or fall.'

Her mind was in a whirl, the tree about to give way..she closed her eyes in attempts to swallow back her paralyzing fear.

Jump. She could do this. It was jump or die.

So she drew in a breath, mustered up her courage ...
And jumped.

Except it was too late. The cage was giving way as she moved, and though momentum might have carried her further-
Her foot caught on the uneven ground and sge tumbled forward with a scream, landing against the cage side as the entire thing cracked and fell away, carrying her towards the bottom of the cliff.

The smile on Erin's face widened from a confident grin to a thoroughly entertained, greatly impressed toothy grin as the man watched the would-be damsel find her nerve in the face of certain death. Good! He was right after all-- she still had some fight left in her. He was fairly sure she just needed proper motivation to ignite it-- shame, though, that said motivation came at the cost of her life. "Ha! What an amusement you are, kid!" He called after the girl as she descended, a frightened scream piercing the cold silence of the mountainside the whole way down.

'Well, time to get to it,' he told himself, before releasing his own grip on the rope holding up his weight, and plummeting down the side of the mountain as well. His azure cape billowed in the striking winds as he practically flew-- or at least, fell with style-- towards the woman below him; His aerodynamic dive, plated armor and battle axe weighting him down enough to increase the speed he'd been falling, compared to her. A few moments into the fall, he'd practically caught up to her, just short of her and the debris of the cage shattering around her. It would've been a great moment for a joke, if the ground below wasn't so quickly approaching. Instead, Erin merely reached out a metal-plated hand, one last time; His final real attempt at saving the girl's life. Even in this most dire of circumstances, his confidence seemed unshaken, as if he knew everything would be alright somehow-- or perhaps he was just insane. "So you chose to fall?"

As she fell, her arms desperately flailed about, reaching out into whatever hopelessness lay before her- her body forced that way (not that she'd choose to look at the oncoming ground). But before she even had a chance to register exactly what was going on- through the fog of her fall came a man, blue cape billowing behind him like some champion rushing into the field of battle. Her throat, already in her throat, seemed to threaten to spill clean out of her mouth as her screams choked away and she desperately reached out to seize the outstretched hand, clinging to it- then suddenly, very desperately, onto the falling man beside her as her brain rattled at the comprehension of his words.

"Choose to fall!?" the young woman croaked. How had any of this been a choice!?

"Don't tell me you're just unnaturally clumsy! Hahaha!" Erin couldn't help but tease this lass a bit-- he'd not met someone that the fates seemed to hate nearly as much as this one in a while! As the woman's wild grasps for any port in the storm that was her impending death found purchase on Erin's armored gauntlet, followed by the rest of his armor, the young man broke his falling posture-- shifting mid-air with an impressive show of core strength to go from a dive to falling feet-first. His cape billowed wildly in response, flapping about above his head and shoulders, and accentuations of his eyes and jawline became clearer as his hair flung itself upward from the gravity and speed of the fall.

Fun as it all was, the ground below approacheth-- And with it, a sudden stop for both of them if he didn't do something quickly. "Brace yourself," He warned the noblewoman, before doing his own part in gripping her tight to him by her waist, trying to minimize the shock of what was about to happen as much as he could. And so, with his axe-occupied hand, Erin loosened his grip enough to allow the hilt of vanagandr to slide-- Increasing the range of the weapon in so doing, before once more displaying impressive core strength by swinging the axe with all the force he could muster into the side of the mountain-- quite literally cleaving through the rock side. The effect? A sudden and unceremonious lurch of forces against gravity as Erin and his ward almost immediately decreased drastically in fall speed, the axe slowing the way for them whilst leaving a terrible gash in the side of the mountain face. Erin gritted his teeth to avoid wincing-- This would've been child's play, or a cool stunt alone, but with the extra weight of another body, he felt his swinging arm strain under the combined pull. Nevertheless, as they approached the valley floor, it was at a far, far more survivable speed than prior, and with an unnatural 'thud' of rock and metal, the two smashed into the ground below, the young man's joints shuddering at the sudden impact... but still intact. Sweat dripped from his brow as he released both the axe and the woman in his possession, his arms crying out in relief. "How was that-- still alive?" He asked a bit breathily, but otherwise sporting his trademark confident smile.

Naturally clumsy!? What sort of rescuer was this? She had to wonder if he was mentally unwell, although she supposed soldiers and knights and fighters and things had to have a totally different mind set than her own- after all, she felt more like a back room decoration, not exactly flaunted but could be.

At his warning, she braved herself, burying her face desperately against so that the scent if his sweat and the metallicness of his armor plowed heavily against her senses as they mixed with the wild whipping smells of the fall. And the jostling pressure of it all sent her dark hair to flutter wildly, tickling and would have threatened to stick to the sweat of him and his armor were the forces of the wind and fall not so great.

The impact came, hard, and she felt it through him, through herself as his body took most of the impact, though not all, as the shared force jolted through her, snapping her body like the end of a whip before she felt the numbness of the after math, then nothing at all. With the support of his arms no longer there, Hyathia felt her legs, or rather maybe her body forgot how to use them , as she dropped into the rough rocks and foliage of the ground.

She hadn't fallen completely over, her body rigid and bent forward, too much in shock to even shake.  She wasn't even sure what his words were when he spoke as she was still stuck in the aftermath reality of the fall.

It took a few moments of labored breaths, but before long, Erin was back to his feet once more, rolling his shoulders slowly and thoroughly as his body slowly began to untense. He was fine-- he wasn't really worried about himself, anyway. No, his eyes were primarily focused on the young woman who'd likely just experienced near-death a solid 4-5 times in the past few minutes. For Erin, it was quite normal-- adventurer extraordinaire aside, Erin didn't have the mental block of experiencing near-death, considering the fact that he was quite used to literal death at this point. Her? He'd asked after her, but she hadn't so much as budged; She almost seemed in catatonic shock. He supposed the cold wasn't doing much for her either, given her choice of clothing.

"Come now; You're still alive. For now, anyway-- Nasty couple blows you took, at some point." Reaching over his shoulder, Erin unclasped a fastening on his plate armor after a little bit of fiddling. A few moments later, he did the same with the opposite shoulder, and with them released, and a firm tug from his clawed gauntlets, Erin's striking blue cape came a-loose from his armor, fluttering in his right hand now. His gaze turning to the young woman, he took the cape firmly by the middle of it's length and with a light underhanded toss, the bundle of heavy fabric went flying at the noblewoman-- like to plop her right in the face if she didn't have the wherewithal to catch it. "Cover yourself up a bit-- you won't survive a walk back to the Duchy dressed like that. Wipe a bit of that blood off of your head too; Ought to see if you're still bleeding out." Erin practically commanded, turning away to go and retrieve his axe. Vanagandr, despite the hell it was just put through, seemed very much in tact and as sharp as ever. "That's a good battleaxe," He jokingly praised his weapon of choice, pulling it from the ground it'd crashed into with a audible 'thuck'.

She had been wearing a very lovely dress, brand new teal color velvets and glittering pearls once decorated here or there about the damask style accented sleeves, which puffed out into silken sleeves that then cuffed at the wrists. The cut was low, revealing healthy feminity and allowing for ample pearls to be strung across her neck.

Now everything was askew, from dress to hair- forget her shoes, one having been lost in the fall. They were expensive shoes too. Just purchased the week prior. Now mud stains and blood, tears and rips had marred the ones exquisite dress. Her lip was bleeding, lower one jutting out and swollen from the cut, and a smear of blood from a cut upon her head lined down her face to throat, now drying but the wound still glittered in the daylight. Her hair had also once been done up fancily, once elegant and hooped into pillows upon her head now lay undone and frayed, pieces sticking to the sweat and blood on her flesh and bodice alike, while large, bright eyes remained wide and her skin, ghostly pale beneath all of the bruising.

And she was shivering. Half a sleeve was missing, her skirts, thankfully layered, were still held modestly together, but her bodice threatened to have it's laces snap. Even still, somehow she remained as pretty as her mother. All the good her looks would do for her.

She was broken from her shock the moment the cape fell heavily around her shoulders, and she naturally clung to it and held it against her body with tight , white knuckled fists.
Her mind was still in disarray but at the mention of blood, she stiffened and only then realized there was a large stinging pain coming from her head- never mind the pain from her possible broken arm and gash there.

She reached up a hand and gingerly touched it with a wince, and when she retracted her fingers and saw the blood, her eyes widened and it seemed she was about to go into shock again.

"Right, then." With a mighty swing of his axe, Erin tested the handle for faults or loosened, fraying material; As he expected, Vanagandr was indeed well within fighting form, just as sharp and raring to cut down the next mage it came across as ever. This brought a smile to his face--a gentler one, at least; Not the 'cutting down mages' bit, but the sheer thought of how much he and that axe had been through together, thus far. He remembered the moment of the Gravesmiths of Fell landed their final hammering blow on it's cursed-red steel edge. He remembered the battle of Southern Essyrn, where it mowed down a Lich's undead greater sandworm. He remembered dying, many, many times, and battling his way back through monster-infested forests and trap-filled caves to retrieve it (and his armor). Good memories; Tales of heroism, bravery, tragedy and loss. He remembered it all.

A strong wind returned him to his senses, and with his stamina near-fully restored, he put the battleaxe away on it's holster on his back, and turned to walk in the direction of the maiden once more. He'd taken a proper look at her, on his way towards her; Enough to see the relative extent of her injuries. She was battered, and weakened for certain; The injury to her arm, and the one to her head, being only two of the more outwardly visible ones. Maker only knew what was going on inside of her-- physically, or psychologically. She needed rest, a great medic, and probably a couple glasses of ale... but she'd live. If she could survive that fall, she could survive just about the rest of what was left of her day. Thus, that spared glance-over aside, after reaching the young lady, Erin walked right past her, turning his attention instead to the cliff above, from which they'd just fallen.

"No ledges, no trail up the side... Guess I'm walking around to the other end. Gotta get my horse... my map." He muttered to himself, mentally mapping out the fastest way around the side of the mountain to get himself back on track. Further down the cliffside he was fairly certain he could see signs of man-made walking paths leading upward... Perhaps that was his path back to the capital. One could only hope, anyway.

The strong wind also carried the scent of smoke from the city, which seemed so far away in the craggy cut of land that had broken their fall.  War. She knew it was there, but the war in Connlaoth always seemed so far away. Now it was here, and she in the thick of it.

Hyathia wasn't a warrior by any means, and the fact that she even survived that kind of chaos was incomprehensible.  Then again, trying to think about how it all happened... that man....

Shr blinked and realized he was leaving.

Oh no. Had she done something to offend? Before she could think, she was rushing to keep up with him, more strong winds threatening to push her back.

"W-wait!"She called after him. "Don't leave me alone! Please!"

A few more steps, a few more moments of contemplation, and Erin might've gotten well enough lost in his own thoughts as he proceeded towards the distant path up the mountainside. Alas, he'd not gotten so self-centered as to not hear the call of the young woman from behind him, clumsy, yet hastened footsteps quickly closing in on him. Finally woke from her stupor, did she? Erin didn't stop walking, nor did he increase his pace to stay ahead or away from her; He merely gazed over his shoulder, barely his sharpened amber eyes visible from beyond his massive pauldrons.

"Where do you think you're going?" He remarked rather harshly, almost as if to scare her. He'd been in this situation before-- a 'lone journey' turned into an escort, or a tag-along child willingly walking into danger beyond their comprehension by his side. There was typically no talking folks like that out of following; He imagined that her body had made it's decision long before her mind or heart even had a chance to consider her options. Well, nothing for it then; He figured if she really was going to come along, he might as well test her a bit. Maybe shock her to her senses... or reaffirm her resolve. One way or the other, he needed to figure out where this woman stood.

"You realize I'm heading back into the war, right? Men like the ones who captured you earlier will be as commonplace as peasants. You could run south, make your way across the border if you really wanted to; Serendipity's not so bad this time of year." He stated, a particularly heavy wind coursing through the foothills of the mountainside. It was, realistically, an outlandish concept; Absconding one's home to start over in a new land wasn't typically something someone jumped at. But if the fear of bandits was enough to push her away, then perhaps that was for the best.

Hyathia stopped dead in her tracks, flinching at his words.  The harshness was not expected and her mind whirled, uncertain how to respond.

"Run? You expect me to just run away..  from my home.. my..." Her lips quivered, she stood there,confused and uncertain.  He wasn't wrong about the war being up there but...
"I.. I don't have anywhere to go. I... Serendipity... I haven't a clue as to where I'd even consider beginning " She shook her head, hands clammy as they tightened into fists.  "My family.. my friends are in the city "

What about them? But the again... what could she even do?

As the young woman's stride came to a halt, Erin considered stopping; It seemed as though he'd struck a decent enough chord in her-- As though the reality of her own circumstances had finally begun to set in. After all, she wasn't like him; She was no adventurer, no battle-hardened warrior or master of magic. The chaos of the civil war was no place for an untrained noblewoman; Especially not one resolved to do everything in her power to live, be it for her own self or the sake of someone else. Yes, Erin certainly considered stopping-- but just to drive his point on, he continued walking. "Your family? Friends? Probably dead. Even if they weren't, are you really ready to do anything to save them?"

The path upwards towards the top of the hill became quite visible from around a nearby bend; It wasn't much farther. He just needed to figure out what his would-be companion intended to do, now. At last, Erin stopped; But he didn't turn to face the young woman. He needed to make himself rather clear, now-- before he dragged her into something he'd regret. "You're just a kid. If you head back into the city, you'll probably die. You could turn tail right now, cast off whatever name you've got, and live. Won't be easy-- nothing usually is. But if you take one more step towards me, you'd better be resolved to fight for your life-- to your dying breath. Do you really think you can do that?" He asked, once again looking over his shoulder, a harder, more piercing look in his eyes as he scanned her for the slightest sign of hesitation.

"Could you really fight for your life?"

The words were a harsh dose of reality, and she was too stunned,  too confused to speak. On one hand she didn't want to be alone in this chaos, that in itself was frightening enough. On the other hand.. this was war.

She stood there, trembling as her mind looped through all of her options in a frantic fury. She didn't know how to fight. Run.. it seemed the wisest options but she wasn't trained for that either. The safest and most dangerous option was to follow her rescuer but..  she grimaced. That look in his eyes.. she'd hold him back, this was dangerous.

A strong om coming storm wind ripped her from her thoughts as it carried a roar of booming thunder that shook the valley. Which way could she go?
That's when another thundering sound could be heard. Hooves.

She turned but couldn't see, but another group of armored men were heading towards the valley in a fury. Would they be more foes?

Erin shrugged; That was about what he expected, all things considered, out of the noble girl. His words might've seemed harsh, but 'harsh' was nothing compared to the horrors of an actual war. The struggles she'd experience trying to make a new life for herself would've paled in comparison to seeing the place she'd known as home, smoldered by flames and and beset upon by a storm of blood and savagery. At best, one of the lesser villages on the outskirts of the duchy might be a safe enough place for her to hide away; But wars of succession and civil claims never ended with anything less that the the complete overturn of current reigning lords... or ladies. Wasn't so surprising, in turn, to find that worse still was what tended to become of the captured, or the 'spared'.

"If you get it, then get lost. Go find your way somewhere nicer--" He began, his voice of a somewhat lighter note, before the distant echoes of approaching horse-steps caught his attention. His eyes sharpened as he returned his gaze straight-forward, his attention now mostly set on the approaching winds-- and the cavalry that carried them. Erin frowned; In the midst of the chaos that beset Vythe, he wasn't sure his stars would be so kind as to line up in such a way that these riders would be of the friendly variety. Bandits? Raiders? Had the 'disappearance' of the men he'd taken down earlier alerted other allies of to his location? His mind went to all the negative places; It was trained to, at this point. Perks of the occupation.

With a heavy sigh, the blood-red armored warrior slowly reached behind his back, his clawed gauntlets once more finding purchase on the hilt of Vanagandr; Yet he did not draw it. Not yet. "...Come here. Now." His tone was flat and commanding; A tinge of annoyance in his words as he debated the amount of trouble a mounted attack would be, without his own horse. Classic adventurer mistake, sticking one's nose where it didn't belong...

Hyathia's eyes widened and she wasted no time dashing behind the red armored knight. She found herself holding her breath as the sounds turned to shadows before rounding the bend.

Large men in armor appeared,  horses thundering beneath them. She was almost too scared to recognize the flag before she piped up, "They're the Grand Dukes' men! We're saved!"

However, the men approaching hadn't a clue of the pair were friend or foe and the leader immediately approached upon his white steed and demanded, "Identify yourselves."

And so they were here; Erin raised an eyebrow as the approaching forces slowly came to a halt before them on horseback. The girl sang their praises; The Grand Duke's men, she called them. Erin himself wasn't entirely convinced of their... 'salvation', but lowered his hand from the hilt of Vanagandr; At least for now. He didn't like his chances against folk on horseback... Not while trying to protect the girl, anyway. One of them trotted to the front, practically barking at them-- A younger iteration of himself might've taken direct offense to it. Still, this was Connlaoth... The nation of soldiers, depending on who you asked.

"Erin, adventurer," He briefly replied, not willing to mince words with the Duke's men if he didn't have to. He'd had 'disagreements' in the past with Connlaoth's various soldiers; 'An honest man should lead an honest life in service of his nation', and so folk like him-- Folk that were born and raised Connlaothian, but wanted nothing to do with the armed guard-- didn't exactly mix well with them, in his experience. He looked over his shoulder at the much more chipper girl, and shrugged. "Not sure who the kid is; A couple of brigands were carting her off somewhere, and I stepped in." His explanation left much to be asked-- but he assumed-- no, hoped, really-- that the girl could at least speak for herself and her circumstances. Hells, best case scenario, the lot of them could take her off his hands-- he did have a mage to go hunt down, after all.

The leader chewed over what Erin said and gave a curt nod.
"So you do not raise arms against the crown?"
He stared at Hyathia, but seeing how she had not protested he gave the warrior a curt nod.
"You should take your charge to safety. The war isn't pretty."

Erin frowned; He had somewhat expected the men to, somehow, immediately recognize the girl he was with and, somehow, bend over backwards to take her to the safety of the grand Duchy. He'd already formulated in his mind that she was some fair princess or maiden that he didn't get involved enough into politics to know about, and that her missing status was something the entirety of Vythe was aware of, and actively trying to resolve. As he looked over his shoulder in frustration, he couldn't help but think now-- was she even a noble? Or did he just assume like an idiot that she was, and was now coming to terms with the truth?

"Uh... Shouldn't 'you' take my charge to safety? I mean, she's a little beat-up, but... Is she not some kind of noble?" Erin scratched the back of his head, a bit confused on how any of this worked. Moments ago, the girl was shouting about how they were 'saved'; How little this situation added up to him was beginning to lead him to believe otherwise.

The captain frowned are Erin's words and looked at Hyathia more critically.
"Your name, girl, what is it?"

Hyathia froze for a moment, words jumbled inside her head before she stepped forward a little and voiced, "Hyathia.. Hyathia D'al Astarot."

The man's eyes immediately went up.
"A D'al Astarot?" That changed things as he turned his attentions back to Erin.

"You, what are you to this woman? And the way you found her, could you explain to us in full detail, and with haste.  We need to get onward to battle." The duchy needed then badly . But if she were the daughter of a Duke...

Only now did the armed cavalry begin to question the oddity of the situation, as the noble girl spoke up, bringing everyone's attention to her. Hyathia— flowery-enough name, fitting for a lady of the Duchy, but Erin's general disinterest with the Connlaothian hierarchy left him feeling like something of an outsider looking in.

Eventually the head honcho asked about Erin, which kind of took him aback. What was he... to her? Er... good question, really; 'She's a pain in my area' was probably not the best answer... reaching back around her shoulder, Erin pulled the young woman closer to him.

"We're madly in love," He joked, having always had a horrible sense of when the "right time" was for levity. "She's my heart, and when I came across her, captured, locked away in a cage by some bandits who would sell her off, I leapt into battle to save her. One of them pushed her clean off of that cliff, and I dove after her to save her life. She's clung to my side ever since." He explained nodding in agreement with how dashing and heroic his own story sounded.

Technically, most of it was true!

Hyathia let out a soft noise when her armored knight drew her near, keeping her arms out just enough to brace herself so he wouldn't crush her with his armor. And if being so close so suddenly to the clunky metal wasn't enough to feel awkward, Hyathia's entire face went red to her ears. Her mouth was stuck open, like a fish, and she just stared out, stunned. Joke or not, she was not expecting such a reaction. If she had rational thought,  she might deduce perhaps he is hardly rational,  all things considered, but as it were she had muck for brains.

The captain eyed him suspiciously, brows dipping sharply before he noted Hyathia's reaction.


"Whether you are lovers doesn't concern me. We are at war and the lady needs escorted to the nearest town away from here immediately.  Because of the risks and the unfortunate timing,  we can not bring the lady with us. A lady's place is not in battle and  I'm sure her family will reward you handsomely once she is taken somewhere safe. "

As his resident damsel in distress reacted to his story, Erin nearly let out a hearty laugh. Indeed, he did enjoy a good tease; In his line of work, it was important to be able to laugh at one's self every so often. Unfortunately, his desire to laugh was stifled by the head soldier, who proceeded to lecture him on 'proper' cadence with such a member of high society, effectively killing the joke in the process, mostly. This was one of many reasons Erin was pretty sure he'd make a horrible career soldier; He didn't mind taking orders, but he'd never been a fan of being talked down at.

"She'll get to safety when she gets there, ser," The armored adventurer replied, a bit of annoyance beginning to show in his tone, "But I have business in Vythe first. Unless you want to take her away to safety, she's as safe as she's going to be— at my side."

Erin had no idea why he was suddenly acting so uncharacteristically possessive, in truth; Perhaps he was simply bothered by the dismissive attitude of the cavalryman, or perhaps he had grown unknowingly attached to the woman in the short time they'd nearly died together. Whatever the case may have been, it was clear there was a gradual change in his disposition towards Hyathia— where moments prior he'd been trying to scare her away, threatening her with the horrors of war, why was he now suddenly promising to protect her? Such doubts were unbecoming; He'd lived most of his life without worrying about things like what he truly wanted to do.

This, to lighten his own mood a bit, he teased Hyathia a bit more, lightly pulling her a tiny bit closer with a renewed smile. "Isn't that right, my love?"

The captain stiffened at Erin's reply.But this warrior was not his man to command and he contemplated getting tangled into the affairs of nobles. He couldn't afford himself to take the woman and every man was needed to aid in battle. And he needed to be in that battle now.

"If you are unable to escort the lady to safety, I can have one of my men do it." Love be damned. It felt mocking anyhow and he was beginning to not like this man's attitude.  He didn't have time for games.

Hyathia was still silent, jarred again by Erin's 'love' comment.  If anyone had known her mother... they'd be doubting their relation.

Ha! Erin struggled with the welling sense of pettiness he felt in his chest as the man mounted before him struggled with his next choice of words. The only thing that kept him from practically sticking his tongue out in defiance of the man was the fact that he was still very much outnumbered-- And while he didn't fear death, dying to the Duke's men would rank up there with the most embarrassing deaths he'd thus far achieved. Truly saying something, as he'd once been killed while... answering nature's call, so to speak.

When the captain made his counter-offer, though, Erin did consider it, if only for a moment; This jests aside, it WOULD give him a quicker and far less hassling trip into Vythe, as well as make his contract that much easier to deal with... But then again, he'd already committed to this bit so muchc that he figured he may as well see how far he could push it. "Unable? No, no-- Plenty able to. My beloved and I just can't bare the thought of being apart anymore, I'm sure you understand." He 'explained', a romantic's love-stricken woes painted on his face-- Or at least, what he assumed that looked like. Turning his eyes to the nobelwoman in his grasp (and stifling a laugh at how bewildered this entire situation had made her), Erin raised his free hand and gently stroked a dried blood-stained strand of hair from her face, making a very visible show of it for the cavalry. "My love, these men would take you away from me-- Will you let them, or stand by my side until the end?" He fully expected a slap at this point; He kind of deserved one, from someone, for his antics. But life was short enough as was without having a bit of fun-- And if the most recent drop from the side of a mountain without protective equipment wasn't proof enough, Erin did enjoy the occasional bout of excitement.

And that's when an arrow flew past their heads,  burying itself into a horses shoulder that then reared up in pain. The moment of shock lasted until more arrows came through the trees as the leader of the men barked out his defensive. Hyathia almost had one sink into her foot as it sunk into the ground at her feet,causing her to cry out in alarm and suddenly cling onto her armored knight.

"What..what's going on?"She asked, shocked.

Erin wouldn't have to answer her.

"We're under attack!" The captain shouted. "They're coming from the hill side. Guard high, men! Raise your shields!"

The whizzing of arrows above their heads and below their feet caused Erin's eyes to narrow as he felt her pull herself closer for sake of protection. "Welp— Nothing for it now!" He growled with a half-smile, drawing his battleaxe with one hand, while securing Hyathia by wrapping his arm across her waist, and turning his body away from the trajectory of the arrows; They'd have to get through heavy plated steel AND his flesh and bone before reaching her, was the idea at least.

"I can protect the girl from here, but I've got nothing for long-range; You'll have to intercept them!" Erin barked at the horseback soldiers, captain included. In any other situation, he would've just closed the gap himself; he was fast enough, even in armor, to at least deflect projectiles coming his way. But with Hyathia at his side, his options were limited; He didn't like it, but the safest way out of this mess was going to be for the cavalry to act as a forward guard, and take out those archers.

"Don't move around too much, kid— An arrow is gunna hurt a lot more than a piece of wood." He warned his charge, before looking back over his shoulder, expecting further attacks.

The captain nodded to Erin's words, sparring one glance at the girl before the men at the rear produced  bows and aimed them at the hillside path, the men at the front already barreling forward with lances at the ready in hopes to force the attackers out. As the men rushed forward on horse back, the men with readied arrows released their barrage, forcing atleast some of the men who had attacked to surge forward and soon steel met steel as the sounds of battle rang out within the little valley.

Hyathia's heart was pounding so hard it was almost deffening,  her body pressed it closely to her charge as she closed her eyes and braced herself for the worst,  praying internally for Ansgar to save them, save them all.

As the echoes of battle rang out in earnest around them, Erin couldn't help but pay the cavalry a mental word of respect; Indeed, he didn't see eye to eye with the life of a soldier, but he could still respect the will to lay one's life on the line at a moment's notice. In the middle of a battle, an adventurer and a soldier were just titles; both were just men and women, fighting for their lives. "Stay close; We're going up that hill!" Erin proclaimed to the woman in his grasp, before one of the flying arrows whizzing across the battlefield made contact with him; thankfully, his armor was strong enough to deflect the shot, though it left a scar on the red metal. He didn't want to test how many more times he'd be able to do that.

Forward they began to trek, Erin's steps calculated as he moved in pace with what the girl was capable of keeping up with. The rear guard of the soldiers covered them with archery; The captain and his lancers routing the majority of the assailants. One, however, made his way past the occupied horseback soldiers and rushed Erin and Hyathia down with haste. He readied a dagger and prepared to stab them; Yet while he was fast, Erin was faster, and managed to bring his battleaxe forward in a powerful lateral swing, which struck the attacker square in the ribs and nearly chopped him clean in half; Blood spattered forth on both Erin and Hyathia as the man's now-corpse form was flung away by the sheer force of Erin's blow. "You alright?" He looked down at the girl, before looking around for further incoming assailants.

"Wait.." Hyathia squeaked, legs nearly stiff in protest as Erin charged forward. Were they really going into battle!?
She barely had a chance to scream when they were attacked, but Erin worked swift and hard, and she felt hid powerful form swing out and even felt the axe cleave his foe.

She had never seen battle before, nor death, nor felt the fresh rain of bloods death,  so she froze, unable to do anything.. even breath.

Erin groaned, having taken a proper look at the girl again, who'd all but retreated back into her mind-- Near-catatonic at the chaos surrounding her, her breath seeming to seize up in her throat. On some level, he couldn't blame her; She wasn't built for this, like he was... but damn did she make things more difficult than they needed to be. "Hey-- Hey! Look at me. Look at me, okay?" Erin needed to address this-- or at least attempt to. He stopped his advance, holding Hyathia as close as he could to prevent an undue attacks from oncoming arrows or assailants, before taking her slowly by the face and forcing her to look him in the eyes-- whereupon he put on his trademark confident grin.

"We're going to get out of here. If I have to carry you out of here, if I have to cut every last one of these men down, I will-- but I will get us out of here. Okay?" He paused for a moment; To the girl, it might've seemed like a shiver went up his spine-- the sound of a metal arrowpoint hitting tempered metal echoing from behind him as his armor deflected yet another well-placed shot, but the smile never left his face. "You trusted me enough to jump out of that cage-- will you trust me enough to get us through this?"

By the time Erin addressed the girl, Hyathia remembered to breath, peering questionably into his eyes before visibly wincing.

Trust him.. did she trust him? Such questions ran through her mind but at first she couldn't comprehend. Then she blinked, her mind slowly coming back to their very real reality as she grimaced but nodded.

"You.. you've risked your life for mine so far " she tried to smile but it was forced. "I.. suppose I.. I could trust again."

In any other, much mess lethal situation, Hyathia would have taken the time to admire the fact her rescuer was good looking and cute. Hormones were an interesting thing. But as it were, they (most thankfully) were taking a back seat in this reality, as at any moment, she was in no mind to ignore the fact she could die.  Perhaps a good looking (albeit slightly crazy..) rescuer was a small bit of luck in her other wise string of very unlucky situations.

She swallowed at the knot in her throat and tried to steel herself as best she could,  but in no means could she stop her trembling .

"Atta girl," Erin said with a nod, moving his hand from her head and to her shoulder once more, holding her close to him as he prepared to move again. His eyes scanned the immediate vicinity; The guard was making good work of the assailants, but from horseback it seemed quite difficult to cull them all in a uniform fashion; A few would slip by their mounted assault, he noticed, though in most cases the rear guard were able to take them down with arrows, if they caught them quick enough. Erin began a slow approach towards the hill, his plan to get at least within hearing distance of his horse and escape this battle before harm befell the noblewoman in his care.

"There! The girl!" He heard a shout in the distance, from whom or where he couldn't be sure; But no sooner than it reached his ears did two assailants-- one with a wooden club, the other with a short sword-- approach Erin, a bit more cautious as they eyed the slain body of one of their own by his axe not too far away. "For goodness's sake..." He muttered as the two began to circle him and Hyathia-- like vultures, looking for the right angle to prey from. Erin held his axe at the ready, and keeping Hyathia behind him, yet still within his grasp as the men closed in. It was the attacker with the short sword who struck first, rushing Erin from an awkward angle on his side; He managed only to parry it with the hilt of his axe, sending the man off balance before raising a leg and deilvering a powerful, armor-reinforced kick to his chest, sending the swordsman a solid foot backwards off his own feet, right onto his back. Through the deafening sounds of war, he heard the oncoming footsteps of the second man from behind, aiming for Hyathia; He immediately swung around to confront him, but before he could raise his axe to tear through the attacker like before, one of the many flying arrows finally struck true. "Urk--!" He growled as the piercing bolt found an opening on his back, between two plates of armor. It wasn't enough to stop him, but it was enough to distract him long enough for the approaching man to reach him, and with a mighty downward swing of his studded club, he smashed Erin near-directly over the head with enough force to break the wooden weapon.

And for a moment... nothing happened. It felt as though time might've stopped. But as Erin, who's head had been forcibly lowered by the blow, slowly raised his now-bloodstained, deathly furious gaze towards the would-be murderer, the poor lad practically lost his bowels in fear, stumbling backwards onto the ground, and turning tail while he still could. "...Let's keep going," Erin muttered while continuing to walk in pace with Hyathia up the mountain, his words a bit dulled-- likely a side-effect of still shaking off that blow to the head.

Hyathia did a trembling dance as she was in the thick of things, it seeming that she always a step or two from harm's way. She screamed out as Erin was hit with an arrow,  and she appeared to flinch with him each time a blow missed or hit home. But when he was struck over the head, even she too cowered back in fear from his reaction.

Once the immediate danger has passed, she followed after him numbly,  it taking her a few moments to sputter out her concern "But.. you're bleeding!" She protested,  rushing to catch up to his side better. "You.. you've been hit by an arrow!" Shouldn't he like..take care of that or something?

But even still,  the battle was so close and the pair were hardly out of the thick of things when another arrow whirled towards Erin's head.
"Look out!"

As they walked, Erin looked to Hyathia and smiled, though it was clear that either due to the pain, or the blood in his eyes, some of his trademark gusto had left him. "Don't worry about me-- they're just flesh wounds. I made you a promise, didn't I?" He boasted confidently, though his words were a bit more labored than before. Mentally, he wanted to curse his need to look cool in front of others-- the truth was that as fun as it was to watch that brigand turn tail and run at the sheer sight of his animosity, the amount of blood he was losing with each passing second and the likely concussion he'd just taken from that club to the skull were doing wonders to slow him down. Oh well; He'd suffered worse.

In another situation, at another time, Erin would've heard the whistling of the incoming arrow on his own; However, with his senses dulled, it was Hyathia's sudden reaction to it that caused his eyes to sharpen and with as much speed as he could muster, Erin swung his body around to face the oncoming arrow. He flinched his head to the side, and with good reason; His reactions were incredibly dulled by his own standards, and his free hand, which would've normally been fast enough to catch the arrow by it's head, was only able to grab it out of the air after it had left it's mark-- a cut to the cheek, right below his left eye. Erin frowned, but otherwise didn't react in any real pain; leaving the cut to bleed as it would while tossing the arrow aside. "We're drawing too much attention now-- The hell are the Duke's men doing?" He complained, before grasping his two-handed battleaxe as tightly as he could and drawing upon his willpower to re-sharpen his senses through the pain and concussion once more. "We need to keep moving. Stay close." He practically growled, before continuing his advance up the hillside.

It was hard to tell how many with arrows might be left, scattered among the thickly treed path. But Hyathia remained close as she followed, concern that they would be eating more arrows soon .. and that her hero was bleeding..a lot.

She wished she could be more useful, but he made a vow and though gallant as it was, this man did not know her well at all,  yet here he risked his neck.

Her own eyes roamed the trees, fearful of any oddity or noise. But it was easily muffled over as the rumbling reminder of an on coming storm streaked the skies with bright flashes of lightning and made the grounds tremble under their feet. And the winds were picking up rapidly,  trees swaying heavy under the breeze. Hyathia's own dark hair has caught the wind and took flight, scattering in a mess about her face.

She could smell the air, it was heavy with the promise of rain. And as the next bolt of lightning lit the sky, she saw a figure in the trees raise a crossbow and before she knew what she was doing, she was throwing herself bodily into Erin in hopes to knock them to the ground.

Fight through the pain. Focus through the pain. Endure, overcome, and prevail. Mantras filled Erin's mind as he felt his reactions quicken and his head clear of the fog that filled it. Yes, he'd powered through far worse than a few arrows and a blow to the head; He'd fought manticores without vanagandr to even the playing field. He'd faced off against the Naga huntresses of the Draconi Forests and lived to tell the tale. He'd taken a tail strike from an elder dragon, and managed to stand back up. These injuries from a few men with weapons couldn't stop him. Yes... he told himself as much. And the more he told himself that, the more of his willpower he felt returning. The world stopped sounding like a blur-- The battlefield began to ring out in earnest again, with every blade clash and every war cry echoing pristinely through the air. He could do this.

The further they walked, the more acutely Erin became aware of the hair on his arms standing on end, as the winds began to shift with force enough to carry the clouds. A storm? Now? A part of him wasn't sure his little maiden could take much more even with the oncoming storm. Yet with a flash of lightning, the unthinkable happened; She suddenly leapt into... some sort of action, flinging herself at him with what Erin could only imagine was all of her might. On a normal day, she'd have just met unforgiving, unyielding, polished red steel, but so surprised was the man by her actions that he took an awkward step backwards. He stumbled over his own feet, which alongside Hyathia's impractical tackle, knocked both him and herself to the ground, just behind a few tall shrubberies. Erin was surprised, sure, but couldn't help but notice the spiraling bolt that flew past them as they fell, just barely missing Hyathia's head. He laid there for a few moments, somewhere between amused and speechless, staring at the girl before suddenly smiling.

"...Well now. I guess we're even?" He mused, before sitting up, putting him a bit closer to Hyathia-- in case another threat reared itself of course. No other reason.

Hyathia flinched as a cold wind tore through the air, even through the brush where they had fallen and as she went to move she let out a yelp of pain. She apparently had jerked her already injured arm awkwardly and the pain that coursed down her arm was enough to put her in tears. But even worse than that,  the damn crossbow wielder now stood over top of the pair, a freshly loaded bolt now armed and aimed at the pair of them.

"Put your arms where I can see them!" He demanded,  stepping closer.

The aggressive shouting of an oncoming assailant was nothing new to Erin by this point, but boy was it growing annoying. His eyes turned to slowly meet the man with the crossbow with that same frustration he currently felt, moving Hyathia to the side as he sighed at the proper sight of him. Perhaps it was the blood loss getting to him; Perhaps it was simply becoming truly aggravating to face trial after trial with this girl-- Attached as he hated to admit he probably was becoming. "...Walk me through what your plan is, here..." He began, slowly raising his hands.

"...Because this is mine. If you shoot the girl, I will kill you. I will shatter your spine on my armor, and as you lay paralyzed from the mid-waist down, I will drag you behind that treeline you foolishly came running over here from, and I will cut your arms from your body, joint for joint, one by one. I will plant my foot over your throat and watch as you struggle to scream for air, and grind your neck beneath my heel until I hear the bones in your throat crunch beneath me. I will take my time. I will be deliberate. And I will not stop until the last light in your eyes fades away." Slowly, he stood; actively attempting to make himself a more threatening-- and therefore higher priority-- target than the girl.

"And if you shoot me... It better put me down for good."

A dark chuckle came from their assailant.
"Big promises from a man who's about to die. I don't care if you have a death wish. Ill oblige. I just want the girl."

Hyathia panicked. She had no idea why anyone would want to kidnap her for but it wasn't fair that Erin has to forfeit his life to do it. It wasn't like she was some high ranking noble! Maybe they were confused onto who she was?

"No. Wait! Please! Don't shoot!" She cried as she jumped in front of Erin, acting as his shield. "Theres been too much blood shed already. Ill.I'll... I'll go with you. I surrender!"

She wasn't sure why she felt the sudden need to be brave or strong.. but the red armored knight had risked so much for her.

Their assailant grunted.
"Then over here, girl. NOW. " the man barked.

Erin frowned further, but took mental note of what he'd learned. It was unfortunate to say the least that he couldn't scare the archer into backing down, but wasn't the end of the world. The next few moments would be crucial to whether or not one, or both of them would walk away from this encounter. He did, however, breathe a mental sigh of relief at finally hearing, verbatim, that this lot too was after the girl at his side. In some ways, that made things easier; He knew at the very least that giving her up wasn't an option now, if only out of spite for the mild inconveniences of his wounds.

A confident grin began to grow on Erin's face in the response to the man's words. "Then let's see who's faster-- me, or--" He began, only to be interrupted... by the girl? The smile on his face evaporated into a frown once more as she stepped between him and the archer... shielding him? Erin could barely believe his eyes-- first she could barely function on her own, and now she was protecting him?

A part of him wanted to lash out; To grab the girl by the hair and pull her out of the way. She'd officially taken every possible course of action to either put herself in harm's way or make her own life harder-- At his expense. The other, more reasonable part of him, however, could understand... to a degree. He was like that, once. Her words of stemming the blood spilled reminded him of an Erin from many years ago, who was naïve enough to believe the world could work like that. Where no one had to die... where you could protect others by placing the burden on yourself. It was, although annoying, admittedly admirable.

"You don't know what you're doing." Erin warned the girl, cautious of making any sudden moves; He didn't know how jumpy the trigger-finger on their new archer friend was, and he didn't trust his chances of getting her out of the way if he did fire on them. "You have no idea what he'll do with you; Don't be a martyr for someone like me."

The winds were growing wilder as the storm front swelled. Rain. She could hear the rain,  but not able to see it coming through the trees but more she could hear it like a moving torrent. And it didn't start off gently. It poured,  the heaven' s opening up and unleashing their rage as stalks of lightning hissed over head and a second bolt cracking along with thunder, like a whip.

Her dress was already plastering to her body, as was her once wild flying hair. She was at a stand still between Erin and her would be captor. Erin's words caused her to hesitate.  But she had already taken the first move, and she swore she saw the man's fingers itching over thr trigger.

So she stepped forward, out of Erin's protection and towards the threatening man's side. She wasn't even all the way over there, the man too eager to have her, when he grabbed her and roughly pulled her towards his side. And she floundered forward, whether on purpose or because the grounds were suddenly slick with rain, but soon the man was swearing as he juggled his crossbow with one hand and the girl with the other.

It also seemed like he was fishing for something- a pair of cuffs and he hit the girl awkwardly with them.
"Put them on. Do it."

Hyathia just stared at them, mind going blank. Hewanted her to what!?

"Now!" The man barked,  losing his patience and never once taking his eyes off of erin. Through trembling fingers she stumbled, and clicked one against a wrist a ND spared a single glance at Erin as she hesitated with the second.

"Hurry girl, hurry!"

Hyathia made her decision; Wordlessly, she made her move, walking away from Erin, and towards the assailant with the bow. Erin, for the most part, went quiet as she did so. Internally, he was fuming; He didn't like the idea of someone, anyone, putting themselves in danger for his sake. That... kinda defeated the purpose of who he was-- WHAT he was. He wanted to scream at her, to tell her to back down, and not go through with what she was doing. And yet... as the storm winds bellowed in, whistling through the spines and crevices of his armor, and blowing his hair back and cooling the blood on his face, Erin couldn't help but smile. As annoyed as he was right now, he was... proud.

Thunder crashed, and illuminated the serenity of his face through the blood, which the rain slowly began to wash down into his crimson armor. Each cool droplet of life-giving water that crashed on what little of his skin was like a moment's reprieve onto itself. Yes, Erin was proud-- though it probably wasn't the best moment to admit to it. As the girl stumbled into her kidnapper's arms, Erin lowered his own; A rather foolish thing to do perhaps, given his situation. "What am I doing..." He muttered to himself, shaking his head, and kneeling down to grab his axe. Watching Hyathia throw herself into danger for the sake of someone else reminded him of someone he knew very well. It was stupid, it was dangerous, but damn if it wasn't totally an Erin thing to do.

"Do as he says, Hyathia," Erin 'warned', as he too began to approach the cross bowman, axe at the ready. He wasn't exactly sure what his plan was, here-- Maybe he really did have a death wish. But it was a sad day when a frail little thing like Hyathia was the one to remind him of what it meant to do what you believed to be right, regardless of the consequences. "You still trust me, right?"

Hyathia stole a glance at Erin, hesitating over closing the last cuff. Her eyes caught his, just for a brief moment as she nodded,  mouthing the words back,  'Do you trust me?'

It was probably foolish, she would likely die for it but she had to arleast try. She and Erin hadnt just survived an insane drop from a cliff side cage for nothing...

So when the man grabbed her hands roughly to close the second cuff himself, that's when Hyathia let out a cry and threw herself bodily at the man. The pair stumbled, Hyathia knocking the man off balance as his finger hit the trigger and the bolt sore upwards towards the storm.

Lightning flashed and the pair tumbled, the earth now becoming bogged with a collection of the torrential rain. And so it wasn't easy for either Hyathia nor her captor to gather themselves against the muddy ground- which is exactly what Hyathia hoped would happen and would give Erin a chance to act.

Erin's eyes remained trained on his would-be companion in danger as she stirred about in the rain beneath the assailants men's grasp. She put on a good display of helplessness; It was probably just in her nature, given the circumstances. But beneath that helplessness, he could tell-- a fire burned, even in the torrential downpour that'd engulfed the hillside. He watched her closely, and as she mouthed those fateful words to him, Erin slowly, inconspicuously nodded. He had no idea what she was up to, but he was sure of one thing; she'd made her decision to jump rather than fall, once again.

And then it happened, so quickly that Erin could barely tell exactly when they began moving, or when he did; Hyathia leapt into action in a moment of defining bravery, knocking both herself and her kidnapper to the ground, the collision causing the man's trained crossbow to swing away from  Erin and fire off into the sky. He didn't question the opportunity, or squander it; As the two struggled in the swelling mud below them, Erin darted forth. He swung his axe forward in a single hand with a unnatural precision, given it's weight; As he closed the gap, it flung forward and slammed straight into the crossbow-wielding wrist of their harasser; Yet, it's blade didn't cut him. No, Erin merely buried the blade into the boggy ground, trapping the man's dominant hand beneath the axe, and locking him in place beneath it's hilt. It wasn't much of a hassle to pull Hyathia to her feet by the waist and away from him from there, stuck as he was now. And so Erin stepped away, Hyathia at his side, and watched quietly over the man from a bit of a distance.

"Well... this is more or less your handiwork," He noted to the girl, the rain running down his chin concealing the sweat forming on his brow; The howling winds bolstering his tone, hiding his growing exhaustion. "Do you have any questions for him?" His gaze turned from the noblewoman to the downed assailant, before once more looking around for any further potential threats. Perhaps she wanted the key to those cuffs... or, y'know, more importantly, to know why these men were after her in the first place. She seemed quite confused about it all-- And slowly, Erin was becoming so as well. This much trouble over any noble lass was indicative or more than some traffickers trying to make an easy buck, or hostage pay. This seemed far, far more important.

It all happened so fast... she couldn't look away. She wanted to look away, but the events before her unfolded like a dream, where she had no control over fate or reality. And the axe swung down and Hyathia jerked her head away, finally broken from her shock as she kept her eyes closed tightly with all her might, fists clenched at her side.

And then, slowly she was remembering it was raining as she shivered and coaxed her eyes open to see...
She was fully expecting to see the man howling in pain, blood soaking the rain bogged ground. But instead, she saw the assailant lying on his back in a wide eyed panick...
It took her a few quick minutes and blinks of her eyes to realize...

Erin hadn't killed the man. Her heart fluttered at the notion and she almost didn't hear the red armored knight's words.  Right. They should keep him alive. They could talk. She swallowed thickly. Talk...

She wasn't sure she had the courage to talk to the man, her throat feeling tight, as if choked. But she continued to remind herself... 'You came this far..' She swallowed and took a hesitant step forward, then another, eyeing the man who,  she noted, was too afraid to move, that if he did so the axe might take off his hand.

She studied the man, all dirty and rain bogged and he needed to shave his graying beard. He.. was just human, his features reminding her of her 'Uncle's " (although he wasn't an uncle by blood relations by any means..) She continued her approach until fear cemented her feet again and she lowered her eyes, drew in a breath and asked, "Why?"

The man's eyes studied her sharply. Her hands tightened and untightened into fists at her side.

"Why was I targeted?  Why.. are men after me?" She had hoped she sounded brave and unafraid, but her voice quavered as she spoke.

The man growled a little, looking from Erin then back to the girl. He shifted uncomfortably.

"You're a D'al astarot." He looked between the pair again. "The whole attack.. it's meant to upend the duchy. Kill the men, those who don't back down.."

She began to realize what he was saying.

"You'd use their loved one's against them..:" she finished his thought out loud. She was shaking as she continued,  "But why.." she swallowed thickly. "Why me? I'm no one of consequence."

The man looked almost shocked but bared his teeth.

"You don't know?" The man knew her direct connection to the family was more or less fibbed and lied about openly but.. did the girl not truly know herself?

He laughed a little.
"You're the only living true blooded grand child and if you knew who your mother was.."

Hyathia went pale, now unable.to speak. Her blood line.. so.. the rumors she was a bastard child were true. But to speak of her mother..

She had to know more.

But then a sudden explosion from above made her cry out as she covered her ears. Oh no.. were they under attack again? Her eyes went up to the hillside path, where a massive plume of dark smoke was rising despite the torrent of rain.

D'al astarot. The noble surname swirled around in Erin's head as he mulled it over once and again, eyes glazed over with a contemplative fog. In hindsight, he knew the name only as the appropriately-flowery moniker of the current reigning Duke of Vythe, a man whom he'd not met personally in any of his lives. There were rumors about him; About his tactical genius, as well as potential dealings with the ulterior-- but rumors were often just that... rumors. Even those rumors, however, didn't suggest any sort of heritage-related concerns... Not like the man before them did now. Having long since relinquished Hyathia from his grasp, Erin crossed his arms and furrowed his brow as the name continued to bother him. Perhaps if he understood the political climate of Connlaoth a little better, this situation would've made more sense... but even then, he was no real thinker; He tended to solve his problems with the battleaxe currently embedded in the ground.

He was rather pleased, admittedly, with Hyathia in the situation all the same; Be it due to the fact that the immediate danger had passed for the moment or a result of her finally having enough of being on the whiplashed back-end of this rollercoaster of a day, the girl did seem to be finding her voice in all of this. He stood back quietly as she questioned the attacker, and suppressed a smile as more of what he could only assume was her natural personality flourished under the slightly less dire circumstances than she'd thus far been in. It really was good to see her able to act and speak on her own; He'd been worried she would simply shut down again at some point, but it was beginning to seem as though she would slowly yet surely grow amid all this chaos. A shame she didn't have a few extra lives to play around with; That really helped Erin break out of his own shell, in hindsight. He'd do what he could to 'cultivate' her as best he could in exchange-- to hopefully ready her for future trials to come. The gods only knew what was in store for her, given how today went.

The explosion in the distance caused Erin's gaze to flicker to the path ahead of them up the hillside, before back down to the man beneath them. Time was running short, it seemed. "We can't stay here much longer, I think." The crimson-clad warrior noted, his voice breaking the uneasy silence that stretched over the three following the echoing boom from further on. "What do you want to do here, Hyathia? If we leave him here, there's no doubt he'll have reinforcements after you by sundown." The implication was about as clear as the dagger at Erin's side-- a small, easy-to-handle blade anyone could've used... But Hyathia had earned the right to decide what happened next, in his opinion; He'd respect it either way.

The weight of the decision felt like she held a knife blade, and she hadn't any idea what to do with it. She stood there a moment, dazed abd also very much numb over the idea of murder.

No.. no, she was not a killer..
But Erin was right. They'd have men after her if they just let him go. She brushed away the rain that tickled her face when the cuffs in her wrists hit against her and she froze, staring at the cuffs then to Erin.

She held out her wrist to him.
"We.. we could chain him to a tree.. or.. or something to slow him down from warning anyone," She suggested before holding her breath for his answer.

Erin's eyes focused on Hyathia's wrist, and then the fallen foe before them, and for a few moments, he did seem to debate objecting to the idea-- but only a few moments. Before long, he simply nodded, his smile replaced with a determined stare. "Yeah, we could do that." He replied, before looking back down at the man to be detained. Oh, he lucked out today; Had she said the word, Erin would have made a right proper 'Connlaothian Sign of War' out of his corpse. Stepping forward towards the defeated archer once more, Erin settled for a strong, sharp kick to the skull to concuss, at best knock out the man while he did what he needed to do.

Crouching over his body, Erin checked his pockets; It took a few tries, but a familiar jingle helped him to locate the keys to the cuffs he'd nearly imprisoned Hyathia in. Those in hand, he returned to the noblewoman's side, and wordlessly removed the metal clap on her wrist, taking it for himself. "Now then... Let's find you a pleasant napping spot." Returning to the man's body, Erin collected his axe once more before taking him by the collar and dragging him away to the nearby treeline that he'd originally targeted them from; And with the cufs, he chained the man to a tree thin enough for his arms and the shackles to reach around. Standing once more, Erin nodded-- truly a bit more of a hassle, but the girl gets what she wants.

"Right-- let's keep going. No telling when more of them will come looking for you... or him." The armored warrior noted, returning to Hyathia's side along the hillside path.

Hyathia was pretty sure she held her breath the entire time. She exhaled a bit loudly and nodded her head. It was time to go. She didn't spare a glance back at the man, maybe if she didn't look it hadn't happened. But as they walked, she shivered.  Things keep getting too close to call. And she was wondering how long this luck would last.

Erin's gaze remained focused on the path ahead as they walked, though some part of his mind was preoccupied still with questions about the situation at hand. Who exactly was the girl he was traveling with? Why was she so important as to draw out so much danger, and why didn't she know what was going on herself? Nothing quite added up... And he assumed whatever the answers were, they wouldn't be so easily found as on a notebook in the middle of nowhere. She was going to have to get back home, somehow, and figure this out.

Raising a single hand, he whistled for his horse; The sound echoed out nearby, but he heard no response, which only further added to his worries. Prior to the fall, he saddled the steed some distance away from the  commotions of the brigands who'd been traveling with her. Had it gotten scared off, or was he simply not close enough for it to hear him...? Either way, they needed to continue walking.

Eventually, his eyes fell back on the girl, and observed her shivering form for a time. Adrenaline could only push someone so far, he reminded himself-- She was hanging in there for now, but she wasn't built for this sort of trial; She needed to keep her strength up, as best she could. Thus did Erin once more wordlessly take his azure cape and fling it around the girl's shoulders; Some minor protection from the elements. Nowhere near as pretty as her dress, unfortunately. "You'll get sick if you don't keep warm," He noted, not particularly used to caring for others. He could only assume this was the sort of thing he should do in this situation.

"Have you figured any of this out, yet? Why these men are after you? They mentioned the name D'al Astarot-- Are you one of the Duke's kids?" He was getting nowhere fast trying to piece it together on his own; Perhaps Hyathia had managed to put two and two together by now.

Hyathia thanked him softly as she drew the cape around herself,  the rain and storm unrelenting. Then at his question, she shook her head and peered his way with a frown.

"I.  I don't think so..No.  I was told my parents were dead..some relation to the Duke but.. I wasn't given more than that.  "

"He called you 'The only living true-blooded grandchild'," Erin thought out loud, his eyes back on the road ahead, "Which I'm sure means... something. Has to. Whatever it is, it makes you worth sending men to die over, and you're going to have to deal with that one way or another." 'Deal with' sounded incredibly fatalistic, but it was true, in a way. Whatever Hyathia was, so long as the war continued to wage on, it was more likely than not that people would seek her out. That sort of relentless pursuit could wear down a person, quickly... He may have been partially joking about her turning tail and running to Serendipity, but at this rate, unless the war ended, there was likely no safe place in Connlaoth for her.

Speaking of... "...Do you still intend on going back into Vythe? Knowing that there's a target on your head? You could always lay low, wait out the war." He noted in a contemplative tone, offering just one of many alternatives.

Hyathia's brows furrowed as she thought over the whole scenario. Despite the raging storm still pelting them and the country side, her mind was evolving into a whirlwind of it's own. She shook her head, sighing.

"It's... well, I am from that blood line but.. a grand child of the duke?" She thought it over, face twisting in confusion. "It.. would mean.."
Her mother had to have had her on the side....
But even still..
What worth is a bastard child?

She couldn't have known of any of the contracts.. the strings her mother pulled to get Hyathia some form of protection and inheritance. It was true, the current Duke had no children.. nor even grand children...

So was she his only remaining bloodline?
And she couldn't have known that it was her grandfather that produced the bastard of her father, a name still allowed unto her, a child of the next generation....

So she simply chewed over what facts she did have as they continued on.

Erin scratched the back of his head with his armored gauntlet, sighing; He was just about at his limit of being able to understand any of this. He could only sigh and shrug it all off by the end, deciding ultimately that if nothing else, this was all just proof that he really had no business getting too far involved in the world of politics. He was an adventurer and a warrior; His place was on the battlefield, or on the open road. His parents lived in an alley within Falkenrath, relatively removed from the chaos that surrounded them. He couldn't relate to the woes of a noblewoman displaced from her home and lifestyle, no matter how hard he tried, he feared.

"Well, one thing's for certain; You can't keep running around in that dress and expect to be okay. We've also got to get your wounds cleaned before they fester; Rolling around in the mud like you did earlier probably didn't help either." He explained, looking about for any landmarks he might've seen or recalled as they continued up the hillside. Once more he whistled for his horse; Once more he received no response. This was all beginning to concern him; He knew not what that explosion from the top of the hill was, but at this rate, they were going to have to go find out, for the chances of finding a horse capable of carrying them away from this precarious place.

He was right. What a waste of a dress. But her ruined, new dress was the least of her worries. Her arm , as she was recalling,  was in an awful state that she would rather not move it and she had lots of cuts and bruises from the cliff side shenanigans.

She was pulled from her thoughts as Erin was whistling again. She approached his side, glancing around.
"What .. what are you looking for?"

Raising an eyebrow, Erin looked over at the girl with a quizzical look, almost responding with a sarcastic quip, before realization set in. "Oh, right," He noted, the light of a eureka moment flashing upon his now blank face, "You wouldn't know. You were hanging precariously off of the side of the mountain cliff at the time." He nodded, confirming his logic to himself more than anyone else, the winds besetting his crimson armor, yet not stopping him as he continued up the beaten path.

"Before I came climbing down to rescue you, I was on my way to Vythe. The Falkenrath adventurer's guild received a request for some mercenary work-- A mage had been spotted somewhere in the city, and the with the civil war, hands were short. I happen to be uniquely equipped to deal with issues like that, so I took on the job and was headed that way on horseback when I stumbled across you." He explained, running a gauntlet-covered hand through his hair to pull it out of his face. Between the traces of blood still visible on his face and the rain, it stuck to his eyes unnecessarily and reminded him that he was due for a trip to the barber sometime soon.

"I left my horse somewhere up the cliffside-- didn't want it getting too close to the action. We're not making it to Vythe on foot in your condition, so if I can't find it, we may have to... commandeer one from someone charitable. Or dead." In his mind, the worse situation would be to explore that explosion with Hyathia in toe-- but he had to consider that at this rate, he might have to. There was no telling if his horse had gotten spooked by the sounds of battle from below, or taken by some passing thief-- And short of carrying the girl, that put him in a bad spot for making it to the gates of the duchy.

Hyathia looked to Erin, her eyes then looking skyward and studying the plume of smoke, a visible dark cloud of contrast, even in the storm. It seemed they were heading towards that chaos and she chewed on her lip. She almost offered her own horse in service but well... her horse wasn't anywhere nearby now was it?

She studied Erin again as they walked.
"So you are a Connlaothian?" She asked, genuinely curious. Not that he seemed an outsider .. just... Most abeled men had joined the army for one cause or another.

"Hah. You wouldn't think it, would you?"

Erin smirked, shrugging his shoulders in response to the girl's question. "My folks were born in Connlaoth, but their folks, from what I understand, settled there from Essyrn. Escaped slaves. The world was a different place back then, I guess." He explained, staring off into the distant sky. "Grew up hearing these stories about how my grandparents had to walk from the southern end of the continent to the north. All the sights they saw, people they met, adventures they nearly lost their lives on. If your head was as full of tall tales as mine was as a kid, you might've wandered pretty far afield yourself. Wanderlust's in my blood; I couldn't be bothered to take up arms for any one cause. Besides, would've been difficult to explain after my first de--" His tongue almost slipped, but he caught it before saying something truly scary to the girl. "...After my first day of drill training. I hate training." Smooth, Erin; Real smooth.

The two grew closer and closer still to the signs of chaos. Erin gave whistling one last shot-- one final try before they were likely to be within earshot of who or whatever set off those explosives... And received nothing but silence in return. Yep, that was more or less the luck they were having thus far... Sighing, he looked back to Hyathia, a rather serious look on his face. "Looks like we might be commandeering after all," He told her, before raising a finger towards the pluming, black smoke, "Likely from whatever made that explosion. This might get dicey... but I can't really leave you by your lonesome. That said, if anything happens to me, you run, and leave me behind. Got it?"

If Hyathia noticed anything strange about his history, she made no mention but her interest did perk up at his ancestry.

"I couldn't imagine getting to travel so much. I've rarely left the town, let alone this duchy, " she lamented. She frowned thoughtfully as they walked and peered out into the forests, half shrouded by rain. Her frown deepened. She couldn't imagine losing her horse. A pain at the thiught that her own horse might be dead anyways,  after this attack.

Then at Erin's words she studied him, the frown never leaving her face.

"But..." right.. war. She chewed nervously on her lip and cast her eyes at her feet. Then she lifted her gaze . "What do you plan to do?" They were fortunate there was no current sight of fighting, except the tell tale fires coming from the city and the shouting and echo of blades down below.

Erin waved a finger at the noblewoman, an attempt to get his point across. "No 'but's, this time. I'll be damned if you go and get yourself captured after all of this." He complained, before looking back towards the smoke. The winds and the rain had caused the black pillar of fumes to shift, but it's trail lead towards civilization all the same. "I'm not a directions guy, unfortunately, but smoke means civilization-- a settlement of some sort. And no settlement in Connlaoth doesn't have a stable far from it."

He turned, full-body to Hyathia and tried to gauge her reaction as he continued to speak. "I figure that we make for whatever that settlement is, grab a horse, and retreat to Matron's Hollow. You'll be safe there; At least, for long enough to get those wounds looked at, and some clothes. Then... well, then I don't know. Go petition the Grand Duke, or head straight into Vythe. Or lay low, wait out the civil war." He explained, crossing his arms. "But again-- the first sign of any trouble, in any of this, you make a run for it, and I'll hold off who I can, for as long as I can." With that, Erin sighed, before looking across the hillside. It'd be a long walk down, but there didn't seem to be an alt--

*Neeeeeeigh!*

The rapid approach of galloping hoofs filled Erin's ears and brought renewed anticipation to his mind as his eyes traced the hillside for an oncoming enemy, or the odd passerby-- But when his eyes finally met the approaching creature, that anticipation was washed clean from his heart with a wave of relief. "...Or not. Thank Seth." His shoulders slumped, tension beginning to leave his body. His horse had arrived! The steed must've struggled to navigate the hillside, delaying it's way over. Finally-- FINALLY-- some good luck! As it slowed to a stop at Erin's side, he reached up and gave it the long-overdue petting and head rubs it so desperately was owed. "Hyathia... this is Noble. Noble, Hyathia." Erin mused, already in a much better mood now as he moved to the horse's saddle and adjusted it a bit; he needed to be sure the girl would fit on, after all. "Alright; We make for Matron's Hollow. Come on." Erin said as, with a single step up from the stirrup of the saddle, he leapt up onto the chestnut-furred steed and in turn offered his hand to Hyathia to do the same.

Hyathia peered at the smoke.
"I don't think that's chimney fire." The city had been on fire. Thankfully the rains would put out most of it.

And much like Erin, she tensed at the sound of a horse, only to be relieved it was her rescuer's steed. She approached the horse with a smile, gently petting the horse's nose.

"HI, Noble," She cooed softly,  a smile warming her face. "You'll keep us safe, wont you?"

And she turned to take the offered hand,  being pulled to the saddle where she adjusted herself and the cape to keeo herself as warm and protected from the rains as she could

Once Hyathia was secured on Noble's back, Erin reached forward and pet the steed on the back of it's neck, before taking the reigns. "Noble's been through more than I have," He noted, half-joking before the horse turned on the heels of it's hoofs and began making for the opposite direction they'd been traveling, "He'll keep us safe. In the meantime, hold on tight and keep your head low; There's no telling if we're still being tailed, or for how long."

With that, he leaned in a little closer, and gave Noble the go-ahead to pick up the pace; Before long, the mighty steed was bolting down the mountain path, headed out of the Duchy, and straight towards Matron's Hollow. Erin's eyes remained focused on the trail, but a smile unconsciously graced his face as he steered; Seeing Hyathia's own for the first time today alongside being reunited with his horse had, unknown to him, done great wonders for his mood as a whole.

It was strange, she was still fearful that at any moment, something terrible could befall them again. But she also felt safe, with the winds racing through her hair and horse hooves thundering beneath her and Erin's arms protectively around her, his form pressing into her, yes.. she felt like things would get better. She would be safer.. even the heavens agreed as the storms turned into simple rain splashing their path.

She had her own personal hero, a champion who helped her through insanity.  And she couldn't help it but smile a little too as they ran, because heck, he was a pretty cute rescuer too.. even if he was a little crazy.

Noble was a proud, heavy-built steed; A workhorse if ever there was one. What he lacked in beauty or elegance of body, he made up for in stamina and grit. Upon his back, Erin and Hyathia made a quick and sound departure of the duchy of Vythe, and before long had crossed the approximate borders into Matron's Hallow once more. Originally, he'd only planned to find the nearest settlement to the border, and stop there... but the city of Uthlyn wasn't so terribly far from the border of Matron's Hallow leading from Vythe, and so Erin set Noble on the path to the city of renaissance, with only a few breaks along the way. His biggest concern was Hyathia's health; she was in good spirits, but with her injuries he couldn't say for how long that would last.

Before long, the pair had arrived at the stables of the grand city, and Erin was at last able to grant Noble the rest he deserved; Descending from his mount and nesting the great steed in one of the stable's free stalls. "Good horse. Good Noble. Thank you." Erin took the horse gently by the head and patted it's mane, resting his own head against Noble's for a moment-- the chestnut steed huffing in approval, and 'rewarding' Erin with a solitary lick on the face. Damn, he loved that horse.

He moved from Noble's head to saddle where Hyathia rested, and offered his arms to her to help her get down. "How're you holding up? If you've never been outside of Vythe, you'll love this place. After we get you patched up, at least."

The events of the day were draining,  the entire ride she remained on edge, even knowing she was in her way to safety. It was probably noticeable in her eyes, making her appear older than she was, and tired, but she managed a smile.

"I could eat a whole roast and sleep the next few days away."

She accepted his arm and dismounted as gracefully as she could,but her legs were a bit wobbly from being on a saddle for hours and she stumbled a little into Erin's side.

She blushed and apologized,  leaning into him for support while also wincing as she had jerked her broken arm. Thankfully none of the clotted wounds reopened.

Erin laughed at her response, glad to see she was still in good spirits after the long ride out of the duchy. There was still a reasonable amount of tension built up in his body-- both from the ambush and the horse ride-- but slowly, surely, he did begin to feel as though he could allow it to pass, bit by bit.

Hyathia weighed next to nothing in Erin's arms, which made proper since given his mastery of the battleaxe, Vanagandr. As she descended, he also couldn't help but notice for the first time that the noble 'girl' had already begun developing the body of a proper noble 'lady'. Yet after dying once by assassination in bed from a pretty face he trusted a little too eagerly, he quickly lost the ability to  be flustered easily, and as Hyathia bumped into him in about as cute a manner as he could've imagined, he cursed himself for it. Damned Seth! Give him back his boyish innocence!

"Shall we? I know the name of a pretty good doctor a little ways into the city that should be able to fix you up, no problem. Or if you've got any questions before we head that way, now's the time. At this hour, there's probably enough folks out and about and about to the point of you not being able to hear yourself think."

Hyathia sighed wearily.
"A doctor sounds almost as good as food. " But she shook her head before looking down,  gasping a little at the state of her dress and well.. herself!

How long had her dress been revealing that much cleavage and that much skin!? There were holes practically everywhere and he once modest dress was just shambles. She didn't even want to consider the state of her hair as one hand tried to hold the front of her dress together and her other hand was brushing and smoothing down her erratic hair.

"I'd say a dress maker might be nice but.." she sighed and shook her head. This wasn't the time to worry about her wardrobe- even as her state was raising alarms inside her head. She felt.. almost naked in front of Erin, and despite having looked this way like.. the entire time,  she suddenly felt very vulnerable and stood awkwardly beside him, looking away.

"Doctors, clothiers, stylists, chefs. Maybe not the finest in the world, but you'll find them all here, no worries." Erin nodded at his own words, recalling his first time in Uthlyn as a boy. Strapping, yet green, young adventurer that he was back then (and still is, if he had to admit so), Erin had only ever taken on small quests and leves to hunt down wildlife or settle inner-city disputes. The first quest that ever took him out of Falkenrath proper was an escort request-- one that paid well, and lead right into the big city. A young Erin, with reward money in his hands and a new, beautiful landscape to explore... ah, the trouble he got into. The friends he made. Hopefully some of them were still in the city!

Erin lead the way as they began their walk from the stables into Uthlyn proper. The city was indeed all it was made out to be; compared even to the capital of Vythe, the hustle and bustle of everyday life flooded the streets. On cemented sidewalks, the occasional cart-carrying merchant plied his or her trade; Some few further steps in, a struggling painter had drawn a small crowd as he created, in real time, a masterpiece. It was a city of splendors, truly-- One that Erin couldn't NOT enjoy. That said Erin's pace wasn't particularly leisurely at the moment. He walked slightly in front of Hyathia while keeping relative pace with her, for two reasons; The first being that, naturally, he knew where he was going... mostly. He wasn't a frequenter of Uthlyn, but if you've seen all of the city once or twice, then you've seen all of the city a hundred times. Their first destination was definitely a doctor-- one he was rather familiar with-- but afterwards he'd hopefully get time enough to show Hyathia some of the more scenic spots he knew of... She could probably use it, after the day she'd had.

The second, less obvious reason, was to keep her relatively out of his and everyone else's sight. She was, after all... Well, 'having a wardrobe malfunction' was probably a nice way to put it. By keeping her relatively in his shadow, the commonfolk that they passed on their way to the doctor's practice found their eyes first drawn to his great stature and outstanding crimson armor, rather than her... disheveled state. It also kept Erin from doing what any man accompanying a woman in revealing attire would do, which was admittedly far more important to him and his ego at the moment, but that was neither here nor there. "Keeping up alright? Need to stop?"

"A dress maker would be nice but I haven't any money," She said,  frowning. It dawned on her.. that she was..she was poor. No.. worse than poor.. penniless. The very idea stole her breath a moment as she blinked back some tears.

Her whole life.. everything.. she was.. was.. just another peasant without a cent to her name! When he spoke, she hadnt heard him and wasn't paying attention and she accidentally smashed her nose against him with a yelp.

Full-armor as Erin typically was, it wasn't the sudden bump that alerted him to a problem, but the girl's voice. He looked back at her quizzically, halting for a brief moment to make sure she was alright. "Daydreaming back there?" He teased a bit, though he noticed her spirits had seemingly soured a bit since he'd last taken a glance at her face. Were her injuries starting to catch up to her? Was she finally growing exhausted? It was hard to tell. He'd heard her dejected concerns about, he assumed, not having her family's wealth at near access, but surely she wasn't worried about that, was she?

"Come on-- Not much farther. You'll in good shape soon enough." He awkwardly tried to encourage her, before turning and continuing to lead her further. He had to assume it was just the tension leaving her body-- The doc would take care of that too.

A few steps more, and they'd arrived at the doorstep of what could've been a home, or a place of business; It was hard to tell at first glance, given it's out-front signage that read "Evelyn Morvis, Infirmiry" yet it's exterior was neatly kept with a lawn of green grass and a pretty, intricate ornament sitting in the front window. Erin knew he'd reached the right place, however, and without so much as a knock, opened the door to the building, Hyathia in toe. The two were greeted just inside the foyer of the building by a desk-- one where a raven-haired boy, maybe three or four years younger than Hyathia herself, sat quietly with a book of names before him. Quietly, at least, until Erin walked in... at which point, his dull, gray eyes lit up like charcoal sharpening into obsidian. "...Erin! It's Erin! Mom-- Erin's back!"

Said crimson warrior couldn't help but stifle a laugh as he watched the boy jump out of the chair he was in, and rush over to the two new entries. A fire of excitement fueled his eyes, as if he knew life itself had just waltzed through the door. "You got new armor! Gosh-- it's soooo cool! Can you get me armor like that? I-- I've been practicing with the wooden sword you got for me, just like you taught me!" He was practically hopping in place with excitement at this reunion, and Erin finally gave in to him bemused laughter at the sight of him. "Have you now, Emmerin? Hopefully not indoors." This boy's name was Emmerin; Son of the doctor that owned this building, and future lord of Connlaoth... or so he dreamed. "No, really I have! I can show you, I even mastered that sidestep you taught me!"

"Enough, Emmerin... Let him into the door proper, or you'll scare him off."

A bit of a ways in, down the staircase of the two-story building, a figure slowly descended. Erin's heart skipped a beat, despite his best efforts otherwise, as he laid eyes on the proprietor of the practice. To Erin, very few words did her proper justice. She was death, wrapped in the finest silk. Her skin was a beautiful, milky white-- flawless, though so little of it as her slender, hairless hands, the perfectly traceable line of her collarbone and her elegantly mid-cut dress were available for show. Her robes, black as night itself, which perfectly accentuated her long, loosely curled, near-midnight locks which enshrouded much of her face in mystery. Dark amethyst lipstick and eye shadow and a beauty mark at the peak of her cheek accentuated her enrapturing, golden eyes-- her gaze always ever-so-serene, her smile ever-so-inviting, like poisoned wine with an undeniable scent to draw one closer in...

"...It's been a while, eh, Dr. Evelyn Morvis?"

"Shire." A bead of sweat almost formed on Erin's brow at the rather curt greeting he received, but he didn't visibly flinch. Not yet, anyway. The 'doctor' waltzed slowly towards the three, with Emmerin having the wherewithal to quickly head back over to his seat at the table, and Erin unconsciously pulling Hyathia a bit closer-- almost as if he didn't know what was going to happen next. A weird reaction for Erin to be sure. The doctor stopped a few steps away from the two, her singularly-visible eye washing languidly over the both of their conditions as Erin began to speak again. "Hope you're not too busy for a walk-in?"

"Never too busy, for the lost puppy with a wounded paw that keeps showing up at my doorstep." Evelyn responded with a knowing smile. THAT one caused Erin to flinch a bit, though he smiled sheepishly all the same. "Though you don't look any worse than you normally do... A bit better, even, for what that's worth. Your friend, however..."

"She's who I'm here for. She had a rough day, and--"

"I gathered as much." The doctor responded in amused tone, cutting him off as her eyes had already fallen from Erin's mighty form to Hyathia's. Not a fighter, that was for sure... But the doctor withheld any judgements of either of them. "Well, I suppose I'll scold you a bit later. For now, dear, won't you come and sit at my table? I'd like to get a better look at your injuries... and see what I can do to help." Dr. Morvis turned without another word, walking towards a curtained-off section of the first floor, and almost enticingly gesturing for Hyathia to follow. Erin, who looked a bit defeated for some odd reason, simply gave the girl a gentle squeeze on the shoulder-- the good one, anyway-- before letting go. "She... can be a bit intimidating, but she's the best doc I've ever worked with. You'll be fine." He vaguely explained, ignoring the weirdness of the last few moments as everyone knew the easiest way to disprove something happened was to simply ignore it.

Hyathia wasn't sure what to expect, but when Erin was greeted as if he had returned home, she had to wonder if they weren't somehow related. Cousins perhaps? Or just friends..

She studied the raven haired boy at the desk quietly before and after his assaults, but it was the pale, dark haired sultry woman that had her tensing. She could feel those golden eyes taking her in as if they had weight, and was thankful Erin pressed closer, she instinctively doing the same.

But then Erin reassured her she was in good hands and the young woman had no reason not to trust him. The woman.. pn the other hand.. Hyathia couldn't help but stiffen and put up her guard, thanking the woman as she spared a single glance back towards Erin before vanishing behind the privacy curtain.

She suddenly felt very vulnerable and almost naked beneath the other woman's scrutiny. Inspite of herself, she cowered, and tried to fiddle with her dress to keep herself at least a tiny bit more modest. She spared a glance at the curtain, to where Erin might have been standing before raising blue green eyes to the doctor.

"Emmerin, take Shire out back, please. Go and show him your 'practicing', if you wish."

Erin frowned, a bit taken aback at the rather abrupt dismissal. Was... was she trying to separate them? "Y-yes, mother! Erin! Come look, I can show you how I've been practicing!" The boy jumped back to life from behind the desk he'd been seated at, not wasting the opportunity at his mother's behest, further to Erin's concern. It must've looked rather silly from behind the curtain; A child, perhaps half the size of the armored warrior, grabbing the man by the gauntlet and pulling him along. "Hey-- hey, wait! Why am I--" He attempted to protest, but the boy pulled Erin along all the same, leading him through a hall that led to the rear of the building, out of sight and earshot. There must've been a door leading to a yard of some sort in the back; Before long, Hyathia was alone with the woman in black, who eyed her quietly from a few feet away, before eventually closing said eye... and letting out a sigh of, relief?

"Finally... just us girls. Much easier to work without the distractions, I think." Eventually her eyes opened, and the look she gave Hyathia... was far, far warmer, and more welcoming than any gaze she'd likely seen that day. "Allow me to properly introduce myself... Dr. Evelyn Morvis, field medic by trade, though my studies dabble in a few other areas of human anatomy and health. You can call me Eve, for short." She put on a warm, knowing smile of sorts as she moved to close the gap between herself and the injured girl. Pulling forward a polished, wooden chair, Eve sat opposite Hyathia, giving her a another once over as she continued speaking. "You're certainly not one of Erin's typical companions... Not in that dress, and not with those injuries. What terrible turn of events brought you to me, dear?"

To say she was a little nervous that Erin was shuffled off might be an understatement as she jumped a little once they were left alone. But part of it was... nice,knowing she might speak more privately with the doctor, no matter how strange she might seem.

Even still, she shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"I.. I wouldn't even know where to begin," She began, quietly. "But my arm feels awful to move and I.. some of the cuts may have been deep."

Evelyn's eyes focused on the injury the girl had sustained to her arm as she spoke about it, before nodding. "Let's start with your arm, then. I'm going to move it just a little, to take a better look at it, okay?" She waited a few moments for Hyathia to take that sentence in, before proceeding as planned. She gently took the girl's hand into her own, and slowly, stably, lifted her arm to have a better, more in-depth look into the injuries she'd sustained. Evelyn's movements were precise, careful not to agitate the wounds the girl had already received, while preventing her from making any sudden movements with her arm. For a moment, she was quiet; As if in a world of her own. That moment didn't last very long. "Wooden splinters... bruising. Light scarring... And this gash. No signs of a reaction to the wood... I see..." She remarked quietly to herself, before carefully setting Hyathia's arm down once more.

Before long, she began to walk away from the table the girl had been taken up, heading instead to a nearby desk. She opened one drawer, then another, collecting items barely visible from the angle she was working at for the time being. "Did Erin do this to you?" She asked plainly, almost as if she were actively trying to catch the girl off guard with the question.

Hyathia winced as the arm was moved, but the doctor was gentle. She bit into her lip and kept her gaze averted, then the woman walked away and Hyathia calmed some.

When the question was asked, she blinked, confused.
"No..well, I don't think so. No..." she shook her head. The fall was kinda insane,  she thought bluntly. Erin could have bruised her during the fall. The fall.. which she recalled..he somehow miraculously saved her from. The moment has been like a dream, and she flushed at the memory.

She then turned to Eve.
"We sort of had a pretty terrible,  nasty fall."

As Hyathia 'reminisced', if one could call it that, Eve stole a quick, unsuspecting peek at the girl-- Originally checking to see if her condition had changed at all. Spotting the fresh paint of light red in her cheeks, however, she returned her gaze to her work while holding back a coy smile. Before long, she'd collected all that she intended to; A few medical tools, some towels, bandages, a bottle of a clear liquid, a container of some sort of cream...?

"'Pretty terrible' goes a little way towards describing your condition, I suppose. Knowing Erin, I imagine it was off the side of a cliff... or off the back of a dragon." Eve returned to Hyathia once more, the tray of equipment in her hands. It had sturdy-enough legs for the doctor to set it down beside Hyathia's table on it's own, and at a perfect height for the woman to work from. Her golden gaze washed over the young lady once more as she took the bottle of liquid and a small, thin towel in her hands. "Lay flat, and relax. This will sting a bit, but do try to remain still, okay?"

Hyathia gasped,  eyes wide. She hadn't even closed her mouth as the woman went on with her instructions,  then she promptly closed her lips and blushed.

Right, right,  she was being treated. She bit into her lip and nodded, moving to lay down upon the table as she closed her eyes , flinching to brace herself for the pain.

Eve smiled faintly, before her expression went relatively blank; Her mind focusing on the work ahead. With Hyathia laying down, she could better take care of that wound on her arm, and so she lightly doused the cloth with liquid, she began cleaning and treating the site of the wound. The sudden stinging and burning sensation the girl would likely feel, along with the smell, all but confirmed it was some sort of alcohol solution; That said, compared to just about everything else she'd been through, the pain was likely dull in comparison.

"He has a way of dragging people into his troubles... or stumbling into the troubles of others, that man." She off-handed explained as she continued to work on Hyathia's arm, pausing every so often to guage her pain. "Given his relative lack of injuries to yours... I take it the latter is true?"

Hyathia winced,  eyes prickling with tears from the stinging pain of the alcohol. She was still mulling over the idea the woman nearly guessed the pair had fallen off a cliff. Had she somehow known? Was she a witch or mage of some mind?

The questions were nearly missed as she was lost inside her own head. She nodded,  glancing away.

"He saved my life."

"He tends to do that." Eve mused, as she continued making her way up and across Hyathia's arm. She continually gauged the girl's reactions, both to the pain and her own words as she worked, careful not to cause any unneeded ruptures or excessive pain, but not shying away from the dried blood and tears in her skin in the least.

"I'll assume he's kept you as close to his side as possible since, then... Given that the majority of your injuries seem to have been sustained at around the same time." She surmised, her hands moving further along the girl's arm. Slowly, carefully. If she was capable of some odd magic of sorts, or somehow knew more than she was letting on, she was doing quite a good job of not betraying her secrets; Her face instead focused on the task at hand, though the questions barely stopped. "You have several light lacerations on your legs and ankles, as well. And dirt, of course." She noted, something of a disappointed smile on her face.  "He never really was much of a gentleman."

As the woman examined her legs, Hyathia mentioned she may have twisted something because as she walked to get here, her left ankle would have a shooting pain- a mild inconvenience compared to her arm. And she hasn't favored her other leg much as they traveled.

But then Evelyn mentioned Erin not being a gentleman and and she frowned.
"He saved my life,  " She reiterated.  "And hasn't really left my side since rescuing me." That was gentlemanly enough in her book.

"...Hm." Eve continued to treat the girl's arm in relative silence following her words, only speaking up as needed to instruct her when to expect sudden pain, or if she needed to adjust her arm. Before long, she withdrew from her, leaning back towards the table to gather something else; Her face hidden behind shadowy black locks of the finest curls while she worked. Before long, she turned her attentions back to Hyathia... a knowing smile on her face as she picked up the container of salve and another tool-- likely meant to apply it.

"You're rather taken with him, aren't you?"

The question might've seemed completely out of the blue, but Eve couldn't withhold her curiosity and amusement any further than she had. The girl's answer didn't matter too much to her, one way or the other; It was written on her face, in her words, and showed through her actions. "Sorry-- I can't help but tease you a little. Don't worry; I won't tell. Now, hold still... this won't hurt a bit." Eve said warmly as she began to apply the salve to Hyathia's arm. Compared to the stinging pain from earlier, the salve was sweet, blessed, cooling relief to her injury; Coating the most tender spots of her injury, and quickly numbing the radiating pain.

Hyathia was taken off guard by the comment and her cheeks reddened.
"Wh.. what!?"
Why would she.. how...

She squirmed a bit at the salve, but also because she felt uncomfortable at the statements.

"He.. he saved me life," She stammered again, as if that justified.. whatever needed justifying. It wasn't her fault if he was cute or looked dashing and heroric in his armor...

He had saved her life. If anything,  she owed Erin her life .

She avoided the woman's gaze now,  still squirming a bit. Her arm still felt uncomfortable.

And she found herself asking, "How.. how do you know Erin?"

Eve couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Hyathia's unsurprisingly honest reaction to her words. She doubted she could've captured a more perfect moment of distress out of the girl if she tried; Her earlier questions just bits of icing on the cake that was her rather unsuccessful attempts at defending herself. Ah, to be that young again...

"How do I know him... I suppose you could say I was his first crush." She replied in a somewhat fond tone, continuing to carefully apply the salve to Hyathia's injury. She figured the conversation would eventually reach this point, in hindsight... and yet, still fumbled about a bit in her mind to find the words for it.

"This was a good number of years ago... I was doing some field work in Falkenrath and needed an escort back into the city. Erin took the job. Must've been his first time that far away from the duchy... We were attacked by a group of bandits. Erin was skilled, but young... and couldn't protect me." Her hands paused for a moment, as if mentally recalling something particularly unpleasant, before she continued. "They took me away to a cavern passage of some sort. At the time, I had resigned myself to an eventual death... But then Erin came walking in. Half-dead at best, with this look in his eyes as if he wasn't 'all there'. He killed all of them. I think... save for the battlefield, I've never seen so much blood."

Eventually, she once more withdrew from Hyathia's arm, putting her equipment away and grabbing bandages. "I remember him telling me that he would never let something like that happen, ever again. Even asked me to never leave his side again. And yes, I considered it... But I'm a doctor, bound to Uthlyn, and he's a wandering adventurer. He couldn't be the partner that I needed." Eve finished her tale by returning to the girl's arm, and beginning to slowly, carefully, apply the bandaging to it.

At the reveal, she stiffened, then listened to her explanation., hanging on her every word. Then her belly twisted with an unwelcome serpent of jealousy,knotting itself until her throat was uncomfortably dry.

"That doesn't seem fair," She murmured. "If you were in love.. I'm sure you could have made it work. I..what.. what I mean to say is, .." what did she mean to say? She dropped her gaze and apologized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

As the good doctor further bandaged Hyathia further, she smiled. What a kindhearted girl-- or at the very least, an innocent one. "Oh, you don't need not apologize. It's nothing I haven't thought about myself, after all." Her eyes glazed over a bit, her thoughts wandering, yet her bandaging movements every bit as precise as they had been; It was as though she'd trained her body to act on instruction alone, without further input.

"But love is a finicky thing. My heart wanted to run away with him back then, and never look back-- face whatever dangers he might've faced, and stand by his side when the rest of the world wouldn't. But my mind and my body... couldn't. Even when we were attacked by those bandits, I froze in fear. They got the better of him, a far more skilled fighter, because I cowered. And when he came for me, covered in the blood of the same people who kidnapped me... I was afraid of him. When I think back on that day, I remember it all too well. He deserves better. Someone who can accept him as the hero he tries to be, and the blood-letting warrior he actually is."

Before long, the bandages were tied nice and firm around Hyathia's arm, and Eve nodded quietly at her own handiwork. "Very good. Now be sure to rest that arm as much as you can-- The bandages are tight, and should prevent you from making too many unnecessary movements, but if you aggravate it too much, the wound will still open all the same."

Hyathia digested what the woman said. She had a point. And she thought about her own feelings and what she would do. Perhaps their answers would be the same. She was no warrior, not a doctor... she wasn't really skilled in anything.

If Erin even liked her a little bit, which she wasn't even sure her own emotions weren't more than a crush themselves, would anything become of it? She had zero experience with love, except the pile of romance novels now left behind in her home. And those stories... her entire body heated for a moment as she tried to shake off those ridiculous thoughts.

Those were stories, where brave men rescued the damsel and wentbthrough crazy, chaotic adventures but a fierce love they developed guided them through.  This was real life, and although their meeting and adventure thus far was crazy if not almost worse in a way than the events in the books...
It wasn't like Erin was poised to just whisk her off her feet. She flushed even more,  knowing what that entailed.

Part of her wanted that, a daydream of her and the knight discovering their hearts and bodies together more intimately after such an ordeal. Very.. very much so, she realized,  carefully swallowing the lump in her throat. 

Maybe she could thank him and...

What was she thinking? Hyathia rose, awkwardly testing the bandages before smiling over at Eve.

"Thank you. For all of your help." She'd say she'd feel better already but that wouldn't be truthful. It would be days before she'd feel less sore from her wounds, and probably weeks for the arm to heal. But she'd probably still want to thank Erin with some more intimate-

No! What was wrong with her? She's been alone with this young man for almost a day and she was getting such.. such.. ideas. But to be fair, she was so tightly spun up about everythingthat that,  coupled with her attraction, and her level of inexperienced and wanting hormones, what else would her mind choose?

Eve nodded with a smile, monitoring Hyathia a bit more both to double-check her handiwork as well as to ensure she hadn't missed a scratch somewhere or other. As she did so, her trained, golden gaze couldn't help but catch the occasional thoughtless look on Hyathia's face, or the uncomfortable shifting as she stood quietly. Given their most recent topic... it wasn't hard for her to put two and two together, with a knowing grin. She remembered that feeling herself, thinking back...

There was a tinge of jealousy in her chest, but it was drowned out by vicarious whimsy-- A sense of genuinely want to see how far the two of them could, or would, be able to take one another. Eve was no romantic, and held no notions casting aside her career on a whim, but that didn't stop her from wondering what would've happened if she did.

"If I might give a bit of advice, lady-to-lady..." She leaned in a bit, coming a bit closer to the side of Hyathia's face before continuing, "...He gets flustered when people whisper in his ear." She'd let the girl do with that information as she would, sensing she had very little time left to elaborate. Her ears were fairly familiar with the building, after all; She could tell when the back doors were opening, regardless of where she was inside. And surely enough, shortly thereafter, the sound of the boys returning filled the nearby hall as Emmerin's boasting about something or another echoed through the interior. Eve stepped away and opened the curtains; There was her son, of course-- a little dirtier than she recalled him. And entering right behind him was... oh dear.

Erin had returned, in a much different state than he'd left; The crimson-armored knight had stripped himself of his breastplate, pauldrons and gauntlets. Save for a simple, form-fitting tunic he'd worn beneath it, the man was practically topless, which put on display his naturally tanned skin and rippling, muscular form. "Mother! Mother-- Erin showed me how to parry to the left!" The younger boy happily stated, the dirt on his shirt serving as some sort of proof of that. The raven-haired woman's midnight-tinted gown shifted naturally across the ground as her eye shifted from her son, to Erin, almost languidly.

"Is that so?"

"W-well, he's not going to go out and win any wars today, but the kid has talent. And I probably should've asked, but I left my--" He began, before Evelyn dismissed his explanations with a wave, returning to the rather distant, yet sultry persona she'd put on prior to Hythia's treatment. "Armor and axe, yes-- blatantly obvious. Don't worry; You can come by and grab them later." She turned from Erin's gaze and back to Hyathia for a brief moment, before mouthing the next words with a mischievous smile to her, and only her.

"Good luck."

Erin wasn't the only one who might react to a whisper, for Hyathia shivered when Eve spoke so breathy and close. It sent to tingles across her skin. But she nearly jumped when she heard the boys return. She stayed shyly behind Evelyn, peering out and going still when she finally took Erin in.

She had only ever seen him in his armor, so seeing him without made her do a double take in voluntarily. He was sweaty, well toned,  which made it impossible for her to look away. She was practically drinking in his sight until Evelyn's words brought her back to reality and she quickly dropped her gaze, her entire form,  she was certain, was now red. And she couldn't for the life of her remember words.

For a moment, there was an odd, awkward silence between the three of them; Erin, having very briefly caught Hyathia's form, did what he could to pretend he hadn't. She was patched up, which was good, but she... she still very much needed a change of clothes. Hyathia had her own version of the self-same issue to deal with, and Eveyln meanwhile simply collected and put away her tools and medicine... reveling in arguably being the only one in the room who knew exactly what was happening.

"Right, then-- Wait here, both of you. She'll live, but she's like to catch a cold walking around in those tatters. I have very little that'd fit her, but I'm sure I have something for the time being... Emmerin, come with me." She returned to Hyathia after putting away what she could and gave the girl a gentle, encouraging push on the lower back, as if urging her towards Erin. Evelyn's son, who'd been playing with his hair absentmindedly near the desk, suddenly shot to attention and darted towards his mother at her call. The good doctor walked ahead of Hyathia by a few steps, heading towards the steps that lead upstairs, and as she passed Erin's already somewhat uncomfortable figure, she put on a display for her semi-captive audience; Passing as close to him as she could, before whispering in his ear.

"Be gentle with her."

Erin, admittedly, did not typically show much in the form of weakness. He'd trained himself mentally to put on his best, bravest face as much as he could. But as Hyathia would witness, the sudden shot of red to his cheeks and the stiffening of his shoulders was all the proof it likely took to show that Evelyn was right-- the man wasn't infallible. Even he could be vulnerable, under the right conditions. The mother and son vanished up the flight of steps shortly thereafter, leaving the two to their own devices in the meantime.

"...How are you feeling? Not great, I'm sure, but... Do you... Er..." Mentally, he slammed his fist into his face-- an attempt to focus his thoughts after so easily having had them scattered. "We'll have to figure out some sort of room and board for a bit while we lay low here; I know of a decent-enough inn." He managed, rubbing the back of his neck.

It took great difficulty to lift her gaze to look at him. But she thought it would be rude other wise but dropped her gaze again to nod her head.
"I. I'm fine. Thank you. Your friend was really helpful." Her eyes darted around on the floor before peering over towards where Evelyn had vanished then glanced back towards Erin.

At the mention of a place to stay she nodded.
"I'm.  Sorry I can't be more helpful. With.. all that's going on ... I just feel so helpless. I'm not a fighter, I don't have any money on me.." she kept her gaze away from his and upon the floor.

"What are you going on about?" Erin put on his trademark smile of confidence as Hyathia began to seemingly let out her innermost insecurities. He didn't want to dismiss her concerns, but he also knew better than to let them get the best of her, especially in this situation. He reached over towards her with his dominant hand and, as gently as he could, took her by the chin and raised her head to meet his gaze, believing nothing he could possibly say to her at the moment would get through that impressively pessimistic head of hers if he didn't.

"I don't need you to fight, or pay, or whatever it is you think you should be doing. I just need you to stay..." He started, before remembering how badly the last time he said that line to someone went, and quickly changing the course of it,"...To stay safe, and trust that I'll get you out of this craziness in one piece, okay? Do that much for me, and we'll call it even." He finished with a reassuring nod, hoping at the very least to garner some small amount of confidence out of the girl.

When he touched her something zinged across her skin, tensing up her muscles as she stared into his eyes. She had to strain her neck to look at him, he was atleast a foot taller than and he himself had to probably bend over some to accommodate his own actions as well. But she hadn't notice his eyes were brown before, not unlike his hair,  and the scars on his face were more obvious now, as was the grizzledness of his shadow of a beard. That, coupled with the fact he was rather nice to look at, made her cheeks turn a vibrant shade of pink as even her eyes turned on some of the fog of heat momentarily.

She realized he was near exact what some of those romance novels described in a man,strong with hard muscles,  confidence yet a gentle touch.

The fog from her eyes lifted at his words, her own eyes becoming like crystal at his words. She wanted to whimper.
He wanted her to.. stay? The hesitant moment between his words could have made her swoon. Even as he went on, his words were but an echo of themselves as heat clouded her ears and she was suddenly aware just how close they were together that she forgot how to breath.

Or talk. Because she was kind of just.. staring.

She was cute.

Erin, while somewhat of an idiot (a couple blows to the head tended to have that effect on someone), was not absolutely clueless. He knew enough about himself, and the perception he gave off, to know how others looked at him. He wasn't completely unused to getting looks like the one that Hyathia, knowingly or not, was giving him now. Typically, though, those folks spared him such looks from afar, too embarrassed to do so openly. It might've been his own fault in this situation, but right now, he was receiving a very, very high dose of visual stimulation, and while it wasn't enough to cause him to blush, he did avert his eyes and shift his attention a bit.

"I'll... erm, I'll take silence as an 'okay'." Blush or no blush, she WAS cute, and that was another reason he stepped away. He... he really needed Evelyn to come back downstairs with those clothes. Quickly. He had the willpower to ignore it from a distance, and the lack of braincells to distract himself when need be, but he WAS still a man, and so far as he knew, she was still very much a noble. Thankfully, the inn he had in mind had a nice, warm bathing room-- he felt he'd need a very cold few buckets of water to... 'cool off', by the end of the day.

Hyathia sputtered out a breath, remembering she had to breath as she hastily apologized. She wasn't even sure what words she said.

She then nodded, perhaps more than was necessary.
"Yes, but of course I trust you. You.." Her eyes sought his again, genuine warmth there. "You've saved me how many times. I think we're beyond just trust. " Her flushed cheeks held. It was getting a bit warm in the doctor's office wasn't it?


"And I'd like to help, if or when I can. It... doesn't seem fair for you to shoulder everything. " She honestly didn't know howshe'd help,but she would find a way.

Erin was able to wave Hyathia's apologies off without too much effort, understanding (to a degree) where she was mentally, in more ways than one. It was fine enough that she reaffirmed their trust, as well-- though it did his mind some good to hear it from her again. But what she said aferwards-- what it almost sounded like she implied-- His eyes widened a bit, and for the first time between the two of them, Erin found himself... speechless.

She... she was too damn cute. He felt his own face heat up a bit, heated blood running through his veins. She was really, really pushing his buttons at the moment, and to an extent, even he didn't realize it. He couldn't take much more of her looking up at him with those innocent, cerulean eyes, or those soft... kissable... Before he realized what he was doing, Erin reached down and gently, yet firmly took her by the shoulders, his heart leaping at the feeling of her bare skin as he pulled her closer, leaned down and--

"Sorry to keep you waiting-- It took longer than I thought to find the dress."

If he could've screamed, roared, ANYTHING in that moment, he would've. Blinded by red-hot emotions, yet bound by sheer willpower, Erin quickly released the noblewoman in his grasp and seemingly out of sheer embarrassment-- or perhaps frustration-- quickly stormed across the room, head down, a temporarily contorted face hidden beneath a swath of auburn locks as he planted himself firmly at a north-facing window, fingers going white from straining themselves against the stone windowsill. Evelyn had returned-- or was returning, coming down the steps audibly. By the time she had any visual, she was met with quite the amusing sight out of both of them, with her suspicions mostly confirmed by Erin, who was very, very bad at hiding his frustrations-- aggressively and impatiently tapping his foot on the ground.

"...Did I interrupt something?"

"No, you didn't." Came a very curt, restrained reply, as Erin mentally chastised himself several times over. What was he thinking just now!? No, that was the problem, wasn't it; He WASN'T thinking! He beat himself up a bit more at that window, while Evelyn simply tilted her head, before heading over to Hyathia. The dress she held in her hands was nowhere near as beautiful as the girl's own would've been in it's properly-designed, not-ripped-to-shreds state, but it was still rather nice, if only a little more common-looking; A rose-pink color, somewhat complementary of Erin's own crimson armor. "A gift-- One I never had reason or occasion to wear. Go on, try it on." She handed the dress over with a smile, before turning her gaze over towards Erin, who still seemed rather upset about... something. What, she truly, truly couldn't begin to fathom...

Time seemed to slow, and the heat only seemed to rise. Erin was moving closer,  a fire in his eyes that she'd never seen. Her mind was on a whirl, fluttering around useless as it seemed Erin was about to-

Hyathia nearly jumped clean out of her skin when Evelyn returned and Erin angrily charged a window. Her face was completely flush and her heart racing inside her ears. It took her a good solid moment to compose herself when she accepted the simple dress and looked away as she grabbed onto the curtain to draw it close.

She stood there a few moments, feeling completely and utterly vulnerable,  as if the curtain was barely there to lend modesty. She stared down at her dress, then drew in a long breath, gathered her wits about her and began to peel off her torn dress and discarding its ruined layers.  It was a sobering sight, one that lent itself as a distraction that plagued her of that almost kiss.

She could have died.

The only thing the others could see were Hyathias bare feet beneath the curtain, that swayed with a dancers grace as she removed her clothing then slipped the next on. It seemed the rosey gown nearly reached her feet as the dress brushed over her bare feet as she moved. 

It was a comfortable enough dress , but the second she drew it down over her head and pulled it to fit over her form she noted...
It was a very,very low cut dress, and her chest was nearly pressing the damn Un bound dress clean open. It was only then did she realize how much of a figure she truly had, always wearing modest dresses that never opened in the front as much as this.

She spent a few good moments trying to adjust the front the best she could,  but her cleavage remained openly displayed.  After a time, frustrated,  she gave up. She was a  woman, why should she apologize for it.

She held the front of her dress against herself and began the tedious process to lace tightly the front. Once she felt it was secure, she tied it well and drew in a long, deep breath before releasing it. It was only then she noted the mirror in the room and she fussed over her dress and hair before catching a glimpse of Erin in the mirror. She could barely tell it was him, the way the angle of the mirror cast as she studied him a moment before realizing...

If she could see him...
Was Erin able to have seen her!?

It was madness. Sheer, unadulterated madness. Erin closed his eyes for a moment and tried, desperately, to get his emotions under control while he stood at that windowsill, his hands balling into fists and back. Surely, it was just hot in the doctor's office, right? The windows were closed, the door locked behind him as they came in earlier, his own body warmed up from toying about with Emmerin from practice-- Yes, his blood was just pumping. His head wasn't in the best of places. He did his best work, made his best decisions, when he was calm.

Calm. Yes, that was what he needed; A reminder of what kept him calm. Death... His death. Erin's fists loosened as he recalled the very concept. The sudden cold that crept in, moment by moment. The loss of strength in his limbs, then his core. The dulling of his senses, the world beginning to fade into obscure lights and far-away sounds... The sensation of drowning, but lacking the willpower to draw one more breath. And then... nothing. He took a deep breath, held it for some time, and then slowly let it go-- as if releasing all the tension he was holding onto. Right... this exact situation had gotten him killed before, hadn't it? His wandering eyes, his desire to just... hold someone, something, once, with all of his strength.

Slowly he opened his eyes once more, finally beginning to calm down. In truth, there were so many concerns with his thoughtless actions; Hyathia was a noblewoman of sorts, for starters. And from what he could tell, his mind racing back to their most recent encounter, she was one of such importance that men would lay down their very lives to secure her. Did he really have any business getting himself involved with someone like that? He had his good name as an adventurer, but no real status to speak of outside of it-- and no real future to offer someone that did. He reminded himself, sternly, that his only real place was on a battlefield, before slowly leaning back from the windowsill and averting his gaze from the view outside to the glint of light reflecting off of a mirror some ways away, and--

Gods be good.

The warrior immediately averted his eyes, stumbling backwards against the windowsill. He felt light-headed; a natural reaction to having forced his heart to calm down moments prior only for all of the blood in his body to come rushing back to his brain immediately afterwards. Oh gods, he saw... everything. Everything. And he trembled slightly with an internal panic as he now focused as much as he could on not blinking, because every time he closed his eyes he could still, see, everything. If Evelyn noticed him behaving oddly, she didn't seem to say a word; Instead walking over to the desk Emmerin had been seated at and looking over a few notes the boy had scribbled inside for her.

He needed to get out. Now. But as soon as Erin attempted to move from the windowsill, Evelyn's voice stopped him. "Patience, Shire. I'm sure she's almost done. Sit still." She noted, her face obscured by the shadowy locks of her long, curly hair... Though he was almost certain that even through it, he spied something of a smile. Sit still? SIT STILL? WHEN THAT MIRROR WAS THERE!? The glare he shot her could've pierced the scales of a dragon, but if she did notice it, once more, she didn't seem to acknowledge it in any way.

Hyathia flinched at the reactions beyond the curtain. She peered curiously from behind,  hoping things were okay.  It seemed to be. She bit her lip and stepped out fully,  timidly and peered at the others.

"Is everything alright?:

Erin stared at the ceiling, for two reasons. The first, and most important, was to combat what he felt was a very quickly approaching nosebleed due to the pressure he felt in his skull at the moment; It pulsed and pulsed, his heart giving him no leeway as it beat harder and harder still with every accidental blink of the eyes. It was torture, and it explained the second reason he was staring at the ceiling, which was to give him literally anything-- anything at all-- to look at in particular other than that mirror. Even now, he felt tempted to... but no. Erin was a warrior. A warrior with a purpose could overcome any temptation. And damn it, if that purpose was to stare at the ceiling as if it were made of the finest treasures and foods the land could offer, he would do so.

And so he did, quite successfully in fact. It really wasn't until he heard the curtains slowly slide open and Hyathia's voice that he felt comfortable enough to lower his gaze to her again. "Everything's fine-- How are..." He began, his eyes meeting her face, before inevitably trailing further down her body... And, despite his best efforts, Erin felt a severe spell of dizziness overtake him, causing him to very briefly fall backwards against the window with a thud, seemingly losing strength in his limbs. It was only for but a brief moment, however, and before he fell to the ground, he regained his composure; covering his mouth, as well as his nose, with one hand, while propping himself up from the windowsill with the other.

"...Shire?"

"I'm fine," Erin snapped a bit in an admittedly defeated tone of vocie, his gaze hidden by his hair, which had fallen into his eyes for the time being. "Just... just a bit hungry. Haven't sat down for a meal in a few days. H...Hyathia, are you... good to go?" He managed, not daring at the moment to look at what was no doubt a smug grin from Evelyn or ANY part of the noble girl at the moment while he tilted his head back once more and took in a deep breath through his nose-- wiping away a bit of blood on his tunic as he righted himself.

"Are... you sure--"

"Perfectly sure. Everything's fine."

Erin may have been set to avoid gazing at her, but Hyathia was too concerned to let her own insecurities get in the way as she rushed to Erin's side, eyes wide and full of concern.

"Are you sure you're okay? If.. if I'd have known you were so famished we could have eaten before seeing a doctor."

She'd never forgive herself if Erin fell in such a state now, after all they had gone through.  "Are you sure you shouldn't take a moment to sit down?"

"Absolutely sure. The quicker we get out of here-- t-to get food-- the better. I'm starved right about now." Erin willed himself to say with as straight a face and as confident a smile as he could manage, given the circumstances-- Suddenly very thankful of the crimson faulds and tassets around his waist for absolutely no reason in particular at the moment.

Evelyn grinned, though it was concealed beneath the shadow of her hair as she corrected some notes Emmerin had made on prior patients. "Ravenous, I'm sure." She remarked, earning her yet another harsh glare from Erin, who wasn't sure prior, but now was absolutely certain she knew EXACTLY what she had done.

He still felt dizzy... but the threat of doing something unbecoming in the presence of others loomed heavily on his shoulders. This exact situation had gotten him killed before. He repeated it over and over in his head like a hypnotic mantra, and found the strength to suppress his baser instincts for the time being. "There's a tavern not far from here-- The Haggard Tracker-- that serves a mean cut of cow. I'm salivating thinking about it! Eve-- er, Dr. Morvis?" Erin corrected himself, heading towards the exit, though the good doctor merely waved his 'mistake' off.

"Yes, yes-- I'll put it on your tab. Don't forget to stop by later, to pick up your belongings."

The auburn-haired man nodded with a smile, opening the front door, before looking to Hyathia-- and immediately looking elsewhere. "Right-- let's go and eat something. My treat."

Suddenly Hyathia was less concerned about the cut of her dress and a lot more worried about the state of her companion. As they moved through the door to leave and were stepping outside, she had hooked arms with him.

"Here let me help you walk. You looked like you were about to collapse a moment ago. It's the least I can do." She gave him a small, reassuring smile.
"Is the tavern very far?" She askedasked, looking around the busy street.

"T-too close-- I mean, very close." Erin shivered a bit as Hyathia locked arms with him-- The feeling of her softer skin against his own a wholly unfamiliar yet altogether not unpleasant sensation. This exact situation had gotten him killed before. This exact situation had gotten him killed before. He had to keep repeating it over, and over, and over again, though his willpower fail along the way-- all the more reason to get to the tavern as quickly as he possibly could. He couldn't blame Hyathia for being concerned about him, no matter how much he wanted to-- but he could absolutely blame the fates for putting him in this precarious situation. Somewhere among the divine, Seth was probably laughing at him right now.

Erin was right; The tavern, rather sizeable even for such a prosperous city, was only a sidewalk or two away from the doctor's practice, and perhaps given the hour, it was busy-- Not bustling to the brim with activity, but busy enough. Erin guided Hyathia in-- the warm candle lights complementing the window's rays of sunshine and the jovial sounds of a bard and his troupe playing a lovely melody. The buzzing of idle chatter filled the air as Erin lead the noble girl to a nearby table, pulling a seat out for her before settling down into a chair opposite her own. "Huge fan of this place. I ate here my first time in the city." He stated with a far more relaxed toned, flagging down one of the tavern's workers. "Might not be the fine dining you're used to, but close enough, I'd think."

Hyathia was starry eyed as the pair entered the tavern. Her family never would have taken her to such a place! The atmosphere was something else, with lively music that made her eyes danced as freely as the candles' flame.

It took her a few moments to soak it all in before she turned to Erin with the broadest of smiles.
"Oh, Erin, this place is lovely! I've never been to a taverns before! It's like my book's described," she gushed.

Erin let out a hearty laugh, matching Hyathia's energy. "Hah! You haven't even seen the best it has to offer yet!" He could see a bit of himself in her-- the wild wonder in her eyes and the unbridled joy in her voice as she experienced what he'd come to know as 'the commonplace'. It was kind of like his old mentor had always taught him-- Taverns were the only place a prince and a pauper can share a meal proper. How amusing it was to find himself in something of a similar situation-- as far as he knew anyway.

Before long, he was able to grab the attention of a mature woman in uniform who'd been wandering from table to table. "Welcome to The Haggard Tracker! What can I start you two out with today?" She asked, leaning in a bit towards the two of them. Erin, who'd not been to the tavern in months, could barely wait for her to ask.

"Still serve that double barrel-aged merlot? Bring a decanter of it, some water, and some glasses-- And two plates of your most tender roast!" He proclaimed heartily, his stomach demanding a feast.

Hyathia was all bright eyed and blushes as she continued to take in the scene.

"Roast sounds amazing right now," She confessed. "Last meal I had eaten was quail and it not always the most filling."

She studied Erin for a moment more openly now. Gosh,he was handsome.  She was very fortunate to have crossed paths with a man such as him. It didn't help She was always attracted to men in uniform. But hey, she almost died. She night as well at least enjoy his company.

"Lovely! And yes, we do still carry our famous Merlot-- I can have that right out for you! Any thing else I can do for you, love?"

"Keep smiling-- It's brightening the place up."

"D'aww-- You shouldn't be flirting like that in front your lady-friend, y'know? But I'll try!" She gave Erin a wink before walking off with their order, leaving a somewhat amused Erin and Hyathia to their own thoughts. Erin had been somewhat dreading this moment, but amidst the white noise of the tavern, he was able to much more easily drown out his thoughts by relaxing to the social sounds of the world around them. In this environment, he could more comfortable take in the sight that was Hyathia in that beautiful red dress, without his head going haywire.

"You're staring again," He teased, figuring he could have a bit of fun at her expense now. He deserved a little come-uppance after everything that transpired in the doctor's practice. Leaning back on the table, he stretched a bit in his sleeveless tunic, eyes filled with mirth. He could afford to tease her a bit more, really. "That dress looks good on you. You look like something out of a story yourself."

Hyathia's face matched her dress.
"I.. I... you.." she looked away, sighing through a smile as she shook her head. But then he complimented her and she dropped her gaze, ears heating.

"Thank you. I've never worn a dress like this before. "

It seemed other men were also appreciating Hyathia in her low cut, rose dress.

She swallowed, oblivious to other stares that weren't Erin's.

"And.. and I'm sorry if I stared at you," She went on, shifting uncomfortably for being caught.

Erin chuckled at her reaction, taking a good deal of pleasure in her honest responses. He was no playboy, or even particularly good with women, but he could tell just from her reactions, as well as how she handled herself as a whole, that she was every bit as green in that department as he claimed to be. This was kind of nice, in a way; They did meet under rather... unique, circumstances, that may have involved jumping off the side of a cliff, but this was a far more neutral environment. They could be their best selves here, for the most part.

"You can stare as much as you like." Erin mused a bit, leaning forward onto the table as he found himself able to give Hyathia a much more level-headed, interested gaze. Unlike her, he was acutely aware of the stray glances she was catching, but it didn't bother him; No, it actually emboldened him a bit, knowing that she was here with him, and no one else. "I guess I can consider it a boost of confidence; I don't draw too many eyes, usually..." He noted, watching as the waitress returned-- not with food yet, but with drink. "Well, the armor does, but not so much me."

With that, he took the decanter and two glasses, and poured a drink for both himself and Hyathia, before passing one to his lady in red. "Merlot. Double barrel-aged with in a sherry casket. Smoothest red wine in Connlaoth." He explained with a smile, before fearlessly tossing half of the glass back with a few swallows. He sighed contently as he put the glass down, smiling. "Fantastic."

When he mentioned it as an ego boost,  her eyes returned to him. She found that hard to believe.  Sure, his armor was impressive but to see the well toned muscles of his body that showcased his true strength...

Hyathia swallowed.

"That can't be true. Most women swoon over knight's and- and-"
Oh, what did her tongue get her into? She dropped her gaze again, sighing with relief when the drink had been brought.  She took a few hurried drinks herself. Then she glanced back at Erin and seeing the smile on his face she huffed.

"Are you mocking me, sir?" She dared him, eyes a little hardened but there was the glitter of play still glowing within them.

Erin's grin widened, if only a little. "Mocking? No... Well, maybe a little." Hyathia had only had a bit to drink thus far, and already he was seeing sides of her that he didn't know existed. A part of him was hoping for this-- after all, he wasn't the only one that needed to take a bit of the edge off, so to speak. The girl had been through the ringer in an admittedly short amount of time; Likely had her life ripped out from under her feet, nearly died, nearly been killed, or captured otherwise... He was used to such rough-and-tumble chaos, but it was all he could do to keep her from going into emotional shellshock a few times so far. In Erin's mind, she needed this as much if not more than he did.

Taking another drink of wine, Erin adjusted his posture a bit, figuring he'd see how far he could tease the girl for now. "But don't you know? Men 'swoon' over princesses as well. You've had quite a few men 'swooning' over you since you walked in." He mused, though in the back of his mind, the thought unintentionally provoked him a little in turn.

Men swoon over princesses? Did that mean there Erin was.. oh... she was suddenly very aware of the stares.  She hunched a little, as if that might hide her.

Then she noticed the playful look Erin was giving her at her expense and huffed again. She sat up more straight and gave a critical once over of her companion as she drank more wine. Despite being a 'princess', she never had wine that often and she was already feeling its warm, confidence boost.

"Well, I'm not exactly used to it," She admitted. "I.. never was allowed out much except occassional travel or to shop in town"

"Oh, so you're a sheltered princess, then? I guess that adds up." Erin teased a bit, swirling a bit of the Merlot he had remaining in his glass-- aerating it a little before finishing the remainder in one sip. It DID make sense, though-- even for someone thrown out of her element, Hyathia definitely gave off the impression that she didn't value herself enough. Perhaps it was just her upbringing-- or perhaps she was her own biggest critic. Hell, maybe both.

As Erin poured himself another glass, he mulled the idea over a bit. In truth, he wasn't particularly used to noble-folk that were so salt-of-the-land, even if that was a bit of a stretch in Hyathia's case. "Well, now you're free to go wherever you want to-- do whatever you want, for a little while. Live a little; Dance to your own tune. Or hell, just dance-- The tune be damned. That's what it's all about." He waxed poetic a bit, already beginning to feel the alcohol in his glass putting his mind at ease, and lightening the weight of his shoulders, though that didn't stop him from taking another long drink.

She shot him a look.
"I'm hardly a princess." And she wanted to retort the Sheltered part but.. well.. he was kinda right. She frowned at that, then studied Erin as he went over her knew found freedom.

"Sure, dancing would be fun and all, but then what? I've never lived on my own before. I was never brought up to live on my own. I was supposed to get married off to some merchant or nobleman or whatever was supposed to be planned for me but then the war hit and it just.."

He didn't need to know she felt like she was just swept to the side, forgotten about. But that's how it felt. And thinking about it made her mad, and she went back to work on her drink.

"This may be easy for you, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to do now."

Erin sat quietly, and listened as Hyathia finally started to open up a bit more. Admittedly, while he couldn't relate to her plight, he could very well understand it. Erin, after all, had no such future laid out for him; No lifepath to speak of. He was born into the world, given a name, and figured the rest out as he went... and though it did result in more than a few moments where he felt pain, physically or emotionally, that he didn't wish on his worst enemies, he never regretted a single step of his life.

The very thought of having something decided for him, chosen on his behalf... It almost made his skin crawl. It was enough to have him taking another drink of wine, before pouring himself another glass, and refilling Hyathia's own. "It's not easy, admittedly," He eventually replied, before leaning back in his chair once more, staring upwards at the candlelight above, "And you're not supposed to know what to do. I suppose you could offer yourself up to some other nobleman or merchant while you're here, and let your life play out in front of you. Or you could've died on the side of that mountain."

His eyes showed something like longing, as he stared into the flames-- the rest of the world seeming to drown out into a cold silence in his mind as he continued on. "That would be easy. For you, for me, for whoever the hell. Just lay down and let someone, something else choose your future for you. Just would've had to stay in that cage. Wouldn't have to do a thing... Wouldn't have to think." Eventually, however, he seemed to snap back to his senses, and leaned forward onto the table again, downing the entirety of his glass of wine, and firmly slamming that glass onto the table afterwards. "But damn it, you jumped out of that cage, Hyathia. You wanted-- You WANT to live. It doesn't matter if you don't know what to do-- Do whatever you can." He was practically fervent now, a bit red in the face as the wine began to affect him as only this delicious double-barrelled blend could-- and damn it if he didn't like what it did to him.

Hyathia was taken back by Erin's reply. His ramblings didn't completely make sense.. or had they? Judging by his expression, he seemed upset. But was he truly? And why?

He mentioned the cage and her choice to jump...
A few fingers fidgeted on the low collar of her dress. She still wore her jewelry, a sparkling accent to something so simple and sweet, a symbol of the life she once held. Her fingers now traced the pearls.

She finally lifted her gaze to Erin's again, her own face a bit hardened by his words and naturally emboldened by the drink.

"You make it sound like it would be wonderfully easy to be rid of me." she took a swig of her drink, unnerved by how upset she realized she sounded so she took another drink to wash down the feelings from the first. She swallowed, face tart as she looked away.

"Should I apologize that I jumped?"

Erin frowned a bit himself, shifting uncomfortably in his seat out of sheer frustration front the conversation. "Are you trying to get in my head now?" He fired back, before pouring himself another glass of wine. The longer they spoke, the less the man understood her— and maybe that was the point. Was she actively trying to be confrontational right now? Or did she genuinely think so little of herself that she thought he would just walk away from her, given the opportunity?

...Wait, did she think that? Did he come off as so callous and uncaring that she thought he would rather she died back on that mountain? Erin could feel pins and needles in his brain as the thought washed over him. "I don't want your apologies— I want you to live." This girl was troublesome— he couldn't deny that. But the truth of the matter was that she practically refused to stand up for herself— or at least, that was how he perceived it. He wanted more out of her. More fire, more passion.

"I don't want to hear you wallowing in pity when you have your entire life ahead of you. You need to value yourself more. C'mon," He said, before standing. The band in the tavern changed tune— going from something of a loud and rambunctious medley to a softer, warming tune with a rhythmic ebb and flow. "Stand up— I'll show you how it's done."

Hyathia frowned.  She'd rather not live that way either. But she also couldn't deny she was still scared. She couldn't help that it made her feel miserable. And confused. Value herself more? She blinked at him, rising from her chair hesitantly, her head swimming some from the alcohol.

She had to shake her head, smiling inspite of herself.
"What do you intend to show me in this tavern?" It seemed a little foolish.

Once she was to her feet, Erin nodded in satisfaction, before doing something potentially unexpected-- at least, from someone like him. He reached forward and took Hyathia by both of her hands, then began to slowly and carefully drag her away from their table without so much as a word. The dining area of the tavern had plenty of space to walk about, but not as much as Erin would've preferred for what he was about to do. Instead, closer towards the center of the large establishment, there was an open floor; No seats, no fixtures. A few hanging chandeliers above gave the spot plenty of warm light. Just beyond the open space was the band playing, playing a romantic tune.

Erin and Hyathia were mostly alone here, save for the occassional onlooking gaze of a passerby or waiter. Here, the man stopped, a daring look in his eyes as he let go of her hands and then properly extended a single one, bowing a little. Was he...?

"I intend to show you how to live, a little. May I have this dance, princess?"

As Erin guided her away, she noticed the stares. She felt a bit self conscious as they stepped out onto the open floor before the band that played. She shifted uncomfortably,  sparing glances Erin's way until he spoke and she kept her eyes to him and..

She gasped.
"What are you doing!?"

But then he was bent over, a hand extended, not unlike how propriety demanded a gentleman do when extended an invitation. Her cheeks heated a little in color. He intended to dance.. here, infront of everyone?

She was pretty certain almost all eyes were upon them, and she forced herself to look away, to focus on Erin and...

There was something about the atmosphere, the way he was posed before her, and that look in his eyes that sent a thrill through her body. It somehow gave her the strength to take his hand again, smiling inspite of her very flushed face and said, "Yes, of course, my knight. "

But what intended to be a jab at Erin came as a sudden kindling to the fire in her belly. Just saying he was her knight, made butterflies of feeling errupt through her veins. The idea was almost too intoxicating and she waited with bated breath before the band.

Erin smiled as she took his hand, and without another word, he guided her by that hand closer to him-- step by step, as he stepped forward as well to close the gap between them. Erin took the initiative, wrapping his arm around Hyathia's waist with care not to hurt her, but firmly all the same. The band, among others, took note of the two, and slowed the rhythm of their song some; As if allowing the two of them to find their groove in dance.

"I can see it in your eyes. You overthink everything." Given his rough-and-tumble nature as both an adventurer and, arguably, an axe-crazed warlord, one might've expected Erin to flimsily stumble about in an attempt to impress Hyathia; Instead, he was a surprisingly good waltzer. He lead the younger woman along, step by step, into a relaxed pace of movements back and forth. He could go faster, slower, or whisk her off her feet in a moment's time if he so chose-- But for the time being, he wanted her to focus not on what he'd do next, but what was happening.

"Relax in my arms... I've got you. Let your heart guide you for a bit." He leaned down and practically whispered into her ear, as he guided her through another series of steps. "This is what it means to live. It means trusting something more than just what you know. Besides, we're 'beyond just trust', right?"

They fell into step, her own feet guiding her naturally from years of training and was surprised that Erin faired the same. They moved naturally together and were she not already blushing she would be now. She decided she much rather enjoyed his company, the rough and crazy, yet still somehow charming look on his face. It didn't hurt he also had a nice body, and though she tried not to oogle him, he was awfully close...

At his accusations, she shot him a look, mouth opening as if to protest. But then she closed it, and drew in a slow breath through her nose. But then he moved in closer and his breathy words tickled are her ears and sent racing sensations throughout every part of her body, from her hair to her toes. Numbly, she continued to dance with him, body aglow by his words.

And never before in her life did she feel and wish and desire such a man as she did in that moment. She was singing, mind in a haze over all the things she wished to do to Erin and the heat was probably evident in her smokey eyes.

But what could she say? What should she say? She was absolutely tongue tied. It was apparent Erin wasn't the only one who was weak kneed from whispers to his ear...

So she leaned forward, lips closing towards his ear as she nearly brushed his cheek as she spoke.

"Are you saying we share a lot of trust by dancing?" Her words were in jest, but even she shivered. She wasn't sure if it was the alcohol giving her confidence or not, or the fact the tension was so palpable it was about to break, but she so desperately wanted to live in that moment, just to let things happen as they may. Would he want to do just.. more than a dance? So many emotions swam through her, expressed openly I'm the heat of her eyes as her heart almost burst from fluttering over the idea of a simple touch.. and kiss...

Erin felt his own body warm a bit more-- a bit due to closeness of their bodies, a bit due to the warm atmosphere of the tavern, a bit due to Hyathia's candid, tantalizing words in his ear, and a bit due to the merlot which had found purchase in his blood, like liquid courage pumping through his veins. He was already an excitable sort-- quick to do something reckless, and quicker still not to think about the consequences of said actions. He was in a good mood right now though, with enough red wine in his system to remove the tension he felt from being in Hyathia's presence earlier, but not enough to completely override his common sense... just dull it a bit.

On that note, he continued to whisper sweet nothings down to the girl, as they proceeded into another series of steps which would lead them into a slow ronde of sorts. "There's a lot we could do to 'share trust'." He teased a bit, though he wasn't entirely wrong. This close, Erin could smell the scent of her hair, and feel the curves of her body against his own. The hand that cradled the girl by the waist lowered just a bit more, as if to accentuate his point. "So, so much more we could do."

When was the last time he'd enjoyed himself like this? Erin couldn't recall. Normally his days were filled with strife-- A happy kind of strife, admittedly, born of the type of adversity that he actively put himself into. Journeys into uncharted forests? No problem, he loved getting lost in the Draconi forest. A contract to take down a dangerous group of bandits? He lived for it. But this was enrapturing in it's own way, and as someone uniquely suited to experiencing life to it's fullest, Erin allowed himself to swim in the simple, psychological fulfillment these fleeting moments were giving him. From the rather hungry look in Hyathia's eyes, it seemed the girl was already some ways ahead of him.

Well that wouldn't do. She practically looked as if she was holding herself back for his sake. This gave Erin quite the idea, though-- one that would hopefully allow him to sate his own pent up feelings for a while longer.

"For example..." He mused, before slowly leaning even further into her to the point of the heat of their faces radiating as one, and their lips nearly touching. He raised a hand to their faces, obscuring their lips to any potential onlookers; From a distance, even up close, it would've been 'clear' to anyone that the tan-skinned adventurer had gone for gold, taking the red-dressed princess's lips for his own. Alas, even if it was less than inches, even though he could taste the merlot on her breath, Erin maintained himself. This, admittedly, was a very, very dangerous thing to do given that neither of them was in their calmest of minds, but he didn't care. "...I've been holding back all along... waiting to meet you where no prying eyes can see us." Ah, what a relief to have that off of his chest; Erin lowered his hand and leaned away, as the song began to wind down to an end.

When he pulled away, he may have well kissed her, pressed her against the wall and let his hands ravage her. For she was dazed, hair looking a little disheveled and lips plump and pouting, as if waiting and hungering for more kisses.
And she was certain her face was the entire color of her dress and the heat could melt snow.

Erin wa.want.... wanted her? And her mind went into a flurry of all the things that could mean. Did that mean that tonight they might...

She felt her throat constrict, mouth growing dry as heat pumped needingly through her veins. She had never been intimate with a man before and she was so feverish to try it.  Had they been alone she would have instigated such things, her blood near boiling at her need.

But as it were, she felt so many eyes upon her and dropped her gaze suddenly. But she couldn't help but smile.

"I guess I'm safe then? In front of all these eyes who are watching us ?" She peered up at him,  as if it were an innocent challenge. Was she really goading him to act on that?

The parents that raised her would be furious. They drilled it into her head to wait to be with a man when she was married. Well out here.. in this war torn and crazy world.. why should she not just... indulge? She couldn't have known they said such things since both her parents were irresponsible in her creation and tossed her off on those that raised her. Perhaps it was her unknown parents fault she was having such a drive of sexual need and tension that she was about ready to scream over it and demand Erin throw her over his shoulder and have his way with her... copulation on their trust and need and desire.

Erin laughed, finding the strength to pull away from his captive princess despite everything in his and likely Hyathia's bodies telling him to do otherwise. Yes, it would've been so, so satisfying to sweep her off her feet right now, pin her down somewhere, and feel the fabric of her beautiful red dress rip in his hands as he tore it off of her... But he didn't. In fact, he felt more level-headed now than he had for the better part of the day. Now she knew, if only marginally, how much he was also holding back... and he could see it on her face that she understood what it meant.

It didn't help that there were other eyes on them-- in particular, on Hyathia. Erin was not a jealous man by nature, certainly, but he WAS protective of what he considered to be 'his'. His armor, his axe, his... well, almost his princess. He would stand for the eyes of others ogling her while he took part, one by one, in every new experience he could teach Hyathia anymore than he would stand for someone else wielding his axe. Aside from Hyathia, maybe. Granted, she was far too scrawny to do something so dangerous as wield a weapon even in self-defense from what he'd seen of her, but the idea of her in his armor, with his axe... well, every man had their kinks, after all.

"Perfectly safe. After all, we still have a meal to enjoy, and the finest decanter of wine to finish up." He explained, looking back towards the table they'd been seated at prior. Thankfully, said meals hadn't arrived yet, but Erin could see a familiar waitress on the horizon, two plates in hand. The pair was closer to the table than she, and Erin took Hyathia gently by the hand as he began to lead her back towards the table they'd left unoccupied. "You'll be for desert." He muttered under his breath-- loud enough for Hyathia to hear him, but low enough that the seated folks they passed by could not. He was content enough with this for now-- this teasing, bit by bit, until she could bear no more. The wine had loosened both their tongues a bit-- but only just, in his mind. He wondered how much further a little more would go.

They reached the table ahead of the waitress, who kindly set their meals down, refilled their glasses, and bid them both 'enjoy' wit ha bit of a wink. The man smiled, the scent of a fine-cooked roast fresh in his nose as heat raised from it's finely-tenderized meats like a smoky vapor. "This is also what it means to live-- to eat well, drink well, and do the things you enjoy doing." Erin proclaimed with a smile, taking a knife and carving into the roast with even more surprising precision. For a boy who claimed to have been raised by paupers, Erin was indeed proving to be-- well, quite civilized.

The roast was sobering, reminding her how uncomparibly hungry she was. It was an oddity for her to have ever skipped a meal, and her stomach made loud noises for it. But even as she carved into the meat and let one piece melt into her mouth after another, her mind shifted back towards Erin.

She took the moment to size him up as she drank her wine. Her head was thrumming,, her blood still just a bit heated. So she took another drink, just studying him.

She was trying to ignore the she was dessert bit he spoke on their way back to the table, but her mind just couldn't. And because of it, surely was the reason she couldn't eat her fill. But it didn't mean she couldn't use that as a topic to mask her anxiety.

"This roast is heavenly."

It was about this time she realized she had emptied her drink. Oh dear, how much had she had?

"So how often does an adventurer like yourself just come through this way? Or do you have some sort of other title?" Oh..maybe he really was a knight!

Ah, a fantastic roast made every evening better. At some point, he'd have to remember to thank Hyathia-- or her stomach-- for speaking up earlier, and putting the idea in his head. For now, though, as Erin savored a well-carved slice of meat on his tongue, he'd revel in the sheer luxury of the moment, as was his want. After all, it wasn't every day that a man of his profession was able to enjoy a meal with beautiful company-- normally it was alone, or with a group of more battle-savvy adventurers.

"I have a few, I suppose." Erin paused his meal as he thought on the question a bit. What was he most known for, these days? "...Oh, I suppose those elves did call me 'Ser Erin, of Northoron'... though I never did ask what it meant. I was so eager to get back home after-- Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself. It's... it's a long story."

And so, over the course of a meal and a few more drinks, Erin regaled Hyathia with one of his greatest tales; The story of how he'd helped to save a cursed elven bloodline with the help of some wily friends he'd made along the way. He told her all about his adventures through the cursed lands of Fell-- of the demon he faced there, and the origins of Vanagandr, his blood-red axe. It was a grand tale, like something out of a story book; As he recalled it, even Erin found himself amused at some part of it.

"...And so I left the elven village with a cart of gold, and that title I mentioned earlier-- 'Northoron'... which, hm... I wonder if it meant... Firebird?" Erin thought aloud, absentmindedly bringing his knife to his plate, only to find there was no roast left to carve. Well, look at that-- how the time flew by.

Hyathia was all starry eyed as she listened to his tales.
"Wow.. you've traveled far... and to the Fell?" At that,  the young woman looked quite concerned."Isnt....Isn't.. the Fell... cursed?" She asked, suddenly supersticiously fearful for Erin.

"Hah! 'Cursed'. Well, for magic users, sure." Erin explained, taking another drink of wine as he did so. In truth, he'd only been to the Fell once since the foray that he spoke of-- a passing visit, as he had some contracted work to take care of in the area. Most folk didn't dare tread the land, due to both the evil vestiges of a time long since passed, as well as the inherent threat it presented to certain folks. Erin, fortunately, was either too stupid or otherwise uniquely unqualified to see the dangers of the land as any different than any other.

"Among the adventurer crowd, it's said that if anyone with magical prowess steps foot into the Fell, they become afflicted by a dangerous curse that spreads chaos and ruin to anyone and anything with a magical affinity. But folks like me-- 'normal' folks-- are completely fine, as far as I know." Erin lightly beat his chest at the statement, as if proud of his inherent 'resistance'. In truth, it'd been a while since he last died-- at least prior to his journey there. Some part of him had, at one time, wondered if perhaps Seth's blessing onto him might've been affected by the Fell... but such idle thoughts were very unlike him, and he more or less forgot about or ignored it.

Part of Hyathia was relieved to hear Erin wasn't a mage. Like most Connlaothians, she had a fear of magic. She had been raised that way. And she had only seen magic truly once in her life, when she was younger and a servants son was trying to impress her by showing her a 'magic' trick. Turned out,  he actually had magic and ended up burning a very shocked Hyathia. Naturally she told her foster parents and the next day the boy was rounded up and she never heard from him again.

She felt kind of guilty. It was the start of the war and the rumor was he was sent to the camps to be with other mages in quarantine. But as the war progressed and Hyathia heard the horror stories about these places up North... she had to wonder if she gave that poor boy a death sentence.

She glanced down briefly at her hand, where the burn scar was barely visible.  But she would never forget, even if time tried to fade it.

"You're very fortunate. You live such a dangerous life...." she couldn't even fathom. She was only just touched by the chaos of war and she felt unstable (in so many ways). She had never felt so... mortal before,  that was until today.  She looked over at Erin, studying him curiously .

Erin was halfway through a glass of wine as he heard the reminescing tone of Hyathia-- wistful, almost, in her praise. His own eyes scaled over her as a passing silence fell between them, with Erin quietly wondering exactly what the future held for the young lady. Truth be told, she wasn't so 'unfortunate' herself, given how today played out; One more bump, or tumble, and she might've had a fatal injury. One stray arrow during that earlier ambush might've put her down without much chance of reaching a doctor. Hell, had she not been crazy enough to knock her crossbow captor down earlier, who knew where she could've ended up-- what would've happened to her, at this point.

"You're pretty fortunate, yourself. It might not seem like it right now, but I'm pretty sure I'm better company than those kidnappers. Or I try to be, at least." He teased, running his thumb lightly against the outline of his jaw, the tactile feel of his afternoon shadow scratching against the skin of his finger.

That wasn't to downplay his own luck, of course. Erin considered himself luckier than most, if not all. He simply never gave it much thought-- Never counted his blessings, or prayed for good luck. His fortune was typically 'self-made' in as much sense as no matter what trouble he found himself in, he could usually figure a way out of it by brute-forcing his way to a better conclusion. Present situation included, in all truth.

The day progressed and began to wane, the sun having peaked and starting it's descent. Erin could feel his internal clock ticking; A bit of lethergy setting in after the long day. "Finish up, no rush. I know of a pretty well-off inn a little ways down the road-- we'll want to check in before dark, to be safe. Might not take us, otherwise." He explained, suddenly seeming a bit antsy as he watched the light of the day through the window. Antsy why? Who knew, really?

Hyathia ate more than she thought she could and sighed contentedly,  enjoying the rest of her glass, too.
"Maybe just one more drink for me," She said, reaching for the bottle to refill her own glass and said, "Then we best be on our way."

She wasn't sure if having another drink was the best idea, or perhaps it was a calculated risk in dragging her feet a little.  Once they were alone from prying eyes....

Hyathia poured too much and yelped as the drink spilled onto her hand holding the glass and the table.

The sudden noise caught Erin a bit by surprise, and as he looked back down to the table, and fumbling lass before letting out a bemused chuckle at her predicament. Did she intend to stain her skin the same color as her dress? That was a horribly inefficient way to go about it if so. "Hahaha... someone's probably had enough already." Erin teased, before pushing his chair back and standing... and in that moment, the wine he'd been so fearlessly downing washed over him like a wave. He could feel his head swimming-- enough to cause him to lean forward a bit and use the table for temporary support. Oh yeah, he was feeling quite good. "Maybe that someone is both of us, hahaha!"

After finding his balance, he made his way around to the other side of the table, to where Hyathia was seated, and gently took the bottle from her hands. As if he hadn't been daring enough today, he took the hand that held the wine glass into his own, however, and leaned in-- taking a sip of her own glass, and lowering it to a little more than half. "There... we'll go half-and-half on that one." He said with a smile, before letting go. The merlot had clearly done... something, to him-- Relaxed as he seemed, he could barely take his sharp, ravenous eyes off of Hyathia, nor did he seem embarrassed or ashamed of the fact. He'd had his fill of wine, and now wanted to drink in the sight of the beautiful woman in front of him.

Hyathia gasped and whisked the glass away.
"You.. you drank all my wine!" She stammered, and looked up at him, aghast. Her lips turned out into a little pout.
"What if I wanted the whole drink," She went on, pitiable as she lifted her glass near regretfully to take a daintily dramatic sip.

Erin's laugh was boisterous-- tickled fiercely at Hyathia's overly-expressive reaction. He couldn't get enough of her antics-- now more than ever, as she put on quite the upset and distraught air. "Oh no-- I've gone and upset the princess, now." He responded, before taking the decanter in his hands once more. The intricate, vase-like glass container slothed slightly with a bit more crimson wine, and gave Erin the, in his mind, perfect idea. She was upset that he took her wine from her? No problem, he could fix that.

"Tell you what. I'll make it up to you." He said somewhat cryptically, before taking the bottle and drinking from it. He then turned back to Hyathia, knelt down a bit, and reached over and captured the young woman's face once more by cupping her chin. What came next was probably not that unexpected, but was thoughtless all the same; He swooped in like a hawk, eyes focused on it's prey, and captured her lips with his in the tamest, most gentle kiss he could manage, given his current state of mind. Erin had outpaced the young noblewoman in drinking by quite a bit; it was clear in the taste of his lips, the scent of his breath-- he may as well have been pouring wine straight into her. As he leaned back, unfocused eyes slowly re-focusing on the woman of his collective thoughts, Erin couldn't help but smile a bit-- some very, very small, logical part of his brain mentally screaming and chastising himself for his behavior right now. So much for 'perfectly safe'-- Hyathia was becoming less and less 'safe' as the sun's light faded from the windows.

"Would you like some more? I could always order another bottle, after all." He spoke in a low, almost daring tone of voice, his eyes fixated on hers with animal-like intensity.

She was wholly expecting him to mock her- after all, she was intentionally being overly dramatic to get a rise. However, what she wasn't expecting was a kiss. Before she even knew what was going on, warm lips pressed to her's mixed with the chilled, fruity zest of the wine. And so many sensations exploded inside her like an escalading fanfare that when their lips finally did part, she could only sit there- dazed.

She barely registered that he had spoken before she felt the quick heat rising to her already flushed cheeks. And a hand went over her lips, a shocked smile curled upon them and was inerasable. And she couldn't help but giddily laugh.

"You.. you just kissed me, Erin," she stammered, still smiling as she looked at him, her eyes wide and dazed. Her hands curled over her mouth now as she hunched a little. "And you taste like wine." Her ears heated at her own statement, a playful glint in her eyes but she remained shyly where she sat because oh..
Oh how was she even supposed to react to that look he was giving her? Like some sort of a predator...
and she was decidedly okay becoming his prey.

The auburn-haired man couldn't help but chuckle a bit as Hyathia lit up like a beautiful pyre under the waning sunlight-- the soft gloss of her skin warming and shimmering like heated glass against near-distance candle light. Perhaps the slightest beads of sweat were beginning to form on her skin-- perhaps she had always been so incandescent, and he was only able to see it with unabashed eyes in his current state of mind. A tipsy Erin was a far cry from the far more pragmatic, axe-toting warlord that he came off as usually.

"And you taste absolutely irresistible. I can't seem to have my fill of you, Hyathia." He replied, something of an impatient edge to his tone of voice as he spoke which matched his sharp, yet wandering gaze upon her body. And he spoke true-- have his fill he could not, as no matter how much of her he consumed with his eyes, he didn't feel satisfied. Hell, he only really felt as though his appetite had been whetted by that kiss-- the taste of wine and Hyathia fresh on his tongue as he took her by the hand, his head in a bit of a haze.

"It's because I'm still very, very hungry. And all the roast and wine in the world might take the edge off, but I know exactly what I want tonight." He wasn't exactly sure what he would do next at this point-- Despite his words and best appearances, he was a wild animal held back by little more than a twine leash called the last remnants of his logical brain at this point. What he did know, somewhere in the back of his mind, was that he was relative seconds-- a hair trigger-- from clearing the table they'd been sitting at with a single motion, and throwing Hyathia down onto it with every ounce of pent-up intention that he had. "And I'll devour as much as I can, all night long."

It was about this time Hyathia began to realize why her adopted mother often fanned herself over the pages of her romance novels. What she wouldn't give to dive into a cool lake. Or run outside if there had been snow. A fan would only stoke the palpable heat shared between the two and Hyathia found herself at a loss of words.

She never had the chance to woo a man with her tongue or vice versa,  be it simple conversation or a kiss. She felt out of her league the way Erin played his game and it took her a moment to finally close her lips.

Her eyes shimmered with an array of emotions, from excitement to fear to anxiety, need and hunger. Never had anyone made her feel in that moment that Erin did and she was floundering internally over what to say.

So she took up her glass and drank what she could before she coaxed him.
"So you intend to drink and kiss with me all night long?"

She couldn't have known what trigger her innocently playful words might set, but having never been so open or intimate with a man, the young woman was clueless.

And trigger him, she did; Erin, who'd been as patient as any many reasonably could've been under the influences, coaxed Hyathia by the arm forward-- out of her chair, and into his arms, where he embraced her fully once more. His hands found purchase on the small of her back and the side of her pristine, glowing face as he leaned in once more, a familiar sight-- but he aimed not for her lips. Not immediately. Instead, his lips gently pressed to the lining of her jaw, just short of her ear... and worked their way down.

"Kiss you, drink you, taste you." He replied with a sultry whisper, leaving trails of butterfly kisses along the trail of her jaw between every few words, carving an uncharted path with his own lips to hers-- and taking her lips once more when he found them yet again in a far longer, more sensual kiss as he took his time in exploring with this one. His free hand gently pushed a strand of slowly-loosening hair back behind her ear; all the better to take in that needful, desirous look in her eyes which only served to spur him on further.

He didn't stop as her lips-- he couldn't. Erin craned a little further down, planting further kisses on her chin, beneath her jaw, and along her neck as he took a mindless step forward, and began to lean Hyathia backwards against the table they'd been seated at only moments ago. "I want you... I want all of you." He managed between kisses, his hand beginning to work it's way down from her face, tracing lines along the most accentuated of her features as it made it's way to her sternum, resting for a moment-- it's next stop being her heart. His lust-addled mind either couldn't hear the rather sudden catcall and cheer from a table nearby, or heard it and filtered it out. All that mattered to him right now was this moment-- this fire that burned within him.

Naive little Hyathia assumed that heat lead to kisses. She couldn't realize how much more to their heat and hunger there truly was. But each zing she felt from his kisses caught her off guard, audibly so ,as she made so many soft little noises of joy and frustration, husky and desireful as she clung to him almost as desperately as she had when he caught her in his arms during her rescued, plunging fall.

And his lips were everywhere. From her mouth to throat and lower...
Hyathia gasped,  her heart fluttering as his lips drew nearer to it. A man had never kissed her like that or down there and the surprise and desire in her moans mingled with the clattering of dishes on the table  as she was leaned upon it beneath his minstrations.

It was only then did she realize the world existed outside of their moment, and flushed and bothered as she was, she wasn't sure if she was in the right wits to care.

A man wanted her. A man needed her. And Ansgar's name, did she want to learn more about this crazy heat they were making.

Mindlessly, Erin continued his exploration of Hyathia's body-- his nose filled with the young woman's scent, his lips planting kiss after kiss, the occassional pause not for air, but instead a flick of his tongue against her bare skin to savor the taste of her body properly. She was warm to the touch-- moreso than anything else in the space around them, and like a moth driven to fire, Erin could no longer keep himself off of or away from her. He himself was on fire-- blinded by his own passions, a deep, primal need within him having taken the proverbial wheel. A need he not only couldn't fight anymore, but didn't even try to.

Hyathia. Hyathia. His mind was filled with her, and nothing else-- like a obsession, as if he'd fallen under some spell of frenzied madness. Whatever frayed strands of reasoning or restraint he held onto were gone; replaced with an almost animal-like need to claim this woman as his own, in any and every way he possibly could. His hands read his mind-- No longer simply content to do solely as he willed, they conspired alongside another overbearing step to lay Hyathia down properly on the table. This freed them to wander as they pleased-- and wander they did, one of which tracing it's way up the side of her leg, hiking up the beautiful red dress and seeking out the inner reaches of her thighs, whilst his other hand took the strap of her low-cut dress, and--

*Splash!*

Erin could've screamed-- His back and neck tensed almost unnaturally as ice-cold water was dumped onto him from behind, shattering the moment into so many tiny pieces and inciting within Erin the mental darkness to choke the life out of whoever did it. Unfortunately, as his head spun around to find the perpetrator, he was met with the disapproving frown of the self-same waitress that had served them earlier, hands on her hips, red in the face. "Enough, you two! Go and get a room!" She scolded them both-- with Erin flinching a bit as the reality of the situation (and his senses) all began to set back in.

What... was he doing?

His eyes slowly turned back to Hyathia, and as they did, the last few minutes of his life were properly framed in his mind. What the hell was he doing? Not only was this a public place, but he-- Hyathia was-- Damnit! He knew better and STILL let his emotions get the better of him. "Ah... yes, ma'am." Erin muttered, frustrated on so many levels that the world itself seemed to darken in his eyes. With a sigh, he took a step back from Hyathia, his gaze somewhat averted as he attempted desperately to put into perspective everything that had just happened-- compartmentalize it in his mind. He was still quite hot under the collar-- enough that the water spilled on his back had already started to dry. Hyathia was young, inexperienced-- He could tell less by her body, and more by her actions. Just now, if that waitress hadn't stopped him, she would've let him...

"...We... we should probably get going," Erin eventually spoke up, once more extending a hand to Hyathia while trying to catch his breath a bit, "The inn will probably stop taking in new guests pretty soon."

By the time the chaos had 'settled ' and they were on their way to the local inn, Hyathia had gone very, very quiet. Her face was still red as a beet and she continued to fuss over her dress and hair as they walked. Paranoia kept her eyes active, worried someone knew the pair has been promiscuous.

She felt a bit shameful for having acted in such a way in public, and now she wasn't sure what to do or say... all things considered,  she was still hot and bothered... and drunk. Which was perhaps why walking straight wasn't exactly the easiest as she clumsily bumped into Erin. She muttered an apology while averting her gaze, keeping it focused on the road and trying to make better steps as she went about to watch each one.

The trip to the inn was a slight bit longer than that of the walk from the doctor's practice to the tavern, which only served to further frustrate Erin, who knew not how to handle either his emotions or the dreadful awkwardness that had fallen over the two of them. Hyathia, thankfully, seemed more or less in the same boat-- a blessing in disguise, as he wasn't sure he'd even know where to start if she so much as voiced even the slightest concern or opinion on what they'd done.

In hindsight, it really was Erin's own fault-- alcohol brought the absolute 'worst' out of him. A potent drink had always been a source of solemn comfort for him after having experienced a return from death, or following a particularly dicey adventure. He could even recall the first time he got himself well and truly wasted, in hindsight... it wasn't far from Uthlyn. Some small bar in Matron's March. Yeah, that was the day he'd finished escorting Eve to Uthlyn, in hindsight... the day she rejected him. The passing thought alone mentally darkened his mood, the wine in his blood playing devil's advocate to a day he'd largely put behind him.

The inn was quite large, with gray, wood-and-stone-finished walls and a very modern Connlaothian aesthetic of fine windows and composite metals built into the structure of the place. Erin thought it was an eyesore, preferring the more rustic appeal of the tavern they'd just left, but it was a good inn-- the amenities were second to few that he'd encountered. A receptionist-- Not likely the owner of the establishment given his somewhat youthful looks-- sat quietly behind a desk in the main foyer of the building. He seemed preoccupied with some leaflet-- likely the daily news around Uthlyn, if Erin had to assume, and only stirred from it once the pair had come without speaking distance of his desk. "Hm? Ah-- Welcome! Looking to stay the evening, I take it?" He asked, putting the leaflet away. Erin gave a silent nod, somewhat absentminded as his thoughts were split between the situation at hand and the one that'd just passed. This only caused the next question to catch him completely off guard, for obvious reasons.

"Very good. And, will you need one bed, or two?"

"...I..." He began to speak, before pausing indefinitely; Not mentally in any state of mind to answer readily enough.

Hyathia's eyes were drinking in the room, having never been in this sort of Inn before,  it was a marvel. So where as Erin was unable to talk, after a moment, she drunkenly chimed in (in her most helpful of manners)..
"Two beds because there are two of us." It seemed her smile returned just then as she was happy to help.

"Of course! Very good. I'll just need a signature here, and--"

"R-right, yeah-- I'll take care of it." Came Erin's rather sudden reply as he snapped back to his senses, or as close to them as may have mattered given the circumstances. He took a step forward, leaning over the reception desk, taking a few coins from a pouch he'd been carrying most of the day. Before long, he and the innkeeper had finished what they needed sorted out-- and the man happily nodded in accordance as he stepped from behind his desk. "Very good! Then if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room." He kindly stated, before he began to walk away, further into the building, and up a set of stairs. Erin and Hyathia needed only follow.

Before long, the two had found their place to stay, for the night; It was a spacious inn room, rather well-built by Connlaothian standards as seemed befitting of the inn. There were two beds, a window, chairs, and a separate bathing room; One in which it seemed a bath had already been drawn by maids who tended to the inn. Kind of them, really, though Erin mentally cursed them all the same for the inevitable sight it would cause him to see. No, no-- he shouldn't have been thinking like that. What mattered right now was that they had someplace warm to stay.

"Please let us know if you need anything more, ser, madam. Enjoy..." The gentlmen eventually stated, before stepping out of the room and leaving Hyathia and Erin alone once more. That was fine in and of itself, though; Hyathia, thankfully, had asked for two beds, and so Erin went to sit down on the side of one, closest to the door; An instinctive precaution, putting himself between Hyathia and potential danger even now. "You've... you've had a long day. I believe they warmed a bath, if... if you'd like to..." He tried to explain, but his head was a mess-- both from the wine, and his conflicting feelings.

Hyathia moaned.
"A bath... Yes, I think I shall. After bleeding out and falling over a Cliffside, it's a girl's every dream."
She stole a quick kiss to Erin's cheek and blushed.
"Thank you for letting me go first.  You have no idea how much I need that bath." And with a whirl, she disappeared into the bathing room.

Erin felt his hand clench into a fist, but otherwise he managed to maintain his composure and reply with a smile as Hyathia pressed her lips to his cheek, sending electricity through his body. Logic had once more regained control in his heart following that 'rude awakening' back at the tavern, but it had only barely regained control, and every moment was an uphill battle to prevent himself from doing something wildly irrational again. "Take your time," was all he was able to say, before she vanished into the other room.

As she did, the auburn-haired warrior let out a deep and heavy sigh while resolving to find a way to find a way to get his libido under control before she got out of the bath. Goodness knew what would happen if he couldn't. He stood from the bed and began to disrobe; Stripping himself of his tunic, pants, socks and shoes. Before long, he was all but naked, stripped down to the underclothing. His body, scarred in places from various survived battles, was understandably toned and hardened-- the form of a conquerer, or a tested gladiator, perhaps.

He decided a light workout might help calm his nerves and steel his resolve for the night to come... and so, he figured he would start with stretches. Thus, he began a series of deep muscle-activating stances and poses, pushing himself to flex what he could, where he could; Complex bends and slow movements to activate different, varied muscle groups. It... wasn't working. At least, not yet. But that was fine; Erin stretched before bed most every night, so at worse this would just prep him for the sleep to come.

The bath was divine, a much needed reprieve as well, as she soaked in her thoughts as the wine still jostled her thoughts.  Even still, it was sobering, as she thought back to Erin and her at the table...

She suddenly felt very hot again and sunk into the bath until she had to come up for air. She'd be spending the night in a shared room with Erin. As boy crazy as she was, she began to wonder if she was ready to face him again. She was innocent enough not to wholly understand what I'll haveyou fir dessert all entailed, but knew well enough it had to be something even more promiscuous than the mount on the dinner table.

And she just let him do that! She sunk into the waters a second,  then third time before finally deciding she had dragged her feet enough and stepped out abd toweled herself dry. She redressed into the only thing she now owned and stepped back into the room and froze,  eyes taking in the strong, stretching,  muscular form of Erin. And that's pretty much all she could do, eyes om him like a magnet.

Erin was well into a series of physical exertions by the time Hyathia emerged from the bath; His mind focused on a trance-like state of repetition, resulting in his not hearing the door open immediately. He delved into a slow, methodical lunge; Stretching his calves and tightening his legs, that each individual muscle might react to the undue strain, and held it for a moment, eyes closed. Deep breaths... in, and out. In, and out. In, and... what was that sweet, fragrant smell?

"...!" It took him more than long enough to snap out of his trance; More than long enough to show off, unknowingly, in front of his companion... in the near-nude. Erin's eyes snapped open and darted over towards the door to the bath, where they met with Hyathia's own. How did he not hear or realize the door had opened? Quickly he straightened himself, turning a bit away from Hyathia as he did so. He was still... 'excited', from earlier, and didn't need any additional stimuli to make matters worse at the moment.

"Ah-- I didn't hear you come in. Sorry." Erin managed, grabbing his clothes from the bed next to him and tactfully covering himself as he spoke. Why he did that, even he didn't know-- by that point, the girl had likely seen almost everything she could possibly want to see of him. "Right. I should... Yeah." He stumbled on his words even now, somewhat averting his eyes from Hyathia as he began to approach the bath. He was a far contrast to his earlier, more aggressive self-- and it was on purpose. Hyathia was... beautiful. Against the candle light of the intimate room, she glowed even brighter now than ever before.

Erin could feel emotion and reason weighing against one another in his mind again, just knowing she was so near, and that they were alone at last. The heart wanted what it wanted-- there was no getting around that. But in his mind, he was plagued by doubts-- Was it right to even desire someone like her, innocent as she was? Of noble birth? Of status and some sort of importance to the nation? He was, more or less, a commoner-- and worse, an adventurer. He didn't just want her body-- he wanted her. But he'd been here before, in this same position, with Evelyn some time ago... and he still remembered clearly how that ended. Yes... This wouldn't end well. He had to keep that in mind, no matter what he felt.

Hyathia was voiceless. It seemed her mouth wanted to speak,  but nothing came out until after Erin had made his hasty retreat. But the image of the near nude adventurer was already burned into her mind and the heat from earlier returned as she hastily said something (and she wasn't sure just what) to Erin's fleeting form before she made her way over towards the single window in the room and promptly opened it.

The breeze felt wonderful, cooling her off some as her hair was still fairly wet. She leaned against the sill, letting her mind titter through the most heated series of events that had transpired.

A few things the young woman could deduce from all of this was one, she very much liked kissing, and specifically, kissing Erin's lips. Another was she rather liked men in armor, but more decidedly, the man under the armor, Erin specifically.  And she also rather liked getting carried away off on wine.. with Erin decidedly and she had to wonder if they were going to end up so wrapped up in one another again.

Erin had done most of the advancing, as was decidedly proper, and she had never gone so far with a man ever and she couldn't stop thinking about all of it and what was next.

She was anxious, she was nervous and she had to wonder if they had procured a bottle of that fine drink because she decided she ought to have some more, or else she was out of luck if she had been too carried away to request of it or recall. She supposed there were worse things in life...

And shyly, she peered over at the bathing room door, wondering just how good he might look covered in soap and water and little else....

It was only within the 'safety' of the closed off bathing room that Erin allowed himself to truly relax. The door had no lock, which was somewhat problematic, but Hyathia was... probably not likely to enter it either way. If nothing else, she was every bit as 'new' to this as he was, and that had it's benefits in as much as his not having to worry too much about her keeping her sense of personal space, and his.

In fact, as he allowed his shoulders to slump down into the bath, she had been fairly... passive, about all of it. The attraction, the flirtation, the... events, that occurred in the tavern. In hindsight, this had all been so undeniably fun and exciting to him... primarily because he'd gotten caught up in this idea of being... 'enough', for someone other than the occasional adventuring companion, or escort. It had been exciting to think that someone was not only willing to put up with him, somewhat unhinged as he was, for more than just a working relationship. He desired her, absolutely-- but was that because she desired his company, or because she was so inexperienced with companionship that she didn't know what to want?

"...Get your head straight, Erin," The man mumbled to himself after coming to the semi-conclusive realization, running a soapy hand through his auburn locks. Was he merely taking advantage of a young woman's inexperience? And if so, how long would it be before the 'allure' of someone like him wore off? They hardly knew each other, after all-- And she had an entire life of statesmanship ahead of her. The thought of it-- of another woman he felt... 'something' for eventually parting ways with him, to be wed to another man and step beyond his grasp... It burned in the pit of his stomach, and soured an otherwise uplifting bath. That was how it was, though; The life of an adventurer, so to speak. Even now, they only thing that gave him reason to stop by Connlaoth on occasion like this was because of his parents-- once they passed on, he'd be properly free... Properly alone. And he'd probably never look back at this kingdom again.

Before long, he re-emerged from the bath. He was still shirtless-- the tunic was simply too heavy a piece of clothing to sleep in, hotblooded as he was, but at least now he wore pants. The forward bangs of his hair had been pulled back, slick with bathwater, highlighting more of his facial features; His chestnut eyes glowing an almost golden hue in the reflection of the room's candlelight. "How are you feeling?" He asked as his eyes moved from the beds to Hyathia, who sat quietly by the windowsill. His question would have to wait to be answered, however, as in that same moment, there was a knock at their door. Eyebrow raised, Erin slowly turned towards the sound of a familiar, gentlemanly voice from behind it.

"Excuse me ser, madam? Begging your pardon..."

The innkeep? Wordlessly, Erin motioned for Hyathia not to follow him as he cautiously walked towards the door, and opened it. There was a verbal exchange-- A rather quiet one-- that ended with an audible "What!?" and then shortly afterwards, the door closed. And so it was that Erin returned towards the table that sat between the two beds... with a bottle of suspiciously familiar-looking red liquid, and two glasses.

"...A... A gift, 'from an amused patron', he said." He sat the bottle and glasses at the table quietly, and took a seat; Quietly thanking the shadows cast by the candles that the redness of his face wasn't as readily visible.

When Erin stepped out, she decided she did have to agree he looked nice without his armor but quickly looked away. It wasn't polite to stare. So she waited patiently as he answered the door and when he told her why and what it was, her own face burned crimson.

She looked away, but was unable to hide her smile. It was all just too much and heck, she almost died today. What could she be afraid of? So she tried to pull an Erin (or atleast his suggestion) and 'jumped' .
As in.. she walked clean up to him and began pouring drinks.

"If I'm going to celebrate still being alive after all we've gone through today, I'm going to empty this bottle before bed!" And she passed Erin his own glass.

"We only get to live once, right?" And she held her glass up to his. "Besides, might need a glass or two in me before I start asking you how we ended up on the table."
Did the first sip really give her that much confidence? Or was she really trying to live in the moment and enjoyed the fact she was truly alive? Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she took another long sip. But she was still very very much blushing and it was hard to keep her gaze on his eyes, but she was determined to stick her ground. And having a little bit of fun and alcohol,  she felt, was well deserved!
Not to mention.. she might have.. quite a lot of pent up frustrations and it only seemed fair she threw herself at her hero. She owed him more than her life and hey.. didn't he say he wanted her after dinner?

The look in Erin's eye's as Hyathia poured and toasted him with such renewed revelry was practically audible. There was a moment of silence-- but only a moment, before the surprise in his face was defeated and overcome by a creeping smile of his own. This woman had done it again-- In his moments of self-doubt, it was her who reminded him what it was he really needed to focus on-- Not regretting the past, but enjoying every moment. Truly living. In this moment, as he watched her drink, she was... magnificent.

He might've confessed his love for her, if he had a few more drinks himself. Thank goodness he hadn't.

Her mention of the table brought back very, very raw memories, and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit at how very... heated, that situation got, and how quickly it happened. Erin tilted his glass back and took a long drink of wine, before shaking his head. "I admit it. I was... a little excited. And after I said you were safe, too... Shame on me." He took another drink of wine, savoring the flavor before he continued-- Deciding that two could play at her game.

"A good thing someone stopped me, really. Who knows what would've happened if no one stopped me." He teased, swirling the wine in his glass while watching the wine in Hyathia's own. Some part of him wondered how 'angry' she might get if he tried to steal a little more of his merlot...

She gave a playful, little gasp, as if offended.
"It felt as if you might have mistaken me for the roast, Erin," She said with a tiny little pout, playfully swirling her own glass not realizing she was copying him.

"Hah. Didn't I already tell you? You, I'd rather savor a bit longer than roast." Erin finished his glass, before staring at it almost quizzically; As if he couldn't believe it was already gone. It only held his attention for a few moments, however, before his eyes fell back onto Hyathia. "You're desert, afterall."

This was a bad idea. All of this-- the drinking, the flirting-- Soon enough, he was going to lose his head again, and that would be that... and he'd accepted that, at this point. What would happen tonight, would happen. To think it would take Hyathia of all people to help him find his courage on that note. Stranger things had happened, he supposed. Decidedly resigned to this, Erin reached forward and grabbed the bottle; pouring another glass. She wanted the bottle empty? The bottle would be empty.

"You didn't very much seem to try to correct me, by the way... Surely you didn't want me to pin you down on that table, did you?" He goaded further, taking a sip of the wine.

She couldn't help but eat all of the attention up. She couldn't have realized how very starved for affections she was,but she was out in the world now. Wasn't she supposed to indulge a little? Even still, she blushed at his comments. And she was hanging on his every word,  so much in fact she didn't realize she ought to reply before a long pause was shared between them as she looked away.

"Well.."
Oh, she needed more wine for this and soon found herself with her nose in an empty glass. "What I can say is that I think I'd like some more wine. " and she playfully held out her glass for him, expecting him to fill as she have him a bashfully, coy look from over the rim.

Erin smiled at Hyathia's antics, and adjusted the wine bottle in his hand a bit as he turned it towards her. "Say no more-- what my princess wants, she gets." He leaned over the table, and poured her another glass before getting an idea-- an amusing one to be sure.

"Though, reaching across to you is more effort than it needs to be... Ah, I know." He sat the bottle down, nearer to Hyathia than himself, and without much explanation or warning, he stood once more, grabbing his chair and glass, and circled the table to re-seat himself... riiiiiight next to the noble girl. With his shirt off, he was close enough to practically feel the warmth emanating from her body... but only a little. He could always afford to get a little closer. "There-- much better." He said with a rather satisfied nod, looking to Hyathia once more as he took his wine glass in his hands again.

"Now, I can serve you all you like." Erin's 'clarification' on the matter left much and more to speculation-- all by design. Hyathia, flustered or mischievous in her responses, was so adorably innocent that he couldn't help but want to take in her every reaction to every bit of teasing and prodding he could manage.

She couldn't help but stare at his bare chest when be got closer, eyes roaming over his form and taking in every little detail, like how his skin almost seemed to glow like honey in the simple candle light of the room. And despite smelling like the sweet waters of the bath, she could still smell that musk that was distinctly himI.

She turned away, giggling and used her refilled glass to hide her blushing face as she took a sip.
"How much you planning to serve me?" She gave playful bats of her eyes. "When we're nearly halfway through the bottle already. " And that fact alone elicited another little pout.

"As much as you like. For as long as you like. You needn't worry too much about how much wine is left." Erin took another drink from his glass, before eying said bottle. Admittedly, they were going through it rather quickly-- he could feel the cogs in his mind coming loose with each glass that he finished, his senses becoming less and less tense as the moments passed. He typically didn't drink like this just for the sake of drinking-- Hyathia brought the best (and worst) out of him in that regard, it seemed.

"Besides wine, there are plenty of ways I can serve you," He began, as he closed the gap between them with his free hand and gently ran his fingers along the bare, silken skin of her arm. He traced his way from there to her shoulder, fingers dancing about on the strap of her dress as he continued to speak. "For example. Did you know? I give very, very good massages. I'm quite good with my hands." He explained, while his fingers delicately played over and around the girl's shoulder.

"Your dress would get in the way, though... shame, that."

His touch made her shiver. Her eyes grew heavy as she enjoyed the subtle moment before smirking.
"Sure,  blame your lack of skill on my dress. And here this dress should make things much easier than my last dress which you destroyed." She had to tease him,  even though her last dress was hardly his fault it befell such misfortunes. She just wanted to get a rise.

Erin couldn't help but give a somewhat hearty laugh at Hyathia's counter, tapping at her shoulder lightly. "Hah! And now I'm being challenged. Can't have that." She was teasing him now, goading him on, and he knew it; Besides the fact that he never had a chance to destroy that last dress (though he more than admittedly would've in his current state of mind), he couldn't help but feel as if she were daring him now, to see if he was bluffing. Very, very bad move. In his already hotheaded state of mind, just about anything was already possible.

After a moment of thought, Erin nodded to himself. "Fine, have it your way." And with that, Erin finished off what was left in his glass, before setting it down and giving Hyathia his full attention. Those deft fingers that played around the fabric of the young woman's dress pulled back a little, before smoothly slipping beneath the red dress at the shoulder, allowing him to properly caress her skin from the peaks of her shoulder muscles to the ridges of her sternum. He was careful, for now, not to shift the fabric of her dress too much-- As surely as his heart raced, he knew that if he revealed any more skin than she already showed, he would easily lose his temper. "How's that?" He asked, as his thumb made slow, tracing motions across her sternum, before slowly trailing the side of her supple neck.

Oh, how his fingers felt heavenly. She shivered again to feel a man's warm hands beneath her clothing...
Until it didn't feel so good and she jerked suddenly with a wince.

"S..sorry. I.." she grimaced. "I guess my injuries are still quite tender."
Through all of the heat, she had all but forgotten all of her pain, like how her head was pounding and her entire arm, swelling and pained. She chanced a sympathetic glance back at him.

"It did feel nice.. until the bruises reminded me they were there."
And if he were to look at her skin, even around the patch work Evelyn had done to her, bruises seemed to be blossoming along her arm and back.

Erin was careful not to suddenly pull away, as the young woman in his hand jolted uncomfortably-- Or perhaps he was too dulled by wine to react fast enough. The doubt was implanted all the same, and as she shifted around with apologies, the auburn-eyed man merely shook his head, a reassuring smile on his face. "Don't apologize; If anything, I should've tucked you into bed by now." He mused a bit, withdrawing his hand carefully from beneath the dress. Right-- in all the fun of the evening, he needed that reminder. His eyes chanced upon the areas that his hands roamed, and saw how close he'd come every few inches earlier to rubbing a bandage, or a bruise.

"One more drink, then you need to get some rest. The wine ought to dull a bit of the sleeping with sores... a bit, at least." He explained, before taking the bottle and pouring one more glass of wine, and refilling Hyathia's in kind. This situation... reminded him of something from a while back, and in the back of his head, he couldn't help but think about what tomorrow would bring. He'd done what he could not to make mention of the less... pleasant, parts of the day they'd had, but the truth was that Hyathia's life was still very likely in danger, and if it was to the extent of an entire duchy's plotting, or worse...

He took of sip of wine, before his eyes settled on the glass-- the gaps between the empty edge and filled lower end. "Have you decided on what you're going to do? Where you want to go?"

Hyathia was taken back by his sudden withdrawal of advances, but soured more so on his sudden motherly attitude towards her. So of course her only answer to his question was, "Of course I know what I want to do. And it's not to simply go to bed, but at least enjoy the rest of this bottle of wine."
And with as much finesse as she could muster, she guzzled the rest of her drink down and sighed with approval before moving to pour herself some more. She could pour her own drink, if he wanted to simply put her to bed! Head ache and pains be damn.

Erin rolled his eyes a bit at the dramatic antics of the young woman before him as she all but threw a fit at his reticence. 'Brat,' he couldn't help but think endearingly. He wouldn't have been surprised if she was having her first taste of alcohol tonight; Indulgent as she was, he was fairly certain the morning wouldn't be too kind to her. Or maybe she had a better constitution than him... stranger things had happened, after all. "Don't be like that. You'll end up ruining your pretty red dress." Erin playfully warned, putting a hand over her own pouring hand. She could probably shrug him off if she so chose; he wasn't applying much weight or pressure, mentally hesitant of hurting her again. He'd been somewhat dreading this conversation as then night progressed, but he knew he had to have it eventually... and ideally before they got anymore... 'attached'.

"Seriously, you ought to put some thought into it... eventually. You're no adventurer, after all. I can't take you up into my arms and ride off into the sunset, much as I'd like to." His tone was somewhat somber— a bit of a break from the jovial, flirtatious mood he'd been in earlier. It was partially due to that reminder, in the form of Hyathia recoiling in pain from him. She was from an entirely different world— something he understood well enough to know that there was probably no place for him in it.

Hyathia gave a little huff at his remarks about her dress and rolled her own eyes about his riding into the sunset comment.

"Who said I couldn't be an adventurer?" came her retort, the tone lost upon her. Perhaps it was because of the drink. "You make it seem easy enough," she jested, eyes sparkling mirthfully. She was in such good spirits and took up her cup again, sipping it more slowly this time to savor the flavor. "Besides, didn't you kind of already.. you know.. ride me off into the sunset?" The ride had lead them here, after all.

And then as she began to think on it... she turned to  him with a curious look.

"You know it's strange you happened to be there to rescue me. Of all the places you could have been, I mean. Why were you in Vythe?" She asked, leaning in closer to him as she asked.

Aside from raising an eyebrow and giving an amused smile, Erin made a point of not even beginning to humor the idea of Hyathia as an adventurer. It wasn't because he didn't think highly of her— he thought the world of her. It was moreso because she was... well, Hyathia. Strong-willed as she may have been, the body of a self-sufficient wanderer of the path wasn't one that was built overnight— he knew that well.

"What was I..." He had to pause a moment to think— the alcohol affecting his memory a bit. Once it came back to him, he twirled his empty cup in his hands a bit— rather impressed with the dexterity of his fingers despite the amount of drink in him. "Ah, right... There was a contract. Rumors of a mage in the capital city. The mordecai... well, the Grand Duke's men are obviously a bit... stretched for manpower these days. I was on my way to do a little head-hunting, when I came across you." He explained, thinking back on the contract. His mount, Noble, likely still had the details of the contract stashed away in its saddle. And if not... well, that was a problem for future Erin to deal with.

Hyathia took that in with a slow nod and went quiet,  thinking. Then she skewed at rhe thought.
"Wouldn't it be weird if you saved me and I was the one you were hunting?" An odd thought to be sure, but Hyathia had read a number of adventure tales. They always had some strange twist.
"Except I'm not magical, " She went on with a shrug. "Although if the contract were a lie.." she went on, embellishing her would be story. "It would be like living some sort of fairy tale! Boy saves princess. Princess was meant to be doomed by his own blade. Then boy tosses the world aside to run off with her into the sunset, " She teased, leaning in closer to him as she gave him a roguish grin.

Erin couldn't help but laugh a bit at her take— her innocent wonder and intrigue only further reminding Erin how very sheltered of a life she must have lived up to this point. There was something to be said about her genuine whimsy towards what Erin knew as everyday life— a sort of wide-eyed allure that reminded Erin of his first few forays into Le'Raana. It was a good feeling, unintentional or otherwise, and Erin found himself a bit captivated by it.

"You could be on to something, though." He raised a hand to the side of her face slowly, and gently pushed a few s slowly-dying locks of her long, beautiful hair behind her ear. "You're plenty magical, to me. And I suppose I DID run off with you into the sunset..." He teased, tossing her earlier remark back at her now.

He let his hand linger there for a moment, caressing the side of her face. She really was beautiful; a shame the wine was beginning to wear off. Or perhaps, a blessing.

It might have been wearing off for Erin, but Hyathia had drank quite a bit for her petite frame and was fueled all the more for it. And she blushed at his little statement, smiling at him, completely mesmerized.

"You know, you're pretty magical yourself," She countered, eyes simmering like a warm ocean and cheeks the color of sunset. "What would you say..." she went on, leaning in a lot closer so that he could smell not only the faint scent of her body mingled with the flowery scent of soap, but the wine on her breath as well. "If I decided to kiss you, Erin."

Erin was very often what one would consider an aggressor— a pursuer, when it came to the attentions of women. He didn't often flirt, not find himself in flirting company, but when he did, he was typically in some degree of control of the situation— by drunken abandon or tactful reticence, if needed. Thus it only naturally followed that this situation he now very suddenly found himself in was one that he both wasn't extremely familiar with, and also unsure of how to handle.

As Hyathia leaned further into him, Erin could feel a very familiar, very dangerous raging of his heart, and static of his mind. He could blame the wine earlier, but even in his only slightly tipsy state he was struggling to maintain his wits— a drive burning deep within him that made just sitting still difficult. The way the scent of the bath waters blended with her skin and filled his nose— something he could still taste even now, the warm glow of her body against the flickering candle light, the shifting of her dress as she drew closer... vivid flashbacks of their extremely close encounter at the tavern raced through his mind over and over.

He didn't pull away— he couldn't. Hyathia was playing with fire, and it was all he could do not to envelop her in the flame that raged in his heart and mind. "I... would..." He tried to speak, but kept finding himself distracted by her lips. He could still taste them— the wine on her tongue only intensifying the recollection further. "...We can't do this. If you get involved any further with me, I can't... I won't want to let you go."

And at such a revelation, Hyathia's eyes grew so wide and glittered, like sparkling crystals, her lips spreading into the widest and most genuine of smiles.

"Then I shall do it."

Her reply came with no reservation, and she felt so stock sure of herself that she gave a little breathy laugh that was warm and wonderful sounding.

"I shall kiss you then, Erin Shire, because I-" she began, so triumphant and professing before the words even came out. "...Am in love with you and you.." She leaned in further, almost there, as eyes grew heavily lidded, "Will let me kiss you." Amd she hesitated for but a brief moment, almost losing her momentum, that will when a brief moment of doubt took hold of her belly.

But flashes of what she recalled of that heat they shared earlier, coupled with the bubbling sensation of the alcohol had her leaning in and making good on her word, as soft, sweet, wine tasting lips met warmly, softly to his.

The last few strands of Erin's mental resistance melted away in that fleeting, yet eternal moment that their lips touched; An untempered wall of glass he'd tried to maintain between them shattering into so many shards, like diamond dust. If he had the power to stop time, to  hold this moment forever as his last, he would've. Every nerve in his body lit up as relinquished what little control he had over himself and his emotions to that moment.

Erin leaned into the kiss; reciprocating Hyathia's honesty. It was a longer, more sensual meeting than the two had held previously, one which the world seemed to slow itself for them to properly realize each other's feelings. But every moment has to pass, no matter how magical, and before long Erin slowly pulled away, savoring even the split seconds that their lips were pulled apart.

Erin's gaze was unfocused and glazed over. For the first time that night, perhaps for the first time in days, weeks... he looked truly open. Vulnerable. "You... are crazy," He managed after finding his voice, unsure of the right words to say in the moment but absolutely certain of how he felt, "You're crazy, and this won't end well and... and I love you too, Hyathia." And with those words, he leaned in once more, closing the gap between them himself this time to press his lips to hers, needfully returning her kiss— the faint taste of red wine on his lips as well.

Oh, she had a mouthful to retort... Not end well, indeed! Except any words she had ready to clobber him with were forgotten and never left her mouth. Instead, she whimpered softly as he kissed her back, she- smiling towards the end of it as arms wrapped around his neck and rested over his shoulders as she kissed back... A second time, then a third before pulling away suddenly and staring at him as she breathed a little heavy and her eye lids hung low.

"I suppose it must be so that I'm crazy." Her eyes danced like stars. "To be kissing a man who is actually crazy and jumps off of cliffsides to rescue damsels."

Her entire being warmed at the memory.

"It would be quite the story to tell future children," She teased. She had never gotten to grow up with such tales,  and my.. if they were to have children it would indeed be such a tale!

Hyathia's eyes were now on fire, lust mingling with excitement before she all but crashed into him and dove in for more passion fueled kisses.

There was an unfamiliar and yet wholly desired feeling filling Erin's chest as Hyathia embraced him— like butterflies, fluttering about inside of his could've-been hollow body. The fire in his veins paled in comparison to the beating of his heart in response to the sheer thrill of reciprocation he felt. It was true,  in the end, of everyone— it felt good to be wanted, and as Hyathia practically overwhelmed him with affection, he fought with every fiber of his being just to hold back a smile at her fervor, as he wrapped his arms absentmindedly around her waist, and pulling her securely onto his lap. He failed, but it was a valiant attempt.

"Future... children. Yeah... yeah, it would be." Erin felt his face steam a bit at the thought, and all it implied, but he didn't have time enough to second guess it; No, Hyathia descended upon him with such intense desire that it was all he could do to keep the two of them from toppling back onto the floor... though the one thought alone was more than enticing enough. "You... drive me crazy," He managed to say between breaths.

And he wasn't wrong. The warmth of her body urged his hands to explore the curves of her hips, while being mindful of the bruises she'd sustained earlier. It was frustrating; He wanted more, and yet knew he needed to temper that want as much as he possibly could. Gods, the things he would've done to her had he not been worried about the state she was in...

"There's still a little wine left, you know," Erin eventually noted, shifting a bit in his seat. With her on his lap, the stimulation was beginning to be a bit... much.

Hyathia's eyes sparkled with heat as her smile grew, their lips momentarily free from kissing.
"Oh?" she asked, a coy little look on her face as she eyed up Erin like some sort of prey.
"And if I were enjoying another... sort of drink..?" she asked, leaning forward as if to kiss him, but remaining a breath away. And her entire being seemed to radiate a playful challenge.

And challenge him, she did; Erin, who had found himself practically wound quite tightly around his princess's finger, practically lunged forward at the teasing, pressing his lips hungrily to hers and temporarily forgetting himself in the process as he sought kiss after kiss, dropping whatever pretenses he'd tried to use to justify holding back, even if only a little.

The result was a lapse in judgement that was bound to happen eventually, Erin being... well, Erin. "You tempt me... too much." Was just about all that he could manage to say, his voice trembling between breaths. Before he'd realized his hands were moving, they'd crept up to the sides of her low-cut red dress, and pulled it free of her shoulders, seeking to expose more of her body. Before long, he could not be satisfied with her lips alone; Once more, his instincts drove him to kiss and taste more and more of her body-- even leaving a bit of a mark on her neck this time, as if to prove he and he alone could have her. He sought it all; The suppleness of her skin, the hidden ridges of her bones, the fullness of her breast... everything.

Heat pooled within her body, flowing like the raging rapids of a river as his lips crashed into hers, again and again- the sensation intensifying as his lips and hands grew hungrier.

Her lips fell open to softly breath her approval as her shoulder was exposed and marks were claimed upon her soft flesh. She couldn't fight back the shiver that followed, nor the way she craned her neck to beckon for more, as her own hands explored the muscles of his back as her hands slid down from his shoulders.

Erin's lascivious assault on Hyathia continued, spurred on further by the feeling of her soft, wandering hands running across his back. Goosebumps ran rampant across the skin she touched; Erin could feel her fingertips explore every ridge of his muscles, and found a scar or two in the process. Inadvertently, he found himself practically glued to her; her hands roaming his body, and his doing the same to her. A blinding numbness filled his mind with single-minded need, and he could only think of one thing as a result; Taking this woman as his own, permanently. He could delay it no longer.

"Why in the Gods' name..." He began, before suddenly he shifted into action. He gave no real warning or notice aside from a sudden, light growl; His hands shifted across her waist, almost lovingly wrapping her tight to him, before he showed off his core strength by quite easily standing up, with Hyathia in his grasp. He walked with her, surprising care and balance in his steps, and before long he slowly, gently set her down atop one of the beds in the room-- the one closest to their window. "Why did we request two beds?" The breeze felt nice against his heat-radiant skin, but that was a very small, inconsequential benefit of what he planned.

He wanted to make her his woman. And the rest of the sleeping residents of the city be damned; The whole of Uthlyn would know it by the end of this night, or he would not rest; And neither would she. "Hyathia... I don't plan on sleeping tonight. I still haven't had my desert."

A thrill surged within her, starting from her belly and crescendoing outwards like a pack of butterflies bursting free. He was so incredibly strong and to move her so easily made all sorts of places in her body heat.

And now she lay beneath him, dark hair a wild fan about her body as the other sleeve of her dress threatened to expose more flesh as her chest rose rapidly with each heated breath. It was a dizzying sort of heat as she looked up into his hungered eyes, her own very wanting as they reciprocated the look.

Then she smiled.
"I seem to remember you laying me like this on our dining table, " She drunkenly flirted. And now was no less exciting,  his near naked body over hers and his tongue speaking of dessert. She shivered. Her eyes drank him in as she appreciated the view of his body so close before her eyes met to his.

"I suppose after all we've been through, " She began. "You're more than deserving of something sweet " And she lifted a hand to cup his face as her lips met hungrily to his.

Madness and the joy of release consumer Erin whole like an unstoppable wildfire as he practically tore away the remaining strap of her dress, fully revealing the splendor of her body to him. As they kissed, Erin slowly lowered himself onto her, careful both not to hurt her (unintentionally, at least) as well as to not break the string of kisses he'd found himself enraptured in. His legs tangled with hers for a moment, before he found himself fair between them; the heat of her body threatening to overtake even his own. One of his hands had gotten lost in the deep, voluminous tresses of her hair, whilst the other made it's way down the length of her body— drawing a trail from the nape of her neck, to the mounds of her chest, across the slimness of her stomach and passing her waistline to seek out—

*Knock, knock, knock*

"U-um... begging your pardon ser, madam... Housekeeping...?"

Erin fought with what little strength he had to open his eyes; Sunlight from the nearby window blinding him for longer than it had any real reason to. Part of it was due to not getting nearly enough sleep; the other part was the copious amount of wine he'd had the night prior. He was physically exhausted; The physical exertions of the prior day having taken their toll on him at last. Muscles he didn't know he had, and a few that he did, were rather cross with him at the moment; They had every right to be, he figured... But damn, was it worth it.

The inn-maid could circle back later; He had no intentions of getting up just yet. His headache and sore body made that clear. But more importantly, as his eyes trailed downward and he craned his head a little, he dared not to awaken the goddess of a woman laying with him. The soft pressure on his chest and rhythmic flow of her breathing set his mind at almost unnatural ease, and emptied his heart of all but the most serene waters. Yes, he could afford to lay about for a little while longer.

Hyathia made a soft noise beside him as she began to stir. Her hair was a mess but somehow she managed to pull.off the ravaged look well. Her clothing had long been discarded and the bedding just barely covered her as she turned to bury her face into him.

"I think someone's at the door," She grumbled, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Nobody important." The exhausted young man softly mumbled back, closing his eyes once more. Erin might've thrown something at the door in a fit of annoyance had he been near enough to anything throwable. The second to last thing he wanted was for this moment in time to end; The last thing being for Hyathia to wake up. How very kind of this random maid to take both of those from him...

*Knock knock knock*

"Ser... madam? I--"

"Come back later," Came Erin's almost growl-like reply, the frustration practically palpable in his voice from both his throbbing head and the lack of tact or timing that this inn-maid displayed. Something akin to a meager 'eep' could be heard from behind the door, followed by a bit of stumbling, before footsteps could barely be heard retreating from the doors. This left the two of them alone once more; with Erin taking a slow, deep breath, taking in the scent of Hyathia's hair as the annoyance melted away once more.

"The nerve of some people," He jokingly whispered, though all the applause he received for it was his aching head. Tough crowd...

The girl groaned and nestled in closer to Erin as he shooed the maid away.

"What did they want?" She asked, half asleep.  Her head and body equally pounding and giving her less reasons to rise.

"To clean the room... but they can wait." Erin's answer a mixture of a mumble and rhythmic breaths, still half-asleep himself as one of his arms shifted slightly across Hyathia's back. He was fairly sure if the quiet returned to them for a while longer, he'd be able to properly nod back off-- though he teetered closer to the world of the waking with every moment, or annoying interruption, that passed.

In hindsight, he couldn't remember a time such as this-- so disarmed and relaxed in the presence of another. He'd never... cuddled, before. It was... nice. Almost healing in some ways-- like the time they spent together was slowly mending long-passed traumas and self-inflicted doubts. He felt whole, and more 'worthy' than he could remember feeling before.

Cheesy, yes, but the unlikely influence of a certain young woman had clearly rubbed off on him a bit. Speaking of... "Wanna sleep off the headache," Erin both advised and asked; a quasi-question that didn't really require an answer. He wasn't planning on moving until she did, and he was more than willing to use that as an excuse to stay in bed all day if it came to that.

Hyathia groaned.
"I'd love to.  My head is pounding." She frowned and dibally opened her eyes, not realizing he probably meant his own pain. The frown quickly turned into a small, sheepish smile as she stared at Erin's face.

Last night was a first for many things. Infact, the whole previous day was a whirl wind of crazy firsts.  Atleast the night ended on something fun that was new. Her cheeks flushed at the memory.

And here she was, in the shared bed of a man who saved her life on so many occasions in such a brief amount of time.  They were still strangers in their own right, but the situation brought them close, and fast. Perhaps she had been a bit too enthused to pursue lust for the first time, but... it... had been a beautiful thing. She never thought she'd find herself in such a situation or with such a man.

So she simply watched him, that little smile on her lips and a dreamy look in her eyes.

Erin could hear Hyathia's words less with his ears and more through the vibrations of her voice against his chest; an odd experience, but not one he didn't enjoy all the same. With a soft nod from where he lay, Erin took a deep breath before resigning himself to waking up fully. Oh well; There would be plenty more cozy mornings in the future, if he had anything to say about it.

He slowly peaked one eye back open, looking catch another glimpse of Hyathia's sleeping form, only to find her having had the same idea. He couldn't help but reciprocate the smile she gave him, both out of embarrassment from getting caught and from the fleeting feeling of butterflies in his stomach at the sight of her. "Good morning. Did you sleep somewhat well?" He asked, loaded though the question was. It was really just small talk; An excuse to keep staring at her, as one of his hands lifted from. Her back and moved to brush a stray strand of silken hair out of her face. Just the one; she pulled off the "bed-head" look so well that he couldn't help but take it in as it was.

She was beautiful. Pure. Not unlike what he suspected goddesses probably looked like, and here she was, with him. Some part of him was still in denial that what had happened... had happened, but he was slowly coming to trust that his five senses (and the headache that accompanied them) weren't leading him astray here.

"Well..." she blushed and nestled in closer. "Someone had kept me up all night...."
Her smile broadened before she added, "I think I slept fairly well, all things considered."

Mentions of the night that just passed caused a bit of red to bloom in Erin's own face, though he did his best to play it off. He found himself distracted by how thankful he was to be able to see such a wonderful smile in the morning; One that likely would've had him weak in the knees had he not been laying down. "Well... someone is more than happy to keep you up for as many nights as you like. With less wine, ideally." He remarked, his head agreeing with him. It'd subside after a meal, he was fairly sure.

Speaking of his head... Before he could bring himself to jest any further, Erin's face turned fairly serious for a moment. "...Listen, I... last night was... crazy. I had far too much to much to drink, and I got a little hot under the collar, and... I said and did things I probably shouldn't have." He averted his eyes at the thought, a bit of shame creeping up into his face as he debated the right words to say next. "It was all very foolish, and fun, and neither of us were likely in our right minds... but I..."

Why was this so difficult? He was Erin Shire, the Phoenix; Slayer of chimeras, savior of the elven people of the northeastern mountains, a damned battle-hardened adventurer. His chest tightened a bit, and the blush of red on his face deepened further as he found the courage to continue. "...But I meant what I said last night. I'm... I'm madly in love with you, Hyathia D'al Astarot. And I understand if, everything behind us, you don't feel the same way— but I needed to say it with a clear head... so there it is."

"Less wine?" She laughed softly."You think the wine head ache is worse than the one the bump on my head is giving me?" But then her own expression sobered at his seriousness. And she tensed as he continued,  fear clutching at her belly, fully worried that he would call this all a mistake and they shouldn't have but...

She wasn't prepared for such an early morning confession. And her entire face (and well body....) heated over as her heart leapt in tumbling loops. He was in love with her. He was, and she lay there a moment frozen to it before she smiled and looked more affectionately into his eyes.

Then she hit him,.. playfully, of course .
"Don't do that to me! You had me worried last night was a mistake!"

She wasn't sure how she'd feel if she were rejected after giving her first time (of many things) to a man who would simply say goodbye coke sunrise.

"Ow... Sorry. I'm an honest man, I can't help but try to do things the right way." Erin replied quickly, trying to defend himself against Hyathia's faux assault and failing. Warrior or not, he really was just a pure-hearted guy under it all— outside of drunken stupors or blood-crazed battles, his more 'aggressive' points didn't seem nearly as visible. Perhaps that was why he now lay defenseless before Hyathia, jesting though they may have been... Though it could've also been due to how content he was, cuddling with her.

"So now that I've gone and embarrassed myself," He began again, looking over to the window thoughtfully, "You still haven't told me what your plan is, you know. Do you intend to try to return to Vythe?" It was, to Erin, a fair question; one that Hyathia had knowingly or not been avoiding the entirety of their time together. She had slowly come out of her shell-shocked stupor as they made their way to Uthlyn, but this had been a topic she hadn't clued him in on. Playfully, he wrapped his arms around her waist, as if locking her into a hug. "No running away from the question this time."

Hyathia let out a soft squeak when powerful arms wrapped around her.
"E-Erin!" She wriggled some in protest, but didn't exactly put up a fight. So she pouted instead.

Return to Vythe? Was that even an option?

"Is that a fair question to ask me?" She pouted again, but the grew serious. "My home was just attacked... " Would it even be safe to return to? She worried for her adopted family, sure... but was the battle still going on? Would the city still be standing? Would there even be a home to return?

And most importantly..of there was...

Could she return home?

Erin listened quietly as Hyathia voiced her concerns, and sat thoughtful for a moment. His grip on her loosened; more than enough for her to push free if she wished, though he never had her all that tightly to begin with (in his mind). She did have a fair point; Even from the distance, Vythe was a city of smoke and fire when they left. There was a good chance she'd be in some considerable danger by going back, both from the war itself and the people who sought to capture her.

"Fair point. You'd be in a lot of trouble if you went back there without a plan. Maybe even with a plan." He explained, before his pensive gaze was replaced with a smile. "Fortunately for you, somehow you managed to meet and bewitch a crazy, axe-wielding knight of some considerable renown who would be more than willing to protect you with his life if it came down to it, though it hopefully won't." Erin chuckled a bit at the thought; Knowing his luck... and hers, really, it was wishful thinking to hope it'd be a safe ride back. But that was why he had Vanagandr, and his armor... which, on said note, he needed to retrieve from Eve's place.

Just the thought made him somewhat uncomfortable; Eve had always been far insightful in his experience, as if she could see right through him. And while he was an open book for the most part, last night wasn't exactly something he intended to share in detail with anyone... both out of shame and the intimacy of it all. Oh well; A bridge to be crossed when he got to it.

She didn't pull away. Why would she? She was in her lover's arms, a very real and new thing for her, and she wanted to savor the moment for as long as she could.  It was still exciting, even the morning after, as she peered up at him as he spoke about his skill set and tendencies.

She gave him a lop sided grin.

"Yes, as skilled as you are..: she began, blushing some before she continued. "The city was in a war stricken state.  I.. I haven't a clue how battles work, or how long, or if would have branched out and grew into more chaos... it doesn't seem safe to simply return."

But still...

Part of her still worried for those she had left behind.
And there was still the matter that people were after her. It was still crazy. She was nobody of importance and it ate away at her not to know.

Was this all really about whom her birth parents had been?

"Couldn't we just... stay in bed all day?" She asked, snuggling in close and giving him big, pleading eyes and a cute little pout.

Erin's eyes practically rolled out of his head at Hyathia's antics. He couldn't help but caress the small of her back, enjoying the feeling of her supple, warm skin against his fingers, and the gentle pressure of her body against his own. He was as close to heaven as he could remember being— which was quite a feat, given he'd arguably been physically closer to heaven in the past. Semantics, really. "You're spoiled. I'm spoiling you." He replied, trying to sound as stern as he could, and failing spectacularly. A few moments later, however, he was back to holding her close to him again, his somewhat exhausted muscles not denying the desire to rest.

"...But I guess we can stay in bed a little longer." Came his ultimate decision, a defeated smile on his face. He hadn't fully resigned himself to not seeking out the truth behind Hyathia's assailants, nor had he forgotten his own work in Vythe. But... the world could wait, just a while longer. This was her moment, and his— and for now, he was more than happy to let it last as long as she wanted.

It seemed they would stay in bed a while longer, the young woman being so curious about her new lover that she could easily be described as insatiable. When she was finally sated, she lay in a sweaty heap beside him.

"I think.." she began, a small, soft hand smoothing against his warm chest as she lay her head on it. "I could get used to having you around." Shd sighed, content and listened to his heart beat.

"Although after... such... actions.." she went on, still innocent of tongue over what to call their love making. "I think I need another bath."

Erin lay back in bed, chest rising and falling with an excited rhythm. His eyes unfocused, his short hair a bit of a mess, an astonished look on his face. The morning had already been nice, but that... well, at the very least, last night was no fluke. The fire was there, the excitement was there-- holy hells, the excitement. Erin felt 18 years old again; Like he could both take on one million men and not lift a finger all at once. And the cause of his tumultuous state was laying at his side, finally content with herself.

And she 'could get used to' him. Were all women like this? Or was his libido in some specific degree of danger, here?

"All yours," Erin replied, his arm cloaked around his lover's shoulder, fingers playing idly with a few strands of her voluminous, dark hair, marveling at how silken they were. "I'm worried about what'll happen if I join you in there. There's only so many hours in the day." Erin half-jokingly admitted, eying the door to the bathing chambers. Seeing her soaking wet, covered in the sweet-smelling foams of the bath... might be too much for him at the moment. Though all things considered, as they lay there, he couldn't help but think to himself that he rather liked that Hyathia smelled like him, right now. The simple pleasures, as they say.

Hyathia made a face at the thought.
"I doubt the pair of us would fit very well in the bath together."
And it took a moment for it to click as she gasped and covered her mouth.
"Erin!" she chided, although more playful than a reprimand. "How would we even..." Her cheeks were pink."Oh my." She gave him a playful hit, but it hadn't any real force behind it as she sat up and shook her head.

"Are we just going to do this all day?" she teased. Truthfully, it was a lot of fun...amd a million times better than dealing with reality.

She stole a kiss from his lips, then asked, "Care to call for a refill of the bath?" She sweetly batted her lashes at him.

Erin was practically defenseless to Hyathia at this point; There was no resistance to her kiss whatsoever, save for a feeble attempt to toy with her hair as she swooped in and out for it.  He could feel his second... well, third wind coursing through his body, and was fairly certain where that would've lead them. The drive to 'do this all day' was there, without a doubt.

"As you wish, princess," He replied, before a familiar knocking at the door caught his attention. The same somewhat gentle, somewhat firm rattling of knocks from earlier that awoke them; though now Erin was far more... 'revitalized', and in much better spirits. Then came the inevitable call from the meek voice from earlier, "Excuse me... Housekeeping?" Erin rolled his eyes somewhat, though he couldn't help but marvel at the timing. "Speak of the devil," He muttered in an amused yet exasperated tone. Heaven had to end eventually, he figured.

Regretfully, he peeled himself away from Hyathia-- immediately feeling the difference in temperature from leaving her side, and stepping out of bed. They'd been practically attached to each other since the evening prior; it wasn't all that shocking that a bit of a chill ran down his spine as he walked over to the door. Slowly, and slightly, he pulled it open to reveal the young maid on the opposite side. "Hey there... apologies about earlier. We're, uh, we're late risers. Would you be so kind as to fetch a refill for the bath?" He explained, leaving out key details while he spoke. His posture was both relaxed and cautious of the room behind him; He leaned against the open doorway, his broad shoulders blocking much of the room behind him from view.

For all that was worth, anyway; Oblivious dolt that Erin was, he'd found himself so concerned with smoothing over his earlier rudeness and protecting Hyathia's privacy that he'd completely forgotten about his own. The poor maid standing before the fully-bare frame of the sweat-glistened, statue-sculpted man could barely find the strength of will to think, much less respond to him as her face turned such a deep shade of red that one might be forgiven for believing there was little blood left elsewhere in her body. Wordlessly, and in a panicked state of being, she simply nodded, covered her face (as if she HADN'T been gawking for the past few moments), turned and practically sprinted away from their door, leaving a somewhat confused Erin at the doorframe to ponder what had just happened, before ultimately stepping back inside their room and closing said door behind him. "I... presume she'll be back with water." He noted, putting the awkwardness of the encounter out of his mind as he walked back towards the bed.

Hyathia draped a hand over her mouth at what Erin had just done, her eyes bright and by the time he had returned to her side she was laughing and pulling him back into the bed.

"Are you trying to give the maid a heart attack?"

Erin let himself fall into the bed at Hyathia's pull, tumbling into the sheets with a dumbfounded look in his eyes, and his ever-present smile on his lips. Good thing she found... whatever he did to be funny; Erin still hadn't quite put two and two together, perhaps a little fog-brained given how high-on-affection he was at the time. "Me? I hope not-- That'd delay the bath a bit..." He half-jokingly defended himself, not entirely sure what he did that would've even given her a heart att--

...Oh.

It was very noticeable in his eyes and on his face when two and two finally clicked together in his mind about the interaction that had just happened; Smiling though he still was, the young warrior facepalmed at the sheer insensitivity of his actions. "Ah... Okay. In my defense, I've been without clothes in front of a certain someone since the better part of last evening." He teased, though he almost immediately regretted it to some extent as the memories of the night and morning they'd had bubbled to the surface of his mind. And here he was, just beginning to feel as though he could think straight... at least the hangover was gone.

Oh.. oh he was just too much. She couldn't help herself as she kissed him.
"I won't get mad unless that actually happens, " She teased.
Being sweaty was uncomfortable,  amongst other things.
"I can't say I'm a fan of prolonging staying dirty any longer than I must  "
For that,  she had been spoiled in the way she had been raised. It's why when he touched her hair it was incredibly soft.
But then again... the things she was exploring with Erin....
She never thought she'd ever be such a fan of sweat until now.

Erin instinctively chased after Hyathia's lips as she pulled away from their kiss, stealing one of his own. She was irresistable-- or at the very least a really, really hard temptation to beat. As she 'chastised' him, he couldn't help but close his eyes, as if deliberating her terms. "Hm... I dunno. I could get used to you smelling like me. And making you smell like me." Eventually he opened his eyes again, and therein lay a hunger that Hyathia was likely very well-versed in by now, from him. Thankfully, however, he simply smiled it off, and didn't act on it; Goodness knew what would've happened if the maid had returned in the middle of... well. It was better not to think about.

"Oh well. I'll let you off the hook for now. We ought to make sure you get fed as well, after all." If he could help it, they would NOT be returning to the tavern; Not until he was fairly sure their tipsy display from the night prior had faded from the minds of the most common-goers there. There was a smaller, more intimate bakery a bit of a walk from the inn, and a tailor somewhat closer. Plenty of work to do, to get Hyathia back on her feet. What was more was the fact that she still hadn't fully recovered; Short of magic, she'd be light on activity for a few days, perhaps weeks... Well, light on activities outside this room, at any rate.

She blushed. Smelled like him? She supposed that was true. They had.. shared an awful lot and...
The idea of food brought her back as she smiled.
"Breakfast also sounds good right about now," She confessed, sighing and snuggling jn against him, as if preparing to go back to sleep.

Erin's arms almost instinctively wrapped around Hyathia's body, pulling her in and holding her as close as she could want to be. "I'd better not disappoint, then. I'll take you a nice, intimate place, with a beautiful view of the city. We can sit and watch the world go by, with coffee and thinly sliced ham, and eggs." It was all sweet talk, but he did intend on it; He knew the owner of the coffeehouse, though admittedly he was less interested in meeting with the owner and more interested in the food, and the view.

Just the thought of seeing him again... those were complicated emotions he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Seemed they both had something to run away from by staying in the sanctity of each other's arms.

"And then, we probably ought to pay the good doctor another visit. Grab my things, make sure you're still... on the mend, so to speak." He explained, thinking back to their prior visit. Yet more he wasn't exactly thrilled to do... but aight that needed to get done.

"Food sounds heavenly," She sighed against him, closing her eyes before her stomach growled loudly. Blushing,  she gave Erin a sheepish look.
"Guess I worked up an appetite," She said, still snuggled up close. But it really did sound wonderful, view, food and all.

Erin's grin widened at her amusingly honest response, both from her stomach and lips. "Yeah, you did. You've gotta pace yourself, Hyathia; You'll have gotten tired of me by nightfall if you don't." He was teasing, but it was a somewhat fair concern; If Erin was anything to her like most delicious treats were to him, the more acessible they were, the quicker he sated himself and disregarded them. Before long, he'd all be moved on from the treats entirely in search of some new flavor; He couldn't help but wonder if that was his fate, if he didn't practice some moderation here.

A knock at the door broke his train of thought, however, and Erin was fairly sure this time he knew who it was. "Uh-oh. Here," He reached behind and a little beneath Hyathia, and retrieved the cover of the bed they'd been cuddling in; Pulling it back, he covered the young woman proper, and himself a bit as well for good measure. "There. No heart attacks now... Come in," Erin called to the door, before watching from the bed as it opened to reveal the nervous wreck of a maid from earlier-- accompanied by two others this time, and with fresh water between each of them.

"Yes-- your refill of the... b-bath, ah..." Erin couldn't help but assume the girl was either new to the inn, or just very inexperienced; Her eyes wandered towards him and Hyathia in bed together, and once more her face went red with embarrassment. And after he'd done all he had to cover up... "Ah-- perfect. Carry on, then. The princess doesn't enjoy being dirty for any longer than she has to." He was teasing both of them now-- the maid and Hyathia, parroting her earlier words. Wordlessly, the three scurried into the bathing room, waters in tow, leaving the door ajar behind them. This left Hyathia and Erin physically alone, but within earshot of the maids preparing her bath.

"Hm... Should I have hopped over into the other bed before letting them in?" He pondered, still somewhat confused as to what the ladies were uncomfortable about now, but not concerning himself with it too much.

Hyathia gave Erin another light smack.
"You're trouble, aren't you? And here I thought I fell for the classic knight." She stole a kiss to his cheek anyway before peering over at the room the servants had disappeared.

"I wonder if we should have been more modest and dressed before the help arrived. " The poor things. Thankfully (and hopefully)nobody would know who the pair were anyway.

Erin was unable to stifle his laughter this time, Hyathia's reaction being all too perfect all things considered. Him? 'Classic'? "Did you forget how we met?" He joked, as if to emphasize how much 'trouble' he was. After all, a classic knight might've just lowered a rope to her, or called for backup, or maybe at the very least tried to calm her down before convincing her to jump out of a wooden cage to her death...

With a shrug, Erin put the thought out of his mind. Regardless of what she thought, she was stuck with him now. "I did pull the covers over us... How much more could they have been expecting?" Erin hadn't so much as considered the ramifications of how quickly rumors could travel in this city. Nor did he particularly care at the moment. He was close to ready to professing his love for this woman from the rooftops as things were. Or perhaps... "Maybe they're just a little ashamed? Maaaaaybe they heard a certain someone overnight, and know now that modesty hasn't exactly been a priority in here." As if on cue, the sound of a dropped item and stumbling hands echoed from within the bathing room.

Hyathia went bright red. Then she hit Erin, just a little harder than before.
"You cad! You shouldn't talk so openly and with a loose tongue about.. about that."
And she buried herself beneath the covers, mortified.

Erin couldn't help but let out quite the lighthearted laugh at Hyathia's reaction, tickled more by her hit than anything else. Ah yes, sweet, sweet revenge. The Princess needed an occasional reminder that he wasn't the only one wrapped around someone's finger here, he thought to himself, before descending beneath the covers after her. They looked like an conspicuous lump now; both their bodies hidden beneath the duvet, and Erin couldn't help but notice how much warmer it was beneath the sheets than above them. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. That'll be our little secret, I promise." He was till teasing, of course, but there was some truth to it. Hyathia had shown him sides of herself that he very much did not wish to share with anyone else.

She looked at him, her expression fighting between and smile and a scowl. The smile won over.
"Maybe we should just stay hidden here until the help leaves," She suggested, rather liking being intimately close to her lover, but also it shielded her from further embarrassment, and such a situation she had never had to endure before. But as she remained hunched beneath the covers, she winced at the pain it caused to her shoulder and arm, still a tender injury.

The flash of pain in Hyathia's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Erin, who's mirthful eyes turned rather suddenly serious as he watched over her. "Your injuries?" He asked, his voice a bit already knowing the answer. It was somewhat frustrating; He wanted to help her, to take away the pain she felt. He felt that deep within his heart; and yet he was pragmatic enough to understand that all that could've been done had already been done by far more capable hands than his own.

Erin pondered for a bit, before coming up with an idea. "Hm... here. Come here." He shifted a bit beneath the covers, taking up a bit more of the space on the bed, but laying back flat on the mattress. In the same motion, he carefully wrapped an arm beneath Hyathia's waist, and with a gentle hoist, he pulled her on top of him; that she might lay flat... or, flatter, against his body. Erin wasn't tense; he tried to relax his body as much as he could, but the striations of his muscular frame still pressed against her softer form. "Is that any better?" He asked, unable to get a good look at her face from the angle.

Hyathia hadn't expected him to simply pull her ontop of him. She yelped a little in protest and tensed at this new intimacy. She had to wonder if she'd ever get used to his chiseled body,... especially against her own. It made her feel vulnerable..but in a good way...like he was her shield,  protective and warm.

She more or less didn't catch his words,  or rather couldn't quite respond.  And as they were moving about beneath the blankets, she heard the maids gasping and scrambling to make haste in exiting the room. Hyathia felt hot for it and cringed a little. She couldn't imagine how the poor help must feel.

Erin was impressively straight-faced by comparison as the maids left their room, clearly nowhere near as shamed (at least, in their presence) of the situation, and somewhat oblivious of how bothered Hyathia was, comparatively speaking. He was a guy-- and more pertinent, he was quite used to waking up naked in the presence of others. Seth's blessing had a hell of a way of helping one become comfortable in their own skin, after all. "Stop squirming, or they'll come back and watch from the keyhole in the door." He was teasing, naturally; Surely the maids had better things to do than spy on them.

...Surely.

"Go on, now; Your bath will get cold. Or would you rather I carried you there?" Erin's tone implied that such a 'threat' was very much on the table, amusing to him as it may have been in practice. In the back of his mind, he couldn't help but pine for a time when Hyathia's body was fully healed; When he didn't need to hold back nearly as much as he did now. Patience was the key... him, for helping her through what was likely the most painful and turbulent time in her life thus far, and her for... well, putting up with him. No one could truly deny that required quite the saintly presence of mind.

Hyathia's jaw fell open.
"They.. they wouldn't, " She stammered, almost white as a ghost about the idea they might be watched. She was so shocked by it that she didn't rightly react to his latter threat.

"Oh, I'm sure they would. I've never known help that didn't enjoy the occasional bit of gossip." By this point Erin was mostly teasing; surely no one would be so perverse as to peep on the two of them, or anyone... said no one, but it would've been quite unprofessional of the maids to do so. That said, Hyathia was inexperienced and young; He wouldn't have been surprised if she took it to heart. A part of him wondered if that meant she'd be too scared to undress again; as crazy as it sounded, Hyathia, in Erin's mind, was crazier.

"Seriously— last chance to get to the bathing room, before I carry you there. Or is that what you're playing at?" He asked, his hands shifting across the noblewoman's back as he spoke.

Hyathia's lips fell open, appalled before she laughed.
"You're very adamant that I bathe. And here I thought I was the one obsessed with it." She smiled and moved to steal a kiss from him, moaning softly before deeping it,  then softening it and pulling away.

She began to slowly remove the covers, her hair an array of static tendrils once revealed. But it was evident she was taking her good old time in climbing off of Erin and leaving the bed.

Erin felt a renewed fire in his blood at Hyathia's kiss-- Butterflies fluttering in his stomach, despite how physically intimate they already were. The simple things still got to him; Especially with his mind clear of alcohol. Of course he was adamant that she bathe; He was a hot-blooded Connlaothian man, sharing a room and a leisurely morning with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. In his mind, the vivid imagery of her soaked, warm body set his heart to racing-- the mental sight reinforced by the night they'd spent together. He could still remember the scent that was the alluring mixture of the finest wines and purest of fragrant soaps.

He felt no less excited to watch as Hyathia practically put on a show of slowly, almost sensually separating herself from him, and he was all the more pleased to watch her-- enough that his priorities began to get mixed up.  If she did possess some kind of hidden magic, it was about as primal as anything Erin had ever experienced. "You're testing me again." He warned in a low, almost sultry tone, his hands sliding from the midst of her back, and coming to rest at either side of her hips. His grip on her was far too light to hold her in place; But it was there, and the almost bewitched look in his eyes and beat of his heart told the story well enough. He was truly a hot-blooded Connlaothian man, through-and-through.

At his touch and the way he looked at her, had heated her cheeks and just about every point of her body up to her ears.
And she couldn't help herself as she laughed and just let herself fall back into his, arms catching around him as she captured his lips again. Her kisses were warm and soft, and she moaned softly before pulling away through a sigh.

"You know, at this rate I might never get my bath, " she teased. But could anyone blame him? She couldn't have known men spoke of such a body only belonging to a goddess. And body aside, she was about as hyped up on this emotional heat as he. She was, after all, youthful and just learning about the true desires of her body and how to sate them.

She, naturally, wouldn't be opposed to another go, her eyes always giving her away as she smiled at him.

Erin's own body warmed against the skin of his lover as she fell back into him, his impatient wishes being answered all at once as they embraced once more. The young man was no less fervent than his partner; Trading kiss for kiss, his hands free to explore every curve of her body once more, reveling in the warmth and suppleness of her skin against the fine grooves of his fingers. One of them found their way to her chest; Yet she pulled away just moments before he could properly explore. Regardless, as she pulled away she could properly see Erin's face-- filled with pent-up need, and long-neglected desire. He looked unfocused, almost confused-- as if they'd not had their fill of one another over the past half-day now.

Her words barely registered in his mind; He heard them, understood them, but had seemingly lost the ability to speak in his flame-stoked trance. He barely managed a short, ecstacy-filled, "I need you more," Before lunging forward and pressing his lips to the side of her neck; Half a kiss, half a gentle bite, savoring the flavor of her body against his tongue as his hand found it's way back to her chest and slowly, yet firmly finding purchase there as his fingers molded into the mound of flesh above her heart. Erin could not stop the fire in his blood; The hunger he felt in--

Growwwwl...

The auburn-haired blinked, coming somewhat to his senses. Oh. Oh... that was actual hunger he was feeling, in the pit of his stomach. He could've cursed the timing, but ultimately knew it was probably for the best. "...Well, I guess I need food more." He noted in an amused tone, torn between continuing and, well, acting like an adult. "Go ahead, take your bath; I need to... calm down a bit." He eventually said with a bit of solemn acceptance in his voice. There would be plenty of Hyathia to be had later, he tried to convince himself.

She smiled brightly at his plight, then a mischievous gleam sparkled within her eyes as she leaned in closer to him, lips so close to his neck her soft cheeks felt the scratch of his stubble and his entire aroma filled her senses.

Then she kisses his neck softly, then again, bodies pressing together tightly like puzzle pieces before she pulled away again to look at his face.

Was it wrong she adored the looks he kept giving her; The way the hunger hung in his eyes and rose in the shared heat between them?

"You could always bathe with me," She tempted, a hand lightly smoothing across his chest, eyes never leaving his as long lashes hung low. "Would save some time.." she added, leaning in closer. "We could eat sooner, " her lips nearly brushed against his. "Sate your hunger faster.." the last part coming out as a soft purr.

Steam practically burned from Erin's ears as Hyathia goaded him on, his heart pactically bursting through his chest at the prospects and sweet nothings she whispered into him. If she couldn't before, she no doubt could feel the raging beat in his chest, pressed against him as she was. He'd teased her about it earlier, but now... Gods, he could barely think straight anymore, so overwhelmed with lust as he was. He was out of his element; Unable to bear her feminine wiles as his lips hungrily sought her own again, teased by the barest of touches and the sweetness of her breath. Whether or not she knew it-- or truly could understand the extent of her actions-- Hyathia had all but captured Erin's heart under a spell no magic he'd ever experienced before could compare to.

He was hers, body and spirit in this moment-- Completely and utterly under her control at this point; Quite the feat, given the adventurer Erin was. Yet for the many adventures he'd undertaken in his time on the road, he'd never dealt in matters of the heart, and often neglect his own personal needs. He was lost in her, now; Both in her whims, and in her desires. It might've scared him, if he'd been able to think clearer... but he couldn't. Even that second-handed thought of concern was burned away by the fire in his blood that threatened to consume him.

He didn't respond, not verbally; He was too busy drinking his fill of Hyathia's lips, kiss after kiss, to utter a word. Instead, his body acted practically on it's own; His core muscles engaging, his arms coming to wrap themselves securely around his lover's waist, he stood; Lifting himself and her out of the bed with a seamless display of strength that was so adequately 'him'. He had a fairly good grasp of the room; He didn't need to see where he was going. Hyathia physically held up by his arms, Erin practically hurried to the bathing room; With just enough wherewithal to close the door behind them with a stern, frustrated push from his foot.

It was truly going to be a long, long day if he couldn't get his libido under control. Or hers.

The floors were littered with puddles, the tub sitting askew in the room,  the thing having eventually making purchase against a wall where Hyathia's form was practically plastered against it. She was also breathing quite heavily, her throat incredibly coarse feeling after most the noise she had made for the past hour. The bath was also left with only half the water it had begun with, where as the pair of lovers were still entangled and occupying the rest.

The ordeal had been absolutely exhausting,  the young woman wondering if her heart beat would ever slow, especially as she sobered in the aftermath and smiled sheepishly at her knight.

The pair fit rather cramped in the tub,half their limbs hanging out of the thing as a sound at the window drew her attention it's way. She saw a flash of light, then a gentle purr of thunder soon followed.

The dull, soft rumble of far-away storms echoed freely through an otherwise blank mind; The beat of thunder paling in comparison to the mad rhythm of two wild and untamed heartbeats echoing against one another. The bathing room was a bit of a mess; Erin, who was only just beginning to come to his senses once more, had only the briefest sense of an idea of how that'd happened. Heat permeated through his tanned, sculpted body; So much so that steam had practically begun to burn from him as the temperate bath waters-- or what was left of them-- attempted desperately to regulate the two bodies languishing within. Yet by comparison, his breathing was labored, but not nearly as heavy as the woman in his embrace.

It was only natural; He was a highly-trained warrior in the peak of his prime, after all-- All the strength, stamina and endurance he'd tempered into himself was truly paying dividends on this day.

The calmness of the room, in spite of the brewing storm, brought Erin a sense of serenity he wasn't particularly used to; A peace of mind that he'd never pursued before. It was... nice. Hyathia's glossy, jewel-like teal eyes met his own dark amber ones, and he couldn't help but return her smile; Himself a bit surprised at her... resilience, all things considered. Her heart truly betrayed the limits of her body, he had to think. She was... well, incredible.

"...We were supposed to go and have breakfast," The silence between them was eventually broken with Erin playfully reminding Hyathia of their hour-lost plans. He didn't honestly care; He didn't want to move at the moment anyway. Weirdly settled into the tub as they were, Erin was as content as he'd ever felt, holding close to Hyathia. He was, very quickly, warming up to this enthralling feeling of being so inseparable from her. With a sigh, he contemplated aloud, "How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you for long enough to leave this room?"

Hyathia opened her mouth, lips curled and eyes glittering with response when a loud rumble, that most definitely was not thunder, rumbled in her belly. She simply grinned.
"Better late than never?"

The the echo of a bemused chuckle rippled through Erin's chest in response, his lips curling up into a familiar smile. Hyathia never failed to invoke his inner youthful blood; If not out of desire, then simply due to her somewhat-kindred spirit. "Better late than never." He replied, his own stomach having quieted down by comparison. It hadn't been the first time he'd worked through hunger, in one way or another.

Slowly, he shifted in the bath; adjusting enough so that they could sit up in the tub, somewhat. It was still quite cramped, but it was comfortably cramped-- And with his slowly pulling himself up to leave the waters, more and more space was becoming available for Hyathia in turn. The princess deserved every luxury, as it were. His eyes affixed on the darkening skies outside of the window; Both to remind himself to be mindful of the coming storm, as well as to find something--anything-- to look at other than the goddess bathing in the afterglow of their latest encounter.

Hyathia took a moment to rinse herself off before stepping out of the tub herself, but wobbly legs failed her as she yelped and fell against Erin's side and clung to his arm for purchase.

Like a firm wall of warmth, Erin didn't budge as Hyathia clumsily fell into him. To be frank, he somewhat expected it; That she could stand at all after... everything, was impressive in its own right. "Easy, now..." Erin spoke in a low, soothing tone as the arm Hyathia had grabbed hold of slowly moved to wrap around her waist. He slowly lowered his stance, eyeing her legs— perhaps she could tell what was coming, perhaps not.

With a somewhat fluid motion, Erin reached down with his free arm and swept the noblewoman off her feet; lifting her up into his arms, into a bridal carry. His smug smile practically said it all; He so vividly enjoyed demonstrating his strength like so, at least for her. As another flash of distant lightning flooded the window— and in so doing, illuminated Hyathia's body for a brief moment, Erin made very little effort to conceal his enamored gaze upon her, before carrying her out of the bathing room and back to the bed— Taking far more time than he really needed to to set her down slowly, carefully— admiring the scent of her skin and the soap once more. Pleasant.

Goosebumps tickled across her naked flesh in a wave, followed by heat to her cheeks and... elsewhere. Arms had naturally wrapped around him as he carried her off. She laughed out his name but didn't struggle, only accepting her fate.

Her eyes danced as they met to his once he lay her upon the bed, and she wasted no time cupping a hand behind his head and drawing him forth, kissing him deeply.

When she pulled away, her lashes hung low and her cheeks were pinker.

"You smell like soap," She teased.

Once more the young warrior found himself lost within the sweetest taste of Hyathia's lips; His tongue dancing with hers, his heart skipping a beat as it leapt from a calm and steady pace to a racing speeding. This was the control she had over him; Something primal, something instinctive. He couldn't break free of her grasp; he didn't want to. Even as she pulled away to tease, leaving Erin somewhat dizzy and flushed, he felt that magnetic connection pulling him back to her. In his right mind, he likely could've resisted... Alas. Before he realized what was happening, his lips were pressed back to hers, taking his time in further savoring her body. He only managed to step himself in order to breathe.

"...Y... You..." He frantically sought some kind of clever comeback for her, but couldn't. His body was on fire again; Every breath, every look, every movement the woman beneath him made causing his resolve to shake. "...Just... put something on. Before the sun goes down." He managed before pulling back and turning away the sculpted, scarred form of his back somewhat illuminated by the window light. His shaky breathing masked a chuckle as he began to come to terms with his own limits. He could fight wars, hunt mages, slay beasts... but he could not control his human nature.

Hyathia gave him a sinister grin. She loved the fact he'd been at her mercy,  and she at his.. for how much of the day? Most it seemed... and the night...

She slipped out of bed at his words and moved to retrieve her dress, then paused to consider what happened at dinner....

"You sure you won't just try to rip my dress off again?" She asked, pressing the dress against her body to shield it while she gave him a little pout.

Erin made it back to his own clothes, set aside at the other bed in the room by the time Hyathia had spoke up. It was by and far a moot point now, but he still mused over her request for two beds— one of which had gone completely unused so far. Granted, both of them were more than a bit under influence last night... Ah, well. If nothing else, it added a separate bed to... well. Ahem. He shook his head of such thoughts, even as he turned back to eye Hyathia at her tempting words, playing coy as she was so frustratingly good at.

And perhaps to no one's surprise, in his glance to her, there was a very familiar, idle hunger— A stoked flame, as hot and barely restrained as ever. It was as if he was challenging her with his eyes alone— as though he were dating her to tempt her luck any further. "...I won't 'try'." We're his simple words— Not a promise of obedience, but of desires unkempt. Surely Hyathia knew by now that he had no qualms making good on them. "...But I promise to be on my best behavior, at least until you've had something to eat." He added, grabbing his shirt in an attempt to keep his idle hands busy. Truth be told, it was hard enough being separate from the woman, having spent so much time in her embrace— Erin was already beginning to feel an... addiction, of sorts.

Hyathia faired the same; it felt quite strange without her knight near sectioned to her side. But in this world of chaos, she wasn't sure she could have survived if her 'knight' had been different... someone other than Erin.

It was much easier to just let herself fall back into their chaotic, heated tumble than to deal with the reality she kept pushing off. But as she slipped into her dress, it's weight, though light as it were, reminded her of the heavy burdens of reality.

"Do you think.." she began, voice quiet and lacking the true playfulness it once held. "Someone might know what's gone on in the city?"

By now...surely any news would have spread?

The tanned warrior was perhaps halfway into his tunic when he gave a short, almost affirmative 'hmm', his own mind drifting back to the world beyond the walls of this inn room. "Uthlyn is a pretty popular city— word travels like the river, here. It wouldn't surprise me if someone's come through from the duchy. Refugees, nobles that might've made it out. Family."

His tone was surprisingly candid and light; As if they weren't discussing a matter of grave importance. To Erin, who was so used to such grim circumstances, it was business as usual— but he did glance over his shoulder slightly as he settled his tunic into place, taking stock of Hyathia's concern before pulling on his pants. "We can keep an ear to the ground, so to speak, as we walk the city today— But the civil war is everywhere— even Falkreath's... well. I'm sure there's news, from all sides." He noted, mentally reminding himself to check in on his own parents, once this was all over. They lived just within the walls— their estate relatively untouched by the unrest... but that didn't mean they were safe. Not by a long shot.

Hyathia nodded silently,  and went about brushing her hair. She went quiet for a time, completely lost in thought. Internally, so many terrifying thoughts raked at her mind, and the echoing reminders of that insane afternoon remained as a stain on her mind.

It was strange.. hard for her to recall the exact chaos before she had been carted away and her fateful fall off the cliff...
But as she was tightening the front strings of her dress, she began to remember as the very strings in her hands snapped suddenly and tears blotted her eyes.

The affair had been awful, nightmarish as she had been torn from her home. It was sudden, without warning and then the whole city just seemed to explode as she had been forcefully thrown into her prison cart.

And the terrible burning lead to terrible screaming, as Hyathia trembled and froze there with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Granted, I'm sure half of what we'll hear is just that— hearsay. Can't expect a civil war to ravage the land and only truths be told about it. The guild has a saying about that sort of thing— Your eyes will only—" Erin was, for the most part, just speaking to fill the silence. He wasn't exactly good at that sort of thing, the idea of maintaining the flow of a conversation, but he could sense an oncoming gloom in Hyathia's voice that troubled him somewhat.

He'd been turned away, giving the young woman some sense of privacy (just seemed like the right thing to do) while he collected a few more of his own belongings. It wasn't until he turned back around to look and see if she was dressed, however, that he noticed it— the fear in her eyes, and tears besides. His gaze tensed upon her as he realized what was happening. He'd seen that look before, plenty of times. Hyathia wasn't with him anymore— she was back in Vythe, on the eve of her trauma.

The auburn-haired man moved slowly, yet intently towards her once more; watching as she shook and withdrew further into herself. Before long, he'd reached her, and carefully, wordlessly wrapped his arms arms around her in an warm embrace; Gentle as he could at first, before pressing her a little closer to his chest, and tilted his head down a bit to whisper to her.

"Hey... you're safe. I will protect you. I promise." He spoke in as soothing a tone as he could, listening for her breathing. He wasn't sure what brought on the sudden relapse of fear— he never was. All he knew how to do was be patient enough to wait it out.

She tensed initially at his touch, his words, then clung to him suddenly as she buried her face against his protective form. She wasn't sure how long she stood there like that but it was enough.

Slowly she peeled herself away, brushing away the ends of tears as she stood there beside him. Then she trembled,  laughing inspite of herself as more tears spilled.

'I.. seemed to have broken the laces of my dress. "

She brushed the fresh tears back and looked down at her dress, which had barely enough lace to even consider tying shut.

Erin raised an eyebrow at the mention of the lacing of her dress; It seemed so wholly unrelated to the situation at hand that to an extent, he worried that she may have been having some sort of a mental break. Perhaps she was, even— but she was right. As his eyes traveled down the front of her dress, he noticed for the first time that she had, in fact, snapped the snapped the velvety string of her outfit. "...Huh. You... sure did..." Was all he could manage to say, still somewhere adrift between feelings of concern, confusion, and provoked by the sudden attention he accidentally found himself paying to her bare skin again.

"I... erm. Ahem— I can't very well take you to breakfast like this... What would the city think?" His attempts at teasing were a veiled attempt at ignoring how inappropriate he felt thinking of anything other than her health at the moment— his eyes fixating on the window, solely because it was easy enough to do so. "We definitely need to get you to a tailor before we go anywhere or do anything else. The nights get colder than you'd think, on the road." He tried to explain, though he wasn't exactly sure how and what he'd be able to fit Hyathia into. Beautiful as she was in a dress, if she was still being pursued, there was always the chance she'd be recognized...

Hyathia was still blinking back tears as she fumbled with the lacing.
"I might be able to still tie it, or atleast secure it."

Erin sighed, watching her hands as she spoke, before putting on a smile of his own; A more reassuring one than previously, at least. With his hands free, he slowly moved them to her face, and gently Ul wiped the tears from her eyes with the traces of his thumbs. "Come on... breathe." He reminded her— sensing how she'd been struggling to hold herself together. "In and out. Focus on me... focus on the room." Self-taught mental processing strategies; Erin had been subjected to such magics as the manipulation of fear and memories in the past, after all. While this wasn't entirely similar, he knew the symptoms when he saw them.

"Let me take a look... I'm pretty good with my hands." He muttered, kneeling down a bit and taking up the lacing from her. His hands were, at the very least, steadier; and with less material to work with, he had an easier time of trying to tie it together than she could've. As he managed with a little effort to pull the lace into the a bare knot without squeezing the poor woman tight into the dress, he released it; shaking his hands a bit to get some tension out of them. "There; how's that? Can you breathe? Move around well enough?"

For the longest moment, Hyathia just stared. And then she threw herself at him suddenly and clung with a fierce hug. She laughed a little, tears returning to her eyes as she hugged him tighter yet.

"Thank you," She murmured, when she was able to speak again. "We.. should probably leave soon before something else keeps us from breakfast, " She jested softly, and moved away to wipe at her tears again.

The sudden impact made Erin give an audible "Oof—", but he otherwise didn't budge much. Hyathia's embrace sent a familiarly weakening shiver down his spine, and spread warmth throughout his body. Dare he say, he could feel butterflies— Or something like it, as he smiled dumbly, equal parts relived and confused.

"Agreed; I'm sure the city air will do us both some good as well. Or at the very least, the people watching." He proclaimed, excited about the prospect of food— which, in all fairness, he'd worked up enough of an appetite thus far to match his enthusiasm. Taking Hyathia by the hand, Erin mentally braced himself for the stark reality of the real world... and those embarrassed maids, wherever they may have been.

The walk from the inn to the tavern of Erin's choice was pleasant enough, given the overcast weather. Erin, to some extent, expected to have earned a few stares on their way— a personal unconscious insecurity after... last night. Yet for the most part, life went on as normal; the world seemed to be okay with the two of them, for the time being. The location itself was quite large— it didn't hold a candle to the greater tavern the two had dined at the night prior, but it was uniquely two floors... The second housing quite a large window, facing out to the rest of the city. It was built of cobbled stone and polished wood, with smaller windows lining the walls.

Seating wasn't so much as a concern either— Erin clearly reaped the benefits of being what one might call a "city frequenter". A few words to one of the tavern waitresses and the two of them were quickly shown and seated to a table on the second floor; One with the beautiful view that he described earlier. "Well? Not bad, weather aside, right?"

The view was better than she could have imagined, with wide windows open to a broad landscape of beautiful buildings , tall trees painted with autumnal fires, and far off mountains barely visible as the purple skies swelled with the promise of rain.

A soft purr of thunder gently meshed with the busy atmosphere and Hyathia felt at peace.

"I've always loved this time of year, " She began, dreamily. "The smell of falling leaves, collecting acorns in the grasses, sweet apple cider.." she sighed. "What about you, Erin? Do you have a favorite season?"

She straightened her posture a little as she addressed him, her eyes, once taking in their surroundings and becoming lost in the distant landscape,  now solely focused on him.

Erin was a few moments into flagging down a waitress for their table to take an order from them when Hyathia had spoken up-- the sound of her voice recapturing his attention and turning his eyes back onto her. He saw a heartwarming sight, at least for him; Gone was the wild, teary-eyed woman he'd had to comfort earlier, replaced with a more at-peace, almost doe-eyed gaze that... well, was focused on him. Erin showed an interesting moment of modesty at the realization and averted his own eyes a bit, some red coming to his face as he gathered his thoughts. He really, really wasn't used to such attention being paid to him-- not when he'd done nothing of great fame or infamy in the past few hours, at least.

"I.. er... huh. You know, I... have never really thought about it." Was his eventual reply, a somewhat thoughtful look on his face as he pondered the idea. Favorite season...? Could he truly say he had one? "I-I mean... this weather definitely suits Connlaoth, sure. But I've seen... so many more things. Experienced so much." There was a sudden passion to his eyes-- like a spark of life jolting through his very soul as he began to reminisce. "I've traveled the Essyrn deserts by night in the winter-- seen how the sands freeze for mere hours before burning back into a wispy landscape before the sun even rises. I've bathed with the Yoreiqi commonfolk off the coast of the Tuor Ocean in the summer. I've celebrated Spring's coming with some of friends I've made in Serendpity. So many memories... I probably couldn't rank them if I tried." It was somewhat unlike Erin to wax so very poetic-- perhaps it was a proper measure of how much those memories-- those experiences-- meant to him.

"Perhaps one day, I'll... Well. Can't get ahead of ourselves, I s'pose." The implication, however, was quite clear; Though he hesitated to say it, in his heart Erin saw himself making his rounds across the continent once more, in the future... with a lover at his side, perhaps.

Hyathia stared at Erin dreamily before she sighed.
"I wish I could have traveled so freely. I've barely been allowed to do much public appearance in Connlaoth, I'm not even sure what I would do with myself if I suddenly were able to just travel the world..."

She let that sink in, eyes regarding Erin as she smiled. "I suppose you wouldn't need a favorite season. Seems you've got plenty of favorite moments ."

The young man's trademark grin returned to his face; His mate having said the magic words, or come close enough to them to trigger his interest. He leaned forward, elbow pressed onto the table, eyes full of adventure. "Would you come with me, if I left right now?" His question may have seemed impossibly careless-- reckless, even... But despite his smile, there was something very serious in the tone of the warrior's voice. "I could show you the world. The lush forests of Thanatos. The wild plains of Adela. The golden cities within Essyrn-- I could show you everything. Every day, every moment-- a new adventure."

He leaned even further in, eyes fixated on Hyathia with an intensity almost suffocating by nature. "You would need only say the word. We could be at the gates of Connlaoth before sundown; Into the lands of the fae by sunset. You could leave all of this-- All this chaos, all this trauma-- and start over again... with me." He was nearly coming out of his seat, his own heart racing at the prospect of his own words. The sheer outlandishness of it; Of taking off in a random direction and letting their hearts explore as they pleased... Alas, before he could expect an answer, they were interrupted by a coming waitress, who broke Erin's train of thought.

"Ah-- Erin! I didn't know you were back in town! Lovely to have you dining with us today." She was a modestly dressed-and-proportioned young woman; With chocolate eyes hidden behind rather thick glasses, and a swath of long, curly red hair. A bit of warmth came to her cheeks and her eyes as she smiled kindly-- perhaps a bit too kindly-- at the auburn-haired man and his... And his... She tilted her head as her eyes traveled towards the woman in the red dress, seated with him. "Ah-- excuse my rudeness; You brought a friend? Or are you on another escorting mission?" She inquired, sticking her nose purposefully where it didn't belong.

Erin's face went somewhat red, but he was able to mostly maintain his composure-- though his answer... was one that put him in an awkward spot, for certain. "Er-- yeah. This is Hyathia. She's... uh..." He began, only to realize quickly that, despite everything that had happened, he... didn't really know what to call her. How could he? A literally day had passed; Everything that had happened had come and gone so quickly and without second thoughts. What... WAS Hyathia, to him? He knew what he felt, but...

Hyathia's heart fluttered at the idea, her belly even doing flip flops. Her... travel the world... with him? Her mind whirled to even take that in, his own exuberance nearly bursting between them.  It was impossible not to get swept along. She almost blurted out a 'Yes!' when a woman approached the table and the conversation shifted.

Hyathia, still dizzy from their conversation,must have missed any awkward tension as she regarded the woman with a big smile.

"Apparently I'm being invited as his travel companion around the world," She replied,playful and bright. Her cheeks were still pink from the idea,  heart thumping, and her eyes, dancing.

A sigh of some mixture of relief and... something else, left Erin's lips as Hyathia spoke up, knowingly (or unknowingly) disarming a rather loaded question as he saw it. He merely nodded with a smile on his lips and a shrug of his shoulders as he replied in kind. "Potential travel companion." The waitress's eyes widened with wonder; It seemed as though those words alone had worked her interest all the same.

"Oh, that sounds lovely! I've never had the chance to see the sights beyond Uthlyn— You should take me with you some time as well! Won't you?"

Erin faltered a bit, leaning back a little as the waitress leaned a bit into him. "Uh... sure, if you like. Never thought your old man would let you that far out of his sight, though." It was a clever reply (in Erin's head); One which left him vulnerable to a response he wasn't expecting. "Oh, don't worry about him— I can make my own decisions. I'm old enough to marry, after all!" The somewhat mischievous reply came with a wink, which caused Erin enough embarrassment to look away and attempt to change the subject, to the waitresses glee. For a warrior, he was so very easy.

"A-anyway; Eggs, fresh ham, and the sweet bread you're so good at baking, if you please. Two of us." He mumbled, looking toward the window. The tawny-haired waitress smiled knowingly, took the order, and off she went— leaving the two alone again.

Hyathia was a bit taken back by the other girl's enthusiasm and also by her boldness to interject herself. She seemed young, probably Hyathia's age and she had to wonder....
But as she considered Erin's reaction,it was obvious he felt awkward by it with his stuttering. She had been equally excited but far more respectful in her own reply to Erin's travel arrangements that it actually had been Erin who had be one the excited one.

She tried to tuck back a smile,  but the dimples were there.

"She seems nice. You have.. a lot of acquaintances here."
She hoped her reply came out sounding more playful than tart, but she was rather jealous at Erin's life experiences versus the lack of her own.

Erin was equal parts dismissive and embarrassed as Hyathia noted the apparent familiarity that was had just then— waving his hand and avoiding eye contact to an extent as he tried to play off her claim. "It's, er... Well. I do most of my... recreation, here in the city. Falkenrath's nice in its own way, but it doesn't beat the wonders of the inner city, here." He explained, avoiding mentioning the young waitress in the slightest. It was true; Whenever Erin felt homesick, he'd ride back across the continent to Connlaoth, if only for some of the familiar pleasures he'd grown up with. What were human beings if not creatures of habit, after all.

"But enough about me— How are you liking your, I assume, first time in Uthlyn so far? The people, the sights, all of it. It's quite a large city— we've only really scratched the surface of it. For example, there's a nice plot of homes that stretch along the city's walls on an incline; from one of the rooftops, you can see just about all of Matron's Hollow." It was a romanticized story, but one that Erin could tell from experience, having stood (and in some cases, rested) upon them.

Hyathia's smile was a knowing one as the corner of her lips quirked up with a smirk.
"I wouldn't know. We've barely left our room," She teased.

If the young man's face could've turned a deeper shade of red than in that moment, it would've. His eyes slowly widened as her words settled in his mind, and he shifted in his chair once again, clearing his throat and doing everything he could to maintain a straight face, though a smile crept along the edge of his lips all the same. "A-ah... understandable. It was a... we... ahem." It took a great deal of mental gymnastics to tow the line around thoughts of their prior night, and subsequent morning. With effort enough, however, he managed.

"Well, after our meal, how about I take you around the city proper? Get you a bit more familiar with the sights, and the people. There's a lot to take in— and some good networking to be had." His gaze fell back towards the window, briefly taking in a glimpse of the city before turning back into Hyathia. "The day is yours; Whatever your wildest imagination might be curious about— Uthlyn likely has an answer for it."

A much louder and impatient rumble of thunder reminded them of their other plight, and Hyathia turned to regard the scene of the weather with interest. She had an almost dreamy look about her before she returned her attentions back to Erin.
"It seems today's weather want to be difficult for us," She went on with a shrug. "But I'd love to tour the city with you."

She regarded Erin with a particular look, one of warmth and sweetness and a bit of humility. The two had been through a lot together in such a short period of time.

Erin's eyes lit up with an enthusiastic gleam, and he nodded in response quite readily, almost as if he meant to stand and take off with her that very moment. "Excellent! I'll give you the grand tour, then-- after we make a stop at a tailor's shop, at least." His tone held something akin to pride-- or at the very least, uncontested glee. Ah, how many afternoons had he spent wandering the streets of Uthlyn? Playing kick-ball with the local children, wandering the cultural fairs, lazing about in the afternoon sun near the residential districts after a long quest... Good memories.

His face reflected the state of his mind; A dumb, lighthearted grin on his lips, as he stared out at nothing in particular-- before his eyes refocused on Hyathia before him, and he tilted his head a bit with a look of intrigue. "Y'know, the more I think about it, the more I realize I know precious little about what, exactly, my Princess actually likes. Well... Aside from..." His smile, ever so slightly, curled closer to a smirk as he averted his eyes for a moment, "...Roast, and red wine." Thankfully, he had the self-restraint to lessen his grin, and keep a clear-enough mind, even on the topic at hand. "It almost feels like you know just about all there is to know about me... What makes you smile, Hyathia?"

She kicked him from beneath the table. It was gentle enough but while the mirth was there, it seemed so was something else.

"A lady should not divulge all of her secrets on the first date." She chirped merrily in reply. Teasing Erin definitely seemed to be one of her favorite past times. But in all fairness , he probably started it. Probably.

Truthfully, her life and no doubt,  favorite things, would be rather bland to the colorful life Erin had lived. Maybe that's what fascinated him? She couldn't be sure but she felt a little self conscious none the less. But she still smiled at him before her gaz e returned to the window.

"Fine, keep your secrets. It gives me all the more to look forward to, for later." He replied, rolling his eyes a bit though he did nothing to hide his all-too-amused smile. He regretted asking, to some extent-- constantly trying to remind himself of how little she likely wanted to think about herself, given her current circumstances, but was happy all the same that her mood still held up. Today was going rather nice-- She deserved a bit of time to recover and decompress after the chaos she'd been through.

The thought of said chaos caused Erin's gaze to linger on Hyathia rather long, his smile fading ever so slightly as he began to lose himself in thought. He'd been over the few facts that they'd learned about her situation a few times in his head; Using what he knew and all he'd experienced in life to soundboard possibilities of her current situation. The name D'al Astarot carried no particular relevance to Erin, but he was a bumpkin by the standards of Connlaothian politics; That made sense. Yet it seemed like her blood-- and the fact that she was the sole heritor of it, from what the assailant had told them-- was of enough value to set men to war.

And yet, Hyathia seemed every bit as unsure of what it all meant as he did. Was she, then, potentially an heir apparent to some other secret name, or heritage, that belied the D'al Astarot line? And if so-- if she really had such a value to her name-- why did the Grand Duke's men hesitate at her name? There was clearly something greater at play... Something that Erin mentally vowed to get to the bottom of, and soon. Seeing Hyathia lost in herself earlier-- lost in fear, in despair of her own situation-- Wasn't something he intended to see ever again, if he could bet his life (or at least one of them) on it.

Hyathia's smile gew more playful, more smug, before slowly faltering as her brows furrowed, eyes narrowing on a looming group of figures on the horizon. It seemed... no.. but it was.


Men. A lot of men. Clad darkly and heading towards the town. Hyathia froze, uncertain who or what they were...
But it was evident by her mannerism that she feared the worse. They were warriors. They had survived the battle. And they were coming after her.

It was only natural that Erin, who's eyes had been loosely trained upon Hyathia's face, would notice the sudden concern written upon it. His attention shifted from idle thoughts, his gaze slowly focusing into a more more steeled, almost weary stare. "...Hyathia?" He spoke, before his eyes traced her gaze beyond him— beyond the window, and beyond the nearby city landscape. She gazed further out into the distance, he wagered, where he could make out the very familiar outline of a contingent of soldiers.

...Ah.

A frown formed on Erin's face, as he put 2 and 2 together, mentally. "...No, they wouldn't..." He remarked under his breath, though the thought alone was still present in the forefront of his mind. Erin was no politician, no greatly-learned countryman, but even he knew that Uthlyn was considered to be "protected" as the Grand Duke's neutral territory. Surely there was no other force foolish enough to... but then again, the Duke's men had been spread pretty thing due to the civil war as a whole. If ever there was a time for someone— anyone— to strike with any reason... this wasn't a terrible one.

Hyathia shot up suddenly.
"We should go somewhere. We should run!"

Her sudden out burst quieted the room as the woman stood there trembling and backing away from the window, before others began to follow her gaze and murmur over the sudden presence of a small army entering the city.

In contrast, Erin, while eyeing both Hyathia's reaction alongside the general unrest of the public within the eatery, merely raised an eyebrow, remaining in his seat— though he did share some of her concerns, his lax posture and general lack of a response to the situation portrayed otherwise. "But we haven't even eaten yet. Running on an empty stomach will only weaken you further; We need to get you nice and healthy again." He explained rather casually, an oddly nonplussed look in his eyes as he shifted in his seat a bit, crossing his legs.

He was right; Escaping danger without food to sustain them would only hinder their performance. That said, his relaxation in the face of what could've been immediate danger may have seemed off-putting, but Erin's mind was working in overdrive to play out all of the possibilities of the situation they'd found themselves in; When best to truly run and hide, when to fight, if the soldiers were there for Hyathia, and if they were truly in danger. One thing was certain; Hyathia's life was not in danger. The attackers from the prior day wanted her very much alive— which meant that so long as neither of them did anything truly foolish, they would at least survive a small army... or at least, she would, and he'd have time in his next life to plan out a rescue.

Hyathia blinked. She looked utterly confused, which strained her already pale and frightened face.

"Eat?" She repeated the words, shrill, panicked anger filling her voice. "Eat? Those soldiers could have us all dead!"

Didn't he understand the severity? Didn't he understand the consequences of doing nothing? Indulging when they should flee?

Murmurs filled the room, a few daring to approach the large window to get a view of things. It reminded her they weren't alone, that there was a room full of people and embarrassment leapt in with her other emotions to make her absolutely and utterly unstable and...

The young woman ran. It was all she could think to do. Like a frightened rabbit she zigzagged towards the exit, tears blurri g her vision as she reached the stairs. Others in the room began to rise, wondering of they too, should be alarmed, but otherwise most remained seated.

Hyathia, as anyone might imagine, kicked up quite the stir with her outburst, as well as her sudden haste for the exit. Erin could only let out a deep, breath-y sigh as she ran, eyes welling with tears from what he could barely glimpse. Truly, she could be so very volatile... but he couldn't blame her. He'd lived through— even died through— worse than she'd ever experienced; it only made sense that he was far more steeled to such potential dangers. Slowly he stood, a bit saddened that he wouldn't be having his eggs this morning.

His eyes turned to the window, still latched shut, as he watched the slowly approaching armed force. They certainly didn't think to amounce their presence, did they... "sorry, folks— she gets... excitable, around armed men." He tried explaining, but when the murmuring didn't seem to settle down, he gave up on trying to placate the public. Instead, he figured it made more sense to catch Hyathia before she actually DID run into trouble. "Edith," He called out, once more drawing the attention of a certain red-headed waitress as he opened the latch on the large window he'd been seated near, "I'll be back for those eggs."

And with that, he was gone; A collective, audible gasp of shock rang out among the audience as he stepped through the window's opening and leapt out of the building; plummeting a story's worth of feet to the ground, a little ways away from the entrance to the eatery, to a passing mother and son's shock. He was very familiar with surviving such falls; Without his armor on, it was far easier to keep his composure and get back to his feet, where he afterwards simply strolled over to the entrance of the building, in an attempt to intercept the oncoming young noblewoman.

Except she didn't appear. There didn't even seem to be any sight of her near the front of the building. And it was awkwardly silent, with voyers staring in shock at Erin's sudden acrobatic drop, and then the presence of armed forces approaching the city.

Through the murmurs, it seemed to become clear that the approaching men were those of the Grand Duke, which, less threatening, posed many questions. Such as why, and how?

A worker from the eatery stepped out to check it for himself and chuffed, shaking his head before turning to a worker nearest him.

"Think the young woman is a mage? Those are the Grand Duke's men..."
More murming and the woman he spoke to shrugged and the man shook his head.

"Alert the city guard. We don't want a fugitive mage running free in the city. And..." he lowered his voice as he looked back inside,  to somewhere, far back in the corner of the building unseen from where they stood. "And don't spook her anymore. We don't need her blowing up the place or casting curses on us. Ansgar's name," he swore. "Never thiught the war would touch here."

A slow-building confusion covered Erin's face as he waited patiently for the young lady to reveal herself, only to be met with... anyone and everyone but her, it seemed. He paid little mind to the odd look he received here and there— his attention focused on the stairs in the distance, which would've lead up to the second floor. Had she somehow gotten lost? Taken a detour? He was fairly certain she didn't jumó out of a window... she wasn't that crazy. Yet, at least.

"So focused on her arrival was Erin that he barely registered the concerns of the two workers from within the eatery; passing it off as unimportant dialogue. Before long they'd gone back indoors all the same, so whatever they'd been discussing clearly wasn't meant for his ears. Probably chatting about Hyathia's outburst... or the armed force.

Speaking of whom, Erin couldn't so much as pretend to drown out the congress of voices noting their insignias and presence. Yes, as they drew closer, even Erin could more adequately see them; The Grand Duke's men, likely either on some witch hunt or increasing security within or around the city. No surprise there; a civil war WAS going on, after all. Most provinces of Connlaoth, save one or two that had either lost their leaders or were practically lost to the warfare, were up to some level of no good. Smart of the Grand Duke to consolidate at least some of his fives within his territory.

"Where is that girl?" Erin murmured to himself, giving it a few more moments. Had the lace on her dress come loose in the heat of the moment? Perhaps she had to stop to attempt to fix it... Could she, even? He'd done it for her in the inn, due to her state of mind... Was she just crumpled over in some corner, crying? He sighed once more, debating clearing out the entire building to look for her. Bad impression though that might've given, he couldn't just leave her there.

Breathe. Just breathe.


If she couldn't get her breathing in order, she realized she might pass out. Her head was tingly and her mind almost numb.

Breathe. Just breathe.

Slowly she began to recompise herself, and she peered around, realizing  she was in a small back pantry in the eatery. That thought alone,  that she was alone, sent her heart marathoning again.

No,no. She couldn't let the panic consume her.  How could sge escape those men hunting her if she just remained frozen in some pantry. And Erin.. she had simply run from him, from the room in a blind panic. She grimaced.

But the the sound of someone approaching startled Hyathia and she reached fir the closest thing she could- and mindlessly hammered a loaf of bread into whatever poor fool suddenly appeared in the little corner pantry.

Thump!

Ah yes, a poor fool indeed. Erin, who now quietly stood before Hyathia with a bemused, defeated smirk and a face-full of baker's bread, couldn't help but wonder if he'd done something to offend some cruel deity at some point. "See, now I have to buy that bread..." He remarked in an almost pitiful tone, as if the purchase would be the end of him. Truth told, he was moreso relieved to have found the girl unharmed than he was concerned about bread.

Said 'finding' didn't take long, either— despite his earlier concerns about turning the building upside down, it was the helpful (though admittedly judgemental) guidance of a concerned mother who'd been seated not too far from the steps that helped Erin track her down quickly, and without too much more commotion than she'd already caused by panicking, or he by jumping out of a window. But the slap of bread against face was too intriguing a sound for the nearby dining folk to ignore. Perhaps all the sillier was the imprint of flour that had been left in Erin's face from the baked beating.

"Are you done running from me, now?" He eventually spoke up once more, a bit somber-toned this time compared to his typically eternal amusement. He had reason enough to be, in his mind. Adorable as it was to watch Hyathia throw a temper tantrum in public, the fact of the matter was that she did it out of distrust towards him. He couldn't blame her— not truly, given the brevity of their working relationship as a whole, but it didn't sting any less just because he was able to come to that conclusion.

Hyathia stared, lips parted. It took her a moment to realize what was going on as the bread simply fell from her fingers.
Then she began to realize she was drawing more attention. And she shied away, face burning with embarrassment as she grit her teeth. Hands clenched and unclenched into fists as she tried to speak, but her voice came out gnarled and croaky.

"We.. we can't stay here! Those men..."

"Are likely hunting you?" Finished a voice behind them. A tall man stood just at the end of the short hallway, his form blocking the pair from the crowd at the table.
His lips set firmly as he studied Hyathia.

"I'm sorry but you'll both have to remain here. The Grand Duke's men arriving into town will decide your fate. We.. can't let criminals roam free..." or the unspoken notion of or mages.

Slowly, Erin turned around to face his would-be captors. By Connlaothian standards, he was a big guy; his obvious musculature aside, Erin had a solid 8-10 inches of height on the average sticky, middle-built guy, and it showed in how he carried himself. He raised an eyebrow as his dark auburn eyes focused and narrowed down on the closest, tallest of two men; his intimidating presence honed by the many battles under his belt allowing Erin to posture himself as if he were staring down at a man practically his own height. Either he was truly growing tired of the world trying to take a swing at Hyathia, or this was simply him... the real him, behind the confident smile.

"Look," He began, wiping a bit of baking flour from his face before continuing, "I don't know what you think she or I did, and I don't rightly care. Your nose is a bit too far into business that doesn't concern you, friend." Erin's body began to tense; A familiar feeling, like every hair on his skin raising to meet his growing anticipation of a fight. "So I have a proposition for you. You can turn around, and get out of my way... or I can make you. Your choice."

The man eyed Erin up and tried to harden his stance...
But he was no soldier and his poker face could only hide so much.

"Sir..." the man said,  bristled. "We need not make this a confrontation.  The law is the law..." He drew in a steady breath, then continued.  "You could even return to your seats... finish your meal..."

It was as good a time as any for Erin to de-escalate the situation, in truth. Despite the initial threat, the man before him was being more than reasonable; and in all fairness, he spoke truthfully. A normal person would've likely taken that moment to back down by default, knowing they had done no wrong, and taken the chance to fade back into the background, avoiding drawing attention to themselves further.

Erin, unfortunately, was not only not normal, but also very much an idiot— and as such, none of this very basic and easily-comprehensive logic made a dent in his skull. His mind was still wrapped around the very tangible threat that was made at Hyathia, and by extension, him. And if his next words weren't indication enough of the impending fight that was about to break out, the wild, almost bloodthirsty look of his slowly narrowing eyes and the fine hairs on his arms and neck beginning to stand on end most likely were. "...I've got an idea. You don't wanna let 'criminals' roam free, right? So how about you," He began, before his hands began to brace themselves for a seemingly inevitable grapple to the death, "Try to 'detain' me? I'm right here... do your civic duty, friend."

The man before him visibly paled. He knew there might be confrontation, and deep down he hoped it wouldn't come to that,  and that this person would not wish to risk a fight with royal soldiers so close.

But the look in his eyes...

The man shifted nervously and held up his hands. He was still standing between Erin and Hyathia and the way out of the little hall.

"I am not the law, sir," he went on tightly, hesitating as if he might step back but he remained planted. "And I am imploring you to consider in not making this a fight. The law is to protect us all." He paused, hesitating before adding, "Please."

Erin bared his teeth; Eyes narrowed with some foul mixture of anger and disgust. The temperature in the room seemed to skyrocket, if only from the boiling of his blood beneath his skin alone. "You dare?" He practically spat, his tone near-silent, taking another step towards the man and in doing so, narrowing the distance between the two of them to practically nothing. The faintest scent of red wine and animosity drifted on the auburn-haired man's breath as he spoke once more, almost visibly shaking with anger. "You dare stand in front of me, accuse my woman, without proof? You-- fucking-- dare, to try and tell me my place, yet shirk from my demands?"

Hyathia, perhaps, may have never seen this side of Erin before; Certainly, the last encounter he'd had with the Grand Duke's men while in her presence would've lead here, had it been allowed to continue anywhere close to as long or as intimately as this interaction had thus far. He was almost... scary. As if he'd forgotten himself, his reason for being here, the relationships he'd built in this town... as if he'd forgotten her, in his blind hatred for the man in front of him. His claw-like, clenched hand finally began to ball into a fist, the muscles in his arm tightening as he felt his restraints snap and his vision go completely red. And with fire in his blood, and lightning fast reflexes, Erin's arm swung forward--

And landed right around the man's shoulder, as he pulled him in for a very brotherly-looking side-hug. "Kahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! You make me laugh! I like you!" He boisterously claimed, maddening rage replaced with brash bemusement in a moment's notice. It was as if he'd flipped a switch; Or as though he weren't serious at all in the first place. Who could truly say? Erin was crazy. "You ought to let me treat you to a beer, once everyone calms down about this armed guard nonsense. I won't take no for an answer there, y'here me?"

When things were at their height, even Hyathia could feel it. She felt sweaty, nauseous and upset...
So when Erin was suddenly laughing it up with the other man, Hyathia forgot to breath as she swayed on her feet,  and a second later there was a thud as she hit the ground.

The sudden 'thud' from behind Erin caused his jovial mood to sour somewhat as he turned to confirm his unfortunately accurate suspicions; His eyes landed on Hyathia, plopped down onto the floor, her gaze seemingly unfocused and her face somewhat pale. "Pardon me, friend..." Erin's arms absentmindedly pulled away from the man as he quickly returned to Hyathia's side, a mixture of confusion and concern on his face as he did so. Did she fall out from feeling dizzy? This girl was an absolute hothouse wallflower, if he'd ever met one...

"What are you doing down there?" Erin asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer as he knelt down at her side and reached down around her. He didn't wait for approval or opinion; Within a few moments, Hyathia was pulled right up into his arms, somewhat taut against his chest in a bridal carry as Erin stood once more. "Maybe I should just keep you like this. That'll stop you from running away, at least." He teased, though he didn't particularly hate the idea. It was sure to raise some eyebrows when they left the hall, but it seemed fairly obvious by this point that Erin was not one to care how others looked at him.

"As you can see, chap," Erin began, turning back towards the man who'd confronted them, "My companion here is rather peckish-- and disoriented, what's more. I promise to keep a closer eye on her-- But we really ought to put some food in her, post-haste. Mind letting us back to our seats?" He asked, as nicely as he figured he could, given the circumstances. "Else, I might have to start feeding her the bread in here..."

The man looked absolutely frazzled. He wasn't even sure what to say. Did he even say anything as he gestured for the pair to return to their seats?

Hyathia was much in the same boat. She wasn't even sure when she was scooped up into Erin's arms but found herself feeling sweaty amd hot as she was held against his form.

Erin was in a particularly good mood. He couldn't quite put his finger on why, but he truly was. The bright smile on his face was the proof in the pudding as he carried Hyathia past his new friend (In his mind, at least), and ignored the spare glance or two as he proceeded back up the stairs. Thankfully, the lass from earlier was nowhere in sight-- What a scandal that would've caused-- but at the moment Erin wasn't particularly concerned about that. "You're so very fragile-- yet so haughty. There's a flower that grows in the south-- deep in the jungle. Pretty, pink petals when it blooms; but a harsh enough breeze knocks them off. I forget the name-- I'll take you one day, show you what it looks like." He mused happily, holding Hyathia close and firmly to him.

Maybe it was her? She smelled amazing at the moment-- Her own personal scent and that of the soaps she used earlier. The heat of her body permeated further than it normally should've-- A warmth that spread naturally to his own body by proximity. Her skin glistened in the passing window light with the slightest perspiration, drawing Erin's attention naturally; She had done nothing, was doing nothing, and yet his heart was racing just from being in her presence. Was this love? "If I'm being honest, I kinda want to kiss you right now." He suddenly blurted while still holding her, without so much as thinking before he spoke.

Hyathia was just barely collecting herself, her mental space a deep mess when she peered up on him. Owlishly she blinked, hearing his words, but they only registered a moment after. And her cheeks heated pink.

Suddenly she was very aware they were in public and people were still staring as Erin carried her back to the table.
"Erin.." she softly chided, half burying her face against his form. He smelled nice, felt nice.. warm and protective.

"Would here be appropriate?" But even her reprimand was soft and not assured.

There was a sudden and considerable pause in Erin's steps, the half-blank, half-surprised look that suddenly washed over him being a tell-tale sign of his realization of his own words. Uh... right. They were in public... But just as quickly as the comprehension of circumstance washed over him did it pass, and he was back to his rather love-struck mental state-- perhaps moreso, having somewhat reconciled perception with reality in his head. They were in public-- the stares Erin received as he strode with Hyathia in his arms to their table all but affirming this, and yet he didn't feel ashamed, or embarrassed; He felt relief, like a burden had been removed from his shoulders, and more than anything-- he felt excited. Thankfully, not too excited.

"Let them watch us. All I see is you, Hyathia." He said with a genuine smile, fairly certain he'd get an earful or a complaint about it from her. Yet Erin couldn't help his nature-- he wore much of his heart on his sleeve, and loved the things-- and people-- he loved.

"Besides," He noted, his smile turning slightly to a smirk at recent memory, "Uthlyn is a city where gossip travels rather quickly, from what I remember. And, lest you forget," He lowered his voice a bit, enough that only Hyathia could hear, "There happened to be a certain couple in a nearby tavern last evening who got rather acquainted with red wine and a sturdy table..."

He was teasing, admittedly, but there was truth in his words; After all, someone had to have sent them that wine last night.

At his words, her heart melted, ears turning hot. She felt conflicted about his openess. On one hand, she adored the attention and was equally crazy about her knight. On the other, all the rules of propriety were screaming inside her head, like warning bells being clamored and for a moment she wasn't sure what to think or say.

But her mind nudged her, reminding her of the very real fear that caused her to flee. She clenched her jaw anxiously, feeling her heart racing as if she had been the one to carry Erin.  But then Erin continued, and the rest of her face went red.

"E.. Erin!" She tried to chastise, although not very convincingly,  as her smile was unerasable on her lips. She shook her head and shied away from the eyes now staring at them.

But then she was laughing inspite of her self.
"Well it.. it was very good wine."

The smile that lit up Erin's face at her lighthearted laughter was enough to metaphorically light up the room, between the two of them. "Only the best for you, naturally." Was his equal parts amused, yet serious reply. They reached their table before long, and reluctant though he was to do so, Erin gently set Hyathia down, that she might take her seat, before returning to his own. Not to sit, though— not immediately, at least.

There were many things that he'd found himself enamored with in Hyathia, with one of the most obvious traits of hers being her resilience. In spite of her trials and trauma, and despite what she likely had to look forward to, she could still find it in her to smile, to laugh— and Erin mentally swore to protect that part of her with his life. Lives. Whatever.

He took his chair, and wordlessly moved it to sit as close to his lover as he could, settling down close enough to her that he might embrace her if he so chose to, "Hyathia," he began, a somewhat somber, serious tone to his voice as he spoke up, his eyes seeking the very depths of hers, "I admit I'm not... well, a 'right-proper knight' as it were, but... I want you to be happy. And I'm willing to face the world for you, if that's what it takes. So, er..." A strong start, certainly, but Erin couldn't help but fumble on his words as they came closer to what he really felt. "So... I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's fine if you're not ready to... or, if you want to stay here. In Connlaoth, I mean. You've still got your family, and your life to piece back together— and I'm going to help you do that. You've got my word."

If Erin were to admit openly what he was thinking, she'd wholeheartedly deny it. She didn't view herself as strong; she was no warrior, just a young woman who barely got to experience life. Infact, the most she'd ever done in her whole some-teen years of existence happened in the last twenty four hours.

But she didn't know what he thought except for what he professed and from it her smile faded just a little and her expression became more serious.

Was there even the hint of tears? She tried to blink them away.

"Thank you.. that means more to me than you can know."

Erin gave a curt nod, and an accepting smile. "Of course. You ever need anything, just say the word." Erin wasn't sure if his word had the purchase he meant then to— who could be, really— but held to the faith that she at the very least believed him. With that, Erin left it be— time would tell if his words actually got through to her or not... well, time and the amount of trouble she would get herself into.

Before long, their orders arrived— though thankfully it was't the young woman who returned with them. Hyathia had probably taken on as much embarrassment as she could manage in one setting. By the time he arrived, Erin had given her back her personal space, shifting back to the other side of the table. He traded thanks and coin with the man as he set their meals down before them, and then the two were left alone one more. It was a fairly light, yet scintillating set of wooden bowls and plates; the eggs Erin had mentioned earlier, sliced ham, what appeared (and smelled) to be a meal of oats, alongside a notably honey-scented, freshly-baked bread. Erin, quite familiar with it all, couldn't help but smile, so easy to please as he was.

"Cheers— you absolutely must try the sweetbread. Goes quite well with the oats, as I recall." He explained, jovial notes to his voice as he instead decided to have a cut of the ham first. A guy his size needed his meats, after all.

When the food arrived,  it smelled heavenly.  Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten in sometime. And at his suggestion, she smiled, distracted. Everything looked so good... everything seemed right... but she hesitated as she reached for some bread, recalling back to her home..when she'd sneak into the kitchen prior to a meal, to eat a sweet biscuit or two before the day's meals.

She recalled the cook, a plump old woman who always smiled and who made the most amazing berry pies and sweets. Miss Seh, or as Hyathia called her-Seh-seh....

Her eyes grew distant as she froze at the thought...
Was Miss Seh alright after the attack? Or the grounds keep Lenny, or Elsie? Elsie... she had been at the market when...

The sweet bread she hadn't realized she grabbed crushed in her hand suddenly as she gasped and suddenly let it drop, realizing where she was and...

"Oh, I.." she with drew her hand suddenly,  fave paling after a flush, mind reeling as she tried to anchor herself back in the present. She was alive. She had gotten out of there.. there was nothing she could have done.. could do...

And yet still, her stomach twisted into a tight knot as she grimaced and looker down at her plate, the smells no longer phasing her belly because she felt sick.

Erin's eyes moved from the meal placed before him and back to Hyathia at the sound of her voice— His brow furrowing a bit as he realized what was happening to her, at least to some extent. "...What's going on?" He spoke up, breaking the uneasy mood at the table with his words. It was a somewhat rhetorical question, and one that didn't require much insight beyond what Erin had experienced with the young lady. The somewhat distant look in her eyes, the clouded over gaze she casted off— He'd seen similar earlier in the day. It was as if she were possessed by the trauma she'd experienced— as if it were holding her captive in public.

After a moment of debate, born primarily from his lack of experience with dealing with such problems from a more delicate perspective, Erin moved his arm across the table, hoping to take Hyathia's hand into his own. He, naturally, was quite warm— metaphorically and physically. He was a bigger guy, after all— he generated quite a bit of heat just by moving around, and he did jump out of a window not too long ago.

That, admittedly, was a bad result of his poor taste in humor— Something he mentally reminded himself here as needing to be more careful of when dealing with Hyathia's personal turmoil. "Hey," He began, looking for any sign of a response from her, "What are you thinking about right now? Talk to me about it. What you went through... you can't keep it bottled up. Trust me, it does more damage than good."

The look was pained and the smile was forced, but she genuinely appreciated the gesture.

"I just.. can't stop thinking about those back in the city... they were all affected by this, too. " Her gaze dropped and fell over her food.

"Like.. " a sad smile itched at her lips. "Here I am, anout to enjoy a meal.. but what about them?"

She wasn't sure if she could eat knowing that, but the very idea made her frown. Wouldn't Erin be upset if she wouldn't eat this food he purchased for her? There was just too much to think about. 

And for all she knew.. the battle could still be waging

Erin smiled, perhaps unexpectedly. With a better understanding of what was going through his moverme head, he couldn't help but take comfort in her overwhelming empathy, even when she couldn't see it herself. Her worries made sense, at least. Survivor's guilt was a pain to deal with, no matter the circumstances, and Hyathia had likely never experienced such an emotion before.

Erin had been on both sides of it; He could recall leaving dear friends behind, and sacrificing his life for the sake of others. It didn't phase him in the same way that it would someone who'd never been in that position before, but that didn't mean he couldn't relate to it. It wasn't his conflict, after all— and he'd experienced the feeling enough for it to not hold as much weight in his heart.

Nevertheless, he could understand. "Yeah. Yeah... I get that. 'Why was I spared, when so many other innocents are suffering', sort of thing." He leaned back a bit as he thought over his words carefully. "I'll be honest with you... There's no answer to that. Sometimes, bad things happen to good people, who've done nothing to deserve it. Sometimes, good things happen to bad people who don't deserve it as well. I think what matters is that you take those feelings, and make the most of them."

Uncharacteristically wise, yet characteristically unrefined words from Erin, as he thought a bit longer on the topic. "After all, if you really feel that way, then you should do something about the people who're suffering. But you can't do that on an empty stomach— I sure can't, anyway." He said with a smile, remembering the last time he tried fighting on an empty stomach.

He died. But damn was it funny to realize how hard it was to lift his axe when he was hungry.

Hyathia went quiet as she stared at her food,  not answering him for a moment before she drew in a long breath.

"I suppose you're right "
A faint smiled tugged her lips.

"Stuffing food in my face used to be a good way to solve my problems before," She went on , forcing some humor. She smiled up at him, her expression softening. He really was quite handsome, dashing as he was.

She thought about just why she didn't worry about all this before and her cheeks colored. She avoided his gaze mostly as she lifted her bread.

"Well, time to eat my cares away."

A cheery grin brushed across Erin's face as he nodded. "Hah. You, stuffing your face? You could barely handle roast last night." He teased, in an attempt to further lighten the mood. He meant little by it-- if anything, he was surprised she had an appetite given everything that had happened so far. Perhaps she was simply resilient, or his presence was doing wonders for her ability to cope with her circumstances-- Erin didn't know, and didn't think too much on it beyond how glad he was that she was seemingly coming out of her shell, bit by bit.

Erin picked up a bun of sweetbread himself, quite excited to try some after so many months away from the city, before a nearby voice-- something like a mousey little "ahem", caused his ears to perk up. He couldn't have known the voice was directed at him, regardless of how close it was, until it spoke in earnest.

"Begging your pardon-- Sir, Erin Shire, of Falkenrath?"

The young man paused, putting his food down. The voice came from behind him, maybe a table's distance away. The rest of the room had proceeded chatter apace, so this newcomer didn't seem to command much of a presence. Erin turned around in his chair to see a woman of no particularity or interest standing not far away, bowing to him as they made eye contact. Her clothing-- simple, yet practical, with a hemp (or perhaps twine?) carrier bag filled with what appeared to be missives, and her hair tied back into a bun to prevent any need for fiddling. A courier, Erin had to assume.

"Aye, that would be me." His reply caused a slight bit of visible relief to the courier, from what he could tell of her facial expressions. Did she... get it wrong a couple times up to this point? "Oh, thank goodness. Again, I truly beg your pardon, sir-- I have a missive for you, from Falkenrath; Would you mind coming with me? I was instructed to give it in private-- T'will take but a moment, sir." She explained, clearly pressed for time, if her fidgeting and looking to the nearby window weren't evidence enough. Erin, though confused, could think of no reason to question it; It was probably just something from the guild, after all. With a shrug, and a shake of his head, he stood from the table, looking back to Hyathia. "Pardon me for a moment-- Work-related, if I had to guess. Try the eggs while I'm gone-- The season them with sage, here. Quite refreshing!" He cheerfully stated, before waving to Hyathia and turning to walk away with the courier.

Said courier was particular about the 'in private' thing, it seemed; She led Erin not only away from the dining area of the eatery, but all the way to a small cupboard on the first floor with little more than a few brooms and a window for light. "Right then," He said in a rather amused tone as he shut the door behind him, secluding the two of them in the room. "Courier or not, this looks really bad no matter how you cut it, so whatever the message is, lay it o--" He began, turning from the door to face the young woman, when his world went red. Three strikes-- so precise, with so little hesitation or even natural movement-- It was as though the woman had, in an instant, turned from a human into a life-sized puppet. The first strike was to his throat-- with a dagger so sharp from beneath her sleeve that it sliced the air itself in silence. The second ran straight across his right wrist, which instinctively attempted to reach forward and grab her. So deep was the wound that it severed tendon and veins alike, rendering his hand and arm useless. The third was not a slash, but a stab-- Straight into the young man's heart, with such unnatural force that the blade pierced him straight through; blood spattered across the door behind him as his mind raced to catch up to his now-certain death.

What... what had just happened? Erin's eyes shifted from the dagger in his chest, to the woman, who's eyes now bore nothing-- no light, no emotion, no reasoning. As he slumped against the wall, his left hand grasping at the dagger in his chest, the 'courier' stepped over and past him, careful not to get any of the spilling blood on her hands or body as she did so. "The black Duke sends his regards." She voiced in a monotone, almost robotic voice, as she carefully opened the cupboard door again, only enough to exit while not giving visibility to the outside, before closing the door behind her and carrying on about her merry day, leaving a man to bleed out and die in her wake.

The courier caught her off guard, Hyathia silently sizing her up as if she were some sort of competitor. But when Erin was called away, dred began to pool in her belly, seeping all over from toes to brain.

She drew in a breath to calm herself, he would be right back. It was just a temporary inconvenience and life would go on.

But the sensation was hard to shake, and her anxiety refused to subside,  even as she attempted the eggs. They tasted amazing, too bad anything was hard to swallow at that moment. So she tried something else, but no matter what she had on her plate,  her stomach twisted and wanted to resist it until she had to stop lest she make herself sick.


By then, she realized,  frowning... where was Erin? Surely a letter from a courier wouldn't take too long... would it?

She continued to peer around, wringing her hands as they began to sweat. She fussed and attempted to dry them off on her skirts.

But Erin was still gone, and Hyathia forced herself to close her eyes, to think of what Erin would say when he returned. That she was was worrying for nothing and they could continue to eat their breakfast as planned.


Except when she opened her eyes again,  Erin was not there, and the panic she was forcing down was speeding up like a pack of wild horses. How long had it been? Just a few minutes? She couldn't let herself panic over that!

So she closed her eyes again, took up her drink, and swore when she spilled some onto her dress.

Alas, Erin did not return for some time. As minutes continued to build on and on, it seemed the young man had either forgotten his charge, or had become truly entrapped in some affair or another... The truth, of course, being hidden from all eye and ears... at least until some poor young lass, put to cleaning duty in the eatery, was tasked with retrieving a broom from the closet. What a terrible sight awaited her.

A loud scream rang out across both floors of the building; The customers and workers alike startled by the sudden commotion. The sounds of a woman screaming, "murder, murder", could be heard from the first floor; Sounds which only drew further frenzy to the folk nearby. Down below, on the first floor, the poor maid stumbled out of the broom closet in a panicked frenzy, blood on her shoes as she stumbled and collapsed into a nearby co-worker. She was a mess; Tears streamed down her face as she shivered in fear of what she had seen. And indeed, she had seen it; beyond her, as the workers of the eatery and customers alike gathered about gravely, fear and shock in their eyes... as the body of a very familiar young warrior lay cooling and lifeless on the floor, dampened with his own blood.

Some paces away, at a very familiar 'general doctor's office', a beautiful, if not somewhat grim woman sat quietly in her personal quarters, reading over the notes of a prior day's list of patients, aided by windowlight alone. Her son, an adorable, bright young lad, had already taken to the back yard of their practice, playing about with a wooden sword. The sounds of his bantering about were all that barely filled her ears, aside from the silence of her room... Until an unnatural reverberation in the air itself overpowered it.

The woman put down her book, perturbed by the noise as she looked to the doorway of her personal room... where just beyond it, a slow, warm light, followed by a bright flash echoed out through her building, and the reverberation reached a crescendo-like pulse-- almost a 'boom'-- alongside the flash of light. She could only stare, somewhat wide-eyed, as she watched the light dissipate, and the reverberations cease, before her mind was able to actually process what had just happened... and her heart sank.

"...No. No... no, no, no, no..." She mouthed, nearly losing her voice as her heart froze in her chest. She scrambled; dropping her notes, and rushing out of her room, into another-- wherein the worst of her fears were confirmed.

It was just before the screams did her own anxiety pique. She was standing before she knew why, then screams came from the lower level.

She wasn't sure what happened or how her legs managed to carry her, but the second her mind registered the blood.. his face... the massacre... she was shrieking,  throwing herself at his still form,  screaming his name desperately while all over she was getting coated in his blood.

Her vision ran blind,  bubbling hot tears refusing to cease as she fought back any that dare pull her away, while she screamed and pleaded and demanded someone...

"Someone please, help him!"

But even she knew deep within, that the cold stiff touch of his body...
And the lifeless color devoid in his eyes only confirmed the truth.

"Everyone move, now! Out of my way-- I'm a doctor!"

Piercing, commanding words from a familiar voice shot through the crowd, slicing a way to the closet like a hot knife through butter. From the entrance, a woman clad in shadows stepped forth. Hyathia would recognize her at a glance, were she in the mind to; It was Evelyn, who carried every bit of allure with her even in such a public place, though the very grim, stern look in her eyes was sign enough that she was not here to be admired.

"You two; You're coming with me. Take this, and prepare to place the patient onto it. Everyone else, clear a path." Two men in the audience nearest to Eve found themselves on the receiving end of a hastily thrown, lightweight stretcher, and fumbled amongst themselves to figure out how to hold the thing between the two of them. Neither had time to so much as argue, as the commanding presence of woman who'd already strode ahead of them immediately shut down whatever complaints they may have had. "What are you doing? Move quickly!" She repeated, and both men stumbled to keep up with her as she headed to the closet.

She was deft, yet near-overbearing; Ruthlessly, she swatted Hyathia away from the fallen warrior-knight, clearing enough space for the two men she'd motioned for to make their way over, and collect his body onto the stretcher. She had time for little more than a single, venomous glare towards Hyathia, while watching over the men to make sure they didn't further-worsen Erin's condition. There were not words, but the message was quite clear; If 'How could you let this happen' could be conveyed in anything other than words, it was in her eyes. "Keep him steady; I'll hold his neck, keep his wrist facing up. Clear the way, now! Quickly, to my practice!" She ordered, standing along with the two men carrying Erin, and with few more words, the group of them departed the scene of the eatery, leaving Hyathia behind were she not quick to keep up. Eve cursed under her breath; Of all the times for this to happen, of course it was right as a contingent of soldiers entered the city. The people would be abuzz about this for some time...

It was all too surreal. The entirety of reality moving slow, as if in liquid. In the same span it was moving too fast,Hyathia blubbering out words she'd never remember. 

Somehow she managed to follow, clinging to whatever hope was afforded.  But the same thoughts kept booming through her mind like a war canon.

Erin was dead.

It was no sooner than Evelyn and her cabal of 'helpers' had made it into her practice that she had shoo'd both men out of her building, leaving her, Hyathia and Erin alone. After locking the door behind her, the raven-haired woman took a moment to herself and simply sighed; as if a layer of stress had both been applied and removed from her brow. And in a way, that wasn't far off; one problem was relatively under control now. She just had to deal with the other...

"Can't believe this... Good grief." Her gaze settled on Erin's body for a time, before shifting to the girl's crumpled form, still a mess of tears and hysteria. Evelyn's gaze was rather flat by comparison; It was almost as if she lacked the capacity to care nearly as much about the corpse on her patient table at the moment. She strode from her door to the table, and went about cutting away the tunic he'd been wearing to reveal the wound on his chest.

"If you're only here to cry, you can go cry in the front foyer. Otherwise, bring me that magnifying glass from the other table; I need a better look at these wounds. You were with him just prior to his death, yes? Did you see the killer?" Eve's tone was curt, professional; It was as if she weren't prepping to dissect a man with while she shared history.

Somehow,  Hyathia has managed to get the magnifying glass but she was still in a world of shock, as she stood much more intimately beside Erin. For this she could see his gnarly wounds better and.. and... it became too much as her eyes rolled back as the woman fainted dead away.

Evelyn's eyes didn't leave Erin's body as she took the magnifying glass from Hyathia and began taking a closer look into the wound on his throat. Her eyes did leave him, however, when moments later a loud thud at her side alerted the hood doctor to yet another problem she had to deal with— apparently the girl had a weak stomach for this sort of work. Lovely...

"How he puts up with you is beyond me... Erin, can you come down? I need your help."

"I can... I think."

An impossible voice called out from upstairs; One that was followed by slow, methodical footsteps down the stairway to the personal quarters. Barefooted steps, even, which were occasionally accompanied by a groan. Evelyn didn't bother lookin up to see who it was, or how.

Erin Shire, presumed dead all of maybe half an hour ago, tops, was slowly making his way down the stairs. He was woundless, and more interestingly, he was shirtless. There was a dazed, almost hungover look in his unsteady eyes, as if he'd spent the past 10 minutes trying to sleep off 3 days of drinking. "I hate to bother you while you're recovering, but... the girl." She noted, gesturing to the floor beside her while she continued her work on the corpse of the man she now chatted with.

Erin, confused, looked about for a bit before realizing what she meant; On the ground lay Hyathia, pale as ever and seemingly unconscious. "I guess the sight of you with your throat wide open was a bit much for her," Eve explained, while she shifted the corpse's head to the side, getting a better look at the initial point of the attack. Erin frowned, but ultimately nodded, slowly making his way over to her fallen form and lifting her up into his arms. Weakened though he was, she was still practically a featherweight to him.

"I'll take her upstairs... Sorry. She gets... 'excited' easily."

"You needn't apologize; You're only just back from the grave, and I have you laboring already. If anyone's sorry, it's me. Besides... I wouldn't call seeing someone you care about die in from of you 'exciting'. I'd say her reaction is rather par for the course."

Erin grimly nodded, looking down at Hyathia. It was probably too much to ask of her to take in what she'd just seen... it would likely be even harder on her to see him alive and well after this. It was likely better that she thought him well and truly dead; it certainly would make matters less complicated.

"Don't even think about it."

Erin's eye shifted back towards Evelyn as she began cleaning the wound on his neck. "I know you well enough to know where your head is. Don't your dare put that girl through the turmoil of thinking you're well and truly dead."

"I am, though. Several times over. I already feel like a bad guy for asking you to keep this secret; I can't wrap her up in it too. It's better this way. I can keep an eye on her from a distance." He explained, while walking back up the stairs. Evelyn's sigh was practically audible from the distance, but she ultimately gave no rebuttal.

Erin carefully dropped Hyathia off on the bed in one of her personal rooms and made his way back into the one he'd been resting in, where a change of clothes and a hood awaited him. He dressed himself,  slowly getting the hang of moving around again. Death was a pain in the ass; Trying to recall one's senses from the brink was akin to re-learning a native language. Erin had been through it enough to somewhat shorten the process out of instinct, but fully recovering took some time. Time he didn't have.

Before long, he'd returned downstairs, dressed and hooded to avoid identification. Evelyn spared but a single disapproving glance at him; one he understood, but ultimately disregarded. "I'm gunna go inquire about that woman... Be back in a bit. If she wakes up... I don't know, sell it. Tell her I would've wanted her to stay safe, hidden in the city or something."

"You can tell her yourself when this 'playing the ghost' thing you're trying to do blows up in your—" She began, only to be cut off by the sound of her front door closing behind him. Evelyn shook her head, annoyed beyond reason... and worried."

"...Just be careful. And hurry back."

She couldn't have known the fate of things, the eternal cycle of the pheonix..  rebirth from death....
And unto life again.

So when she began to awaken, the first thing that hit her was nausea; and for twenty minutes or so , the poor girl was emptying the entire contents in her stomach.

It was too much to take in, and she shook and sweated until she fell into a few more rounds if retching... dry retching, which made her feel all kinds of extra sort of awful.

And slowly she began to realize she was alone, had no idea where she was as she curled up beside herself and sobbed.

"How are you feeling?"

The voice came from the doorway of the room Hyathia had been 'resting' in; and it was a familiar one. Evelyn was there; having heard the sudden movement from the room, she couldn't help but to walk over and check on her newest 'guest'. Of note, she was in a different set of clothing; a gown of varying shades of black and gray. How much time had passed...? In her hands, she held a small teacup and saucer; untouched by her lips as it was, the likely explanation was that it wasn't for her, but for Hyathia.

The girl looked a right mess; As she expected, the shock seemed to be setting in with a series of waves, worsening as time passed. She couldn't blame her, even if she wanted to; She could remember her 'first time' as it were as well. Erin... certainly had an effect on the people he claimed to care about. "You'll need to keep still for a while... stay warm. I brought tea; You needn't force yourself to drink it now, but it'd be better if you did so before it cooled." She explained, moving to sit the cup and saucer down on a nightstand near to the girl. "Don't worry about the mess; I'll have Emmerin come by and clean it up in a bit. The boy hasn't had much to do today, anyway."

She avoided bringing up the obvious topic; She didn't see a reason to, unless the girl was mentally in a place where she was ready to talk about it. There was no rush; Not until Erin returned, anyway. Having done her quick check-in, she turned to leave the room; plenty else on her to-do list, as it were. "Rest for now. My study is down the hall, on your left, if you'd like to talk."

She heard the words but that was all, as if they were nothing more than color on painted stone walls. The color from her countenance was drained,  her eyes red and threatening more tears. But none fell, not a drop nor a word.

And it stung, like a bitter knife driven deep within her chest. And once she was alone, she shivered back into a mess of tears.

The tea had long gone cold and Hyathia remained a numbed mess of loss and confusion.

They had been safe. But safety wasn't real. The blood, the thought the time.. it all tick,  ticked away inside her brain until she couldn't take it any longer and somehow,  Hyathia found herself outside,  alone and confused and shivering and numb.

The girl hadn't even out her shoes on, or changed her soiled clothing. But mindlessly her legs were carrying her slowly back to the place where it all began...

Because Erin would be waiting, yelling at her for having run off again....

And she didn't want to disappoint him again.

Glossed over in her studies as she was, it was no wonder that Evelyn didn't hear Hyathia's exiting the practice. She might not've even noticed had Emmerin, who stepped into her room to tell her about cleaning the mess, not absentmindedly brought it up. "Good grief," she muttered, but didn't immediately chase after her. She wasn't going anywhere far, she was fairly sure; if she had to guess, not even outside of the city. Hyathia likely lacked the strength to make it far, as well... drained as she was. No, as cruel as it seemed, Eve's time was best spent studying the wounds of the corpse that she'd relocated to her study, away from prying eyes. Perhaps it was best that she didn't come in to chat with her after all.

As for Hyathia, against her heart's wishes, Erin was nowhere to be found in or near the eatery. At this time, very few people were; the staff, the city guard, and a couple of extra soldiers from the regiment that strolled in earlier were there to investigate the murder; a good number of folk that had been dining in were simply gone; escorted away or put off by the commotion. As Hyathia approached, one such guardsman, a taller man with his face obscured by a standard-issue helmet, halted her advance by placing a firm hand on her shoulder, just short of the entrance. "That's far enough, miss. This area is under investigation." He explained, voice gruff and weathered.

Some ways away, among the onlookers of the few passersby, a familiar, mousey-looking young courier watched silently, visibly concerned— though no more or less-so than any of the other civilians.

Hyathia bristled at the touch, jerking away and peering up at the unknown guard. Her eyes were already threatening with more tears, red as they were, as she trembled before him.

"But my friend... I have to meet him. He'll be very worried about me. He.. he.. he's always looking out for me I... I.. I owe him my life..."
The last part came out softly, barely a whisper, her words breaking up as tears began to slide down her cheeks.

Part of her began to realize her mistake, the part that was still drowning in the shell shock of Erin's death. But still, she stood there, hoping to Ansgar's name, that it had all been a bad dream. Surely nothing could kill Erin. They had just met... were falling in love... and things were beginning to look less like chaos in Hyathia's life.

She couldn't have prepared for his death if she wanted to, and she felt so lost; so confused as she stood there- the guard still denying her entry and assuring her that no one was inside....

But what was he even saying? His words and the world turned to a haze in the background as images of the blood, the body... the chaos began to return and she simply stood there, in shock, stilled silence again as tears continued to fall like rain.

The helmeted guard's face was unseen, but likely shifted somewhere between a panicked frown and a concerned grimace as Hyathia, seemingly out of nowhere, began to crack into pieces in front of him. At a glance, one could tell he wasn't quite used to dealing with women in such a state before him-- he began to look around, gauging if other civilians were watching him, even looking to the other guardsmen for some sort of guidance, but receiving little support in the matter. Everyone else seemed tied up with their own cases, or were hard at work guarding the eatery's entrance...

"L-Listen, madam, I'm not sure who you're looking for-- But there's no one in there. Er... perhaps your friend is... uh... elsewhere." He tried to explain, while remaining as professional as he could. "In any case, this area is off-limits while the staff deals with the.. mess, inside. Please move along." Having regained his composure, he dismissed Hyathia before turning away-- though keeping an eye to her to make sure she didn't turn around and further disobey his request.

Across the street, a familiar, mousey-looking courier had been watching the entire interaction-- And as the man turned away, she, too began to leave-- or at least, leave visible sight of the area.

"No one's... in there.." she repeated, voice listless, eyes distant. Then her brows furrowed as the man turned away, and she placed a hand on his shoulder, her voice urgent, but now more demanding.
"No, you are mistaken. He.. we.. we were just in there. Please, you have to let me in. I can't have him waiting."

The guard, in turn, bristled slightly as Hyathia reasserted herself— this time with agitation moreso than concern, or discomfort. "The area is off-limits, madam." He repeated, turning back to her as he did so. It was hard to tell, but beneath his helmet he grimaced at even having to continue this line of dialogue. "Whoever may have been waiting for you, they're gone. Perhaps one of the other citizens may have seen them."

It was as polite a "get lost" as he could manage at this point, especially so as he now could hear one of his fellow soldiers, in passing, chuckle condescendingly at his situation. Dealing with crazy women was not what he signed up for... "At any rate, there's nothing and no one for you here. Please move along."

'There's nothing and no one for you here...'

The words echoed, like the clang of bells at the end of mass. There was a moment there were nothing existed at all in the world to Hyathia, except the hollow, wooden feel of life.

Her mind ruptured, splinters of her kidnapping, the rescue, the love, the laughter and the fall....

It was all just a bad dream, wasn't it?
She couldn't have been kidnapped.
Her city couldn't have been attacked.
She couldn't have begun to fall in love.
That love..
Couldn't have already died.


Sobs suddenly broke out uncontrollably from the girl, hysterics returning as the looming weight of reality was thoroughly crushing her.

And someone,  be it another man or soldier, tried to sweep her off to the side,  and at first she did not move...

But then her legs did.

And she felt rhe need to run.

And from agitation once more to abject concern, the guard watched wordlessly as the woman before him lost what was left of her composure, and broke down with very little warning. What was happening, here? Clearly she was distraught, but was that because of him, or some other trigger that he'd unknowingly set off? The guard reached out to try to console her by the shoulders, not sure what else to do in that situation, but before he could so much as reach her, she was gone— darting away in some sort of despair-induced sprint... Leaving the man confused and concerned.

"You really have a way with women, mate." One of the guards who saw the interaction joked, further lowering the helmeted man's mood.

"Oh, shut it, you."

—

Some ways away now was the courier, who'd fled the scene of the incident with a troubled look in her eyes. Her gaze was downcast, her mind aflutter— So it only made sense that, given her lack of attention, she'd bump full force into a hooded man— built more like a wall— before stumbling backwards. "Ow..." she murmured under her breath, before looking up to apologize at said hooded figure... only for the color to drain from her face, as though she'd seen a ghost.

"Hi there," The hooded man spoke, his tone rather friendly, "Have a few minutes to chat?"

Her legs carried her far enough away she could no longer see the eatery, hear the living thrum of the city, and was out of sight of most of the public. But then they carried her no more, as she collapsed into a sobbing heap upon the cobblestone.  

The noises she made were deep, painfilled and ugly. Infact, she had worked herself up so badly that she eventually was sick and was left, trembling and ill either more tears threatening to fall.

It had to be a bad dream. All of it. She'd wake up tomorrow and everything would go back to normal. It had to. Her sanity depended on it. 

"Have you quite tired yourself out, then?"

The voice was calm, and as warm as summer's late evening— and yet, as even as a blade's edge. The calm pace of a set of low heels echoed out from behind the fallen Hyathia, the flow of a shadowy dress echoing in the winds of her wake. It was Evelyn— and while her pace was not so brisk as to chase the girl down should she attempt to run, the older woman clearly didn't see a need to move any faster.

"I'd ask how you're feeling... but I suppose we tried that already." There was no annoyance or disdain in her tone; She spoke as if speaking with a patient, or perhaps a child. As she slowed to a stop near Hyathia, and took a knee at her side, the sight of her reinforced that thought process. She was a mess of tears and shivering, her dress soiled by the cobblestone dirt and her own fluids.

"Come on then... let's go back to my office. We'll get you cleaned up." She offered, though there was no real 'alternative' to speak of— only how much effort getting her back into a bed would take.

Hyathia had found herself in an alleyway,  not too far from the good doctor's,  but she couldn't have known.  When she approached,  Hyathia was listless and pale,  eyes so distant it was a wonder if she were there at all. She felt drowned , melted,  boggy, and as the nearby clamoring of windchimes rustled in a second floor window,  Hyathia merely trembled,  more tears begging to fall.

Not quite to her senses, it seemed. Evelyn sighed, a bit of pity in her eyes as she reached down towards Hyathia; Not to grab her by the arm, or to force her to stand, or any such; she simply took the girl's face into her hands, propping her up a bit, and using her thumbs to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Come now... You and I both know Erin wouldn't want to see you like this. He'd probably say something like... 'You're stronger than this, let's keep going'. Don't you think?" It was a play on the girl's emotions, but it was an honest play; Erin always had a way of seeing the good in everyone, even if they didn't see it in themselves. That much, she could never forget about him. "Let's head back. You've had a long day."

At her words, her interaction, Hyathia just broke. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. And she simply collapsed against the other woman, words incomprehensible as she cried.

And at some point, she did tremble out the words,  "Please,  please, tell me this isn't real "  before trembling into soft sobs.

"...Everything will be okay. I promise." To some extent, Evelyn was rather taken aback by how deeply the girl was affected by Erin's absence— or perhaps she had always been the emotionally frail sort, desperate to cling to anything and anyone that brought her life some sense of structure, or stability. She could imagine the strength someone like that would've found in Erin... A strength she once saw in him as well. Evelyn wrapped her arms around the girl and gave her the time to let it all out; To breathe, to come to terms with everything.

In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think about the stern talking-to she was going to give Erin when he got back from his investigations... whenever that would be.

Evelyn was not wrong in her assessment of the girl. Hyathia had lived a charmed,  sheltered life. The grimness of war had barely touched her- and nightmares she has only begun to even imagine have all become her reality. Erin once stood as her beacon, a strength in these confusing and chaotic times, helping her step through much which she would never have survived.

And more importantly , he had been her first love. Never had she felt so connected, so intune, so infatuated with another person that those powerful feelings were now reeking havoc on her soul. Having endured many pains and trials in such a short period of time, and now this , had been her breaking point.

For now, the despair and pain were too much to bare. And Hyathia fell into a compliant numbness.

"There we go... Come on. Lean on me, and I'll guide the way."

It seemed that the greater part of the defiance within Hyathia against what had happened-- or what had happened to her-- had near-finally burned away, with little more than smoldering embers of outrage and despair left in her. It was... disheartening to see, in truth, even for the relatively stoic young doctor; How impactful even a single life could be to another, and how quickly one's world could fall apart with the slightest tug at the seams. For the time being, she pushed the thought to the back of her mind, and focused on collecting herself and Hyathia from the floor, and beginning their walk to her medical practice.

The trip wasn't far-- Or at least, didn't feel as though it were. They walked in relative silence, Evelyn keeping a comforting arm closely wrapped around Hyathia as they made their way to the door. The girl had mostly quieted; Perhaps drawn into a state of shellshock as the reality of the situation at hand settled in her mind, like so much dust after a violent wind. Hopefully, she'd be able to get her a spot of tea, and she'd be able to keep it down... hopefully the girl could at least come to terms with everything in due time. At least... that was the hope, she thought to herself, opening the door to the building.

The reality, as was often the case, was like to be a bit... off.

"Oh, hey-- you're back! Sorry, that took less time than expected, and ended up being something of a dead end. Story of my life, right?"

He couldn't have been more than a few feet away. Thankfully, he wasn't standing right at the landing of the building's front door; Just a little further into the office, to Evelyn's disbelief, stood a very familiar young man, with golden brown hair (slightly ruffled, due to the hood he'd been wearing earlier), skin tanned by years of tempering and travel, and a very familiar, confident grin.

If she had a knife, or a vase, or literally... ANYTHING, she'd have thrown it at him in that moment. Those visual daggers she immediately set to glaring into him were enough, to some extent, to help Erin realize that something was amiss, almost immediately.

...Unfortunately...

"W-what? Oh-- Hyathia! Good to see you're up and about."

...Erin wasn't exactly the brightest candle at the proverbial table.

And at the return if a familiar voice,  of a face she'd come to find of these last few days before fate wrenched it away..

Was very much standing before her as she stared,  smiling and blinking and more than a little confused. 

Maybe she died and this was done strange realty. Maybe this was all a dream. But trying to process all the emotions and thoughts within her was impossible. 

So she threw up on their shoes,  instead.

"Whoa-- ah, good grief. Someone's not a fan of sweet bread I guess?"

The entirety of the situation-- Hyathia's poor mental and physical disposition, Erin's general obliviousness, and now her own shoes-- took it's own toll on Evelyn, who sighed as the girl emptied her stomach... again. "Not the time, Erin..." She replied in a rather short tone, holding the girl stable, out of concern that she might lose consciousness and collapse into her own vomit at this point.

Oblivous or not, Erin had the wherewithal to adjust-- with just a look from Evelyn, he knew to take Hyathia from her (freeing the good doctor to remove her now-soiled shoes), hoist her up into his arms-- something she was likely used to by now, he figured-- and walk her over to a nearby chair to let her rest in. "What've you two been up to? Your dress is a right-proper mess; Have you been on the ground?" He questioned, genuinely confused, yet still relatively upbeat. 

Hyathia knew not how to process this. Maybe she had dreamt it all. Maybe it had all been a very bad dream.

Despite the maelstrom of emotions, she couldn't help the smile that touched her weary lips. Her sea colored eyes were still glistening with the fresh threat of tears as she asked ,"H..how? I thought.. you had.." 

She couldn't even speak the words, her nausea saw to that. She studied his face, hands reaching out to touch him, then again, pressing her cool fingers against his cheek. He felt real.. solid.

She drew in a trembling breath at that, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. 

The smile on Erin's face faltered the slightest bit at the sight of Hyathia in tears, but it remained all the same-- Especially as realization began to set in of just what had upset her so much. "You thought I was... Oh-- you mean earlier? Hahahaha-- were you worried about me? I brought you here with a concussion and an arrow through my back after jumping off the side of a mountain-- A couple knife wounds aren't going to stop me!" He seemed rather proud of his achievements-- They wouldn't earn him any money, admittedly, but the last day or two had been one for the storybooks, for certain. His mates in Adela would never believe him!

In the meantime, he ran his thumb gently across Hyathia's face, wicking away the stray tears. He'd have to get her right and settled before he could get the boys together in Ketra. "Cheer up. I wouldn't die before showing you the view from the rooftops in the residential district-- I did promise, after all." He joked, in debatable tastes considering the fact that... well.

That's about all she could bear before she threw her arms around him and clung to him, possessively strong. 

"I thought you were dead! I saw.. there was so much blood... they... you.."

She was almost hyperventilating from the amount of sobs that wracked her. Then after a time, she lifted tear filled eyes.

"How... are.. are you.... ?"
She dare not speak it, lest she damn him if he were such a thing. And she had only just gotten him back. 

She buried her face against him again, just taking comfort and gripping to the reality of his warmth,  strength and smells.

"Whoa--!"

In hindsight, he shouldn't have been surprised by her sudden embrace. Hyathia hadn't struck him as being one for shows of the overly-affectionate variety in public... when certain beverages weren't involved, at least. Though as he looked from the sobbing young woman to Evelyn, who only returned a look that basically screamed 'This is your fault', his shoulders slumped a tiny bit, and he took a moment to let the girl take in the moment for what it was worth.

So the whole 'pretending he was dead and gone' thing was probably not his best move, in hindsight.

"I'm fine, really. Thanks for worrying about me, Hyathia." He eventually replied, running his hand across her back and returning her embrace. "That said... You and I need to go see a tailor at some point today. You and fine dresses just don't seem to get along," He joked.

"I'm not going anywhere, " She croaked, clinging to him tighter. "I'm not about to let you go." She kept her teary face buried against him.

"You don't understand how lost I felt. How sick.. how destroyed.."

Hercwords faded into a whimper. She didn't want to speak.  She just wanted to cling to this reality. 

Even if it wasn't real.

Erin's face turned a slight shade of red out of earnest surprise more than anything else now, as Hyathia clung to him even moreso. It was... equal parts humbling and embarrassing, but served it's purpose. She really... really worried about him. More and more the realization of this set in on Erin's mind, and as he looked to Evelyn for some sort of assistance with the matter, he found himself alone; At some point, between taking Hyathia to the chair and now, the woman had slipped upstairs, leaving the two to their own devices. Great...

"You almost sound mad at me, y'know." He replied, his tone comforting, yet still very much... well, him. She'd gotten a decent amount of sappy, vulnerable Erin last night-- probably about as much as anyone ever had-- So he couldn't imagine matching energy with her would help her feel any better right about now. "Can I make a request? If you're reeeeeeally happy to see me... would you show me a smile?" He asked almost timidly-- as if he didn't expect a real reply. Which, to be fair, he didn't; But anything to cheer her up a bit was worth a shot.

"What?"

She was taken back by his request, but as she looked into his eyes, she laughed softly. Then she buried her face back into his shoulder.
"Why would you aske me that?" 
Although she tried to sound upset,  the smile was in her voice. 

There it was-- Erin's smile returned proper as he got a proper glimpse at Hyathia-- even if only for a second or two-- before she turtles herself away back into his shirt. Hah; So she WAS happy to see him! That definitely made things more amusing to deal with, on his end. Mischievously, Erin reached down once more, and lifted Hyathia up into his arms, letting her cling to him as she pleased, while moving to take a seat in the self-same chair she'd been sitting in; He let her rest in his lap, equally as comfortable now.

"Why not? You've got one hell of a beautiful smile." He replied, settling his arms to rest around the small of her back as they so pleased. Perhaps it was due to her having been in tears earlier-- perhaps she was more embarrassed now than she was willing to let on, Erin wasn't sure which-- But Hyathia was warm to the touch. Not scathingly so, but he could hear her heartbeat outpacing his own.

Hyathia made a soft noise, the breath hot against his shoulder. She dug into him. 

"I just.. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I think I'm losing my mind. You were dead. I .. there was blood..." she shivered, the memories flashing.

She choked out a sob.

"I must have lost it. Truly lost it."

It stung Erin's heart a bit to hear Hyathia doubting herself, but in his mind he knew it was for the better. There was no explaining what had just happened to him; none that didn't make him seem like some kind of monster, or undead, through the eyes of a Connlaothian.

"Shh... You hear my heartbeat? I'm still here; And I'm not going anywhere. That's all that matters." Maybe one day, far removed from the strife and trauma that was her current circumstances, she could comprehend it. For now, he gently tightened his arms around her body in their embrace, and let her rest against him. "I promised to protect you, after all."

Hyathia could not help herself. She truly thought she was going mad. How else could she explain the sudden insanity of all that had happened- that of which did not! For she was in his arms, she could feel his heart. After a moment of more tears, she shivered and attempted to brush them away.

"I fear I'm not well, Erin. I honestly fear I've become..." she shivered again, voice becoming quieter as she breathed out. "...mad." 

She went quiet, hiding her face, ashamed.

"Nothing has been normal, I have not been well since it all... it's the only thing that makes sense."

And she felt the crush of this reality upon herself, that she might have a duty to resolve herself to a doctor's care- possibly for the rest of her days. She cringed at the idea, and continued into worried silence.

Erin let out a bright-spirited laugh— His chest tightening a bit as he did so, eyes closed as the languishing dramatics of his lady dealt him a decisive blow the likes of which not assassin's dagger could ever hope to match. Even at her "worst", Hyathia could bring a smile to his face— a feat onto itself.

"You think you're mad? I jumped off the side of a mountain for you!" He reminded her, pulling his heavy arms away from around her torso, and resting his hands at either side of her waist. He propped her up and back a little— just the slightest bit away from him that she couldn't hide in his chest, or behind her hands anymore. At least, not conveniently.

"But, a promise is a promise." Erin stated, simmering his laughter down to a simple smile, trying his best to take the matter seriously— that in all honestly, it was a failed attempt at best. "I did say I'd support you on whatever you wanted to do. So if you want to check yourself into a doctor's care— and probably be away from me for the rest of our days— I'd respect that. At the very least, Evelyn certainly doesn't specialize in anything regarding mental health..."

He wasn't being fair, and that was intentional. She hadn't outright said it, but the implication was there— that Hyathia truly felt ill, and furthermore that Erin was the root cause of her distress. Perhaps she hadn't meant to trip the question, but if there were but a single thing the girl should've learned about her knight by now, it was that he was a man of very few ifs and buts— decisiveness was the sole moral that he lived by.

"I could ask her for some recommendations, while we're here. What do you think?"

She must have been starting to feel better, more like herself, for she struck Erin against the chest in protest.
"Erin," she chided, but whimpered as she buried her face again. 

"I.. I wish to retire. Maybe.. maybe if I just go to sleep, when I wake... all of this will be over. Tomorrow will be different..."

Life will be the same.

Was this all a nightmare? Some strange dream? It certainly sounded like it-
But another sound altogether made her tense suddenly as the very real noise of a marching army passing the place.

And then there was a knock at the door and a commanding voice behind it.

"We heard there was a doctor in residence here. We wish to seek out his services." the voice came through the door.

The sound of new voices-- unfamiliar voices-- broke the mood between the two effectively and quickly-- Erin snapped back to his relatively friendly, yet somewhat guarded state of being, his eyes shifting to the entry foyer as the voice from beyond the door requested the aid of a doctor. A... male doctor.

An eyebrow raised at the thought; whoever this person was, they were not a resident of the city. That alone spiked Erin's interest, and deciding that it was better to control a situation through interaction than through pacifism, he figured he'd better investigate. I.E., stick his nose where it didn't belong.

"Better see what that's about," He told Hyathia, a helpless smile on his face, before taking her by the waist and pulling her away from him once more. He was thankful that, even if only a little, she seemed to be calming down a bit. He'd officially seen the polar ends of her spectrum, in his mind-- When they'd first met, he could recall how shell-shocked the girl was, to the point of barely being able to speak, let alone share such emotional outbursts as she just did. It was wild-- and Erin, admitted only to himself, couldn't get enough of it.

When Erin would answer the door, a man in ranked armor od the Grand Duke's banner addressed him with a quick nod.

"Sorry to disturb you, Doctor. We were told a doctor be at this address and we have wounded men that seek care. "

Hyathia remained frozen like a deer, not sure what to do without Erin at her side, but anxiously listened in on their conversation in the other room. 

"Can we make use of you and your skills? The men could truly use it. The battle was quick and dirty and I'd hate to see these men suffer more than need not."

Erin leaned against the frame of the door, arms crossed, yet relatively relaxed. 'Relatively' was key; Having opened the door, he could physically see no threat to either his life or Hyathia's, but the men before him did still wear the Grand Duke's crest-- Some level of respect was due, even if the young warrior didn't necessarily like the role they portrayed.

"I see. Yeah, there's definitely a doctor here-- it's not me, though, sorry." As he spoke, having gained a better understanding of the situation at hand (and the gravity it held), he moved away from his leaning posture against the wall and stood straight, as if acknowledging the seriousness physically. "I can go grab her-- but what kind of trouble did you run into that caused this, and is it done and dealt with? We've got patients here... I can't have you bringing trouble onto the doorstep that we can't handle."

Erin's protective nature was on display now-- While he meant no harm or offense to the Grand Duke's men, he also had both Hyathia and Evelyn on the forefront of his mind; And while it was debatable arrogance on his part to potentially deny the injured help on behalf of the absent Evelyn, he was both unarmed and unwilling to start a fight in the middle of the city... Especially not here.

The soldier took in what Erin stated and nodded, respectfully. 
"I understand.  These are dire times. " he then took a step back, gesturing to the group of men behind him.

"We've recently come from battle. We are friends of the Grand Duke seeking care. Our own doctors are inundated with the wounded we felt it prudent to reach out here for help."
The men behind him were in a sorry, battered state, but those still conscious were hardened enough not a won moaned in woe. 

"Naturally the doctors services would be compensated by the crown. And if she can or cannot help, we do ask if there are others like her that might render service to help those who shall come after us. These battles waged are wicked abd we bring no battle here, we were victorious even if it were brutal, but we simply seek help for the wounded."

It was then the man spotted Hyathia and smiled. 
"Are you the good doctor?"

She was so young...

"She is not."

Erin found the man's response— his presence, even— unnaturally vexing, though he had done literally no wrong. His curt response wasn't born of disbelief of his story, or some sleight he had pulled up until now— perhaps he simply didn't like how presumptuous the man seemed to be.

Perhaps he was already starting to get a bit clingy of Hyathia... no, surely not. Right?

"Let them in, Erin— they'd have run you through by now if they meant any harm."

Evelyn's silly voice permeated the stagnant air as she descended the steps to her upper chambers, re-dressed in a bit less of a fashion statement— black, embroidered pants, and a light, flowy black blouse to pair. Erin's eyes wandered from them to her, and back— did the woman own ANYTHING that wasn't a fashion statement? As Erin frowned, yet relented to moving aside to give the men entry, Evelyn raised a singular eyebrow as she reached the bottom of the steps, eyeing over the men at arms.

"Seems the civil war drops more and more at my doorstep with each passing day..."

It didn't take long for the place to become loud; busy. Hyathia offered to help where she could, still numb from the day's events and the very realness a day nearness of the war. At first she had remained frozen, but stepping in to help helped to divert her attentions from the ghastly thoughts that plagued her that, by the time things died down, she found a quiet corner to herself and simply slipped to the ground. 

She was sweaty, tired and ready for sleep. Which is exactly what happened, for the moment she closed her eyes, she drifted off to slumber.

"Do I get paid for today? I probably should've had you file a request or something."

"Oh, hush. You owe me more than you could make off of me in a decade."

Busy indeed; The militia's injuries, while in almost cases non-life-threatening, were varied and in most cases deeper than mere flesh wounds. From setting bones to pulling bits of shattered blade and arrow from thigh and arm alike, Evelyn's schedule was maxed out for the remainder of the day. Erin, "Good Samaritan" that he was, helped as well— rather impressed that despite herself, even his charge was willing to do what she could, here and there. With the majority of cases tended to by sunset, Erin needed merely help Evelyn with one last injury— holding a man with a fractured tibia still while Evelyn, who'd already treated the wounded area, wrapped his leg in tight, medicinal bandages to help it set.

"Your little friend seems to have tuckered herself out," She mused, fixated on wrapping the bandages around her patient as tightly as she could, drawing a couple of groans from the injured soldier. "I didn't think she had much in the way of talent for dealing with injuries, but she might make a half-decent assistant."

Erin rolled his eyes, his hands fixated on the man's leg to prevent him from making any involuntary movements. "I don't know how I feel about her being around needles and knives for too long. You didn't see how danger-prone she was when I found her."

"I didn't," Evelyn remarked, her eyes shifting from the patient's leg and towards Erin, "And you still haven't told me where exactly you found her in the first place— or how."

An uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them as Evelyn finished her dressing, settling the man's leg into a wooden brace she'd prepared earlier. Erin's eyes shifted in a tell-tale way; First to the ground, as if pondering his next words, then to the men of service around them, incapacitated or otherwise, and back to Evelyn, who only frowned in response— as if that was enough to paint the picture of their circumstances. "...I see. Actually, would you mind coming to help me grab a few things from upstairs? I need to check on Em, as well. The boy tends to find trouble in the silence."

Erin nodded, looking around to find Hyathia's sleeping form a ways away from the rest of the men. She tended to find trouble in trouble-less places as well... but the explanation wouldn't take long enough for something to go wrong, and they'd still be within earshot, he figured. This, Evelyn quietly lead Erin upstairs, away from prying ears for a time.

Hyathia eventually awoke, groggy wiping at her eyes as she peered around. She panicked briefly when she spotted a soldier watching her sheepishly from the hall, and he was quick to apologize.

"I didn't mean to startle you!" He went on with a clumsy bow. "I noticed you sleeping there and well.. now you're not," he continued, awkwardly. 

Hyathia had calmed down as the murmur of the men in Evelyn's care registered and she recalled the events of the day. She nodded to him politely as she stood. 

He was a young man, not very tall though, infact barely taller than she. But his half worn armor made him somehow look bigger.. perhaps even stronger. 

"You don't have to apologize." She rubbed at her stiff neck.  "It's been a long day," She added, quietly. 

The man nodded, wilting almost at the words.

"You don't know the half of it."

She looked at him curiously for that and the man blushed. 

"Not meant to be an offense, miss. It's just well.." he stood there awkwardly. "Today was my first battle."

And then it all made sense. He was young because he was a very fresh recruit, probably just coming of age and thrust into this terrible War.

"You don't have to apologize. Really. I should be thanking you."

The soldier stared at her, blushing.

"Thanking me?"

"Yes. For your service. I can't even imagine being a soldier right now. With the.. the war and all."

"So, where do you want to start?"

Eve had taken advantage of the trip upstairs in order to check on Emmerin, before leading Erin to her study, where they would be far enough away to talk, but not far enough to react to any commotion downstairs. The study was a messy room; books on the sciences of both the human body and the effects of medical practices on it scattered the oaken wood floors, accompanied by a myriad number of discarded notes, trial records, and crumbled up pages. A large bookshelf overtook the entirety of the eastern wall of the room, more than half-filled with additional times, books, and paraphernalia otherwise— it was clear that there were more books in this room than there were spaces for books on that shelf, a testament to how learned Evelyn had become over time. Erin, of course, was more amused by the state of the room than the obvious note of her studious pastime; It was such a stark contrast to the otherwise proper, put-together woman that Eve presented herself as to others. It felt as though he was seeing a secret side of her, insignificant as it was in this circumstance.

"At the top, I suppose..." The young warrior stated with a sigh's breath, leaning back agains the wall nearest the entrance to the study; Evelyn, instead, took a seat at a very elaborate, ebony table near the center of the room— one covered in paperwork and old quills. He remembered that table... good times. "For starters, the girl's wanted. I cam across her on a trip up to Vythe— she'd been captured by some folk, and I'm guessing something went wrong— found her dangling from the side of a cliff in a wooden cage, with some mercs trying to figure out how to get her."

"Of course she is... and of course you did," Evelyn replied in her best attempt at exasperation, though she couldn't bring herself to be surprised at his words. She didn't doubt them— Erin had been in far, far more dire situations. "Any idea what this 'wanted girl' is 'wanted' for?" She asked, her brow furrowing as she began to attempt constructing a narrative. Erin shook his head, frowning in kind. "All I know is that she's some noble— and probably not a big name, at that. Hyathia's... not the easiest person to get information out of, but even she doesn't seem to know why she's being hunted."

Evelyn closed her eyes, and thought on the situation a bit more. "The latest reports from ferrymen who've been passing through is that the war hit Vythe particularly hard... And given the condition you were in when you got here yesterday, I doubt it was just a token group of mercs that attacked you." Her concerns were answered with a solemn nod from Erin, who reached over and rubbed his shoulder, near to where helms been shot. Had he not been reborn so shortly after taking that wound, he likely would have another scar there for it... small blessings. "There was a skirmish. Would've been a lot worse if the Grand Duke's men hadn't been patrolling at the time. The... wait. I do remember... one of them." Erin closed his eyes, frowning to remember the phrasing that the crossbow man had used when they'd been at a standstill...

"...D'al Astarot... The only living true-blooded grandchild. Does that mean anything to you?"

Evelyn's eyes opened, and a sharp look— as if Erin had spoken in tongues just now— washed over her face. "...You're joking, right?" She asked in a flat tone, suddenly a little more uncomfortable in her seat than she would've liked to be. Erin picked up on this without so much as looking her way— but he looked all the same, concerned he'd somehow upset her. "Is... was that- err, did I say someth—" He began, only to be cut off by Evelyn promptly standing up, swiftly moving toward Erin, and shutting the door to the study next to him with a glare.

"I was listening for—"

"Do you have ANY idea what you just implied?"

Erin paused, his eyes widening as if the woman had just slapped him clear across the face. Words wouldn't form in his throat as Evelyn shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose to attempt relieving the wave of stress that just washed over her. "Erin, for goodness's sake— The D'al Astarots are— WERE, the current reigning family in Vythe! And with Vythe in civil panic right now, if what you said is true, that girl is—"

"Ah."

Erin could only raise his hand to scratch his head, suddenly slightly more aware of the potential danger he'd been in... as well as the danger that just about anyone around Hyathia could potentially be in. Evelyn clearly didn't feel this reaction was enough to portray his circumstances, and so she made up the difference with a sharp punch to his broad chest, venting her frustrations with that singular shot.

It didn't hurt, but for Evelyn to lay a hand on him at all was more than enough to help Erin realize his situation. "...Ah," was all he could bring himself to say, even at that revelation.

Eventually, Evelyn lowered her head, took a deep breath, and moved to lean against the wall next to Erin. A few moments passed, and then wordlessly, the two of them slowly began to sink to the ground, sitting next to each other as they stared across the study, both their minds consumed with thoughts of the future.

"...Be careful, Erin. Please. I know that... I know, I..." The auburn-haired warrior looked over at the good doctor, his eyes showing some semblance of concern and surprise. The woman who always seemed so composed and self-assured was now staring out at the distance with an unfocused gaze, unable to find the words to express herself. In this moment, she reminded him of... how she used to be. "...If something were to happen to you, I—" She began again, before Erin stopped her, a renewed, warm smile on his face as he looked over at her.

"Understood. I hear you loud and clear, Eve. So, just like last time... Just put your faith in me. I'll figure out how to resolve this... probably." His trademark grin won through in the end, but he meant every word, and she knew it.

"...God, you're such an annoyingly charismatic guy."

"I mean, I'm pretty stupid. My smile is one of my better traits, you've gotta admit."

Her conversation continued with the soldier. She gained a little information but soon found their conversation growing .. awkward and she politely excused herself. 

As she left, she heard some chuckling between the men.

"You were never that good talking to a pretty lady.."

Hyathia blushed and moved away, towards the stairs. She wondered where Erin had disappeared. 

"...Hey--"

Erin's ears perked up a bit as an excess of weight and warmth unexpectedly shifted onto his shoulder. Normally he wouldn't have noticed, given his typical armored appearance, but unarmed and unarmored as he was now, he was far more sensitive to the slightest things-- the scent of Evelyn's hair as she rested on him, the feeling of her firm, yet smooth fingers as they touched his hand, the gentle shifting of her body against his side as she breathed. The warmth of the room overall-- and how he didn't realize how stuffy it was. How he didn't really seem to mind... and how it felt like he should've always been there.

"I... never properly said it to you, did I?" Erin's eyes hesitantly drifted to the resting head of the doctor, who's face was shrouded by her long, black hair. He couldn't tell what sort of expression she was making-- but he could tell by her balled up hands that whatever it was she was referencing, it was clearly difficult for her to speak about. Considering it was Evelyn of all people, who didn't tend to mince words about anyone, or anything, there were only a few topics that could bring up such discord in her mind... and Erin slowly began to realize which one it was. "I... Th-that day, when you... saved me." Her voice was at best an octave above a whisper, meant for the young man's ears only as the candle light flickered in the room, creating drastic shadows and shifting visibility. Erin suddenly because fairly aware of how warm the room was-- moreso than before. The candle's flame, in his mind, was rather cool comparatively speaking.

"You don't have to--"

"No, I do. Because I... I'm selfish. I'm... really selfish." The words struck Erin as surprising to say the least, and along with the sudden rustling at his side, Erin instinctively turned towards Evelyn in an attempt to correct her, only to be shocked further when, faster than he could react, she'd wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss. Erin's eyes widened-- fireworks went off in his mind, body and soul as repressed, deeply-dormant feelings lashed out from the darkest cages of his heart, eating away at what was left of his willpower. Like a fly caught in a spider's web, Erin was paralyzed-- lacking the strength to pull away from Evelyn in that moment, and tempering all that was his sanity to stop himself from doing anymore than returning her kiss. It felt like an eternity-- like time had stopped around them, waiting for them to be satisfied. It was only when Evelyn realized what she'd done-- what she was doing, that it stopped by her hand-- pulling away from Erin immediately and shifting away entirely before quickly getting to her feet, her face completely flush and her heart in a state of panic that she'd not known in years. Erin fared no better, still shocked from the entirety of what had just happened, and just barely catching his breath. Many, many emotions flooded his mind-- Excitement, guilt, confusion, lust, but perhaps most of all...

...Frustration?

"...Goddamnit."

"I know--"

"Goddamnit, Eve!" The tone of his voice was more than audible outside the room now, as he stood up and began pacing, his thoughts a blur of colors, repressed feelings and self-hate. Neither could look the other in the eye at the moment-- Evelyn having moved across the room to a window, pressing her hands against the cool glass in hopes that it would help her calm down, and Erin trying to find it within himself not to punch a hole in the wall nearest him.

It was... complicated.

She tensed upon the stairs, hearing subtle talking and getting a distinct feel of tense uneasiness, embarrassment... and so much more. It was strange..  perhaps just lingering feelings of her own, but she paused just before the door, flinching when Erin was suddenly yelling..
And was he.. yelling at Evelyn?

The door was open, just a cracked, and though there wasn't much to see... she felt wrong.. out of place, and didn't want to interrupt. So she moved to turn around, wondering what in the world she almost walked on on when she heard a loud floor board creaking beneath her. She tensed, holding her breath.

Maybe they hasn't heard her...

On the contrary-- the stark creaking of wooden floorboards from outside the room very much caught Erin's attention, who froze up a bit instinctively due to the scattered state of his mind, before he remembered that he was Erin Shire, and didn't fear anything-- much less noises in the dark. He promptly strolled towards the door, a serious look on his face as he mustered his most cordial mental decorum and as he pulled it open, he saw... Hyathia?

"H-hey, look who's finally awake. Someone needed a bit of a nap, so we figured we'd let you rest a bit." Erin mentally drove his palm into his face in frustration-- It could've been any number of the soldiers, or even Emmerin, but nope-- here was Hyathia, in this only-barely resolved situation.

Evelyn did well to keep her eyes glued to the window; As things were, unlike Erin who tended to wear his heart on his sleeve, she couldn't bring herself to face either one of them-- not after what she'd just done. She needed time to breathe-- to cool off a little.

Hyathia remained quiet, still jarred by the tension of the room's atmosphere. But as usual? Erin's easy going demeanor helped to lighten the air. 

She gave a small smile and dropped her gaze a moment, tucking back stray hair behind an ear. Her hair was a frumpled, dark mess; which somehow made the girl appear all the sweeter.

"I didn't realize how tired I was."
She then lifted her eyes and noted Evelyn on the corner and frowned, wondering what she had walked into.

"Are.. you two alright?" She found herself asking, words spoken before she could think better of it.

"Ah-- yeah, we... yeah, everything fine. Eve's just being Eve-- telling me about how dumb I am and warning me to not take any unnecessary risks. Honestly-- you'd think she doesn't realize I'm the safest, least-risky person this side of Le'Raana." Erin was deceptively fast on his feet for how much he tended to downplay his intelligence-- a likely result of years of adventuring, which tended to require on-the-spot decisions. Evelyn shifted a bit at the mention of her name, but otherwise didn't respond much in the way of rebuking his words-- it was hard to tell if she was making the situation any more or less awkward with her silence.

Desperate to redirect the energy in the room towards something a bit less dangerous, Erin shrugged. "In any case, you in particular have had a long enough day-- the sun's setting, and your wounds haven't fully healed. It's about time we started heading back to the inn-- after a meal, anyway." He explained, making a note of looking her over once to get a better general idea of her current state. She was a tough little flower, but still a flower-- she didn't have the constitution of an adventurer, or even a laborer. He needed to work on that, eventually. "Shall we?"

She nodded, for she was anxious to move on but before the pair left, she spared a glance towards Evelyn. She could still sense the unease, and she herself wondered what she had walked into. However, it would be quite rude to pry, and Evelyn had been so accommodating with her during this whole ordeal.

"Are you.. sure Evelyn no longer needs our help?" she asked, chewing on her lip a little nervously. Would it be wise to leave her alone with her shop and home in such a state?

Erin nodded, letting out something of a sigh as he escorted Hyathia away from the room Evelyn had remained in, and continued onward, out of the building. "Don't worry. Eve's pretty capable of handling herself— she's dealt with worse workloads than that. But she's had a long day, and I... uh... I think she needs a little alone time to... sort some things out." He explained, as best he could given the nature of the topic.

Yeah, she needed to sort some things out... as did he, now. A veteran adventurer and brilliant warrior he was, but an expert on matters of the heart he was not. He still wasn't sure what... 'this', was that he was a part of with Hyathia, nor the moral and ethic implications of what it might mean based on Eve's words earlier. But he knew exactly what had just happened in the study— He knew exactly what Eve's intentions were, and even now his mind and heart struggled to compartmentalize her sudden revelations.

Hyathia couldn't shake the awkward tension in the room, nor the fact Evelyn was avoiding looking at the pair as they left. It didn't settle well in her stomach, nor her heart. They barely made it down the hall before she stopped walking. Before they would start again, she found herself asking, "Are you sure Evelyn is okay? She didn't seem to be acting like herself."

She peered over her shoulder, towards Evelyn's door- concern in her eyes.

Again the question came up, and again Erin found himself equally torn between the two realities he'd now found himself in. God, Hyathia could be incredibly perceptive when she wanted to be-- it made trying to bury what had just happened in the back of his mind all more difficult, but he knew it wasn't a topic he could just casually speak on. "She'll... she'll be fine." He repeated, showing signs of mental taxation just from answering. "All her patients are on the mend-- they'll probably see themselves out in the morning. Nothing much more for us to do here-- After all, we need to start preparing to get you back to Vythe."

Right... the other side of this issue. The part that even further complicated their relationship, that Erin hadn't even considered prior to a few moments ago. His eyes looked away, towards the ceiling of the building for a moment as he mentally hit himself over the head for being careless. Of course she was practically royalty. He couldn't have just found some third-or-forth-generation noblewoman, or a well-off lass; She was... way out of his league. "I'm sure you've got some folks waiting for you back home, after all-- or at least, something left to try to save. Can't do that on no sleep, trust me." He joked, forcing his trademark smile back out.

There it was again. Taking her... home. She didn't know why that thought stung. She felt awkward, uptight, and internally crawled alittle within her own skin. She avoided his gaze, simply nodding, simply repeating, "Yes, we have a lot to do," but didn't feel much behind it. She just knew she felt like she needed to get out of this place, and fast- whether it was with Erin or not.

The emotions were just too much and she.. She didn't like where this feeling was going. There was too much uncertainty and right now- that was the last thing she wanted to deal with-

Or the why.

Part of her, a little part- knew why things might have gotten awkward back there for the pair...

But she wasn't brave enough to bring that belief, that knowledge to the surface. Not right now. Not when-

And that's when she slipped on the stairs, paying too much attention to the war inside her head.

Erin didn't miss a beat; In the same motion that Hyathia began to lose her balance did he shoot forward, wrapping a firm arm cleanly around her waist before pulling her back into his comfort zone, pressing her form to his a bit. "Careful," He teased with a more genuine smile than prior, looking Hyathia over to make sure she'd not somehow hurt herself or sprain an ankle or... any number of other things. If there was one thing he'd learned about the lass over the past 2 days, it was that she and danger were as intimate as two white ravens on a Serenian wedding day.

He didn't even question it at this point-- just assumed she was being a bit careless in her sudden haste. "We have a lot to do, but the first of those things is getting a bite to eat. Safely." He half-joked, loosening his grip on her waist. Heaven forbid she miss a step twice in a row... though stranger things have happened, to be sure. In either case, he stepped down ahead of her on the stairs to be safe-- at least then, if she fell, it'd be right into his arms. "Come now. The tavern awaits!"

Hyathia flushed as he caught her. It sent so many emotions, and confusion, wracking her brain. She didn't like that uncertainty, whatever that strange feeling was- as if the disruptive sensation of missing a stair wasn't enough...

She smiled, however, letting some of the worry fade, but when he brought up food, she had to shake her head.
"You could eat at a time like this?" And then she had to wonder even more so.. 
"Will the tavern even be open at such an hour?"
Clearly she was no night owl, at least not in this neighborhood.

"Hah-- You've clearly never been tavern-hopping. Most of the city sleeps at night-- but the right taverns are a jewel in the after-hours." Erin clearly spoke from experience-- The sort that one gains from years of hanging out with all sorts of influences-- good and bad. He'd partied well into the morning light several times in the past-- once or twice here, even-- and knew his way around quite a bit of Uthlyn, even after dark. He extended an open hand to her, like any good man would, as she descended the stairs to meet him. "I promised you I'd show you the sights, didn't I? Fairly sure it's a full moon out, tonight-- The city takes on an entirely different look at night. I'll show you."

Erin excelled in not thinking about the big, important things in life. Shutting his brain off-- and allowing others to shut theirs off in kind-- while just living and doing what he'd essentially wanted to do, whatever that ended up being-- within reason, of course. Things weren't going to resolve themselves with Evelyn's confession, Hyathia's origins, or this 'black Duke' fellow that tried to (and technically succeeded to) kill him earlier-- at least, they weren't going to in this one night. So why worry about them now? "You might like the roast, but you've not tried the tavern's pasta-- It's a hit, if I do say so myself."

Hyathia smiled, but it felt.. forced. She didn't know why she felt unsettled but getting out of there felt like the best option. No, she pushed any feelings of uncertainty down for the moment. 

"I suppose I could eat," She agreed. And her stomach growled loudly in agreement. 

Hyathia flushed. 

Erin smirked, especially so at the resounding agreement of her stomach. Now THAT was the Hyathia he knew. Taking her by the hand, he escorted her out of Evelyn's practice-- All the while from an upstairs window, the shadow of the good doctor watched the pair's retreating figures from her view, before sighing and wandering away from the windowsill at last.

Erin was a man of his word-- The two of them headed for the tavern, but took a much more scenic route than the day prior, as Hyathia seemed to be feeling a bit better. Traffic on the paved roads was, pun intended, night and day to the hustle and bustle of the morning, and allowed for quick and easy transit across the city-- just as he remembered. He showed her to one of his favorite 'people watching' spots in Uthlyn; A large fountain constructed some ways off from the city square, that saw quite a bit of traffic, morning or evening; Candles lit the lamp posts near and through the streets that led to it, giving it an almost illuminated effect in the night. He couldn't help but regale her with a story of his youth, wherein he'd been dared to attempt leaping across the width of the fountain-- as large as the attraction was, this ultimately lead to his taking an unplanned bath, if ever there was one. Good memories... of a past life.

Before long, they made their way back into the tavern, and found seating quite easily-- though this seemed less in part due to the emptiness of the tavern (it was still quite packed, though not so much as during the midday), but moreso due to Erin having... 'earned a reputation' yesterday, which caused Erin turn an uncharacteristic shade of red as he first laughed off one of the waitresses words, and then feigned desperate ignorance to a catcall from across the tavern that was, almost unquestioningly, directed at them.

"The, uh-- the pasta, still sound good, to you?" Having made sure Hyathia was seated, Erin stammered for the right words to cover up the embarrassment of... well, 24 hours ago. He was, admittedly, riding a battle-high after having escaped the hunters seeking his charge on the path from Vythe then-- as well as more a little riled up for... other reasons. Red wine didn't help that combination, but it might help him drown out his vibrant recollections now.

Erin wasn't the only one turning red. She avoided stares and kept her eyes dropped, and when it was time to order..she was almost too quick to do so. She wanted to bury her face in her hands or hide under the table...

Would they have to endure this all night?

They were served wine.. of course, compliments of some of the patrons and although she enjoyed the wine, she drank it down rather hastily, back still rigid and stiff from all the stares.

She hadn't considered the consequences of her actions and again, considered hiding underneath the table.

"I can't believe all this fuss," She told Erin, half hiding her face behind her cup of wine. Could they have really been so entertained by their display the other night? But then.. she froze.. hearing one of the other reasons for their fuss.

"The whole town heard em! They went at it all night like rutting animals!" She heard one man say to another.

"Honey mooners.. ain't got many since the war "

"Nice to know the war hasn't killed off love."

"Or lust!"

And the table of men laughed. 

"That soldier's a lucky bastard. Hell.. wish my wife could last even half that time."

The phoenix's armor, Erin Shire's legendary red-steel plate mail which accompanied him on many an adventure, and into many a foray. It was a suit forged for him many years ago, on a journey through Adela; Having suffered a near-crushing defeat at the hands of a rogue band of highly-trained Yoreiqi warriors, he'd lost a set of chainmail earned as a reward some time prior after assisting a small town at the outskirts of the Niahi forest. The armor needed to be impregnable, and more importantly, strike awe and fear into his allies and enemies respectively-- so claimed the crazy armorer he worked with on it, and so it's blood-red steel and ferocious design was conceived, as a weapon he could wield against the hearts of his opponents, demoralizing them before he ever needed to raise his axe. It was a truly ferocious shade of crimson-- but at the moment it paled in comparison to Erin's face.

Despite everything-- his larger-than-life persona, his war and adventuring experience, the numerous deaths he'd experienced-- Erin was a very modest man, when it came to... 'love'. It was just about the only way to effectively torture him-- the only real weakspot he had, that he was aware of. And as such, having knocked back a glass of red wine and working through another one at record speed, he had a very, very hard time coping with the 'peanut gallery' around them. Incredible how easily a phoenix could be grounded, it's feather's clipped.

"We... er... we should definitely have closed the windows." He eventually managed, his head lowered a bit in some mixture of embarrassment and frustration. It wasn't like he could really make small talk at a time like this-- There were few things he could think of beyond the night prior, due to the entirety of their surroundings reminding him of it. A part of him wanted to ask how her injuries were doing, but even that thought never made it out of his mouth, given the potential ways it could be taken in this context.

Truthfully, however, there was genuine concern there on Erin's part, beyond the embarrassment. He'd thought about it several times now, but Hyathia truly was no warrior-- and while she'd been safe enough for the past few hours to begin recovering from her injuries acquired on the mountainside, he wasn't sure how much further he should've been pushing her, even in the spirit of, well, raising her spirits. He finished his second cup of wine on that note, clearly a bit sobered by the idea that he might've been doing more harm than good. It was probably more efficient to just make sure she stayed in bed, or off her feet, and rested until she'd completely healed.

"...Hyathia, I--" He began, before another particularly rowdy jeer from nearby shut him up, shocked him to his previously embarrassed senses, and caused him to pour another cup of wine as quick as he could. He DID NOT grab her by the hair... much. He... didn't think he did, at least. There were a few moments where he... wasn't thinking straight...

It seemed the fussing was never ending, but after a time.. seemingly a long time, the tavern crowd fussed less and Hyathia's face was now more pink than red.

The wine helped, she following Erin's lead. The buzz made the stares more manageable. And by the time they were to order food Hyathia was thankful for the distraction. 

Pasta was it? That he has suggested? Her stomach growled at the thought, reminding her that, although she was embarrassed, she was hungry too.

"Two orders of pasta-- and another decanter of wine, coming up!"

Erin sighed, stretching a bit in his chair as the wine had begun to make it's way into his system proper, relaxing him a bit. He didn't feel nearly as tightly-wound as he had earlier, while suffering through the worst of the crowd-- No, he now had a fairly good hold on his emotions, and didn't intend to let them get the better of him again. Ideally.

Feeling a need for a change of pace, Erin looked to the ceiling, reminiscing a bit. "3 years ago, I put a hole in that ceiling." He suddenly noted with a smile. Indeed, if one traced the line of his gaze upward, they'd spot what he referenced-- it wasn't immediately apparent, but the wood support beams and rafters of a section of the tavern were slightly different than the others; They had less wear, and there was an obvious, yet sturdy patch job on the ceiling in the area.

"Not 'me'; Someone I'd been traveling with at the time. Crazy lad, alchemist if I recall. He'd been trying to show that he could fashion a bomb out of a barrel of ale and some metal shavings... and he did." Erin mused, taking another drink of wine as he remembered being told about the situation. "I wasn't there-- but the guy was my charge, since I'd been taking him south, to Adela-- so he got to have all the fun, while I got saddled with the bill." He chuckled a bit, even as a pang of annoyance flared up in him at the thought. "The world's a crazy place-- with crazier people, I guess. But damn if it isn't fun-- in the moments, at least."

Hyathia listened, following his gaze to the ceiling and she smiled, visualizing the story and Erin having to deal with a troublesome charge.

"And they didn't just throw you out?" She teased, drinking at the remains of her wine from the last pour. She idly swished the wine inside her glass and studied him.

"I bet you have so many stories. How many adventures have you been on?" She found herself asking, eager to learn more about the man she was falling in love with.

"They couldn't at first-- not when it happened. See, I'm rarely a genius, but that day-- I guess I hadn't taken my daily dose of blows to the head, so I thought my way out of it." Erin almost sounded outright proud of himself as he spoke-- swirling what was left of his wine in the cup, he recounted the events of that day once more. "I'd been eating steak, and this place has a policy-- If the patrons aren't causing a ruckus, the waitresses leave'em be. Well, I was a patron-- and he was on the roof, so he wasn't even technically in the tavern. My old man always told me, 'know the rules, in case you need to break'em on purpose'-- so I invited him in to split my steak with me."

A crazy loophole of a idea, Erin had to admit in hindsight-- But one that made the tavern's owners so angry at the time that they'd been at odds ever since. Granted 'at odds' was less a conflict of hate, and more a concern of 'gods forbid that boy comes wandering back into our business'. And yet here he was!

"Besides, a hole in the roof is nothing compared to everything else this place has seen. A horse ran through here, once-- made a right mess of the place. Now THAT story, I have no idea what was going on there." He chuckled at the mental image of a few of the waitresses faces-- and even some of the patrons that day. As one of his magical companions always used to say, chaos truly was the natural state of the world.

He thought a little longer on her other question-- his mind adrift as he reached through memories of his life... well, lives. "I'll be honest-- I can't remember. I've been so many places and done so many things. Treated with lamias, rode a dragon once... but what I do remember are the 'little things'. The moments in between the moments, I guess... where you really get to breathe, and just enjoy life. The times like... like right now."

Just as she was ever beginning to doubt herself, or this, their relationship and if this were truly happening...
He goes and says something like that. Her cheeks flushed with heat as she smiled and dropped her gaze.

"You know.. that's so hard to believe," She began to say, shaking her head. "You? Sharing a steak?" She teased, glancing up at him playfully. It seemed the embolding power of the wine was kicking in.

"Hah! I was younger-- and I suppose you could say I was nowhere near as greedy a guy as I am these days, in every regard." Erin replied with equal parts amusement and mocking wisdom, pouring another cup of wine as he spoke. Indeed he was; He could recall how much more naive he was, back then. He'd only just started adventuring a few years in at that point, and thus hadn't experienced many of the betrayals-- and reconciliations beyond said betrayals-- that shaped him into the person he was today. "The world has a way of sharpening you up over time, if you need it to. Sometimes you meet people, or experience things, that make you change so wholly that you can't even recognize yourself in the mirror."

It was both a metaphor and quite literal in Erin's case, as he thought back on the myriad number of battles he'd experienced... as well as the men and women he'd killed. The blood that soaked his hands so deeply that he alone could see the psychological stains that sat beneath his skin, unable to be washed away. The lives of people who's beliefs didn't align with his own, or those of folk that he'd worked for, taken away by his own will... Erin noticed how grim his reflection had become in the wine before him, and his smile returned as he shrugged the thoughts off. "Lots of things that I hope you never have to experience." He eventually finished, taking another drink from his cup.

"I can't even imagine. You've gone through so much in your life.." she reached across to rest a hand over his and squeezed it, giving him a reassuring smile. "Although I can't say I have anywhere near the life experience as you, I'm here for you if need me."

She gave a more sheepish smile before dropping her gaze, adding, "At least if you don't mind in confiding in someone as naive as myself. "

Erin raised an eyebrow at the admittedly touching show of support from Hyathia— unsure of what prompted such a response, but not at all displeased with it. "Far be it from me to burden you with my troubles, my lady," Erin jested, responding in an overly-animated series of gestures, "But I appreciate the sentiment all the same. Sometimes having a shoulder to lean on is better than having an axe to lean on... or so I've been told."

Erin's eyes flickered hotly over Hyathia as he gave a wry smile at the random turn of phrase he'd parroted, the mental image a rather amusing in his mind. "...I suppose I might be too heavy to lean on you, now that I think about it. Maybe a gentle nudge."

Hyathia smiled. Their conversation was beginning to make her less uneasy from the awkwardness earlier, and as she enjoyed her cup of wine she felt her cheeks heat as she recalled what happened the last time. 

That would be difficult to simply forget, especially with the type of crowd this place catered to. Thankfully those 'cat calls' had all but disappeared. Even still... she peered over at Erin. He was rather dashing, wasn't he? 

When they had first met, had things been far less dangerous, she would have tried to get the handsome knight's attentions. But as it were... she was out on a limb, literally. And that was also a situation she never could have thought herself to fall into. The scenario was as ridiculous as some of the novels she'd read.

Yet this was real.

She was suddenly broken from her thoughts when she realized her cup was empty. Had she really drank it down that fast?

Erin kept his eyes on Hyathia— studying her as if she were the only thing of interest in the room. Even as he drank, his eyes returned to her. She had a charmingly innocuous way of displaying her thoughts and emotions on her non-existent sleeve when she was mentally preoccupied; As well as a terrible poker face when she'd had a few drinks. "See something you like?" He 'innocently' asked, an obvious tease though he himself couldn't help but feel flattered at the equivalent attention he was getting. "Some dashing young noble behind me, perhaps? Now I'm scared to turn around."

He did, however, remind himself mentally not to push her too far— either with words or with wine. Yesterday the two had gotten a little too swept up in the heat of emotion, and while Erin wasn't sure just what the consequences of his actions could've been, he knew Evelyn was right; It wasn't exactly wise to get involved with nobles, especially for a self-made "knight" like himself. He had no title, or claim to land; He traveled too much to invest himself in Connlaothian politics. It put him in an awkward situation with Hyathia; He could not deny his attraction, nor the connection he'd felt, but they really were cut from different cloths at the end of the day. Not much in the world could change that.

She flushed being called out.
"You're too perceptive ," She snapped, but it was evident it amused her more than irritated. 
"And yes.." she went on, picking out the only noble looking man behind Erin and smirking. "And he's so dreamy, too."

If he were to turn around, the only noble looking man seated behind them was a man with thinning white hair who could easily be Hyathia's uncle.

Internally, Erin laughed at Hyathia's knee-jerk reaction to his prodding; She could be so innately haughty, in such an adorable way that it only made him want to tease her more. Externally, however, the smile fell off of the man's face at her reply, replaced with a confused frown. Wait... was she being serious? Surely not, but... Putting his doubts to the test, Erin actually did turn around. And the sight he saw caused him to visibly pale— something that Hyathia would notice only after he turned back to her.

"Him?" The young warrior replied in grave disbelief, his heart sinking a bit. Well, that was... certainly sobering. He felt as though he'd been stabbed— again, which was insane considering that he literally had been stabbed earlier in the day. Composing himself by hiding his face behind his cup, Erin cleared his throat before continuing. "I-I mean. I, uh, I didn't know you were... er. Ahem. He... seems nice, I suppose?"

Hyathia had gotten more wine and it was all she could do not to choke on it while trying to fight off a laugh.

"I find the aged man quite attractive. I mean why not.." she went on, gesturing animatedly with her hands. "He's clearly got money.. experience and the most beautifully snow white of hair!"

Dumbfounded, yet admittedly humbled by this revelation, Erin could only blankly nod in unwitting acceptance as Hyathia went on about the extravagant benefits of older men. To say that Erin was shaken would've been an understatement; Ignoring the blow to his ego, Hyathia's words were so disproportionate to literally everything he knew— or thought he knew— about her that it never dawned on him that she could possibly be joking.

It also, expectedly, got under his skin just a little to picture Hyathia happier with someone else, rather than him. A bitter pill to swallow, despite the fact that he'd been trying to mentally enforce a bit of separation between them in his mind prior. Crazy; He'd never been madly infatuated with anyone other than Evelyn before, and now he was experiencing jealousy for the first time. What a day.

"Ah... well, I can't say I relate, admittedly, but I'm not... er... Well, I'm sure any older noble would be glad to have you by their side." He responded after taking it all in, fighting to keep his cool. There was an ugly sensation bubbling up inside him that was rather unfitting of someone like him, but he did well to squash it, for everyone's sake.

She was shaking trying to hold back her laugh. She had never been that good at keeping up with a farce. She covered her mouth and looked away. But his expression... was he truly playing along with her?

Very unpleasant indeed.

Erin wasn't really sure what to think at the moment. He wasn't exactly the sharpest knife in the thicket when it came to matters of the heart— he spent his years in the heat of battle, distracting himself from... well, himself, with adventure and excitement. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of a woman he'd shared a night with talking about other men, but... maybe that was normal? Hell if he knew.

"...Pardon for a moment— I have to take care of something. I'll be right back, okay?" He mentioned in a seemingly distracted tone, quickly standing and stepping away from the table without much explanation. And step away he did, quite quickly at that— seemingly heading toward the tavern's kitchen, before his figures disappeared into the crowd.

Hyathia blinked quizzically as he excused himself. Oh, he must need to use the privy. 

"Okay.. but you'd better be right back!" She teased after. Truthfully he hoped he did hurry back. She still felt anxious in this place, even more so without Erin there to distract her from curious eyes. So as she waited she simply focused on her drink, avoiding anyone's eyes but often times trying to seek out Erin in the crowd to see if he had returned.

To Erin's word, he wasn't long at all; Within a few minutes he was strolling back with a renewed pep in his step, as if some burden had been lifted from his shoulders. What had changed? It was hard to say. His hair seemed to be a slight bit disheveled, but that could've just been from the walk, or brushing against something. His figure provoked a few chuckles here and there as he got closer to his table, but it wasn't immediately apparent as to what was so funny— until he got close enough to Hyathia that a rather obvious, stinging handprint had been newly added to his face.

"Apologies— I had to go meet someone. Now, where were we? Older nobles, was it?" He started up as if nothing was wrong, a perfectly normal smile on his face as he tapped at his earlier-cleaned plate absentmindedly.

Although he hadn't been gone long, it felt like an eternity. Especially with the pressure of those staring at her from around them. The patrons had been keeping an eye on their table, no doubt to see if the couple would cause another scene. Hyathia was trying to play off she didn't notice, and the expression she wore when Erin finally returned was one of pure elation. She had begun to worry about him, if only because her mind was preoccupied with anything else. But then she saw his hair and a redness to hid face and frowned, rising from her seat.

"Oh, Erin.. are you okay?"

But then she saw it- the unmistakable hand print imprinted on his cheek. She covered her mouth reflexively, her mind looping through all sorts of reasons for Erin's sudden look. And before she could think better to ask...

"By Ansgar's name.. what happened to your face?"

Erin smirked, closing his eyes while raising a hand to his face to touch the fresh red mark. It probably would've been too much to ask for Hyathia to not mention it, knowing her-- so he was neither disappointed nor annoyed that it came up immediately. "A reality check," He answered with an amused tone to his voice, his fingers touching at the taut skin. He wasn't lying, but the full story was rather embarrassing to speak for certain. There was no easy way to explain that in his disbelief and jealousy, he went to ask one of the waitresses he knew fairly well if he also fancied older men over someone like him; And certainly no easy way to explain that that her answer was a resoundingly physical 'stop being stupid' to the face.

It was just as difficult to explain that in his confused state of mind, given that she didn't actually DENY the accusation, Erin was coming to a rather sudden and wildly incorrect assumption that younger women just sorta preferred older men as a whole; A tough pill to swallow for him, given he'd always had a devilishly youthful face, but he took it in stride all the same. "More importantly, have you thought anymore about what you're gunna do when we head back toward Vythe?" He started, his tone a bit lower to not raise any potential eyebrows near them. "I'm guessing you've got family, or friends you'll want to look for, yeah?"

At the question, she dropped her gaze. 

"I... well.. no, not really," She began slowly. She didn't lift her gaze, chewing over all the thoughts that plagued her. 

"Do.. you think it would be safe to return there?" She asked quietly, finally lifting her gaze after a time.

"No," Came Erin's short, swift, yet honest reply, thinking back on the events that led them out of the duchy, "It's probably pretty perilous right now. At best, the worst of the riots and internal fighting have subsided and the people of the duchy have taken martial law into their own hands. That's at best, of course."

He then looked to Hyathia intently, as if expecting her to admit to something that he'd stated— but knowing that she wouldn't— or rather, couldn't— he continued on. "Then there's the fact that there are apparently folks that are after you in particular. It would've been one thing if you were just some high-value noble, but considering you might be the gra—" He began, before realizing what he was saying and cutting himself off, "...Considering someone came after you specifically, there's probably a greater risk and reward in place for your capture in particular."

He closed his eyes, and thought for a moment... before eventually opening them and smiling. "...But that's what I'm here for. Doesn't matter how dangerous it is— AAs long as you stick with me, I can guarantee your safety. A promise is a promise, after all."

Hyathia chewed on her lip worriedly. 

"I.. it.. still doesn't make any sense to me. I'm not anyone of consequence." Sighing, she lowered her gaze, staring at her plate and suddenly not feeling very hungry.

Yes, the fact he'd offered to protect her made her feel better but the earlier thoughts...

"But I'm old enough," She began after a time. "I.. I can be on my own.. live my own life and not keep myself tied back there..."
Her thoughts trailed off. 

But what about those she cared for. At this, she raised her eyes to Erin.

Erin nodded in agreement, shifting in his chair a bit. She was right; She wasn't a child... no matter how much she sometimes reminded him of one. "At the end of the day, leaving home of your own accord is something you have to do with all your heart. Getting displaced, or swept up in an adventure... I know full well how things like that can result in loose threads and regrets."

He could remember a trip he took through the Niahi forest; An escort job where he'd been tasked with helping a daughter find her way back to a sick mother in La'marri. She'd left home after a fight, and never properly made up afterwards. Never got the chance to, either— the trip took longer than her mother had left in this world, and they arrived too late for any kind of closure to be had. Erin dealt with situations like that in the field at times— but that one in particular always hit hard.

"You have my support, no matter what you decide to do." He explained, raising his cup to his lips once more, relishing the wine. "Just... Whatever you decide to do, decide on it with all your heart."

Hyathia wished so desperately that she could hug Erin, but either propriety as it were... she refrained and simply fidgeted in her seat, only then deciding to pick up her glass of wine and began to drink. 

Her eyes were affixed elsewhere, a nervous foot tapping beneath the table as she frowned and thought about too many things at once. 

Erin watched Hyathia from across the table, his own thoughts beginning to swim with the wine in his system. 'Decide on it with all your heart', huh... His mind flickered briefly back toward Evelyn, and his gaze trailed upward. He, himself still had unresolved emotions dwelling within him— flittering in and out of visibility in his mind like so many leaves gently dropping from a tree.

Was she right about Hyathia? And what was that kiss? And who had come after him earlier? He didn't know which of these problems to attempt unraveling first— if at all.

So he threw them all on the back burner, smiling as he finished his wine and sat the empty cup on the table near an equally empty plate. He was sure it'd all work itself out eventually. "You must be tired. You've had quite a long day, all things considered." He noted, taking stock of her plate and the occupied look in her eyes. "We'll head back to the inn soon— I'll even let you have the whole of your bed tonight, and sleep in mine." He joked with a smile, his tone low enough that she could hear, but the finally-quieted peanut gallery could not.

Hyathia hadn't considered what going to bed could fully entail until he spoke and she tensed, blushing at his words.

And then she smiled, peering up at him sheepishly.

"You know.. despite everything that had happened I'm glad." She paused to take him in, eyes honest.. loving. "If none of this craziness had occurred I'd never have met you, Erin."

Erin blinked, a very, very light shade of red dampening his cheeks as he chuckled a bit at her honesty. She could truly say the most disarming things when one didn't expect it...

"Haha, well, I... I'm glad I met you too, Hyathia." He somewhat awkwardly responded, reciprocating her feelings. It was always odd to him, the idea of truly opening up to others. He was more or less always some level of distant from the world— it was the only way to deal with a lot of what he'd been through— but Hyathia required... no, demanded more than that. Very few people had ever made him feel that way— vulnerable, in a sense.

She dropped her gaze, blush glowing. 

"I.. '  she looked towards her wine and decided to drink more down. 

"It.. it's been a long couple of days... hasn't it?" She asked, looking up at him again. 

"Fairly so. And they don't tend to het much shorter, when there's adventures to be had. But try not to dwell on it too much, okay? Trust your lowly knight-guardian; The harder you stew on something, the less it makes sense." He explained, filling his own cup with wine once more.

"For instance, if the Duke's men are—"

*Crash*

A loud noise roused Erin from his thoughts as a sea of cheers and laughter broke out some few tables away. His eyes scanned the scene from his seat, not out of concern but intrigue... and after seeing a man flat on his ass with half a cup's worth of mead spilled on the floor, and another man climbing atop a table with an empty cup of his own, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight, disorderly though it was.

"Better start wrapping up— It gets wild around this hour, and more than a few lads are about to start getting tossed out— after getting a couple bruises from the tavern keeps." Erin noted with a smile, turning his attention back to Hyathia. "Happens more than it doesn't. Didn't see it yesterday, I figure, due to... uh. Well." 'Due to me tossing you onto a table before anyone else could get too rowdy' was the correct answer, but not the one he wanted to admit to at the moment, so he simply let it be— and somewhat hoped , with a bit of red across his face, that Hyathia would as well.

Hyathia's face went red. Well.. she supposed there was no use denying what they'd done. However, she was too much of a prude to press.

"I suppose it is getting late.." she agreed, then hurriedly drank down her remaining whine. "Probably not a bad time to retire. "

A smile graced Erin's face as he nodded in agreement with Hyathia, setting his cup down. His mind, however, flashed to something he'd not taken care of— something he had to take care of soon. It was the perfect opportunity..."Hyathia— tomorrow, I have some business with a guild to knock out. Won't take long, but... I won't be able to have you tag along."

He stood, stretching his legs and feeling the blood rush through his body proper once more. The tavern lighting flickered here and there, the oil lamps beginning to grow dim— thankfully, the waitresses were attentive in their maintenance, and were already going about refilling them, one by one.

"Don't worry, nothing dangerous... but in the meantime, Eve'll keep an eye out for you."

Oh.

Right.

Erin had a life before he was suddenly caught up into the insanity that had been the attack of her home city, and more personally, an attempted kidnapping of herself gone terribly wrong. Yet she couldn't help but feel useless.. childish even that she needed to be 'watched ' .

"Oh, don't put Eve out on my account. I'm sure I can manage on my own while you're away."
She forced herself to smile at him prettily. She had reservations to this, sure, buy she hated being seen as such an inconvenience. 

"Oh?"

Erin sported an amused grin as he slowly walked from his side of the table, and over toward her own. "What's this tone of independence I'm hearing from the princess I'm looking after? You're not trying to impress me, are you?" Erin was being coy, certainly— but as he circled to her chair and came to a stop behind her, he thought about how much the girl had been through, in such a short amount of time. Certainly, he'd seen people experience worse, but typically not in so short a timeframe as the unlucky lass before him.

He draped his arms over the back of her chair, and allowed his fingers, firm yet precise in their movements, to rest on her shoulders. Absentmindedly, his hands set themselves to work with a gentle massage, running from the base of her neck to her shoulders on both sides as he continued. "That means no crying, no panic attacks, and no getting kidnapped while I'm gone, okay?" He explained, half-joking, in a tone of voice just loud enough for her to hear. In truth, he didn't doubt she could handle herself... one would only presume she had done so for the past few years of her life. And yet, the trouble was never a matter of if one could handle a situation, but if they would.

When Erin began to massage her shoulders, she couldn't help but release a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She also hadn't realized how tense she was until he went to work on her shoulders, which made her sigh again.

"If I just keep myself indoors, I can't see much of an issue," She finally said, leaning back into his working fingers. "If there's one thing I have great practice at, it's staying shut away inside."

She frowned, recalling her life before and how easily it had been taken from her. Then a slow smile graced her lips as she glanced his way.

Wasn't this what she had already dreamed about as a young girl? To be whisked away by some heroic knight? And to go on some sort of romantic adventure?

She supposed she had more than enough of that for one life time, considering all that had transpired within just a few brief days.

"I promise I won't cry too much," she teased.

Unexpectedly, Erin leaned in over Hyathia's shoulder and swooped in to steal a rather swift kiss from her cheek, before following up with a low, but calmed tone of voice. "It'll have to do, I suppose," He said, jestfully relenting on his concerns at her resolve, "But I won't get too upset if you miss me, either."

Erin was quickly becoming used to Hyathia's presence— more so than a normal passerby, at least, to such an extent that he felt comfortable being much more vulnerable and open with her in public. He wasn't sure if it was the residual adrenal affect of everything they'd been through in so short a time, or simply how starved for such affections he'd been all of his life— but whichever the case was, he liked how he felt. Minus the mortal concern for the girl's life.

Hyathia snorted, then blushed, covering her nose at how unladylike that just was! She turned away, clearing her throat in hopes to hide what she had just done.
"Well... I might miss you.." she went on, lifting up her fingers as if to measure an inch. A small inch.  "Just.. a little."

Erin let out a chuckle at Hyathia's reaction— genuinely amused at how comfortable she, in turn, seemed to be getting with him. He was no stickler for the prim and proper, after all— in love or friendship, he much preferred seeing people for who they really were.

"Perfect." He replied, pulling back a bit as he moved to her side, extending a hand in a most gentlemanly manner to help her from her seat. Much as he'd have enjoyed spending the waning hours of the night musing away of a few more cups of wine, he had to be the responsible one of the two of them. He learned that the hard way the night prior. "Shall we, then?"

She beamed and took his arm, standing. 
"Lead the way, my knight," She flirted, eyes glittering with the faintest of a feral like playfulness that could only come from a youth. 

To be at such an age of attraction,  learnedness and to be utterly smitten... and despite all that had transpired she was still so very naive. 

But did it matter in that moment? No.. not to her. All that mattered was the moment. And she couldn't be more thrilled it was with him. 

As the two walked beneath the moonlight of a calmer, far more coherent night than prior, Erin reflected on the memories he'd built within the city. Some, he'd shared with Hyathia prior, and others he recalled and told her about as they took quite the scenic route back toward the inn they'd booked a room at. It was a beautiful evening— the stars above shown with an uncharacteristic charm. Had he not some business to attend to in the morning, he would've loved nothing more than to sit out and stare at the night sky until they drifted proper into sleep.

Simple dreams for a simple guy, as if were. Eventually, however, he returned to the inn with Hyathia, the familiar jingle of a door chime greeting them as they entered. Yet the attendant this evening was not the man it had been prior— perhaps he was only a few moments away, or otherwise preoccupied. Instead, a woman of, perhaps, similar age to Hyathia stood in his place behind a desk, politely smiling and bowing before them as they entered.

"Ah, welcome! Will you be requiring—" She began, about to ask if they sought lodging... before she recognized them. And really, no one could blame her sudden reaction afterwards, given the embarrassment of not recognizing guests that she'd not only served just the morning earlier, but also not recognizing guests that had left such an... 'impression' on her— and the rest of the staff— the night prior.

In her defense, both Hyathia and Erin were far less... unclothed, than they were this morning, when she came to tend to their bath.

On that note, with a face as red as a freshly-ripened tomato, the woman bowed again, muttering something along the lines of "Please excuse me," and "enjoy your stay", before promptly seeing herself away from the front desk, leaving Erin a tiny bit flustered as he, too, recognized the maid from earlier.

"...W-well. To sleep, then." Was all he could muster, before continuing with Hyathia to their room, and wondering how long he would now be known for... well, that.

Hyathia was taken by the stars as she clung to Erin's arm while they walked. 
"It's so beautiful she murmured," almost reluctant to head inside, despite a yawn. 

But once inside.. well... the atmosphere soon changed and even Hyathia was beet red. She supposed they should have been a bit more.. er.. careful while they were being so intimate. She felt bad for the maids but there was little sge could do, especially as she anxiously chewed on her lip and avoided eye contact. 

She nodded at his words as they made their way to their room and she couldn't erase her sheepish grin. Was it her fault Erin was good looking and she was.. quite attracted to him? 

He had also been her first and after spending a night with him... it was a little more than addicting. But she supposed they ought to just sleep that evening. Erin had much to do and well... he didn't need her keeping him up again all night.

However as they had returned to their room...
It was difficult not to think getting carried away with him again, especially as she hesitated on getting undressed for the night. 

Erin closed the door behind them as he thought quietly on the day that's passed. The maid earlier plight of embarrassment had stirred semi-tempered feelings in his heart. He was a young man— it was only natural that even thinking about such things after only having just experienced them for the first time was bound to rule him up... but it wasn't just the night of passion he'd spent with Hyathia that was on his mind.

Evelyn... that kiss. The young man's heart skipped a beat remembering it. Nothing he'd done in life had felt so undeniably wrong, yet undoubtedly natural. He moved to his bedside, taking a moment to sit and rest as the physical memory of that moment replayed in his mind.

He was much, much too worked up to sleep at the moment.

"Looks as though the bath was prepared in advance— why don't you step in first? Don't worry, I promise not to peak." He mused to Hyathia, as he lit one of the candles on their table. Kind of the innkeep to replace the candles as well— but he supposed it was the least the man could do, given that he was being paid proper. Perks of the life of an adventurer, really— a few gold coins was nothing to be concerned about when your career often sent you headfirst into mortal danger.

Hyathia stuck her tongue out at him. Childish as it was, she did it anyways.

"I suppose I can trust you... what with you saving my life and all," She went on, teasing before giving him a soft kiss, one that lingered a little before she disappeared in the back to clean up. 

And the bathing room smelled heavenly. Whatever scented oils they used this time were high quality. However, before she closed the door, she peeked out over to Erin and asked sheepishly..

"Can.. you help a girl out? Hard to get these strings undone by myself.." she admitted, cheeks more than a little pink. 

Erin's eyes widened a bit, and he found himself left understandably breathless as Hyathia moved in and kissed him before he could have prepared himself for it. He had to admit— his own provocations aside, he was pleasantly surprised at how openly the young lady was willing to express her feelings for him... especially considering how much she seemed to care about her image in public. As she pulled away, Erin tried to chase after her lips, but she was just a bit too quick for him.

His mind blanked. Now he really didn't know how he was going to sleep tonight.

At first, he made an honest attempt at putting it out of his mind; a kiss was a kiss, after all. He'd been kissed before, he'd kissed before. The logic would've worked wonders for helping him calm down a bit, had Hyathia's voice not called back out to him from just beyond the bath's doorway.

Help her... undress? Gods be good. Putting on as brave a face as he could Erin stood up to meet her. "I'd be happy to, my lady," Came his overly serious response, which bordered in teasing. He was pretty good with his hands, admittedly... but that wasn't exactly the issue here. As much as he dished it out, Erin was quickly learning that he was surprisingly weak to similar such advances.

He came to a slowed stop as he reached her, and stepped behind her— putting a bit of space between them as he did, for good measure. It really, really wouldn't do for her to back into him by accident right that moment. "Now, let's see here... where do I pull..." His fingers slowly found the string, seemingly in no particular hurry as his hands made a slow, eventful trek from the small of the woman's back to the base of her neck, searching for the ties that were in plain sight.

She peeked back at him as his fingers sauntered over the ties. She tried not to shiver, but the goosebumps were there. 

"Are the laces that complicated?" She teased, cheeks flushing lightly at the contact of his fingers against her back. 

Erin chuckled lightly, his fingers still knowingly dancing around the actual ties— and as a result, across Hyathia's skin as he pretended to not be able to figure out how to loosen the ties. "Maybe just a little." He mused, before he eventually moving his hands to untie the string at its height.

Erin watched as the thread naturally came loose from there under the weight of the dress itself. It cloth loosened against her body, and nearly threatened to fall off entirely— least, that was how it looked to Erin. His eyes couldn't help but drink in the sight, but he refrained from commenting in turn— instead doing the gentlemanly thing and taking a step back, averting his gaze.

"Aaaaaaand there you go." He stated with a mask of pride, hoping to play off how flustered he was.

Erin chuckled a bit, but continued to tease her just a bit more in turn; His fingers pressing ever so gently into her skin as he traced the path of the string along her body, up to the tie at the base of her neck. "It must be the lack of sunlight. Or the wine. Whichever is easier to blame." He joked, pulling a knot loose a long last, and watching with vested interests as the curves of her body slowly began to come free of the restraints of the dress. There was just enough space between the fabric of her clothes and her skin to where could easily slide his hands—

...Aaaaaaand he needed to step back.

"...There you go. Your multi-talented knight, at your service." He proclaimed, now looking elsewhere—the window would work— to avoid riling himself up any further. Think of... other things, he told himself. The battlefield. Adellan horse-folk. The Fell. Anything. He was beginning to regret not taking those meditation lessons from that mage he'd been holed up with back in Serendipity...

His attentions then his purposeful avoidance was not lost to her. And Hyathia simply let the dress fall off, where it fell in a heavy pile at her feet. 

A moment later, she thanked him and stepped into the bathing room.. but not before giving him a little playful look and not bothering to close the door behind her.

Groaning, Erin debated closing the door behind Hyathia as she moved on into the bathroom, weighing the consequences of doing so. It seemed a simple enough task-- grab the handle, pull the door until it settled into place. But Erin was... not having a great time of handling simple tasks. Both his mind and heart were playing the greatest game of Connlaothian Conquest he'd ever partaken in-- his chest thumping nearly-audibly from temptation, his head swimming with thoughts of the night prior. He didn't exactly trust himself to be alone with the young noblewoman at the mome--

...Right. Noblewoman.

If the auburn-haired warrior could slap himself, he would've. He'd forgotten something so obvious-- so vital. And even if the implications of Evelyn's words weren't entirely true, if there was a chance that her blood tied so high as the seat of the Grand Duchy...

With a long, deep sigh, Erin steeled himself and closed the door behind Hyathia, before going to rest at the side of his bed. His mind wandered as he spent a time chastising himself for his hasty, hot-blooded nature, and thought through what he had to do in the morning. He did everything he could to cool himself off-- even reminded himself that Hyathia was into much older, more experienced men than himself, as he had found out earlier. He wouldn't touch her; He couldn't. Not before her life was no longer in danger-- and not before he, and she, uncovered the truth of her blood.

Sometime later, the door opened and the soft, misty scent of the perfumed bath drifted lazily in as Hyathia stepped from the room.  Her long hair hung heavily about her, wet from the bath, but towel dried well enough. 

She spotted Erin over by the bed and approached him with a smile.

"The bathing room is now yours if you want it," She playfully informed, eyeing him over before taking a seat beside him, only her robe keeping her modest.

Erin, by comparison, was a bit lost in thought when Hyathia stepped out of the bathing room— and as her warmed body came to rest near his own, and her scent— the entrancing blend of her her own skin and the fragrant soaps and oils— hit his nose, Erin sprung up... and also stood up, as quickly and discreetly as he possibly could.

"R-right— bath, yeah. Better... better go do that." Erin's voice— much like his mind— was a bit displaced and irregular. Nothing worrying, naturally, but he was very clearly distracted. His frustrations built all the more as memories of the steamy morning they'd had together vividly replayed in his head as he moved to the bathing room door. Why the hell was she so damn hot coming out of the shower!?

Remember; Older men. Older men. Older men. "I won't be long— but don't wait up on my behalf, okay? You've had a pretty long day, after all." He noted, before pulling the door closed behind him. The door, to be safe, was unlocked; Hyathia had a tendency of having the worst possible thing go wrong at any given time, but more specifically when it was least convenient.

Oh how she reveled in the awkward reactions he gave to her. She never had a man faun over her before, not the way Erin did. She had been locked away inside her manor home for too many years and now...? Now that she was forced to experience life, and surviving, she was simply thriving on this feeling.

Maybe... just maybe they could... have another go at intimacy that night?

It seemed he was being shy about it this time around, but that made her all the more giddy for it. She could seduce him! Pay him back or what he did to her in that tavern! Except.. he was so clever with his words and charms and hands...

She blushed pink at the memory, moving about throughout the room as she brushed out her long, dark hair. She passed by the window, feeling warm and threw the latch open, sighing as the feeling of the cool night air kissed her skin-

And then was suddenly screaming as a man, who had to have come from nowhere snatched her clean from the room, and yanked her out into the night.  She wasn't sure what happened next, the man's hot, sweaty hands clasped over her mouth to stifle anymore yelling as a blade was pressed to her throat.

The man pushed her forward, Hyathia stumbling with her bare feet on the cobble stones and barely able to keep her robe closed. She had lost the tie.. it must have come off in the bedroom...
and her hairbrush lay who knew where...
But as she was forced to move, forced to hurry, she saw she was being lead towards a dark carriage, whose doors swung open.  Her eyes widened, she frantically moved.

No, no! She knew if she ended up in there and they got away without Erin seeing..
There was no way for him to find her.
To rescue her...
She wouldbe taken by those men...
Were.. these those same men!? How had they found her!?

She struggled, the blade cutting her, reminding her it was there as she whimpered against the man's hand- and then realized she had only one option as the man began to stuff her into the carriage-

She bit... hard. The man screamed- then she screamed- calling out desperately for Erin before the door slammed shut and the carriage began to race down the road.

Erin had only made it out of his tunic in the moments that had passed, his head still abuzz with thoughts that a good-natured, angel-blessed warrior like himself should be very much ashamed of. He was, in fact, very much in control of his facilities now; Compared to the prior day, he could think relatively straight, and as such his mind and his heart were at odds.

'I love you'. Powerful words shared between lovers, and Erin had, in his faulted state of mind, not only spoken them but indulged in them. He'd ridden the high of that night all throughout the day, and only now that the evening had come full circle did he begin to feel the weight of his actions. He wasn't sure how to feel about any of it anymore.

It was the sudden commotion from outside, however, that broke him from his stupor and caused him to turn on his heels, rushing for the door. It flung open, and Erin— eyes narrowed and alert, scanned the room for the disturbance only to find that there was none; worse still, there was no disturbance OR Hyathia. His mind racing, he ran to the window adjacent to the bathing room— One which Hyathia had opened. He moved quickly to the window as yet another familiar cry rang out from outside, and saw a trace of the young noblewoman vanish within a carriage, which began to depart. "Seth help me— I knew it." He frowned, but could not afford to stew on the circumstances for too long.

With a dexterous flip, Erin leapt out of the window, but not to the ground; Instead he flipped upward, scaling the side of the building and making his way onto the roof of the inn. From here, he could see the carriage much easier from further away. Wordlessly, he began pursuit; Dashing forth across the rooftop of the building on foot, keeping an impressive pace with the carriage and leaping from rooftop to rooftop to keep up with it.

Why now? And how? Erin was fairly sure that he'd kept her at a low profile— and with the exception of that damned blood mage back in Vythe, he didn't have any enemies bold enough to attack or accost him or anyone in his protection in public. Could it be that the folks who were after her on the mountainside had sniffed her out?

Erin's heart began to race, and his adrenaline pulsed— not from fear, but from rage. So be it. If he had to hunt down and kill every single soul that so much as thought to come after Hyathia in order for her to find some peace, then he would.

"Bind her up. And gag her. She's got a set of pipes on her and there's soldiers infesting this town. "

Hyathia struggled, pausing as two men were struggling with her, her robe slipping off.. and open.  She couldn't help but paniack more as these devious men were getting eyefuls of her half naked body.

Oh Ansgar's name... had Erin heard her? Or anyone? Maybe some nearby soldiers?

The town had been all but infested with them.. surely.. surely someone would have heard her!

The ropes were pressing in oppressively tight against her wrists, her fingers - no.. her whole hands tingling at the tight bonds. Then their rough hands were  fighting her squirming legs. She was able to kick one of them in the face a few times before the other man grabbed her entire body in a bear hug and dragged her onto the floor of the carriage. 

She kept trying to scream, to yell, but soon she was silenced as  she gagged against the gag tied roughly in around her mouth and head.

But still, she squirmed and squealed, robe now openly to reveal all of her nude form as the man who held her entire body moved so she was atop and he lay beneath.

He reached for her kicking legs and soon- her ankles were twisted together by a rope with several tight knots.

Once she was bound, the men pulled back, sniggering over the show they were getting. But the lewd comments they gave were hushed suddenly as their leader gave the pair stern looks.

"She's  not to be your whore. You can admire all you want, touch her for all I care but don't get any ideas beyond that. She's too expensive of a mark for you to knock her up. Besides, most men want their brides pure."

The two lackeys exchanged looks.

"And if that soldier we saw her with?"

"What about him?" Their keader asked darkly.

One of the men paled.
"Well . Er... Grayson, who's Been following her.. he said.. well..."

Their leader's eyes darkened at the reveal.

Then he backhanded both of the men for with holding this from him.

"She was supposed to be a virgin! How could you keep this news from me?!"

The men had clumsy answers, never the mind it. He went to the source and hefted Hyathia up by her pretty dark hair.

"You're just as much of a whore as your mother was- wretched girl! Do you deny it? Did you bed that damned fool you've been hiding with? "

Hot tears were streaming down her face as she cried and slobbering against her gag. He saw how pathetic she looked and tossed her away, back towards the floor of the carriage.

There was a cold silence thar hung heavily in the air before the man growled and wrapped on his window.

A guard from outside came close.

"Keep an eye out for that knight who was with her. " then he closed the window and looked over at Hyathia's form, crumpled and crying on the ground. But those eyes..though she was afraid.. there was a wild fire of anger in their depths.

He didn't look at the other men as he muttered the rest.
"And you can have the Whore.  Just be done with her before ww get back to the estate."

He was fucking furious.  Not only did the whole kidnapping go side ways, but the damn girl couldn't keep her legs closed for a few days. She truly was Lady Davina Callister's bastard child. Well, might as well let the men suffering with him have their fun.

Erin maintained hot pursuit from above, his footsteps near-inaudible from the distance, his speed rivaling athletes. Without his armor and his axe weighing him down, he was much lighter-- a testament to his physique, as he trained his body to move at high, fluent speeds even when wearing heavy plate mail. Without it, leaping from rooftop to rooftop as he pursued the horse-drawn carriage. He could not keep up with a horse at full speed, but within the city no horse would be allowed to run truly free at the risk of alerting the guard-- that was his advantage.

He steeled his mind into a sharpened blade, eliminating unnecessary concerns as he made a bold jump-- crossing an entire street-- to make up some ground on the carriage. He had begun to think through his options for what exactly he could do once they stopped. He was an idiot, but he wasn't stupid; He knew he couldn't just jump down and start ripping heads from shoulders. With Hyathia in their clutches, he wouldn't be able to fight them without risking her either being hurt or killed. Indeed, killing her almost seemed like a fool's move given the lengths they'd gone to in order to capture her but the truth of the matter was that he didn't know why she was captured in the first place-- Perhaps her life was expendable, and her body was more important. Who could say.

In either case, that left him with fewer and fewer options still. The safe thing to do would've been to just keep following them, until he could see Hyathia clearly free of anyone's grasp-- or at the very least, free enough that he could swoop in and grab her before she could be taken hostage. He'd likely have to wait until they reached whatever destination they intended to make for, as only then did he imagine she'd be allowed out of the carriage.

A bead of sweat dropped from his face and was left in the wake of his dash as he considered another concern. If they left the city, he'd lose time-- at best they'd put a mile between him and the carriage as he went to collect his mount. At worst, he could lose their trail completely. He considered just leaping down onto the carriage rooftop, but these mercs were clever-- they'd hear him land, and that'd only put Hyathia at risk again. If only he'd thought to bring something he could throw at their wheels from his vantage-- Alas, he would've lost too much time in that endeavor as well.

Though frustrated, he continued to chase-- knowing he just needed to find the right moment to strike.

Erin may have noticed the smoke first- and men - the soldiers who were passing through- began to run in its direction, barking orders that the church was on fire.

It was an easy distraction, one the men knew the soldiers wouldn't ignore. And he needed to be sure they could get out of the city without incident.

He could only hope the knight would remain distracted as they made their way towards the front gates of the city. He has his men glued on them.and their position for days. When Erin moved to take his bath and the girl had come conveniently close to the window....

The signal was set and the girl- taken. 

But he still didn't feel they would be out of the clear yet. They slowed only briefly at the gate so the guards could let them pass- and it seemed to take an eternity to do just that. But then the gates were opened and soon the carriage was was starting to pick up speed. 

They had to get as much distance between themselves and the city.

And so it was that Erin's slowly growing questions over just where the hell the literal battalion of guards were that had taken up patrol in the city the day prior came to be answered swiftly as he slowed to a stop when the scent of smoke made it through the rush of adrenaline to his head, breaking him out of his dead-set trance on chasing after the carriage, and causing his attention to turn toward it's source.

The church... set aflame.

"...Fuck," Erin's heart began to sink in his chest as his mind raced. He wasn't particularly concerned about the church from a religious standpoint; There was really only one 'holy power' that he believed in-- the bestower of the gift that made him who, and what, he was. The problem was that said 'gift' required the nearby presence of places of sactitude in order for it to be truly effective-- Ulthyn's church was one of such places, and the other was but a small room in Evelyn's clinic that he'd asked her to set up specifically for him.

He had no illusions towards his death-- no reservations either. Charging ahead at an unknown number of enemies without his weapons or armor was going to get him killed. He'd die, come back, and go right back after them with the element of surprise on his side-- that was always his plan. But with the church in havoc, he wasn't sure if his gift would allow him to be reborn there-- and if something were to happen to Evelyn's practice, there was no telling how far away he'd be sent in rebirth.

His blood cooled in his chest at a sudden realization. This was no coincidence. He was certain that her pursuers likely didn't know of his particular gift and it's inner workings, but the timing of her kidnapping, the distraction of the church being set aflame... These men had done their research. They'd likely been tailing her--and by extension, him-- for quite some time... Which could very well mean that that Evelyn and Emmerin were also in danger.  The thought caused him to come to a complete stop, as his eyes darkened over the carriage, now stopped at the city gates, and the direction of Evelyn's practice.

There wasn't much time to consider the consequences, unfortunately. He had to weigh Emmerin's Evelyn's life... against Hyathia's. "...Fuck." And though it cut through to the very depths of his heart to do so... he turned and made a quick detour from the carriage before he could be spotted-- heading now in the direction of the clinic.

The carriage ride was an absolute nightmare. She had known men could do the most terrible of things, and here.. she lived it. When they were done, she curled away from her captives, eyes red and still hot from tears.

How long had they been traveling? How much longer before she'd be given over to whomever it was they planned to? And most importantly  . Where was Erin?

She has been living a fairytale dream since her rescue. The strange knight has captured her heart and well...


She had expected to be rescued...

But now was the day dragged on and they moved further abd further from the town...
She felt more and more of her frail hope cracking. She still didn't understand the situation she was in- apparently they believed she was the bastard child of the Duke's heir and another noble... her mother.. whom they kept commenting about on her reputation with men.

Hyathia shivered, continuing to press herself against the carriage seat while a few fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. She always wanted to know about her parents...
And she felt damned for that wish.

A loud knock at Evelyn's door had the woman frantically running to meet the one outside. She'd been awake the entire time-- finishing a few notes on the conditions of the resting soldiers, as well as cleaning her tools when the fire broke out. It wasn't natural-- the church being set ablaze was no coincidence, not considering how heavily guarded the city was. Against her own sense, her thoughts could only immediately turn to Erin-- especially after the incident earlier in the day, with her being one of the only people in the world who knew the truth of his greatest 'weakness'-- and thus hope sprung out against hope as she waited impatiently for some sign that he was alright. The knocks grew into near-fervent slamming as the woman at last reached the front door, and opened it to reveal a heated, lightly-sweaty Erin before her. Her eyes widened, and before she could react properly she found herself embraced deeply-- like a lost child having been found by its desperate parent.

"You're alright." The two shared the same thought in that moment; Almost scared to let each other go. But before long, Erin was the one to pull away, heart properly steeled now, though his heart was in clutches.

"Someone's taken Hyathia. Carriage.  Likely the same people who attacked us on the cliffside into Vythe." He moved past her, heading toward a room in the back of the practice—  a similar path he took when they'd first arrived in town. Evelyn's eyes followed him as his words sunk in, her mind going into a different gear as well. She had a much better head for this sort of thing than Erin did; In part due to how close he was to the situation and in part due simply to how much more analytical she was. "This just happened?" She thought aloud, before continuing. "Then the church fire—  likely an attempt to reduce the visibility on the main streets... I take it you couldn't catch them?"

"What do you think?" Fired back a frustrated Erin from a room in the back.

"I think you're about to do something stupid. Again." She retorted, though the sound of metal plates shifting and locking into place did nothing to reassure her. "Whoever is after her has resources. Allies. A network of visibility on the girl. You weren't chased into the city, and yet they found you both regardless. And they likely studied you both for long enough to know when you were most vulnerable—  or at the very least, when the two of you would be separate for long enough to capture her under your nose. You know what that means, right?"

"Not really," Came the slightly winded reply, as the sound of another heavy piece of metal being set on something echoed. Evelyn's fingers find their way to her temple, trying to alleviate the pressure of an oncoming headache as she leaned against a wall just outside of the hallway Erin had stormed down.

"It means you're not up against 'some bandits'. She's probably been targeted by a very, very high-up organisation of well-connected individuals. Whoever planned this is likely further up the ladder of nobility than both of us combined." As she finished her statement, Erin stepped out the dim candlelight of the room he'd been in, and proceeded back out of the hallway—  only now, he no longer looked the part of a commoner. Clad in his signature blood-red armor, and equipped with his mage-slaying axe, he looked more monster than man once again. Evelyn was more than used to this visage; She'd seen it many a time before, and would likely see it many a time after. The Phoenix.

"Yeah, that all tracks." Was his short, simple reply as he practically barrelled down the hall, past Evelyn. Or attempted to; Her grasp on his arm caught his attention, stopping him before he accidentally pulled her with him like flotsam. "It DOESN'T track.  That's what I'm getting at, Erin. Why would someone that far-up, that connected, go to so much trouble for one girl? Why would they risk a skirmish with the royal guard, and even break neutrality in Uthlyn—  which is under the Grand Duke's domain?" She asked, her eyes narrowing as she attempted to get her implications across.

"No idea," Was his simple response as he attempted to push past the woman; Only to be met with as much resistance as her less-trained body could muster to stop him from taking more than another step.

"STOP AND THINK, DAMNIT!"

Her voice struck him like a sharp weapon to the skull—  stunning him for a moment. A moment that Evelyn capitalised on. "This... whatever this is, it's beyond you. It's beyond both of us. There's no telling just how deep it goes—  and even if you catch up to them, take them down—  Do you really think you'll find the root of it there? That someone who went to this much trouble is going to just present themselves out in the open to let you take their head? Hells, Erin—  that's IF you can reach them! You might be the Phoenix, but you're not invincible! You can die if surrounded like anyone else—  be captured and tortured like anyone else!" She took the opportunity to reposition herself between Erin and the path to the entrance—  never letting go of him, never giving him an opportunity to push past her without hurting her.


Her face was red with frustration, anger... but also fear. Fear for the life of the man she loved. "This... where does this end, Erin? That girl—  what if she has ties to the Grand Duke himself? Do you plan on cutting your way through all of Reajh if you can't find the people who're after her? Do you plan on cutting down the Grand Duke himself!?" Words of treason, no matter how one looked at it—  an accusation worthy of jail time in and of itself. Tears welled up in her eyes as her cool beauty facade cracked and crumbled under the weight of years of fear, insecurity and regrets she'd molded into a wall to hide behind.

"She's not worth it! Not to me! I... I can't lose you. I can't." Heated tears fell freely from her face now as even her body crumbled—  her knees giving out, and her heart succumbing to despair. Erin watched, quietly as she sobbed on the wooden floors, before his eyes—  no less cold, no less steeled, turned toward the entrance.

"...Sorry, Eve. But I'm a bit of an idiot. I'm noonoe's knight, or savior. I break promises. I fail to protect the people that are close to me. Couldn't keep her safe. Couldn't keep you safe, either. But what I can do, is kill every single soul that ever dared to harm either of you. Every last one—  even if it means every Duchy in this country falls. Killing is the only thing I'm good at."

As he made for the door, Evelyn could only barely make one last attempt at stopping him—  futile though it seemed now. "...Do you love her, Erin?"

Erin stopped once more— but not for long. Looking back at the woman with a cold, despondent smile, he simply responded, "'Heroes' like me aren't capable of love." And moments later, he was out the door, leaving Evelyn alone with her thoughts—  and her despair.