brave_kreyu | OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part 11

They are camped in the woods not too terribly far from a road.

Sometime early in the morning, Skellig hears a horse drawn wagon accompanied by men going down the road. He hears a wheel come off the wagon, hears the guards curse, hears wings the size of his own slam against wooden bars.

The wave of despair from the winged one is almost palpable.

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From:

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"Excellent timing my love," Skellig answers. "We are nearly finished up here."

The transfer of energy is faint, as the few remaining wounds that he needs to handle are minor, compared to other things. He is just the slightest bit tired - which is a feeling he has not felt in a while - but not in any way that is negative.

"I did work on them somewhat," he admits, with a slight shrug. "But you have indeed been careful. This is straightforward work." Once he is satisfied, he nods, then lifts his gaze to meet Tyr's. "If anything flares up again, tell me. As your body adjusts sometimes things can shift and new aches will be triggered."

And because he can tell that there is another type of ache, one of contact with another one of 'his' kind - Skellig offers the other man a hug.

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr returns the hug, careful. Gratitude spills out from him, relief. "Thank you," he says, quiet. For Everything.

After a little while, he lets go of Skellig. "I will let you know."

The soup smells delicious, and Kreyu has freshened the leftover bread by toasting it a bit. There is a log near the fire to sit on, or they could use the bedding.

"Are you feeling better, Tyr?"

Tyr chuckles. "Impossibly better, thank you."

Tyr will get his dinner first, but then it will be time to fuss over Skellig a bit. She can tell he's slightly tired!

From:

27_53

To his credit, Skellig is not outright attempting to hide the fact that he is slightly tired - if only because he knows that Kreyu would be able to see straight through any of that, and there is no real point in hiding it regardless.

His eyes skim the fire - the soup smells wonderful, as does the toasted bread - and he thinks there is enough hot water for at least another cup of tea, which he would accept gratefully if offered...

(Normally, he would offer to serve her first - but there would be no point in this instance, as she's already scooping some into a bowl for him as he moves to sit on the log near the fire, and he's not about to try to argue with her!)

"If there is enough chai left for another mug of it, love," Skellig asks. "I would be most grateful." (He knows there is enough chai. They packed plenty.)

From:

brave_kreyu

She's pleased when he asks her for the chai. He's come so far, being willing to ASK for things! "Of course, love."

She pours him a mug of chai, just the way he likes it.

"Chai?" Tyr asks. It's not a word he knows.

"A style of tea from the place where Skellig and I are living now. It's quite far south of here. Would you like some?"

"Later, perhaps," Tyr replies. "I think I had best stick to water for now, see how my stomach handles things."

Kreyu serves herself chai and soup, settles next to her husband. She sets her mug and bowl down, absentmindedly straightens his hair a bit with her fingers.

From:

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With her serving him first, he has already begun working on the soup - which is quite excellent, and has used their 'leftovers' very well - by the time she settles beside him and starts to run her fingers through his hair.

"Y'should eat first," he mutters quietly, glancing sideways at her...but at the same time, lightly tipping his head towards her hand. "I am not so weary that I require your immediate attention."

From:

brave_kreyu

Tyr has started on the soup with the air of one who is going to consume ALL of it slowly and steadily.

"I know," she replies, voice soft. "But my desire to touch you was stronger than my desire for food." She does remove her hand from his hair so she can eat after a little while.

"How is he?" she asks, voice so quiet only Skellig will hear her question.

From:

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In exchange for her fingers in his hair, he slides over on the log a bit so that his upper arm is resting against hers, brings his wing up on that side slightly so that his feathers are touching hers - maintaining that contact.

Their voices are quiet, Tyr is focused on his meal, and Skellig might be dampening things just slightly between them.

"Physically he is well. Mentally, there are still some aches. They will heal in time. He is worried about his husband," he says. "If he has taken another, in the time that he has been gone. Their tribe does not..." Skellig debates how to explain this. "They are not solitary in finding a mate, like you and I. So he is not too concerned, but...he misses him greatly."

From:

brave_kreyu

"I can imagine how he must ache, missing his love," Kreyu replies. "The thought of being kept from you for so long.." She shivers a little, leans into him more.

"The fastest way to get him home would be my dragon shape, but that could cause a great many problems. And a bit of time may be useful for...working through things."

From:

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"There will be many pieces he will need to repair on his own," Skellig says. "I have faith he will do it, and we can aid as we are able on our journey, but some of them he will have to rebuild himself."

He has no personal objection to an added travel companion, even if it means they might have to be a bit more...chaste in their behavior with one another.

Sipping from his mug of chai, he closes his eyes and sighs, swallows. "I would struggle greatly if I were kept from you for so long," he whispers. "And also kept from the sky, as he was."

From:

brave_kreyu

She nods in agreement. They will manage with a travel companion well enough.

"I would find you, whatever it took," she promises. "And anything or anyone foolish enough to trap you so would find themselves the centerpiece of such a tale of woe that it would be told a thousand years hence."

From:

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"I have no doubt of that," Skellig says seriously. "And that is one reason that my love for you is so strong, our bond so tight...the knowledge that no matter what happens...that I will be protected, fiercely."

He leans forward slightly to catch her gaze. "I have never felt that with another, not in the way I do with you. I would do the same for you," he adds. "As best as I am able."

Deep-down, he knows he is woefully outmatched against her kind, and that he would be quickly vanquished in a fight against a dragon. He also knows she would never want him to get himself killed on her behalf, and he would honor that wish...as much as it would pain him to do so.

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brave_kreyu

She blushes a little at his words.

"I know you would, my love. You would not throw your life away, would seek to undo an enemy by cunning, by allies, by trickery, and that is a comfort to me."

Once they have cleaned up after the meal, Tyr is more than a little tired, nearly falling asleep sitting up.

From:

27_53

"Tyr," Skellig calls gently. "There is a bedroll for you there, nearby to ours." He points at the area that they have set aside for sleeping. "I am not sure what you are used to, but if that blanket is not enough, I am certain we will find ways to manage."

(If anything, he can give up his blanket and use his coat as a cover.)

It does not seem as if the night will be too cold, thankfully. And there is plenty of wood to stoke the fire with, which is what Skellig does before settling down to sit nearby the flames (not too close, but enough to allow the heat to sink into his body). His hands are pressed flat against the earth at his sides, subtly reaching for the Lines to ground himself.

From:

brave_kreyu

"Thank you," Tyr replies, moving to the space prepared for him. "I do not know how well I will sleep, but I will try."

Kreyu sits next to him near the fire, her own hands pressed against the earth, reaching for the Lines. They are weaker here than they are near the Lair, but still present. A pulse like a heartbeat, a rhythm like breath.

From:

27_53

"An attempt is better than not trying at all," he responds. "And there is no shame if you cannot rest tonight. Things will align as they should in due course."

Once Kreyu has joined him, he uses her efforts to reach for the Lines to guide his own - they are much more responsive to her energy than his, and while he does not want to pull much from it, it is beneficial to align himself a bit after expending so much effort earlier.

From:

brave_kreyu

Warmth and love swell from her presence when she senses that he is using her attempts to guide his own.

Not long after he closes his eyes, fear and anxiety swell in Tyr. Every time he closes his eyes, he is back in that cage, trapped. He had rarely slept alone, before he was caught. Before he left the hearth of his parents, he slept crowded in with his siblings, and then he slept with his husband.

From:

27_53

While he is mainly focused on his own meditations - he can hear the faint whimpers of fear, the quickening breath that comes on with anxiety, the raised heartrate that is swelling within Tyr's chest every time he tries to close his eyes for a moment or two in an effort to rest. The frustrated sighs, the shaking exhale of breath and the hurried wipe of tears from his eyes...

Skellig keeps his voice very low, so that only Kreyu can hear him, but doesn't open his eyes quite yet.

"He will not be able to sleep alone," he says. "He is panicked by the darkness. I think either I would be in the middle, or perhaps him in between us, might give a better sense of protection for him. Do you have a preference?"

From:

brave_kreyu

"I would prefer you in the middle," she says after a moment. "If only because I am greedy for contact with you myself."

The hum of the Lines is soothing. "The three of us will be quite warm tonight, despite the chill in the air."

From:

27_53

"I am in need of your touch also," Skellig says quietly, matter-of- fact. "The Lines aid with my energy, as does simply sleeping beside you..."

He reaches over and places his hand on top of hers, intertwining their fingers while keeping connected to the earth below. "But direct touch is strongest."

From:

brave_kreyu

"I am glad I can aid your energy, since you must have spent quite a bit today."

His fingers intertwining with hers make her heart warm, flutter. "Touching you does not aid my energy directly, but it warms my heart, soothes my soul."

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"I did," he says. "Today is the first day in some time...perhaps since I was wounded below the decks of the ship... that I have felt drained as I do now. It is not pain," he adds, reassurancein his voice. "I do not ache, I am just...vaguely tired."

And while he could pull Karma from her freely without her protest, he does not.

"I think in part it is...emotional," he mutters. "Seeing another with wings. We are not quite the same, but he is as close as I have ever found."

From:

brave_kreyu

"I kept imagining you in his place, made it hard to keep my temper," she says, voice soft. "I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for you."

From:

27_53

Generally while meditating, he tries not to interrupt her with too much touch or stimulation - as the focus is not on each other, but on the Lines themselves. But he is not concerned about that now, as he lifts his hands from the earth, shifting his body to sit beside her, reach his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer into his chest.

"It was something I had never felt in my chest, when he said that they did not allow him to see the seasons, kept him from the sky," he mutters quietly. "It was as if a part of my soul broke as I am certain his did. Even if I was injured or captive, and could not fly...my mind would survive, so long as I could see this," he motions upwards. "But if that was taken..."

From:

brave_kreyu

She wraps her arms around him. "I would do everything in my power to keep you from such a fate," she promises.

One hand touches his tattoo. "I am not the sky, but perhaps your soul could hold onto me instead, your love, your memory?"

"Perhaps that is how Tyr held his mind together, thinking of his husband?"

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27_53

"Perhaps," Skellig agrees, looking down at her hand as she touches his tattoo. In a motion that mirrors hers, he reaches and runs his fingertips across her skin, tracing the lines.

"You are not the sky, but you are my sky," he says softly. "You are my freedom, my adventure, my unknown. You are what brings me the greatest pleasure, the thrill of exploration, my deepest love."