Sunrise. The burning orange ball slowly poked above the mountains surrounding Edinmire. Raine squeezed her eyes shut; the sun shone clearly through her east-facing window and into her eyes.
Nooooo... She internally moaned. it's too early... A whole day had passed since she first visited the templar. Only Natani and Raine had interacted with him, brought him food and water, otherwise took care of him. Madelyn had wanted a chance to interrogate him, but to protect the other's identity she wasn't allowed.
Then the truth of the matter hit her. Today was the day. Today, she got Zen back. Her heart fluttered.
Don't think about it like that, Raine chastised herself. he's just a friend. Squinting, she lifted herself out of bed and stumbled over to the massive dresser against the wall. Each drawer was empty, and Raine threw back her head and moaned. A terrible start to such an exciting day. She threw a blanket around her shoulders and crept out the door, down the hall, and towards the laundry room.
She thought.
Left at the fork, down the hall, third door on the right, right? She thought to herself. Her mind mulled over the instructions Rose had given her last time she'd needed laundry done. Or was it right at the fork, second door on the left? Or was it two rights? The legacy manor was too big for her. "Agh, this is so confusing." She banged her head against the wall in rage saying "I should have asked Rose for directions."
"Well, you still can, dear." Rose's refined accent came from directly beside her. Raine jumped.
"Holy crap, Rose!" As she landed on the ground, she braced herself against the wall and caught her breath. "You scared me!"
"Being startled isn't good cause to use foul language, Raine," Rose said. "Come now, let's get your laundry done. Remember, two lefts!" Rose set off at a brisk pace down the hall, and Raine had to trot to keep up. Reaching the door, Rose turned the knob and threw the door open. The laundry room was well lit, a large bay window on one side, and a pair of sconces on the other wall. A washtub was already filled, vapours rising off the warm water. Various soaps sat on the edge, and a pile of Raine's dirty laundry (including things Rose had made for her during their time here) was in a basket, ready to be washed.
"Thanks, I-" Raine turned, but she was all alone. Rose was nowhere to be seen. Only mildly scared, Raine set about washing her clothes. The mundane tasks faded into the background, and her mind wandered to the operation to take place that day. The Templar seemed scared for his life with Natani around, so unless he's harbouring a major grudge he seems like he will cooperate.
What if... no, Raine, don't think about it! a melancholy thought slipped into her head. Let's be real... what if he can't save Zen? Raine gritted her teeth and forced the thought to the back of her mind. She turned her attention to her clothes. Lots of blue.
Well, I hope I look good in blue. Time flew by as she finished her laundry, hanging it to dry before slipping out the door.
By that time the mid-morning sun glanced off the grand windows, lighting the great halls of the manor. She tiptoed past the elegant spiral staircase to the kitchen. The sound of tired chatter rose through the air, and Raine paused to listen.
"... So I kneed the prick in the balls and made a break for it," one gruff voice regaled the others with a story.
Natani, Raine wagered, definetly Natani.
"I grabbed the amulet around his neck and used for leverage to shank him."
"Natani, you said you took the amulet while he was asleep!" Another voice chimed in. Male, but not nearly as coarse as Natani's.
And there's Keith. Raine smiled. They were a funny couple; you'd never see them do anything remotely romantic, but when nobody was watching... her mind drifted to just recently when she caught them snuggling in their sleep.
"I-I did?" Natani's embarrassed squeak betrayed her tough story. "n-no I di--"
"Yeah, you did! Maddie, back me up here!" Keith responded. Raine could hear the smile in his voice.
"He's right, miss Nat... Um, I mean mister."
Raine could almost hear Natani's glare, and she decided to move before things got worse for Maddie. She slipped into her room and dropped the blanket on the bed. Stepping over to the magic table, she gathered various items: cloth, needles, thread. She had learned how to sew from her caretaker, gaining proficiency to the point where she could read and sew confidently. Before too long, she had roughed out a blue sundress, made with the thin cloth from the table tied in the back with some ribbon.
Not my finest work, but I only need it for today she thought, regarding herself in the mirror. She hadn't even bothered to hem it properly, and the ends of the cloth were fraying. Confident she wouldn't be too embarrassed, she walked out the door and down the stairs to the kitchen. As the kitchen came into full view, she saw that Kathrine, Trace, and Flora had joined the party. Keith and Natani were locked in an arm wrestle, their arm shaking as they grunted at each other. Maddie sipped some juice beside Kat, both watching the battle. Trace and Flora sat off to one side, quietly eating their fill. Raine walked over to the counter and peered around for tea things.
"Phew, good one, Keith" Natani panted as he pinned her wrist to the table.
"Aw, gross!" Maddie yelled, falling out of her chair. Raine whirled around to see Natani had grabbed the front of Keith’s shirt and brought him in for a kiss. As she released him, Keith smiled at her.
"You're rather confident for having just lost."
"eh, what can I say?" she replied, flopping back into her seat. "Today's looking to be a good day." Raine located a teabag and dropped it into a cup of hot water. She grabbed a slice of toast and sat between Natani and Flora. She raised the toast to her mouth, but as she bit her hand was stilled.
"Woah, woah, woah!" Natani said, staring with a vaguely shocked expression at Raine. "Careful now! You can't eat bread."
"I can't? Why not?" she replied. Natani opened her mouth to answer, but Flora beat her to it.
"Because Keidran can't digest it. You'll get really sick."
"So do you all just eat meat?" Raine asked.
"I ate a potato once," Natani said, nodding. "Almost gave me dysentery. That sucked."
Raine shrugged and found some bacon.
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The attic was as dusty as always. The captured Templar stood if you can call it that, in the corner. The white wolf had been kind enough to prop him up on his feet and knees to feed him. At the time, it seemed like a smart gesture. Now, his toes burned like acid from kneeling. His shoulders were cramping from being hog-tied all day, and he could hardly breathe through his nose. It seems as if an eternity had passed since he had last been fed, and even longer since he had first woken up in here. He grunted through his nose, trying to dislodge the dust embedded within. His efforts were without avail.
His head sagged, and he relaxed his body. But before he could react, he felt himself falling forward. His head collided with the wooden floorboards, and he bounced slightly on his protruding stomach. The fat templar sighed.
"Time for waiting's over!" the door slammed open and the two wolves stepped through. The brown one spoke in broken human with an almost unintelligible accent. The white one was refined but considerably quieter. They both lifted him by his arms. The brown one pulled out a wicked-looking knife, and the templar braced for the oncoming attack. But with a deft touch of an experienced assassin, the blade sliced through the ropes, freeing him completely.
The white wolf muttered something to the other, and the brown one responded with a phrase he actually knew: "don't care."
They dragged him through the door and down a short hallway, stopping at a trapdoor. A careful series of movements proceeded, one of which included him getting dragged down the ladder by the brown one. The templar was once again dragged down the hall, but he finally got a proper look at where he was being held hostage.
"Oh gods," he gasped aloud. "We-we're in the Legacy manor? I was only here once, during one of his famous parties. But..." A wicked thought entered his head. "I can report this to the guard! You'll all get it."
"Shot et," the big wolf muttered.
The smaller one in blue use a little more tact. "The city guard knows we're here. We're under the protection of the Duke of Edinmire."
"bullcrap," the templar responded, "he's only rumoured to have returned. There's no way..."
His mouth fell open as a blue-haired figure walked across the hallway with a male tiger. "He's gay?" he questioned, stunned.
The tiger turned to stare at him, enraged. "Do I look like a man to you?" she said, gesturing to her body. "Actually, don't answer that. You've already stepped in it once." Contented, the pair walked away.
They crossed the balcony over the foyer and turned into a room. They released him, while one closed the door and another lit the lights.
His eyes turned to a figure on the bed. Another brown wolf, male, with slightly sandier fur.
I don't like sand, it's coarse and... focus! Your bloody life depends on this. He strained his mind back to his new patient and lifted the blanket.
"That's your problem now," the white one began. "get to work."
He inspected the target area. A leg, burnt to a crisp by apparent magic. There were faint runes singed into the limb. "Wow, this is one of the worst regeneration spells I've ever seen!" he noted the novice handiwork. "A good try, but still poorly done." A shuffle could be heard behind him, one wolf restraining the other. He heard whispers in Keidran.
Off to work, then.
|---------------------------------------------------------|
Natani's mind wandered from the operation. It was frankly boring, and while the prospect of having her brother back was great, it was tedious at best. The templar muttered under his breath, incantations influencing the magic flowing through his hands. At various points, he would ask questions of Raine, such as "where the soul was". Raine occasionally relayed questions to Natani, as she had more magic experience.
Dang it, Zen! Once you're back you'd better get back on your feet.
|---------------------------------------------------------|
Zen yawned. He had been floating behind Natani all day, his only link to the real world. He had witnessed some hilarious things, ones she didn't even know she had done.
I guess that's the benefit of never needing to sleep. You never miss a moment.
He chuckled inwardly, reminiscing on Keith's suffering as Natani farted in the middle of the night. It always happened, always exactly 2 months after her estrus, she would have major gas attacks. They both suffered at each other’s hand the first year, but since it had only been her.
Zen walked up behind Raine and wrapped his arms around her. He had never been able to feel her, but he liked being close to her. Something about her made him feel... safe. She was his guardian angel. But something was different this time. He could almost feel, no, he could her waist in his grasp.
She stiffened in front of him, and they gasped in unison.
Zen's vision began to fade, and he stumbled backwards. His lungs felt like they were burning, his heart pounding. He hadn't felt like that for days. His vision faded to black, and he could feel himself hyperventilating.
"Zen?" Raine murmured. She had felt something around her waist, and she looked up at the still figure in bed. His chest rose and fell, ever so slightly at first, but it became faster and faster. Finally, his eyes snapped open and he took a huge breath.
"Wha--" he stumbled over his words, his body having had no use for a long while. "It work-*cough*-ed, I'm back!" His eyes ached from the light, but he managed to focus on the two figures at his bedside. "You guys, you... saved me." They reached down in unison and lifted him into a bear hug, tears streamed from all eyes.
"I've been out for so long, and the first thing I need is a nap!" He chuckled slightly, his lungs feeling raspy. "And maybe some water."
Natani stood. "I'll find Rose, or get it myself, but I'll be righ--" Natani froze. "guys, don't look now but the templar is gone."
Sure enough, the templar had disappeared. Natani flung the door open and breathed a sigh of relief. Maddie had the fat lad in a headlock. Rose stood behind him, a paddle in hand, ready to spank the lardy templar.
"Ah, right." Rose paused and handed the paddle to Maddie. "You needed water. I'll be back!" She set off down the hall, and Natani followed closely behind, speedwalking towards the kitchen. Maddie began beating the crap out of the templar.
|---------------------------------------------------------|
Back in the room, Raine and Zen were still hugging.
"I missed you so much, and I spent forever planning, working--"
"shh, Raine." He hushed. "I know. I spent the whole time following you all around. I know the great lengths you went to for me." He looked deep into her big yellow eyes, and she gazed into his warm brown ones. "Thank you, and... I love you."
Raine pulled him even closer. "Zen, I..." She heard a little voice within. Just say it already! "I love you too." And while her confidence was boosted, she pulled him into a kiss. They sat there a minute, their embrace as passionate as ever. Then Zen pulled out and collapsed onto the pillow. Raine's heart stopped until she heard a snore ring forth. She smiled and pulled the blanket over them both. She curled up beside him and lay her head on his chest. The stress, the adrenaline, the work, had all paid off. She fell asleep too, a faint smile played across her face.
Natani thundered down the hall, water in hand, a wet trail of what she had spilt followed her down the carpet. Her pace slowing, she opened the door and looked in. She immediately stilled and tiptoed closer to the sleeping couple. Setting the water on the bedside table, she smiled at the two.
"Well done Zen," she whispered. "You got a keeper." She closed the door behind her, and in doing so, closed the door to another chapter of her life.