Of Masquerades and Misdirection [Lise]

[.:[Crim]:.]

A field of green and white, That was all Crim saw as his mind wandered in half a waking dream. Images of things long forgotten surfaced from his mind like treasure hauled from the deepest depths of the ocean. Crim soared among the images as he saw the most recent events in his life unfold. There was the journey south to Teirm. A Young woman fixing a porpoise. Their journey and their curse, all the way until it ended with him sparing Marcus’ life. Crim had an unsettling feeling in his mind that this would not be the last they saw of dear Marcus.

The turbulent images shifted and he stood in his Fathers clearing. The ancient pines bore witness to the strange images that accosted the mind of the young traveler. A woman stood in a white summer dress, the wind of the clearing and the flowers that were held within it paled to the woman’s beauty. Black hair shifted with the wind and pointed ears flashed for just a second. Next a young Human entered the clearing. A white cloak over a mottled gray and black tunic made the figure clash with the green of the scene. The two figures stood in solemn purpose. Crim’s eyes flashed and he was suddenly standing there with the two majestic figures.

The figures were Crim’s Mother and Father, together the three of them stood in a clearing. Then as if of their own accord flowers began to fall and a voice reverberated through his entire soul.


”I’d rather never see you again than find out I’m going to hurt you someday. But since that’s not soon in the coming, I suppose I can find the courage to enjoy the luck of having found you in the first”

The two figures turned and looked at their son. His white hair suddenly showed the signs of his recent ordeal. His usually pristine tunic took on a layer of blood and his hands dripped of red. Looking to his family one last time he fell to his knees. And woke up.


It was night time and the familiar weight of Tellen was pressing firmly onto his good side, his left. Looking in her direction he found her brown orbs drilling into his. A mote of anger flashed for just a second. As if trying to convey a fact that he should never do such a thing to her again. Her mouth twitched as if to say something when Crim smiled roguishly and kissed her lightly on the lips silencing her statement.

“Good morning love. Sleep well?”

Now Crim was aware that it was the moon and not the sun that shone its weak rays through the paned glass of his wife’s room. He was also excruciatingly aware of the pain that seemed to emanate from his right side. He made to move up, and got a firm hand on his chest forcing him to continue laying down. He got a small admonishment about how she had spent hours on his stitches and that if he thought he was going anywhere soon he had another thing coming. So he pulled her back down onto his chest and they laid there for some time, neither one really felt the need to talk but it was Crim who finally broke the silence.

“I managed to hear what you said earlier. You know Tellen, you could just tell me you love me. Is there a need for all this misdirection?”

Her answer surprised him, but not in a harsh or negative way. They soon fell asleep unto dawn, her head still in his shoulder the two of them sharing the bed that the moon seemed so intent on bathing with its white light.

Dawn came quickly, or so it seemed. Crim was first to wake from his dreams and he extricated himself from the pile of hair that engulfed his left side. Glancing around the room he admired the purple walls and the carpeted floor. It really was her room. He could see aspects of here in every detail. Not bothering to don his tunic as his side needed to heal he cinched his bandages around his torso tighter and sauntered into the Kitchen.

Lord and Lady Valacian where there and they both stopped midsentence as their nude from the waist up son in law entered the room. Lord Valacian stood quickly from the stool that he occupied and clasped Crim's forearm.

“ A marvelous good show my lad, seems Tellen found a man who knows as much about Misdirection and politics as she does, Tell me what do your parents think of this whole thing.”

Crim let his forearm fall away and turned his back to the older pair. Busying himself with gathering a muffin for himself his arm flashed as he grabbed a knife and spread butter on it. The motion made his tattoo stand out in bright contrast from his odd tinted skin. “And by the way, what does that mark mean”

Crim slowly turned and was relieved when a red brown haired figure came to the rescue.

[Lisenet]

Tellen knew Crim was waking up because he flinched, and she turned to watch his eyes flick open. She opened met mouth to berate him heartily for not dodging when she had expressly told him not to let Marcus hurt him, but he grinned and leaned over to kiss her instead. She gave him a warning frown for Interrupting her even though she didn't really mind.

"Sleep well?"

"I might have if I wasn't so busy worrying you would bleed out and ruin my bedspread." But she didn't mind. She liked Crim better than the bedspread.

"You could just tell me you love me. Is there a need for all this misdirection?"

Tellen glowered at him. "I'm too stubborn to admit to saying something in your presence I didn't actually want you to overhear." She groaned. "Why can't unconscious people just stay beyond the realm of cognizance when they're supposed to?" Still grumbling to herself, she resettled herself more comfortably against his side and went back to sleep with much more ease than she had the last time.

Crim had just left when she woke up--his side of the bed was still warm--so she dragged her yellow, front-lacing dress out of her wardrobe and squirmed into it. Her mother was right: it didn't fit quite the same way it had two years ago. Her ribs and hips were more angular than they had been. But everything still fit.

She found Crim in the kitchen, and knew immediately she had made perfect timing. She strode over to him and slid an arm around his waist to check the bandaging on the other side. "My dear, it is rather customary that guests dress before distracting the house owners and staff." She requisitioned the half of his muffin he hadn't already eaten and began picking at it, avoiding the cranberries. Blueberry muffins were worthy of worship, but cranberries required avoiding at all costs.

"Tellen, I sent a letter to the Tabor household yesterday to announce the changes being made."

Tellen nodded. "Excellent. When do you want to see what kinds of goodies we've just inherited?" she asked of Crim.

"You're leaving already?" her mother demanded. "You've been gone two years and back two days!"

"And look how much I've accomplished!" Tellen spread her hands to frame her achievements. "I've got a husband to make the maids blush and a house to make the maids moan, not that I made an active effort to attain either one," she conceded.

Her mother put her hands on her hips. "And how much have you accomplished that involves your family?"

Tellen sighed, then wrapped a hand around the top of Crim's bare arm and tugged. "Come on, I can't even think straight with you like this."

Once back in their room she found one of the still-folded tunics she'd had made for him and shook out the deep green one, holding it up toward him, then picking loose the ties in the front. "I think you'll look nice in green," she said, and came back over to him. "Can you lift your arms?" The left one he probably could. The right one she wasn't sure about.

[.:[Crim]:.]

Tellen arrived just in the nick of time to prevent awkward questions and he flashed her a smile as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Crim found her comments entertaining for some reason ‘make the maids blush do I?’ he thought to himself as she half snatched the muffin he was eating on. Her mother was about to ask another question when Tellen suddenly announced that she could not think straight with him like this. ‘I wonder if she means without a shirt on, or still injured.’ Accepting the gentle nudge he received from her he meandered up the carpeted stairs.


Back into Tellen’s bedroom they went. One clad in yellow and the other in skin. The trip was short yet they still managed to run into a very wide eyed Leonie, who said nothing and turned away. Tellen’s room was always the same and the sun had just started playing its way through the drawn curtains, it framed the two of them nicely as they stood she beckoned him closer to the middle of the room and asked if he could raise his arms after procuring a green tunic from a box.


Raising his left arm was easy enough, and raising his Right arm was difficult as there was just a lot of pain caused by the action. His eyes visibly glazed over from the pain and his jaw clamped tight for several moments before Tellen managed to help him get into the green tunic. Not bothering to do the top buttons Crim stepped forward and once again dominated Tellen’s sightlines. Long bare arms snaked around Tellen’s waist and lower back as he crushed her to him gently. He truly enjoyed her presence


Her dress was quite nice, it had no real collar, leaving much of her neck and shoulders bare to the world. As they stood there Crim lowered his head and waited for a gentle kiss, when he received it he tempted fate even further. Not breaking the tempo his jaw slid to her’s and he planted a kiss there before trailing two more down her neck and finally one more on her Collarbone. The last one he let linger before biting down softly. If asked later he would not be able to tell what had made him do so, but the slight bruise was plenty visible and he felt slightly guilty for some reason. He trailed a few more passionate kisses along her ear before stopping and looking back into her brown eyes and posing a question.


“I don’t know about the maids, But I think I've got making you blush down”he loosened his grip a bit in case she wanted to pull away from him before he continued.”I know this sounds like an odd request, But before we go to our new estate, or whatever else we were going to do, I would like to visit my Parent’s house.” Then almost as if an undertone and turning his head so she wouldn’t see to silver lines streaking from his different color orbs he added almost silently “and I thought you might want to meet them”


Her answer was kind and the rest of the day was spent lazing about in her bedroom, the room was pleasantly warm and their conversation flowed as easily as ever. Even if the creature inside Crim’s chest was almost pacing its cage with Tellen so close to him. The two of them lay on her bed with her back on his chest for almost all of the morning, Crim would occasionally rub her shoulders firmly working out some of the tense spots within them.

Sometime near noon Tellen dragged Crim physically into the drawing room and he was more than happy to watch her paint on some new work. Not a lot got done, mostly lines and a few preliminary colors but he could tell it was a hawk. That night after dinner and back in their now shared room Crim and Tellen lay immune to the world as the moon splayed its wonderful light across their sleeping forms.

[Lisenet]

Tellen sighed and reached up intending to button the buttons he was clearly Intending to neglect, but Crim stepped in and her hands no longer had the room. Grinning, she said, "Pushy, pushy," and watched as he leaned in closer, his hands sliding solidly around the small of her back, tugging her closer. She waited, just to see if it was indeed her he was waiting on, then stretched up as far as she could to lightly press her lips to his. His hands were warm, and clearly he had an imp in him this morning, as his mouth left hers and his jawbone slid along hers, his lips finding new places to touch.

The gentle pinch of his teeth against the thin skin over her collar bone made her jump with surprise--he had definitely caught an imp this morning. But she liked it. Spontaneity gave life a sparkle it never had otherwise. He returned his warm lips to the quieter skin under her ear, a place no lips before his had ever visited.

He eased back at last, she sighed reluctantly. "Making me blush has gotten easier of late," she grumbled. He smiled, and then posed an unexpected request. She beamed. "Of course, I would love to see it, and them." She wondered....she'd had an idea and wondered if she would be able to make it work....

Crim stuck around for the rest of the day. She spent a goodly amount of time mixing paints and swirling them into a smooth canvas with him to watch her. Just as her back and shoulders began to stiffen from bending over the easel for such lengthy periods, Crim stood to work the solidity out of the muscles there. She laid a grateful hand over his and smiled at him.

Lying curled against him that night was bliss, his chin resting against her hair. She toyed with the buttons of his tunic, those he had not bothered to fix, and thought about a question her mother had seeded into her mind. She lay quietly against him for some time before bluntly asking, as was her wont, precisely what was on her mind. "Crim, do you want children?" There had never been any doubt in her mind that she wanted a few of her own. But the time had rarely been right, and now it felt downright confusing.

[.:[Crim]:.]

Crim lay there in Tellen’s bed. His hands were around her waist and he held her slightly against his chest. His slightly angular chin was resting in a nest of dark brown hair. Crim’s eyes were closed and he was at ease. He would occasionally shift his right shoulder a bit as it had fallen asleep hours ago. He didn’t mind that it was asleep, in fact the slow rise and fall of the beautiful women on his chest removed any sense of irritability that came from it.


And so it was in that moonlit purple room, where the dust motes swirled lazily in the air above the two figures that were shrouded in their own world that one form asked the other from a question. The question startled Crim and his eyes flashed open to stare down into the brown orbs that were staring up at him. Those eyes. Deep molten chocolate brown framed by the most pure white, even the dark black pupil seemed to glow in that moment as she asked him this question.


“Crim, do you want children”


That one line, that one question sent a storm of emotions through Crim that nothing could have prepared him for. The many facets of the mere idea were both incredibly frightening and incredibly blessing. Crim tried to picture the two of them, off on some sandy shore reclined in wooden chairs painted white while two figures built a sandcastle among the lone and windy dunes. His mind reeled at the thought of wondering if it was even possible, given that he was half elven. In the end however his mind flashed back to the image of two children building a sandcastle, Thus he answered.


“You’ll just have to wait and see. Your hair might not thank us though.”


With that Crim suddenly vacated the spot underneath her form and spun over her to look down at her from above. His side twinged suddenly and his eyes glazed over for just a moment before the reality of where he was focused him completely. He lay atop her, his arms supporting his weight as he gently lowered his face to hers to connect them in a kiss of passion. It was warm, it was comforting, and it was loving. As their lips met each others for a few minutes Crim slowly began to work his way along her jaw, headed towards her right ear. Whispering sweet nothings in her ear he bit it suddenly. Grinning roguishly he dropped to one side of the bed and with a careful arm rolled her onto his chest.


“I would want whatever you want Tellen, for now all I want however is You.”


Her lips descended onto his.

[Lisenet]

Tellen's eyebrows lifted. "If you're worried about gray hair, I wouldn't. I spent six months as a live-in nanny for twin boys with a little sister. I think I can handle it." Crim adjusted unexpectedly, and when his chest lightly pressed against hers as he supported himself over her she thought to herself that three small children might give her a steadier heartbeat than Crim's presence had of late. "I was only--" she broke off as Crim caressed her mouth with his, and she wound her arms around his neck. "Curious," she finished as his mouth lifted, but only for a moment apparently. As to where it moved, it was certainly the cause of her scattered thoughts as she tried with limited success to organize them. At the moment it seemed a rather useless venture, but she prevailed. "Are you sure you should be doing any sort of, ah, determined activity?" she wanted to know, pausing in the middle where she thought she had felt a light brush of his tongue. "What with your grievous injury received while very gallantly defending your poor wife's honor?" In answer he nibbled her ear. She yelped, laughing as well at the unexpected response. The imp still had him true, apparently. She rather liked it.

Crim rolled onto his back and pulled her with him. Tellen tossed her loose hair out of her face and propped her chin atop her folded hands, staring amusedly up at him. The line of his jaw was very distinct from this angle. "Oh really?" she asked in return to his declaration of wants. "And what if I want to do this?" She opened her mouth and flicked her tongue once against the skin between the neglected buttons at the collar of his tunic and laughed again. "You are a deviant, my friend." She drew herself up so that she was leaning over his face. "But I find I rather like it." She leaned in and kissed him, making a point to only very softly brush her lips against his, to see if he would rise for it. "And you'd best not change your mind, because it's starting to look like you'll be stuck with me for a while."

[.:[Crim]:.]

As the brown haired temptress teased his lips with a feather soft touch he snaked his good arm around her neck as he lifted his face to hers. This kiss was different, it was like the others. Warm loving and completely honest but there was also something new to this kiss and it was such a level of commitment that he was sure that she could feel it. The kiss was long and it led to several more just like it, however just when it was getting to have gone on long enough he shifted and again trailed his jaw along her neckline.

One hand played with her hair as he kissed passionately the collar of her dress. The one hand that wasn’t in her hair found her wais and pulled her into him as bit down quite hard he was somewhat ashamed when we saw one drop of crimson on the pale white that was her skin. His eyes sought to try and explain what he had done. Giving up however he settled for kissing her once more and spoke into the kiss

“Now why would I go and do something like that” he asked before holding her even closer as he renewed his passion towards her. “besides if you wanted something, you should know by now that I would give it to you.” He mumbled into her ear a few minutes later as that was where his wanderings kept leading him.

This time he ruffled her hair roughly as he did so and he smiled in content as he saw her pupils dilate. As if its own accord one of her hands and the accompanying nails suddenly raked across his back. His eyes widened for a second before responding by whispering sweet nothings in her ear and then biting gently her earlobe and down her neck. When she had finished her wily ways he rested on his side of the bed and said aloud.

“I do think your parents may have heard us”

[Lisenet]

Deep-reaching fires seemed to kindle in her bones as he deepened the kiss she had held just out of reach, and they were the strangest sensation that she almost began to giggle. But, not wanting Crim to think that she was laughing at him, she managed to hold the laughter inside and kiss him back properly. It was so very comfortable resting against him like this. She felt at ease, at home, as if when she'd set out to reorder her world and found him, she was in fact returning to a place she should never have left.

One of his hands pulled her more tightly into him, and she slid her hands from his chest to his sides so there would be no more space between them than necessary. Her skin felt too warm, and too tight, but also strangely light. "I'm starting to think you like my throat better than my face," she teased, his hand wound in her hair preventing her from reaching down for his lips again.

The sharpness of his teeth biting into her collarbone again startled her, and she gasped. Clearly he was momentarily baffled as well. "Darling, if you're going to make a meal out of someone, it is traditionally more polite to announce your intentions first. Not that I necessarily wish to be eaten."

"Now why would I go and do something like that," he mused, before putting his mouth back into what was apparently his favorite spot. Tellen laughed somewhat breathlessly. "For the sake of propriety, perhaps?" There was a terrible warmth barely contained in her belly, as if she had swallowed burning coals. "And shouldn't you be aware of what kind of outlandish demands I am prone to making before suggesting you will give them all to me?"

His hands in her hair, among other things, was making it inexplicably difficult to breathe, and she didn't mean to scratch him when her hand tightened to pull him closer. There was no such place as close enough. The murmurs he left trailing against her warmed skin made her muscles tighten in a most pleasing way.

"I do think your parents may have heard us."

Tellen sighed. As reluctant as she was to permit him to suddenly stop his attentions, she also did not want to attract certain attentions. "Aunt Patricia will be overjoyed. Why, can you hear them talking about us?" Idly, she traced directionless patterns in the fabric stretched over his flat stomach.

Crim nodded toward the door. "It's your brother."

On cue, the door opened. Tellen sat up with a growl of frustration. "Ademar, there are two doors between my room and the hallway and you couldn't knock on either of them?"

[Kite]

Ademar was always open to the idea of being in Carvala, so when he got orders to return to the city of his birth, he had not hesitated. The last job had finished and the next one was starting, and he was to return to the city post-haste. To wait. That was of little significance to him, though, as there was never a city more interesting in all of Alagaesia than Carvala in his mind. From the slums of Lowtown that brought all the danger, lust, and greed that one could stomach and then some to the glorious spires of Hightown that were so familiar to him. That isn’t to say Lowtown was any less familiar to him, it just meant that he grew up in Hightown, one of the privileged few to be born and bred among the nobility of the realm. Most had stayed in the insulating walls of Hightown, but not Ademar. Not the Valaicians. They had a family history of going out into the world and risking their lives. For something. Anything, really, as long as they were devoted to it. He had left for a glorious military career like the men in his family typically did, his sister had left for learning and wider view of life and all that came with it. Cousins and parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents had done the same. That was the glorious freedom of their place in society. Holding court nobility, not a patent with cities and land surrounding them, allowed them freedoms that those with such patents could simply not enjoy. The slight reduction in status had been worth it, although few truly felt superior to the Valaician family.

Not after all it had sacrificed in service to the country and its rulers.

Now Ademar was back, making his way through his old haunts a new man. A man not held by laws nor military. Not anymore he wasn’t. He’d resigned his post after Edan was arrested at the Gala held by then Princess Nayeli Richards and now was one of, if not the most, desired mercenary or contractor working in Broddring. Most definitely the most successful in the Leona Lake Trading Company’s contractor service which, funded by Clarus Maleficarum’s unparalleled personal and business wealth, was now one of the most popular services in the country since its introduction. This served him just as well, frankly. It did more good in the long run, in his experience, than just patrolling the plains endlessly as a Captain ‘til he got his promotions to General and followed his family name. Although, from what he understands about his next job, it’s rumored to lead him out to the Plains and the new mining towns cropping up all along it. It had been a while since he had patrolled it with his company, but he was bound to remember most of the good hiding spots. That would serve him well.

Still, he heard more rumors about his own family than his next job, at least he did as he made his way to his home, making his way into a couple of drinking establishments on his way there. He didn’t do any drinking really, just gathered more information about the rumors. Something about marriage of a daughter of his own family, attempted rape, and an honor duel ending poorly for the one who attempted to force his will upon Ademar’s family. As he grew closer, he heard more details and was mostly amused as he heard more of the story. His dear sister Tellen was the object of so much gossip, with the man she brought home to their parents defending her honor against the pig Marcus that was considered and summarily removed from the running in the game of marriage that so amuses nobility the world round. Now, knowing Tellen, he was fairly sure she could defend her own honor in most cases, but the use of her new husband was expedient for them, as well as an interesting way to get to know the man. Any man who would not defend his own wife was trash, of course, so her picking a man that would defend her whether she needed it or not was a good indication of the man he was soon to meet, but brothers will be brothers and Ademar will be the one deciding what he thought of her husband. Now, Ademar was not willing to break relations with his dear sister, nor his family, but that does not stop every brother from hazing their little sister’s chosen one somewhat. Or not, brothers being fickle creatures. Only time would tell, and Ademar was as interested about the result as anyone else.

He had left his horse in a good stable for travelers only slightly inside Hightown, and was walking to the Valaician Estate, so the news that one of the house’s heirs was returning was as subdued as it could be. None of the clamoring of servants to service the horse of whoever called, just walking past one or two still working into the night. By the time he got to the door, however, it was opened for him, and he moved through with only a nod to the man opening the door. He headed up the familiar carpeted stairs quietly, running his hands over the overly elaborate railing as he ascended the staircase to the second floor, then the third. Servants were around in the house, but as he was a welcome face did not much more than move from his way and greet him.

This, of course, allowed him quick, easy, uninterrupted access to his sister’s room, just as planned.

He opened the first door and walked quickly through the anti-chamber before opening the door to his sister’s room. Much to his amusement and somewhat to his disappointment, she is instantly into the sitting position and asking why he couldn’t have stopped to knock on either door between her room and the hallway. Besides her, what Ademar assumed was Tellen’s new husband was present. A few inches taller than Ademar, were Ademar to guess, he had somewhat oddly orange skin and was a picture of youth otherwise. His hair was somewhere between black and brown in color and his ears were prominent if mostly covered by his understandably mussed hair, although no more than any other man’s could be if Ademar gauged him fairly instead of for fault. Ignoring that neither of them were proper, he shrugs to respond to Tellen’s question as he moves to a seat in their room, then answers her.

“My dear, why ever would I knock? Being back here just put me in such a boyish mood I forgot that we weren’t children again. Forgive me for interrupting, sister, I was just so excited to see you again.”

Ademar grins at both of them, reclining somewhat, before continuing.

“You must be Tellen’s new man. Creating quite a stir you two are. You know how people like to talk, and you are the only talk in the town at this point. I heard about it quite a bit off from the house. Good to meet you, my good sir.”

He looks Tellen in the eyes, knowing that she knew he was here now mostly for the amusement and annoyance it could have caused. He had no ill will towards them at all, not yet at least, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have his fun with his sister. He speaks up in the ancient language to her.

“Hávr ono finai hugin?”

He knew she would understand. Have you found knowledge? He asked her this before, once when their paths had crossed, but she hadn’t answered him then. Perhaps she would now, but there were many layers to this question, and she could respond positively in many ways. One could answer truthfully in any circumstance. Living meant you learned. The trick was deciphering what they meant. So much could be told in body language and a single glance that it was a better gauge for meaning in this case. Despite the bindings of the ancient language, it was easy to learn to bend meanings like an elf. It was one of the first tricks one would learn in speaking and using the ancient language. Even their language leant itself to the game they played. However, he thought Tellen would answer him this time, and he might glean what she meant with it. In that hope he waited for the answer, as well as response from Tellen’s husband, looking into Tellen’s eyes and watching her closely.

[Lisenet]

Tellen stood with a heavy sigh and whisked a violet shawl off the knob of the bed it had hung on since she had left, tucking it around her shoulders and reclining in the window seat because she felt at odds reclining in her bed with her brother at the foot of it and a man just beside her.

"Why ever would I knock?"

"Why indeed," she murmured with a half roll of her eyes. "And I can see the excitement just leaking out of you. Why, you haven't even given me a proper embrace as a brother should." She smiled at him, one edge of her mouth lifting higher than the other, and exclaimed with delight when she found under the cushion a small bit of embroidery she hadn't finished before leaving. There had been quite a lot, actually, that she hadn't finished or accomplished before setting out to find the cracks in the world, so vainly convinced that she alone cared enough about them to fill them. Tellen's dreams had settled into more balanced heights since then, the grandeur of a patriot's quest wearing thin under the abrasion of a coarser reality, but her passion to fix the broken had never abated. The needle was still stuck through her design, so she crossed her legs rather crassly at the knee, as no good woman would do, and began it again.

"And you are the only talk in the town at the time."

Tellen dropped her embroidery into her lap with an exasperated snort. "Dear gods." For someone whose distant friends teasingly called 'whisper-chaser,' Tellen realized she had rather a low tolerance for gossip pertaining to herself. "Brother Ademar, meet husband Crim Harrowmont," she said then, flourishing a hand in each direction and hoping neither one would feel the need to defend her against the other. That would be simply too common, and boring. Men could always find better things to do than bicker if they just tried.

"Have you found knowledge?"

Tellen had not yet seen fit to tell Crim she knew the ancient language. THe more secrets she kept to herself the more protected she felt. And any advantage she kept hidden gave it twice the power as advantages that were common knowledge. Crim ought to know, she recognized, but she had held tightly to her closed-lipped habits for so long the thought of telling him had never occurred to her. It wasn't necessary knowledge, therefore she kept it to herself. So she slapped her embroidery hoop onto her lap and faced her earnest, interested brother with a look of cool irritation. "Dearest brother, will you never tire of lording over me the fact that you got language lessons as a child and I didn't?" She hoped he would respect her wish not to share that corner of her knowledge; at the very least it would give him something to tease her about later. Wives weren't supposed to keep secrets from their husbands. As it was, she wished that she could answer him truthfully. She had been drowning in her own confusion the last time he had asked--eight months ago?--and had been utterly unable to do so coherently, let alone in a language dismissive of even the most well-intended lies.

She resumed her embroidery. "If you want an answer, pose your question in a language I understand." or ask me later, she wanted stridently to say. Somewhere out of my half-elven husband's hearing, like in the next county over.

[.:[Crim]:.]

Crim was bemused at the sudden and untimely appearance of Tellens brother. As it certainly ruined whatever the two of them had been doing, However Crim was sincerly intrested as he studied the young man that reclined against his wife's wall. He seemed at ease and if Crim had to guess was every bit as fit as the man's attire suggested. he noted that even as a human he would only have been a few inches shorter than crim, which was an oddity. Crim threw his knees over the edge of the bed and sat up straight, ignoring the linen bandage that had gone slightly pink wrapped around his side. It was with intrested that he listened to the exchange of the two. Siblings to the core he thought silently to himself.

He watched as Tellen left the bed and went to sit on her chair, having found some project to busy herself with she introduced Crim and aedamar. however the two were back to talking before crim could offer his own salutation. that was when his wife's brother asked something in the ancient language. His eyes contracted against his will and his jaw went a little tight. Crim listened to to the exchange and silently threw gaurds up around his mind, he doubted a human could break them if they tried, but it never hurt to be cautious.

when Tellen had said her bit about the ancient language Crim stood rather suddenly, his bandaged torso and odd figure filling the space imbetween the floor and cieling. inclining his head to one side slightly as i f questioning Crim exteneded his hand towards Aedamar, he couldnt help but grin rather roguishly as he added one line that he was sure to stir things up. which is what he was after at the moment.

"Atra Esterni ono thelduin Aedamar"

he cursed silently to himself as he native accent took over instinctually and the question gained an almost song like quality as it escaped his lips. glancing at his wife who was watching the exchange with intrested eyes he winked slyly and mouthed i love you before refocusing his gaze and awaiting a response

[Kite]

Ademar smiles as his sister returns his amusement with some of her own, and watches both her and her husband as they move from where they started during the conversation. Tellen grabs a cushion she seemed to have left only partly embroidered and starts once again with it, the years not working with that piece being meaningless as she begins to busy herself somewhat, the lady-like habit giving way to her more down to earth habits, crossing her knees and then dropping her project in her lap with some exasperation at his news that they were the talk of the town. She extravagantly introduces her husband to him, and then watches Tellen’s reaction to his question. Just in that simple question, he had learned as much information as he intended to when she replies with some irritation, asking if he would ever tire of reminding her that she didn’t have the same advantage and learn the language like him as a child. Supposedly. She continues and says that if Ademar wants an answer he should ask him in a language she understands.

Ademar takes the opportunity to grin even wider than he had been before, and is about to respond when Crim stands rather abruptly, his bandaged body filling quite a lot of space. He was even taller than Ademar, which did tend to be a rarity. Not unheard of, but unusual enough to be of note. Crim’s head is tilted somewhat, giving him an inquisitive look before he extends his hand towards Ademar and grins before speaking a greeting to Ademar in the Ancient Language. It was the greeting specific to the Elves. It sounded quite natural, and somewhat rhythmic, as if he was singing, which put Ademar’s mind to thought. The man had a knowledge of the Ancient Language, was by all accounts a natural hunter, judging from speculation made in the streets of his challenge defending Tellen’s honor, as well as the result. Even taking an arrow, he was able to finish the job. He also sounded extremely natural, in a way that one could not simply learn. Ademar prided himself on being fluent, but there was fluency and there was learning the speech patterns in an environment surrounded by it. That just begged the question. How did he learn it? Something to investigate, perhaps.

All that aside, Ademar’s grin turns to a slight smirk, one corner rising higher than the other, and takes his hand in a firm grip, before letting Crim’s hand go and bringing the first two fingers to his lips and responding with the traditional answer.

“Atra du evarínya ono varda, Crim.”

He turns back towards his sister and moves over to where she is seated, leaning down and giving her the “proper embrace” that Tellen had referenced and is once again grinning from ear to ear when he speaks.

“I will never tire of it, it always reminds me how I should have snuck off and taught you anyway, even though mother and father forbade it.”

He stands straight once again and returns to his spot so he can watch both of them before speaking again though.

“Its obvious that you missed me, Tellen. Your husband is tall, fighting fit, and well educated in language. You could have just came and visited, but I’ll admit that option is rather less rewarding for you in a way. Though only just.”

Ademar winks at both of them before awaiting where they might lead the conversation.

[Lisenet]

It took a few moments, as Tellen hadn’t had the luxury to sit and embroider for years, but the pattern was familiar enough that she caught it up again quickly. An entire tree, roots and all, leafless, with birds surrounding one side and sea creatures the other. She hadn’t bothered to explain it to her mother when she’d first drawn it out; she was afraid she would have laughed at her. But the thought of it was so clear to Tellen—how was one to know which way was up and which down, which way was right and which wrong, but for the things and people they surrounded themselves with? There was no way, really. No up or down, no right or wrong—it was all too dependent on perspective for that. There were only better ways and lesser ways. Everything else was circumstantial. Meaningless, and worse useless.

Tellen scowled at her willful husband when he threw himself out of bed. Those bandages needed changing again already. Served him right for tossing himself about the way he did. Not that she hadn’t encouraged the type of tossing he’d been doing earlier. But that wasn’t her fault, he’d started it. He always did. There was a strong chance he always would. Tellen didn’t like reaching out toward the people who had any influence over her, it made her feel vulnerable somehow. And, as much as she had strained against it, Crim had influence. More of it than she wished. More of it than was safe for either of them.

He greeted her brother cordially in the language she supposedly didn’t know and Tellen slapped her embroidery hoop back down into her lap in aggravation. ”Really? Must I always be the odd one out?” Crim just winked at her and moved his lips. The sly bastard. He was teasing her! What nerve of him.

And then Ademar answered him back in a like manner. Her brother knew full well she understood the pair of them perfectly well, even if it had taken her longer to catch onto the slippery language than he did. He just had more talent for such things than she. But since she was keeping the pretense, she stood with her hands settled on her hips and glowered at the pair of them. ”If you’d like to have a private conversation I can leave.” Not that she’d ever let the pair of them have a private conversation, if she could help it. Such a thing seemed…precarious.

Ademar just grinned and wrapped his long arms around her, an embrace which she returned warmly, despite the façade of ire. ”I should have snuck off and taught you anyway.”

”Yes,” she informed him, ”you should have. It would be only fair.” She returned to her seat and her embroidery with a huff.

”It is obvious that you missed me,” he declared, and proceeded to puff his chest out and smirk.

Tellen rolled her eyes. ”Yes, because I clearly pick my men out of a lineup looking for the ones who most resemble you.” But now, appraising back and forth between them, she could see his point. In action and learned abilities they were quite similar.

And her last husband had been intelligent, too.

Chauncey had been the only one to ever catch her at her game. To see her for a member of the nobility even when she put forth all her efforts into appearing otherwise. He caught her, and even more surprising, called her out for it. She’d married him only a year ago, when she still believed in her heart more than her mind that all things could be accomplished through sheer willpower. She knew better now. When last she’d seen her brother, when last he’d asked her what she had learned, Tellen had just lost….everything. Life was not a game anymore. It had always been a serious game to her, but she’d been playing at it nonetheless, hoping to coax it to dance for her. When all the strings were stretched to their breaking point and snapped apart one by one, threads twisting and tangling as they fell in limp knots around her, she started to understand that nothing ever lasts. It was heartening to know that the misery she kept tucked away wouldn’t always be with her, but heart-wrenching to know that the tiny seed she’d started to grow could be taken away too.

That was why she hadn’t answered him then. If she’d opened her mouth honestly his response would have been to bundle her up—screeching and kicking, no doubt—and return her home to their parents who would have been able to do nothing for her because she would never have told them why she hurt. Have you found knowledge? Tellen had watched Chauncey bleed to death and in the same week…. In the same week she thought she might do the same.

Tellen cocked a single eyebrow in her brother’s direction. ”If you think I’m out to marry a surrogate you, you’d best run, because you’re the best candidate.” She hooked her foot under the small chair in front of the vanity and kicked it toward him. ”Have a seat, love. Stay a while. Surely a fight won’t break out near enough for you to need to scamper off and attend to it.” She could feel her ribs humming with the desire to winkle every facet of his more recent travels out of him, but it would be impolite to ignore Crim for that long. Speaking of Crim, she glanced back over at him, eyes flicking up and down his tall frame. ”Try not to bleed on the sheets, if you can avoid it,” she requested with an amused grin.

[.:[Crim]:.]

As Crim pleasantly listened to the siblings who clearly loved each other his side started to pain him and he grimaced a few times. Tellen seemed to have caught the fact "Try not to bleed on the sheets, if you can avoid it". Crim decided to take a minute and sit on the bed, trying to rest his side by propping it against a spare pillow Tellen had obviously worked on some time ago. It had a goose on it after all. Crim enjoyed listening to the two siblings talk. they talked about a few things, and Crim's ears perked up as he heard her brother mention that Tellen had been previously married. But Mostly Crim contented himself with nicking the main shell of his ghost white tunic from a nearby chair and then picking up the needle point Tellen had left on the bed.

The work went slowly at first, but after a while he saw that it was more or less just stitching and he choose a very thick black thread from the basket near the headboard on the floor. He began to stitch a Smaller version of his tattoo on the right shoulderblade of his tunic. His work went noticed by the two and they made a few comments but Crim decided to keep going and not say anything. After around an hour Crim had more or less finished to a point where he was pleased with it. He then set the tunic down and cracked his kunckles. He was trying to be tact and make the two aware that the conversation ahd gone on for some time. Aedamar ended up leaving after just a little more conversation with tellen. He had made some excuse of going to visit his friends down at the pub, but everyone could tell that he was just being polite.

After he had left Crim, who had been thoroughly enthused at his new creation bounded up from the bed throwing his arms around Tellen as she tried to make her way back to bed. He stood in the same motion nearly sending them both to the floor. His senses were again overwhelmed at how light and comfortable she felt when she was pressed up against his chest. her dress certainly didnt help hide the fact that he was barechested. A fact that his wife apparently couldnt help but noticing in great detail. they stood like that with his arms around her waist holding her tight for some time. She asked about what he had been stitching onto his tunic and he responded by showing her the sword that matched his tatoo. They talked about it for some time. After a while though as the moon seemed to have lept to full height in the sky their delightful conversation was interrupted by a peculiar noise. Crim cocked his head as a wolf hound might do and then laughed. "Well now, who would ever guess that you were hungry before i was! shall we head to the kitchen and see if there are any midnight snacks we may steal for ourselves?"

heading out the door and through the antechamber Crim stepped lightly into the hall. his eyes almost instantly adjusted to the low light that was in the hallway. Thankfully the stairs were well light by Candalabras. On the way down the stairs he stopped for a second and held his side, his fingers came away slightly reddened and he turned to see tellen who had been following him. he looked at her and said " Any chance you might be able to get leonie to change my bandages? Or would you like to do it yourself Mrs. Harrowmont."