Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

Arryn felt a shiver run down her spine as Dayn's hand traced down her back. When he pulled back, she smiled and nuzzled against his neck, just holding him close. She replied, "Perhaps that would be prudent... I could see the cold becoming uncomfortable with the cold. Doesn't mean I want to let you go, though," she added with a grin. Once she did let him go, she took his hand and said, "Come on, love, guide me around."

 

[BookWyrm]

The market street was huge, by far the biggest Dayn had ever seen. It took him several minutes of wandering around before he was oriented in the right direction. Finally Dayn was able to find the apothecary. They walked into the shop and Dayn's mouth almost hit the floor. He'd never seen such a large variety of plants, herbs, and other materials. They even had an area set up for growing some of the produce. "If there is something you need I hope you can find it here."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn walked in, still holding his hand, and said, "We'll have to take a look and see." Arryn led him toward the back where dried roots lay in boxes to be picked over. She picked a few roots then took him to where there were boxes and canisters and vials of leaves. She looked over them, then smiled and handed him a leaf, saying, "Try this. Apothecaries don't mind taste-testing. It's good, I promise." Dulcis folium was probably the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted, and that was saying something. It filled the mouth with a sugary taste, with a hint of ginger-like burn.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn carefully stuck the leaf in his mouth and chewed, rewarded for his bravery with a wonderful treat. "I wouldn't have suspected a leaf of such flavor. That is really good." When Dayn finally swallowed the tasty morsel he frowned in a pouty kind of way, disappointed that it was already gone. "As long as you don't give me something that will turn me into a frog I'll taste whatever you like."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled at this potential fun. Pyrofoli was an option to get a comical response, so was something sour, if she could find something...Instead, though, seeing as how there was nobody else in the store, and the clerk was in the front and quite busy, she took a large chamomile leaf, and bit half of it, holding it in her teeth like he'd done with her pear what seemed like ages ago. "Cuh on, try it." Chamomile had a light, sweet, apple-y flavor that she very much liked, and that was besides its wonderful medical properties.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn smiled, recalling the pear incident, and leaned in only to grab Arryn, spin her down into a dip, and kiss her as he bit the leaf in half. He stood Arryn up straight as he savored the luscious taste of the chamomile. "That," he started before swallowing the leaf, "was exquisite, though I'm not sure it was all the leaf that time." Dayn smiled before leaning in and kissing Arryn again, playfully nibbling on her lip as he pulled away teasingly. "What other surprises have you got for me?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn laughed and kissed him again, before looking back at the boxes of leaves. Now he was just asking for it. She picked out a leaf and held it out to him. Pyrofoli, the fire leaf. She could claim it was a scientific experiment to see if he'd feel the intense burn, despite his pyromancy - of course, he would, and she knew it. One of the best parts about pyrofoli was that a few seconds after the terrible burning started, it stopped entirely and left a somewhat sweet and savory taste in the mouth. She usually used the leaf for making frostbite-relief balms or potions for cold weather. It was a somewhat common import to Rorich exchange for metals, since the winters got to be so cold up there. If used incorrectly, though, the leaf could ruin almost anything it was put in. Which is why it was lucky that Arryn was very practiced in using the leaf.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn took the lead and smiled before sticking it in his mouth. Now, in the few seconds before he realized that it was a very very potent leaf, he had the slightly inclination that he was being set up. As he bit into the leaf he caught a slightly mischievous look in Arryn's eye that caused him to think, uh oh. When the burning hit Dayn's lips squished together, his mouth burning, and gave Arryn a rather dissatisfied look. But he forced a goofy looking smile and continued to chew despite the heat that had exploded in his mouth, the signs starting at his ears as they turned red and carried over into his cheeks. But after a few seconds Dayn found the burn eased off into a pleasant taste. When he swallowed the pyrofoli he coughed slightly, his voice hoarse as he tried to respond. "Not.........bad......*Hack*"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn popped a leaf into her mouth and chewed with no reaction, swallowing then kissing him once he was done coughing. She'd actually built a resistance to that leaf specifically; she hated spicy food. But in order to mess around with potions, she'd had to build a resistance to specifically Pyrofoli. Once she'd finished kissing him, she said, "You look adorable with a blush, beloved." After that, Arryn stopped messing with him and gave him another dulce folium before finishing up finding the rest of her regents, including a few minerals. She put it in her pack and walked with him outside, saying, "Thanks for going in with me, love. It was nice, even without the fire leaf fun."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn was still slightly red from the leaf, though sucking on the dulce was a nice way to compensate. He smiled, taking Arryn's hand and giving it a slight squeeze. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. I just hope that when we finally get you cooking that you don't get any crazy ideas." Dayn spun Arryn around slowly before pulling her into his arms and kissing her nose. "Maybe we could have a green room at our home. Would you like that? Well, as long as you don't go growing any wolves bane that is."

 

[Dragongal]

"Mmm, it'd be nice in the winter... we'd have to close it up when we go travelling, though." Arryn laughed a bit, still surprised at the idea that she'd have a place to stay this winter. "Come on, let's go to the smith's."

 

[BookWyrm]

Walking into the smithy Dayn was met by the strong smell of coal and the heat of the forges. He smiled as he breathed in the hot air, the tang of steel giving it an odd taste. A man in an apron approached, his apron and arms blackened by the forge. "How can I help ya?"


(Short post is short)

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn smiled and said, "I need some silver coated bolts for this," she said as she pulled out her mini crossbow so he could see the length. The man looked at it and nodded. "I think I have something for that." He disappeared into the back room and then returned it with the bolts. Arryn paid him then turned and took Dayn's hand again smile to him before taking him back out into the street. "I think I'm done, what do you need? Should we return to the inn?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn shook his head. "We should probably head to the Sitting Rock. It is getting late." As they passed back through the markets heading towards the Inn Dayn looked off towards one shop, making a mental note about it, before looking back in front of him. Later, he thought as they headed towards the Sitting Rock. From the outside Dayn wondered if it was just another inn, but when he saw the interior Dayn had to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. The wood and stone were embroidered with depictions of animals and elven gardens. The main room was centered around a vast hearth, the tables and booths all designed to make the most of the warmth. Dayn walked in an showed the Inn keep the ledger. "Aye, I can do that." He paused and looked at the two of them before asking, "One room or two?"


"One, please." The inn keep gave Dayn a wink. "I can take care of that."


As Dayn opened the door to their room he found himself laughing. "My room at the manor wasn't even this big."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn had to blush at the innkeep's wink, but kept quiet. Southerners seemed awful public about private affairs like that. She'd always been told Northmen were coarse, some things around here gave her other ideas! "I don't think the majority of my house was this big," Arryn replied, looking about their room. She set down her pack and flopped on the bed, saying, "I'm getting too pampered, starting to expect a bed instead of the dirt, but I admit, this is lavish." Arryn ordered them each a bath, pulling the privacy screen between them, of course, then sank into the hot water with a sigh. "I knew there was a reason I never liked riding horses."

 

[BookWyrm]

"Tell me about it. For once I don't think I'd even want to see Athas, let alone another horse for a whole month. We've been riding way too much here recently." Dayn soaked and scrubbed his body until he felt like he had successfully removed the stink of traveling, and maybe a layer of skin, before getting out and toweling off. After sliding into a comfortable pair of pants he walked over and tended to the hearth. An idea came to him when he looked over and spied the cooking arm near the hearth. "Arryn, I'm going out for a few minutes. I'll be back shortly though.", Dayn pulled on a shirt and wrapped himself in a cloak before heading back out into the town. He passed by several vendors and went back into the shop he had spied out earlier, coming out later and stuffing the package into his pouch as he made his way back to the fresh market vendors. He bought several different spices, some beans and vegetables, and finally diced beef before rushing back to the Inn.


He walked in and quickly laid out the ingredients on the table. "Arryn, I'm back love." He seemed rather eager as he searched through his cooking gear and pulled out a camp pot and a few other items before turning to Arryn. "Care to have a first cooking lesson?"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn was brushing her hair out, and looked over to Dayn with a surprised smile. "Really? Well, sure!" she laughed. She moved over to his side, looking at the ingredients he'd brought. "What are we making, beloved?"

 

[BookWyrm]

"That, is a good question. I just grabbed the ingredients on a whim. It will be something like a soup, though." Dayn laid out the ingredients carefully before handing a knife to Arryn. "Don't worry, I'll walk you through the whole process. First and foremost we need a base for the soup..."


For the next half hour or so Dayn gave his best cooking instructions and aid to Arryn as the cobbled together the "soup", or whatever it was Dayn had invented. When they had placed the pot on the arm and stuck it over the fire Dayn wrapped his arms around Arryn and picked her up as he spun her around. "You did it! You fixed a soup!" Dayn laughed as he sat her back down in front of him. "See, I told you it wasn't hard."

 

[Dragongal]

"Well, I must admit it is easier than I expected, but I believe that is only because I had such a good instructor." Arryn smiled then gave him a quick kiss and said, "Of course, we should see how it turns out, first." After letting the food cook, she served out a portion for each of them then hesitantly tasted it. "It's not bad!"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn slowly chewed the mouthful he had and swallowed before gagging and choking before falling backwards and laying still, his tongue hanging out and eyes distant but his bowl surprisingly held with a firm grip. He lay there for a couple of seconds before smiling and laughing. "I tease love, it is honestly delicious!"

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn laughed and said, "As long as you don't treat my healing with similar comedy, it's alright." Arryn shook her head with a smile, and finished her food. Once she was done, she collected their bowls and utensils, setting them outside their door so the staff could clean them and leave the clean foodware outside their door in the morning. She walked back into their room and sat on the edge of the bed, saying, "For a stone city I have so much reason to hate, it's not too bad here. But maybe that's just because you're here with me."

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn walked over and sat next to Arryn. He traced his fingers lightly over her hand and up her arm to her neck. "Good company makes all of the difference, for both of us." Dayn slid his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her gently into a kiss. "When I'm with you I could care less if we are in a opulent castle or a dirt floor lean-to."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn slowly kissed him back, enjoying the moment. She smiled when they separated, saying, "You always are so eloquent." She kissed him again, brushed back some of his hair, then said, "I like it." Her mind wandered to their safety and the Inquisitor who would happily end Dayn's eloquence forever, until she kissed him again, a little lighter this time.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn felt his heart pounding in his chest as he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he tried to calm down a bit. Do I? Here, now? With all of this going on? Dayn felt his hands shaking. "Arryn, I....", Dayn felt like his throat was trying to close in on itself. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Arryn, I love you, with everything I am. And, I just, with everything that has happened, I can't help but wonder about what the future is going to hold for both of us. No matter what though, I will always love you. But, I wanted to ask you something Arryn."

 

[Dragongal]

Arryn looked at him, cocking her head to the side slightly. Was it something with his lycanthropy? He wasn't about to ask that they stop travelling.. was he? She couldn't bear with that, but she couldn't bear with parting from him. "Anything, mo chroi." She reached out and pushed his hair back, smiling slightly. She wanted him to be able to tell her whatever was bothering him, and help if she could.