Evernight

Her expression delicate, Minette nodded, "He will. Your mother isn't easy to deny, but you've done it... I've done it. Ben won't let me down. Though I do worry... If she got her hooks in him..." Biting the inside of her cheek, she consideredher thoughts in silence, broken only by Thalion's last question.

Slowly, a smile formed on her lips, warm and genuine, and just a little mischievous, as she linked her fingers together at the small of his back, "I did, indeed, my darling. But then... You've a young woman professing her undying love for you in an abandoned and terribly romantic location... as malleable as mud from the earth in your arms. And you're thinking about Ben."

All mischief now, she lifted her shoulders in a shrug, watching from beneath the bridge of her lashes, "Would you care to appeal?"
 
There would not be a beauty in the world like Minette until the time of Picasso and his paintings. When she smiled, rays of brightness from every edge of the spectrum go running in all directions, looking for an untouched face on which to leave a mark. Without realization, Thalion's face continued to soften at her playful little grin, her fingers linking dangerously across his form and locking him close to her. He could have probably shaken away from her grip if he truly wanted to, as he was certain he held more physical strength than she. Alas, he did not wish to.

If anything, he just tucked in a little closer to Minette. His hands spread apart and his fingers glossed over the fabric of her dress as they strolled down the length of her spinal column. Inquisitive fingers felt every soft peak and trough of her vertebrae, "Romantic?" he asked, glancing up. He certainly wouldn't have considered the abandoned farmhouse romantic, though he probably didn't even really understand what romantic was. Against the dark night fall, all Thalion could see was the crumbling walls that were nothing more than a ghostly silhouette from some previous existence. The fire in the hearth projected long, mysterious shadows on the brick and stone. The flames themselves were pulsated, the glowing embers seemed to move in the same rhytm of his own heart. It would have been mesmerizing to watch, colours of orange and red giving way to yellow and white near the center, where the emanating heat was the greatest.

Though the heat in his own heart would have made the fire seem quite cold by comparison.

"We are in his home," Thalion replied pointedly, though driven by some evolutionary, completely involuntary response, dipped forward, closer to Minette still. "Ben's home where you got memories of Ben. How'my now supposed to think of that?" he asked with a lame smirk, but didn't dare wait for much of an answer before his lips fell across hers.
 
Heart in hand, Minette moved her arms from his waist to his shoulders and curled closer into the warmth of his embrace. And for a blessed moment or two, there was nothing else in the whole of the world but Thalion and her... It was comforting to know that despite all they had been through, Evernight... Doyle... Thalia couldn't take some things from them. Those moments were invaluable. Precious. And she held on to them with both hands, as tightly as she dared.

Someday, they would be free, entirely. And whatever happened, she would find a way for them to be together. But in the meantime, all they had were seconds, spaces, in between the fray. Seconds, for the truly important things... For the cherished things. But seconds could be enough... In seconds, years could go by and lifetimes could be lived and enjoyed. In seconds, anything could happen. Evernight had been hell... but it was those beautiful memories - mere inches of her time there - that she held on to. And so it would be no matter her location.

Pulling back only slightly, she met his gaze, brushing the hair from his forehead with her fingertips, before curling them down the curve of his jaw, "Wherever I am, Love... where I go, new or old, real or not... you are the only thing that means this much to me. You are the memories that matter. The ones we have, and the ones we'll make."
 
When they had first encountered, Thalion didn't so much like to be touched. Sometimes, he still didn't. There were still times he shook off Minette's hand because he was uncomfortable. Not from her directly, necessarily, but from the sensation of feeling. He had a nurse growing up for a while who had cradled and rocked him dearly—treated him like her own son. Once he had been banished to Evernight, however, it had been a long time since he had touched skin that was not his own. He had touched a great number of things elsewise: leaves, bark, fur, scales, feathers… but never skin. Never something so smooth, soft, and welcoming as the lightly pigmented skin across Minette's form.

Sometimes, it startled him and he quickly receded back into himself. In even rarer moments, like in the barn, it entranced him. He couldn't pull his fingers away from it and the moment his calloused fingertips brushed the smooth skin of her shoulders, he melted. Any bunched up hesitation, coldness, and sternness yielded to something much gentler. Something decidedly less Thalion-like, but delightful all the same. The cracks in his armor allowed a more tender, wholesome man to seep out. Though the moments were fleeting and rare, they just went on to show the depth of his love and admiration for the woman currently curled up in his arms.

"I don't know what'll happen," he admitted—his words decidedly less poetic than Minette's (they always were), "But we'll make it through." It was the first shred of optimism in their fight against Thalia Thalion had perhaps ever offered. Usually a man cursed by pessimism and doubt, optimism was quite becoming on him and made his unusually handsome features even more so when there was a bit of life and hope in his eyes. "I'm not really sure how though." They didn't even know where Thalia was. She had yet reveal her face to them in any way, shape, or form. If she had taken residence in the castle, she certainly hadn't made herself well-known.

As quickly as they had occurred, Thalion shook those thoughts from his mind. Until Ben arrived, Thalia didn't matter. Once Ben arrived, they'd have to abandon the tender moment for work and labour, but until that time, they were snuggled tightly in an embrace Thalion wished little to let go of. "I love you, Minette."
 
It might have been rare, and it certainly wasn't blind optimism, such as she could be occasionally accused of, but it was refreshing to hear him sound so sure. And perhaps in a way, it was that certainty that gave her strength in her own convictions. Thalia was a terrible force and one that could not be underestimated, regardless of all they had accomplished thus far, but she was able to be defeated - and they would. That much, Minette had to believe.

Her lip curved upwards at his words and her fingers curled behind the nape of his neck as she shook her head, "I never thought I would hear you say those words. When we first met. So much has changed, and so quickly... but not all of it was bad." What they had been through, all that they had experienced, there were always moments that, while not banishing the bad altogether, did make up for it in some many ways.

"I love you, too, Thalion..."

They weren't in Evernight anymore, but they were still facing the same foe... But there was no doubt in her mind that they were facing her together. They had both survived death, itself... whatever Thalia threw at them, now... they would make it through.

Pressing onto her toes, she kissed him again and sinking back onto her feet, smiled brightly, "I used to hear it said in my favorites stories, when I was a young girl, that every now and then, if one is lucky enough, they will find a love that transcends the ordinary... a love so powerful, that two souls are joined together as one. Someday, my darling, we will be those stories..."
 
"Two souls joined together as one?" he scoffed at her with a laugh. Unaccustomed to the wording and over exaggerations of modern folklore and fairytales, he found it quite absurd to think. He probably shouldn't have, as he had been missing his soul entirely for a number of years, but something about the way she said it was funny to him. "I don't know much about souls joinin' together as one, but I guess I don't know much about much." His smile warmed to her, clearly pleased by the affections she was showing him and the words she was instilling in him.

Weirder things had happened than what she was suggesting: lacking a soul, dying, reviving… to him, magic didn't seem that absurd, but he knew to the outsider, it was quite mystical indeed. He had no right to question it and like he did everything unusual, he accepted it at face value. "I used to get told stories like that when I was little," very little… so little, he could only remember fragments of them and not a single full tale from any of them, "But I'm not sure I'm handsome or dashing enough to be any prince." Though Thalia would have argued within an inch of her life that she was of royal blood, and perhaps she were, Thalion would not bother to contend that he was a prince of any degree.

Handsome, dashing, and darting through evil forests upon some noble steed. Quite the contrary, in fact. He had no animal and while his face was decently assembled, the scars that littered his skin would be unappealing and revolting to most. Even more, good princes and heroes did not stem from bloodlines that also possessed individuals like Thalia. This did not cause him much concern though, as he had no interest in being cherished or beloved by anyone except Minette.

"I don't care about stories," he admitted, "All I want is to be left alone to a quieter life." After the tumultuous existence that was Evernight, Thalion knew he'd never readily trust most people ever again. Evernight had put into ruin some things in him and hardened others; he was different from everyone else in Green Reach and, as such, he wished to be mostly left alone. A quiet life with Minette appealed to him a great deal, a life where he could still allow his nearly-animalistic nature to rise from time to time as it always did. Alas, he knew better. Minette was Queen—to be Queen. There would be nothing quiet about that life.
 
Smiling gingerly, she shook her head at him, "Thalion, my dear... You of all people should understand it's quite possible, in fact, for two people to share one soul. Or have you forgotten the gift you gave me, before..." Even if he had, it wasn't something she was likely to forget. Not ever. She was convinced, whether or not it was true that he had saved her life. That he had brought her back. It was that gift to her, and it was the knowledge that she could not, after all that they had been through, leave him alone. She was convinced, whether he believed it or not, that not only was there such a thing, but it was true in them alone...

Looking up at him as he continued, she laughed brightly, trailing a fingertip along his jaw, "And I don't need handsome or dashing... Not that you're right about that, either. You're certainly handsome, and perhaps not be standard rules are you dashing, but my Love, I've never seen a man with more courage and strength."

He went on, again, however, and her expression softened. He wanted a quiet life. This much she already knew, and it was something that she desired as well. She could very well have settled into a home much like the one that they currently occupied - raising sheep and spending the evenings beneath the warmth of a dying sun. As far as she was concerned, she had little interest in ruling, in being a queen... she never had, but it was even less apparent now. But she also wasn't entirely sure that she had much of a choice. She could not leave Doyle forfeit to anyone... least of all someone like Thalia.

"We don't need to figure it out, now..." She murmured, finally, and she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek, "All that matters is that I love you."

Shifting back, reluctant to release him, but certain if she didn't they would accomplish nothing at all, she shook her head, "Now then, we should rest, so we can come up with something of a reasonable plan in the morning."
 
"Yea, but that's different," he argued, though probably with little merit. In his eyes they hadn't really been united so much as divided by being split in two, but that was neither here nor there. Strength or courage were things he might have possessed, but were entities he wished he didn't need to possess. He would never be very keen on people; he had lived too long with too little contact, so the idea of being a ways off somewhere was appealing to him. He enjoyed hunting, or at least had when in Evernight, and fending for himself. He had enjoyed most fervently how his hands had created things. He had built shelters, carved weapons, and chiseled pots.

Those were the elements of Evernight he had most enjoyed. He liked knowing his hands had created something useful… that's what he wanted out of his future life. He wanted to be able to make things to use, to build not a shelter but a house, to carve his own weapons and hunt his own food. He realized by being around the castle that he was not, and would never be, a royal pet. Too much wildness was still instilled deep within him, and would never extinguish. Maybe Green Reach wasn't wild in the same sense Evernight had been, but that didn't perturb him, for he realized there was still plenty of wild left here, too.

She kissed his cheek, seeming to suddenly switch into a much more agreeable mood. Their argument had died and the proposal of rest appealed to him. He gave a sleepy nod. "Rest is good," he replied, "You're right, we can figure something out in the morning." Though he had thought of things he had missed from Evernight, he had also thought of things he had missed (or thought he missed) from Green Reach. Among them was a bed. For many, many years he had romanticized the memory of a soft mattress and a warm duvet as he lay curled up on stone and rock.

Suddenly, his body ached and his mind cried for sleep. He hadn't realized how tired he was, how destitute of energy he was, until she had mentioned rest. He needed it, desperately.

"Do you have…" he paused, embarrassed and humiliated he couldn't recall the word for it, but it had been so long, too long, since he had last been in this place, "Tea?"
 
There's would always be something of a tumultuous relationship - though it unnerved her a bit to wonder if indeed, always would even be a factor. It occurred to her, more than once, that perhaps Thalion sought freedom not only from the idea of a life behind the palace walls, but from her, as well. That perhaps he considered himself too great a burden. Or feared taking her from her perceived rightful role. He didn't want to be king, and she could understand as much - the responsibility was a great one, even in a world one -did- comprehend, fully. But to imagine him not being a part of her life at all... it was unbearable.

She had already lost him twice - once to his own end and once to hers. And they had somehow managed to find one another, even after so definitive an end as death. But to let him go? To watch him walk away and never see him again? She wasn't sure that was something she could do, even if she wanted to... And she couldn't imagine in his heart that it was what Thalion wanted. If it came down to it, while she would never say it aloud, for knowing how he would argue, she would give up her throne and follow him, before she lost him, again. Perhaps it was selfish - perhaps Doyle needed her... But the simple fact was, she needed Thalion.

She gave a nod to his question, and her smile was gentle as she moved to the small stove in the corner of the room. It was, for the better part, a shambled wreck of a home, but it was still used from time to time and so Ben kept it stocked with the necessary items. She found the tea in a tin above the stove, and a pot not much further. There was a well with a pump, nearby and with the water in the pot, she brought the fire to life inside the stove belly and let it heat.

In the meantime, she made work of cleaning off the mattress in the corner. It was hardly elegant or refined - nothing like the ones at the palace, but it would do for a comfortable night's rest. And like Thalion, she did so enjoy the thought of never having to lie on rocks and stones again. With the bed straightened, she poured the tea into a cup and brought it over to Thalion, holding it out to him, "It's hardly water from the Ethereal Falls, but it'll do..."

Handing it over, she moved back to the bed and sank down on the edge of it, running her fingers through the knots in her hair, "We'll have to share..."
 
As Minette cleaned up a little, Thalion not helping as he felt incredibly uncomfortable doing so, he looked around. He inspected everything. Not a single object went missing from his keen eye. Most, he understood, but there were still a few objects foreign to him. He didn't ask about them, seeing that Minette was busy doing other things and when she finally stole his attention back, he just tilted his head at her quizzically. "So?" He asked rhetorically. To him, the idea of sharing a sleeping space was not at all shameful; he had left Green Reach too young to understand the very discouraged act of a man and woman sleeping side by side before marriage.

Truthfully, he had all but forgotten marriage was even a thing. It was not at all in his recent memory—it was nothing more than a word lost in his memory bank some years prior.

"Who cares?" He asked again, this time moving to slip his cloak from his shoulders and his boots from his feet, "It's not like we haven't slept near each other before," his said as a reminder. She had fallen asleep in his arms before, more than a few times—entirely curled up in Evernight. She was different here though, he had noted. She seemed more reserved in many ways. That wasn't a negative thought against her, but he had noticed a slight shift in her personality. He reached for the tea when it was offered and replied with a touch of smile, bringing it to his lips to taste. It was... unusual, to say the least. It wasn't mead and wasn't water, so he didn't quite know what to make of the taste.

"How unusual," he looked at it pensively before taking another sip and handing it back to her as she sat on the edge of the bed. "But we don't have to share," he said, again returning to his previous line of conversation, "I can't sleep on the floor, if ya rather. I don't mind." What was another night on a hard surface? His body was used to rocks and stones, so a flat, dirt floor would certainly be a welcome improvement all on its own. The air was a bit chilly, but his cloak would be a fine blanket and his arm a decent pillow—he wouldn't complain.

"Don't wanna embarrass you in front of Ben or anything."
 
Watching him as he tried the tea, she smiled. It wasn't anything of note - and in truth was probably a bit old and stale, but considering what they were both accustomed to in Evernight, it would probably taste a good site better than he was used to. He reacted as she expected him to, however, with very little investment, and somehow, she wasn't terribly surprised. He seemed determined not to enjoy any bit of Doyle, and while she could understand why, it was a touch unnerving.

He was so uncomfortable, but apart from their situation being a bit more unknown than it was in Evernight, they were inevitably safer in Doyle. It made very little sense why he should be so on edge. Of course, he was also out of his element, and she could understand fully how that felt. It was how she had felt when she had woken up in that dream like state, surrounded by a world she could scarcely imagine in her mind...

A brow quirked at his words and laughing softly, dryly, Minette shook her head, before she rose, moving to his side again, "I didn't say I minded, Thal. It was just a note. What's with you, tonight?" It wasn't an accusation, so much as it was spoken out of concern. A brow quirked, looking up at him, a mixture of confusion and amusement, "And why do you keep bringing up Ben, as if his opinion matters to me? Are you really so ready to dismiss my word? Or do I need to somehow prove that I've no love for anyone but you?"
 
What was wrong with him? He probably could have given her a million different things that were wrong with him, but his tongue would not speak a one. His eyes averted from her, mulling over what she had said. "I don't doubt you love me, or even that you only love me," he clarified, "It's just that…" he wasn't sure how to put his thoughts into words. He looked away even further, determined to not catch her gaze in fear of doing so for the moment. It seemed so impossible to say what he wanted to, to express how he felt without upsetting her or making himself unclear. Finally, he just sighed softly. "I don't want to embarrass you."

It was easier to sum up than he had first thought. Thalion knew how much of an outsider he was, he knew that what he said and did were unusual in this world, and what if she was embarrassed in front of her friends? In front of Ben? It felt the worst evil in the world to humiliate her in such a way and being so far out of his element wasn't helping him in any regard. In Green Reach, people used cups and silverware, they said please and thank you, and excuse me… they didn't eat Oiler meat straight off the bone or skin rabbits they had just slaughtered. They were polite, quaint, and sophisticated in every single way that Thalion knew he was not.

And it worried him; it made him strongly repel himself from Green Reach. It was just another place he wouldn't fit in.

His cloak slid off his shoulders, he bundled it up into his arms and held it like a lump. He finally turned his gaze back to Minette, frowning softly, inwardly. "N' maybe I'm a little jealous, too," his voice softening to a place that was incredibly vulnerable for him, "You were mine and now you're gunna have to be a lot of people's, you know? That sounds so stupid when I say it out loud…" it wasn't that he didn't want her to have friend, or to be the Queen, or to be loved by the people around her, but sharing her, letting her go, it was new and it was uncomfortable.

Sighing, he swung around, dropping his cape and winding his arms around her shoulders. He stepped closer to her until she was against his chest.
 
Frowning softly, she watched him as he moved, almost anxiously about, removing his cloak and bundling it up. He had spent so long on his own, away from people, away from the need for etiquette and propriety, and then, without warning, he was dropped back into the heart of it. The very heart of it. For in the palace, there would always been expectations, always be someone standing over his shoulder, looking down their nose at him.

It wasn't just about using utensils or plates, but which you used and when and how. It wasn't unlearnable, but it wouldn't come easily - not to anyone, but least of all someone from his background. And she wouldn't have wanted him to, anyway. It wasn't Thalion... not her Thalion. He would need to adapt, certainly, but she didn't want him to become -Doyle-... So long as he was a part of her life, that was all she cared about.

He continued, however, and her thoughts shifted at his words.

"Oh..." She mused, with a gentle smile. His arms came around her shoulders and she looped her own around his waist, looking up at him with a shake of her head, "Thal... I will always be yours. It doesn't matter how many people are in my life. That will never change. I love you." Leaning back a little, she cocked her head to the side, studying him for a moment, "Everything changed for me, when I was stuck in Evernight, Thal. Everything. Who I am, what's important to me. Even the way I think is different, now. The only constant between here and there is how I feel about you. You could never embarrass me... and I will never replace you. I would never want to."
 
"Mm," he contemplated her words with a soft murmur. He knew well what was coming, but he wasn't sure how to both simultaneously retain his identity and meld into Doyle society. He would change, undoubtedly, and he only hope it could be for the better in Minette's eyes. There was so much going on in his little universe, he found it terribly overwhelming, but he inevitably arrived at the conclusion that rest would help. The overwhelming sense of it being too much to bear could only be encouraged further by his exhaustion and, likely, Minette's.

Leaning down as she studied him, his lips pressed a tender little kiss right to the apple of her cheek and he smiled. It wasn't the warmest, most effervescent smile a woman could imagine, but it was a true Thalion smile: a twisted object, like his muscles were unsure of how to make the pattern. "Okay," was his response. It was not entirely convinced, but it was comforted and for now that was all he had needed. What else more was rest, perhaps a meal. His energies had to be spent not worrying so much about Doyle, he realized, but Thalia. His concerns about Doyle could be confronted if and when they survived the looming threat before them.

Then, and only then, would he allow himself the pleasure of worrying about such minor issues as jealousy or embarrassing the love of his life. Thalia had to be the concern and he couldn't keep letting his brain stray at it just had. He pressed another kiss to her opposite cheek and stepped away. "I should sleep," he said, looking for a change in subject then, "And so should you. Not sure how much sleep we'll get when Ben returns." If he returned, anyways. Thalion hadn't good luck with the men of Green Reach thus far—starting with Gregian and followed by Ben's cruel attack against Minette.

Picking up his cloak from the floor, he gathered in it his arms anew and made his way to the mattress where he fell down into his. His head became quickly nestled into a pillow of his cloak, which was familiar to him and brought him comfort. "Come on, Min, no point in trying to stay awake now."
 
Her expression warmed brighter as he moved to press a kiss against her cheek. For someone who claimed to know so little regarding romance, he did a fine job of making her feel loved, and in the moment, with the weight of Doyle strung around her neck like a yoke, she was only too glad for the distraction. Whether she wanted it or not, waking... Returning from Evernight, she had come up against untold responsibilities, and it was a daunting thought. Even just a brief reprieve was welcome.

Moving beside him, she sat down for a moment, kicking off her slippers as she considered what all was to come, reluctantly possessed by thoughts she preferred not to consider. Her fingers wound through her hair, unraveling the braid that held it in place. Shaking lose the bronze curls, she sank onto her side and laying her cheek atop Thalion's chest, she closed her eyes.

"I'm afraid." She whispered, her fingertips curling into the fabric of his shirt, "I'm afraid to sleep. To close my eyes. What if... what if I do, and we end up back there? Back where we started?" She knew sleep would come, and after an emotional taxing day, she was only barely able to keep her eyes open, but the fear still plagued her... Evernignt still plagued her. She could still feel the heat of the desert sand, the breath of the halfhag standing over her... She could feel the blade in her back, where Gregian had stabbed her. Did it scar? Would it have? Thalion had kept his scars... Would she?
 
Thalion reclined entirely, his eyes closed, and an obvious sleepiness claiming him nearly entirely. He had yawned one, stretched himself out, and with a long, deep sigh, relaxed. It was a relaxation he hadn't felt in a long time—succumbing so entirely to rest. How long they had at the barn, he didn't know. Whether it was a minute, an hour, a day, a year… it was time he couldn't give enough appreciation to. The weight on his chest warmed him better than any blanket would have. His arm curled around Minette's shoulders in response.

"Hm?" he roused, barely able to blink his eyes open from sleep, "Well…" he began slowly, unsure how best to address her concerns, as he hadn't shared them. The world they were in now, Doyle, seemed just as much a fight, a prison, as Evernight had been. "Then we go back to where we started n' we try over again. Over and over until… until we don't have to anymore, I guess." He wished he had better, more soothing words to share with her, but he never considered himself a very poetic man. More importantly, he was too tired to think about what to say at any length.

As though they were weighed down by anvils, his eyelids tipped closed, unable to resist the weight. An internal struggle momentarily ensued as he tried to fight for awareness, in case Minette had more to say, but the fight was over as soon as it had begun. "We'll be fine," he assured her one last time in a hoarse, cracked whisper, tailed with the very beginning of a soft, breathy snore. Asleep, deeply so, Thalion didn't dream... or at least, didn't dream in any way he would remember. His body had a decade of good rest to catch up on and when there weren't dragons or halfhags he had to keep an ear open for, he was smothered by exhaustion.
 
She couldn't fault him for falling asleep, and she wasn't angry with him for it. He was exhausted, and had been through a lot... no doubt, he hadn't slept well for some time. In truth, she hoped that he would get a decent rest for once, but whether or not she would have any luck was still a mystery. she had slept for so long, and while he body felt exhausted, the idea of closing her eyes was nearly terrifying. There were so many things that could go wrong... so many possible disasters that could befall them both.

For a while, she simply lay there in the dark, listening to his breathing soften, feeling the rhythm of his heart against her cheek. He seemed so restful and it was encouraging to Minette, even if she wasn't able to sleep herself, but the longer she lay there, the more her mind seemed to give into the idea. Darkness drifted through the cabin as the fire burned down to embers and curling a little closer to him, she let her eyes drift close.

And for a few hours, Minette slept, unhindered... unfettered by the world of dreams or nightmares. Thalia, it seemed, had lost her hold on the both of them, at least where Evernight was concerned... She woke instead to the soft screech of an owl outside and pushing upright, raked her fingers through her hair and rose, to attend to a new fire, shivering in the chill of the night. Evernight was behind them, where it belonged, and ahead of them, an uncertain future, but one that was entirely in their hands...

Wrapping her arms around herself, she shivered again, this time not because of the cold. It was only going to get darker, before the light finally shown in their lives... This could very well be the last night she and Thalion had together, in any semblance of peace. And that was enough to bring fear rushing back to her reality...
 
He slept well, but not with abandon. His senses were not something he could turn off so easily. At every sound—every creak of the old building, every hoot of an owl, every distant howl of coyotes—he roused ever so slightly in his own head. Every time he did so, he assessed the noise but didn't open his eyes, before allowing himself to return to his slumber. It was a rest he needed in both body, heart, and soul; a satisfying rest that fulfilled him and recharged him in a way he was almost not familiar. It wasn't until much later, when Minette had finally risen, that he allowed his eyes to open.

"You are shivering," he pointed out, sitting up and pushing his hair back away from his face. He seemed immune to the chillier night air and, if anything, seemed to enjoy it plenty over the blazing heat of day. As he woke, he began to stretch himself out, unfamiliar with how good well rested muscles could feel. A strength pulsed through his blood that he hadn't felt since the Ethereal Falls. His spirits seemed to have been lifted because of it—something more pleasant across his face than had been before.

Comfortable and stretched, he kicked his legs over the bed and stood, resuming his stretches and shakes. Once satisfied, he approached Minette and stood next to her by the fire. The heat breathed over his skin and he raised his hands towards it. "Maybe I should be more worried or afraid, but I'm not anymore," he admitted rather suddenly, still seeming to be blinking the last of his dreams from his eyes, "All I really want to do now is rest."

The last of the night still clung to the windows and drew the old barn in long shadows. He had wondered briefly if her little friend would even show up… after all, he hadn't really proven all that kind on his first impression. Deciding against voicing this concern for Minette's shake, he shrugged internally, and looked over to her from the corner of his eyes.
 
Minette turned as Thalion's voice cut through the silence, and with a small, dry smile, she nodded. The fire had warmed, but she was still chilled, and as he moved closer, she shifted so she could curl up in the crook of his arm, resting back against his shoulder with a small, soft sigh. He spoke, and for a moment she didn't say anything in response, as she considered what he had said.

In truth, she had expected to be a lot more frightened, a lot more concerned than she was, as well. Her heart, however, could not fully commit to come emotion at a time, and the tumult she felt was confusing, but not entirely filled with negativity. There was a sense, even if it was distant and seemed still too surreal to properly understand, that they were close to the end... that they were nearing the end of the nightmare they had both been thrust into, and it was hard not to feel encouraged by that.

Turning, her arms winding around his waist as she looked up at him, she shook her head, "I'm not afraid, either, Love. And maybe you're right. Maybe we should be. Maybe that's what's called for... But I don't think either one of us can be accused of doing what's expected of us, anymore, can we?"

Leaning back, she met his gaze, smiling faintly, and reaching up, she brushed the hair from his forehead, "I'm a bit put off on rest, still, myself... but I'll be alright if you want to lay down, again. It's not morning, yet..."
 
"I doubt I could sleep 'nymore, even if I wanted to."

The rest felt nice, but he had also begun to feel restless. His muscles were alert and churning with anticipation, his mind on edge from how at ease he had been in passing evening. Finally he had relaxed, but now his mind and heart kept wondering when the next shoe would drop, when the ax would fall. His eyes shifted to the window, gazing out in to the impenetrable darkness on the other side. He squinted to make out the faint silhouettes of trees, veiled in a silver veil by the light of the waning moon.

Minette had curled into his side, her delicate arms—like cooling wax—coiled around his waist and he peeled his eyes and thoughts away from what was on the outside of the window to what was inside. His arm fell across her shoulders, inspecting her gaze as she looked up back to him.

"It doesn't mean much to me, I guess. I don't know what should or shouldn't be done and even if I did, I doubt I'd any control over my reactions." He felt things, experienced things, and he was a grave victim to his own personality. He couldn't readily controlled how he truly responded to anything, so he had stopped trying. "I just really don't like this waiting." He hadn't liked it earlier either, when Minette had tried to convince him to just calm down and spend quiet time enjoying, but it wasn't so easy for him.

A twitch gripped his heart. He couldn't really calm down now that he had awoken. "We're just waitin for your friend now, yea? Hopin he comes through?" he didn't budge from his spot, still holding Minette, but it was obvious that he was anxious and would have likely started pacing had Minette not been there to anchor him to his spot.
 
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