The world was bathed in pure moonlight. Soft light, nothing like the harsh rays of the sun. Ilya murmured a soft prayer for guidance and bent low over the moon goddess's shrine. A few snow white petals slipped from his fingers to fall into a basin at the base of a silver statue. The woman was both serene, her hands lifted up to the sky, and powerful. A sword hung at the doll sized statue's hip, one which resembled Ilya's. His was heavier, the hilt wrapped in leather and the blade double edged. But the crescent moon and double star crest was the same.

The amber haired man lifted his head to the sky. A harsh mental tug, a knowing, pulled him from his contemplation. He bowed once to the statue, before setting off afoot, following the guidance of his goddess. Pale cloth, grey and white, swathed his form. The tunic billowed with the speed of his movements, and his long pants did the same. Ilya's cloak snapped in the wind as he followed a path towards the sea, and the cliffs.

The forest fell away behind him, and so did the shrine hidden in its depths. Only the initiates of the goddess knew it was there. Only they dared venture from the forest paths. But now his duty lay by the sea, for reasons he couldn't even begin to guess.

Kry: ((Is this okay?))

Liris lay curled up on the beach, the waves had deposited him there, but the tide was high and the waves were strong, they threatened to drag him back into the sea. He had thrown himself in, jumping from a tall cliff and half hoping he would bash and break his body against the rocks beneath that cliff, but the waves had risen high to meet him and had pulled him into the ocean.

He hadn't even tried to swim, he had curled up into a tiny ball. Curling around a large, soft cold lump of something in his hands that he clutched to his chest. It was an organ. The large heart of a dragon, and Liris had cut it from the chest of his own dragon. The act had nearly killed the man himself, but he had survived it, and then thrown himself into the sea.

Then the waves had deposited him on the shore, barely breathing and yet still clutching so tightly to that heart. He was naked, and his body was covered in scars and wounds. A lot of them were fresh, and the salt water made them burn and ache even while the salt helped to clean them. There was a brand on his left shoulder blade, a mark that Liris probably wouldn't talk about if asked. Assuming he survived this ordeal well enough to talk about anything.

The warrior mage walked to the edge of the cliffs and squinted. Blue eyes scrunched up, until Ilya caught sight of something on the beach, cradled by the sand. With haste, the athletic man scrambled down the path. He had glimpsed red, and skin. A shape that looked like a human body.

It was a human, or humanlike, body. Ilya swept his cloak from his shoulders and wrapped the cloth around and over the shape he dragged away from the sea. His magical senses swayed out and brushed against skin to heal what wounds he could find. Then he felt it.

"By the moon and stars!" Ilya reached out with a trembling hand to press his fingers against the dragon's heart. Then he returned to his senses and left to gather what wood he could. A fire was imperative to keep this man alive. He knew that was his task, knew it as well as he knew himself.

Liris was motionless but his grip on that heart was like steel. Nothing would pry it from his hands alive or dead. He was dimly aware of something warm falling around him as the stranger that found him wrapped a cloak around him, but he hadn't been aware of the figure bringing him further up the beach, out of the reach of the waves. Liris was aware when magic touched him, his body tensed and a shiver ran down his spine and the wounds healed almost instantly. Magic had such potent effects on his body.

He wouldn't wake for a while, not until long after the fire had been built. His breathing had gotten steadier the warmer he had gotten from being wrapped up in that cloak and near a fire. He groaned, and his fingers twitched, clutching that soft organ tighter. There was a tightness in his chest, a pain that he couldn't stand. A sob broke through his lips, one that was so broken, full of so much sorrow.

Liris moved, curling up protectively and possessively around the heart he held in his arms. His eyes were clenched shut tightly. He didn't want to open them. There would be no beautiful dragon to greet him when he opened them. There was nothing but pain.

Ilya checked the fish he had laid across the flames periodically. The sticks skewered through them had begun to char, and their flesh had done the same. He hissed lightly when he used his fingers to try and tease a piece off. The sharp tang of salt and hint of sweetness, inherent flavors of the fish, was tempered with a hint of smoke. Delicious, really.

A sound ripped the mage from his contemplation of flavors. Ilya shifted across the sand and lifted the other man up against him. It was the only way he knew to hold the stranger upright, and still be able to try and get him to eat the bits of fish he lifted to his mouth. "Come now. Eat. It will help." Ilya'S tone was cajoling.

It hurt so much, too much. Why hadn't the ocean's waves dragged him down deep within their depths into a watery grave? Soon he felt hands on him, someone was lifting him, holding him against themselves, had they saved him? Heart wrenching sobs broke free of his lips and he kept his eyes clenched tightly shut. The other said to eat, but how could eating help? Nothing could help. Nothing could help, a dragon was dead. His Glimmer was dead, and he had done it himself. How would eating help any of that? Nothing could help.

Liris didn't want to open his eyes, but he did and slowly. He kept that heart clutched tightly to his chest, rather possessively now as if he thought the other might try and take it from him. Dragon hearts could be powerful tools or ingredients, but Liris wouldn't let anything like that happen to Glimmer's heart. When his eyes opened a torrent of tears fell down his cheeks, held back by how tightly he had kept his eyes clenched. One of his hands moved, and clutched to the other man weakly but almost desperately. Liris couldn't quite find his voice, every time his lips parted, broken sobs spilled out instead of words.

With a sigh, he let the flaky fish bits fall to the ground. Carefully, Ilya used the fabric of his sleeve to wipe away the stranger's tears. He knew not why this man cried, where those scars had come from, or why he clutched so desperately to a dragon's heart. None of that really mattered. There was a reason for Ilya's presence. It was to help.

He tugged the stranger closer, and wrapped his arms around the man. The grey and white clad man rubbed his hand up and down his companion's back soothingly. He remembered his mother doing so for him, ages ago ... Before the goddess had seen fit to choose him as one of her own, one of her warriors.

It kept replaying over and over in his head, no matter how hard he tried to make it stop. "...Glimmer..." It was the most beautiful dragon he had ever seen, and they had been bonded before they had ever met. The strength of that bond had led them to one another such a very long time ago. Now that bond was shattered, broken, severed, completely cut off with the death of the dragon. A death that should have claimed Liris as well, but he was to resilient for that, and the only solution had been to try and take his own life, but even the ocean didn't seem inclined to accept him as a corpse.

Glimmer had lain there, helpless, tied down with the only chains and ropes that could hold him. Magicked chains and ropes, and he had watched calmly as Liris approached with a dagger strong enough to cut through dragon hide, a dagger forged of ultiminite and tempered with dragon's fire. It was such a rare ore, a weapon made from it was very rare. Glimmer hadn't made a noise, he had just watched Liris with one lovely eye, full of calm acceptance and the love shared by two with such a deep bonding of hearts. Then Liris had plunged that dagger into Glimmer's chest, and though it had hurt greatly, the dragon never once cried out.

It had to be strong for it's rider. It had to make it's rider understand that this was alright. This was okay, it was better this way. Liris understood that it was better for so many others this way. It wasn't better for him or Glimmer, but the virus had to be stopped before it spread to other dragons, and this was the only way. Cutting into that dragon had nearly killed him. Pulling the still beating heart out of it's chest had also nearly killed him, and when Glimmer's last bit of life left him, Liris did feel as if he had died. Yet the rider was still alive with a motionless dragon heart in his hands.

Without a second thought, Liris had raced for the sea and thrown himself into it. Killing that one dragon, killing his dragon, by doing that, he had saved countless others. For now at least. That dagger he had used, it was gone, lost in the sea, thrown in before he dived after it. Wishing only for death. A release of this emptiness, this pain, this deep sorrow. "...Please...It hurts..to much...Give me over..to the sea.." The words were whispered, punctuated by sobs as he spoke.

If Liris were a normal human, he would have died at the same moment as his dragon, but he was to resilient for such a thing. He hated himself for that, he also hated himself for being so weak as to wanting to give in to death, but the pain and emptiness and sorrow as more than he could bear.

Ilya shook his head vehemently, something in him recoiling at the mere mention of letting someone kill themselves. "No. I refuse." For some reason he had been drawn to save this man. And save him he would, even if the stranger wanted to plunge into the sea and let himself be pummeled by the endless ocean. llya loosened his too tight hold on the other man and leaned back a bit.

"Tell me what hurts." They needed to leave. If anyone saw that heart ... Ilya wanted to ask where the man had gotten it and how, but couldn't yet. Sand beneath them, stars above them and no protection against the elements didn't seem like the best combination to make a man with a death wish comfortable. As if anything could.

Liris whimpered softly. This wasn't like him, he had never felt so weak, helpless, powerless or so alone before. So empty, so completely empty and alone. Without Glimmer, there was nothing. "...Please..." A simple word, but it seemed heavy on his lips, Liris would never have begged anyone for death before, but this was different. The only escape from this emptiness and pain was death, a normal human would have died already. Would have died the instant the dragon had.

He clutched that dragon heart to his chest, the other man wanted to know where it hurt. Wasn't it obvious? Perhaps not to a non dragon or a non rider. He took a deep sobbing breath. "My heart." That was where it hurt, the tightness in his chest, it was all centered there. Such a deep ache all the way to the depths of his soul, he clutched at the man that held him and the large dragon heart in his arms. "...Help me.." He sounded torn now, wanting to die, and not wanting to give in to the pain. It was so hard, it hurt so much.

Ilya adjusted the cloak he'd set around the other man, to make sure that Liris was decent. Then, he adjusted his hold and stood with a grunt. "I will help you, but probably not in the way you wish." The warrior held Liris easily in his strong arms. The man was so light! Too light. It did make the trek up the cliff path much easier.

"I want to help you heal in body, mind and soul from whatever has hurt your heart so." He not only wanted to, he was compelled to for reasons he couldn't understand.

Liris clutched tightly at the man when the other stood, lifting him. This other reassured him with words of help, or rather tried to reassure him that he would help. Liris' eyes were clenched shut tightly again and he shook his head slightly. "...Nothing can help me now..." There was nothing left in this world without Glimmer, at least, that was what it felt like. "...Healing is impossible..." Liris sighed softly, he knew he should be stronger than this, but that strength was nearly impossible for him to grasp.

It was to hard, it was to painful. Liris couldn't see this kind of pain ever easing, it was too intense. To heavy, too thick. There weren't even words accurate enough to articulate this kind of deep pain. He opened his eyes, tilting his head up to look at the face of the man that held him. It did feel nice, being held. It was warm, but it barely penetrated even the thinnest edge of the pain in Liris' heart and soul. "...I can't go on..." He mumbled the words softly, letting his head fall against the other man's shoulder.

The sound of waves crashing against the cliffs, sweeping softly back from the beach, fell away with every step Ilya took towards the city. Some would have questioned why a goddess would interest herself in the life of a man who wanted to die, but not this warrior mage, this priest. There was a reason, he was certain of it. His hold tightened on the other man, and he bent his head low to whisper in the stranger's ear as they approached the massive oak doors that served as the city gates. Iron bars barred these main doors, but off to the side was a smaller door that the guards used.

"I will go on for you until you are able to do so." The mage lifted his head and shifted to make sure the moonlight glinted from the amulet around his neck. Mage light flitted down from the guard post to illuminate the pair, and it took no more then a quick explanation before Ilya was walking within the city, carrying the stranger in his arms still.

Liris was carried, away from the ocean. Away from the waters that had refused him and spit him up on that shore. Away from the grave he had sought. Another sigh left his lips. He didn't feel like he even had the strength to walk, or he would have already wriggled out of this man's arms and trudged along on his own. Even so, what would be the point? Liris did want to turn and run back to the sea and throw himself to it's mercy once again. For now though, he just clutched at this man, and the large heart in his arms. Clinging to both, as if they were both his last life lines.

When the man spoke, Liris eyes went wide. "...Why?" How could this man say such a thing so easily? Why would this man say such a thing? They didn't even know each other, and yet this man had said something like that to him. It had almost penetrated a little way through the pain that surrounded Liris. Almost. Once again Liris found himself sobbing, pressing his face against the man's shoulder, trying to hide it as he was carried into the city. It was night though, the city would be sleeping, there shouldn't be many people out and about to see them, to see him. Still Liris seemed to press himself against the other more, as if trying to hide himself even more against the man that carried him.

Slowly the shops, lit with mage lights hung outside their doors, gave way to residential homes. Most were two story places with many rooms, and many residents. Ilya's home, with it's little lawn and backyard, with vines growing over the stone face, with glass windows, was all his own. He'd no need to share it with anyone, or had not seen any need to before.

Ilya only answered the stranger's question when he had walked into his home, and was standing in his welcoming abode. "You asked why." He moved forward and settled the redhead on a couch in the living room. "I was guided to you, by the goddess I follow most likely. The moment I saw you, I knew I needed to help you. The why of it, the true reason, I simply don't understand. Of one thing I'm certain, and that is the fact that pushed to aid you or not, I still would want to help you." The mage knelt upon the ground, his clothing billowing around him like the petals of a flower, and looked up at his guest with a hint of a smile.

Liris was finally brought into the man's home, or rather, they had finally reached the other's home and gone inside. Liris was laid on the couch and he turned slightly away from the man, curling around that large dragon heart. When his rescuer mentioned a goddess, Liris flinched as if he had been slapped, and anger took place of some of his sorrow. "Goddesses and gods, if any of them care for me they'd not have let this happen. My Glimmer would still be here. Healthy and strong and we would be flying. I spit on your gods and goddesses." He curled around that heart more fully, clutching at it tighter.

Tears were falling down his cheeks again, and the brief anger that had entered him was quickly engulfed by the sorrow. Swallowed up by it. "...You can't help me anyway." Only death could save him from the sorrow, but if he survived it, survived and lived through the worst of the sorrow that was upon him, he would still be a broken man. Half of who he was, never complete and never whole. How could anyone go on like that? Liris almost wished he were human, if he were human he would have died with the last breath of his dragon.

Ilya turned away from his guest for but a moment. He returned with a warm blanket, woven of the softest wool. The warrior draped it over his guest with the softest of touches after taking away his cloak. "Think what you want about the gods. I really don't care." Ilya settled down on the floor, and lifted a hand to rub his charge's shoulder comfortingly.

"I want to try and help you." His eyes traveled to the dragon's heart. Glimmer's, he assumed. "I have never known the love of a dragon. Nor have I ever known loss. I can't offer understanding, but I can and do vow to you that I will stay with you." And why he felt so pushed to do so ... The man simply couldn't comprehend. Slowly he let his hand fall to the heart, pressed his fingers against it and tried to take it away.

"I told you, you can't help me." Liris didn't want to look at this man anymore, didn't want to be near him. He just wanted to be left alone to wallow in his sorrow. That warrior mage's words were suddenly extremely hollow in Liris' mind when that man laid a hand on Glimmer's heart and tried to pull it away. Help? If he wanted to help he wouldn't be trying to take something so precious, so magical, so dangerous. Thunder crashed violently over head in the sky above the house, followed by a streak of lightning.

Lightning that mirrored the flashes in Liris' eyes as he glared at the warrior mage. He kept a tight grip around that heart and twisted around some, and promptly bit down hard on the man's arm. Then Liris was violently jerking away from that man, leaping to his feet. Standing on the couch with that heart cradled protectively against his chest. "No! Stay away from us! If this is how you help, then I definitely don't want it." He was seething. All that sorrow, it was replaced with anger and fight. Thunder rumbled over them again.

][well Liris is pretty motivated. I don't think I'll bring the other character in lol.][

Ilya glanced at the bite mark on his arm, and then looked up at the other man. It was a relief to see something other then this man's bone crushing sorrow. The warrior smiled. "Look at you, so very decisive and motivated now." Slowly, hands held before him, Ilya slid to the ground. "Could you make it your mission in life to protect your dragon's heart? Could you do that, instead of wallowing in sorrow? Surely your partner wouldn't have wanted to see you like that." Any reaction was better then what he'd been witness to since he had found this man.

The gods surely had some reason for the thunder. The booming sounds, the flashes of light through the sky. Was it a sign? Was his goddess angry with him for trying to touch the dragon heart? But some of that same lightning seemed to dance in the other man's eyes. Impossible. Or maybe not .. The world held many mysteries.

Liris glared hard at the warrior mage, eyeing him with clear distrust. The lightning still seeming to flash in his eyes even as it flashed outside, the lines of his face were tight, his jaw set hard, almost clenched. His hands clutched at the heart and his body was tense. "Touch this heart again, and I'll kill you." Thunder crashed loud, almost a dangerous sound this time, over their heads. That heart, it was all that was left, it was the only thing he had left and it could be a powerful component for magic. It would be difficult to protect such a thing. Had the other simply been trying to get a reaction from him? It seemed so.

Slowly he seemed to calm down, and as he calmed, the sudden storm outside almost began to calm. As if it were tied to his emotions, or at least his anger. "I cannot." Rather suddenly, Liris was sitting on that couch, the heart still clutched tightly to his chest and he leaned forward, bending his body over the heart. "I cannot protect it. I couldn't protect him, how can I protect his heart?" Those eyes, the color of storm clouds, looked as if they were on the verge of erupting into a violent tempest as Liris looked at Ilya. Watching the other with an amount of distrust.

"Fair enough." Ilya moved back onto the couch with deliberate slowness. He didn't want to startle the other man. Outside the storm calmed, as quick as it arrived it was leaving. The very speed of it was startling, near impossible. Ilya refused to linger on the cause of such unusual weather for too long.

He leaned back against the arm of the couch, and crossed his arms while considering the redhead's question. "You can." The mage knew of dragon hearts, of how powerful they were. He had never seen one so close, not when it had been parted from a dragon's breast. "You need something to carry it in, something that can disguise a dragon heart's particular energy. That type of cloth or hide is rare though. It would be a quest in itself to find something like that." It would offer ample distraction for the grieving stranger.

And then he remembered ... "My name is Ilya." He stood, and pulled the tunic from his back to stand in breeches alone.The warm grey cloth, he gave to his guest. "Would you like a bath? Something to eat? Or would you rather I find someplace for you to rest in private?" He doubted the stranger would sleep.

Liris wanted to ignore the other, the man was rambling on about something to put the heart in, and protecting it. "No." The word was spoken firmly when the other had stopped speaking, and Liris had sat up. No longer curled around that heart. There was a firmness in his eyes and in the way his jaw was set that indicated he was done with this conversation. Completely done. Liris was useless. He had killed his own dragon, if he were stronger, smarter, maybe he could've found another way. He was weak, for all his physical strength, for all the parts of him that weren't human, he was still weak.

Dark clouds still loomed over the village, but there was no thunder, no lightning anymore, now there was just rain. The night had started out so clear and peaceful, then there had been that freak thunder storm moments ago that had only lasted minutes and now there was rain. Not quite gentle, but not quite a downpour either. "I can't protect anything. I don't want your food or baths or your help. Mind your own business!" He took the tunic that had been offered him, balled it up and threw it right back at Ilya.

If only this ache in his chest would cease, he could think much clearer, if only this sorrow would ease the slightest bit. Just a little. Liris grit his teeth. He was being rude to a kind host, a guest in this man's home, but right now he didn't care about any of that. He was leaning forward again, once more curling around that heart. "I can't do anything, I'm useless, I'm nothing."

"You aren't!" The warrior mage glanced at the tunic, crumpled at his feet. What could he do to make this man want to live? To ease his sorrow, even for a moment? There was only one thing he could think of. Ilya didn't know if it would work, and it could fail miserably ...

The tall man slid onto the couch. His arms went around the former dragon rider, pulled him close. Ilya worked his lips to the stranger's in an attempt to pull forth some kind of emotion, something other then apathy, sorrow, self hatred. What had the man been like, with his dragon by his side? He must have been so different.

Liris' body tensed, curling even more around the dragon heart in his arms when he felt the other sit on the couch next to him. Arms wrapped around him, and Liris tensed even more, thinking of only protecting the last bit of Glimmer that was left. The large dragon heart in his arms. Then there were lips pressing against his own, and Liris' body jerked slightly. He wanted to shove the other man away, push him off, but the former dragonrider couldn't move.

He couldn't move because it was so sweet. It felt so nice. A warmth enveloped him, unfamiliar yet similar to a warmth he had been used to. His chest ached painfully, but somehow that ache seemed far away from him. Liris didn't have the strength to fight, nor the will to fight, against this kind of warmth. His body relaxed, his eyes closed tightly as a tear or two slipped down his cheeks and he gave in to sweetness that was threatening to engulf him.

It was better than feeling all the pain and sorrow. Liris was tired of all that pain and sorrow, so he easily tumbled into this softness, this sweetness. His lips moved slightly, not just taking the kiss Ilya offered, but giving in wholly. Accepting it, and kissing back. It was easy, doing this, it was easier to do this than to think. Let this sweetness pull him down and away, but a part of him knew all the pain would come rushing back once this moment was over.

This was but a fleeting respite, Liris knew that, but he didn't care. He gave in wholly. One hand released the dragon's heart, so that arm could wrap around Ilya and pull the warrior mage closer.

He moaned, and closed his eyes. It just felt so right somehow, like there was an instant connection, something that had always been meant to be there and had only been waiting for the right moment to take its rightful place. His arms tightened as he shifted to deepen the kiss, but he had the horrible sinking feeling that the second he broke away, the feeling of warmth and contentment would shatter.

When tears fell, Ilya found them blindly, and wiped them away. Then he leaned back, heart beating fast and cheeks flushed, filled with fear and uncertainty. What had he done? Nothing more then taken advantage of a vulnerable man who had lost everything. And yet he found himself feathering soft kisses along the other man's jaw. "You aren't nothing." And Ilya kept repeating it, trying to convince Liris that it was true.