Realistic or Modern Bitter Winter | Private

[LONELYRAIN]

"Make that two." Tasian had spoken after Rila had ordered, bleary eyes focusing upon Frances rather than the prisoner across from him. His arms crossed in front of him as he watched Frances retreat, though judging alone from the look on her face it seemed like she had almost been about to utter a smart-ass comment in response to Tasian's injection, however the expression on her face was enough to irk him as she called over her shoulder, "Coming right up!" Annoying. Was the single thought that went through Tasian's exhausted head as he shot icy daggers at Frances' back, which she in turn seemed all too happy to oblige by childishly sticking her tongue back at him as soon as she noticed the angry pressure on her back.

Truly, a child till the end. It was no wonder Tasian grew exasperated with her so very quickly; she was too similar to the crown prince in how impossible it was to deal with their immaturity regarding himself. Part of him was relieved that his childhood friend had not taken to be too smitten with the tavernkeeper and that it had been a fling of a night guided by the sweet touch of alcohol and Frances' bold advances to slip her way into the prince's bed. Remembering the incident was enough to make his headache worse and thus making the captain's expression seem rather sour... not that it would have changed much from his attitude that he had been displaying so far.

However, this sour expression would ease as Rila had caught his attention, her question being answered with a curt nod from the man as his eyes once more took in her appearance with the rags she was still clothed in. It was distasteful for certain, and even if he had permitted for her to cleanse herself as well as her clothes, river water could only do so much to mask the smell of the mining camp she had been imprisoned in. New clothes would do her wonders. "Yes, we will. I did say I would get you new clothes, did I not?" The question wasn't as biting as usual, perhaps due to the man being far too tired to put much aggression behind his answers. "You can't expect to be walking around in rags until we get to the kingdom. It's unsightly." Proper and to the point as usual, though in truth, Tasian really didn't care whether she showed up in precious clothes or rags; as long as she got to her inevitable destination it would be enough.

 

[catatonic]

Rila watched the interaction quietly, feeling a little pleased that Frances seemed to easily displease Tasian as she herself did. She wondered in another life if they would have been fast friends. She could also tell that the relationship between Frances and Tasian was an old one, she could sense the familiarity between them. It did please her a little, even if she felt like an outsider looking in. It had been a long time since she last seen anyone she had a true connection with. In that moment, sitting in the chains, she did feel lonely in her walk of life.

She looked back at Tasian when Frances had disappeared, waiting patiently for the answer to her question even though she was certain that was the next step in the journey. She just wanted confirmation. And she got it, with a gentler tone at that. She nodded her head, resisting the urge to smile at him. "I just wanted to make sure." She muttered in response, still staring into his blue eyes. After a moment though she looked away and to the table, for she was weak when it came to blue eyes. Even if she didn't want to admit such a thing to him. "I am appreciative of the thought." She continued softly.

She licked her lips as she looked around them, noticing that there weren't as many people in the tavern as she would have thought. Though she did think it was because it was so early in the morning still. She sighed to herself as she looked back at Tasian, eyeing the scars that ran across his face, wondering where and how he got such a thing. But she didn't ask him of it, figuring he wouldn't tell her anything. So she just watched him quietly, not wanting to anger him anymore than she had been. It wouldn't do her any good to put him in a worse mood.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

"Hm?" Pale eyebrows knitted as he stared at her, attempting to pick at the words she had uttered. The skittishness was not something he would expect, considering she had been somewhat composed in the duration of their joined companionship so far, and the more meek and softer tone in regards to being appreciative of the thought of obtaining new clothes for her had made him look away himself. "I wouldn't be doing this if it didn't benefit my objective. As it stands, if you continue walking around in those rags, you can fall ill."

"I'm not about to try to nurse you back to health either, any delays to return to the kingdom are unacceptable." Robotic, controlled and very much lacking anything other than the duty that he had been given, it would make anyone wonder whether the man actually had a personality outside of the duty bound soldier. The perfect restraint he displayed now, despite the exhaustion pulling at his eyes and newfound heaviness in his limbs was remarkable, impressive in his own right to even remain as alert as he was... granted, he would have been far more alert if he had allowed himself to sleep, but that was a matter that he would not budge on out of devotion to his king.

Nonetheless, there was an unwinding of his expression, a forced softness that was there due to exhaustion as his head would slightly lean forward and long lashes briefly flutter downward to conceal the icy blues as his gaze was now fixed upon the table before him rather than the prisoner. For once, Tasian was not openly glaring at her as she studied his face yet again, but perhaps it was because she had not brought attention to herself which was causing the man to begin to drift a little bit, brain fog beginning to settle upon him-

Bam. The solid thud of two bowls of oatmeal upon the table had caused the man to jolt as if someone had physically shocked him, a fluttering of his eyes and a sharp inhale to punctuate it as his heart pounded within his chest, his hands nearly flying for the weapon at his hip.. only to focus on Frances' grinning face again as she teased, "I never thought I would catch the great Tasian napping on duty! How cute~" Anger sparked within the man as for once, a rare tinge of color had managed to make its way upon the man's cheeks, his lips turning down in a fierce scowl as Frances turned on her heel, "Enjoy!"

Was he... embarrassed? Yes, that emotion seemed to be appropriate enough to describe the mortified feelings within himself as his gaze settled upon the steaming bowl of oatmeal before him. Ugh, of all the things to happen, getting even spooked by Frances of all people was enough to make him pissed.

 

[catatonic]

Rila didn't say anything else to him as he spoke, just watched him as she leaned back in her seat as best she could with her chained hands. As he began to drift off, she noticed the long lashes and the way his hair began to fall in his face, and she found herself enjoying the sight of it. She couldn't run even if she tried, once she pulled the chain he'd wake. So she would at least try and have some good thoughts while she could, no matter what the idea might have been.

She looked away from him as Frances approached, looking back at him as she slammed the bowls down, and bit the inside of her cheek to hold back her chuckle at his jump. Frances teasing him only added to her amusement, and she hid it by beginning to eat, muttering a "Thank you" to Frances as she did. She looked at Tasian through her lashes, enjoying the sight of his blush. There wasn't anything she was going to say, but she did like the redness in his cheeks, the way it seemed to bring warmth to his icy composure.

"Should I have warned you about Frances?" She hummed as she ate, deciding to test the waters a bit, even though she could tell the older woman had pissed him off already. She was excited for the prospect of new clothes, because they rags she wore were disgusting. He also had a good point in wanting to keep her healthy, and right now she was far from that in that moment. She returned to eating, trying to get down as much she could without making herself sick, before finally feeling her stomach begin to churn and she pushed the food away, not even half the oatmeal had been eaten. She sat back in her seat when she was done, after taking a couple swallows of water, and sighed through her nose as she looked around them again instead of just staring at Tasian.

 

[LONELYRAIN]

Embarrassment. More embarrassment to flare within his chest as his teeth gritted together as the heat of annoyance pulsed within his heart and spread through his limbs at her seemingly innocent inquiry to whether she should have warned him about Frances' approach or not. The only reward she would receive in turn however was a glare, one that seethed, not desiring her to push the question any further. "Don't start." His answer was snippy as what would be expected of him in this situation. It wasn't as if he had expressed himself as the most friendly individual after all, nor did he have any plans to. However, part of him did have to concede that he certainly shouldn't have allowed himself so little rest... not that he would have done differently either way.

Turning his attention back toward the oatmeal before him, he took to swiftly eating away at the bowl, not desiring to leave it to waste despite his exhaustion. Each bite was relatively tasteless to the man as his attention was now not focused upon the current moment but instead focused elsewhere, drifting longingly to wanting to collapse into a warm bed and soft sheets: but he would not afford the luxury of doing so. There was no time.

The clattering of the bowl across from him had grabbed his attention, prompting the man to stare at the barely half eaten bowl, obviously she had barely touched it. This was concerning, but pushing the issue was not ideal at the moment either. Hurry it up.

The man moved to his feet, hands abruptly coming to slam against the table as he grabbed hold of the saddlebag, and chains both, icy eyes glaring down at her with his usual apathy as the redness had faded from his skin, "Let's go. We're wasting enough time."

...​

The shop that Tasian would inevitably lead her to was one that wasn't too far away from the tavern, granted having taken a bit longer to reach due to Frances badgering Tasian about simply leaving without saying goodbye, the shop itself was simple and small with a variety of modest dresses on display, fitting for the rural area that was Murlayfield. Granted it probably wasn't up to a royalist's standards but it would do for now.

The seamstress in question had her back turned to the unusual duo, seemingly preoccupied in grumbling to herself causing Tasian to look once more to his prisoner, inwardly grimacing at her frail and ghastly appearance. None of the dresses from a quick scan of the room seemed to be small enough for her, though perhaps some alterations were necessary? He would have to allocate the coin for that expense.

 

[catatonic]

Rila chuckled at his snippy response, offering a bit of smirk as she stared at him. She finished all she could of the oatmeal, which honestly wasn't a lot, but she hadn't expected herself to eat a whole bowl with how malnourished she was. She finished off her water, which filled the little gaps she had left in her stomach, and she felt it churn a little at the feeling of being full. She honestly didn't want to throw up the little bit of food she'd been able to eat.

When he grabbed saddle bag and the chains, she slid from her seat and followed after him quietly. There wasn't much point in trying to fight him, even healthy she knew she was no match for the man. He was the finest knight her enemy had, she knew she'd be a fool to try and fight him. She sighed through her nose as they walked, following him into the tailor and clothes shop when they arrived.

She looked down at her rags when the seamstress came over to them, and she blushed a little as she was told she definitely needed some finer clothes. That what she had was unacceptable for any woman, chained or not. The seamstress seemed far nicer than anyone else she'd encountered, but then again the look of familiarity in her eyes made Rila think she was a secret supporter of the original royal family.

She looked at Tasian after a moment and tugged her chains, trying to get his attention. "I can't change if I'm chained to you still." She said simply, in a gentle voice, because she didn't want to add to his anger.