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- Primarily Prefer Female
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While Charlie raced off, Wyn shook her head, frowning softly in thought. How many more times, she wondered, would they be brought to a place of fear as they had been that day? How many more times would they get so lucky, and lose no one? She had begun this journey alone, but now she had far too much to lose. Instinct, which resembled her mother's voice far too closely, told her to abandon hope and return home... But she couldn't now. She couldn't abandon their quest and she could not abandon the people she had come to love, so dearly.
Feeling a subtle heat crawl up her neck, she turned to find Hal's eyes on her and a small smile formed on her lips as she met his gaze. In the chaos, she had not forgotten the affliction that had appeared overnight, but something in the small miracle of everyone making it aboard had lessened her concerns for a moment. They would talk, but for a few seconds she could enjoy the notion that they were all safe and relatively sound.
Her eyes shifted across the room to their orc companion and crossing to Tza, Wyn reached out to rest a hand on her arm, "I don't know what happened out there... but thank you, for bringing Charlie back... I know he doesn't believe it, but I'm pretty sure he's part of why we're all still here, and I don't know what I'd do if he weren't anymore... Here, that is."
The orc looked at Wyn with an almost perplexed look at first as the Sur expressed her gratitude.
She somewhat softened.
"Hm. It was no hardship to do so. He did most of his own legwork. Obviously," she grumbled in her usual rasp, gesturing sardonically to her leg.
Looking down, Wyn frowned at the injury, before holding up her own wrist with a small, dry chuckle, "...We're all falling apart, it would seem."
Biting her lip, Wyn sank down into the seat beside the orc, lowering her gaze for a moment, before looking up, "...Could... could I ask you something? It's rather strange, but you seem so knowledgeable."
The orc gave Wyn a look, but there was ever so slightly the hint of a smile at the edge of her lips. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed receiving questions. Perhaps it was an orc trait, the need to be recognized as intelligent.
"Proceed," the orc said, taking a long drink from the bottle at her side.
Clearing her throat, Wyn fiddled with her hands in her lap for a moment, "Do... do you know anything about a skin condition one might develop after..." Looking down, she picked at her fingernail, feeling her cheeks flush with color, "After intimacy?"
Tza's half smile immediately fell as Wyn mentioned "intimacy" with a less than unknowledgeable expression. She could guess what had probably happened within the last few days. While she appeared rather unamused, she nevertheless pondered it.
"Hmmmm. Of the carnal ailments, I know of few as is. We orc develop large pads of crusted skin in areas of friction, which become painful and eventually bleed. It is..... unpleasant," Tza'Hal stated clinically. "Among Man, there is the kissing sickness that gives great open sores of the mouth. Some are less clear as to the amount of their venereal cause. Simply, they are unsightly to behold."
Tza'Hal took a hard drink. The textbooks went into far too much detail upon such things.
Blinking, staring up wide-eyed and slightly horrified, Wyn shook her head, "Oh... oh, goodness, no. It... it's not anything like..." Her cheeks flushed scarlet, "It's just a... well, it's not even as a rash. It looks almost scaly?"
Tza threw up her hands, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Dear Sur, I am bested. I know not a single scaly disease. Alas, I'm not doctor. You'd be better off chatting up Kadros -- if you can get him to talk," Tza joked, the drink giving her a pleasant buzz. Come to think of it, she wasn't supposed to be drinking, but monks were also not supposed to refuse things given to them out of kindness or good will.
Drink it is, then.
"I'll have better luck getting him to open up about it than Ha--hmm." Teeth pinching the edge of her lip again, she smiling shyly, "I... I guess it's not much of a secret. Can I ask... One more thing? Have you ever loved someone, Tza? Do you know... Is it always so frightening? I mean... it's wonderful. He's wonderful. But I'm not sure I've ever been so scared..."
Tza glanced over at Wyn at the mention as she began a certain exhalation, from which she could gather the rest. So it was their intrepid "leader" she took fancy to?
The next question did take her off guard, though, and Tza'Hal grew considerably somber, leaning against the table as she rolled the bottle of brew between her rough fingertips. Her gaze was directed at the wood of the table, despite the fact that her chin was lifted high, an orc habit to keep one's tusks at the forefront.
"Once. Nothing of its timbre exists," Tza'Hal stated in a soft rumble. "That feeling is the knowledge that someone else holds a spear to your throat and you trust them with it. The risk is great, yet so is the reward. Hence comes fear-- and its partner, thrill."
She lowered her head now, memory rushing to her. Very suddenly she smiled mischievously and said, "And the thrill is half the fun of it. It is dangerous, and that is what makes it exciting."
Smiling a little brighter, almost a little conspiratorially, Wyn nodded, "That it is..." The smile faded slightly, and she looked away for a moment, "But I am afraid. I've lost so much already... And I'm afraid of losing him. Not just if he doesn't make it through this, but what might become of him if anyone else falls... I never thought... I didn't come into this to fall in love. To be honest, I never thought it possible. Now I'm not sure how I could survive without him."
Reaching out, she rested a hand over Tza's, briefly, meeting the orc's gaze, "Thank you. For your kind words. I should go speak with him." Rising, she smiled again, "I know we haven't spoken much, but for what it's worth... you do credit to your people, Tza. And I hope you can find that thrill again, when all of this is over."
Tza smiled, and, for whatever reason, there seemed a tinge of bittersweetness to it.
"Indeed," Tza'Hal answered, nodding her head to Wyn.
To have that thrill again... She would let the Sur believe that the orc yearned for it again. Perhaps even ten years was too short a time to go fetching spears.
With a small wave, gracing the orc with a smile, Wyn turned and crossed the room to Hal's side. Gingerly, she reached out to touch his elbow, "Hey... Could we... Can we talk?"
Hal, completely oblivious to the tone, smiled over at Wynleth and shrugged. "Sure," he said, and then nodded over to the starboard balcony. "A little fresh air too. It looks pretty in these mountains."
Smiling faintly, Wyn nodded and followed Hal to the balcony. Outside, she with oved to the railing and peered out at the view. He had not been exaggerating. It was lovely, an d for a moment, it was almost enough to make her forget her troubled thoughts...
Almost.
"Are you sick, Hal? Please... Tell me the truth. The marks... Do you know what it is?"
Hal reached the railing and, in an almost childlike fashion, tried to lean over to peer around the ship's massive hull. A soft sigh escaped him as he realized why Wynleth requested his presence alone, and he looked over to her almost ready to brush off the subject entirely. At the sight of her beautiful face he found himself weakened and malleable.
"I don't know," he admitted and tugged at his shirt. "No one seems to know. I feel fine. It might just be an allergic reaction to something on the ship. The bed linens are oddly nice, don't you think?"
Her lip twitched upwards, almost or its own volition and shaking her head, Wyn reached to take his hand, "They're lovely. Hal... Why didn't you tell me about it? When you found it? Why did you keep it a secret?"
He almost wanted to pout with how keen she was in dodging his diversions. Hal shrugged a bit and fought back the embarrassment he felt in the entire matter of whatever scaled his skin. "I don't know," he muttered. "It happened after...you know...and I didn't want to worry you. I wanted to know what it was first."
"Do you think..." Frowning, she considered her wording for a moment, "I've never... That was the first time I've... Hm."
A small smile formed and she looked over at him, "I'm afraid I'm rather pitifully uninformed on the subject. I've no idea if... if that's... Well, I don't suppose it's normal. I'm sorry, Hal... If I caused you discomfort."
Hal quickly turned to Wynleth with an apologetic expression as he refuted her concerns. "No, no!" he said in clarification, and then began to ramble. "No discomfort! Anything could have caused it at this point, and we don't really know how things...go with elves and humans. I mean, I suppose people still do. Charlie is a half-elf. But he wouldn't know either. No one here would know. Do they even have elves in Edros? Maybe Tza'Hal would know. She seems old enough to know..."
Blushing profusely, lowering her gaze, Wyn shrugged, "I already asked Tza. Sorry... I... I mean, didn't tell her anything. Just asked. I was afraid and thought perhaps you weren't telling me because it was something bad. But I don't think... Or maybe she does... I didn't say your name. Though I suppose we're not trying to be discreet. Or.." Looking up again, she frowned, "Are we? If... if you'd rather no one knows about us..."
There was only a fraction of a second where Hal felt almost mortified that his condition had been revealed and their romantic interlude implied, but then laughter escaped him. He was proposing to do the very same not but a moment earlier. "I would rather the world know than to hide it as if it were something to be ashamed of," he said, and then climbed up on the railing to prop himself up on the balcony edge.
"I love Wynleth!" he called out into the winds, arms stretched out in his exuberance. He looked back at her with a wide smile.
"Hal!" Wyn squealed, as he climbed up on the railing. But even in her shock, and the small twinge of fear, she couldn't resist the joy that bubbled up within her. As she grabbed his hand and tugged him back down, she shook her head, laughing softly, "Won't do me any good for you to be bold if you manage to fall off the airship, doing it."
Pausing, she looked up at him, her eyes misting over as she shook her head, "I love you, too. And I don't care who knows it."
His smile turned to a giddy grin as he came off the railings and brought himself before her. Leaning down, he kissed her as he brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Good," he responded in a whisper.
Cheeks slightly flushed, Wyn nodded, reaching down to take his hand, "Good. Now come on... We should go back and figure out what's next."
Lacing his fingers in hers, fitted like the pieces of a puzzle, Hal nodded. "Aye," he said. "We've a lot to figure out from this point. Hopefully we can make it all work."
TAGS || Collabs with @Doctor Jax, @Effervescent[/bg]
no-lightbox
Feeling a subtle heat crawl up her neck, she turned to find Hal's eyes on her and a small smile formed on her lips as she met his gaze. In the chaos, she had not forgotten the affliction that had appeared overnight, but something in the small miracle of everyone making it aboard had lessened her concerns for a moment. They would talk, but for a few seconds she could enjoy the notion that they were all safe and relatively sound.
Her eyes shifted across the room to their orc companion and crossing to Tza, Wyn reached out to rest a hand on her arm, "I don't know what happened out there... but thank you, for bringing Charlie back... I know he doesn't believe it, but I'm pretty sure he's part of why we're all still here, and I don't know what I'd do if he weren't anymore... Here, that is."
The orc looked at Wyn with an almost perplexed look at first as the Sur expressed her gratitude.
She somewhat softened.
"Hm. It was no hardship to do so. He did most of his own legwork. Obviously," she grumbled in her usual rasp, gesturing sardonically to her leg.
Looking down, Wyn frowned at the injury, before holding up her own wrist with a small, dry chuckle, "...We're all falling apart, it would seem."
Biting her lip, Wyn sank down into the seat beside the orc, lowering her gaze for a moment, before looking up, "...Could... could I ask you something? It's rather strange, but you seem so knowledgeable."
The orc gave Wyn a look, but there was ever so slightly the hint of a smile at the edge of her lips. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed receiving questions. Perhaps it was an orc trait, the need to be recognized as intelligent.
"Proceed," the orc said, taking a long drink from the bottle at her side.
Clearing her throat, Wyn fiddled with her hands in her lap for a moment, "Do... do you know anything about a skin condition one might develop after..." Looking down, she picked at her fingernail, feeling her cheeks flush with color, "After intimacy?"
Tza's half smile immediately fell as Wyn mentioned "intimacy" with a less than unknowledgeable expression. She could guess what had probably happened within the last few days. While she appeared rather unamused, she nevertheless pondered it.
"Hmmmm. Of the carnal ailments, I know of few as is. We orc develop large pads of crusted skin in areas of friction, which become painful and eventually bleed. It is..... unpleasant," Tza'Hal stated clinically. "Among Man, there is the kissing sickness that gives great open sores of the mouth. Some are less clear as to the amount of their venereal cause. Simply, they are unsightly to behold."
Tza'Hal took a hard drink. The textbooks went into far too much detail upon such things.
Blinking, staring up wide-eyed and slightly horrified, Wyn shook her head, "Oh... oh, goodness, no. It... it's not anything like..." Her cheeks flushed scarlet, "It's just a... well, it's not even as a rash. It looks almost scaly?"
Tza threw up her hands, shrugging nonchalantly.
"Dear Sur, I am bested. I know not a single scaly disease. Alas, I'm not doctor. You'd be better off chatting up Kadros -- if you can get him to talk," Tza joked, the drink giving her a pleasant buzz. Come to think of it, she wasn't supposed to be drinking, but monks were also not supposed to refuse things given to them out of kindness or good will.
Drink it is, then.
"I'll have better luck getting him to open up about it than Ha--hmm." Teeth pinching the edge of her lip again, she smiling shyly, "I... I guess it's not much of a secret. Can I ask... One more thing? Have you ever loved someone, Tza? Do you know... Is it always so frightening? I mean... it's wonderful. He's wonderful. But I'm not sure I've ever been so scared..."
Tza glanced over at Wyn at the mention as she began a certain exhalation, from which she could gather the rest. So it was their intrepid "leader" she took fancy to?
The next question did take her off guard, though, and Tza'Hal grew considerably somber, leaning against the table as she rolled the bottle of brew between her rough fingertips. Her gaze was directed at the wood of the table, despite the fact that her chin was lifted high, an orc habit to keep one's tusks at the forefront.
"Once. Nothing of its timbre exists," Tza'Hal stated in a soft rumble. "That feeling is the knowledge that someone else holds a spear to your throat and you trust them with it. The risk is great, yet so is the reward. Hence comes fear-- and its partner, thrill."
She lowered her head now, memory rushing to her. Very suddenly she smiled mischievously and said, "And the thrill is half the fun of it. It is dangerous, and that is what makes it exciting."
Smiling a little brighter, almost a little conspiratorially, Wyn nodded, "That it is..." The smile faded slightly, and she looked away for a moment, "But I am afraid. I've lost so much already... And I'm afraid of losing him. Not just if he doesn't make it through this, but what might become of him if anyone else falls... I never thought... I didn't come into this to fall in love. To be honest, I never thought it possible. Now I'm not sure how I could survive without him."
Reaching out, she rested a hand over Tza's, briefly, meeting the orc's gaze, "Thank you. For your kind words. I should go speak with him." Rising, she smiled again, "I know we haven't spoken much, but for what it's worth... you do credit to your people, Tza. And I hope you can find that thrill again, when all of this is over."
Tza smiled, and, for whatever reason, there seemed a tinge of bittersweetness to it.
"Indeed," Tza'Hal answered, nodding her head to Wyn.
To have that thrill again... She would let the Sur believe that the orc yearned for it again. Perhaps even ten years was too short a time to go fetching spears.
With a small wave, gracing the orc with a smile, Wyn turned and crossed the room to Hal's side. Gingerly, she reached out to touch his elbow, "Hey... Could we... Can we talk?"
Hal, completely oblivious to the tone, smiled over at Wynleth and shrugged. "Sure," he said, and then nodded over to the starboard balcony. "A little fresh air too. It looks pretty in these mountains."
Smiling faintly, Wyn nodded and followed Hal to the balcony. Outside, she with oved to the railing and peered out at the view. He had not been exaggerating. It was lovely, an d for a moment, it was almost enough to make her forget her troubled thoughts...
Almost.
"Are you sick, Hal? Please... Tell me the truth. The marks... Do you know what it is?"
Hal reached the railing and, in an almost childlike fashion, tried to lean over to peer around the ship's massive hull. A soft sigh escaped him as he realized why Wynleth requested his presence alone, and he looked over to her almost ready to brush off the subject entirely. At the sight of her beautiful face he found himself weakened and malleable.
"I don't know," he admitted and tugged at his shirt. "No one seems to know. I feel fine. It might just be an allergic reaction to something on the ship. The bed linens are oddly nice, don't you think?"
Her lip twitched upwards, almost or its own volition and shaking her head, Wyn reached to take his hand, "They're lovely. Hal... Why didn't you tell me about it? When you found it? Why did you keep it a secret?"
He almost wanted to pout with how keen she was in dodging his diversions. Hal shrugged a bit and fought back the embarrassment he felt in the entire matter of whatever scaled his skin. "I don't know," he muttered. "It happened after...you know...and I didn't want to worry you. I wanted to know what it was first."
"Do you think..." Frowning, she considered her wording for a moment, "I've never... That was the first time I've... Hm."
A small smile formed and she looked over at him, "I'm afraid I'm rather pitifully uninformed on the subject. I've no idea if... if that's... Well, I don't suppose it's normal. I'm sorry, Hal... If I caused you discomfort."
Hal quickly turned to Wynleth with an apologetic expression as he refuted her concerns. "No, no!" he said in clarification, and then began to ramble. "No discomfort! Anything could have caused it at this point, and we don't really know how things...go with elves and humans. I mean, I suppose people still do. Charlie is a half-elf. But he wouldn't know either. No one here would know. Do they even have elves in Edros? Maybe Tza'Hal would know. She seems old enough to know..."
Blushing profusely, lowering her gaze, Wyn shrugged, "I already asked Tza. Sorry... I... I mean, didn't tell her anything. Just asked. I was afraid and thought perhaps you weren't telling me because it was something bad. But I don't think... Or maybe she does... I didn't say your name. Though I suppose we're not trying to be discreet. Or.." Looking up again, she frowned, "Are we? If... if you'd rather no one knows about us..."
There was only a fraction of a second where Hal felt almost mortified that his condition had been revealed and their romantic interlude implied, but then laughter escaped him. He was proposing to do the very same not but a moment earlier. "I would rather the world know than to hide it as if it were something to be ashamed of," he said, and then climbed up on the railing to prop himself up on the balcony edge.
"I love Wynleth!" he called out into the winds, arms stretched out in his exuberance. He looked back at her with a wide smile.
"Hal!" Wyn squealed, as he climbed up on the railing. But even in her shock, and the small twinge of fear, she couldn't resist the joy that bubbled up within her. As she grabbed his hand and tugged him back down, she shook her head, laughing softly, "Won't do me any good for you to be bold if you manage to fall off the airship, doing it."
Pausing, she looked up at him, her eyes misting over as she shook her head, "I love you, too. And I don't care who knows it."
His smile turned to a giddy grin as he came off the railings and brought himself before her. Leaning down, he kissed her as he brushed his thumb against her cheek. "Good," he responded in a whisper.
Cheeks slightly flushed, Wyn nodded, reaching down to take his hand, "Good. Now come on... We should go back and figure out what's next."
Lacing his fingers in hers, fitted like the pieces of a puzzle, Hal nodded. "Aye," he said. "We've a lot to figure out from this point. Hopefully we can make it all work."
TAGS || Collabs with @Doctor Jax, @Effervescent