Kilroy: After Romie and Carmela left, he studied his dictionary for a while and then decided to take a walk around town. Maybe he could get a better idea of the language here by people-watching.
He wanted to hide his face as they walked through Irichad. He didn’t like getting all of this attention. Before he had left, he had just been a simple centaur who wasn’t given a second glance. He’d liked it better that way. In the forest, no creature had minded that he had dark secrets.
He squeezed his sister’s hand back and stared at the door. The last time he had seen this door had been when he had left on the mission…
(quick question before I reply- were the Cheif’s aware they’d have a meeting with Romeo and Carmela? I don’t think they do since it’s Romie’s first day and no one, except the people who’ve seen him in the herd, know that he’s returned. I just wanted to double check that the Chiefs weren’t aware of this meeting before I type it all out XDD)
(The chiefs are not aware. Carmela is trying to give them heart attacks. If you would like, some guards could have noticed Romie earlier and let the chiefs know, but otherwise, there was no warning.)
Fig: He left the jail building and told one of the regulars to find Eira and let her know Johirestown was waiting by for Mangrove’s instructions on what to do with Keanar, and she was free to visit him in the meantime if she wished.
The soldier went to where Eira was staying and knocked on the door.
(Do you want to act all this out? Or can we just say the soldier told Eira what was going on?)
Reba: She stopped for a moment to pray and then came to the table, resting across from Sultaan. “This looks good,” she said, digging in. It was simple food, but somehow it was simple enough to remind her of what she used to eat at home.
At that moment, she felt an intense pang for the salty flavor of olives that she used to taste on the bread of her tribe. She could almost taste it as she chewed, but now she would give up the whole meal just for one olive! “Have you ever had olives before?” she asked Sultaan.
(Wow, that was a super comment RB!)
Carmela: She and Romie walked through town. It was still early in the morning, but there were a few hardworking centaurs out and about starting their days. Romie would certainly attract a few stares and rumors, she expected, and already she thought she saw Mottel peering out of his window at them.
When the reached the great door of Chief Seamus’s hall, she squeezed Romie’s hand and then knocked on the door. What if Seamus refuses to see us? she wondered. They would have to wait out here until he did!
(If I remember correctly, I think Ben closed the Tavern after Colchi passed away so he could emotionally recover, and clean his room. I’m sure he’d let her stay as a guest, but I don’t think the Tavern is open to the public/customers)
(Haha!! I had a blast writing that part! And it totally makes sense for centaurs to have heightened senses compared to humans!! XDD I love that detail!)
Fawnroot:
She quietly sighed in relief and shifted her weight on her front hooves, secretly glad that Callum had taken the initiative to dismiss everyone as it was getting late. Her first priority was to check on Rimecrest, then to make sure the rest of her patients, and the herd for that matter, were settled and comfortable for the night. Hopefully, after all that, she’d finally be able to speak with Callum alone. Fawnroot desperately wanted to talk to him, to hear his thoughts about the day. Some how she knew that he wanted that, too.
“Right.” Her father’s voice spoke up, forcing her from her thoughts and reminding her that the day wasn’t done yet. Rayfire turned to face his battalion of steeds. “We’ll keep the three foreigners on the edge of the meadow, and use the east side of the medicine mare den for cover. You four are first watch,” He pointed to a different group, “Second. And I’ll take the third and last watch with Shadowtail and Dewglen. The rest of you; find your families and get some sleep. I expect to see everyone back in position by sunrise. Understood?”
Affirmative snorts answered him almost in perfect unison.
“Good. Let’s head back to the herd.”
The four stallions Rayfire had put on first watch separated from the rest of the squad and flew over to the siblings. Two landed behind them, one hovered over their heads, and the biggest stallion of the four took the lead.
Fawnroot swiveled her attention back to the three centaurs and whinnied to the escort, “Wait! Before you go-“ She trotted towards them and lowered her head so she spoke mainly with Fiell and Leila, but her voice was loud enough so Hassan could hear as well, “Get some good rest, okay? Don’t cause any trouble. You’ll be guarded near my den, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. If not, see you in the morning.” She finished with a warm, kind smile, before backing away again and allowing Rayfire’s steeds to guide the centaurs back to the herd.
Fawnroot stepped close to Callum. She smiled at him as his brown and gold heterochrome eyes shined through the dim, blue aura of late evening.
(idk if heterochrome is a word… I don’t think it is but it sounded cool and the perfect way to describe Callum’s eyes, so we’re going with it XDDD)
Avery:
She faintly remembered dropping her tunic to the floor, but she wasn’t thinking clearly as Cole wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Avery opened her mouth to respond, but Cole stooped lower and she forgot everything, except him and how close he was. “Are you trying to get away so soon?” At that moment, Avery was thankful for his strong arms holding her to him, because without them, she would’ve sank to the floor in a big, red mushy puddle.
How dare Cole be so dang good at nonchalantly flirting! It was going to be the death of her; she was certain of it.
Avery smiled shyly and glanced down at his lips that were inches away from her. Cole was so unbelievably close with that adorably stupid and flirtatiously smug look on his face. Seconds felt like hours, but then, he straightened and pulled away, leaving her face flushed and her head reeling.
Now that was just mean. This big, annoyingly handsome jerk! Even as Cole spoke of leaving, he didn’t let go and his hands stayed glued around her.
How could she even think about leaving? It wasn’t fair! If anything, the last thought on Avery’s mind was leaving, and the thought of stepping out of his embrace was inconceivable.
She placed one hand on top of his wrist at her waist, then reached up with the other to touch his face and cup his cheek. Avery smoothed her thumb under his eye and gently brushed over a bruise he’d earned during the fight. “You love to tease me, don’t you?” She said softly, nearly a whisper as she studied his face. Avery took a step closer so their horse chests nearly touched. She moved her hand away from his cheek, tenderly traced down his neck, before settling on his chest.
“Well… I guess we’ll be late.” Before she could talk herself out of it, and before her hearts could explode, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and carefully pulled him lower. Avery lifted her head and exhaled deeply, her eyes fluttered shut at the same moment that her lips gently planted against his.
She chuckled softly, “He’s something, isn’t he?” Unbeknownst to her, a small, tender smile softened her facial features, and her eyes beamed with unspoken affection as she watched her brother play.
“Ever since we were little, he’s found odd ways of entertaining himself. Once, when we were still living with our mother, he made up an entire game out of marbles, a towel, and a spoon. I don’t remember how to play it, or what the rules were, but I do remember how much fun it was. We played it together for hours.” Kavani chuckled again, then cleared her throat softly. She wasn’t sure why she’d just told Bhearit all that, especially since it didn’t really relate to anything. She just started talking and couldn’t stop, which was definitely unlike her.
Kavani rubbed her eyes with one hand, “That was dumb, Kavani,” she thought to herself bitterly. She exhaled fiercely and glanced at the stove behind Bhearit. He had gotten a fire going in the furnace, and by now the kindling was burning and producing a good amount of heat that she could feel from where she stood.
She pointed at the stove, “Fire’s growing.” She said simply, then bit the inside of her cheek before adding, “Need any help?”
(WAAAAAA I’m sorry this is much shorter than Bhearit’s!)
That was very true. He trusted Kilroy enough not to lie about what happened, but he also wasn’t very vocal about things.
He replied in Centak. “Of course.” He was making a confused expression. He had assumed that Kilroy would come with them.
This isn’t his problem, though, it’s mine. I guess we just have to hope that he doesn’t accidentally burn the house down while trying to get water to boil… He didn’t have much faith in Kilroy’s survival skills.
He grunted softly, giving a small nod. He was practically holding his breath from this dim, dank cell he was held in. Disgusting. He couldn’t wait to get out.
(Is Eira is at the Tavern rn I can’t remember?)
Sultaan:
He brushed breadcrumbs off his hands. “The boys will likely be a bit rowdy, while the girls shy or curious,” he signed. “Depending on what age group you are put in.”
He didn’t sign for a bit as he placed the cheese, bread, and apple slices onto a platter. The mute centaur then placed it onto the table along with with two other plates for each of them before turning back to Reba.
“But each child is different, some likable and unlikable. You can’t really know until you’ve spent enough time getting to know them,” he added finally.
Sultaan gestured for Reba to come over to the table.
(Oh yeah pegasi def have good night vision for sure!! I’m certain centaurs do too, but def not as good as pegasi. Compared to humans, centaurs have better senses I imagine :3 also the way Fawnroot had to quietly but sternly tell the other pegasi to chill out was so funny 😭😭 I could imagine it clear as day)
Callum:
He watched Hassan rather ungracefully slide his arm back into the makeshift sling of his. Callum then looked back down at Fawnroot as she approached his side again.
The light was fading now, casting everyone in a dim shade of blue as the stars began to become more visible in the darkening sky. Callum exhaled through his nose. Everybody else seemed to notice the oncoming night as well by the way how no one spoke for a few moments.
Callum finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Well, we can continue our business in the morning. I’m sure everyone is tired from the excitement of the day,” he said, forcing himself to straighten up more.
“It’ll probably be a good plan to get these three situated in a safely guarded environment for the night,” Callum added and gave a nod toward the siblings.
Leila leaned slightly into Hassan, resting her head carefully against him since she was on the side of him where his injured arm was.
Fiell inhaled softly, looking down.
Callum felt a small pang of guilt, once again being reminded of the fact that these three were still children. At least, Fiell and Leila were. Hassan didn’t seem much more of an adult in any case. They all would likely cooperate better once having a good night’s sleep.
Callum glanced down at Fawnroot. He could see the way her wings sagged slightly, indicating how tired she was. But also how resilient she was as well since it was only just barely so. He wasn’t going to rest until she was, that was certain.
Cole:
He chuckled as he watched Avery stumble over her words. Once again, her cheeks were back to that bright shade of red.
“There, you almost got it. Silly,” Cole teased and shook his head, amused by her attempt to flirt back. It worked, but it didn’t leave him flustered like he left her. In fact, the way she was acting only made it harder for him not to squeeze her.
How he wished there wasn’t a party that night!
Cole looked down at Avery, unable to wipe a big smile off his face. “But I’m glad it’s fine by you because I’d probably do it whether you liked it or not,” he said and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.
Cole then leaned down close to her face, his eyes half-lidded as he looked into hers. “Are you trying to get away so soon?” he murmured, tilting his head slightly to the side. He remained there for a bit with a small, flirtatiously smug smile on his face.
“But yeah, you’re right,” Cole said finally and straightened. “We should get going or else we’ll be late.” He didn’t let go of her waist, however, as though he was waiting for her cue.
(No no it’s therapeutic Kavani 👀👀)
Bhearit:
Bhearit didn’t respond to Kavani’s answer to his question about how much kindling he had. His mind had wandered again, but this time it was on a more puzzling path.
Better me than you. What did that mean? Was she saying she had higher pain-tolerance than he? Well, that would more than likely be true. But the context to say it didn’t make sense. It almost seemed like she was saying that she deserved her wound, but that didn’t make much sense either.
Bhearit cupped his hands over the small flame that had finally began to catch on the kindling and softly blew on it, encouraging a larger one.
Could it be that Kavani had meant that she would rather that she be the one with an injured arm than him because she cared—?
“Bhearit come look at this.” Bhearit’s ears perked up at the sound of his name, and he promptly turned around to look at Kavani who was standing a bit away from him. Bhearit suddenly felt strange at how quickly he had responded to his name. Perhaps it was the way Kavani had said it so quietly—softly. It had sent a a warm spark through him, causing his attention to snap to her.
Bhearit blinked in puzzlement and got up. He quietly made his way over to Kavani.
“What?” he asked and then followed her gaze to Kollin. Bhearit gave a soft huff of surprise. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed the colt before.
“Didn’t know we had such a talented centaur among us,” he said with a quiet chuckle. Kollin’s stuffed bear was balanced rather precariously atop his four hooves. It was a wonder at how well the colt kept balance on his back without rolling over.
(Cool! I think so too! Adds some more ✨drama✨ And yeah, let’s not kill him again XDD lookin at you Hawkflight…OPALLA.
Callum feeling homesick makes me feel so sad 🥺😭)
Fawnroot:
The dun mare waited patiently for either of the three siblings to answer her. Hm… Hassan was no help, and the younger two siblings… well, they were siblings. They reminded her of Pegasi yearlings arguing over who flew faster, or who performed a better flip. The thought made her smile.
“I see. So you haven’t been here long.” She replied with a gentle nod. She suddenly felt and heard the entire Pegasi battalion behind her snort harshly and rattle their wings at Fiell’s “flying horse” comment. She held out a wing in front of Fiell, partially obstructing him from view of the insulted Pegasi, and sent a hard, defensive look over her shoulder.
“He didn’t mean anything by it.” She spoke softly, yet firmly, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. It wasn’t until Rayfire nickered softly that the rest of the steeds reluctantly relaxed.
Once that potential disaster had dissipated, Fawnroot sighed and pressed the last piece of moss into Hassan’s arm, fully covering the wound. She stepped away from Hassan and returned to her place next to Callum, folding her sticky wings by her sides. “The sling would still be a good idea. Change the moss as needed and if it starts hurting or becoming inflamed, take a large bite of pine root and rub aloe over the top. The sap should hold for a few days, but try not to do anything too strenuous.”
Her medicine-mare approach hadn’t really worked like she hoped it would, but at least Fiell and Leila were answering questions fairly well. She glanced up at Callum, then to Rayfire, then looked west: the sun had nearly completely disappeared on the horizon and the sky was getting darker by the minute. Soon, the only light for the centaurs to see under would be the moon and stars. (Equines actually have really good night vision! Horses (and Pegasi) are so cool XDD)
In the distance, she could hear Sun herd settling down for the night: mares calling for their foals, the repeated flutter of wings folding, the rustling grass as steeds laid down.
Fawnroot felt tired, too, but she still had work to do in her medicine den.
(BAHAHAHAHAHA COLE!!! Avery’s gonna die XDD)
Avery:
She chuckled brightly as she remembered that moment months ago when they’d first met. “Okay, fine. It was romantic.” She admitted with a nod.
Back then, Cole had been so surprised she didn’t know how to swim, but the initial shock wore off when he stubbornly insisted he’d show her how. Even though they were practically strangers who had only known each other for a whopping 5 minutes. To this day, Avery can’t believe she even accepted his offer to teach her.
Avery remembered how terrified she was, how tightly she clung to Cole’s arm as he led her into deeper water and showed her how to pump her hooves alternatively to stay afloat.
She hasn’t gone swimming since then, mostly because she isn’t confident enough to do it by herself.
Avery realized she had been lost in thought and looked back up at Cole. To her surprise, he had taken a step closer, and because of the size of the room, he was directly in front of her. When did he get so close?!
His next irritatingly flirtatious statement took her completely off guard. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. Her head felt heavy and her knees threatened to buckle. “Oh my- oh my- be cool. Breathe Avery. How is he so nonchalant?! He’s so- OH MY GOSH I cannot believe he just said that- how can I ‘be cool’?!” She could feel her cheeks burn up almost immediately and her hearts skipped over several beats in her chests. Speechless and utterly stunned, she nearly dropped the tunic and fumbled it in her fingers for a moment, but never took her eyes away from Cole. “I-uh…Y-You-“ She stammered, then tried again after swallowing dryly.
“I-I’m not really sure what to say to that,” She answered truthfully, “…But,” Avery took a step closer to him and brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “If you do, then that’s totally fine by me.” She tried to flirt back, but as soon as she spoke, all her confidence fizzled out and she was left feeling even more flustered.
“Ummm- y-y’know what? We should probably get going to your place, haha! Wouldn’t want to be late to your own party!”
Kavani:
When Bhearit turned to her, his eyes looked dazed and his cheeks were flushed. Lost in thought again? She couldn’t help but wonder what he had been thinking about. His inventions? The long, tiring day? His passed step-mother?
A small smile quirked at the corner of her lips but faded when he quickly took the wood from her, apologizing sincerely with a regretful, taught expression. Her brows drew together and she tilted her head to the side, momentarily confused why he was apologizing. It took her a moment to realize he was referring to her injured shoulder. (They’re both so dumb 😑😭)
Kavani shrugged, which she immediately regretted. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Better me than you.” She didn’t bother to explain what she meant by that. Kavani stepped back to give him more room to work, and leaned against a blank wall in the kitchen. She rested her head against the wall and listened to the sounds of Bhearit clearing his throat and the clacking of flint to start the fire; it was somewhat therapeutic. Or maybe she was just tired.
She perked up at his question, before leaning into the wall again, “It’ll last a few more weeks. You’ll need more before winter, though. I can do that for you tomorrow.”
As she spoke, she glanced up at Kollin and watched as he laid on his back with his 4 legs straight up in the air and his hooves close together. Perched on top of Kollin’s hooves, the stuffed teddy bear was laying flat on its stomach, staring down at Kollin with one paw dangling over the side. Kollin was laughing and gently rocking back and forth to keep Teddy balanced and aloft.
Kavani smiled to herself, “Bhearit, come see this.”
(I’m gonna re-read the conversation between Kilroy and the chiefs to refresh my memory for the upcoming meeting with Romie! Until then, I’ll just respond with this!)
Seamus:
He awoke early, as he normally does, and sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes with his only hand. The space next to him was cool and bare; Riona was already up. He sighed stiffly before getting up, changing, and lastly lowering the bejeweled band onto his head that signified his reign and position. Their house was quiet, which was typical this early in the morning. He headed towards the kitchen first to grab breakfast and walked down the hall brimming with memories and portraits of previous Chief's. It didn't have an official name, but ever since Seamus was a boy, he called this hallway the "Head Hall," appropriately named for the line of Chieftain portraits that were hung on either side. There was 6 in total, 3 on each side, with their faces drawn tight and their eyes forever still. Seamus hated this hall; he always felt like the past Chief's were judging him as he walked by. He only paused when he came to the last portrait: the portrait of his father. Unlike the others with their scowls and seriousness, his father was the only one depicted with a smile.
Seamus exhaled, then left behind the glaring eyes of deceased kings. He half expected to find Riona in the kitchen, but the room was his. Usually, they share a cup of coffee in the mornings. This made him frown as he remembered what had occurred the night before.
After Declan and the Jonhirestown boy left, Seamus tried to speak with Riona about her behavior. From demanding Declan bring his youngest daughter, to clearly undermining and doubting Seamus’s decisions, something had ticked her. And Riona was not the mare to tick off. Seamus’s questioning turned into a fight between them, each one believing they were right; he can’t remember the last time he and Riona couldn’t agree on something, or at least find a compromise. Her last words to him before she stormed outside still echoed in his mind: “You’re growing soft, Seamus. And soft leaders don’t win wars.”
“Where is this coming from? Irichad is not at war, Riona.” He responded gruffly, but she wasn’t having it.
“Not yet, and if you can’t see that, then you’re more blind than Conan.”
Her words stung -comparing him to Conan without hesitation, saying he had grown soft.
This wouldn’t do. Not now with the uncertainty of the winged beasts lurking in the background. Not with the festival approaching so quickly. He needed his Chieftess; they needed to show a united front and now was not the time for disagreements.
He called for a guard, “Find Chieftess Riona and tell her I’d like to talk.” The soldier bowed, then hurried off towards the training arena.
Fig: “Sure. She can give you a better dressing down than me,” he said. He turned to leave.
Reba: “I can visit her before school tomorrow. Or after,” she said.
She smiled to herself a little bit. “What do you think the students will be like?” It was so strange to think that they were closer to her unborn child’s age than her own… it would be a learning experience in more ways than one.
It was unfortunate that Sultaan hadn’t much schooling, but she knew she would he happy enough if the other students were like him.
He nodded and leaned back slightly, his hands still on the bars. At least she seemed well, despite being angry.
“Can you tell her that I must speak with her?” he asked after a moment’s silence.
(Don’t say that things can’t get worse Reba you gotta know what happens every time someone says something like that!!)
Sultaan:
He unwrapped a half loaf of barley bread and set it down. He drummed the wood of the counter for a few moments, swishing his tail as he stood there.
Sultaan then looked over at Reba. “You should go see Ulrani soon anyway,” he signed, his brow creasing slightly. As each day had passed since he met Reba, especially ever since he found out about her pregnancy, the mute centaur had become steadily more and more determined to protect her as much as he could. And along with that protection, to love her.
Sultaan gazed at Reba thoughtfully and a little worriedly. He knew only so much about this sort of thing. He made a mental note to ask Ulrani some questions next time he saw her.
The stallion then returned to preparing the meal: bread, nuts, and apple.
(THEY WOULD DIE AT THE SAME TIME 😭😭 I didn’t think of that!!! I don’t remember any conversation about the soul-tied thing wearing off over time, but I think it’d be very interesting just to keep it! We’re not making our characters die anytime anyway XD. I mean, Callum already died but we’re not doing that again cuz that would be rly dumb lol)
Callum:
He felt himself relax a little when she gave him a small smile, seeming to say that it could wait. At least it didn’t seem too important.
Callum watched Fawnroot as she turned away to apply some finishing touches to her work. Fiell and Leila stood near their brother now, one on each side. Both looked at Fawnroot when she asked Hassan about their length of stay in Sun Herd and possible previous interactions with pegasi.
Of course, none of the siblings answered immediately. Fiell and Leila glanced at Hassan before looking at each other as though to see who would give in to reply to Fawnroot’s questions. (When the doctor asks you a question and you’re with your mom so you look at her to answer 😭😭)
Callum saw Fiell clenched his fists slightly, and then Leila let out a reluctant sigh when neither of her brothers chose to answer.
“We were in that area for like a night before you came across us,” she said at last, crossing her arms and giving a brief but pointed glance at her brothers. “And we didn’t meet any pegasi before this. I don’t know why Fiell made it sound like we did.” Leila then frowned slightly at her second oldest brother.
Fiell looked at her. “I meant that we knew of flying horses, not that we actually met them,” he said, a hint of defensiveness in his tone. Leila gave another sigh. Hassan remained silent. (Lol none of the centaurs are aware of what an insult it is to be called a horse to pegasi 😂)
Callum felt the urge to smile as he found the interaction a little amusing. It reminded him of his conversations he had had with his own siblings at times. Sometimes things got heated as well. He found himself feeling a little homesick again, so he dismissed the trail of thought.
“Anyway,” Leila said, looking at Callum and then at Fawnroot.
Callum was watching Hassan now who was quietly rubbing his horse shoulder, not seeming to be paying attention to anything around him.
(Hahahahahaha that’s very interesting way to meet!!)
Cole:
His awareness of his proximity to Avery was heightened when she brushed up rather firmly against him, and he would have sworn she lingered there before moving to where her clothes were. The room was most certainly cozy. Not really built for two centaurs, especially for a big boxer such as himself. But then again, it worked put particularly well at the moment.
Then Avery pulled out the tunic she was planning to wear, and Cole’s eyes rounded slightly upon seeing it. “Yeah, I remember,” he replied when she had mentioned wearing the shirt the first time they met. A small smile spread across his face. It was crazy how fast time had gone. He was certain that, one day, he’d be reminiscing about this very moment with Avery in his own home—their own home.
“That was a pretty creative but desperate way to get to know you—teaching you to swim.” He grinned slightly.
“But hey, it was pretty romantic, wasn’t it?” he teased, his gaze flicking over her chosen attire she was holding.
Cole nonchalantly took a step closer to her. “By the way, just to warn you, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave you alone the whole night if you wear that,” he joked, but mostly meant what he said. It actually didn’t matter what she wore, even if it was the rather tired looking tunic she was wearing now. (COLE IS SO FLIRTATIOUS LIKE BOI CHILL HAHAHAHA 😭👀👀👀)
Bhearit:
What was that reaction he thought he saw when Kavani had locked eyes with him again? He couldn’t really think clearly at the moment anyway, but he was certain he saw her cheeks flush. And that subtle way her green eyes had widened when she met his after touching his hand briefly when exchanging the mugs… oh man. Now looking back on it, he felt his heart start to beat faster. Kavani had always been so cool and collected before, all until the events of this day with her mother. He wouldn’t call her a mess, but she seemed to react more openly to things than usual. And why was it mostly involved with things that he did? Did today’s events crack her stoic facade a bit?
Bhearit himself openly reacted to things easily on a normal basis, not being very good at keeping his feelings hidden. But Kavani not only seemed to be more transparent, but also more… warm?
Bhearit finally noticed that his hands were clutching the stove while he had been processing these things. He inhaled deeply and straightened.
“Fresh kindling, per your request.” Bhearit almost jumped. He hadn’t even noticed Kavani come in. Again. He kept zoning out. Bhearit really needed to go to bed soon.
He turned around. He hoped his face wasn’t flushed or anything.
“Ah, thank you,” Bhearit said rather softly, then cleared his throat. He noticed the way Kavani was holding the stack of wood in one arm instead of both. At first he was a little puzzled, but then he remembered her shoulder.
Bhearit cursed under his breath and quickly took the kindling from her. “I completely forgot. I’m so sorry,” he said, shoving the wood into the stove. He faintly realized how he didn’t really give context to his apology, but he didn’t elaborate. Kavani would probably understand.
He took out a small pouch and retrieved a shard of flint and small cylinder of steel. The flint was rather small. He’d have to get more soon as winter was rapidly approaching.
Bhearit cleared his throat again before speaking. “How’s the woodpile looking?” he asked and knelt down before the stove opening. He began to briskly strike the flint against the piece of steel over the wood.
He took the bracelet into his hands and it looked it over, admiring it from all angles “This is beautiful,” he commented. “I would love to wear it.” He put the bracelet on, thinking of it as more of a stylish ornament than as a diplomatic statement.
He pawed the ground with his front hoof and stared into the distance for a moment. “Well. I suppose we had better get it over with.”
Carmela: She followed suit, cleaning off her plate and putting it away. Carefully, she adjusted Romie’s hair so he didn’t look so bedraggled. Then, she went to her dresser and came back with a slender bracelet. It was green with a silver scoring across it in silver foil in an unmistakably Irich deisgn. “This is for you,” she said. “Even though you came here with nothing, it will remind the chiefs that you belong here.”
Kilroy: He looked down, suddenly conscious of the fact that he wore no jewelry, and that his clothes were decent but plain. It would be necessary to learn the culture of appearance in Irichad… something he had never through to ask Aaron.
He ate his pancakes quickly, savoring them, but also making sure that they didn’t disappear. He was in mostly good spirits, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to keep it that way.
He washed his empty plate and dried it off. “Well,” he said softly in Irich, “I suppose I have a report to make to the chiefs.” He didn’t want to be suspicious of them, but he found that he was. Why had they not made Lanseril’s return publicly known? Or sent a rescue mission?
(OMGSH I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! Yes, I think that was apart of the agreement Fawnroot made with the Golden Meadow (or something like that- it was so long ago I can’t remember exactly) that they would be tied together once they returned to the mortal world. So any physical pain Callum felt was tied to Fawnroot, and vise versa. And, when the time came, they would die at the same time, also. (aaAAAAAA-)
However, I thought I remember a conversation that the effect would slowly ware off? Maybe I’m wrong and confusing myself 😭 Do you still want to do that soul-tied thing, Ash? I don’t have a problem, as long as you’re happy with it!)
Fawnroot:
She sighed as she stepped away from Hassan after she finished applying the pine sap. Her feathers were sticky and she hated the familiar sensation of the sap seeping into her skin.
Fawnroot felt Callum’s eyes on her: he always knew when something was bothering her. She smiled at the thought and stared into his eyes, then shook her head slowly. “It’s fine. I’ll tell you later,” she seemed to say, without actually having to speak. She knew he would understand.
Fawnroot went over to a nearby oak tree and pulled some moss off the low hanging branches. “One last thing,” She muttered around a mouth-full of moss. With her muzzle and wings, she began tenderly wrapping and sticking the moss on Hassan’s arm.
As she worked, she decided to take advantage of the quiet moment. “How long have you three been in the area? Our scouts seemed to have missed you, which is why your camp took us by surprise.” Fawnroot kept her voice easy and warm, as she normally would if she was conversing with anyone.
“Your younger brother mentioned something about meeting other Pegasi before you ended up here.” She paused to glance up at Hassan, “Did that happen recently?”
(AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE OH MY GOODNESS COLE)
Avery:
As the door clicked closed behind them, the only light in the room came from a little window on the opposite side of the bed.
It was a one-centaur room: the bed against the wall underneath the window, a bedside table which held a lantern, a basin for washing, and that was about it. It was a nice, cozy room… but the fact that she could feel Cole’s heat beside her made the room even cozier.
She moved towards the table, struck a match, and lit the lantern to allow more light to brighten the room. Now that they weren’t concealed in dim light, she managed to look at Cole again as the softness of his voice sent goosebumps up her arms.
Avery forced a smile to her lips, and moved back to the end of her bed where her satchel was propped up against the wall. But, she had to squeeze past Cole to reach it, and her horse shoulder brushed against Cole’s side, her front leg momentarily pressing against his. His warmth was encompassing and she was tempted to linger -and did for a few quick seconds- then forced herself to move on.
She kneeled down to her bag and focused on answering Cole’s question. “Well… I thought you could help me decide. I’m not sure what would work best for a celebratory party at a tavern.” She opened the latch and trifled through the burlap bag, “I have a few ideas in mind, but this one is my favorite.” She found the tunic she had mentioned, pulled it out, and held it up so Cole could see.
It was a dark green tunic. The fabric looked soft and supple. Gold and white embroidery swirled up the sleeves along the seams and over the V-cut neckline. The ends of the sleeves would reach her elbows, and the bottom of the tunic was cut looser so it would swirl around her waist whenever she turned. “I wore it for my first performance in Jonirestown, and if you remember, it’s what I wore the first time we met.” She sheepishly met Cole’s gaze with a soft smile, “Remember the lake? Where you taught me how to swim? …Erm… where you tried to teach me how to swim.”
(This meeting was around the beginning of the RP, so I personally don’t remember it very well, but Avery was out walking through the woods, singing a song to herself, when she stumbled across Cole swimming in a lake. After a brief introduction, Cole took it upon himself to teach her how to swim XDD In role-play time, it was probably several months ago.)
Kavani:
“Yeah, for sure. I‘ll grab that.” She mumbled, almost smiling, and was about to turn around to head outside when his fingers tenderly rubbed against the skin of her hand. She froze: his hands felt warm and heat crept up her neck, settling in her cheeks and ears. She dared to look up and her eyes widened to find that he was already glancing down at her. Their eyes locked and Kavani felt light-headed under Bhearit’s gaze. His small, sheepish smile sent her hearts thundering. That feeling and racing inside her chest was becoming more common recently; it scared her that it was no longer completely foreign. For some reason, she only felt this way when Bhearit was involved. (Mhmmmm I wonder why 👀👀)
Without looking away from him, she replied, “I’m not cold anymore.” She spoke without thinking and she tensed again once she realized what she said, wishing she could take the words back. Luckily, Bhearit’s back was turned as he prepared the kettle and checked its water level.
“I’m fine!” Chirped Kollin’s voice from across the room.
While Bhearit was distracted, she quickly turned away and bee-lined towards the door to head outside. “I’ll…be right back with some wood.” She added softly over her shoulder. As soon as she was alone outside, she planted her palms against her cheeks and exhaled deeply. Her cheeks were burning up, but her palms were freezing cold. “Okay, okay, focus.”
She headed down toward the side of the cabin, but when she didn’t find any chopped wood, she went around to the other side. As Bhearit promised, there was a little stack of firewood. It was enough to last a few more weeks, but it wouldn’t be enough to get him through winter. Kavani tucked that thought into the foreground of her mind as she stacked a couple pieces of wood in her arms, and heading back towards the door. The wood was light and dry, and normally wouldn’t pose any issue, but the wounds in her shoulder ached and her muscles strained. The pain was manageable, but annoying. She hated how such a simple task like carrying wood was made so difficult to bare due to her injuries.
Kavani shifted all the wood into her strong arm and opened the door with her other hand. She pushed the door open with her hoof, wincing slightly but tried to hide it by the time she returned to Bhearit. “Alright. Fresh kindling, per your request.”
Fig: He shrugged. “When I talked to her, she was pretty angry and flustered. I’m sure she’s fine. Your cell is open to visitors, so she can come see you if she wants.”
Reba: “Yeah, I am… how did you know?” she joked, smiling. “I feel ok for now, so I’ll stay on my hooves a little longer.” But she suspected that later on, there would be plenty of times she would need him to baby her like this. Sultaan was so worried about her, she could see it in his face… she wanted to assure him that she would be ok, but she couldn’t.
She looked through the cabinets, trying to help with the cooking. ”Don’t worry so much… what happens happens. With your uncle’s debt, I didn’t think things could get any worse… but here we are now. We’re still here.”
He frowned, ready to protest, but then decided against it. If he was going to get out any time soon, furthering dispute with this stallion would not go in Keanar’s favor as he was the one behind bars and not Fig. It would take a fortnight or more for the message to be delivered depending on the urgency and amount of money Fig sent with the messenger.
Keanar rubbed some rust off one of the bars with his thumb. “And what of Eira, my cousin?” he mumbled. “Is she well?”
Sultaan:
He briefly touched Reba’s shoulder, almost like she was made of glass. “You should lie down when we get there. Rest,” he signed. Sultaan kept his hands hovering in readiness to steady Reba if needed as they crested the hill.
Thankfully she needed no such assistance, and so when they arrived at the doorway of his home, Sultaan moved the old rug—which was the makeshift door—out of the way so that the mare could enter. He needed to make a real door before winter came on, especially with Reba there now. In fact, Sultaan considered the option of asking Ulrani if she could stay with her. He’d see about that tomorrow. He followed in after Reba.
“I imagine you’re hungry?” he asked once the mare had turned around to see his hands.
Leila:
She was blinking back the rest of any tears that were threatening to fall just as the pegasus mare stepped toward her and gave her shoulder a small, soft nuzzle. For a moment, she was confused as to why Fawnroot had done this, but then she realized that she must have seen her tears and tried to comfort her with such an act. This realization only made Leila want to cry more than she did before, and so she turned away, her hearts now touched by such a kind gesture but also heavy with homesickness.
(Heyy I just now randomly remembered, aren’t Callum’s and Fawnroot’s souls linked somehow or smth? Like, when one has physical pain the other also feels it???)
Callum:
He paused a moment in his questioning with Fiell to watch Fawnroot as she began to work on Hassan’s wound. He wondered at how expertly and carefully the medicine mare applied the sap and other such ingredients to the wound with her wings. Of course, years of practice helped with her ability to maneuver her wingtips almost as well as centaur hands, but it was still fascinating to watch.
Callum saw Hassan stiffen slightly as Fawnroot applied the sap to the gash in his arm. He then thought he saw the centaur relax a little the way his shoulders lowered. At least Hassan was letting Fawn help him.
Once she was finished, the oldest sibling took a small step back.
When the mare finally turned around, Callum frowned upon seeing her face. She wasn’t blatantly upset, but her mood had clearly changed. He gazed at her, waiting for her to meet his eyes. When she did, Callum creased his brow slightly in questioning concern. Her demeanor was more tense as if she had either seen or remembered something very upsetting.
How he wanted to get alone with her now! But that would have to wait. Callum had been absentmindedly fingering the tear in the middle of his shirt when he saw Fiell and Leila quietly sidle closer to their older brother behind Fawnroot.
(Avery is literally SOOOO CUTE AAAA)
Cole:
He was grinning widely at Avery’s giggles and flustered comments as she rather cutely, but clumsily, tried to regain her composer. Little did she know, he was about a hair away from scooping her up and squeezing her.
Then she whipped around and faced him, her whole face bright red with blush. His smile widened more. But then she met his eyes, and time seemed to still for a moment. His grin faltered slightly as he stared down at her. Avery’s hazel eyes were bright and shining, her cheeks flushed, and her red hair a little undone from the excitement of earlier. He would have grabbed her and kissed her right there if she didn’t suddenly turn right back around and march him to her room—that is, past her room before making a 180 back to it.
Cole was a little flustered in his own way as he watched Avery struggle to even put her room key into the lock. But then she finally got it open.
He stepped inside past her and moved away so that she could come in as well. He still held her hand. The room was small, only enough for one centaur to sleep of course. But it was nice.
By now, Cole had found his speaking confidence again. “So, whatcha gonna wear?” he said and surprised himself with how low his tone was, almost a whisper. He meant it as a genuine question, but he wondered how Avery would interpret his tone of voice. Cole cleared his throat.
Bhearit:
He looked over at Kavani to respond but was immediately distracted by Kollin’s giddy giggles and the sounds of his hooves clacking against the floor as the colt pranced and kicked about. Bhearit raised his eyebrows in amazement for a moment before returning his attention to Kavani again, now feeling a little bewildered.
“Huh? Oh…” He looked down at the mugs he was holding and then at the kettle. He didn’t really want to make her do anything, but he knew she probably wanted to do at something at least, no matter how small. He’d feel the same if he were in her situation.
“Aye. Sure,” Bhearit said at last. In reality, he really had no idea what to give Kavani to do.
He hesitated a moment before turning to her and handing her the mugs. “I’m just going to start a fire in the stove,” he said quietly and then bent down, opening the stove door. He sighed when there wasn’t any kindling inside, and so he straightened again.
“Could you grab some wood, actually? It’s at the side of the cabin,” Bhearit said and took the mugs from Kavani again. Since the cups were small, his fingers just brushed against hers. Her skin felt a little cool. Bhearit glanced at her face and gave a weak, rather sheepish smile before turning to put the mugs down on the stovetop.
“Are you both warm enough?” he asked as he picked up the kettle and gave it a small shake to see how much water was inside. It still had plenty. He set it down again and began rummaging around in one of the cabinets for the flint he used to light the stove with. Bhearit’s mind kept replaying the look on Kavani’s face from a few moments before when she had asked if he was okay. He risked a glance her way over his shoulder.
Upon hearing the story of how Hassan got injured, it seems these three siblings have had a difficult time in their travels. Fawnroot sent a glance at Leila, and her heart broke for the young girl as she recognized the gleaming of unshed tears. The little centauress was clearly worried for her eldest brother, and Fawnroot spared a moment to briefly, yet tenderly nuzzle Leila on her human shoulder, offering a warm smile as she stepped away.
She listened carefully to the rest of the conversation, but her sole attention was on Hassan.
Mangrove? Was that another centaur town? She hadn’t heard of it before, and that made her nervous. Why were they leaving and going to Jonirestown? What did Fiell mean by “sort of” knowing about pegasi? An encounter with a different herd, perhaps?
She couldn’t focus on that right now: Hassan's gaping scratch on his arm was glaring at her. She stepped closer to him, being mindful to keep her movements slow as to not make him more suspicious or conceited than he already was.
Fawnroot’s treated many wounds like this before, but the problem wasn’t the gash in his arm -it will leave a nasty scar, but it will still heal- it was Hassan himself. How much would he allow her to do? He obviously wasn’t a fan of Pegasi, and would probably prefer a centaur healer to treat him instead. Even simply getting him to reveal his arm from the sling was a battle.
She inhaled slowly, “It’s deep, but it doesn’t appear too infected yet. You’ve done well with it on your own,” Which was surprising since it didn’t look very fresh, and wasn’t covered by a bandage. “However, I’m glad you showed me. I can help speed up the healing process in more ways than one.” Fawnroot turned to look over her shoulder at the closest stallion in Rayfire’s battalion. “Could you bring me some fresh water?”
The stallion blinked at the medicine mare before looking for permission from his captain, but Rayfire merely snorted and dismissed him. When the stallion returned, his large wings were cupped in front of his chest and filled with clean water.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she set to work. She started by pouring some of the fresh water over his arm carefully, then crushed rosemary and sage in her wings to make a thick green paste. “This will clean it and help with the swelling.” She waited for a complaint or argument, but when none came, she carefully smeared the mixture over his wound, glancing at him often to make sure it wasn’t too painful. Once the entire gash was covered, she combined mint with pine sap. This was the same combination that she used on Callum and his abdomen when that nasty Opalla mare sliced him open: she got a heavy, forlorn sense of deja vu as she prepared it now.
When Fawnroot returned to Hassan, her face was tight as she stared down at her flight-feathers coated in the sap mixture she knew all too well. “This will help the skin to close and heal faster. However, it will sting since the laceration is deep and not too fresh.” This time, she hesitated longer. She wasn’t sure why; maybe she was subconsciously prepared for Hassan to stop her. (I’ll stop there before this gets too long lol)
Avery:
She kept her grip on Cole’s hand tight as she led him through the inn towards her room. She couldn’t help but giggle uncontrollably at Cole’s latest compliment. How could he say such things so easily and nonchalantly?!
Her hearts felt like they would burst out of her chests. She whirled around to face him, but she could barely look him in the eye. If she did, she fear she may never look away. “Quit it!” She playfully smacked his shoulder as her voice pitched up several octaves and cracked under the pressure. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack! You want your girlfriend a crumpled puddle of mush on the floor?!” She hissed the words, but there was no trace of malice or anger in her voice. Just pure embarrassment and playful sarcasm.
Then she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. As she predicted, she couldn’t look away. Avery swallowed and suddenly forgot where she was and what she’d been doing. His warm brown eyes staring right back at her, loose strands of his black hair falling perfectly over his face, rich tan skin with assorted scratches and discoloration from the boxing match, but the bruises didn’t distract from his features.
She still held onto his hand, and squeezed it faintly.
Avery blinked and exhaled lowly before turning away. But, she was too flustered and her brain was moving at a million miles an hour, and she marched right past her room. “N-Nope, sorry.” She turned around and pulled Cole along with her, “This one.”
Avery had to let go of Cole’s hand long enough to fish the key out of the little pouch secured at her waist. After several failed attempts at unlocking the door, it finally clicked open and she walked inside before holding it open for Cole. “C’mon in.”
(I love how Avery is one of my oldest female OC’s and yet she still gets flustered like a teenager would XDDD)
Kavani:
Ah… For a long time, Bhearit was silent and just seemed to stare at her. There were slight shifts in his expression; the softening of his brows, his ears lifting upward gently, and his eyes dilating. (Yes, she did notice that 🥺😭)
Kavani had no idea what that meant: all she knew is that she couldn’t look away. She was captivated by his eyes and the suppleness of his features; the slightest little quirk of his lips or the scrunch of his nose. (These two really have no social/romantic skills other than just staring at each other XD)
He looked almost conflicted as he finally moved and gripped the closest mug, commenting softly about Kollin’s seemingly endless energy. This made Kavani look over her shoulder at Kollin. The young colt was trotting in a tight circle in the middle of Bhearit’s living room, holding his stuffed bear high over his head as he hummed a random tune.
Kavani smiled wistfully and shrugged, “I have no idea. Maybe he has a normal amount of energy and the rest of us are just too drained and tired to keep up.”
As she spoke, Kollin started bucking and kicking his hinds legs out in random directions for no reason other than he could. He laughed as his hind hooves clunked loudly on the floorboards.
Kavani cringed and rubbed the back of her neck, “Or… maybe you’re right, and he just has a lot of energy.”
She exhaled softly and shook her head, before looking back at Bhearit. He had prepared the mugs with tea bags and started the kettle. This was probably the last thing he wanted to do after such a long day. A long day of babysitting Kollin and dealing with her mother.
Kavani but her lower lip before adding, “I’m sorry to trouble you with this. Can I help in any way?” He probably didn’t want her help, but she wanted to ask anyway.
@Ashsong (If you are ok with it, let’s go with Fig giving Keanar a slap on the wrist and using him as a example of how not to approach Pegasi.)
Fig: He laughed harshly, looking at the spoiled centaur who thought his blood made him a prince. “That’s not for me to decide… I enforce the laws of men, not boys. I wrote to the Mangrove authorities that their royal son broke Johirestown law. I’ll let your parents decide what to do with you.”
Carmela: She was glad Romie was enjoying her food. After taking a bite, she decided that they weren’t half bad and devoured her portion.
She started thinking about the next issue: how Romie would present himself to the chiefs. Should he appear dirty and disheveled, to win their favor? Polished and with bow mounted, displaying his pride? Maybe a bit of both. He could wear clean clothes and his bow, but keep his hair unwashed and his hooves scuffed. A centaur who had done his duty, but paid the price.
Kilroy: Romie really seemed to trust him, he reflecting, noticing the way the young centaur looked at him with respect. He will tell me the truth about whatever happens in that hall.
Reba: She made a face. “I haven’t felt much today. Heavy… that’s all.” It made her wonder how she would feel once the unborn child had left her body. Would the heaviness go away? Or was it something to deep inside of her, meant to stay…
She could see Sultaan’s place coming into view. The walk there didn’t feel so long now.
He clutched the bars and peered out to see Fig as the centaur approached his cell. “How long must I be kept here?” he asked.
Sultaan:
He gave a small smile as Reba brushed her shoulder against his. “I don’t know about the smartest,” he signed. “But I try my best. Plus, I have someone by my side.” Sultaan glanced down at the mare, liking the way the light caught the frizz of her dark hair. His gaze drifted down over her body and settled on her horse half. It was growing rounder by the day.
Sultaan blinked and looked at Reba’s face. “How do you feel?” he signed and then gestured at her horse half.
Leila:
She watched her brother’s face intently as his eyes never left Fawnroot. She silently urged Hassan to give an answer to the medicine mare’s question, but he didn’t seem inclined to. He was fidgeting with the makeshift sling as he watched Fawnroot gather different medicinal herbs and roots.
“We were hunting—Hass and I,” Fiell said and cleared his throat. “He fell down a steep slope while carrying a deer. A dead tree branch got him in his arm, but stopped him from going further.” Fiell’s brow creased slightly. “Couldn’t get the deer back though.”
Hassan clenched his jaw as he finally began to slide his injured arm out of the sling. He gingerly cradled it in his other hand. Leila inhaled quietly and looked away. There was a deep gash that started halfway up his forearm and across the crook of his elbow, ending at his bicep. The skin around the wound was swollen and irritated. It would have been far worse if Hassan didn’t know medicine already, but Leila knew it needed stitches, as did he.
Leila then made the mistake of looking back at her brother again, and a lump formed in her throat. She just wanted to go home, to have a real bed for once. Tears started to make her vision blur a little as she stared at the ground. Johirestown wasn’t far away; that’s what Fiell had said. Why had their aunt been so adamant that they leave Mangrove? They had been doing fine! Hassan had explained that there would be more opportunities for his line of work, and it would be less expensive to live there, but she knew him. Those couldn’t be the only reasons why. At least their aunt would meet them there. If she and her siblings were let go.
Callum:
Callum gritted his teeth slightly as Hassan removed the sling from his arm. It would definitely need stitches. And why did it not have any sort of bandage around it? There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask this centaur, but now wasn’t the time since Hassan was just barely complying with Fawnroot’s wishes, and no thanks to Callum.
He glanced over at the other two siblings. Leila looked like she was about to cry the way her lower lip trembled. And Fiell looked about ready to fight or bolt.
“Where do you all come from again?” Callum asked Fiell to avert attention away from Hassan and Fawnroot.
The teenaged centaur looked up. “Oh, um… Mangrove,” he replied and nervously shifted his weight from one hoof to the other.
“Right,” Callum replied with a nod and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His skin was rough with the beginnings of a beard. Only reminded him how long it had been since he had lived in a centaur society. He dismissed that train of thought.
“Mangrove huh? Why would you leave there to go to Johirestown? Isn’t Mangrove wealthy?” Callum asked, looking at Fiell again.
The boy looked ready to break into a sweat. “Ah, well. Doesn’t mean everybody’s wealthy, yeah?” he answered with an awkward chuckle.
Callum gave a small smile. “Good point. Did you know about pegasi before this?”
“Yeah, sort of.” Fiell looked like he was about to add something else, but he didn’t. Callum sighed softly. These short, shallow answers certainly ran in the family.
(That’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure lol)
Cole:
He couldn’t wipe a smile off his face at the sight of Avery’s blushing cheeks. They only made the color of her eyes pop more.
“No, but we’ll stop by the inn first to pick up an outfit for you,” he replied and gave her hand a squeeze.
Cole avoided any main roads to the inn to keep away from paparazzi. It took an extra 20 minutes, but it was worth it.
Cole opened the door for Avery once they arrived. He didn’t let go of her hand as he let her lead the way to her room. He gave a nod to the innkeeper as he walked slightly behind Avery.
“Honestly, you can make about anything look amazing on you,” Cole said with a chuckle.
(KOLLIN I SWEAR IMA DIE OF YOUR CUTENESS AAAAA)
Bhearit:
He inhaled. Great, Kavani had answered him and he hadn’t heard her at all.
Bhearit tilted his head slightly to the side and forced himself to meet Kavani’s gaze. For a split second, he felt something warm spark in his heart when he looked into her eyes, and his pupils dilated slightly. But then that feeling quickly turned into a small pang of nervousness when he read the look on her face. Oh no, she’s concerned. She can see right through you. He silently cursed in his mind. The seconds were ticking by and his lips wouldn’t unglue themselves and move!!
Bhearit closed his fingers around one of the mugs he was holding despite having set it down. He felt a rush of surprise rise up inside as he managed to hold Kavani’s gaze for this long despite the torrent of feelings he had going on.
Okay okay.
“I don’t know how Kollin has so much energy,” he whispered faintly at last and managed a smile. He knew he hadn’t answered Kavani’s question, but what could he do? He couldn’t hardly think clearly right now.
Bhearit realized that he had been slouching, and so he rolled his shoulders back until he was straight again. He was gonna mentally hold his breath and push through it until his guests were finally in bed and he was too.
“Alright,” Bhearit muttered to himself and looked down again. He opened a tin that held the small teabags and cleared his throat as he dropped one in each mug. There was a nagging feeling in his stomach as he stood next to Kavani. It was the urge to say something, to do anything to break the tension. But what?
Bhearit began to move over to the kettle that sat on top of the wood stove. Another thing his stepmother had gotten for him.
Kilroy: After Romie and Carmela left, he studied his dictionary for a while and then decided to take a walk around town. Maybe he could get a better idea of the language here by people-watching.
Romie:
He wanted to hide his face as they walked through Irichad. He didn’t like getting all of this attention. Before he had left, he had just been a simple centaur who wasn’t given a second glance. He’d liked it better that way. In the forest, no creature had minded that he had dark secrets.
He squeezed his sister’s hand back and stared at the door. The last time he had seen this door had been when he had left on the mission…
Fig: He left the jail building and told one of the regulars to find Eira and let her know Johirestown was waiting by for Mangrove’s instructions on what to do with Keanar, and she was free to visit him in the meantime if she wished.
The soldier went to where Eira was staying and knocked on the door.
(Do you want to act all this out? Or can we just say the soldier told Eira what was going on?)
Reba: She stopped for a moment to pray and then came to the table, resting across from Sultaan. “This looks good,” she said, digging in. It was simple food, but somehow it was simple enough to remind her of what she used to eat at home.
At that moment, she felt an intense pang for the salty flavor of olives that she used to taste on the bread of her tribe. She could almost taste it as she chewed, but now she would give up the whole meal just for one olive! “Have you ever had olives before?” she asked Sultaan.
(Wow, that was a super comment RB!)
Carmela: She and Romie walked through town. It was still early in the morning, but there were a few hardworking centaurs out and about starting their days. Romie would certainly attract a few stares and rumors, she expected, and already she thought she saw Mottel peering out of his window at them.
When the reached the great door of Chief Seamus’s hall, she squeezed Romie’s hand and then knocked on the door. What if Seamus refuses to see us? she wondered. They would have to wait out here until he did!
(If I remember correctly, I think Ben closed the Tavern after Colchi passed away so he could emotionally recover, and clean his room. I’m sure he’d let her stay as a guest, but I don’t think the Tavern is open to the public/customers)
(Haha!! I had a blast writing that part! And it totally makes sense for centaurs to have heightened senses compared to humans!! XDD I love that detail!)
Fawnroot:
She quietly sighed in relief and shifted her weight on her front hooves, secretly glad that Callum had taken the initiative to dismiss everyone as it was getting late. Her first priority was to check on Rimecrest, then to make sure the rest of her patients, and the herd for that matter, were settled and comfortable for the night. Hopefully, after all that, she’d finally be able to speak with Callum alone. Fawnroot desperately wanted to talk to him, to hear his thoughts about the day. Some how she knew that he wanted that, too.
“Right.” Her father’s voice spoke up, forcing her from her thoughts and reminding her that the day wasn’t done yet. Rayfire turned to face his battalion of steeds. “We’ll keep the three foreigners on the edge of the meadow, and use the east side of the medicine mare den for cover. You four are first watch,” He pointed to a different group, “Second. And I’ll take the third and last watch with Shadowtail and Dewglen. The rest of you; find your families and get some sleep. I expect to see everyone back in position by sunrise. Understood?”
Affirmative snorts answered him almost in perfect unison.
“Good. Let’s head back to the herd.”
The four stallions Rayfire had put on first watch separated from the rest of the squad and flew over to the siblings. Two landed behind them, one hovered over their heads, and the biggest stallion of the four took the lead.
Fawnroot swiveled her attention back to the three centaurs and whinnied to the escort, “Wait! Before you go-“ She trotted towards them and lowered her head so she spoke mainly with Fiell and Leila, but her voice was loud enough so Hassan could hear as well, “Get some good rest, okay? Don’t cause any trouble. You’ll be guarded near my den, so if you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. If not, see you in the morning.” She finished with a warm, kind smile, before backing away again and allowing Rayfire’s steeds to guide the centaurs back to the herd.
Fawnroot stepped close to Callum. She smiled at him as his brown and gold heterochrome eyes shined through the dim, blue aura of late evening.
(idk if heterochrome is a word… I don’t think it is but it sounded cool and the perfect way to describe Callum’s eyes, so we’re going with it XDDD)
Avery:
She faintly remembered dropping her tunic to the floor, but she wasn’t thinking clearly as Cole wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Avery opened her mouth to respond, but Cole stooped lower and she forgot everything, except him and how close he was. “Are you trying to get away so soon?” At that moment, Avery was thankful for his strong arms holding her to him, because without them, she would’ve sank to the floor in a big, red mushy puddle.
How dare Cole be so dang good at nonchalantly flirting! It was going to be the death of her; she was certain of it.
Avery smiled shyly and glanced down at his lips that were inches away from her. Cole was so unbelievably close with that adorably stupid and flirtatiously smug look on his face. Seconds felt like hours, but then, he straightened and pulled away, leaving her face flushed and her head reeling.
Now that was just mean. This big, annoyingly handsome jerk! Even as Cole spoke of leaving, he didn’t let go and his hands stayed glued around her.
How could she even think about leaving? It wasn’t fair! If anything, the last thought on Avery’s mind was leaving, and the thought of stepping out of his embrace was inconceivable.
She placed one hand on top of his wrist at her waist, then reached up with the other to touch his face and cup his cheek. Avery smoothed her thumb under his eye and gently brushed over a bruise he’d earned during the fight. “You love to tease me, don’t you?” She said softly, nearly a whisper as she studied his face. Avery took a step closer so their horse chests nearly touched. She moved her hand away from his cheek, tenderly traced down his neck, before settling on his chest.
“Well… I guess we’ll be late.” Before she could talk herself out of it, and before her hearts could explode, she grabbed a fistful of his shirt and carefully pulled him lower. Avery lifted her head and exhaled deeply, her eyes fluttered shut at the same moment that her lips gently planted against his.
(TEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!! -currently screamingggggg-)
Kavani:
She chuckled softly, “He’s something, isn’t he?” Unbeknownst to her, a small, tender smile softened her facial features, and her eyes beamed with unspoken affection as she watched her brother play.
“Ever since we were little, he’s found odd ways of entertaining himself. Once, when we were still living with our mother, he made up an entire game out of marbles, a towel, and a spoon. I don’t remember how to play it, or what the rules were, but I do remember how much fun it was. We played it together for hours.” Kavani chuckled again, then cleared her throat softly. She wasn’t sure why she’d just told Bhearit all that, especially since it didn’t really relate to anything. She just started talking and couldn’t stop, which was definitely unlike her.
Kavani rubbed her eyes with one hand, “That was dumb, Kavani,” she thought to herself bitterly. She exhaled fiercely and glanced at the stove behind Bhearit. He had gotten a fire going in the furnace, and by now the kindling was burning and producing a good amount of heat that she could feel from where she stood.
She pointed at the stove, “Fire’s growing.” She said simply, then bit the inside of her cheek before adding, “Need any help?”
(WAAAAAA I’m sorry this is much shorter than Bhearit’s!)
Romie:
That was very true. He trusted Kilroy enough not to lie about what happened, but he also wasn’t very vocal about things.
He replied in Centak. “Of course.” He was making a confused expression. He had assumed that Kilroy would come with them.
This isn’t his problem, though, it’s mine. I guess we just have to hope that he doesn’t accidentally burn the house down while trying to get water to boil… He didn’t have much faith in Kilroy’s survival skills.
He waved and followed Carmela.
Keanar:
He grunted softly, giving a small nod. He was practically holding his breath from this dim, dank cell he was held in. Disgusting. He couldn’t wait to get out.
(Is Eira is at the Tavern rn I can’t remember?)
Sultaan:
He brushed breadcrumbs off his hands. “The boys will likely be a bit rowdy, while the girls shy or curious,” he signed. “Depending on what age group you are put in.”
He didn’t sign for a bit as he placed the cheese, bread, and apple slices onto a platter. The mute centaur then placed it onto the table along with with two other plates for each of them before turning back to Reba.
“But each child is different, some likable and unlikable. You can’t really know until you’ve spent enough time getting to know them,” he added finally.
Sultaan gestured for Reba to come over to the table.
(Oh yeah pegasi def have good night vision for sure!! I’m certain centaurs do too, but def not as good as pegasi. Compared to humans, centaurs have better senses I imagine :3 also the way Fawnroot had to quietly but sternly tell the other pegasi to chill out was so funny 😭😭 I could imagine it clear as day)
Callum:
He watched Hassan rather ungracefully slide his arm back into the makeshift sling of his. Callum then looked back down at Fawnroot as she approached his side again.
The light was fading now, casting everyone in a dim shade of blue as the stars began to become more visible in the darkening sky. Callum exhaled through his nose. Everybody else seemed to notice the oncoming night as well by the way how no one spoke for a few moments.
Callum finally broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Well, we can continue our business in the morning. I’m sure everyone is tired from the excitement of the day,” he said, forcing himself to straighten up more.
“It’ll probably be a good plan to get these three situated in a safely guarded environment for the night,” Callum added and gave a nod toward the siblings.
Leila leaned slightly into Hassan, resting her head carefully against him since she was on the side of him where his injured arm was.
Fiell inhaled softly, looking down.
Callum felt a small pang of guilt, once again being reminded of the fact that these three were still children. At least, Fiell and Leila were. Hassan didn’t seem much more of an adult in any case. They all would likely cooperate better once having a good night’s sleep.
Callum glanced down at Fawnroot. He could see the way her wings sagged slightly, indicating how tired she was. But also how resilient she was as well since it was only just barely so. He wasn’t going to rest until she was, that was certain.
Cole:
He chuckled as he watched Avery stumble over her words. Once again, her cheeks were back to that bright shade of red.
“There, you almost got it. Silly,” Cole teased and shook his head, amused by her attempt to flirt back. It worked, but it didn’t leave him flustered like he left her. In fact, the way she was acting only made it harder for him not to squeeze her.
How he wished there wasn’t a party that night!
Cole looked down at Avery, unable to wipe a big smile off his face. “But I’m glad it’s fine by you because I’d probably do it whether you liked it or not,” he said and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him.
Cole then leaned down close to her face, his eyes half-lidded as he looked into hers. “Are you trying to get away so soon?” he murmured, tilting his head slightly to the side. He remained there for a bit with a small, flirtatiously smug smile on his face.
“But yeah, you’re right,” Cole said finally and straightened. “We should get going or else we’ll be late.” He didn’t let go of her waist, however, as though he was waiting for her cue.
(No no it’s therapeutic Kavani 👀👀)
Bhearit:
Bhearit didn’t respond to Kavani’s answer to his question about how much kindling he had. His mind had wandered again, but this time it was on a more puzzling path.
Better me than you. What did that mean? Was she saying she had higher pain-tolerance than he? Well, that would more than likely be true. But the context to say it didn’t make sense. It almost seemed like she was saying that she deserved her wound, but that didn’t make much sense either.
Bhearit cupped his hands over the small flame that had finally began to catch on the kindling and softly blew on it, encouraging a larger one.
Could it be that Kavani had meant that she would rather that she be the one with an injured arm than him because she cared—?
“Bhearit come look at this.” Bhearit’s ears perked up at the sound of his name, and he promptly turned around to look at Kavani who was standing a bit away from him. Bhearit suddenly felt strange at how quickly he had responded to his name. Perhaps it was the way Kavani had said it so quietly—softly. It had sent a a warm spark through him, causing his attention to snap to her.
Bhearit blinked in puzzlement and got up. He quietly made his way over to Kavani.
“What?” he asked and then followed her gaze to Kollin. Bhearit gave a soft huff of surprise. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed the colt before.
“Didn’t know we had such a talented centaur among us,” he said with a quiet chuckle. Kollin’s stuffed bear was balanced rather precariously atop his four hooves. It was a wonder at how well the colt kept balance on his back without rolling over.
(Cool! I think so too! Adds some more ✨drama✨ And yeah, let’s not kill him again XDD lookin at you Hawkflight…OPALLA.
Callum feeling homesick makes me feel so sad 🥺😭)
Fawnroot:
The dun mare waited patiently for either of the three siblings to answer her. Hm… Hassan was no help, and the younger two siblings… well, they were siblings. They reminded her of Pegasi yearlings arguing over who flew faster, or who performed a better flip. The thought made her smile.
“I see. So you haven’t been here long.” She replied with a gentle nod. She suddenly felt and heard the entire Pegasi battalion behind her snort harshly and rattle their wings at Fiell’s “flying horse” comment. She held out a wing in front of Fiell, partially obstructing him from view of the insulted Pegasi, and sent a hard, defensive look over her shoulder.
“He didn’t mean anything by it.” She spoke softly, yet firmly, trying not to make a big deal out of the situation. It wasn’t until Rayfire nickered softly that the rest of the steeds reluctantly relaxed.
Once that potential disaster had dissipated, Fawnroot sighed and pressed the last piece of moss into Hassan’s arm, fully covering the wound. She stepped away from Hassan and returned to her place next to Callum, folding her sticky wings by her sides. “The sling would still be a good idea. Change the moss as needed and if it starts hurting or becoming inflamed, take a large bite of pine root and rub aloe over the top. The sap should hold for a few days, but try not to do anything too strenuous.”
Her medicine-mare approach hadn’t really worked like she hoped it would, but at least Fiell and Leila were answering questions fairly well. She glanced up at Callum, then to Rayfire, then looked west: the sun had nearly completely disappeared on the horizon and the sky was getting darker by the minute. Soon, the only light for the centaurs to see under would be the moon and stars. (Equines actually have really good night vision! Horses (and Pegasi) are so cool XDD)
In the distance, she could hear Sun herd settling down for the night: mares calling for their foals, the repeated flutter of wings folding, the rustling grass as steeds laid down.
Fawnroot felt tired, too, but she still had work to do in her medicine den.
(BAHAHAHAHAHA COLE!!! Avery’s gonna die XDD)
Avery:
She chuckled brightly as she remembered that moment months ago when they’d first met. “Okay, fine. It was romantic.” She admitted with a nod.
Back then, Cole had been so surprised she didn’t know how to swim, but the initial shock wore off when he stubbornly insisted he’d show her how. Even though they were practically strangers who had only known each other for a whopping 5 minutes. To this day, Avery can’t believe she even accepted his offer to teach her.
Avery remembered how terrified she was, how tightly she clung to Cole’s arm as he led her into deeper water and showed her how to pump her hooves alternatively to stay afloat.
She hasn’t gone swimming since then, mostly because she isn’t confident enough to do it by herself.
Avery realized she had been lost in thought and looked back up at Cole. To her surprise, he had taken a step closer, and because of the size of the room, he was directly in front of her. When did he get so close?!
His next irritatingly flirtatious statement took her completely off guard. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. Her head felt heavy and her knees threatened to buckle. “Oh my- oh my- be cool. Breathe Avery. How is he so nonchalant?! He’s so- OH MY GOSH I cannot believe he just said that- how can I ‘be cool’?!” She could feel her cheeks burn up almost immediately and her hearts skipped over several beats in her chests. Speechless and utterly stunned, she nearly dropped the tunic and fumbled it in her fingers for a moment, but never took her eyes away from Cole. “I-uh…Y-You-“ She stammered, then tried again after swallowing dryly.
“I-I’m not really sure what to say to that,” She answered truthfully, “…But,” Avery took a step closer to him and brushed her bangs out of her eyes, “If you do, then that’s totally fine by me.” She tried to flirt back, but as soon as she spoke, all her confidence fizzled out and she was left feeling even more flustered.
“Ummm- y-y’know what? We should probably get going to your place, haha! Wouldn’t want to be late to your own party!”
Kavani:
When Bhearit turned to her, his eyes looked dazed and his cheeks were flushed. Lost in thought again? She couldn’t help but wonder what he had been thinking about. His inventions? The long, tiring day? His passed step-mother?
A small smile quirked at the corner of her lips but faded when he quickly took the wood from her, apologizing sincerely with a regretful, taught expression. Her brows drew together and she tilted her head to the side, momentarily confused why he was apologizing. It took her a moment to realize he was referring to her injured shoulder. (They’re both so dumb 😑😭)
Kavani shrugged, which she immediately regretted. “Nah, don’t worry about it. Better me than you.” She didn’t bother to explain what she meant by that. Kavani stepped back to give him more room to work, and leaned against a blank wall in the kitchen. She rested her head against the wall and listened to the sounds of Bhearit clearing his throat and the clacking of flint to start the fire; it was somewhat therapeutic. Or maybe she was just tired.
She perked up at his question, before leaning into the wall again, “It’ll last a few more weeks. You’ll need more before winter, though. I can do that for you tomorrow.”
As she spoke, she glanced up at Kollin and watched as he laid on his back with his 4 legs straight up in the air and his hooves close together. Perched on top of Kollin’s hooves, the stuffed teddy bear was laying flat on its stomach, staring down at Kollin with one paw dangling over the side. Kollin was laughing and gently rocking back and forth to keep Teddy balanced and aloft.
Kavani smiled to herself, “Bhearit, come see this.”
(I’m gonna re-read the conversation between Kilroy and the chiefs to refresh my memory for the upcoming meeting with Romie! Until then, I’ll just respond with this!)
Seamus:
He awoke early, as he normally does, and sat up in bed. He rubbed his eyes with his only hand. The space next to him was cool and bare; Riona was already up. He sighed stiffly before getting up, changing, and lastly lowering the bejeweled band onto his head that signified his reign and position. Their house was quiet, which was typical this early in the morning. He headed towards the kitchen first to grab breakfast and walked down the hall brimming with memories and portraits of previous Chief's. It didn't have an official name, but ever since Seamus was a boy, he called this hallway the "Head Hall," appropriately named for the line of Chieftain portraits that were hung on either side. There was 6 in total, 3 on each side, with their faces drawn tight and their eyes forever still. Seamus hated this hall; he always felt like the past Chief's were judging him as he walked by. He only paused when he came to the last portrait: the portrait of his father. Unlike the others with their scowls and seriousness, his father was the only one depicted with a smile.
Seamus exhaled, then left behind the glaring eyes of deceased kings. He half expected to find Riona in the kitchen, but the room was his. Usually, they share a cup of coffee in the mornings. This made him frown as he remembered what had occurred the night before.
After Declan and the Jonhirestown boy left, Seamus tried to speak with Riona about her behavior. From demanding Declan bring his youngest daughter, to clearly undermining and doubting Seamus’s decisions, something had ticked her. And Riona was not the mare to tick off. Seamus’s questioning turned into a fight between them, each one believing they were right; he can’t remember the last time he and Riona couldn’t agree on something, or at least find a compromise. Her last words to him before she stormed outside still echoed in his mind: “You’re growing soft, Seamus. And soft leaders don’t win wars.”
“Where is this coming from? Irichad is not at war, Riona.” He responded gruffly, but she wasn’t having it.
“Not yet, and if you can’t see that, then you’re more blind than Conan.”
Her words stung -comparing him to Conan without hesitation, saying he had grown soft.
This wouldn’t do. Not now with the uncertainty of the winged beasts lurking in the background. Not with the festival approaching so quickly. He needed his Chieftess; they needed to show a united front and now was not the time for disagreements.
He called for a guard, “Find Chieftess Riona and tell her I’d like to talk.” The soldier bowed, then hurried off towards the training arena.
Fig: “Sure. She can give you a better dressing down than me,” he said. He turned to leave.
Reba: “I can visit her before school tomorrow. Or after,” she said.
She smiled to herself a little bit. “What do you think the students will be like?” It was so strange to think that they were closer to her unborn child’s age than her own… it would be a learning experience in more ways than one.
It was unfortunate that Sultaan hadn’t much schooling, but she knew she would he happy enough if the other students were like him.
(IM HERE FINALLY BRUHHH 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️)
Keanar:
He nodded and leaned back slightly, his hands still on the bars. At least she seemed well, despite being angry.
“Can you tell her that I must speak with her?” he asked after a moment’s silence.
(Don’t say that things can’t get worse Reba you gotta know what happens every time someone says something like that!!)
Sultaan:
He unwrapped a half loaf of barley bread and set it down. He drummed the wood of the counter for a few moments, swishing his tail as he stood there.
Sultaan then looked over at Reba. “You should go see Ulrani soon anyway,” he signed, his brow creasing slightly. As each day had passed since he met Reba, especially ever since he found out about her pregnancy, the mute centaur had become steadily more and more determined to protect her as much as he could. And along with that protection, to love her.
Sultaan gazed at Reba thoughtfully and a little worriedly. He knew only so much about this sort of thing. He made a mental note to ask Ulrani some questions next time he saw her.
The stallion then returned to preparing the meal: bread, nuts, and apple.
(THEY WOULD DIE AT THE SAME TIME 😭😭 I didn’t think of that!!! I don’t remember any conversation about the soul-tied thing wearing off over time, but I think it’d be very interesting just to keep it! We’re not making our characters die anytime anyway XD. I mean, Callum already died but we’re not doing that again cuz that would be rly dumb lol)
Callum:
He felt himself relax a little when she gave him a small smile, seeming to say that it could wait. At least it didn’t seem too important.
Callum watched Fawnroot as she turned away to apply some finishing touches to her work. Fiell and Leila stood near their brother now, one on each side. Both looked at Fawnroot when she asked Hassan about their length of stay in Sun Herd and possible previous interactions with pegasi.
Of course, none of the siblings answered immediately. Fiell and Leila glanced at Hassan before looking at each other as though to see who would give in to reply to Fawnroot’s questions. (When the doctor asks you a question and you’re with your mom so you look at her to answer 😭😭)
Callum saw Fiell clenched his fists slightly, and then Leila let out a reluctant sigh when neither of her brothers chose to answer.
“We were in that area for like a night before you came across us,” she said at last, crossing her arms and giving a brief but pointed glance at her brothers. “And we didn’t meet any pegasi before this. I don’t know why Fiell made it sound like we did.” Leila then frowned slightly at her second oldest brother.
Fiell looked at her. “I meant that we knew of flying horses, not that we actually met them,” he said, a hint of defensiveness in his tone. Leila gave another sigh. Hassan remained silent. (Lol none of the centaurs are aware of what an insult it is to be called a horse to pegasi 😂)
Callum felt the urge to smile as he found the interaction a little amusing. It reminded him of his conversations he had had with his own siblings at times. Sometimes things got heated as well. He found himself feeling a little homesick again, so he dismissed the trail of thought.
“Anyway,” Leila said, looking at Callum and then at Fawnroot.
Callum was watching Hassan now who was quietly rubbing his horse shoulder, not seeming to be paying attention to anything around him.
(Hahahahahaha that’s very interesting way to meet!!)
Cole:
His awareness of his proximity to Avery was heightened when she brushed up rather firmly against him, and he would have sworn she lingered there before moving to where her clothes were. The room was most certainly cozy. Not really built for two centaurs, especially for a big boxer such as himself. But then again, it worked put particularly well at the moment.
Then Avery pulled out the tunic she was planning to wear, and Cole’s eyes rounded slightly upon seeing it. “Yeah, I remember,” he replied when she had mentioned wearing the shirt the first time they met. A small smile spread across his face. It was crazy how fast time had gone. He was certain that, one day, he’d be reminiscing about this very moment with Avery in his own home—their own home.
“That was a pretty creative but desperate way to get to know you—teaching you to swim.” He grinned slightly.
“But hey, it was pretty romantic, wasn’t it?” he teased, his gaze flicking over her chosen attire she was holding.
Cole nonchalantly took a step closer to her. “By the way, just to warn you, I don’t think I’ll be able to leave you alone the whole night if you wear that,” he joked, but mostly meant what he said. It actually didn’t matter what she wore, even if it was the rather tired looking tunic she was wearing now. (COLE IS SO FLIRTATIOUS LIKE BOI CHILL HAHAHAHA 😭👀👀👀)
Bhearit:
What was that reaction he thought he saw when Kavani had locked eyes with him again? He couldn’t really think clearly at the moment anyway, but he was certain he saw her cheeks flush. And that subtle way her green eyes had widened when she met his after touching his hand briefly when exchanging the mugs… oh man. Now looking back on it, he felt his heart start to beat faster. Kavani had always been so cool and collected before, all until the events of this day with her mother. He wouldn’t call her a mess, but she seemed to react more openly to things than usual. And why was it mostly involved with things that he did? Did today’s events crack her stoic facade a bit?
Bhearit himself openly reacted to things easily on a normal basis, not being very good at keeping his feelings hidden. But Kavani not only seemed to be more transparent, but also more… warm?
Bhearit finally noticed that his hands were clutching the stove while he had been processing these things. He inhaled deeply and straightened.
“Fresh kindling, per your request.” Bhearit almost jumped. He hadn’t even noticed Kavani come in. Again. He kept zoning out. Bhearit really needed to go to bed soon.
He turned around. He hoped his face wasn’t flushed or anything.
“Ah, thank you,” Bhearit said rather softly, then cleared his throat. He noticed the way Kavani was holding the stack of wood in one arm instead of both. At first he was a little puzzled, but then he remembered her shoulder.
Bhearit cursed under his breath and quickly took the kindling from her. “I completely forgot. I’m so sorry,” he said, shoving the wood into the stove. He faintly realized how he didn’t really give context to his apology, but he didn’t elaborate. Kavani would probably understand.
He took out a small pouch and retrieved a shard of flint and small cylinder of steel. The flint was rather small. He’d have to get more soon as winter was rapidly approaching.
Bhearit cleared his throat again before speaking. “How’s the woodpile looking?” he asked and knelt down before the stove opening. He began to briskly strike the flint against the piece of steel over the wood.
Kilroy: As he saw Carmela and Romie preparing to leave, he asked, “Romie… please tell me what happened after, ok?”
He knew Romie wouldn’t lie about what was about to happen behind closed doors… but he wouldn’t necessarily disclose everything.
Carmela: Her eyes flitted between the men, but she didn’t know what they were saying. She trusted Romie, though. That was enough.
“Ok, let’s go,” she said, squeezing his hand one more time as they left the jewelry shop.
Romie:
He took the bracelet into his hands and it looked it over, admiring it from all angles “This is beautiful,” he commented. “I would love to wear it.” He put the bracelet on, thinking of it as more of a stylish ornament than as a diplomatic statement.
He pawed the ground with his front hoof and stared into the distance for a moment. “Well. I suppose we had better get it over with.”
Carmela: She followed suit, cleaning off her plate and putting it away. Carefully, she adjusted Romie’s hair so he didn’t look so bedraggled. Then, she went to her dresser and came back with a slender bracelet. It was green with a silver scoring across it in silver foil in an unmistakably Irich deisgn. “This is for you,” she said. “Even though you came here with nothing, it will remind the chiefs that you belong here.”
Kilroy: He looked down, suddenly conscious of the fact that he wore no jewelry, and that his clothes were decent but plain. It would be necessary to learn the culture of appearance in Irichad… something he had never through to ask Aaron.
Romie:
He ate his pancakes quickly, savoring them, but also making sure that they didn’t disappear. He was in mostly good spirits, but he had a feeling that he wouldn’t be able to keep it that way.
He washed his empty plate and dried it off. “Well,” he said softly in Irich, “I suppose I have a report to make to the chiefs.” He didn’t want to be suspicious of them, but he found that he was. Why had they not made Lanseril’s return publicly known? Or sent a rescue mission?
(OMGSH I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT!! Yes, I think that was apart of the agreement Fawnroot made with the Golden Meadow (or something like that- it was so long ago I can’t remember exactly) that they would be tied together once they returned to the mortal world. So any physical pain Callum felt was tied to Fawnroot, and vise versa. And, when the time came, they would die at the same time, also. (aaAAAAAA-)
However, I thought I remember a conversation that the effect would slowly ware off? Maybe I’m wrong and confusing myself 😭 Do you still want to do that soul-tied thing, Ash? I don’t have a problem, as long as you’re happy with it!)
Fawnroot:
She sighed as she stepped away from Hassan after she finished applying the pine sap. Her feathers were sticky and she hated the familiar sensation of the sap seeping into her skin.
Fawnroot felt Callum’s eyes on her: he always knew when something was bothering her. She smiled at the thought and stared into his eyes, then shook her head slowly. “It’s fine. I’ll tell you later,” she seemed to say, without actually having to speak. She knew he would understand.
Fawnroot went over to a nearby oak tree and pulled some moss off the low hanging branches. “One last thing,” She muttered around a mouth-full of moss. With her muzzle and wings, she began tenderly wrapping and sticking the moss on Hassan’s arm.
As she worked, she decided to take advantage of the quiet moment. “How long have you three been in the area? Our scouts seemed to have missed you, which is why your camp took us by surprise.” Fawnroot kept her voice easy and warm, as she normally would if she was conversing with anyone.
“Your younger brother mentioned something about meeting other Pegasi before you ended up here.” She paused to glance up at Hassan, “Did that happen recently?”
(AAAAIIIIIIEEEEEEEE OH MY GOODNESS COLE)
Avery:
As the door clicked closed behind them, the only light in the room came from a little window on the opposite side of the bed.
It was a one-centaur room: the bed against the wall underneath the window, a bedside table which held a lantern, a basin for washing, and that was about it. It was a nice, cozy room… but the fact that she could feel Cole’s heat beside her made the room even cozier.
She moved towards the table, struck a match, and lit the lantern to allow more light to brighten the room. Now that they weren’t concealed in dim light, she managed to look at Cole again as the softness of his voice sent goosebumps up her arms.
Avery forced a smile to her lips, and moved back to the end of her bed where her satchel was propped up against the wall. But, she had to squeeze past Cole to reach it, and her horse shoulder brushed against Cole’s side, her front leg momentarily pressing against his. His warmth was encompassing and she was tempted to linger -and did for a few quick seconds- then forced herself to move on.
She kneeled down to her bag and focused on answering Cole’s question. “Well… I thought you could help me decide. I’m not sure what would work best for a celebratory party at a tavern.” She opened the latch and trifled through the burlap bag, “I have a few ideas in mind, but this one is my favorite.” She found the tunic she had mentioned, pulled it out, and held it up so Cole could see.
It was a dark green tunic. The fabric looked soft and supple. Gold and white embroidery swirled up the sleeves along the seams and over the V-cut neckline. The ends of the sleeves would reach her elbows, and the bottom of the tunic was cut looser so it would swirl around her waist whenever she turned. “I wore it for my first performance in Jonirestown, and if you remember, it’s what I wore the first time we met.” She sheepishly met Cole’s gaze with a soft smile, “Remember the lake? Where you taught me how to swim? …Erm… where you tried to teach me how to swim.”
(This meeting was around the beginning of the RP, so I personally don’t remember it very well, but Avery was out walking through the woods, singing a song to herself, when she stumbled across Cole swimming in a lake. After a brief introduction, Cole took it upon himself to teach her how to swim XDD In role-play time, it was probably several months ago.)
Kavani:
“Yeah, for sure. I‘ll grab that.” She mumbled, almost smiling, and was about to turn around to head outside when his fingers tenderly rubbed against the skin of her hand. She froze: his hands felt warm and heat crept up her neck, settling in her cheeks and ears. She dared to look up and her eyes widened to find that he was already glancing down at her. Their eyes locked and Kavani felt light-headed under Bhearit’s gaze. His small, sheepish smile sent her hearts thundering. That feeling and racing inside her chest was becoming more common recently; it scared her that it was no longer completely foreign. For some reason, she only felt this way when Bhearit was involved. (Mhmmmm I wonder why 👀👀)
Without looking away from him, she replied, “I’m not cold anymore.” She spoke without thinking and she tensed again once she realized what she said, wishing she could take the words back. Luckily, Bhearit’s back was turned as he prepared the kettle and checked its water level.
“I’m fine!” Chirped Kollin’s voice from across the room.
While Bhearit was distracted, she quickly turned away and bee-lined towards the door to head outside. “I’ll…be right back with some wood.” She added softly over her shoulder. As soon as she was alone outside, she planted her palms against her cheeks and exhaled deeply. Her cheeks were burning up, but her palms were freezing cold. “Okay, okay, focus.”
She headed down toward the side of the cabin, but when she didn’t find any chopped wood, she went around to the other side. As Bhearit promised, there was a little stack of firewood. It was enough to last a few more weeks, but it wouldn’t be enough to get him through winter. Kavani tucked that thought into the foreground of her mind as she stacked a couple pieces of wood in her arms, and heading back towards the door. The wood was light and dry, and normally wouldn’t pose any issue, but the wounds in her shoulder ached and her muscles strained. The pain was manageable, but annoying. She hated how such a simple task like carrying wood was made so difficult to bare due to her injuries.
Kavani shifted all the wood into her strong arm and opened the door with her other hand. She pushed the door open with her hoof, wincing slightly but tried to hide it by the time she returned to Bhearit. “Alright. Fresh kindling, per your request.”
Fig: He shrugged. “When I talked to her, she was pretty angry and flustered. I’m sure she’s fine. Your cell is open to visitors, so she can come see you if she wants.”
Reba: “Yeah, I am… how did you know?” she joked, smiling. “I feel ok for now, so I’ll stay on my hooves a little longer.” But she suspected that later on, there would be plenty of times she would need him to baby her like this. Sultaan was so worried about her, she could see it in his face… she wanted to assure him that she would be ok, but she couldn’t.
She looked through the cabinets, trying to help with the cooking. ”Don’t worry so much… what happens happens. With your uncle’s debt, I didn’t think things could get any worse… but here we are now. We’re still here.”
(Just so y’all know, from the 24-27 ima be gone so I’ll try to get in my replies as must as possible before then XD)
Keanar:
He frowned, ready to protest, but then decided against it. If he was going to get out any time soon, furthering dispute with this stallion would not go in Keanar’s favor as he was the one behind bars and not Fig. It would take a fortnight or more for the message to be delivered depending on the urgency and amount of money Fig sent with the messenger.
Keanar rubbed some rust off one of the bars with his thumb. “And what of Eira, my cousin?” he mumbled. “Is she well?”
Sultaan:
He briefly touched Reba’s shoulder, almost like she was made of glass. “You should lie down when we get there. Rest,” he signed. Sultaan kept his hands hovering in readiness to steady Reba if needed as they crested the hill.
Thankfully she needed no such assistance, and so when they arrived at the doorway of his home, Sultaan moved the old rug—which was the makeshift door—out of the way so that the mare could enter. He needed to make a real door before winter came on, especially with Reba there now. In fact, Sultaan considered the option of asking Ulrani if she could stay with her. He’d see about that tomorrow. He followed in after Reba.
“I imagine you’re hungry?” he asked once the mare had turned around to see his hands.
Leila:
She was blinking back the rest of any tears that were threatening to fall just as the pegasus mare stepped toward her and gave her shoulder a small, soft nuzzle. For a moment, she was confused as to why Fawnroot had done this, but then she realized that she must have seen her tears and tried to comfort her with such an act. This realization only made Leila want to cry more than she did before, and so she turned away, her hearts now touched by such a kind gesture but also heavy with homesickness.
(Heyy I just now randomly remembered, aren’t Callum’s and Fawnroot’s souls linked somehow or smth? Like, when one has physical pain the other also feels it???)
Callum:
He paused a moment in his questioning with Fiell to watch Fawnroot as she began to work on Hassan’s wound. He wondered at how expertly and carefully the medicine mare applied the sap and other such ingredients to the wound with her wings. Of course, years of practice helped with her ability to maneuver her wingtips almost as well as centaur hands, but it was still fascinating to watch.
Callum saw Hassan stiffen slightly as Fawnroot applied the sap to the gash in his arm. He then thought he saw the centaur relax a little the way his shoulders lowered. At least Hassan was letting Fawn help him.
Once she was finished, the oldest sibling took a small step back.
When the mare finally turned around, Callum frowned upon seeing her face. She wasn’t blatantly upset, but her mood had clearly changed. He gazed at her, waiting for her to meet his eyes. When she did, Callum creased his brow slightly in questioning concern. Her demeanor was more tense as if she had either seen or remembered something very upsetting.
How he wanted to get alone with her now! But that would have to wait. Callum had been absentmindedly fingering the tear in the middle of his shirt when he saw Fiell and Leila quietly sidle closer to their older brother behind Fawnroot.
(Avery is literally SOOOO CUTE AAAA)
Cole:
He was grinning widely at Avery’s giggles and flustered comments as she rather cutely, but clumsily, tried to regain her composer. Little did she know, he was about a hair away from scooping her up and squeezing her.
Then she whipped around and faced him, her whole face bright red with blush. His smile widened more. But then she met his eyes, and time seemed to still for a moment. His grin faltered slightly as he stared down at her. Avery’s hazel eyes were bright and shining, her cheeks flushed, and her red hair a little undone from the excitement of earlier. He would have grabbed her and kissed her right there if she didn’t suddenly turn right back around and march him to her room—that is, past her room before making a 180 back to it.
Cole was a little flustered in his own way as he watched Avery struggle to even put her room key into the lock. But then she finally got it open.
He stepped inside past her and moved away so that she could come in as well. He still held her hand. The room was small, only enough for one centaur to sleep of course. But it was nice.
By now, Cole had found his speaking confidence again. “So, whatcha gonna wear?” he said and surprised himself with how low his tone was, almost a whisper. He meant it as a genuine question, but he wondered how Avery would interpret his tone of voice. Cole cleared his throat.
Bhearit:
He looked over at Kavani to respond but was immediately distracted by Kollin’s giddy giggles and the sounds of his hooves clacking against the floor as the colt pranced and kicked about. Bhearit raised his eyebrows in amazement for a moment before returning his attention to Kavani again, now feeling a little bewildered.
“Huh? Oh…” He looked down at the mugs he was holding and then at the kettle. He didn’t really want to make her do anything, but he knew she probably wanted to do at something at least, no matter how small. He’d feel the same if he were in her situation.
“Aye. Sure,” Bhearit said at last. In reality, he really had no idea what to give Kavani to do.
He hesitated a moment before turning to her and handing her the mugs. “I’m just going to start a fire in the stove,” he said quietly and then bent down, opening the stove door. He sighed when there wasn’t any kindling inside, and so he straightened again.
“Could you grab some wood, actually? It’s at the side of the cabin,” Bhearit said and took the mugs from Kavani again. Since the cups were small, his fingers just brushed against hers. Her skin felt a little cool. Bhearit glanced at her face and gave a weak, rather sheepish smile before turning to put the mugs down on the stovetop.
“Are you both warm enough?” he asked as he picked up the kettle and gave it a small shake to see how much water was inside. It still had plenty. He set it down again and began rummaging around in one of the cabinets for the flint he used to light the stove with. Bhearit’s mind kept replaying the look on Kavani’s face from a few moments before when she had asked if he was okay. He risked a glance her way over his shoulder.
Fawnroot:
Upon hearing the story of how Hassan got injured, it seems these three siblings have had a difficult time in their travels. Fawnroot sent a glance at Leila, and her heart broke for the young girl as she recognized the gleaming of unshed tears. The little centauress was clearly worried for her eldest brother, and Fawnroot spared a moment to briefly, yet tenderly nuzzle Leila on her human shoulder, offering a warm smile as she stepped away.
She listened carefully to the rest of the conversation, but her sole attention was on Hassan.
Mangrove? Was that another centaur town? She hadn’t heard of it before, and that made her nervous. Why were they leaving and going to Jonirestown? What did Fiell mean by “sort of” knowing about pegasi? An encounter with a different herd, perhaps?
She couldn’t focus on that right now: Hassan's gaping scratch on his arm was glaring at her. She stepped closer to him, being mindful to keep her movements slow as to not make him more suspicious or conceited than he already was.
Fawnroot’s treated many wounds like this before, but the problem wasn’t the gash in his arm -it will leave a nasty scar, but it will still heal- it was Hassan himself. How much would he allow her to do? He obviously wasn’t a fan of Pegasi, and would probably prefer a centaur healer to treat him instead. Even simply getting him to reveal his arm from the sling was a battle.
She inhaled slowly, “It’s deep, but it doesn’t appear too infected yet. You’ve done well with it on your own,” Which was surprising since it didn’t look very fresh, and wasn’t covered by a bandage. “However, I’m glad you showed me. I can help speed up the healing process in more ways than one.” Fawnroot turned to look over her shoulder at the closest stallion in Rayfire’s battalion. “Could you bring me some fresh water?”
The stallion blinked at the medicine mare before looking for permission from his captain, but Rayfire merely snorted and dismissed him. When the stallion returned, his large wings were cupped in front of his chest and filled with clean water.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as she set to work. She started by pouring some of the fresh water over his arm carefully, then crushed rosemary and sage in her wings to make a thick green paste. “This will clean it and help with the swelling.” She waited for a complaint or argument, but when none came, she carefully smeared the mixture over his wound, glancing at him often to make sure it wasn’t too painful. Once the entire gash was covered, she combined mint with pine sap. This was the same combination that she used on Callum and his abdomen when that nasty Opalla mare sliced him open: she got a heavy, forlorn sense of deja vu as she prepared it now.
When Fawnroot returned to Hassan, her face was tight as she stared down at her flight-feathers coated in the sap mixture she knew all too well. “This will help the skin to close and heal faster. However, it will sting since the laceration is deep and not too fresh.” This time, she hesitated longer. She wasn’t sure why; maybe she was subconsciously prepared for Hassan to stop her. (I’ll stop there before this gets too long lol)
Avery:
She kept her grip on Cole’s hand tight as she led him through the inn towards her room. She couldn’t help but giggle uncontrollably at Cole’s latest compliment. How could he say such things so easily and nonchalantly?!
Her hearts felt like they would burst out of her chests. She whirled around to face him, but she could barely look him in the eye. If she did, she fear she may never look away. “Quit it!” She playfully smacked his shoulder as her voice pitched up several octaves and cracked under the pressure. “You’re gonna give me a heart attack! You want your girlfriend a crumpled puddle of mush on the floor?!” She hissed the words, but there was no trace of malice or anger in her voice. Just pure embarrassment and playful sarcasm.
Then she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. As she predicted, she couldn’t look away. Avery swallowed and suddenly forgot where she was and what she’d been doing. His warm brown eyes staring right back at her, loose strands of his black hair falling perfectly over his face, rich tan skin with assorted scratches and discoloration from the boxing match, but the bruises didn’t distract from his features.
She still held onto his hand, and squeezed it faintly.
Avery blinked and exhaled lowly before turning away. But, she was too flustered and her brain was moving at a million miles an hour, and she marched right past her room. “N-Nope, sorry.” She turned around and pulled Cole along with her, “This one.”
Avery had to let go of Cole’s hand long enough to fish the key out of the little pouch secured at her waist. After several failed attempts at unlocking the door, it finally clicked open and she walked inside before holding it open for Cole. “C’mon in.”
(I love how Avery is one of my oldest female OC’s and yet she still gets flustered like a teenager would XDDD)
Kavani:
Ah… For a long time, Bhearit was silent and just seemed to stare at her. There were slight shifts in his expression; the softening of his brows, his ears lifting upward gently, and his eyes dilating. (Yes, she did notice that 🥺😭)
Kavani had no idea what that meant: all she knew is that she couldn’t look away. She was captivated by his eyes and the suppleness of his features; the slightest little quirk of his lips or the scrunch of his nose. (These two really have no social/romantic skills other than just staring at each other XD)
He looked almost conflicted as he finally moved and gripped the closest mug, commenting softly about Kollin’s seemingly endless energy. This made Kavani look over her shoulder at Kollin. The young colt was trotting in a tight circle in the middle of Bhearit’s living room, holding his stuffed bear high over his head as he hummed a random tune.
Kavani smiled wistfully and shrugged, “I have no idea. Maybe he has a normal amount of energy and the rest of us are just too drained and tired to keep up.”
As she spoke, Kollin started bucking and kicking his hinds legs out in random directions for no reason other than he could. He laughed as his hind hooves clunked loudly on the floorboards.
Kavani cringed and rubbed the back of her neck, “Or… maybe you’re right, and he just has a lot of energy.”
She exhaled softly and shook her head, before looking back at Bhearit. He had prepared the mugs with tea bags and started the kettle. This was probably the last thing he wanted to do after such a long day. A long day of babysitting Kollin and dealing with her mother.
Kavani but her lower lip before adding, “I’m sorry to trouble you with this. Can I help in any way?” He probably didn’t want her help, but she wanted to ask anyway.
@Ashsong (If you are ok with it, let’s go with Fig giving Keanar a slap on the wrist and using him as a example of how not to approach Pegasi.)
Fig: He laughed harshly, looking at the spoiled centaur who thought his blood made him a prince. “That’s not for me to decide… I enforce the laws of men, not boys. I wrote to the Mangrove authorities that their royal son broke Johirestown law. I’ll let your parents decide what to do with you.”
Carmela: She was glad Romie was enjoying her food. After taking a bite, she decided that they weren’t half bad and devoured her portion.
She started thinking about the next issue: how Romie would present himself to the chiefs. Should he appear dirty and disheveled, to win their favor? Polished and with bow mounted, displaying his pride? Maybe a bit of both. He could wear clean clothes and his bow, but keep his hair unwashed and his hooves scuffed. A centaur who had done his duty, but paid the price.
Kilroy: Romie really seemed to trust him, he reflecting, noticing the way the young centaur looked at him with respect. He will tell me the truth about whatever happens in that hall.
Reba: She made a face. “I haven’t felt much today. Heavy… that’s all.” It made her wonder how she would feel once the unborn child had left her body. Would the heaviness go away? Or was it something to deep inside of her, meant to stay…
She could see Sultaan’s place coming into view. The walk there didn’t feel so long now.
Keanar:
He clutched the bars and peered out to see Fig as the centaur approached his cell. “How long must I be kept here?” he asked.
Sultaan:
He gave a small smile as Reba brushed her shoulder against his. “I don’t know about the smartest,” he signed. “But I try my best. Plus, I have someone by my side.” Sultaan glanced down at the mare, liking the way the light caught the frizz of her dark hair. His gaze drifted down over her body and settled on her horse half. It was growing rounder by the day.
Sultaan blinked and looked at Reba’s face. “How do you feel?” he signed and then gestured at her horse half.
Leila:
She watched her brother’s face intently as his eyes never left Fawnroot. She silently urged Hassan to give an answer to the medicine mare’s question, but he didn’t seem inclined to. He was fidgeting with the makeshift sling as he watched Fawnroot gather different medicinal herbs and roots.
“We were hunting—Hass and I,” Fiell said and cleared his throat. “He fell down a steep slope while carrying a deer. A dead tree branch got him in his arm, but stopped him from going further.” Fiell’s brow creased slightly. “Couldn’t get the deer back though.”
Hassan clenched his jaw as he finally began to slide his injured arm out of the sling. He gingerly cradled it in his other hand. Leila inhaled quietly and looked away. There was a deep gash that started halfway up his forearm and across the crook of his elbow, ending at his bicep. The skin around the wound was swollen and irritated. It would have been far worse if Hassan didn’t know medicine already, but Leila knew it needed stitches, as did he.
Leila then made the mistake of looking back at her brother again, and a lump formed in her throat. She just wanted to go home, to have a real bed for once. Tears started to make her vision blur a little as she stared at the ground. Johirestown wasn’t far away; that’s what Fiell had said. Why had their aunt been so adamant that they leave Mangrove? They had been doing fine! Hassan had explained that there would be more opportunities for his line of work, and it would be less expensive to live there, but she knew him. Those couldn’t be the only reasons why. At least their aunt would meet them there. If she and her siblings were let go.
Callum:
Callum gritted his teeth slightly as Hassan removed the sling from his arm. It would definitely need stitches. And why did it not have any sort of bandage around it? There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask this centaur, but now wasn’t the time since Hassan was just barely complying with Fawnroot’s wishes, and no thanks to Callum.
He glanced over at the other two siblings. Leila looked like she was about to cry the way her lower lip trembled. And Fiell looked about ready to fight or bolt.
“Where do you all come from again?” Callum asked Fiell to avert attention away from Hassan and Fawnroot.
The teenaged centaur looked up. “Oh, um… Mangrove,” he replied and nervously shifted his weight from one hoof to the other.
“Right,” Callum replied with a nod and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His skin was rough with the beginnings of a beard. Only reminded him how long it had been since he had lived in a centaur society. He dismissed that train of thought.
“Mangrove huh? Why would you leave there to go to Johirestown? Isn’t Mangrove wealthy?” Callum asked, looking at Fiell again.
The boy looked ready to break into a sweat. “Ah, well. Doesn’t mean everybody’s wealthy, yeah?” he answered with an awkward chuckle.
Callum gave a small smile. “Good point. Did you know about pegasi before this?”
“Yeah, sort of.” Fiell looked like he was about to add something else, but he didn’t. Callum sighed softly. These short, shallow answers certainly ran in the family.
(That’s what I thought but I wasn’t sure lol)
Cole:
He couldn’t wipe a smile off his face at the sight of Avery’s blushing cheeks. They only made the color of her eyes pop more.
“No, but we’ll stop by the inn first to pick up an outfit for you,” he replied and gave her hand a squeeze.
Cole avoided any main roads to the inn to keep away from paparazzi. It took an extra 20 minutes, but it was worth it.
Cole opened the door for Avery once they arrived. He didn’t let go of her hand as he let her lead the way to her room. He gave a nod to the innkeeper as he walked slightly behind Avery.
“Honestly, you can make about anything look amazing on you,” Cole said with a chuckle.
(KOLLIN I SWEAR IMA DIE OF YOUR CUTENESS AAAAA)
Bhearit:
He inhaled. Great, Kavani had answered him and he hadn’t heard her at all.
Bhearit tilted his head slightly to the side and forced himself to meet Kavani’s gaze. For a split second, he felt something warm spark in his heart when he looked into her eyes, and his pupils dilated slightly. But then that feeling quickly turned into a small pang of nervousness when he read the look on her face. Oh no, she’s concerned. She can see right through you. He silently cursed in his mind. The seconds were ticking by and his lips wouldn’t unglue themselves and move!!
Bhearit closed his fingers around one of the mugs he was holding despite having set it down. He felt a rush of surprise rise up inside as he managed to hold Kavani’s gaze for this long despite the torrent of feelings he had going on.
Okay okay.
“I don’t know how Kollin has so much energy,” he whispered faintly at last and managed a smile. He knew he hadn’t answered Kavani’s question, but what could he do? He couldn’t hardly think clearly right now.
Bhearit realized that he had been slouching, and so he rolled his shoulders back until he was straight again. He was gonna mentally hold his breath and push through it until his guests were finally in bed and he was too.
“Alright,” Bhearit muttered to himself and looked down again. He opened a tin that held the small teabags and cleared his throat as he dropped one in each mug. There was a nagging feeling in his stomach as he stood next to Kavani. It was the urge to say something, to do anything to break the tension. But what?
Bhearit began to move over to the kettle that sat on top of the wood stove. Another thing his stepmother had gotten for him.