Arrival (Private)

[Aerin Vaettir]

(Reserved for Namari)

Aerin stood before one of the castle garden’s bigger rose bushes, fingers gently tracing the blooming roses that grew from it, trying to find the perfect one. There was no point in this, since he had no one he planned on handing a rose to. He and Elle had spent the last few weeks in a never ending tension, arguing on and off about many things, but mostly one thing. The soon to be arrival of their uncle. Elle wanted Aerin to grow up and make amends with their uncle, who she loved so much. Aerin stood firm in his decision to forever hate the man. Elle demanded an explanation, but Aerin couldn’t bring himself to explain. He just couldn’t. The next person on his list would be Namari, but…well that didn’t seem appropriate. As much as he’d like to lavish the queen with flowers, she was with another. Aerin found it ironic that after years of hardly giving anyone a second thought, the first person he ever falls hopelessly in love with was someone unattainable. It’d be amusing if it weren’t so…sad.

The past few weeks had taken its toll of the elf. He hardly slept, and his appetite shrank. He dreaded the day Vladimir stepped foot in Avaleur. In order to soothe his nerves which grew more and more irritated, he took on the daunting task of teaching Lenore how to sing one of his favorite elvish songs from back home. Since Lenore had the attention span of a tick, and hardly cared about most of the affairs of others or even had any comprehension of culture, it was a task he never bothered with before. But now it seemed vital he teach the raven how to sing, or he’d just snap and lose his damn mind before Vlad even got there.

Drifting over the gardens for all to hear within the vicinity, a sweet, melodious voice rose. Lenore selected the voice of a child to sing the song, after trying out several before both elf and raven agreed on the sweet childish voice.

“Cro fas sveen la seen fo soros…” Lenore sang, sitting beside Aerin in her human form, looking up at him with her disturbing black eyes. She paused, face screwed up in concentration. Aerin let the silence spin out a minute before jumping in to help her.

“Va, to speren ta so speren to so soros…” he sang, his voice, like most elves of his village, beautiful and carried well. It was rare in his home town to find an elf who couldn’t sing above average. And those who couldn’t typically mastered many instruments. They were a musical bunch. Lenore jumped back in to sing the next line.

“Iie seete, Iie seete.”

“Va, to speren ta so speren to so soros.”

“Iie seete, Iie seete!”

Together now they sang in harmony.

“To repos so int me soros. Iva nekta in ro soras. Va, nosfrinte, iie esvente soros. Va, nosfrinte, iie esvente soros!”

Aerin smiled down in Lenore’s direction.

“Very good Lenore,” he said softly, drawing a razor from his pocket and slicing free a rose with several inches of stem, then set to work cutting off the thorns. Perhaps today wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[Namari Lovelle]

All day, every day. It was always work for the Queen.

She loved her job; she truly did. But the endless things needed to be done always took its toll on her. Rarely these was a day to relax. Except, that is, until she met Aerin.

He was not only an excuse for her to leave her duties behind (even if only for an hour), he seemed to genuinely enjoy her company. As she enjoyed his.

And today was another day where she would see her fine new friend. Excitement raced through her body as she hurriedly walked through the castle corridors, towards the garden. People nodded and bowed to her as she passed, but she took no notice. A smile was on her face, and it was unlikely that it was coming off.

As she neared the garden, he heard a lovely tune. First by a little girl, then by a man. Namari soon recognized it as Aerin and Lenore. As she continued to walk, and the words became clearer, she recognized it as a type of elvish. She could only catch a few words, however, seeing as how her tongue was different.

She stepped out into the wide open garden, spotting the two. Her smile grew wider.

"Good morning!" Namari stated as she walked closer and closer, waving. Even if Aerin couldn't see her, it would be impolite not to wave at Lenore.
"You two are quite lovely singers."

She stopped just a few feet away, fixing the side of her dress before looking up with a smile. "Lots of practice, I assume?"

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin tilted his head in Namari’s direction as she walked up to them, wishing them a good morning. He turned to fully face her, still whittling away at the thorns on the rose he picked. Lenore smiled, standing up to walk up to Namari and hug her legs. She had warmed up quite a lot to Namari since they all first met. The raven seemed to like Namari almost as much as she liked Aerin, though she had taken a much faster liking to Aerin. The elf was never sure why. One day he fed a half starved raven some food, and the raven, taking a curious liking to him, followed him home and ever since then remained in his presence. You could say she sort of forced herself into his life as a pet. Not that much force was necessary. Aerin liked the strange, form shifting bird since day one.

“Good Morning!” Lenore mimicked Namari’s voice, grinning her sharp toothed grin at the queen. A couple strolling by gave a queer look to the strange, naked child that clung to their queen’s legs. The knights that frequently guarded the gardens hardly gave the raven child a second glance anymore. Lenore had successfully toyed with almost every guard that crossed her path since Aerin started coming here.

“Oh, yes. Lots of practice. I’m surprised neither of us are coughing blood from how much we practiced to get this far,” Aerin remarked. Especially considering that the song he was teaching her was originally an eight minute song or so. He didn’t plan on getting that far with Lenore, so he was only teaching her the first act of three.

“I used to sing a lot as a child. My mother would come into my room after the accident and teach me songs. It was just as well, since I couldn’t walk for a year after I was hit. I probably would have died of boredom if it weren’t for my mother’s visits, father’s books and Elle’s constant annoyance.” He smiled a bit. The memory was bittersweet; bitter with the physical pain he endured that first year, which had been the worst of his life, and sweet for the memories with his family he had still forged despite being bedridden.

He finished his little task of ridding the rose of its thorns, then he held out his hand, an unspoken command from Lenore to come to him when she was in human form. When in her raven form he would lift his arm for her to fly to and perch on. Lenore stepped up to Aerin, and he took her chin in his hand and slid the rose behind her ear. Lenore blinked, surprised by this little decoration she now sported, before she set about trying to sniff the rose without taking it from behind her ear.

“You sound perky this morning. Having a particularly good day?” Aerin asked, picking up his cane from where it leaned against the bush and turning to fully face Namari now.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari's smile turned into a grin; ear to ear, as Lenore gave her a big hug. Despite Lenore's antics of stealing weapons from guards, and causing minor destruction (that was always easily fixable) Namari had grown attached to both Lenore and Aerin.

She hugged the raven back, rubbing at her head of hair. Somewhat glad she seemed to not be terrorizing the guards yet again today.

As the queen listened to Aerin's tale, she couldn't help but think how lucky he was to have such a loving family. Her mind drifted to her own; though her father was less than desirable, her mother always seemed to do her best for her. Not to mention Namari's younger sister was always the one to put a smile on her face. Even now, when they exchanged letters.

Despite Aerin's accident being the downfall in his life, Namari was at least glad it was not all bad.

Namari chuckled as Lenore began to try and sniff the rose at her ear just by moving her head, before turning her attention back to Aerin.
"Believe it or not, I enjoy your visits Aerin," she mused, placing her hand on her side.

"It's not every day I get to relax from my duties. Besides, you two are always so happy and kind. I just get excited to see you is all."
Her smile was genuine as her eyes bounced between the two. Namari always felt that something was on Aerin's mind, most likely being his work, or this Vlad person she had heard very little about. But despite this Aerin's demeanor was always that of happiness. She wondered how he kept it up.

Quickly she plopped herself down next to Aerin, making sure to brush her side against him slightly so he knew she was there. When first meeting Aerin, Namari always forgot that he was blind. Just as much as she often forgot she only had one arm. But slowly she had started getting used to it;' subtly helping him see without his eyes. She knew he had excellent hearing, but always wanted to make sure he was sure of what was going on around them.

The Queen assumed it was a startling thing; not knowing exactly what was happening around you.

"Anything new going on with your life?" she asked, then quickly added, "And how's your sister doing?"

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin smiled as Namari spoke, talking of her excitement whenever she went to see him and Lenore. He chuckled when she said that they were always happy and kind.

“I can pretend well,” he said, telling the truth, but spinning a joking tone into it. “And Lenore isn’t very kind. If she was she’d tell me where she hid my favorite crucible.” Lenore snickered at this. She had hidden the tool three days ago and damn it all if Aerin couldn’t find it. He could only hope to stumble upon it or that Lenore would feel merciful enough to give it back one of these days.

Aerin felt Namari sit beside him, brushing against him a bit. He had noted the shift in her actions since they became friends. It always amused him when people who hung around him long enough began to slightly alter what they did in order to help him out. He wondered if they even noticed it after a while.

Lenore spotted a butterfly lazily floating past, and she turned and chased after it, having given up on trying to sniff the rose. The butterfly, apparently sensing the raven, quickly flitted away and up, out of the childish hands that reached for it. Lenore watched it go a moment, her face having gone blank, which any close observer of Lenore’s human form would know that she put on the face whenever she dived deeply into thought. After a moment or two she turned, directing her attention to a nearby chipmunk now.

“Elle is fine, thank you. She has a new boyfriend now. I think she cares a lot about him, which is good. She hasn’t really had a real relationship in a very long time. The last one didn’t turn out well for her at all, and she’s had a hard time letting others in,” Aerin replied, finding that his hands had nothing to do. He lifted his hand and slowly brought it in, and another rose from the bush was plucked free and drifted over to him. He caught the rose and once more pulled out his razor to cut off the thorns. “They talk of getting me my eyesight back. I don’t know if it is possible, but I suppose I’ll let them try. I don’t care to get my hopes up though.”

Lenore halted her chase of the chipmunk, turning her gaze to the side and tilted her head. After a moment, a ways away, Elle rounded the corner, looking like she was having a pleasant chat with another. The other was a male elf, tall, black hair that fell past his shoulders, which he tied back. He was handsome, having dark eyes, fair features, and the signature extra long ears of the Vaettir family. He sported a scar down the right side of his cheek, a thick gash that went from below his eye down to his jaw in a mean, ugly line. Otherwise he was free of flaws. Behind the two walked what appeared to be a servant, a tall man wrapped in black despite the weather, with big, bright eyes that were the color of stone, and an unsettling grin, sharp teeth glittering in the sunlight, much like Lenore’s, as he looked around at the garden.

Lenore narrowed her eyes before she turned and slowly made her way back to Aerin’s side, watching as the two slowly worked their own way towards the queen.

“I think Lenore is finally over her fear of dragons,” Aerin said, unaware of the approach of his sister and the very man he hated so. “In fact, I think she’s taking quite a shine to Benny. Every time we visit him she plays with him as best she can, and otherwise drapes herself over him.”

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari's ears perked up, a small smile on her face. Aerin, getting his sight back? Elle with a boyfriend? Oh, things were getting exciting! But she tried to conceal her smile. No use attracting the prying ears of the Guards. If she seemed too interested, a young guard might try to eavesdrop. And that would be just rude.

Soon Namari spotted Lenore narrowing her eyes at someone; slightly weary Namari turned herself to peek. There were three people. Elle, she recognized, and it made Namari feel quite happy that the elf was there. Perhaps to see her brother? But soon she noticed the others. A tall, handsome elf, and an eerie servant behind.

Namari frowned slightly. She would think nothing of it, had she not heard about Vlad when they had visited Benny. Not to mention how Lenore was looking at them.

"Yes, I do believe they will make a lasting friendship..." slowly the Queen mumbled. Not giving Aerin a chance to question it however, she turned around to look at Aerin once more.

"Your uncle doesn't happen to have a large scar from his eye to his jaw, does he?" Namari asked in a bit of a hushed voice; sounding a bit worried. She hoped not. Perhaps it was just an old friend of their family. But it seemed unlikely.

"Because a man like that is heading this way with Elle."
She prayed that everything would be civil. She did not doubt Aerin's ability to keep the peace. But who knows what rage did to a person like Aerin.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin’s smile faded a bit when Namari asked about Vlad, more importantly, the scar. He had a moment or two to wonder how it was she knew that, and then she revealed why. Because she saw Vlad. Coming this way. Right here. Right. Now.

“Oh…” Aerin sighed, shutting his eyes and leaning his head back, annoyance crossing his features. Great… just…great…

Elle looked at Aerin nervously, waving to Namari. She seemed glad to see the queen, and she stepped up to speak to Aerin, but the other elf, Vlad, cut in instead.

“Aerin! Good to see you my lad,” he said, sounding jovial. Aerin winced at the sound of his voice. Gods, help him, the man was here. Aerin opened his eyes and looked forward again, going back to his little chore of cutting off the thorns of the rose he held.

Elle glanced at Vlad before she looked back to Aerin.

“So…Vlad made it,” she said, feeling awkward. Aerin said nothing. Vlad, not seeming to mind, stepped up before Aerin and Namari, and he bent, politely bowing to Namari.

“Lovely to meet you Queen Namari. Elle has mentioned you quite a bit in her letters. I hear you’re very special to Aerin,” he said. Aerin’s heart stopped beating a moment, his hands freezing in their task. Oh Lord. Elle briefly looked as distressed as Aerin felt. She told Vlad and her parents about Aerin’s little crush on Namari. She knew Aerin hadn’t admitted it yet, and hadn’t considered telling Vlad that Aerin hadn’t admitted it yet.

“Yes! She’s quite a good friend to Aerin,” she said hurriedly, smiling at Vlad. Vlad glanced at Elle, looking slightly confused. The servant drifted over to Aerin’s side silently, having been standing for a while in total silence. Now he spoke up.

“Pretty thing!” he said, his voice laced with a strange accent, and effectively scaring Aerin to the point that the elf nearly shouted. He jumped, placing a hand on his chest, eyes widened. Damn it, where did he come from!? Elle blinked and glared at the servant, who held up his hands apologetically, though he was grinning widely. “Pretty thing you hold there Aerin.” he said, sounding a tad cryptic. Lenore hissed at the servant, who drifted back a ways from the raven.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari winced ever so slightly; so it was him. That wasn't exactly good. She couldn't lie and say she was not curious about their relationship. But at the same time she did not want anything to start.

But against her nerves, she waved back at Elle with a smile.

Her eyes never left Vlad's face, but she could feel Aerin wince beside her. The smile on her face twitched ever so slightly. She did not want to be biased towards this man; it was both unlady like, and unqueen like. But with the was Aerin was reacting, it was difficult. Surely something terrible had happened. She just wondered what it was, especially since Elle did not seem affected by it at all.

Namari bowed her head to Vlad a bit to be polite as well. Surprised that he had already heard of her from Elle. And she smiled ever so slightly at the 'special' part.

The Queen was naive in terms of romance. So in her mind, this was a way for Elle to tease Aerin more than she usually did. In fact, she didn't notice the man freeze up.

At the same time, she didn't notice the odd servant walking up beside Aerin. At least, she thought nothing of it. But then Aerin nearly jumped out of his skin, and she went a bit red.

What an odd man. Namari was silently glad that Lenore had hissed at him to send him back a bit.

The Queen turned to face Vlad once more, her hand carefully in her lap. But, rather nervous, she fiddled with a part of the cloth on her dress.
"And I suppose Aerin's quite special to me," she responded, smile growing a bit wider. Not only was it true; the blind elf had made the past few weeks extremely enjoyable for her, but it was a sort of warning.

There had to be some sort of reason Aerin was so uncomfortable. Perhaps that bit of reassurance would help him not only get through this meeting, but Vlad's visit all together. And perhaps, if it was Vlad that had ever wronged Aerin, it would prevent the scarred man from doing anything in the future.

Namari was a cautious woman, no doubt. And she hated making assumptions. But she was not about to have her newest friend in distress if she could help it. Even a little bit.

"I trust you're enjoying the sights, or at least what you've seen so far," Namari continued.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Vlad turned back to Namari as she spoke, smiling once more to her response. Elle hoped that he’d cut the conversation about special feelings short before things got more awkward than they were. Thankfully Namari didn’t seem to read too much into Vlad’s statement, though she really had to wonder whether it was Aerin who was really good at keeping his feelings to himself, or if Namari was entirely too oblivious to any small hints. Or both.

“You have a lovely city, Your Highness. And I’m relieved to see plenty of forest surrounding it as well. Here I thought bigger cities cut down all their trees. As an elf, I’m quite happy to see nature flourish so well here,” he said, nodding to himself.

Aerin, feeling a bit cornered, took a breath and took hold of his cane, standing up and brushing rose thorns from his lap. Vlad looked to his nephew, smiling broadly.

“And Aerin! You’re looking very well! Your mother was so worried about you leaving home. Your father said you would be fine, and he was quite right by the looks. Have you given any thought to my letter Elle read to you?” he asked, head tilted. Aerin was quiet a moment before he nodded.

“Yes, I did. I found it a bit dry of a read, and I think you could work on your handwriting a bit. Elle had stuttered through the whole thing trying to decipher it,” he replied. The servant gave a snicker to this, Elle shook her head, and Vlad simply continued to smile, as if not at all put off by this.

“Well, I will take that under advisement. What I meant was my extension of an olive branch. I’d very much like us to put this petty fight behind us,” he said, placing a hand on Aerin’s shoulder. Aerin felt anger coarse through him, and it showed on his face. He reached up and slapped Vlad’s hand away.

“I haven’t given our ‘petty fight’ or your offer of amends any thought because I don’t care to make up with you,” he said. Vlad’s smile faded a bit, and the tension between the two quickly built up to something that felt thick enough to cut. Vlad reached out, plucking the rose from Aerin’s hand, and he tilted Aerin’s chin up slightly and slid the rose behind his ear, much like Aerin did to Lenore. Aerin pulled back quickly.

“I simply want us to move on. For Elle’s sake,” Vlad said, and he seemed to put a curious emphasis on Elle’s name. Aerin gripped his cane tightly, knuckles turning white. Elle shifted, seeing that Aerin was getting very angry, very fast. Suddenly the servant stepped up, grinning his Cheshire cat grin.

“Pretty Queen, you have a lovely home here. Lovely folk, you as well. I see you lost an arm. How did such a lass as yourself come to such trauma?” he asked suddenly, Elle and Vlad both looking at him in surprise, and the tension between the two male elves was cooled a bit with everyone being surprised that the servant would ask such a bold question.

[Namari Lovelle]

Namari stood as Aerin did, brushing her dress straight as she listened. Somewhat pleased at Vlad's statements of the natural vibe of the city. But then things began to slowly fall apart.

Of course she did not want to intervene; that would be incredibly rude of her! Meddling in business that was not quite hers.

She did notice a few guards staring over, however, as the two elves began getting attention. She stared over at them however, and they got the hint. They would not come forward.

Namari looked over at Elle, hoping that perhaps the woman could settle her family. But it looked as if it was out of anyone's hands, really.

Needless to say, Namari felt awkward.

But soon the attention shifted to Namari; she wanted to move a little back, startled by the servant's sudden pop-up. The compliments, followed by the question. To Namari it was not a rude question at all; but rarely anyone asked her.

Perhaps others thought it bold, however, which seemed evident by the look on everyone elses faces.

"Well, I..." she was still startled, blinking, before shaking her head and looking back to the servant's face.
"When I was a knight, I was escorting the old King's sister back to Avaleur. Bandits attacked, and when I pushed her out of the way, i ended up getting hit myself."

She shrugged.
"I suppose I never considered it a trauma myself."

Despite the odd transition in the conversation bouncing to herself, Namari was grateful to the odd servant.
At least she did not have to hear any more bickering. For now.

[Aerin Vaettir]

The servant clapped his hands together when Namari concluded her brief tale. He seemed utterly delighted by her, and a certain kind of greedy look was in his eyes when he gazed at her. Not particularly lust, but something else.

“A brave queen! Brave indeed to lose an arm for someone. Like Aerin here lost nearly everything for little Elle,” he said, before giggling a strange giggle. He turned, suddenly taking hold of Aerin’s chin, startling the elf. “But out of those ashes you take a new life. I like you resilient ones.” He let go of Aerin before he could react and turned, wandering off a ways, as if the conversation bored him.

“Please excuse Atropos. He’s a strange one from a strange land,” Vlad said after a moment, looking at Namari with a little embarrassment. “He’s been with me for years and still hasn’t quite gripped how our culture works.”

Aerin absently rubbed at his chin where he was touched. The servant was strange alright, and Aerin always never trusted the man. He gave off a weird vibe that anyone could feel. In his experience, many people parted when Atropos walked by, most wanting to stay away. Aerin included if he could, but it wasn’t like he could see the man coming. He mostly hated how the servant seemed to get off on scaring the blind elf. Aerin had caught the man’s eye somehow, because whenever he came around with Vlad he always seemed hung up on him. Scaring him, talking to or about him, touching him as often of propriety allowed, and often even going beyond that.

Once when Aerin was still in his early teens, Vlad had come to visit. Aerin locked himself in his father’s study to read, and had dozed off. He woke to the feeling of someone in the room, and when he asked, he felt the someone gently stroke his hair, then trace his fingers all the way down his back, along his spine. It was Vlad’s man servant, and when questioned on what he was doing he had simply responded by saying he was touching. The man’s voice and answer sent chills up Aerin’s spine, even after Atropos left. He was an odd one alright.

“Uh, so. We were thinking of having a big dinner for Aerin to celebrate his new role as heir to the Vaettir Family,” Elle said, smiling to Namari. “If you want to join, Namari, you can.”

Aerin silently hoped not. If Namari found this awkward now, things would only get worse from here on out as long as Vlad and Aerin were within earshot of each other. He didn’t really care to subject Namari to the uglier part of him. He’d rather not subject anybody to that, but it was there and it wouldn’t leave until Vlad did.

[Namari Lovelle]

She had never thought of it before; the strange servant man made a valid point. Aerin and herself were quite similar in that sense. They both sacrificed for people they cared about.

It was a reassuring thought. After all, it meant they were more similar than they might have thought before.

Namari had shaken her head; although the man was strange, Atropos did not seem to want to do any real harm. Other than scaring Aerin, perhaps. Though she did wonder where such an odd man had come from.

And Namari too could feel the vibe that the man had given off. She was just not one to want to judge just by a feeling.
"It's quite alright. Certainly no harm in asking questions."

Her head turned to Elle as she invited the Queen to dinner, and a small smile lit up on her face. When was the last time she was invited to dinner? She could not remember for the life of her! Certainly she had many people over for dinner, but invited?

Even her closest friends did not want to 'disappoint' her. As if their food or homes were not worthy, or did not suit the lifestyle of the Queen.

Many forgot she used to stay in the arena's headquarters, just several years prior.

So she pondered for a moment; she did not even think about the tension that might arise, or that perhaps Aerin did not want her to go. She thought about how lovely it would be to have dinner with her new friends, and if she could make time for it.

"I'm not entirely sure if I would be able to make it," Namari began, but smiled wider, "I would love to try though. When would it be?"

Perhaps, later in the evening, Namari would realize how the tension would probably rise. But for now, she was much too excited at the thought of being invited to a friends house for dinner.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Elle gasped and clapped her hands together excitedly when Namari agreed to at least try and attend the dinner. She hadn’t thought the queen would agree. And unlike her twin, Elle thought Namari’s presence would ease Aerin a lot better than without her.

“It’ll be tomorrow evening. We can use Aerin’s place to sit down and eat. He has the bigger home and he has an actual kitchen. My cottage doesn’t,” Elle said happily. Aerin hadn’t granted permission of a dinner at his place, which was also his store, but he didn’t speak up nor did he plan to refuse. The joy in Elle’s voice was clear, and the idea of shooting down her peace dinner, regardless of how pointless it was, hurt a little. He wouldn’t do that to her.

“It’ll certainly be joy to sit down and have dinner with you, Namari,” Vlad said, smiling at Elle’s excitement. “I’d like to get to know you better.” He turned to Elle.

“As for my sleeping arrangements, is there an inn around?” he asked. Elle waved the idea away.

“Oh please, you can say with me! My cottage is small but-“

“No.” Aerin interrupted suddenly, stiffening. Elle paused, looking at Aerin, frowning.

“It’s fine Aerin. He’s family,” she said.

“No, Elle, he is right. You told me how small your cottage is. You only have one bed. I’ll not take over what little space you have,” Vlad replied, giving Aerin a sharp look. “Besides, your brother seems uncomfortable with the idea. He has quite the solid grip on your skirts doesn’t he?” he said, making a deliberate stab at the younger male elf. Aerin twitched a bit, feeling his anger rise. He tapped his cane on the ground a few times before turning.

“I need a moment,” he muttered, before limping away, not bothering to wait for an answer. Elle looked between the two and sighed. This was going to require a lot more work than she thought, and maybe some help. She looked at Namari as if for help, though she wasn’t sure what the queen could do, being relatively new to the situation and all.

[Namari Lovelle]

Elle's joyful way of speaking brightened up Namari's face. Even with the tension between the two elves, she was excited. After all, Aerin and Elle were such nice people. And company to eat with was always fun.

And then, once again, things blew up.

Namari's ears flinched as Vlad took a stab at Aerin with his words. Perhaps he was right, but then again Namari did not know the situation. Why was it that he did not want Vlad to stay with Elle?
She assumed the reason he hated Vlad so much. But why?

The question became more and more prominent in her head. Could she ask Aerin later? She did not know if Aerin and herself were close enough to discuss things like this. After all, she had never told him about why she left her old Kingdom.

She realized, though, that if he asked, she would. Perhaps she would try to ask later, and see if he would not mind telling. She did not want to step over any boundaries, however.

And then, that was it. Namari watched as Aerin took off, some of the guards watching in interest. But seeing that no one looked in danger, they did nothing.

Her eyes grazed over Vlad somewhat disapprovingly. Truly, it was no way to deal with someone if you knew they were not in a very good relationship with you. It seemed odd that he would do that.

But she did not look long, only looking to Elle. Who seemed to look right back. As if the Queen could do something.

Namari stared back for a few seconds, wondering what she could do. She was the Queen, technically. So she should technically be tending to the distress of any of her people.

Not that this was in her job description specifically. But Aerin was her friend.

"If you could excuse me for a moment," she smiled, dipping her head politely before quickly scampering off to Aerin, catching up to him as quickly as she could.

She slowed her pace, walking just beside him before muttering, "If you would like to be left alone for a little bit, I'll respect that. But I would like to make sure you are okay. And, if you wish, I would be happy to join you."

Silently she hoped that her friend would let her tag along. Even if they just sat at a bench in silence, at least she would know that he was okay.

[Aerin Vaettir]

Elle, Vlad, and Atropos all watched as Namari turned to go after Aerin. Elle sighed before giving Vlad a sharp look.

“What? I speak only the truth,” Vlad said defensively, before placing a hand on Elle’s shoulder and continuing to inquire about inns.

Aerin hadn’t made it far, not with his bad leg. His head practically hurt with how angry he felt. How cornered. Damn that Vladimir. Damn him and his lies and suave grace. He just thought he could slide in and act like he was great friends with his nephew and that Aerin would go along with it without any friction. Like Aerin would simply bow his head. But the horrid thing was that he might just have to bow his head, just might. The idea made him seethe with anger, but also a great deal of fear too. A fear he couldn’t even explain to others.

He heard the footsteps behind him, judged it to be light, so either Elle or Namari. When he heard the dress rustle he knew it was Namari. Ah, how foolish he felt. He was sure he seemed like he was acting like some spoiled, selfish child. Anyone outside the situation might think so. It made him feel slightly embarrassed and sad to think that might be how he looked before his friend.

“You may join,” Aerin said softly, pausing in his steps. He heard the fading voices of Elle as she walked Vlad off further from her twin. Atropos, unknown to Aerin, stood where he was, watching the two male elves drift further apart from each other, a look of amusement on his face.

“I’m sorry if I’m making you feel uncomfortable. I honestly hadn’t expected him to arrive while with you,” Aerin said softly. “I suppose I should be glad. Things would probably be much worse if you weren’t here. I should compose myself better…but that man just makes me utterly sick! He strolls out here and acts like there is no bad blood between us, and that all of our history can be forgotten with an apology and some of Elle’s begging. It is disgusting that he’s using her as a means of controlling me, and no one can even know of it because-“ Aerin suddenly paused, realizing he was ranting. And getting too close to the heart of the matter. He gritted his teeth and turned away from Namari, rubbing at his temple.

[Namari Lovelle]

Relief washed over Namari slightly when she was allowed to join in Aerin’s small walk. They walked in silence for a moment, slowly she felt a bit more awkward. She truly did not want to get involved unless needed; but at the same time, she wished to ease Aerin’s stress.

Her mouth went into a soft smile at Aerin’s apology; even in rage the man managed to be so polite. It surprised her, yet at the same time seemed exactly like him.

What did not seem like him, however, was the rant he went on after.

But she watched in incentive silence, showing no expression on her face. After all it was normal for most people to vent after a stressful, angering situation. It just did not seem like him was all. Perhaps they were fairly close now, so close that he could vent.

That idea flew away when he stopped mid-sentence; Namari nearly begged him to continue. She wanted to know what was wrong, why their relationship was so off.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to say,” she softly spoke, taking a small step forward towards her friend.
“Though you know you can confide anything to me.”

For a moment there was silence, before she smiled a small smile.
“Or, if there’s anything else I can do for you, feel free to say so. I truly would be happy to help."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin felt a little pained as Namari spoke, saying that he could tell her anything. Oh, how he wished he could. In fact, he was very tempted. He could explain to Namari the reason for all his hatred to his uncle, for indeed it truly was hatred. He loathed the man, and no one understood why. It was hard, especially when you were the one everyone thought was in the wrong. He sighed.

"I wish...I wish I could tell you. But I just can't," Aerin said softly, tilting his head a bit to listen to Elle laugh far off. That too hurt. Elle adored Vlad, loved him so much. Aerin and Vlad were both aware of this, and that made it harder. "Just try not to think little of me if things get worse between Vlad and I. I have my reasons for my feelings regarding him. I just can't...explain them."

Aerin turned to face Namari fully, slowly and gently tapping his cane into the ground. It was nice for Namari to be around though. She really did have a calming effect on him. Otherwise this initial visit would have gotten worse. A lot worse.


(Sorry so short. >.< )

[Namari Lovelle]

(( Short is fine, this one might be short as well! ))

Namari felt a slight pinch of sadness in her; she understood. He truly wanted to tell her. But he could not. Why couldn't he? She believed him when he said he couldn't. She was just so curious as to why.

But these was no use; if he couldn't tell her, he certainly could not tell her why.

Her eyes flickered slightly wide in surprise, just for a moment. The mere mention of thinking little of Aerin sent shivers down her spine. This was serious, if Aerin truly thought there was that possibility.

Namari believed it would not happen, however; in the past she had been friends with thieves, and killers. Even her own lover; as distant as he had become lately, had belonged to a group of savages. She did not believe Aerin could do anything that would make her turn away from him.

"I would never think little of you, Aerin," she soothed, a small smile on her face, despite knowing he could not see it. "You've been nothing but kind to me. Everyone has their bad qualities, and if Vlad brings that out in you - for whatever reason - I'll respect that."

For a moment she just paused, before going a bit red.
"Ah, yes. I should probably ask, then, if it is still alright that I join you for dinner," it was a statement, but she meant it more as a question, "I would not want you to feel more uncomfortable, so I would not be offended if you did not want me to join you."

[Aerin Vaettir]

Aerin smiled a bit when Namari said she wouldn't think little of him. It felt reassuring that she had such confidence in him, even if he warned her that he'd most likely be at his worst. And who knew? Maybe he wouldn't be. Elle seemed correct when she brought Vlad here while Aerin was with Namari. She must have known Namari would keep Aerin in check for the most part, in that strange way women seemed to know men.

Aerin reached out, fingers gently caressing first Namari's shoulder before drifting up to find her cheek.

"Thank you, Namari. It means a lot at you say that," he said softly, gently rubbing his thumb against the smooth, soft flesh of her cheek before withdrawing his hand. He really was glad she was here.

When she put forward her statement question, Aerin tilted his head back a bit and laughed.

"Why of course you may come! Honestly you could drop by in the middle of the night if you wanted, it doesn't matter to me. You're always welcome in my home, no matter what," Aerin said. He sighed a little, rubbing at the bridge of his nose. "Well, I suppose we should be getting back to the others. Wouldn't want them to worry now,would we?"

[Namari Lovelle]

A surprised look dawned on her face, before she smiled a soft smile, nearly moving into the hand pressed against her cheek. But she refrained from doing so, only giving the smile.

She was not used to such forward touching. Close friends would often refrain from any touching in the fear that a guard might tackle them. That was not the case, but many might not want to take the chance. So for Aerin to touch her cheek, it soothed her almost as much as she soothed him.

The Queen went a bit red in embarrassment, but that smile was still on her face as Aerin laughed. Was it really that silly of a question? She supposed it might be. But still, the Queen wanted to be cautious.

Though she had to admit, her heart bounced in joy with the knowledge of being able to attend the dinner.

"I agree, as long as you feel calm enough to go back now," Namari gave a slight chuckle; but now, at least, she would be ready for any remarks Vlad made, now that she knew that he liked to pick on Aerin.

At least now, she would be able to help in keeping both in check. Hopefully.