restless H E A R T syndrome [Ryst]

[Ayameru]

She was going to kill him!

The inn was small, and ran by a humble elderly couple. There were only two others who sought shelter from the road's long path. They mostly kept to themselves drinking tea, or reading a book. However the common room where everyone seemed to be hanging out in was considerably tense. Ok~ Perhaps that was an understatement. It was extremely tense with a certain little fairy pacing about. Her arms crossed over her chest, her eyebrows furrowed, and a scowl formed upon her face.

Oh, she was pissed. How in Din's fiery name did he manage to disappear out of thin air on her? When she got her hands on that troublesome Oocca, she was going to pluck his feathers out, one by one! They're journey had only begun since their departure from the City in the Sky, and already Ryst began to tamper with Aya's impatience, and temper.

Due to her inability to understand the motives behind such an erratic behavior she covered up most of her feelings with anger. Deep down inside, she was worried sick over what has happened to the Lord of the Skies. What in the world was he doing at this hour? Her thoughts were quickly pushed to the side when she sensed stares in her direction. She gave the onlookers a heated glare before realizing that they didn't deserve it, and lowered her head.

With a forlorn sigh, she sought a spot on the couch before plopping onto the furniture placing her folded hands placing them on the back of her head. Her firelight eyes stared up at the ceiling. Her thoughts were filled with the male with great wings, and eyes the color of the evening skies.

"Where the hell are you..." she grumbled.

However it sounded more along the lines of lost puppy whining.

[Ryst Seraphine]

Where was he?

Here.

Well that probably would've been his reply if Ryst had been there when she'd grumbled it. But as it were when those words left her mouth he was making his way down the pathway to the inn, so his timing was just a little bit off. But then it was hard for one to have impeccable timing when there was a knife sticking out of their leg. Ryst limped up to the door, one hand pressing against the wound to keep pressure on it. The blood flow from the wound was slowed by congealed blood, but that didn't stop the fact that there was a knife sticking out of his leg.

With a grunt and a push of his shoulder Ryst pushed the door open and stepped inside. Gingerly he readjusted his coat so that it covered him before he stepped into the common area. Didn't want to startle the nice couple who ran the inn. With a last moment realization he wiped some of the blood away from the corner of his mouth. Not that he cared too much, he had walked the entire way back from a nearby town because one of his wings was broken and walking with a knife in your leg was a lot less painful than flying with a broken wing.

Fortunately Ryst had a wonderful travel companion. While he wasn't just traveling with her because she could heal, it was an incredibly handy little coincidence considering his new choice of pass time. He looked around the common room until he found Ayameru pacing back and forth, then caught her eye and nodded toward the stairs. It wasn't exactly the best idea to sit and chat in the common area when you were bleeding and crippled. He liked to say more, but it was hard to pick words over such pain.

He headed upstairs himself and into the room before collapsing into a chair in the corner, thankful just to get off his legs. With a grimace and a grit of his teeth he grabbed the knife by the hilt and pulled it out of his leg to a new gush of blood and a sigh of relief.

[Ayameru]

Aya started tapping her finger against her arm impatiently. He had to return sometime soon, right? He wouldn't be out nonstop... would he? The sound of the door opening caused everyone's attention to be divided from their stations and turned on over to the new arrival. Even the petite fairy turned her attention on over to the company, and immediately shot up from her seat. Her firelight eyes flickered brightly as they widened at the shock of what fell before her very sight. That temper of hers was placed under an icy slumber the moment her eyes laid forth on Ryst's appearance.

She wasn't sure if anybody else saw it or not, but from the looks of it, they didn't appear so. The company within the common room returned back to what they were doing before, all except, for Ayameru. Her eyes stayed fixated on Ryst. She gave him an owlish look before processing the signals he was making out for her to follow. Shaking her head violently, she pursued the oocca male. Up the stairs, in a sort of calm but rushed mannered hurrying into the room.

As soon as the fire fairy entered the room, she closed the door behind her, before returning her gaze back over to Ryst. At first, she was stunned, however, that expression did not last long before she blew a casket or two. "Dear Din, Ryst!" she exclaimed rushing over to his side. "What the hell... your leg, and your wing too!"

The sight of blood was sickening to the fairy, but this sort of stuff didn't make her squeamish. Blood was the last thing in the world that could make the girl pass out, but it was still not a good sight to see. "Let's look at that cut first," she sighed, kneeling down to the floor, noticing a small puddle of blood forming. His leg was coated in it.

Aya's hands started to glow bright, and warm to the touch. She placed her hands gently upon the wound, and kept it there for a moment or two. As the process of healing began, her firelight eyes peered up at his pale blue. Mixed up emotions began to well up inside of her, frustration, and worry dominating most room in her heart. "Mind explaining how you got these injuries?" she inquired, directing her eyes towards his wound, watching as the gash in his leg began to close up.

[Ryst Seraphine]

There were more injuries than just the ones she could see. He pulled a sword out from under his coat coated in blood and tossed it to the side with a clank. Ryst grunted in response to her inquiries, then grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it slowly over his head. There were bruises and a few more injuries, dried blood clinging to it in places. He tossed it to the side as she began going about her work. "Some people don't like being interrogated. Some people fight back." he murmured, without much more explanation on the matter.

He relaxed in the chair as her white magic went to work. He was remarkably thankful to her for this. It was a long road ahead of them and the wounds could very quickly get the best of him. He sighed and closed his eyes. "This was entirely by accident. I didn't mean to get stabbed," he said dryly, wincing as she poked at the wounds. "Or attacked, or, well," he stopped and thumbed toward his wing, where one of the hollow bones stuck out.

"I was never in danger, so don't worry, Red," he said simply. Sure, they stabbed him, ganged up and assaulted him to the point where he had taken many wounds and broken his wing, but Ryst was totally in control of the situation. That was why at the end of the encounter they were on the ground writhing in pain and he was still standing. With a bloody weapon in his hand. One or two of them might not have made it to help.

"I'm sorry to worry you," he said, the sadness he masked well breaking through momentarily. "I can't say it won't happen again. I got a lead and need to follow it."

[Ayameru]

Why did the sight of a sword coming out of his coat not surprise her? She quirked a brow up giving him a stare that obviously told of one very displeased fairy. She had restrain herself from rolling her eyes at his explanation. She still couldn't believe that he sustained so much damage in one single encounter but the proof was all there in her face. His poor frame was covered in cuts, and blood with the occassional purple spots from where he took impact the hardest. He's changed so much in so little time, she thought solemnly. He didn't smile anymore. It was one of the defining traits she adored the most about him.

The man she met on the top of Snowpeak was long gone now, and in his place was a whole another person. A vigilante hell bent in finding answers. A lord who willingly placed himself in exile, but he was far from lonely. No, he wasn't alone. Aya followed him wherever he went. If anything, she kept his sorry ass alive, least he didn't bleed to death. Though she was well aware that it wasn't just for the medical practicalities that made her company most needed here.

Ryst needed Aya.

It wasn't long before the wound on his leg closed up completely. She did a double check before turning her attention to the next injury that needed the most attention. The wing. Her firelight eyes softened sadly as she reached up, clasping tenderly at the fractured appendage. "Brace yourself," she warned. The light from her hands shone brightly this time as the healing rays began to work. Little by little the protruding bone sank back beneath the skin, but it was far from painless in this process because she was returning the bone back into place before mending it back together. The tips of her fingers traced upon the rough surface of his wing until it found the soft fluff underneath. A wave of relief washed over her body, but her feelings were still all over the place.

"I don't expect it to end... at least not anytime soon," she replied eying him from the side. She didn't even have to worry about him being in any real danger, because she knew how skilled of a fighter he was. How much he was willing to risk in order to get what he wanted. Yet it didn't quench the ache in her chest when she bared witness the aftermath Ryst got himself out of. When she finished patching up his wing, she severed the wedge of space that came between them. Her hands were now caked in his blood, but she paid no heed. Unconsciously, she rubbed her cheek, smudging a bit onto her skin as she grazed her palm onto his wounded torso. Flesh wounds quickly disappeared, and bruises instantly faded from existence. "You jerk," she taunted halfheartedly, "You just want my hands all over you."

So long as they were the only hands he had to hold then she had no room to complain.

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst winced as Ayameru began to work on his wing. Dealing with broken bones always hurt, but the mending was putting it back through the skin, so it was actually excruciating. His hand gripped at the arm of the chair against the pain, but Ryst didn't let it overwhelm him. Hundreds of oocca were dead because of him, the least he could do was take a little bit of pain. How many wings were broken completely before death finally relieved the pain.

He ground his teeth until it was back in place. He stretched the wing to test it as Ayameru turned to the little wounds all over his body. Her comment on the matter caused him to laugh gruffly, then double over holding his ribs. One particular bruise seemed to be covering a broken rib or something. "I can't say I'm complaining," he muttered through the pain, straightening his back stiffly.

"I can never thank you enough for this, Red," he said quietly, stretching stuff muscles and stretching silvery scars, all fairly recent. There was no point in resting, not until he found and punished whoever had dropped the City. Leads were hard to come by. He'd followed two or three into dead ends already since they had left the City. No one seemed to know what had happened, but everyone had theories and that was the best he could do; chasing suspicions and rumors.

"Y'know you don't have to stop once all the wounds are over," he said with a wry but empty grin. "I don't just keep you around because of your magic touch."

[Ayameru]

Aya was ridden with internal grief having to watch as Ryst suffered in her hands. She nearly stopped, but she kept her mind on the task regardless of the pain that came with mending his bones. She couldn't afford to stop half-way. When she started she knew damn well that she had to finish otherwise it would have lead to dire consequences. How did he manage to cope with the affliction? Many would be overwhelmed by the trauma and pass out from the stress alone. Ryst however managed to get by with just clasping him hand onto the arm of the chair, and grit his teeth through it all.

She gasped softly when he doubled over. Her hands quickly rushed over to where he placed his hand getting angry at herself for the most part not realizing the damage sooner. She wasn't sure exactly either was injured from that spot, but it would quickly be healed over in a matter of seconds. Or at least, if it was a broken rib then the bone would be put back in place, and heal over at it's own pace. Anything else that was left behind were scrapes, and small cuts that she would allow his body to naturally heal over time. She couldn't take care of every wound otherwise his own natural healing system would stop functioning. She covered the palm of her hand over Ryst's hand before realized what it was exactly she did.

Her heart began to pound incessantly within her chest. Her stomach was filled with butterflies tickling every inch of her lower abdomen. It wasn't up until now that she realized how much bigger his hands were in comparison to hers. Then again as a whole, he made her feel small, and she couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. A light blush dusted her cheeks as her firelight eyes stared into his pale blue eyes. They were the same blue eyes she came to admire yet it's luster took a total change in hues.

Ever since she was small, Ayameru always hated the color red. It was the color of blood, of spider lilies, and the same damn color she shared with her eight identical sisters. There was nothing special when you looked the same. You tend to loose sight of who you really are, and take for granted that you'll never measure up to be anything but a carbon copy of your kin who came before. At least that was how Aya first thought of it.

Now she was seeing things in a different light. Through the many adventures they've shared together, Feathers has shown her that she did have her own identity. More and more she's grown to love the color red. It no longer was just a shade, but rather a symbol of passion. It was fire that burned the brightest lighting the path through the darkness. It was warm, and loving. Aya loved the color red... but her heart leaped out not for the color. "I think you would enjoy it too much," she retorted impishly. Her left hand floated up to Ryst's face grazing his cheek softly with the tips of her fingers. "Oh really?"

She inched her head close to his; her eager bright eyes staring back into his.

[Ryst Seraphine]

The Vagrant Prince was still down there somewhere. Deep down there. Hidden behind sorrow which was hidden behind a mask. It didn't break through, not recently, though Ayameru always had that gift. That was why Ryst was thankful for her. She reached down inside his heart and soul and found that part of him that wanted her to find him. She found it and brought it to the surface through the sea of sorrow and cracked the mask he hid behind. Sometimes this was for the better, other times this was for the worse.

Even after a night like the one he had Ayameru was able to bring out the Vagrant Prince where the Oocca Lord had long gone. He grinned at her, though the expression was foreign since he'd stepped down. He grinned at her and looked down at her lips as they slowly approached. "Well let's just say you have more than that magic touch the bless me with," he said and leaned forward, closing the gap between them. It pained him, his ribs not entirely healed, but it was worth it.

Their lips touched and for a moment hundreds of oocca still lived. Their lips touched and they kissed, and for a brief second Ryst suddenly forgot the pain he'd felt since that fateful day when the City fell. It was blissful, it was peace, it was escape. But Ryst didn't deserve the escape, so after a few long seconds he drew back and stared into her fiery red eyes, the sadness and the bliss clashing deep within his own blue oceans. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, as if a grin wanted to come out but the mask of remorse was preventing it.

"I will find who did it before I stop. There's very little to work with, but I owe it to every single life that was lost during that fall to find the person respon--" No, he was responsible for all those deaths. "The person who caused the City to fall. And I'm very glad you're here . . . I don't think I'd be able to continue without you, Ayameru." What he had said in the throne room still stood, he was absolutely sure of it, but he wasn't going to press the fact. He didn't need to hear it from her, he just needed to make sure she knew.

[Ayameru]

The Temperamental Flame couldn't help but wonder what if the catastrophe never happened? Where would the two of them gone off to during her visit up in the City? She could still picture herself flying side by side with him. Ryst and Aya racing at the speed of light for silly prizes like children in grade school. He brought out an essence of innocence in the redhead that she never showed anyone before. The only one who truly knew the fairy girl was her twin sister, but even then, they lived separate lives from one another. Ayameru was becoming more aware that Ani was changing just as much as she. Speaking of Ani, she couldn't help but allow her sister's words run through her head from their encounter in Kakariko Village.

She was taken off guard with his grin when it came out of nowhere. Her wide firelight eyes stared helplessly back at him as her heart skipped a beat. Aya didn't realize it until she was so close to Ryst, but despite the metallic scent of blood coating his frame, there laid overwhelming pheromones upon his skin. It was invigorating to say the least - what with her there in lack of experience. She tried her hardest not to seem vulnerable, but that grin on his lips drew her in.

For a moment, no matter how brief, she saw the Vagrant Prince she found herself falling for. The playful feathered friend who teased, and courted her in the most outrageous manners from before. Memories took her back from Snowpeak racing down the slopes on nothing but icicles, to Hyrule Castle where they shared more than a dance at a masquerade. How he stole her first kiss...

She didn't stay long in nostalgia however. No, Ryst broke her out of her state by eroding what wedge there was left between them. She didn't know how it happened, but somehow, she ended up with her slim fingers entwined in his hair. The fire fairy's lips eagerly returned the kiss, perhaps a little too eagerly, in her haste to keep him near to her. There was a hint of fierceness, embers burning the hinges, of what would be a chaste kiss. In that moment, all of Hyrule froze over, and it was only Ryst and Aya together, sharing a moment where their inner most secrets melded as one.

Then it all melted away.

Aya didn't realize she made a face when he broke away, one painted with disappointment, as she got lost in his oceanic optics. The jewels in his skull were hypnotizing in a way that she found it difficult to look in any other direction. Firelight orbs flickered brightly as he spoke, reminding the redhead of why they were traveling in the first place, to figure out the mystery behind the disaster. Her eyebrows furrowed as she shook her head softly. "Don't go emo on me, Feathers," said dryly, "It doesn't suit you."

Darkness was everywhere. Like a inky black fog that hovered in his heart, and there was not the slightest glimmer to be found. Aya wanted to be the one who brings lights his path, so at least when he takes the steps he needs to get closer to his goals, she would shine. "Hear me out," she began to explain, "I didn't ignore your feelings back in the City when you said you love me, and I'm not neglecting them now. Saying I was shocked wouldn't give the description justice... but I digress. It's too soon for me to tell if I reciprocate. Please don't misunderstand, I like you, a lot. I'll be by your side no matter what! Forgive me of my selfish request, but I need time to sort this stuff out."

The sad part of it all was that she'll have plenty of time to sort out her feelings on their journey. Plenty, because they didn't take priority at the moment. They needed to follow the leads they were given in order find the perpetrator behind it all.

[Ryst Seraphine]

He saw the disappointment on her face when they broke apart and it pained him. He knew she was enjoying it, but he didn't deserve the bliss it offered. It was a difficult situation to say the least. He ran his hand back through his hair, now black and cut short to disguise himself. He didn't want to bring any more animosity and anguish down on the City by being recognized while he did what he had to do on the land. Down here he wasn't Ryst Seraphine. Down here he didn't have a name yet.

He should probably try and think of one.

In the meantime he heard Ayameru out. Her words brought the shades of a smile to his face. When she finished he reached out and stroked her cheek gently. "I know my words were abrupt and it wasn't the ideal situation. I just . . . it's been a hard few weeks and I needed to know if you were really there for me. What I said there still stands, all the words were true and I still need you. For both the obvious reasons," he said, rubbing his other hand against his leg where the knife had been, "And the less obvious reasons."

Screw it.

Ryst's hand shifted to cup her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her again. Even in his current state he couldn't resist; the way her lips caught the light and glistened ever so slightly was so incredibly alluring to him, drew him in as if they were inviting him forward. This time he didn't draw away, either. She was there to support him, she was there to help him despite everything. The least he could do was not disappoint her. Hand cupped against her cheek he pressed his lips against hers and held them there, drawing her gently toward him.

[Ayameru]

So frustrating.

Every inch of her being burned for his attention despite that it was all hers. A tint of guilt rid on her shoulders wondering if her feelings for the moment were one sided. Was it in her place to want to know how to handle these new feelings? Ryst had enough to worry about for now, and it didn't help that she was only adding to more weight by asking such a trivial thing. Though was it really fair on her part? Ayameru was conflicted terribly with what was right. She didn't like these two way answers, because in the end she found herself hovering through a wave of heartache. Looking at his new appearance, she had to keep reminding herself that it was the same man from before. This was Feathers.

The man who stole her immature heart.

The fire fairy blinked. He... smiled. The first time after a long time, and it belonged to the redhead, and her alone. His hand stroking her warm blushed brushed cheeks felt a shiver down her spine. Her eyes flickered again brightly when he spoke, and all she did was listen. "I will never let you fall," she spoke softly, "I will stand up with you forever." Her hand rested on top of his once more nuzzling his palm lovingly. Her bright red eyes filled with earnest feelings for her flighty oocca male. "I'll be there for you through it all, even if, saving you sends me to heaven."

Make up your mind, dammit, she chided mentally.

Her lithe arms wrapped around his neck and laid limp upon his shoulders as he drew her close. Ryst leaned in and pressed his lip against hers once more, which the fairy didn't hesitate to return back. Her breath hitched within her throat feeling his slow beckoning tugs pull her closer to him. That impish smile never left her lips as she contemplated for a split second wondering how he would - nevermind~ Let's just do it and find out.

Drawing herself as close as she could, placing herself comfortably in his lap as she raised herself a bit. Red was the color her face stayed aware that she was straddling him~ In the process, her scarlet locks acted like a curtain of sorts, as if hiding away what should only be shared between the two of them. It was too close for comfort, but she couldn't find herself fighting it off.

[Ryst Seraphine]

This was reprieve and while he didn't believe for a second he deserved it Ryst couldn't bring himself to stop either. Their lips touching, the gap between their bodies closing, it was nice, it was bliss, and it was beyond his grasp. Except not now. Ryst found himself fading more and more into the bliss of the kiss, before reminding himself that this was for her. She was doing so much for him, he had to return the favor somehow, and this was perhaps the only way he knew how. No, not him.

The Vagrant Prince. His cupped hand slid slowly across her face as she drew closer. His fingers parted the strands of hair as his hand dug in. It pulled through a length of her hair carefully, not pulling the hair but massaging the scalp as his hand worked its way to the back of her head, resting at the top of neck and pulling her toward him. He held that kiss as if it were the only thing in the world and for the second time that night the pain and anguish of a hundred lots souls no longer existed for him.

But there was a pang of guilt, followed by a rush of anxious worry as he remembered how much he had worried something had happened to her. Was she worth the hundreds of oocca who had died? Was that his call to make? The anxiety took the form of a momentary lapse in the kiss, but Ryst quickly returned and kissed her again, this time with twice the passion as before. Whether she was worth a hundred oocca or not was out of the question. She was there with him, safe after the catastrophe, and he found that thought washed away every morsel of that worry.

As she shifted and rose herself up onto his lap Ryst's free hand, the one that wasn't resting behind her head, found her hip and rested on top of it momentarily before drifting around behind her to rest against the small of her back, pulling her into him in a half hug embrace. All the pain in the world couldn't take away that moment of bliss and for that reason Ryst was eternally grateful to Ayameru.

[Ayameru]

Aya felt so selfish. Her head was spinning around thoughts orbiting around in circles, and the gravitational pull was Ryst. He went through so much in so little time. He wasn't given a moment's reprieve since all of this started happening. He wouldn't allow himself to feel peace so long as the weight of those who've died weighed down upon his already heavy grief ridden heart. Aya didn't want this just for herself, but would she be a hypocrite if she tried to justify this bliss was for both of them?

This is what she needed to help her innocent heart grow out of the ignorance of youth. Ryst was the only male who took the time to show her how to break free from the strings that bound her to the mindset of her childhood. She was no longer the youngest of nine identical sisters, and one fraternal twin. The runt of the bunch was now someone for somebody else to love with all of his heart.

Now she was trying to catch up to his feelings. Aya did not want to leave him alone, and although she's known it this whole time her still growing emotions refused to reciprocate. So selfish, she belittled herself. Her mind argued that this act of intimacy should be wrong, but her body protested otherwise that this is what she wanted. Her breathing became slow, and shallow as she felt his hand glide from her cheek through her cascading scarlet locks until it found a comfortable perch behind her head, laying limp behind her neck.

How could being held so close feel so warm, and gentle? From the rims of her mouth, she could taste the sweetness in his love, like fine wine aged over the years, the experience she concluded she felt secure of him having, if only, because he knew how to treat her right. Was it alright for her to get lost in his kiss? It was worth the risk to find out~

When they're lips split apart for that brief moment a small gasp escaped from her lips as if she was holding her breath that entire time. A kiss that left her breathless but Ryst was relentless showing no sympathy for her lips before he returned the kiss. A soft moan choked from her throat and into Ryst's mouth as she shuddered within his hold. Could she justify her actions in the past to how many years worth of frustrations and buried emotions did she have left to go through? Hardships had yet begun, and already she was lamenting what this journey would entail. There was a taste of bitter that stayed on the edge of her tongue, but she took it all from him. The bitterness, the sorrow, the insecurity would burn like oil for a lantern, lighting the way so that he could see Aya was in his arms.

The fire fairy quite enjoyed the feel of his calloused hand on her until it was wrapped around her slim waist pulling her into an embrace. Warmth permeated from her body as she enjoyed the rush of her heart beating so loud. Her lithe little fingers tangling themselves within his locks of ebony hair before she broke away, if only to catch her breath that he stole away. "Dirty rotten thief," she taunted breathy. Despite her halfhearted remark, she enjoyed it.

Even if it was still selfish.

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst couldn't help but grin as she broke the contact between their lips to make her little comment. "Once upon a time," he murmured back. The Vagrant Prince gained that title through deeds, not because it sounded neat. In his youth he'd been somewhat of a rogue, he'd gotten into trouble for all sorts of things. Actual thievery was there, though it was never out of avarice or need. Ryst had stolen as part of his play, framing his friends and the likes. They'd get accused and as prince he was able to pardon them after some teasing.

He wondered if any of those friends had been caught in the fall of the City. The thought brought back all the pain that had momentarily been relieved. He closed his eyes and swallowed back the pain, but with that fresh resurgence of thoughts Ryst suddenly felt the mischief fade out of him. He bit at his bottom lip and sat up straight. His hands pulled her close to him and lifted her up as he stood up out of the chair, then turned around and sat her down in his place.

With a few strides he put himself in front of the window as he tried to battle down those emotions that rose and fell deep inside of him as the memory of the catastrophe wore away at him. His fingers curled into a white-knuckled fist and it was all he could do to stop himself from doing something drastic. The fist collided with one of the support beams that framed the window, hard enough that it caused his knuckles to get bloody and left a little dent in the wood where he had connected.

"I'm sorry, it's just . . . well you know." She'd been travelling with him for some time now, she knew what he was going through. He could be out there tracking down leads, following them, and at the very least simply battling against the troublemakers of the world. He'd taken it upon himself to fight against criminals and the likes while he traced those leads. He didn't want to see anyone falling victim to tragedy like he had seen because a criminal got too ambitious.

[Ayameru]

"That's not surprising," she giggled. She could only imagine the kind of pranks he pulled on people when the Vagrant Prince came out of his cage. Things that would make the Ooccan court cry tears that would make the Great Flood look like a puddle probably. Ok, perhaps that was a bit of an exaggeration, but Aya was allowed to have a wild imagination. Something in the back of her mind told her that he probably just did it just because he knew he could, and it would put emphasis on his title. When his spirits was high, and he didn't have a care in the world to hold him down. How she longed to prolong the rush of running her slim fingers through his raven hair, and sharing silent but serene stares back and forth between fire, and icy eyes.

Though that glimmer of mischief, and quickly faded from his eyes only to be replaced by a pained painted expression across his lethargic features. His posture became stiff as he straightened his back sitting up properly in the seat. She blinked a couple times absentmindedly before being drawn into a loving embrace. Aya couldn't help but wonder if he could hear how loud her heart was pounding with their chests pressed against one another.

Her errant thoughts were drawn away when she noticed how easily he picked her up, and sat Aya down on his spot. When he released her, she caught herself from making a face this time around, trying to keep her new feelings down to a minimum. The immature fairy was struggling a bit on that part~ She was disappointed once again initially, but then that mood quickly turned into confusion.

She tensed up as she watched the turmoil begin to take a tangible form via a fist forming. She flinched slightly upon hearing the impact of his knuckles colliding with the support beams of the window. Her firelight eyes flickered brightly noticing his hand turning red. When he calmed his nerves down he was rather quick to apologize, but she could only shake her head softly. She rose up from her seat, and walked over his side grabbing his bloodied hand. Her right hand underneath holding on, the left gently on top as she patched it up. "Memento Mori, Feathers," she replied solemnly. Remember your mortality. "You'll do the deceased no good if you neglect to treat your body right... You may end up joining them before you find the perpetrator."

He wouldn't do Aya any good if he kept mutilating himself. What a mood killer, she grumbled mentally. Nothing like a good dosage of your classic angst to ruin one romantic aspect of their stay at the inn. Though she guessed that it was probably for the best that they kept it that way. "Think of it this way, would the victims of that accident wish to see their ruler the way he is now? Perhaps we find the person or group behind it all, would you honestly be satisfied in the end with just punishing him/her/them?" she speculated.

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst shook his head to her. She was trying to understand, but she couldn't. He appreciated the effort, nonetheless. "As long as I can put one foot in front of the other I can continue on. It doesn't matter if my hand is bloodied, if my wings are cut off or may bones broken. So long as I can continue on I must, and so long as I must I cannot stop I have to fight for them." Just being there was tearing him apart. He wanted to be there with Ayameru, yes, but he wanted to be out working the beat, too.

Rest was something Ryst just didn't see him affording for himself. He could continue onward until his body collapsed, at which point it'd get the rest it needed and he'd continue on from there. He didn't want to have to stop until he had brought justice to the memory of his people. His teeth ground together as he thought about that bitter hatred he had for this situation, for the person who did it, and for himself for not having some evacuation plan. The thought of a section of the city falling had never really crossed his mind.

Damn ooccan arrogance.

It was a mistake he had to learn from. The oocca were not infallible and neither was their technology, no matter how advanced it was. Were he back on the throne he'd have his engineers by now searching the wreckage to see what had happened, what had failed. The wreckage. He had arranged search efforts before he had left, a burden he took off of Vriska when he left her the throne. He wondered if it would be absurd of him to go to the wreckage. He swore he'd not return to the City, but did that still count? Considering he was traveling to seek revenge for the dead, perhaps paying the dead a visit would be needed.

"I want to see to it that the dead can rest. They died unfairly, because of whoever dropped the city, because of me. They deserve to see at least one of us off, and I don't plan on dying until I find whoever caused it. I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep dwelling on it like this . . . it's unfair to you, too." He closed his eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed in the room. "I imagine it must get old listening to me repeat this over and over again."

[Ayameru]

Embers in her crimson eyes started to rise it's greedy little hands clinging passionately as it burned bright with frustration. She began to question why did she bother when her words were put on the side like a book placed in a shelf. It took all of her willpower not to go up to him and punch him, a nice right hook to the face to help knock some sense into him. However the fact that he was already covered in blood, and bruises as it was put a damper on that little urge. Still, he was pissing her off to no end! Though she had to look at this another way or he was going to drive her crazy... and not in the good way either!

It was amazing that she didn't manage to ball her hand into a fist from him beating on a dead horse. Her patience was running thin, and as much as she understood the dilemma going on here, she was put at a loss on what to do about it. Aya could only pray that he didn't think about jumping out of the window, taking off on her from this. She would hunt him down, and break not only the bones she just mended, but every bone in his body if he tried anything reckless.

Aya would do anything to keep him there with her, because by the end of the day, she'll know that he'll return back to her. Funny thing, she was all worked up now when later she knew that when she could no longer hold him close to her, he'll set off again following the leads he attained. "You do so much already for one person, Ryst," she argued, "I'd much prefer you not dying before or after this adventure. You're not friggin' Batman hunting down a Joker here."

The wicked never rested. Always plotting, always devising the next big scheme, always ready to reap what misery they sowed into the hearts of the innocent. Ryst wanted to be ahead of the game. He was used to playing the games of strategics between his courtroom, and being on top. In retrospect, he was on top of almost everything. Now that he's come down to earth, he was on an entirely different playing field. It didn't mean he had to take the same route as the villains did. Aya couldn't help but allow a sigh escape from her lips following Ryst like a lost puppy.

However when she moved to the edge of the bed, she pinned him down like a lioness, flaring her firelight eyes straight into his pale blue again. She had to break the ice before it become a glacier otherwise she may not be able to reach out to him. One moment he was hanging by a moment here with her, then the next minute he let go getting lost in the dark.

"You can repeat it as many times as you like, convince yourself until the day you die that's it's your fault, and search to the ends of the earth for whoever caused that shit to happen, Ryst," she spoke softly, but the flames were still there, and hot as ever, "but nobody is pointing fingers at you. Nobody ever had... I'm not saying get over it, or anything of that sort. This is your people we're talking about, but Goddesses, don't think you have to shoulder this entirely on your own."

She buried her face against his chest if only to cover up the tears that welled up in her eyes before spilling over from her crimson eyes. As a fairy, she can mend bones in a heartbeat, but a girl, even she didn't have the power to mend a broken heart. She couldn't imagine being without him.

And so she wept her worries.

[Ryst Seraphine]

Ryst fell back onto the bed as she pinned him down. He wasn't exactly of the spirits to fight back, so he was an easy catch for that fiery lioness. He looked up at her as she spoke to him, his piercing blue eyes flickering between that cold mask and the sorrow that was hidden beneath it. She was so fiery, it was hard not to take her words and relish in them, but he had a task to focus on. He had the dead to appease, and though she couldn't see it like he did, that didn't change the fact that he had chosen his mission.

"No one could point fingers because they were unable. The dead can't place blame, but they can be put to rest," he said in response to her words, though he wasn't sure how much of that she took in, considering a moment later she had her face buried into his chest. The action caused a surge of pain in his ribs, but Ryst didn't react in the slightest to it. He looked down at her as she buried her face, and he could feel the warmth of her tears against his bare skin.

That set his mind to thinking once more. He was taking all of this on himself to put the dead to rest, to avenge all the tears spilt because of the catastrophe, but what of the tears shed on the way to that goal? Did Ayameru deserve to be put through this torture just because of him? He had asked her to come along and why? She could heal him, she could support him when he needed her, but what did she get in return? Tears, frustration and worry, it seemed. Yet she stuck by him. Why? He watched the top of her head as her tears moistened his flesh and his thoughts whirled further.

One hand found her back, resting against her shoulder blades, while the other one cupped her chin and tilted her head upward to face him. There was new resolve in his eyes. He still had a mission to accomplish, but she was accompanying him, supporting him, and the tears were something she didn't deserve. A gentle grin spread across his face, more warmth than had been there since they had left, but still only a shade of the grins he'd used to wear. "Hey, careful. Your eyes are already red enough, don't you think?" he said softly, the words of the Vagrant Prince. That was what she deserved, the part of him that had fallen in love with her.

[Ayameru]

Why did she stick by him? He was difficult to understand, stubborn to a fault, and it drove the poor girl insane. Aya had to think about what she was getting herself into. She could not justify her reasons for being with him out of confidence because she didn't have any to explain the insecurity that built up in her. It is true that she agreed to come with him when he asked her back in the City, but the naive fairy didn't know what it would entail. She didn't expect that she'd be crying over it, but she couldn't stop the flow of liquid salt, giving her a release of sorts. As if all the evil that had put that ache in her heart had been washed away with letting go of the tears that found it's way out.

Her thoughts were drawn over to the very concept she found so hard to realize. Perhaps it may have made sense now, if only a little, but Ryst did say he loved her. The oocca male had a tight grip on reality, but he couldn't let go of what's in front of him here. She nearly missed what he said entirely, but she managed to grasp the important part of what he said. The dead couldn't point fingers, but that didn't mean they grieved over the loss of their untimely end. Perhaps they did, but it didn't mean that their losses wouldn't be avenged. In the end, after all of the grieving is done, what more can they do?

A thought struck her after she noticed she pinned him down. She was on top of him when she should have been more careful with his ribcage! Aya attempted to withdraw herself off of him, but the soft pressure of one hand resting against her back took her off guard. Her firelight eyes stained with tears stared down at the man who cupped her head to look him in the eyes. The grin on his lips shattered the walls of the little fairy's heart as if a rock had been thrown on a sheet of glass. A small laugh escaped from her lips turning that frown that stayed there for the most part of their conversation upside down. "You masochist," she commented.

She eyed his bare top appreciating view from her position causing her impish smile to return back upon her mouth. Ayameru couldn't help but wonder... how many other women from his past were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him shirtless? Her thoughts quickly turned to another question. How many feathered femmes would kill to see their young Lord shirtless. That was Aya's maturity right there for you~ Though she had to joke with him a bit since the mood lightened slightly. "Do you usually have your women on top?" she asked, lowering her head so that her face was close to his.

[Ryst Seraphine]

The past relationships and encounters were something Ryst tactfully avoided whenever around Ayameru. In his infinite wisdom he gathered that women didn't like to hear about their man and other woman, or at least that's what his experience told him to this point. He could only assume that his little fiery fairy would take the same approach, and with his bruised ribcage at her mercy he really wasn't eager to test exactly how sadistic she could get. Sure, she could heal wounds, but fairies also packed a sting.

Still that grin remained firmly in place as he saw that impish grin return to her face. That's what he wanted. Ayameru was his companion, not his crutch, and while she could help him when he was hurt she didn't deserve to have the weight of his world weigh down on her. No, she deserved to have something special, which meant he'd save every smile, every grin and joke just for her. She deserved to smile considering all she had to bear. But then the little fairy was adventuresome anyway, wasn't she?

Adventurers preferred the weight of gold over the burden of emotion.

Well for the most part. Ayameru certainly didn't seem to lack emotion, but it was raw, fiery, unpredictable and totally natural. It was hers, and he couldn't take that away from her. But she didn't deserve his own.She didn't deserve the weight of the sky pushing down on her fire. It would only smother her and that was something he didn't want. She was passionate, warm, colorful, all the descriptors of fire, and like fire she deserved space to flicker and dance, to be herself.

His burden would be his to bear alone. "Whenever I have bruised ribs it is preferred," he said calmly. "Just careful where you lean your weight." The little fairy's weight would hurt in the wrong spot, but bruised ribs made it really hard to support one's own weight. "Why? Do you have a preference?" he teased.