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The young woman turned her head slightly when the fox came to hug her. Wrapping her arms around him, Calli let a small sob escape her lips. All she wanted to do was curl up somewhere and never get up. There was just ... something seemed to be tugging her mind back to Violet, always making her think of him and reminding her that he wasn't ther person she'd thought he was. The only reason the man had been alright with her in bed was because of a spell, one which she hadn't yet removed from him.
In any case, Callista realized she wanted to go back. But she'd promised Talis that he would be free, and when he was Violet was as good as dead. Somehow she had to warn him, tell him of the danger he might face. Standing from her seat, the young woman ran outside. Picking up some snow, she fashioned it into a bird and whispered her message to it. "I'm going to free Talis soon. He wants to kill you, and I can't bear the thought of your death. So please heed my warning Violet. Despite everything you've done to me, I.. I ... you have my heart and even if no one else would miss you, I would. And this is despite the fact that I'm not even a person to you but just a thing." One of her tears fell onto the little bird just before she threw it up into the air. It flew away to find Violet and whisper her message into his ears. Returning inside the shelter, the young woman lapsed into silence again. Letting out a sigh, Nereus shook his head. "I want him dead also. Perhaps you could save a piece for me?" He didn't want that man being able to hurt Lily again. The only way he could see of doing that was killing him. Though, the white haired man felt a little guilty for wanting to end his life so badly after seeing how much Callista loved him. In all probability she was the only one who'd ever even think of missing the man. "Though for her sake I think we might have to make it quick..." When she found out what had happened, perhaps it would give her some modicum of comfort. |
Lily sighed softly when Callista pulled away from him and ran out the shelter they were in. He glanced at Nereus and Talis, shrugging as he stood to walk over to them. His ears twitching lightly as he slipped a hand in one of Nereus'. Those eyes on Talis, he really didn't think the dragon should stand that close to the fire, but he was silent. Only leaning against Nereus some.
Talis frowned very deeply when Callista ran out of the shelter. She was so upset, Talis couldn't help but feel bad at least a little bit for making her upset. "I wish she would stop. Just stop caring about him and stop being upset." He grit his teeth a bit and fell silent. Violet continued to pace back and forth across the floor of his study. Though eventually he grew tired and plopped down in the chair behind the large desk. Sighing, he rubbed at his temples. Still trying to ignore and figure out all these strange emotions he was feeling. He knew they shouldn't be there, so the sooner his men found his runaways the sooner he could get that mage to release the spell she had put over him. He wasn't sure how long he had set there, but something caught his attention. A bird sat on the windowsill of the study's window. It wasn't an ordinary bird, and it wasn't one of his messenger birds. Violet jumped to his feet and crossed the room quickly, throwing the window open and holding his hand for the odd bird. When it delivered the message he shooed it off. Growling a bit under his breath. Let the dragon come for him, he would just enslave the stupid beast again. He left his study with hurried strides. |
A smile tugged up Nereus's lips as Lily walked over and put his hand in his. Pulling the fox even closer, the white haired man whispered softly in his ear. "I still want to know what kind of place you would like to live in." Glancing up at Talis, the knight's mood sobered. Especially so when Callista walked over and said her piece to what the dragon had said mere moments before.
After a few more moments spent feeling sorry for herself, the young woman shook her head and put her foot down. Enough was enough. Callista was determined to escape. Despite the way she felt for Violet, she couldn't go back to being treated the way she'd been. Standing carefully, the young woman brushed off stray pieces of snow from her clothing and moved to join the others around the fire. She'd caught some of what Talis said when she ran out, and frowned in his direction now that she'd returned. "I don't know if you've ever fallen for anyone before, but it takes more then a few days to get over them." If ever actually. But that was beside the point. Glancing over at Nereus and Lily, Callista grinned at them. They looked so happy together! |
Lily shifted on his feet slightly. He wanted to say something to Talis, but he held it in. He thought the dragon was being a bit too mean about all this, but he really did understand how Talis felt more than he understood Callista. He squeezed Nereus' hand lightly, his ear twitching lightly when the man whispered into it. His eyes were on Talis though, and then Callista when she came back in to fuss at Talis. His ears drooped a bit.
Talis hand clenched and unclenched. "At least I've never fallen for someone that treats me like I'm just some toy to be abused until I've completely broken and then thrown away. That's all he wants to do with you and you know it, so squash these stupid feelings you think you have for that vile man and get over it." Golden eyes flashed dangerously, but Talis wouldn't harm Callista, not over something as petty as this. The dragon was very angry though. "If you want to fall in love with someone, then fall for someone who's capable of loving you back. You're only torturing yourself with all this nonsense!" |
She was seething now. "Oh, did you have someone else in mind? Like yourself maybe?" Crossing her arms, she glared at the dragon. Her voice was caustic when the mage continued on. "It's not like there's very much choice, besides at least I can feel love. Unlike others I could mention." Her blue eyes bored into Talis's golden ones. It was obvious who she meant. Usually the young woman would never have dreamed of speaking to anyone in such a way, but her emotions had been running pretty freely recently. They weren't going to calm down so easily.
Nereus could only watch in an almost stunned silence. Looking down at Lily, he sighed and tugged the fox outside. It was obvious this was upsetting the younger man. "It looks like those two have a lot to talk about." Looking up at the still blue sky, Nereus closed his eyes briefly. This reminded him a little of running during the war, but this time .. This time he had a choice in the matter and he was choosing to do so. It was difficult, yes, but it was worth it so far. |
Talis growled lightly. "Not very much choice? You're free now, there's men all over the place that would love you and adore you. Treat you like a princess not some slave." He grit his teeth, grinding them together for a few moments. "You're being incredibly stupid and crazy! That man only wants to use you, use your powers for his own personal gains. I can feel love and I certainly wouldn't let myself love someone like Violet! Gods woman, what the hell is wrong with you?" He reached for her, as if he were going to grab her shoulders to shake her some, but he stopped in mid reach, apparently deciding against such action.
Lily hesitated when Nereus tugged him out, not quite wanting to leave Callista and Talis alone, but he didn't want to be in there while they argued either. With a sigh he let Nereus lead him out. His ears drooping a bit more, and a slight frown on his lips. He glanced over his shoulder and then shrugged, clutching to Nereus hand a bit tightly. |
"I don't want to be alone anymore! That's why I left my tower in the first place. Having just a cat for a companion gets really annoying after a while, we couldn't exactly have conversations. " Glancing away from Talis, she sighed and tightened her grip on her elbows. "Besides, I doubt anyone would want to treat me like a princess. Finding out the woman they've been courting is a mage tends to frighten men off, and even before then they never did treat me as well as they should have." At least she knew what to expect from Violet. That was more then she could say for some of the other fellows she'd had to deal with.
Slipping his hand from Lily's, Nereus wrapped his arms around him instead. "Lily I'm so glad I found you..." The softly spoken words slipped from the knight's mouth as he pulled the fox close. He couldn't stand seeing his lover, for lack of a better word, so sad. Nereus feathered light kisses over Lily's face in an attempt to cheer the fox up, and hoped it would work. |
"Just because some treat you like that doesn't mean all of them will and it certainly doesn't mean you should fall in love with the worst one." This argument was going nowhere it seemed to him and he shook his head. "There is someone out there that would treat you as a princess, but you have to let yourself find him. Why settle for someone that'll beat you until you're dead when you could live a long life with someone that will be tender with you?" Talis really couldn't understand it, she was just making excuses as far as he could tell. "Do you really want to love a man that will do nothing but treat you like his whore?"
Lily clung to Nereus when the man wrapped his arms around him. He smiled softly at the light kisses that were trailed across his face, giggling lightly. "I'm glad you're so nice to me!" He wriggled a bit and kissed Nereus cheek softly, his ears still drooped though as he tried hard not to hear the argument between Callista and Talis, but his ears picked up almost every single word. "I want Callista and Talis to be happy." He nuzzled Nereus gently. |
It seemed like everything he said was just making her feel worse, because she knew he was right. Shaking her head to try and deny it, Callista closed her eyes tightly and tried to wish everything away. Though she knew it wouldn't work at all. "Why do you care? You're just gonna leave anyway." Blue eyes open wide now, she tried to hide how much his words had hurt by deflecting the conversation away from her. Besides, Callista was just a little curious. They'd never spoken all that much before, and now here they were arguing over something very personal.
Seeing Lily smile made Nereus's heart lighten. Tilting his head down, he buried his face in the fox's hair had sighed slightly. "I know you do ... I wish they'd be happy too." It would make traveling so much easier. At the same time it would make Lily happy, and Nereus had realized that seeing the fox happy mattered tremendously to him. |
"I care because I'm not a creature that only takes delight in the pain of others. I care because I am not an unfeeling bastard that likes abusing people. Just because I plan on leaving doesn't mean I don't care." Talis had had enough though, he turned and walked out of the shelter, moving past Lily and Nereus. He wouldn't go far though, Callista had his fang, so even if he did go far he wouldn't stay gone for very long. The dragon was growling as he moved.
Lily clung to Nereus, sighing softly when Talis walked away, moving past them without any signs of stopping. He was sure the dragon wouldn't go too far away, at least he hoped Talis didn't go to far away. He whimpered softly and clutched at Nereus harder, ears twitching a bit in agitation. "We'll never argue like that..right?" Lily wasn't to fond of the thought that he and Nereus might have arguments. |
The young woman watched as Talis walked away while trying to digest everything that had just happened. Shaking her head, Calli sighed and sat down by the fire. Pulling up her knees to her chest, she placed her head upon them and hugged herself tightly. She couldn't just change her feelings on a whim! It seemed like that was what Talis expected from her, and that wasn't fair. It wasn't like she didn't want to forget Violet, she did .... Callista simply had no idea how to do so. Maybe she needed a little help, but that didn't seem like a likely thing to happen.
Wanting to distract herself, she began poking at the spells on the fang again. Finding one tiny bit of a working loosening, the young woman tugged at it with her magic and found a spell unraveling beneath her gentle touch. There were still so many, and she'd no idea what this one did, but it was one step in the right direction. Petting Lily lightly, Nereus thought about the question very seriously. "We might argue, but I doubt it will be anything like that. We're two different people after all and ... We're quite fond of each other, aren't we?" His words were sure as he spoke, though mentally he wondered at himself. He'd changed so much in the space of such a few days. It was incredible! |
Talis really didn't go far, he stayed within Lily's line of sight at least. He was probably being to harsh to Callista, but she hadn't experienced master after master the way he had. She had only known Violet. He shook his head and sighed. He probably owed her an apology or two, just as he was deciding to go back and apologize, he felt it. Felt one of the spells that bound him slip away into nothingness. For a moment his skin warmed and he closed his eyes, concentrating a bit to figure out which spell had gone. It didn't take him long to realize which one it had been, and he smirked slightly. He could feel it, or rather, he could hear it. Hear the shadows whispering the way he used to so long ago. He could hear their voice once again. Some, if not all, of his power over the shadows had returned to him. Talis enjoyed this small bit of true freedom.
Lily hugged Nereus tightly, but his eyes were on Talis. He was glad the dragon hadn't gone beyond his line of sight. He would have worried for the man if he wandered off to far. He made a soft noise of contentment though as Nereus pet him, he really liked being petted. Especially when Nereus did it. "I'm sure if we argued we would be able to find a solution quickly to whatever we argued about. I never want to make you upset." He glanced at Nereus, the fox was sincere and he wriggled slightly, his ears twitching as he resumed watching Talis. |
Callista had nearly dozed off by the fire. She was completely comfortable, and safe. Despite the roiling emotions and hurt she felt, the young woman felt better then she had in years. Thoughy soon enough Calli's thoughts turned to the dragon with curiosity. What had he regained with the unraveling of such a small spell? Hopefully it would ease his anger against her. The mage wanted to be friends with him, or at least get alone. And that was despite all the hurtful words Talis had kept trowing at her like daggers to the heart.
A smile crossed Nereus's face as the fox spoke. This was the most relaxed he'd been in such a long time. At times during his time over seas the warrior had thought he'd never smile again. "It means a lot to me that you wish that , especially since I've been thinking the same thing. I don't want to upset you." Though if they did argue, he was sure they would be able to figure out whatever was bothering them quick enough. |
The dragon moved hastily back towards the shelter where Callista was, a smile on his lips as he passed Nereus and Lily, reaching out to give Lily's ears a quick rubbing as he passed them by. He entered the shelter and pulled Callista to her feet, crushing her against his chest in a tight hug. "You are an amazing person, Callista." He ran a hand through her hair, then quickly pulled back. He was still angry, but he was very glad she had undone one of the spells. "Some of my power has returned to me, not all of it, but some of it and it feels amazing." He crushed her to his chest again. "I am grateful, truly I am. Though, I still think you are an idiot for loving Violet."
Lily blinked at the dragon. His ears twitching slightly when Talis rubbed them as he passed, causing the fox to giggle softly. Though he did worry that Talis was only returning to yell at Calli some more. So Lily watched intently as Talis entered the shelter, his ears twitching and straining to hear even the lightest of whispers, though he need not strain so hard. Talis wasn't whispering, nor was he shouting. Lily was pleasantly surprised that Talis hadn't started yelling and being mean to Callista. He pressed himself harder against Nereus and murred softly, contently. "I think everything will be okay." |
Dozing quietly, the young woman let out a surprised gasp when the dragon pulled her up for a hug. Leaning in to Talis's touch, Callista listened with relief as he spoke. Smiling, she shook her head slightly and hugged the dragon back. "I'm so glad to hear that! I was hoping it was something like that, but I really had no idea." Glancing up at Talis's golden eyes, the young woman smiled sheepishly. "And I know that's what I am, so let's just leave it at that ... Alright? Can't we be friends?" They really hadn't talked much before. So why was it she wanted to make sure that they got along well? Callista didn't know, but she hoped to find out. One thing was certain, the mage was beginning to like the feeling of having his arms around her. It had happened often enough in the past few days, mostly by accident.
Nereus frowned slightly when Talis passed them by, but his mood lightened upon seeing the fox's reaction. He couldn't really dislike anyone who made Lily happy. Tightening his hold on the fox, Nereus smiled. "Good, that means we'll make good time on our journey." That wasn't really what he wanted to say, but Nereus didn't want to upset Lily. If they'd kept arguing, Nereus would have cut his losses and tried to convince the fox to leave them behind. The arguing pair would have brought down too much trouble on them. Bringing in people's attention and making them remember them along their journey! |
"Tsk. Silly woman. We already are friends." Talis shook his head slightly, looking at her with amusement for a moment, then he released her completely. Talis rested a hand against Callista's cheek gently and leaned down to place a soft kiss on the opposite cheek. "You're a beautiful woman, for a human at least, I really do think you could find someone much better than Violet. Things like that though, they take time." Then Talis was pulling away from her, a soft smile on his lips. "I think Nereus is anxious to start moving again, he looked a bit tense."
Lily hadn't noticed the slight frown, his attention was too caught by listening in on Talis and Callista's conversation. Lily made a soft noise of contentment and wriggled slightly. He was tired of traveling already but he didn't say it, he just smiled at Nereus and nodded slightly. "It is good. Friends should always get along with each other." Lily hugged Nereus tightly, then pulled away from him slightly. His ears twitching, but he didn't hear any thing that seemed suspicious. Still he knew they should probably keep moving, even if he didn't really want to. |
Giggling a little, the mage nodded slightly. She was more then surprised when the dragon kissed her cheek so softly. Callista just wasn't used to such affection anymore, and been expecting anything but that. It was obvious in the way she looked up at Talis with wide blue eyes, and his words only added to the sudden confused delight she felt. "I think I might need a lot of help ... And do you really mean that, that I'm beautiful?" She didn't want to leave yet, not without hearing what Talis had to say. They wouldn't be able to talk about these kinds of things when they were out walking on the road.
Pressing a kiss to the fox's neck, the knight then pulled away from Lily. Shaking his head a little, Nereus fixed the cloak hanging around Lily's shoulders. "We'll need to get everyone different clothes, especially you. And a hat, to hide those cute ears of yours. You're too easily recognizable, my sweet Lily." Smiling and bending down to give the fox another quick kiss, he moved to knock at the shelter. "We need to set out now." |
When Callista asked him if he really meant what he had said, the dragon winked at her and gave her a mischevious smile before turning and walking out of the shelter. Glancing at Nereus. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, princess, we're coming." Talis gave him a slight smirk and grabbed Lily's hand, pulling the fox close to him and then lifting him up rather easily. Talis wrapped his arms around Lily and held him against his hip, the way one might a small child. He glanced at Nereus and gave the man an almost taunting smile when Lily nuzzled his neck.
Lily had nodded a bit, he understood the need for different clothes, and a hat. He wasn't sure how well that would work though, it would probably irritate his ears, still he would give it a try. The fox eeped softly as Talis pulled him close and then into the air before holding him tight. Lily giggled softly, his arms going around Talis' neck as he leaned in to nuzzle the dragon softly. Honestly, Lily was quite oblivious to the fact that Talis might only be doing that to provoke Nereus. Of course that wasn't the only reason Talis was holding Lily but it was probably one of the main ones. |
Smiling, she followed Talis outside and watched a little curiously. The dragon seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. At least it was entertaining, and distracting. Though she rather didn't like what had happened in the end ... The knight was quite full of surprises.
Nereus was rather more then annoyed with Talis as he pulled Lily away from him. Glaring at the other man, he did something completely and utterly unexpected. And it confused him so much that Nereus stumbled back with an incredulous expression. He had ... kissed the dragon's lips, and savored it oh so much. But, the problem was, he'd been aiming to kiss Lily not Talis. So why had he kissed the infuriating man instead? Shaking his head, the knight tried to clear the confusion from his mind. |
Golden eyes widened in surprise, he had expected Nereus to get violent. To pull Lily away and strike him. He certainly had not expected to be kissed, but Talis took it in stride the way he would have taken getting slugged. The surprise faded rather quickly and Talis tossed his back to let out a hearty laughter full of pure amusement. Those eyes watched Nereus for a few moments, the knight seemed so confused at his own actions. "Oh my. Lily, I don't really think that was meant for me, here. I will give it to you." The dragon tilted his head down and captured the fox's lips in a soft, but deep kiss. Gentle but fiercely full to the brim with fires of passion. Quite simply, the kiss left Lily rather breathless and panting slightly when Talis lifted his head.
Lily had smiled at Nereus when the man came towards them, though he didn't really like the way Nereus had glared at Talis. The fox soon became very confused when Nereus kissed the dragon, and he wriggled slightly against Talis, letting out a soft whimper. But Talis was laughing then, so it must have been funny. Lilly hadn't found it funny at all, only confusing. His brow furrowed, and he blinked at Talis when the dragon spoke. Then when their lips met, Lily nearly swooned. It was a kiss of the likes he had never felt before, it made him quiver slightly and it quite literally stole his breath away. When Talis pulled back, Lily sighed softly, panting slightly he laid his head against the dragon's shoulder. He was glad though, that Talis was so nice as to pass the kiss along to him instead of keeping it for himself. The dragon was such a good friend! |
Before anyone else was able to say anything, Calli moved forward to tug Lily away from Talis and glared at him. Crossing her arms, she tapped her foot lightly on the snow covered ground. "Don't take advantage of Lily like that. Stop using him to rile up Nereus. It's not fair to him. You can annoy the knight all you want, just leave Lily out of it." He was a friend, like her little brother, and what Talis had done crossed a line. With her steady voice and icey blue eyes, the young woman tried to pass on her message without making too much of a scene. They moved to Nereus, silently daring him to try anything against Talis. Apparently, she was quite protective of her friends even if she was scolding one of them.
The knight would have moved forward to truly pummel the dragon this time, but Callista had already moved forward. Instead he moved to Lily and pulled him close. "Did you believe what he said? Do you even know why he was acting that way?" Didn't the fox understand what Talis was doing? Nereus was under the impression he was completely oblivious to the fact that all Talis wanted to do was annoy him. |
Talis blinked as Callista pulled Lily away from him, the amusement left his face and he frowned deeply. Golden eyes darkening just the slightest bit as he was scolded. "Pfft. Idiots. Both of you. Yell at me, then, for passing along the kiss that wasn't even meant for my lips. I didn't do anything wrong, and I haven't taken advantage of Lily at all. You wanna scold someone, scold that man.." Talis had glared and pointed accusingly at Nereus. "How many times have you used Lily since meeting him to satisfy the needs of your own body? How many times have you taken advantage of him?" The dragon was smoldering now, he had only been playing a little but everyone wanted to get mad at him and scold him when he hadn't meant any harm at all.
Lily eeped and squeaked when Calli pulled him away. Honestly he didn't understand why she was so mad at Talis. The dragon hadn't done anything wrong! When Nereus pulled him close, Lily pulled away from him slightly. Blinking owlishly at Callista, then Talis before he turned his eyes to Nereus. "Talis is my friend, and it was nice of him to give the kiss to me." The fox was frowning and those ears drooped slightly at something Talis said. Those eyes turning to Talis. "No no Talis! Nereus hasn't done anything like that." The fox pulled completely away from Nereus and rushed to Talis, throwing his arms around the dragon and when Talis scooped him up, he began whispering in the dragon's ear. There was a look of surprise on Talis' face, that turned to slight amusement, but he was silent. |
"I just think it's wrong that you're putting yourself between them like this. He really does seem to care about Lily." She turned to glance at Nereus and Lily with a small smile. They looked good together. But then Lily was pulling away because of Talis's words. Turning to watch the fox's movements, she frowned after trying to figure out what Lily had told Talis to make him look so amused.
The knight pouted a little, which was quite unusual for him. "But I'm angry because I wanted to give you the kiss." Nereus's face turned to Talis with a glare as he heard his words. He was just a little disappointed when Lily pulled away from him, and had no idea what the fox was planning on telling the man. Or at least, he'd had no idea until he saw the look on the dragon's face. Blushing, Nereus ran a nervous hand trough his white hair and tried not to look too awkward. "Lily, would you please, please tell me what you told Talis?" He felt so embarrassed! Though he didn't know why, when he'd struggled so hard with the realization that he liked Lily in the first place. |
Talis spoke before the fox could respond to Nereus' question. The dragon had laughed softly, shaking his head a bit. "He doesn't need to tell you, you already know. I mean, you were there, I'm sure you realize how sultry Lily is." The dragon snickered a bit, glancing at Callista for a moment. "I'm not coming between anyone. That knight kissed me, it wasn't my kiss to keep." He gave a shrug and held Lily closer, that golden amusement filled gaze settling on Nereus once again. "Your face is so red, surely you aren't embarrassed? Or..Was it perhaps our knights first time? Maybe his first time with a boy?" Talis grinned at Nereus and shifted Lily a bit, holding him against his hip.
Lily clung lightly to Talis, nuzzling his neck softly and watching the others. Though he frowned slightly as Talis teased Nereus, and he wasn't quite sure what Callista meant when she said Talis was putting himself between him and Nereus. Ah well, he would figure that bit out later. "But Nereus, you missed somehow, and Talis was kind enough to make sure the kiss got to the right person." His arms wrapped around Talis neck as the dragon shifted him a bit, and he reached behind the dragon to give his hair a quick, sharp tug. "Stop teasing him, Talis. It's not his fault I'm so sultry." The hair pulling had caused Talis to wince and frown, but Lily's words had the dragon laughing again. He was almost certain Lily only had a general idea of what 'sultry' meant. |
The knight in question turned away angrily and began walking down the road. He didn't need to help them, and it certainly didn't seem like he was wanted there. Especially not now that Talis had returned. So the little group of former slaves were on their own. Let them fend for themselves! The only person he worried about was Lily, but he trusted that Callista and .. and Talis, would both take care of the young man and assure themselves that he would be happy.
Callista was rather shocked when she noticed the knight walking away. Moving to Talis, she smacked him lightly on the back of the head. "Now look what you did. Talis, I love you and all, but you sure don't know when enough is enough." Turning to Lily, which wasn't difficult, she sighed a little. "Lily you should go after him. You're probably the only one who could convince him to come back." She couldn't go. She was terrified of leaving Talis, he was like her lifeline, the one who'd caught her when she fell. Callista was so confused about everything, but she was certain that Talis could help her figure it all out. |
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