Legend of the Turobian King

This was a tough spot for Darion. Traversing across the ragged, fragile body of the tree was hard enough, but not being noticed by it was another. He felt bad for putting Kari and Dust in this position and was going to have to move quickly to avoid the two getting hurt. A question popped in his head as he carefully tried to move along, what if the fragment can't be taken out without alerting the tree? Will it cause him to attack Kari and Dust? Darion paused for a moment. He couldn't live with himself if something happened to Kari....Kari. He shook it off and began to move quicker, determined not to let this old piece of paper hurt her in anyway.

When the tree began to laugh, the shaking almost caused Darion to lose his grip. "Damn it..Stupid tree.." He muttered as he continued to move. The fragment was right there! Within a few inches of his grasp! He was filled with excitement and nervousness, it was a long time coming but he was just about to grab the fragment. Closing in, he saw looked into the tree's core and sure enough..The left arm fragment. Darion didn't pull it out yet, he was still in shock that he actually found it and was looking right at it. Carefully reaching inside to pull the fragment out, his concentration was broken by the sound of Dust's cry, causing Darion to hit the inside of the tree. Fortunately, the tree didn't seem to notice. No more time for games..Darion thought as he grabbed the fragment and put in his bag.

Now he was going to have to figure out how to get the tree's attention off Kari and Dust. Going down would be in the tree's favor..Aha! Darion got a risky idea and began to climb up the tree's backside towards his neck. Darion was going to have to find out where exactly the tree would be able to hear him..So, he started shouting until the tree turned its attention.

"HEY! TREE! Leave them alone! They didn't wake you up!"

"WHO ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU? SO I CAN STOMP YOU INTO THE EARTH."

"I'm a crazy explorer! That's who! And I'm right behind you!"

The tree growled and slowly began to turn around to look for whomever was talking. Repeating what he did before, starting by looking upon the canopy of the dark forest, then looking down while squinting super hard. He saw nothing and roared.

"WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF?!" As he continued to turn his view left and right.

While the tree was looking for Darion, This was probably and opportune moment to call down to Kari. Darion left from near the tree's face and up onto the shoulder of the creature. He began to wave his arms down at Kari. Darion began motioning a strange sequence of actions. Moving his hands and arms in a bit of charades. The message looked to be, when the tree turns back around, unleash your arrows into his face.​
 
When she inhaled for the second time in the span of 30 seconds, she knew she wasn't dead. Good, she could really use some more life. Yeah, that'd definitely be helpful.


"WHO ARE YOU? WHERE ARE YOU? SO I CAN STOMP YOU INTO THE EARTH." Kari hissed at the white popping in her eyes and the pain in her head, though it was subsiding. Hurt or not, she still had her train of thought on the right tracks. She knew the tree wasn't talking about her, because she had flown right into his branch. That meant he noticed Darion. Kari peeled one eyelid open and looked up to quite the sight. The tree was looking left and right, turning as much as he could trying to find a minuscule human scaling his body. Any other time, this would have been extremely hilarious, but, somehow, things are not so funny when you're close to death. Kari tightened her grip on her bow and tried to stand. It was makeshift and wobbly, but she was up.

"WHERE ARE YOU? SHOW YOURSELF?!" Looking up at the tree, she spotted Darion waving at her frantically. His arm movements were unorthodox and strange. He had the expression of seriousness and adrenaline, but Kari couldn't match what he was trying to tell her at all. She wrinkled her nose and tilted her head, her white bow tilting slight to the side.

"What are you doing, you idiot...?"she whispered more to herself than anything. Then it hit her. He was setting her up for an attack. The tree shifted and roared in annoyance again, clearly upset that his rider still had not been spotted yet. Kari shook her head and crouched low, hiding behind one of his branches. She fixated an arrow on the string of her bow, shaking her head a little more. The white light was still popping in her eyes, but she had to focus. A missed shot and a pissed off tree thing? Not good. Kari blew a breath from her lips, tossing a strand of her hair onto her forehead. She exhaled and closed her eyes.

Focus...Wait...

"YOU WILL DIE UNDER MY MIGHT!"

Now!

Kari pressed her back against the tree and closed one eye, whipping her body to the side and pointing her bow directly at the eye of the treant. Just as the thing spotted her, the arrow flew from her fingers, hitting it right in the eye.

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!"

"Darion! Jump! JUMP!"she shouted, sprinting towards Dust who was at a safe distance away from the tree. In one swift motion, she slid her leg over the horse's back and pulled him to where Darion was, motioning for him to leap. He was insane enough to climb a pissed off tree, he should have been insane enough to jump from one.​
 
Darion waited patiently for the right moment for Kari to strike. He was concerned about how long he could hold himself on the tree before it realized Darion was perched on his shoulder. Just relax Darion, Kari would shoot her bow soon enough hopefully..If she understood what he was signalling for. Darion felt the tree shaking and moving violently, his anger was growing by the second, causing Darion to fall off a bit, but quickly catch himself.

"Whoa...Close.."

He looked down to see Kari crouching, guess she understood him after all. Darion smiled, but only for a moment before the tree swiftly turned and he could see that Kari released the arrow towards the creature. Oh boy, this was not going to be fun for him at all. The tree roared loudly in pain. Direct Hit! Darion was even more impressed that she landed a blow right to the creature's eye. However, the roaring in pain made the tree shake even more so than when it was just groaning. It wasn't safe up here and to climb down would be incredibly difficult.​

"Darion! Jump! JUMP!"
​

Jum-Jump?..From up here? He looked down and how high he was, it was a long fall..Darion blinked, filled with hesitation while time was running short before putting himself in greater danger. Well, it wouldn't be like the time he jumped off those mountains in Agasaria..Least he walked out with some broken ribs. Alright, relax yourself Darion..Take a deep breath close your eyes, and just run off. He was ready, just running a bit before leaping off the large tree, he figured he go down while yelling something epic..But what? Oh god..What oh what to yell?! Before he knew it he was in the air and it was like time slowed down.

"YAHOOOOOOOOO!!"

As he looked down to see Kari mounted on Stardust, the three of them were going to have move quickly. It would be only a matter of seconds before the tree recovered and was going to see them running off. Darion landed on the ground, quickly rolling forward to relieve some of the pressure from the fall. He grunted in pain, his legs took a great deal of pain despite his roll. However, Darion quickly recovered himself and hid his pain as he looked up to Kari and Dust, pointing in a random direction.

"Go! We have to go! NOW!" ​


 
"AAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUHHHHH!!"

"Go! We have to go! NOW!"

"Don't you think I can SEE that!?" Kari wasted no time and kicking Dust's side with her heel. Dust didn't take it well to be ordered by such brute force, but he would have to stay silent and understand that Kari simply did not want them eaten or beaten by a giant tree. Stardust whinnied loud into the air, harmonizing with the treant's shout, and shot off towards the East, a direction she assumed Dust figured was pratical. Before nearly getting whiplash at being tugged by Dust, she grabbed Darion's shoulder sleeve, and, with as much strength she could muster, yanked him off of the ground and behind Dust. It was tough, her shoulder screaming in pain when she lifted all of his weight, but what was done was done. It was a hell of a lot easier to escape from a giant tree with all passenger's on board the horse.

"Grab my waist and hang on!"she ordered, not ready to hear him retort. Dust's travel bag hit his leg as they vaulted over a fallen log and away from the tree. The large thing had no way to chase them anyway. Fear was what sparked Dust to bail at max speed. Kari wasn't about to blame him yet.

"Good boy. That's it. Keep going,"she ushered close to Dust's ear, feeling the burning in Dust's legs as he picked up the pace. Without looking behind her, she glared, wind whipping her head back and probably smacking Darion in the face. Good. He deserved it.

"So, did you get the arm that nearly got me squished by a tree over? Because if not..."she barked, letting the threat settle.​
 
Darion continued to run as he best he could, but his injury was making it hard for him to do so at a pace he wanted to. Perhaps he should have landed on Dust, but likely would've been bucked off. Dust didn't care for Darion very much after trying to steal him in the beginning, and probably wouldn't for a long long time. Guess Darion was going to have to do his best to keep up with the two. Suddenly, he felt his sleeve being pulled causing him to look in the direction. He panicked for a second, then saw it was Kari pulling him up onto the back of Dust. This surprised him a bit, but he went with it. Darion held onto Kari's waist tightly not even bothering to argue with her.

He looked back to see the giant tree fading into the distance. Looks like the creature was not able to keep up with the speed of the horse. A breath of relief escaped from his mouth as he laid his head on Kari's leg, closing his eyes. His mind was out of it, the pain in his legs was took over and Darion was groaning about it periodically. Despite the constant bumping and shaking, he was comfortable and didn't want to move.

"Ye-Yeah...I got the arm..Safe and secur...Secure in my bag."

Her threatening tone was noted, but he was just out of it to really respond in a fearful or smart way. Groaning a bit more as they continued to ride along through the forest.​
 
Yukari was silent for the rest of the ride. She didn't ask him where the next destination and she wasn't going to. If she had, Darion would have just been pumped enough to through them right back into the belly of the beast, eager to find the other arm. Life didn't look as important to him as it did ti Kari. Kari actually wanted to make it to her mid years, not to be killed by some demon or something over a statue. Holding tight to Dust's reigns, she began to wonder how many people went looking for the same fragments as the one Darion had. Were there many who died over them like the two of them were so close to doing, or were they the only ones? A sinking rock dropped at the very bottom of her abdomen as she tried to stomach the idea of dying over something so trivial.

"I can't believe you dragged me into this! We could have all been killed by a gargantuan tree and all you have to say is that a piece of a statue is secure in your bag? Come on, Darion! This is our lives we're talking about! I'm not trying to be a kill joy, but this is dangerous. If we're gonna do this, we have to work together,"she seethed, bending her head low and whispering a thanks in Dust's ear. The horse was beginning to slow up to a trot, noticing that light was now abundant around them, the last remnants of the forest looking away. Grass turned into stones and trees turned into boulders.

They were near a canyon.

"How are your legs? I'm surprised you didn't shatter them..."she mumbled, fighting away the urge to giggle.​
 
As Darion laid on Kari's leg during their escape from the tree. He began to wonder if this was all really worth it again. All this hassle, all this trouble over a damn statue. His facial expression changed as he watched the ground pass by, good thing Kari couldn't see him. His look was one of doubt and second thoughts. What if the statue was gone already and someone sold it without the arms? It was still pure gold and could surely be bargained for a high price. How stupid would it be if there WAS no statue, how pissed would Kari be? Furious most likely. Especially since they risked their lives so recklessly..Well..Darion did, Kari didn't. Darion sighed, perhaps his ways were just a bit too dangerous for everyone, including himself.

"You wanted to come..I offered my invitation to you, and you accepted.."

Darion paused as she mentioned the fragment in his bag, causing him to go right back to what he was thinking before. He was left speechless by her. Darion smirked a bit and nodded. Kari and him as a team? It'd be different for him but, he was willing to give it a shot.

"You're right.. I have been..too reckless..My determination is blindly putting me in situations we shouldn't be in..I'm sorry for putting you two in those situations..And..I wouldn't mind..learning to work with you..and Dust." Darion looked up at Kari as he said this, but slowly let himself droop off the horse as they came to a stop. Darion crawled up towards the base of the tree and laid against it, shutting his eyes and sighing softly. This was relaxing and was relieving him of a bit of pain he was still feeling, but it was going to take a bit of resting before he was ready to continue. Kari however, seemed to find it a bit funny as his expense. Eh it's alright, Darion knew how to get her back..Possibly.

"Me too..But, they would be more fractured if I hadn't rolled."​
 
"Of courrrrse they would've,"she chimed, pleased with herself that she had made Darion seem like more of an idiot than she already was. It was becoming more of a pastime than anything. Save Darion from impending danger and chew him out about how naive he was when it came to...well...everything. Dust slowed down so much that Kari thought he was standing still. She took the hint and swung her leg off of him, landing on the ground on her feet. Suddenly, a numb trembling swam up to each of her legs, the result of riding that fast without properly positing herself. Darion wasn't doing so much better, maybe even worse than she was. By the by, the fight was over.

They had survived...again.

"If you wanna work with us, Darion, first, you have to let us know everything. And I mean everything. I want to know about you, your travels, your thoughts and insecurities, every...single...little...detail,"she said, walking up to him and taking slow, foreboding steps each time she paused in the middle of her words. Eventually, she had successfully backed him up to the tree he was leaning on. The momentary lack of distance between them seemed to get him to quiet down. Kari smiled, pleased with herself as she wheeled away from him, sitting on a rock and tilting her head to the side.

"Alright. I'm listening,"she said innocently, holding tightly to the bow at her side.


​
 
Darion listened to Kari's proposition. It was an interesting one..To tell everything about himself. He adjusted himself against the tree, stretching his legs completely out. A slight smile formed on his face from how nice it felt not to be walking for once, that and how his legs were slowly recovering. Hopefully if he told Kari everything about him, they would up and ready to go and she would be more comfortable by his side. The first thing that came to mind was to remove his covering completely so she could see every facial detail on his person. He looked over to her with a slight smile, folding his hands on his lap as he looked up at the branches of the tree he was on. Each branch that had a junction off to another part of the tree, which was like his own tale.

"You want to know about me?..Very well..But.."

Darion lowered his gaze back to Kari, beaming his eyes right to hers.

"You tell about yourself too..Now let's see..Where to start?"

Should he start from when he was a kid? Or what his greatest moment was? Hm..This was strange because no one ever really asked much into his life. Most of the time he got 'Where ya headed?', 'You know which way this is?' ,and 'Want to buy this?' He lost himself in so much thought, that when he came back to reality, he noticed how she was sitting. Blinking a few times before a slight hint of red formed on his cheeks.

"I always wanted to see the world...Not just find artifacts, I want to explore and find and learn more about different places. Sometimes.. I get way to excited for a journey and do silly and dangerous things without me even thinking about it."

He chuckled as he began twiddling his fingers.

"How in the heck are you still here? After all the reckless and dumb things I've done..You should've left. What keeps you here?"​
 
Kari nodded as he made his proposal. He need not ask her, however. Kari was all too glad to tell him about her "thrilling" life, though there wasn't much to tell. There was no way that she had an adventurous life like he did, being a traveler and all. Comparing her story to his would be like comparing a diamond to a piece of coal. It was that bad. Still, it was only fair to relay her own days if he planned on relaying his own. If they were to be a team, they had to act like one. Hiding her own past while only listening to his wasn't any kind of team work at all!

Kari listened to his story, smiling when he mentioned his love for seeing the world. Darion had became a new man in seconds flat, his eyes sparkling as he visualized the world right before his eyes! She could imagine him as a little boy, climbing trees and leaping off of them onto a pile of leaves, claiming the mound his. She stifled a chuckle when he suddenly stopped, asking her about why she stayed. Dust picked up his head at the question, munching away at a bundle of grass before snorting, whipping his tail as if the question was directed to him. Kari shot him a glare before returning her gaze to Darion, leaning casually on her bow.

"For the same reason you are, I guess. I wanna help you find the fragments. I mean...what else am I gonna do? Sit in the shop and polish bows that were never going to get purchased? Spend my days shooting at pears when there was a world of adventure just waiting to be taken? You have the right idea...just...not the right way of doing it, that's all!" Another snort from Dust went ignored. "I'll be right here until you find those arms, for whatever reason, I have no idea,"she stopped suddenly, wrinkling her nose as it dawned her.

"...You don't want me here, do you?"​
 
"I do want you here."

Darion made sure he locked eyes with her when he said that. It was true he did want her here, he enjoyed having company with her along his journey. Sure they weren't the best of friends before, but it was still company, someone to share thoughts with, and even fight alongside with. Darion recalled back to the moment where the dark hounds attacked and he saved her from having her leg torn off by one of the hounds. Darion knew from that moment forward he was determined to keep her safe. Kari's presence did mean something to him. Even though he didn't realize it before. Darion began messing with his fingers as he tried to get the words out to her.

"I...I've always been alone when I've traveled, for the most part." Darion took a deep breath, his cheeks filling with more color. "Thank you for joining along with me..Not sure if I ever thanked you for it. Guess now is a better time then any, right? Since we're explaining everything. Told ya..Willing to try new ways to get the goal..Just need some insight on how to go about it."

Darion sighed and smiled a bit, his vision down to his bag where he pulled out the arm fragment. The solid gold left arm that shined brightly, you couldn't tell if it belong to something cursed and could be sold for a reasonable price on the black market. He began to rub the arm with a cloth rag that was wrapping the fragment before. Breathing lightly on it before rubbing more. Darion saw slight sparkles, which made him wonder how Kari landed up in the shop in the first place, what made her think the shop was just there and not going to make any income. His smile grew a bit more as his eyes landed on the bow.

"A girl with your eye just doesn't land up in a shop like that. How did that work?..Plus couldn't you have just left anyway?"

He then put another thought or two into and added on his question.

"Was there someone you cared about, but didn't want to leave?"​
 
It was a strange turn of events, but she rode the waves as they came. Kari and Darion locked eyes after he denied her question. Seconds past before he elaborated, and what an elaboration it was. Parts of it she failed to believe, but the memories came back to her anyhow. At first sight, she wanted to put an arrow straight through his chest for trying to steal Stardust. Then, at the faintest mention of danger, her entire persona changed. She felt like a hypocrite for being mad at him for all of the danger he put them through, when she was the one who internally asked for it! Bringing her eyes downwards the base of the tree, she shrugged, trying to avoid showing the red that swam up to her face at the revelation.

"I...uh...yeah. I guess. I figured you traveled alone since you didn't have a horse. I don't know why someone would want to travel alone if they knew they'd be getting themselves into a lot of hell. Which is why I think you're crazy. Makes sense?"she asked innocently, flashing a smile. The sun danced behind them, dipping into the horizon. Dust lifted his head up while he chewed away at his grass. The time for sleeping would be soon and he was beginning to wonder what the sleeping plans were. Surely Kari wouldn't expect him to sleep out in the open without being in a stable! He swung his long head towards her, neighing in her direction but not getting so much as a wave back. Kari was too busy chewing her lip, wondering how to answer the next question.

"Alright, yeah, so maybe I didn't grow up in a shop. I'm actually from a large city on the edge of the land. Turez? Have you heard of it? Yeah, I'm from there,"she muttered, not giving him time to answer her rhetorical questions. "My mother raised me by herself. She was seamstress and a poor one at that. It's a wonder she managed to take care of me. I don't remember having a father or any siblings for that matter. It was just me and Mother." Kari's voice dropped a bit, cringing at the next wave of nostalgia that rushed through her head. Another span of silent seconds.

"When I turned 17, Turez's Prince was looking for a princess. Mom thought I was eligible so she sent me to the castle. She really didn't give me any other choice. Said that I either went or didn't come back home. I guess I can't really blame her. We needed the extra income, and what greater income than marrying a Prince?"she chuckled, the laughter falling short. Her eyes landed on Darion and she flinched.

"To make a long story short, I went to the castle, was rejected by the prince, and my Mother banished me from her house, saying that I was no woman. I went to the only place I knew to go: My Uncle Bastion's Bow Shop. You can figure the rest." Once her story was over, the sky had already dipped into a darkening violet, coming with it a breeze from the east. She shivered, rubbing her hands across her arms.

"Well...I guess we camp here for tonight?"​
 
Rubbing his head, he remembered the incident in the beginning which they met. He attempted to take Dust because he thought it was an open horse, only to be confronted by Kari and an arrow split seconds away from ending his journey. He laughed a bit at the memory, but it quickly turned to a puzzled look as she explained her thoughts on him traveling alone. It didn't really make sense at first, but he slowly understood it, following up with a nod or two.

"It does..I think."

Darion took notice to her face, noticing she was filling with color. He raised an eyebrow then wondered what she was thinking about at that moment. What if..Oh..Oh my.. Darion's cheek filled with more color as he quickly tried to cover it up by rubbing the arm fragment super hard with the rag, stuttering a bit in his breathing. Was she thinking of him more than just a crazy explorer? Perhaps that guy that pulled her from the boring life she once knew onto a journey of adventure..Plus he saved her, surely she hadn't forgotten that as well. Darion shook his head, he was getting way into that path of thought and looked up to Kari as she began to answer his question.

Her tale was one he didn't expect out of her. He thought she was a girl who grew up with a love of archery and decided to be with her uncle. But to be banished by her mother and rejected by a prince? He just couldn't see it. How could someone reject her? She has a good sense of direction, not some mindless girl and is very skilled in defending herself; which seems like most other women are not able to do these days. Darion didn't moved when she mentioned setting up camp for the night just yet. He frowned still imagining the pictures of Kari going through all of that and being where she is today. And then, he stood up, placing the fragment back in his back and nodded in her direction, his mind clearly filled with thoughts of her.

"Yes..We set up camp here for the night."

Darion walked over to get the supplies ready, but due to his constant thinking, he turned back in her direction. "Kari?...I don't see how that Prince reject you..You are a nice girl, and I'm sure any prince would love to have you as his bride..That prince sounds..dumb for not taking that..chance."

And before she could answer, he moved quickly so she couldn't respond to him as his now bright red face was hidden from her.​
 
Kari raised a brow at the nervous rubbing Darion was doing to the arm fragment She hadn't noticed it before, but the arm really was a brilliant gold! To think that something that priceless was going to be used to spawn evil or a curse...it really didn't help in Kari's decision on whether or not Darion was bat shit insane. She kept her brow raised, darting her eyes from Darion to the arm and back to Darion. He wasn't really looking at a definite spot, swinging his eyes here and there. Pretty much everywhere but her own.

"I was just saying...because...it was getting kind of dark..." Kari continuously had to pause what she was saying to flinch at each rub the arm was taking. She could see the muscle throbbing in his arm as he rubbed with more force. "And I don't want to keep...traveling in the dark, you know? Because...that's kind of dan--Alright, will you stop already!?"she snapped, watching him stand and suddenly stow the arm away inside his bag.

"You're going to break the poor thing if you keep rubbing it like that! Take it easy!" Dust neighed in a sound that reminded her too much of a scoff. Kari snapped him a 'behave-you-drama-queen' look before returning her eyes to Darion. He managed to calm down...but as soon as he passed her, he rounded back to her, looking into her eyes with a fierceness she didn't know he was capable of. Taken aback at the sudden change of attitude, his statement left her mouth hanging slightly ajar, blinking rapidly. It took her a second or two to register that he was no longer facing her to snap her back into reality. What did he just say? Kari raised a hand for absolutely no reason, bringing it down to her lap as she looked at the rock below her feet, a blush burning terribly hot on her cheeks.

"...I'm just not that...I don't know...suitable for men, I assume,"she said to herself more than anything, resisting the urge to shrug. No longer wanting to dwell into the topic, Yukari stood and walked beside him, avoiding Dust's questioning eyes. "I suppose you only have one tent? Because I didn't bring anything. I mean...sleeping outside on a rock is okay if you don't want me trapped in that tent with you,"she chuckled. Dust didn't find the joke funny, stomping his hoof to finally grab Kari's attention.

"Relax, princess, you're gonna be fine!"she snapped. Dust twitched his head incredulously but gave up the fight. Kari shook her head, setting her bow down beside a rock in order to help him set up camp.​
 
As he continued walking he listened to what she said intently. Not suitable? How so? She's the type of woman that can fend for herself and is not some sort of cupcake. Wait..That was the type of woman he liked..Most men preferred cupcakes. Darion was halted in thought, because he never considered anything about women because of how blind he was to everything else except his travels and his goal. His eyes slowly looking in the direction of Kari as she grew closer. Oh god..What should I say? When she mentioned the whole tent ordeal. No way in hell was he going to have her sleeping on a rock outside.

"Yep..One tent."

He tried to keep his answer short and sweet, but he didn't answer the second part of her question. His emotions were driving him nuts, he wanted to finish what he was going to say before but he was too chicken to do it. Yet, he'd never know how she'd truly respond by hiding himself from her, she wanted to know everything and this was considered everything. Darion waited until she got closer, placing both of his hands on her shoulders gently as he made sure to make direct eye contact with her.

"You are...You are suitable for men..Not just any man..A man who appreciates you for you. I appreciate who you are..And damn it..You're the most beautiful girl I've ever come across in my life." Pausing for a split second as he drew closer to her. "...That prince was a fool..He should have taken you.." Darion leaned in closer to her, guiding himself to her lips where he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He held the kiss for a few seconds then pulled back. "I may..be insane..But I know a good gal when.. I see one."

What the hell did I just do?! Oh god she's gonna kick the shit out of me. Darion just kissed the girl who he knew very little about. Not because he was some sort of pervert, or that he was trying to toy with her emotions, but because he wanted her to know that she was suitable and good enough for a man. Honestly, he could not see why no man has married her yet still. The breaths coming from him were quick paced and heavy as he turned his attention to the supplies, then back to her.

"..I...wouldn't mind being in the same tent as you, Kari..Not one bit.."​
 
"I figured,"she muttered, helping him set up the one and only tent. There was no use in fighting with him over the sleeping arrangements. In the morning, they were both going to wake very uncomfortable and in need of a massage. So, in truth, it didn't matter if she slept on a rock or inside the tent. No sleep was compared to that of your own bed. Dust began to trod angrily on the ground, trying to grab Kari's attention again. He was very upset at learning that he would be sleeping outside with the bugs and nature. Dust's left ear flicked at a crack in the distance, snapping her a glare as if she were the reason the crack happened. Yukari shook her head, waving him off before sliding around Darion.

She caught hold of his eyes at one point, but they were averted quickly once he began talking again. Kari found herself wondering if he just didn't do eye contact. It was a very intimate form of communication in some cases and could very easily be taken out of context. What he said made her pause, holding one hand over a leg of the tent that was bent out of shape, her eyes plastering on the ground before his hands landed on her shoulders. Now forced to look at him, Kari listened to his confession with...intrigue. What is he talking about? Does he not know what a Prince is? Has he not seen me lately? Is he blind in one eye or something? She looked from his right eye to the left, wrinkling her nose while continued after his pause.

After that, everything went too fast.

Under the moonlight, it looked like he was looming closer, but she thought it was the moon playing tricks on her eyes. It liked to do that at times. Blinking once or twice, Kari leaned closer to see if he was leaning closer. Then the leaning got too much that, before she could pull away, his lips covered hers, forcing her eyes closed. On a heartbeat, her face flared in a heated blush, trickling from the top of her head, completely covering her cheeks and nose. Butterflies exploded on contact and her body froze, stiffened even. Even the incredulous neigh from Dust didn't snap her out of her trance. A second passed. A sweet, horrid second before Darion pulled back casually, speaking as if he had never done what he did. As if he had never brushed his lips across her and took her in softly. As if it was nothing more than a wave goodbye.

Yukari twitched.

"What...in the hell...is your problem!?"she snapped, pushing his chest once. The movement was so swift that she had to step up to him quickly to repeat the action. "You just kissed...a girl...you don't...even know! I have never...never in my life...been kissed! And here you are, calling me some...some 'gal' after you just...you...you...ugh!" With each pause, Kari pushed him harder and harder, shaking her head while the blush remained, now mingling with the red from her frustration. "You don't know the first thing about romance, Darion! I hope that statue teaches you something so you can make out with it every...single...night!"​
 
Embarrassment. That's all he felt as Kari began to push his chest more forcefully while yelling at him. Darion was completely blank faced, but still listening to every word she said. There was no lying about it, when it came to romance, Darion's was as lifeless as a rock. He didn't know anything about it, mainly because he never truly experienced romance. To argue why he kissed her like that, he just honestly felt it was right to do and it made him feel better instead of holding it back. His emotions got the better of him along with the statue which she brought up. Darion took it pretty hard when she mentioned making out with the statue, his vision dropped to the ground with his eyes shutting tight..

Not a single word left Darion's mouth as he continued to stare at the ground. His mind was void. He wasn't thinking about the statue, his journey, or Kari anymore. What the hell was with him? Just a few moments ago he was ready to tell her everything, then he kissed her..Now this? The words were probably getting into his head even though he wasn't thinking about barely anything. Suddenly, his eyes opened as he looked up to Kari's sight.

"I don't regret kissing you..Even though I barely know you. I'd do it again, Kari."

Moving himself back in her direction even though she kept pushing him, he was not one to be pushed around like so. He placed his hands on her shoulders gently, a small smile forming on his face.

"How wrong of me, you're not a gal. You're..A woman. A woman who saved my ass. Thanks. Thanks for that..And everything else."

His mouth opened once more as he was going to speak, but instead, he closed it and just stared at her. From her head to her chin, her frustration was vibrating fiercely onto his body. He closed the distance between him and her by pulling her into a light hug. Kari would probably push him away or kick him really hard, but damn it..He didn't care if she did. What was on his mind was how fumed she was getting because his own clueless shows. Romance wasn't his big spot, yes..But it didn't mean he lacked a bit of it.

Leaning his head closer to hers once again, he moved himself towards her ear where he whispered. "Screw that statue right now.." Turning his head a bit as he pushed forward onto her cheek, planting gentle light kisses on it, his lips warming from her own blush. "If I had to pick..Between a statue and you..I pick you, even though I barely know you. Least you'll feel something while that statue will be ice..cold." Breathing lightly on her skin after the pause. Darion's cheeks began to grow red, but if he stopped now..No..Don't..As he trailed himself back to her lips, pushing his own to hers creating a gentle kiss. However, this time he didn't bother to pull away.​
 
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For the first time in a long time, Kari had no idea what to do. She didn't know if she should push him so hard that he stumbled on the ground before she reached for her bow and shoot him in the head, or maybe just turn away and ignore his existence. She was belligerently putting herself at his mercy by traveling with him with so little knowledge of what she was doing exactly, yet she got mad at him for kissing her? It wouldn't have been so bad if she was kissed before. There would have been a certain familiarity with the feeling, not getting too shocked when the butterflies exploded or when the blush burned her entire face. She at least would have been expectant of the sudden paralysis in her body. But for him to have done that to her for her first time, just like that? Yes. The shooting-him-in-the-face-with-her-bow idea was sounding too good.

Darion took her by the shoulders again once he broke through her pushes, but that didn't mean she was done with the fight. Oh no. Kari was ready now more than ever to put him in his place. She swatted his hand away, her face turning in disgust, but Darion ignored the gesture, still speaking to her as if she cared about what he said. Even though she didn't she still found herself listening...soon finding herself blushing when he told her she was a woman. There was a solitary bundle of hushed seconds going by to where even Dust held his tongue. That silence was ruined when Kari's face contorted in anger again.

"Oh so now I'm a wom--" Her sentence zipped short when his arms flung around her, grabbing her body into a tight hug. Her body flew and hit his chest gruffly, the two of them embraced in a hug. Kari had no idea what to do with her hands. They remained limply at her sides. In fact, she didn't move a muscle. She couldn't. The paralysis had returned and he hadn't even kissed her!

"Least you'll feel something while that statue will be ice...cold."

...Well, now he did.

Yukari's body spiked again momentarily before stiffening in a solitary motion, keeping her plastered to the ground and unable to move. She barely felt his lips graze the side of her jaw and cheek, but she knew they were there. His breath lingered on the areas before his lips moved over her mouth again. The whole reason she got upset. Making a sharp sound of surprise, Yukari took in a quick breath before her eyes flung closed. There was no going back now. However hardass she tried to act before was now dwindling away in the wind. Her fingers twitched, moving her lips curiously over his, wondering what she should do. Her body answered for her, leaning closer onto his chest while her hands crawled up his back.

With still no clue what she was doing, Kari finally sighed out the air she had been holding and tilted her head, aligning their lips straighter so that when she pressed harder, they would match. And they did match. Perfectly. Kari's lips apparently had a mind of their own as well, for when Darion failed to pull away, her lips parted gingerly, not wanting to pull away as well.​
 
It was as if the entire journey about the statue was put on hold. Darion wasn't even thinking about it anymore, he was too focused on Kari, or whatever was roaming in his head. He wasn't sure if what he was doing was right at the moment, but Kari didn't seem to respond in any sort of violent matter..So he must have done something right after all. So much was running through Darion's body as the kissed continued, all sorts of things he never felt before. His heart was beating so fast, it was sure to explode from all the emotion. If it did, it did then..He would go down kissing her. Surely that wasn't going to happen..Maybe it was just so new it seemed like that.

Feeling her hands crawling up his back sent slight shivers, but he loved the feeling of it. It only made him want to keep doing what he was doing, and if anything do more. His hands were pushed off her shoulder before, so he had to find a new placed for them..But where? Darion didn't think about it, because it would end up in him messing up..So he just let his hands guide themselves to where they felt right. His hands started at the top of her back, they didn't feel just right here though. Descending his hands down her back her waist, which actually felt much better. Cupping his hands on both sides of her hips tightly. He didn't need to see how they looked because the mental picture was just as accurate.

He continued to kiss her, putting more of himself into the kiss. All of his recklessness, emotion, drive, and heart into it. Again, the two barely knew each other and they were kissing as if they had been dating for years. They were like a completed puzzle the way their lips matched with each others, pressing his against her own pushing. Her lips began to part on his own, and could feel her breath dancing along his lips..It was..an invitation of sorts. Darion didn't refuse, as his own lips parted a bit, his tongue creeping out of his mouth to touch her lips gently. A heavy breath escaped as he felt her lips, a shuddering excitement rising inside him.

"K-Kari...." He whispered softly.

Her taste was so warm and welcoming, his body wanted to feel more of hers even though they were pressed close together tightly. "I...I.." Shaking his head, not wanting to make himself sound stupid, he just guided her by the hips in a bit of a turn. Pressing her against a wide tree, pushing his entire boy up to hers. Darion was in a dominant position, as he continued kissing her, waiting to see if her tongue responded.​
 
Kari was getting annoyed that he was trying to talk. It started with her name. A sweet, beautiful sound as it was, it got in the way of the kissing. Yes. Kari had dived so deep into the moment that now, anything that wasn't Darion or related to him had absolutely no meaning to her. Long gone were Dust's huffs of impatience. Long gone was the strain in her leg from the wound that managed to seep a tad bit of blood through the horribly made bandage. Nothing else mattered to her but the situation at hand: how to kiss a man she had never kissed before back with the same passion he was giving her. Passion...that's what it was, right? Kari didn't fight against the thought while she moved her lips back over his own. He pulled away at some point and paid dearly for the action.

"...Why...?"she asked in a frail and weak voice. She wasn't asking why he was doing what he was doing, why he whispered her name on her lips, or why she was doing it. She was asking why he was making it so hard for her to continue! Not waiting for an answer, Kari let herself become led backwards, pressing her back to the tree gladly. Mind you, she still had absolutely no idea why she was doing it, but it was far too late for her to stop. Darion had done something. Once he placed his lips over hers after saying what was said, he did something. In her stomach, a soft bubbling sprouted and grew, filling her veins with fire, creating her blush.

The sides of her arms brushed against his when she reached her hands up to wrap around his neck. The gesture was only because she needed something to hold onto, but, at the same time, there was the pure need of the kiss. That was her fuel. The curiosity, the wonder, the things the kiss could hold. Kari was embarrassed to have muffled a sigh of pleasure against his lips which moved this way and that as she yanked Darion closer to her. It messed up the alignment, but that only allowed Kari to kiss his jaw, among other areas. His skin was caught between her lips and she didn't care.

He was the idiot. He started it. Now, he just had to deal.

"Am I...doing this right?"she whispered to him, taking in a sizable chunk of his neck into her lips, sucking hard enough to leave a red ring where her lips had been, only to move onto the next area of skin. It was all coming naturally to her and, if Darion didn't regret kissing her the first time, surely he did now.​
 
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