Tracking the Man

[Riley]

Riley stood straight, standing after examining the tracks in the dirt on the road. "A day, maybe more ahead of us. Give or take a few hours." He said glancing back at Claudia, his horse, and more importantly, the beautiful young woman sitting on the horse. "We should be able to catch up with him within a couple days Ana, especially if he takes his time like he has been." Riley couldn't help but question the "miracle" worker's intelligence, he was leaving quite the trail, and it wasn't like the man was trying, he just wasn't hiding his trail. "I guess he's more of a fool than we thought."

Riley didn't like how easy it was to track this guy, and the tracks weren't doubled over like he was doubling back and taking a different route. It was like he didn't care if he was followed, granted the elf was better in magic than two humans, but still. Something didn't feel quite right about this. Riley was sure that they would have their work cut out for them in this, this guy wouldn't take it easy on them. He went back to his saddle bags, pulling out a scroll and examining the spell the 'miracle' man had cast on Ana again. He'd been studying the spell for days, examining every single aspect of it. He had even translated it so Ana could understand it.

"You know.. I'm pretty sure I could find a way to alter the spell.. Removing it would be next to impossible for me, but altering it.." Riley said softly, reading through every part of the spell again, he knew he could modify it.. But he wasn't sure he had the strength for it yet. He had felt himself getting slightly stronger lately, especially since he met Ana, but it wasn't enough for a spell like that. Then again, he had started noticing that he could draw energy from other living things.. Maybe if he drew a small amount of energy from everything around him, used that to power the spell.. He still wasn't sure. That was a lot of energy.

Riley put his hand on Ana's leg, looking up at her and smiling. He tried to comfort her through that touch, let her know no matter what she would be alright. He felt bad about losing the man after they found him, especially since Ana had been scared to death. He hoped he'd be able to make her happy, squeezing her leg, he turned to look at the direction they were headed. "We'll be in Ilirea soon, then we can ask the Riders for help.. Maybe one of my old teachers.." Riley wasn't sure what was about to happen, or if they could even get help, but he was willing to try. And he wanted to make sure that Ana got fixed up. After that.. Well, they had decided to stick together for a while. He turned back to Ana and looked up at her, smiling.

[Mali]

Ana was terrified; she had been, just a few short days ago. Her ‘miracle’ worker had been found and had escaped from their clutches. It was a deflating moment that she looked down on. How the man was able to utter a few words and stop them dead in their tracks while he just walked out of the room. Ana shivered thinking about the feeling of being under the spell her ‘miracle’ worker had used.

Nodding her head, she wondered if tracking him was a good thing. No matter what precautions they took, this man knew his magic well. He would escape again, wouldn’t he? Even if Riley did have a bit of magic, it was nothing compared to what the other was capable of.

The feeling of a hand on her leg brought her out of her thoughts. Smiling back to Riley, she wondered again about the spell. It was something so stupid and intricate. Why couldn’t it have been simpler and easier to understand? Even though Riley had translated it for her, it didn’t completely make sense. Like words were missing, but then again, she suspected that that had been done on purpose...

“I wonder what I might sprout next should we try to alter it,” she spoke in a disheartened tone before sighing. Looking down at Riley, she knew that she should be more upbeat and happy. They were tracking the ‘miracle’ worker easily and were only a day behind him. But she was so disappointed that they had found him and he’d escaped in the first place.

“Sorry to be so downcast, it just, it really sucks that we lost him in the first place...” she looked off to the side, away from Riley before biting her lips. Why was she so anxious anyways? She knew that she should be happier, they were closer to getting rid of the wings that had tormented her all this time. But did she want to get rid of them? Maybe it would be easier just to keep them... No one had any idea how to correct the spell in the first place. The only thing they could do was alter it, and she was nervous that something else might pop out. Maybe she’d grow horns... that made her uneasy.

“Maybe someone in Ilirea will be of more help,” she smiled down to Riley before holding out her hand to help him back onto Claudia. It was only a day to Ilirea and they were roughly a day behind Cyprian, her ‘miracle’ worker. Things were looking up for them.

“I can’t believe I couldn’t remember exactly what he looked like before, he was so brightly dressed, I’m amazed I forgot.” At this, Ana couldn’t help but giggle. He had been dressed rather oddly and so brightly coloured he was an eyesore to look at.

“I wonder where he gets his clothes,” her smile widened this time and she started to feel better. If she dwelled on the negative for too long, then Riley might also become downcast about the situation and he was the only thing keeping her afloat right now. If she didn’t have him by her side, she didn’t know what she’d do.

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[Riley]

Riley knew how disheartened she was, but he was able to help her. As for her comment about sprouting something if they tried to alter the spell... He couldn't argue with that, just because he knew the spell didn't mean much. He would have to start a plan for that as soon as he could, it would take him time to make sure it was perfect before he even considered applying it. For the moment however, they needed to find the 'miracle' worker. "Hey, we'll be ok Ana. I promise." He said, climbing up the saddle in front of her. He leaned back into her lightly, being careful NOT to push her off Claudia. "You're kinda stuck with me for a really long time anyway." He said, looking back at her and smiling softly.

Riley couldn't help but chuckle when she brought up where the man got his clothes. "Probably someone who says that flamboyancy is a good thing." He added, chuckling again. He spurred Claudia into motion, the horse starting off at a moderate pace, keeping the pace even to make the ride more comfortable. "Let's make some time before we camp for the night. I hope to introduce you to one of my teachers from Ilirea, they were an amazing group for sure." He smiled at her, looking down at the bracers that Ana had made him. He rarely took them off, viewing them as two of his prized possessions.

Riley let Claudia follow the road, knowing that the mare knew where she was going. "Hey, I just remembered something, do you remember when I told you about that giant wolf I fought?" He asked, searching around the pouches on his belt for something. The memory flooded back to him, that had been a terrifying fight for sure. One he didn't think he was going to get out of alive. "And how I kept several of it's teeth, and turned one into a necklace for myself." He finally made an 'Ah ha!' sound and produced another one of the fangs, it was now on a gold chain, and he spun in the saddle, holding it out for Ana. "I had this made for you before we left."

Riley smiled at her, "I just thought it was something you might like.. And it's something meaningful.." He muttered, his mind moving from that fight, and to the time he'd been spending with Ana. That made his smile soften, and he couldn't help but hope that his time with her didn't stop any time soon. "Meaningful to me anyway, without all this I probably wouldn't have met you." Riley said after a small pause, a faint red tint coloring his cheeks now.

[Mali]

Ana was glad to have Riley around. He made her smile even when she didn’t feel like smiling. Right now, her thoughts were focused on how Cyprian had gotten away and yet when she saw Riley trying to comfort her, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

“How long would that be?” she giggled again before wrapping her arms around his waist as he climbed onto the horse. She meant to be teasing but wondered if she came across properly. It would really suck if he didn’t catch on to her teasing and thought she were serious. Then again, it was always a possibility as she was never good at making jokes.

It seemed as if she had made a solid attempt at a joke as Riley replied with another. Maybe she wasn’t as bad at jokes as she thought she was. Then again, her father had always told her that she ‘better work on it’, when she tried to tell one that she thought was good. “Really? What were they like?” When Ana thought of teachers, she liked to think of her father. He was the only teacher she knew, but he was also her father. So of course, her opinions about teachers would be biased slightly. But what were Riley’s teachers like? She imagined they would be strict for some strange reason.

Ana watched as Riley turned around in the saddle and held her hands out, waiting for him to fall. What was he doing that was so important? Her thoughts soon stopped as he produced a gold-chained necklace. It had a wolf’s tooth on the end and she felt touched that he even thought of her.

“Riley...” she was speechless. She didn’t know what to say but slowly reached out to take the chain from him. It was beautiful, for a tooth. Gently taking the chain from his hands, she reached behind her neck with one end in each hand before doing the clasp up in the back. She looked down at her chest where the chain hung and looked up to Riley with a smile. “It’s beautiful, thank you,” the blush didn’t go unnoticed by Ana and she had to refrain from verbally ‘awe’ing. Leaning forward, she kissed him lightly on the side of his lips, seeing as they were at an awkward angle with him turned in the saddle. She would have kissed him straight on the lips but the angle wasn’t right. He’d fall off Claudia before she would even be able to reach his lips.

Ana pulled back and blushed herself, her hand fiddling with the chain between her fingers. Closing her eyes, she had to tell herself to calm down. Slowly counting backwards from ten, she calmed down and thought about something. Was this really love? So soon and in such a short time?

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[Riley]

Riley smiled as she said she liked the necklace, he was glad. As far as he knew, only the two of them had necklaces made from fangs of wolves as large as the one he fought, so it would be something between them. He couldn't help but smile as she kissed him, kissing her back as best he could giving his angle. He smiled when she pulled away, watching her play with the necklace for a second before turning back to face the road. Riley leaned back slightly again, resting his back lightly against her. "I'm just glad you like it." He muttered under his breath, sighing contentedly for a second and closing his eyes. Riley kept his mind on Ana for the moment, not wanting to think about much else.

Riley opened his eyes not long after, making sure Claudia was on the right track. His eyes moved to the sky, taking note of the sun. It was about three fingers from the horizon, it was about time to set up camp before they got stuck traveling all night. He slowed Claudia down, scanning the side of the road, looking for a certain type of tree for the night. After another few minutes, he managed to find one. He slowly pulled Claudia up to it before climbing down, and holding his hands out to help Ana down. "I've always liked these trees, they offer great shelter." The tree looked like a pine, it's needles stretching all the way down to the ground.

Riley smiled at Ana, "It's called a wayward pine, the inside is hollow, perfect place to camp for the night." He smiled, his hands holding onto Ana's waist as he helped her down, gently setting her on the ground. Riley slowly leaned in and kissed her, holding her tighter for a second. He reluctantly pulled away, ushering her toward the wayward pine. "Go on, get comfortable, I'll join you in a few moments." He promised, ushering her into the wayward pine again. After he was sure she was in, he turned back to Claudia, taking off her saddle and hitching her out of sight of the road.

Riley crawled under the tree, putting the saddle to the side, before arranging some rocks in a circle. After setting some kindling in the center he lit a small fire, taking extra care not to let the tree go up. With that he pulled out some rabbit meat, warming it by the fire. "I thought you might like sleeping under cover for the night, instead of out in the open." Riley couldn't help but smile at Ana, rolling blankets out under the tree for them to sleep on. He winked at Ana, happy where he was for the moment. After a while, he held up some of the rabbit meat for her, now that it was warm and ready to eat.

[Mali]

Ana looked down at the necklace again. It had been a week or more since she met Riley and things were moving fast. But in a good way, kind of fast. She’d never thought that she would find someone to love her, with all her imperfections and yet someone had come along right after leaving home. Where was he her entire life? She might have been happy in her wheeled chair if he were there with her. Content to stay in one place so long as it was by Riley’s side.

However, she had to go through all this so that she could meet him and she was thankful that she had. He was amazing. And she never wanted to be separated from him. She would never admit it aloud, in fear that things go awry, but she had a feeling that they wouldn’t be separating any time soon.

Smiling to Riley, she took his hands and started to hop off Claudia, that was, until she felt his hands on her waist. This caused her to blush immediately and look down, embarrassed. No one had ever touched her so intimately before. There were so many new things that she was experiencing with Riley. She had to admit that she kind of liked it.

“Thank you,” her wings fluttered briefly before a tinge of pink covered her cheeks as she felt his lips against hers. Eyes closing immediately, her leg hitched up a bit as her hands slowly came up to his shoulders. As he pulled away, her wings fluttered again and she opened her eyes to bite her lips, smiling like a goof. She could get used to this. Being with Riley was amazing. “Okay,” she said in a small voice before walking over to the tree. Glancing back over her shoulder, she smiled fondly, watching him remove the saddle. Yea, she would really like to get used to this.

Wow, Riley was right. The tree underneath was hollowed out and it felt warmer under the branches of the tree. She didn’t even think that they would be needing blankets tonight, but it would be best to have them anyways. Glancing over at Riley as he climbed under the tree with her she took the blankets from him. Her eyes followed his hands as they deftly built a fire under the tree. Standing up, she made a hole in the branches so that the smoke would be able to escape before she sat down again.

“That was very nice of you. It is warmer in here as well, no wind.” Ana didn’t know what to say to him. He could spout romantic lines that made her heart melt, but she had no idea what to say in return. It made her feel uneasy, that she wasn’t able to easily speak to him when he was being romantic. Everything that she said sounded stupid and yet he flowed like honey. It wasn’t fair.

As he winked at her, Ana felt herself giggle self-consciously. She must have been giggling for a decent amount of time before she stopped, realising that she had been doing it. Wow, she looked like an idiot now. Looking down at her lap, she wrapped her arms around her knees, feeling self-conscious again. She hoped that Riley didn’t mind a giggling idiot travelling with him.

“Thanks for the meat,” She smiled to him, taking the meat and nibbling on it. Looking away from Riley, she stared at the ground as she ate. She was so stupid, wasn’t she? Sighing quietly, she knew that this might turn Riley off from her. That wasn’t good, not with her heart swelling for him.

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[Riley]

Riley moved closer to Ana, wrapping his arm around her. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, pulling her tighter to him. He could have easily found out what was wrong, he could read her mind quite easily. However, he felt that it would not be fair to her, she wouldn't be able to hide anything from him. Riley felt that they should be on equal terms in this. And part of that meant that he should show her the proper respect, and not delve into the deepest parts of her mind and learn everything about her... Without her permission of course. Riley looked at her for a few moments, gently bumping his head into her shoulder. "You can tell me anything Ana, I promise."

Riley kept his mind carefully guarded, not wanting Ana to think he was trying to read her thoughts. Though he doubted she would be able to find out anyway.. As far as he knew, she couldn't open her mind and find others. At least not yet. In any case, he wanted to be sure she was comfortable with him, enough to tell him what was going on. He knew that they had only known each other for a few days, barely a week, but they had already been through a lot. And she had let him relive one of her most intimate and deeply personal memories, and he still accepted her for it. He had even been willing to fight an elf for her, one far stronger than him in every way. He didn't know how to say it, but he cared for her more than she knew.

Riley squeezed her shoulders tighter, leaning over and resting his head lightly against hers. He did his best to offer her the comfort he could, let her know that he wasn't going anywhere. "Remember when you asked how long you'd be stuck with me?" He asked, slowly pulling his head away from her's so he could look at her. "I'll be right here, by your side, for as long as you'll have me." He said softly, his other hand moving to her hand and holding it tightly. He smiled softly at her, trying to let her know everything would be alright.

Riley moved his hand from her shoulder to her head, running his fingers through her hair. "I'm not going anywhere." He promised her, leaning in and whispering it again in her ear. He would say it in the Ancient Language if he had too. Anything he could do to prove it to her, but he didn't want to say it in the Ancient Language, he wanted to prove it through his actions. It would mean more, be more if he were to do it without a promise made in a language that he could not lie in. At least for the moment, maybe, in the future he would make that promise.

[Mali]

Her wings fell against her back, positioning themselves in a closed position. She felt bad now. She was so stupid, a giggling idiot and Riley had to travel with her. She couldn’t even say anything smart in response to his romantic lines. She always sounded like an idiot. It made her feel awful. So when Riley put his arm around her, she felt conflicted. She loved when he would touch her, even if it was only a slight and subtle touch, and yet she didn’t know how to respond or act when he did it.

“I don’t know what to do...” She stated bluntly. Riley wouldn’t know the exact problem just from that but he could guess at what she was thinking. Then again, he could just look at her thoughts and know exactly what she was thinking. Although, he said he wouldn’t do that to her since she couldn’t guard her mind perfectly yet, it still would have been easier. Ana felt embarrassed having to explain what she was feeling. How was she supposed to word that she felt like an idiot because he’s being romantic and she just sounded like am imbecile?

Listening to what Riley had to say, she nodded her head before smiling faintly. It made her feel better, but she still had to explain what she was feeling. He thought that she was upset because she thought that he would leave her. It was partly true, she thought that he would leave her, but not for the reasons he might think of, but because she was stupid. Her smile widened as he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her causing her to giggle again. She had to tell him.

“I just, don’t know how to act or what to say to you. When you talk, my heart melts, but I’m oblivious of how to sound... romantic,” she looked down at her hands as she shifted to sit cross-legged.

“I mean, I’m a simple country girl, who is quite knowledgeable about weapons and forging, but not knowledgeable about anything else.” she paused briefly before sighing. What was it that he even liked about her? She wouldn’t ask that aloud, but she was still curious.

“I just feel like a giggling idiot, if you know what I mean,” she was of course referring to her giggling moment of idiocy. At least, she thought it was a moment of idiocy. It was then that she blushed. She had told Riley what was wrong and yet she didn’t feel as embarrassed as she’d thought she would. It didn’t change the fact that she was still a little embarrassed though. Hopefully Riley would be able to comfort her about how she was feeling. She liked when he comforted her, it felt all that much better than when she tried to comfort herself.

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[Riley]

Riley smiled softly as she explained, moving behind her and wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Hey, you don't have to worry. I love your reactions. They're perfect as far as I'm concerned." He kissed the back of her head softly, holding her tighter against him. "Act on what you feel, don't think. That's what I do. I'm a killer, I don't have experience in romance.. You accept me, that's enough for me Ana." He whispered, nudging her head with his lightly, he knew what she was feeling. He was feeling it too, he was just trying to not focus on it. As long as Ana was showing interest in him, and not out of fear, he was happy.

Riley moved back, gently pulling Ana down, laying her across his lap and smiling softly down at her. "You may think I'm good with words, but to be honest. I just say what I feel." He ran his fingers through her hair, brushing it off her forehead. Riley's fingers trailed down her cheek, stopping on her chin and gently moving his thumb back and forth. "You're smart, and funny, and kind, and tough, and beautiful. I feel more than lucky that you let me be with you." Riley was happy to be with her, all he did was try to show it though his actions, and his words.

Riley smiled softly at her, letting her lay on his lap for as long as she wanted, he'd let her sleep like that all night if she wanted. He'd been in more uncomfortable positions than this for longer than a few hours before, so he knew he could keep it up without much problem. Riley wouldn't mind it at all either, so long as she was comfortable, he was happy. He wondered then, when did that happen? He'd never overly concerned himself with someone else's happiness before, at least not to this level. When did he start to fall in love with her? Not that Riley minded at all, Ana made him happy, and he did his best to make her happy.

Riley moved his hand slightly, cupping her cheek gently. He slowly moved out from under her, laying down next to her, his hand never leaving her cheek. He moved closer to her, his hand slowly pulling her to him. "Ana.." He muttered, kissing her quickly, his other arm wrapping around her and holding her tightly. Riley slowly rested his forehead against her's,

[Mali]

Ana swallowed hard as she felt him press against her back, his arms circling around her and pulling her body into his. As he spoke, her eyes drifted shut; she was mesmerized by his voice behind her. He was like an additive to her life, making it perfect. She didn’t think she that she could continue living in a world where Riley wasn’t. How could she simply act on what she felt? She felt melted and gooey inside, and surely, that would come across in mumbles and slurs as she tried to speak...

“You might have killed people before but that doesn’t make you a killer,” Ana was conflicted. It was hard knowing that he had killed people before. It disturbed her to think about it and what he might have done, what he might do with the very devices she made for him. It was hard to think about it, which is why she tried not to. He was a good person nevertheless.

She felt her body being positioned and allowed Riley to take control. She trusted him and knew that he wouldn’t make her feel uncomfortable. Her hands idly played with the laces of Riley’s boots as she lay in his lap. Closing her eyes again, she sighed contentedly. “I don’t think I’m as great as you say I am. I think that’s all in your head,” she giggled faintly, her body shaking with the laughter as she lay against his legs.

As he moved out from under her, she wondered what he was doing. Watching, her heart-beat picking up slightly, as he moved in closer to her, she felt her stomach tighten at the feeling. He was going to kiss her again! Her name sounded like honey dripping from his lips and finally the soft appendage was brushed against her own pair but only for a quick amount of time.

In which time, she felt her breathing pick up and a blush cover her cheeks. She loved when he kissed her. His forehead resting against her, she opened her eyes to look at him. He was beautiful and he was willing to be with her. He wanted to be with her and thought that he was lucky for such an option. She was truly blessed.

Shifting positions slightly, she rolled so that her body was half pressed against his as her face hovered over his own. Her eyes gazed over his face, from his eyes down to his lips before she leaned in and captured his soft lips again. She wanted to feel more of him. Wait, did she mean what she thought she meant. Blushing madly, she continued to kiss him, her tongue slowly coming out to brush against his upper lip. That’s how you started a French kiss, right? But what was a French kiss anyways? She knew that your tongue was in the other person’s mouth, but that’s about it. Oh my god, was she ready for this?

Pulling away from him, she quickly moved in again, kissing him harder, her body pressing against his as she half hung over him. “Riley,” she sighed against his lips.

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[Riley]

Riley kissed her back, pulling her closer to him, he felt her tongue move across his lip. He pulled her back to him as she pulled away, meeting her kiss with one of his own. This time he snaked his tongue out to brush against her lips, wanting to slide it into her mouth, he held her tight against him. Riley couldn't get enough of her, never wanting the moment to end. However, Riley knew it would have to before they got carried away. Not that he would complain if they did. He just wanted to make sure they were both ready before they did anything... more. He slowly and reluctantly pulled away from the kiss, his hands cupping her cheeks as he kissed her again quickly. "Ana.."

Riley locked his eyes on hers, an idea striking him suddenly, he wasn't sure what made him think of it, or even what made him do it. He reached out with his mind, brushing against Ana's lightly at first. Then he went farther in her mind, bringing his feelings for her up front so she could feel them. He brought up everything he couldn't put to words, let her feel everything he felt. "This is everything Ana.." He let her feel all the love, the confusion over his past, the happiness he felt when he was with her, every emotion he felt regarding her, he put out in the open for her. He let her feel everything he felt, holding nothing back for her.

Riley kept his mind attached to her's, slowly opening his eyes and looking at her again. He held her tighter to him, letting her know she was safe with him. He couldn't help but smile as he looked at her, keeping nothing from her, his mind telling her everything. Much of it was feeling and images, everything he couldn't express in words. Riley ran his fingers up her back, rubbing her back gently as they laid their, keeping his mind connected to hers for the moment.

[Mali]

Ana was lost in the moment; she didn’t care what happened, although the thought of things progressing further pressed at the back of her mind. But she pushed that thought aside. So what if she wasn’t ready, if it happened then it happened, right? Feeling Riley’s tongue against her lips, Ana couldn’t help but sigh, her mouth opening for him. Her hands wrapped themselves in his short hair, gripping the back of his head and the nape of his neck tightly, her lips pressed against his.

It seemed as if Riley had other intentions as he stopped their brief make-out moment before saying her name with a quick kiss. The next thing she knew was that something was touching her mind. It was a light brush against her slight mental barrier and she at first went to block it. But it had to be Riley, and he wouldn’t touch her mind without permission unless he had good reasons. So his intentions must be pure.

Letting down the wall that had built up, she felt him touch her mind before things were brought to her mind. She was confused at first, what was she seeing? It was odd to feel someone else’s feelings through her thoughts. She pulled away from him just enough so she could look him in the eyes. She tried to understand what she was being shown and with a little difficulty, she was able to make out what feelings he was conveying.

And he said that he wasn’t really romantic, what a liar he was. Unless, he didn’t know that he was a romantic... Ana snuggled closer to his chest, her head lying against his heartbeat as she felt everything he sent her way. Her wings twitched as his hand snaked up her back, massaging as it went. As she felt his mind slowly start to recede, she couldn’t believe him. Here he told her to act how she felt and then he does something so utterly romantic that it leaves her speechless. It definitely wasn’t fair.

“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Ana giggled briefly before looking up, nudging his chin with her forehead. “But I do have to question whether you’re a liar, no experience in romance my behind,” she giggled again before snuggling even more up against his chest. “That was pretty romantic if you ask me,” she looked up at him, grinning. Sitting up, she leaned down again to give him one last, lingering kiss before she smiled as she pulled back. Ana then bit her lips. She should do something to show how much she liked him, but she didn’t know what to do... this wouldn’t make things awkward, would it?

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[Riley]

Riley smiled at her reaction, glad that he had been able to make himself understood. It was the first time he ever tried to communicate like that and he was happy to know his meaning got across. He smiled when she nudged his chin, leaning down and kissing her head as she snuggled up to him. He laughed softly at her comment about her behind and him being romantic. "Well I'm glad you approve." He said softly, nuzzling his head into her lightly for a few moments, before kissing her head softly again. "So.. There is something I have to say about your comment.... You do have a great behind." Riley smiled and winked at Ana, kissing her cheek softly.

Riley sighed happily, laying his head back and holding her tighter, letting his mind wander for a while. He kept track of Ana' breathing, knowing that it would slow down if she had been asleep. "Hey.. I was thinking.. When we finish in Ilirea, why don't we go and visit your mom?" He asked, figuring that her family had to be closer than his family. And hopefully more open to seeing them than his family would be. His parents didn't exactly approve of his profession, being a mercenary wasn't exactly a job parents could be proud of. Though they could be proud of his abilities.

Riley looked down at Ana, smiling at her and massaging her back gently, trying to lull her into a good nights sleep. He thought she deserved it after everything that had happened in Carvala. He would make sure that she got a good bed in Ilirea, make sure that she got good food as well. And anything else she needed, he had plenty of money for the moment, and he knew a few ways to get more if they needed it. Though he refused to have to kill for the money, especially if he was going to use it to support Ana. He couldn't let her think that his money was coming from something like that.

[Mali]

Ana felt nice in his arms. She was a little worried about calling him a liar, worried that he might take it the wrong way and not listen to her full comment, but was relieved when he replied with something positive. She settled down against his chest with a content sigh. She could hear his heart beat, that was nice.

As he started on something, Ana looked up in time to scoff playfully and swat at his chest. She blushed slightly and pressed her face into his chest, her wings fluttering briefly. “Thanks?” Ana wasn’t sure if it was a compliment that she should appreciate. He was talking about her behind and how it was nice. Shouldn’t she be slightly offended? She didn’t know...

Ana bit her lip as he mentioned her mother. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed of Riley, she was just unsure about going to see her mother so soon. She would obviously introduce him to her mother, but that meant that she would have to refer to him as something and she wasn’t sure what he was to her yet. “I would like that, but... my mom will want to know what you are, a friend, something more, and I’m not sure yet what we are.” she shifted so that she was sitting up on her elbows, which were on Riley’s stomach.

“I really like you Riley, which I think is more than just liking—she giggled at this—but wouldn’t it be too soon to return home with a... um, boyfriend?” She said the word boyfriend hesitantly. She didn’t want to put labels on their relationship, but that was what her mother would think if she brought Riley home.

“I mean, if you’re okay with that, that my mom will think you’re my boyfriend, then we can go, I won’t mind,” Ana wanted to be sure that Riley was okay with it first. She knew that they were happy the way they were and putting a label on their relationship might ruin that. It might be too soon to put that label on.

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[Riley]

Riley smiled at her as she leaned up on her elbows, on his stomach, and let her speak, already anticipating something like this. "Why don't we deal with this Elf first, then come back and focus on us visiting each other's families. By that point I'm sure we'll know a lot more." His hand moved to her cheek again, his thumb tracing small patters under her eye. Riley couldn't help but smile at her again, "As long as your mother likes me, I don't mind what she thinks." He said softly, knowing in truth, that as long as Ana liked, or even loved him, he would be happy.

Riley held Ana closer to him, pulling a blanket over them and getting more comfortable, his arms staying firmly around her. "Come on darling, let's get some sleep." He realized what he called her, and felt his cheeks burn red, but smiled softly and cuddled closer to her, leaning up and kissing her head softly. "I really like you too, which I know.. is more than liking." He said softly, kissing her head softly again. "A lot.." He added, moving into a more comfortable position, easily keeping Ana laying on his chest and stomach. It didn't take long before Riley was sleeping.

Riley awoke first the next morning, smiling at Ana and slowly and carefully moving out from under her, laying her back down and covering her with the blanket. He sat up and closed his eyes, crossing his legs, and placing his hands in his lap. He slowly let down his mental barriers, and stretched his mind out as far as it could go, scanning the surface thoughts of everything around him, except Ana. He let the thoughts flow through him, he did not delve into anything too deep, just listening to the surface thoughts and intentions. He turned several humans away from the wayward pine they were in, not because they meant harm, but because he didn't want them to wake Ana up.

[Mali]

Ana thought about what he said. It was a good idea, to deal with Cyprian first and then go see their families. But what if they couldn’t deal with Cyprian? By ‘dealing with Cyprian’, she assumed Riley meant solving her problem. But what if they weren’t able to solve her problem? She didn’t mind the wings all that much. Sure, people stared at her because of them but it wasn’t that bad, really.

“Okay,” She smiled gently to him before shifting so she wasn’t up so high on his stomach. She wasn’t hurting him, was she? She was about to snuggle into his chest when she heard him call her darling. Sitting back upright again, she noticed the blushing blazing across his cheeks and couldn’t help but giggle quietly before smiling.

His lips were soft against her forehead, her eyes closing as he kissed her once, then twice. She smiled to him before resting her head against his beating heart. And then she was out like a light.

She was dreaming about something, she knew she was, it was weird though. She couldn’t seem to remember what had happened so far aside from Cyprian being there. He was laughing at something and Ana looked around and saw no one else. So did that mean that he was laughing at her? Suddenly a mirror appeared beside her and she turned to look in it. What she saw disgusted her. Her wings which had looked so beautiful were rotting and decrepit, and that wasn’t the only thing wrong with her this time. She had legs like a bird with a tail and a head like a donkey. Shaking her head back and forth, her hands coming up to touch her cheeks before she screamed.

Sitting straight up, she was panting and sweating. Where was Riley? Where was he? She started to panic before she noticed that he was meditating just a little ways over. Grabbing her chest, she swallowed hard before trying to calm down. She had no idea if she had screamed outside of her dream, but she knew that Riley would be worried.

“Sorry if I worried or disturbed you. It was just a bad dream,” she smiled weakly before pulling the blankets closer to her body. Lying back down, she curled into a ball and started to worry. What if things got worse for her instead of getting rid of the wings? Biting on her finger nail, Ana fretted over what would happen to her. She didn’t want to look any stranger than she already did. This sucked.

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[Riley]

Riley turned to her, leaning close to her and putting his hands on her back and shoulders. "Hey, it's alright Ana." He said softly, laying down by her and pulling her into his arms. "It's alright Ana, I promise." He brought his mind back in, shielding it off from the outside world again, accidentally brushing against Ana's mind lightly. What he saw told him what he needed to know. He didn't say anything though, if she wanted to tell him everything, she would. "I will always protect you Ana." He translated for her, brushing his mind lightly over hers to do so.

Riley started rubbing her back again, keeping his fingers in between her wings. He looked her in the eye, pressing his forehead lightly against hers. "We can do whatever you want Ana." He said, wondering if she would still want to go after Cyprian, it didn't matter to him, he would keep going after the man with her, or they could do something else. Riley had her back no matter what. He lifted her chip up slightly, looking into her eyes.

[Mali]

Ana felt comforted by Riley. It was nice of him to always comfort her like this. But she felt weak at the same time. It was only a dream and yet she was so scared of it. It wouldn’t happen, there was no way that getting rid of a pair of wings would give her bird legs, a tail and the head of a donkey. Sure, she might sprout horns instead or something small like webbed feet and hands, but nothing as extreme as what happened in her dream.

She opened her eyes to look at Riley before smiling. Whatever she wanted to do, hmm. What did she want to do? She wanted to get rid of the wings and be normal again, but she was still scared that something worse would show up. Why was she so weak?

“I want to go after Cyprian. I want to get rid of these wings and be normal again. I’m just worried, that’s all,” she smiled to him. She hadn’t even felt him brush against her mind, nor did she know that Riley had seen the remnants of her dream either. She didn’t want to talk about it though because it was just a dream. It didn’t mean anything. Some people thought that dreams were messages from your subconscious, but this one wasn’t. Her subconscious was just confirming her fears or whatever it was doing. She was just scared, that’s all.

Sitting up, she sighed before looking down at Riley. “How far away are we from Ilirea? We have an elf to catch, and then some families to meet,” she giggled slightly, smiling down at him again. She was feeling much better now. Riley would always be there for her, she knew that.

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[Riley]

Riley smiled and sat up, cupping her cheeks in his hands softly. He nodded and gently ran his thumbs on her cheeks, tracing small patterns. He slowly stood all the way up, taking a deep breath, and thinking about her question. "A few hours, we'll be there by lunch." He said, looking around the small campsite they had build, picking up Claudia's saddle, he motioned to the camp and dropped their saddle bags. "Pack up in here, and I'll get Claudia ready." Riley bent over and kissed her forehead softly, before flashing her a smile and turning and stepping out. Whistling for Claudia he put the saddle on her back, strapping it down easily and quickly.

An idea suddenly struck Riley, and he started scratching Claudia's neck. "Claudia, will you let me use some of your energy? I will not use much I promise." The horse bayed and stomped her feet, nodding a few times to say yes. Riley smiled, scratching the horse's neck and chin again. "Thank you dear friend, I promise it will not be much." Riley slowly turned back to the wayward pine, putting together the spell he would need. It was a spell he would normally be unable to cast, but with energy borrowed from Claudia, he could do it easily. And it wouldn't cost Claudia much energy.

Riley kept putting the spell together, making it as perfect as he could. The spell was basic, but still required more energy than he could normally put into a spell. He even did his best to find the words to anchor the spell onto Ana, making it draw from her energy instead of his or Claudia's for the moment. He would teach her the words to end the spell when she wanted to. "Hey Ana, I was thinking that if you wanted to hide your wings, I could cast an illusion spell and hide them.. I'd have to word the spell so it draws from your energy instead of mine, but it could work. You'd just have less energy until you ended the spell." Riley rested his hand on Claudia, looking at the tree they had made their camp and waiting for Ana. "I can give you the words to end the spell, but it's a good way to hide your wings if you'd like.. Keep a low profile."

[Mali]

Ana nodded her head and started to pick up the blankets. She watched as Riley moved out of the tree and looking for Claudia. Just a few hours and they would be in Ilirea and tracking Cyprian again. But she was worried now for another reason. What would they do once they find Cyprian? Packing the blankets into the bag, she climbed out from under the tree and walked over to Claudia.

“Hmm?” She looked over to Riley and wondered what he was talking about. Taking energy from her? She wasn’t magical so how could she possibly end the spell? What if the spell took too much energy and she couldn’t undo it?

“But I’m not magical, I can’t undo the spell,” She looked at Riley before biting her lip. She was tempted to take his offer but was concerned. “How can I undo the spell if I’m not magical? What if it drains too much energy?” Ana was too much of a worry wart at times.

Ana walked over and rested her head on Riley’s shoulder, taking a deep breath before letting it out. “Do you think it’ll help our chances at finding Cyprian?” Ana started to chew on her lip as she thought about it. If it would help them in finding Cyprian, and being able to get to him without noticing her wings, then she would try it. But she was still concerned about whether the spell would take too much energy.

“What do I do? Will the spell make me tired?” Ana reached down for Riley’s hand and squeezed gently, her head still resting on his shoulder.

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