Just some silliness to keep the folder going. Hoping to get back to this soonish!

Just a little something silly to keep the folder going :lol: ...

https://youtu.be/tK2DrddIvys

There was nothing more to say, it seemed, at least not about this. He surrendered to her kiss, trusting her to fulfill this wish of his, as silly as it might seem. He felt a strong tug of homesickness and a strong tie to the family he'd left back home who likely believed him dead. He just couldn't leave them like that, and he needed them to know he was not only safe but happy.

   A scuffling dragging sound drew Leia's attention from Jake briefly, her eyes turning toward the sight of Sloti coming toward them backwards, dragging Rory's pack behind him determinedly. It said a lot for how determined the creature was that he'd managed to move the pack at all - Rory didn't exactly travel light. Leia glanced at Jake, utterly bemused.

   "What is he doing?" Jake asked curiously as he turned his gaze toward the sound of scuffling and the sight of the ferret dragging something their way. "Is that Rory's pack? You better put that back, or he's gonna kill me!" Jake warned the ferret.

   Ignoring him for a moment, Sloti turned his attention to unzipping one of the compartments on the pack, wiggling inside. "What is he doing?" Leia wondered in astonishment. She'd not seen Sloti work anything like this on his own initiative for several years at least. After a moment of scuffling about, the ferret reappeared, pushing a small black velvet covered box in front of him, which found its way onto Jake's boot. Apparently the little creature wanted to be helpful, even if he was being a little thief to do it.

   Jake watched, a little puzzled and almost in a fit of panic, worrying that if Rory caught the little creature, he just might shoot him, but then he wasn't as grim as, well, Grimm. He didn't need any explanation when the little creature pushed the box onto Jake's boot. Jake leaned over to pick the box up, looking both shocked and curious. "Are you crazy? This belongs to Rory. He's probably waiting for the right moment to give it to Sam," Jake said, contemplating the box for a moment. "Do you think it would hurt to take a peek?" he asked, unable to suppress his curiosity. It didn't do much for his ego to know that both Rory and John got their girls rings, and Jake had not.
   
   "Sloti ..." Leia's tone was more than enough to warn the little ferret that he may have gone a little too far in his zeal to be helpful this time. He chittered up at her, scrambling up Jake's leg to nestle between them. "That isn't yours to take," she told the ferret. "You need to put it back where you found it. But thank you, for trying." She stroked his head reassuringly, looking to Jake with a smile. "It couldn't hurt to look, could it?"

   Jake felt a little bit sneaky taking a peek at Sam's ring before Rory had a chance to give it to her, but it was far too tempting an opportunity to pass up. "We'll just take a peek," Jake said, as he pushed the little velvet box open, as curious as a cat... or maybe a ferret.

   With Leia and Sloti leaning in for a peek with him, the raising of the little lid revealed a very simple ring. White gold, perhaps, or platinum, with a single diamond set in its center - very traditional, and somehow very fitting for the woman it had been bought for. Leia smiled, touched by how well Rory knew Sam to have bought her something so pretty. "Isn't it lovely?"

   "Yeah, it is," Jake said, trying hard to hide the envy from his voice, the soreness from his heart. Though Leia had said he'd given her everything she wanted, he wished he could give her something as lovely as this - a symbol of his love for everyone to see. He thought about sliding it onto Leia's finger, but decided against it. The ring belonged to Rory, and Sam was the only one who had a right to wear it. He closed the lid and slid it back into the pack. "You better take this back before Rory misses it," he told the furry little thief.

   With a long suffering sigh, Sloti jumped down and began to laborious task of dragging the pack back to where Rory had left it in the first place, leaving the lovers alone once again. Leia looked up at Jake, concern filling her for the ache she could feel inside him. She slid closer, drawing his arm about her shoulders as she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "I would wear your ring with pride, a'maelamin," she told him softly. "When the time is right."

   "I know," he said, wrapping that arm about her shoulders to pull her close, as he turned his head to touch his lips against her temple. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," he told her quietly, the sadness slowly fading, leaving him feeling peaceful and content with her beside him.

   "You needed me," she murmured softly, cuddling under his arm as her own wrapped about his waist, reveling in the peace that spread through him and into her. "Just as I needed you." An impish bubble of mirth rippled from her to him as she recalled their first meeting, or rather, their first night. "You were so sure there was nothing you could offer me. I've never known how to tell you that you're everything to me, a'maelamin. Everything I would want, need, or wish for. It's all you."

   He felt a wave of guilt at her words, realizing that he might not be able to say the same. As much as he loved her, he loved his sister, too, and his niece, though he loved them in a different way. They were family, Leia was his other half. "I love you, too, Leia," he told her. "I don't want anyone but you." He wasn't very good with words, and it was the best he could do.

   She smiled, understanding that guilt. If she had had any family remaining, she would have felt that same tug. "I know," she murmured, both to his words and to that wave of guilt she could feel in him.

   "What are we gonna tell the others?" he asked, unsure how to tell them they were leaving, if only for a short while. At least, they weren't in the middle of a job, and with John and Ailis just married, maybe it was a good time to take a few days off.

   "The truth," she said assuredly. "The Chief can't begrudge you a little time to spend with your family, and if he does, I will talk to him." Despite her stature and apparently fragility, it was well known among the little mercenary group that the Chief was ever so slightly intimidated by little Leia and her box of magic tricks.

   "No, I suppose not," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Jess is gonna love you, but she's probably gonna have a lot of questions. She might not believe us at first." His smile faltered a little. "She probably thinks I'm dead." Even if it wasn't official, he'd disappeared off the face of the Earth for so long, they must believe him dead by now, though he'd gone missing a few times before.

   "Many people don't believe in magic when they are first told of it," Leia told him in her gentle way. "There are ways to help them believe, without causing harm or hurt. And it will good for both of you, to set such misapprehensions aside, and to know the truth."

   There was that smile again, as he leaned close to touch a kiss to her lips. "I love you, you know. You're the best thing that ever happened to me," he told her, and he meant it. All his life, he'd searched for that one thing that was missing from his life, never knowing what it was until he'd met her and she'd filled the empty piece of his heart that never before could be filled.

As their party split up, each to their own amusements, in the wake of the wedding they'd been secretly working on for weeks, Leia curled her arms about Jake's waist, leaning into him with a fond smile. "So ... what is a Catholic shebang?" she asked him again. She knew her constant questions must grate on his nerves sometimes, but he was never anything but patient with her. Their bond had deepened over the past year, to the point where they had both learned to recognise each other's emotions within themselves. And tonight, Leia was bubbling with love and excitement.

"Um," Jake mumbled, a little distracted by thoughts and worries of his own that had come to a head during the ceremony. Whether they'd accepted him as family or not, he had a sister and niece back home that probably thought him dead or worse by now. "I, uh... It's hard to explain," he started, leaning into her a little now that they were left alone. "It's a big religious wedding, I guess. A very formal ceremony. Long and kind of boring, I guess." He didn't sound too sure for some reason.

She could feel that knot of worry inside him, resting her head against his chest as they stood together in the light of the many fires that burned in the darkness, his concern tempering her own exuberance. "What is it?" she asked him very gently, stroking her hands against his back. "Talk to me, a'maelamin. I can only feel your heart, not read your thoughts. You should not feel you have to suffer through such feelings alone."

"It's nothing, Leia. I'm just a little homesick, I guess," he told her, not wanting to worry her, but knowing he couldn't lie to her either. She could feel his heart and would know what he was feeling, even if she didn't understand why. "I'm happy for John and Ailis. I really am. I'm just missing my sister a little, I guess." And why wouldn't he be? He hadn't seen her in over a year, and going home was risky at best.

"Then we should visit her," she told him quietly. Though Earth, his Earth, was very different to the world she had been born on, and fairly different to Rhy'Din, Leia was far more confident when it came to technology now. "We know there are portals, and there are ways to disguise how different I am. I would rather take that risk than have you in pain."

"Maybe, but if we get caught..." He trailed off. She was right though. He couldn't stay away from Earth and his sister forever. Every time he saw John and Sam or Rory and Ailis sharing some special sibling moment, he felt a pang of homesickness, missing his sister and niece and wondering what they'd been told. Had they been told he was dead? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was better if they thought he was dead, but he couldn't help but miss them and wish he could see them again.

"So we won't get caught," she told him gently, her smile softly understanding of his worries. "Your world relies on technology, yes? I do not think there is any way they have to detect magic, and if they cannot detect magic, they will not detect us."

"Really?" he asked, almost afraid to believe her, but they'd been together over a year and he knew her better than anyone. Where he knew technology, she knew magic, and if she thought she could get them both home without being caught, he believed her. What was his sister going to say when she found out where he'd been and what he'd been up to? Would she believe him or think he'd gone mad? And what would she have to say about Leia? Going home was like opening Pandora's Box, and yet, he needed closure.

Leia's smile gentled even further, the softness accentuating the delicate features that marked her out as having elven blood. "Truly," she assured him, one hand rising to curve against his cheek tenderly. "I would not say it if I did not believe it were possible, a'maelamin. You need to see your sister and her child, for your own peace of mind. It is possible."

"Yeah, I suppose I do," Jake replied thoughtfully. In fact, he knew he did, and now that he had decided, it was just sorting out how to do it. He'd learned a lot about Rhy'Din this past year; he'd learned how to use the portals, and where there was a will, there was a way. Besides, he had Leia to help him. "You know I love you, right?" he asked, his frown turning into a warm and affectionate smile.

That soft smile brightened as his frown faded away, glad that she could help him like this, even if it was only words for now. The proof would come when they crossed the portal that first time, something she was not about to allow him to do alone. She didn't know what that kind of separation would do to either of them now they had bonded so deeply. "I know it," she promised him, the surge of deeply loving affection along that bond from her to him warm with immediate feeling. "As I hope you know my heart is yours, a'maelamin."

"I know it is. I feel it all the time. I mean, I feel what you're feeling or something like that." Even after a year, it was still a little confusing. There was that worried frown again as another thought came to mind. "Hey, Leia, can I ask you something?"

Her head tilted curiously as she looked up at him, barely aware of the fact that Sloti had taken up residence on her shoulder, his own head echoing the tilt of hers. "You can ask me anything, Jake," she promised her lover softly. "Anything at all, and I will answer, if I can."

"Well..." he stammered, a little nervously. He knew they were already bonded, that she had claimed him as her mate, but he wasn't an elf, and he had traditions of his own. "I was wondering... Would you like to get married, like John and Ailis did? I mean, I know we don't have to. I know we're already bonded, but... I'm not talking about a big Catholic shebang. Just something small between us and me."

Leia blinked, surprised but touched by the nervous question. It had not occurred to her that perhaps he would want to mark their bonding with the traditions of his own people, though in hindsight, perhaps she should have considered it. "You would want this?" she asked him through a soft smile. "You would like a marriage, with me?"

"Yes, I would," he replied in a soft but sure voice, reaching to take both her hands in his and looking into her eyes almost longingly, all his hopes and dreams there in his eyes and his heart. "And someday, if it's possible, I'd like us to have children." Not right away maybe, but someday he wanted to settle down and raise a family, just like his sister was doing.

The smile that lit up her face at his soft confession was brighter than the sunrise she had grown up seeing from the rooftops of Port Blacksand. "I am living proof that it is possible, a'maelamin," she promised him. "I did not dare to think that you would wish to raise a family with me, being so different as I am to you. But I would like that very much, someday." To leave him children to love, if she were the one taken first.

That was true enough. She was born of an elf and a human, and it figured if her birth was possible, then there was hope for them. "I love you in part because you're different, Leia," he pointed out, pulling her closer. "All the women back home..." He frowned a little and shrugged his shoulders. He'd never really loved anyone before the way he loved her. He'd had a few meaningless flings, a few girlfriends here and there, but nothing like he had with her. "No one took me seriously back home," he confessed with a small frown. No one except his sister and maybe his team, but he had no idea what had become of them and he had another team now and another home. "I want to stay here with you, Leia. I just need to see my sister. That's all," he promised.

That was true enough. She was born of an elf and a human, and it figured if her birth was possible, then there was hope for them. "I love you in part because you're different, Leia," he pointed out, pulling her closer. "All the women back home..." He frowned a little and shrugged his shoulders. He'd never really loved anyone before the way he loved her. He'd had a few meaningless flings, a few girlfriends here and there, but nothing like he had with her. "No one took me seriously back home," he confessed with a small frown. No one except his sister and maybe his team, but he had no idea what had become of them and he had another team now and another home. "I want to stay here with you, Leia. I just need to see my sister. That's all," he promised.

Just a note regarding Jake...

This character is based primarily on the film The Losers, and because I know very little about the character's back story, other than the hints that are provided in the film, I will be filling in the blanks of his past from my own imagination. I have read some of the graphic novels, but there's not much to go on, so I will be making a lot of it up as I go along.

I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies as far as canon is concerned, but unfortunately, it cannot be helped. The Rhy'Din version of Jake is bound to differ from canon in some ways, as he is open to my own interpretation, but I will try to portray him as accurately as possible.

Thanks for understanding, and I hope a few people enjoy reading and interacting with him.

"I can't answer those questions. No one knows how a bond is formed, or why it forms between the people it does. I don't know." She shook her head, dipping her head, fighting not to feel too hurt, too upset, by the horror in his reaction. "I can't stop it. I'm sorry, Jake, I have no control over it. It will happen, it will complete itself sooner or later, and when it does ... you'll be able to feel me, and know that it's my emotion you're feeling, not your own. That's why you're so confused about your mood now. It's my confusion, my uncertainty, that's influencing the way you feel."

"No, it's not, Leia!" Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry anymore. He pushed away from the table and got to his feet. "I need some air." Before she could stop him, he was heading for the door, though, in truth, they'd probably have less privacy on the street than they had in the little bakery. He didn't notice the look he was getting from the store's owner, a worried frown on her face at the young lovers' spat as she followed the drama unfolding inside her little domain.

As he stormed from the table, Leia sat perfectly still, her face pale as she felt herself buffeted by the sudden strength of feeling surging from him. Had he not listened to a word she had said? Didn't he realise that she could feel how he was feeling, the connection growing stronger no matter what she chose to do? She swallowed hard, and surged up suddenly from the chair, abandoning her cloak with an apology to the lady behind the counter, following Jensen toward the street. "You can't walk away from this," she told him, her voice pinched and tight with the unpleasantness seething in her soul. "I didn't do it on purpose. I know it's a violation of your privacy, your choices, your life, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, but I can't change it!"

He was pacing in front of the bakery, his fingers buried in his hair, looking like he was on the verge of panic. "Why?" he asked, as he turned to face her. "Why did this happen? How did I get here? Did you bring me here? Why me? Why me, Leia? Are you... Are you playing with me?" he asked, his face as pale as hers. If she could feel anything from him, it wasn't anger, but fear. The truth was that he felt some kind of connection, too, but the connection he felt was different from hers. He was falling in love with her, and he knew it. No matter what happened now - whether he stayed or he left - she'd imprinted herself on his heart and his soul, and he'd never be the same again.

"I don't know!" She shouted it at him, stamping one foot, ignoring the curious glances of the passers' by as her distress turned to a flare of anger at his seeming inability to understand that though it might be a shock for him, it was no less a shock for her. "I ... I think a spell I cast trying to get out was twisted by the magical field of the - that place," - she remembered just in time not to say "prison", " - and pulled you in rather than me out. But I don't know why it picked you, and I didn't cast it to lure you here and trap you, if that's what you're thinking! Why would I make this up?" she demanded, hands landing hard on her hips as she glared up at him, breathless with her outburst. "My life is tied to yours now. You can walk away without a second thought, you need never think of me again, but I will have you in my heart and my mind and my soul until the day you die. Because the day you die, I die too!"

"You just don't get it, do you?" he shouted back at her, turning to face her, forgetting his promise never to get angry at her, though it wasn't really anger he was feeling, but something else he couldn't quite put his finger on. "I never asked for this. I never asked to come here, to be part of this. I wanted to help you. I did help you. And then you... I don't know what happened. I know we just met and I know it sounds crazy, but I love you, and I thought maybe..."

His voice broke and he clenched his jaw to try and get his emotions under control, his face paling further as she cast the final blow, telling him the whole truth of it. He shook his head and backed away from her, tears stinging his eyes that he didn't want her to see. "I can't. I don't want that for you. I don't want anything to happen to you because of me. I thought maybe you... maybe you felt the same. And now, you tell me that it wasn't your fault? That you don't even know how it happened. What's all this about then, Leia? What do you want from me?"

She might have been able to keep control over her own tears, if he had not suddenly been caught with the same rise in emotion, feeding into hers, forcing the drip of moisture from her eyes despite her best efforts to keep them dry. "I don't want anything from you," she cried. "I want you, you stupid man! You want to hear me say I love you, when I've already said it in a way few non-elves ever hear. I am bonding to you." She fell silent for a moment, her tearful eyes staring into his, willing him to look past the shock and upset and anger and see the warmth, the longing, the affection deeper than any love. All for him. "I am so far past love, it isn't relevant. Every breath I take, I take because I am yours, whether you want me or not. And you think that isn't good enough. I didn't realise that humans were so arrogant as to truly believe that their concept of love, of a life built on trust, was the only one that meant anything."

He was doing his best to hold the tears back, but just barely, his chest aching with the effort. Maybe it was the connection between them that softened his mood, or maybe it was her explanation. She really was like Arwen to his Aragorn, in a way, giving up so much so that she could be part of him, so that she could be with him forever, even if he was far away. How could he ever go home now when his heart would be forever here with her? "Would it... Would it be so hard to say it?" he asked, eyes shining with unshed tears looking back into hers, needing to still hear those three little words, even if she'd said it already in her own way. As soft as it was, there was a tremor in his voice, close to breaking. "Please... I need to hear it."

She stared up at him, violet eyes shining like dew on primroses as her hands fell from her hips, hanging loose, weak, at her sides. She felt drained, and still that raging knot of emotion bound itself tighter to her, growing with clarity the more they shared. When she finally spoke, it was as heartfelt as he could possibly have wished for, if a little more forceful than most men would expect. But she was not a woman who did anything by halves, it seemed. "I love you, Jake."

That was all he needed to hear, for some reason. Three little words that meant more than anything else she could have said. Three little words he'd been waiting his whole life to hear. "I love you, too, Leia," he replied, tears spilling over onto his face, droplets of liquid splashing onto his glasses. He closed the distance between them, taking her in his arms to seal those heartfelt words with a kiss that felt deeper and more impassioned than any kiss he'd ever shared with any woman before or ever would again. He knew it wasn't going to be easy. He knew there were a lot of things they needed to talk about and sort out between them, but she loved him, and at that moment, that was all that mattered. Everything else would work itself out.

((Another really long scene. Kudos to anyone who read all that. Lots of fun and many thanks to Leia's awesomefantabulous player for this scene and for encouraging me to bring Jensen to Rhy'Din. More to come. :grin:))

"Nothing could be better than sex with you." And there was an endearingly embarrassing trait he was just going to have to get used to. Leia was completely shameless, and she didn't really care who overheard her complimenting him so bluntly. She was still at a loss, however, when he drew her to the counter, peering curiously at the wares on display with only a shaky idea that they might mostly be bread-based. "Um ..." She offered the woman behind the counter a confident smile, and tightened her hand in Jensen's. He was going to have to order for them.

He had no idea what she was accustomed to eating, and it hadn't occurred to him that her diet might be restrictive in any way. He wasn't a vegetarian or a vegan and ate what he wanted whenever he wanted it. "Um, I'll take the Eggs Benedict with an cheese danish on the side, and coffee black." The woman jotted down his order, and looked to Leia, since Jensen had assumed she was ordering for herself. Paying for the meal might be a problem, but that thought hadn't occurred to him yet.

Violet eyes blinked back at the enquiring gaze, acquiring something of a deer in headlights look under the weight of expectation. She was going to have to say something. She struck out for something that she knew bakeries sold, knowing it was likely to sound ridiculous, given the order he had just made. "Uh ... bread and butter?" she asked uncertainly. "And water?"

Jensen's mouth fell open. "Bread and butter? No, no, no." He held up a finger to the woman behind the counter to give them a moment. "Leia, this is a bakery. You order food here. Bread and water is what they serve inmates in prison." He sighed and glanced at the glass case that held all the goodies. "What looks good to you?" he asked, looking over the baked goods, which in his opinion all looked good.

"Bread is what they sell in bakeries," she pointed out a little defensively, blushing at her perception that she had made herself look simple in front of a complete stranger. She lowered her voice, knowing that despite her best efforts, the woman was going to hear what she was about to say to her companion anyway. "I don't know what any of these things are."

"They're baked goods!" he exclaimed, not really explaining at all, looking a little perplexed, not knowing what she might like. "May I make a suggestion?" the woman behind the counter interjected, having met a lot of bakery newbies over the years and recognizing a newcomer to Rhy'Din when she saw one. "The maple pecan danish is always a good choice," she suggested. "And coffee, with cream and sugar." He glanced at Leia and then nodded his head. Bread and butter was simply not breakfast, unless it was toasted. Then maybe. "That sounds good, thanks," he said, reaching into his jacket for his wallet and frowning as he came up empty. "s***."

The relief that poured from Leia at the helpful suggestion was palpable, recognising a professional who knew her town very well. She smiled, relaxing from her tense sense of embarrassment, and glanced up at Jensen swore. "What is it?"

"I-I left my wallet back home. I don't have any money," he said with a frown, trying to think what he had that was of enough value that he could barter it for breakfast, but all he had was the clothes on his back and a gun in his pocket. "Maybe I could do the dishes or mop the floor or something," he suggested, pushing the bridge of his glasses back onto his nose.

For some reason, this brought the confidence back into Leia. The thief was quite happy to be able to solve his problem for him with a smile as she reached into the little bag on her hip and brought out a moleskin money pouch. "I do not have your currency, but I can provide the right weight in silver," she told the woman behind the counter, opening the pouch to reveal not coins, but small ingots of pure silver.

The woman smiled back. She'd encountered this problem, too, many times in the past. "One silver will do, dear," she said, holding out a hand for the coin. Jensen frowned, a little relieved but annoyed that he couldn't do this one thing right. If he was stuck here, he was going to have to find some sort of way of supporting himself. How did one go about that in a place like this? Place an ad in the paper? He didn't want to rely solely on Leia, especially considering her line of work.

Slender fingertips lifted an ingot of silver from the pouch and placed it into the woman's hand, the pouch swiftly closed and hidden back in the mysterious bag on Leia's hip. Of course it hadn't been honestly earned, but the way she looked at life, that really didn't matter. If Jensen didn't keep an eye on her, she was going to lift any number of things as they walked through the streets, just for the sheer fun of it. She looked up at him, her smile fading in the face of his frown. "Did I do something wrong?"

To be fair, he didn't walk the straight and narrow path either, and he wasn't above pilfering a thing or two, but he didn't want her to chance getting arrested when he'd only just busted her out of prison a few hours ago. "No, I just don't like you paying for everything." The woman tilled the coin and went about filling their order. He surveyed the place again before taking her elbow and leading her toward a table in a somewhat quiet corner.

"I could give you some silver," the half-elf woman offered as she was led away, beginning to think that she was always going to be confused by this man, how he slipped from silly to serious so easily with seemingly little provocation. "It goes against my better nature, of course," she teased, trying to bring the smile to his face again, "but I would make that sacrifice for you."

"You would sacrifice some silver that wasn't even yours to begin with?" he asked, not understanding the logic in that, but maybe she really thought of her what she did as a job and what she stole the reward. "You never did tell me how you got arrested. I mean, I know you were... you know..." He darted a glance around, hoping no one was listening. He was paranoid enough and this place just made him all the more so. He pulled out a chair for her and claimed a seat for himself, sighing and leaning back. "Maybe we should start at the beginning."

Shaking her head at his lack of understanding, she lowered herself down into the chair he offered her, leaving her cloak draped over the back as she leaned forward onto the table comfortably. She could sense his confusion, and his alarm at the consideration that anyone might overhear them, wishing he could calm himself a little. It was becoming more and more difficult to concentrate on listening and talking, the stronger his presence grew in her heart and mind. She was almost too aware of him because of it. "Where is the beginning?"

"The beginning. You know... My name is and so on. Like this..." He cleared his throat, as if he was taking this all very seriously. "My name is Jake Jensen. Captain Jake Jensen, to be exact. I'm twenty-seven years old and was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I have a sister, Jessica, and a niece, Jamie. I'm single, never been married, no kids."  He didn't go into what he did for a living as it was a little complicated, especially right now while he was in between jobs, so to speak.

She listened, taking all this in with minimal confusion, though naturally his birthplace was something of an enigma for her. And when he paused, she knew it was her turn to reply in kind, able to do so with little concern for prying ears. "My name is Leia Camden. I am twenty-six years old, and I was born in Fang, a village in the north of Allansia, my home country. After my father went to Arvanaith, my mother moved us to Port Blacksand, which is where I grew up. I have no family that I know of. I ..." Here she stumbled. Single wasn't a word she thought she could use to describe herself any longer, and yet the way he used it suggested that it was important he know she wasn't beholden to anyone. "I am single, never married, and I have no children." She eyed him thoughtfully, wondering just how much of this they were likely to do.

She hadn't really told him anything he didn't know already, except maybe for the part about her parents. The places she mentioned were as foreign sounding to him as Boston was to her, but the rest of it made sense. It was, as introductions go, fairly basic. He wasn't normally one to pry. If he really wanted to know something about someone, there were other ways of obtaining information, but if they really wanted to get to know each other better, one of them was going to have to get over their fears and ask questions. "Your father... What happened to him?" he asked, folding his hands on the table as he waited for her explanation, his attention all on her.

She smiled sadly, knowing that this was likely an explanation he would not wholly understand. "He was very old," she began, fondness for her elven father thick in her voice and expression as she spoke. "He had been feeling the call to go for almost two years before I was born, but he did not have the heart to leave my mother. It was only when he told her that by staying, he was risking never being able to reach Arvanaith that she insisted he leave and follow the call to his last days. It was his time." She shrugged lightly. "My mother raised me as best she could, but in the City of Thieves, there really was only one thing I could become. I was lucky enough to be apprenticed to one of the Guild Masters, though. It was a good time." Her gaze flickered over his face, a question on her own tongue that she held in check for now, knowing he was bound to have further questions to ask her.

Thankfully for him, he'd seen Lord of the Rings and understood the concept of the Western Lands, but he wasn't sure if that equated with this Arvanaith she was talking about. "Your mother... She was human?" he asked, remembering that she'd told him she was only half-elven, assuming her other half was human, though she hadn't said so. "Do all... elves go there when they're old?" he asked, his fingers twitching, wanting to reach for her hand, but holding himself back for some reason.

"If they answer the call in time, yes," she nodded, glancing down at his twitching fingers with a half smile. "If they do not, they are denied entry. It is thought that to ignore the call is to deny your right to an immortal soul. Only the old go of their own volition, clothed in their mortal body. Those elves who die a violent or unexpected death ... their bodies do not decay as human bodies do, but their spirits go to Arvanaith, to await a time for rebirth." From the expression on her face, that to her sounded rather strange and unpleasant to consider. "But yes, my mother was human. My father saved her life, and in return, she went somewhat goblin on him and locked him in her home until he admitted that he loved her." She laughed at this anecdote, understanding a little now of why her father had resisted so long.

He arched a brow, curiousity piqued, wondering what would happen if he did that very same thing to her, not missing in the irony in their stories. Though he was no elf, he had helped her escape from prison and taken a bullet wound in the process, which she had somehow healed. "Will you go there someday?" he asked, linking his fingers together just to give his hands something to do that didn't involve reaching for hers.

"No." She shook her head. It wasn't such a wrench for her not to go to her father's afterlife; she had no understanding of how deeply the longing for it affected elven folk, after all. "Though my father's blood lengthens my lifespan and gives me certain traits that are elvish, my soul isn't an elven one. I will never see Arvanaith, and ... well, I do not think I deserve to, in any case." She chuckled a little. "What of you? Your family, your sister? She must be very close to your heart."

"I could never be angry with you," he said as she drew him from the room, torn between wanting to keep her all to himself and the need for basic sustenance. One cannot live on love alone, after all. Not humans, anyway. He wanted to pull her to him, kiss her, taste her again, but he resisted, knowing if he did, they'd never leave that room. He might die of starvation, but God, he'd die happy. He dared to touch her cheek, smiling warmly, though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

She couldn't help the soft, sweet smile that rose on her face as he touched her, as he reassured her of something he really couldn't promise, laughing quietly at the warmth that bled from him to her. "A lofty ambition, to never be angry with me," she warned him, pulling the door closed and locking it, tucking the key snugly into the open top of her bodice. "I can be absolutely infuriating, you know."

He was unable to stop his gaze from following the tucking of that key away in what she must have deemed a safe place, though not from him. "That makes two of us then," he replied with a softer smile. He knew he wasn't the easier person to get along with, infuriating people with his inability to remain serious for long. It seemed he was setting a new record for seriousness since he'd met her, and he wondered what the hell was the matter with him. Was this what it felt like to fall in love? "I'm always pissing people off, it seems."

"You haven't pissed me off." It seemed superfluous to point it out, but she did so anyway, feeling that perhaps he needed to be reassured the way she did. Her hand, so small in his, brushed her thumb over his palm as she tugged gently, drawing him along the gallery toward the stairs. "You make me comfortable. That's rare, by the way," she added with a confidential chuckle, pulling his hand to rest against her shoulder as she led the way down the stairs, holding on even as her cheek rested against his fingers.

He snorted at the reassurance from her, knowing it was only a matter of time. "Give it time," he said, confident he'd do something to push her away from him or to make her angry at some point. He always did. He knew he'd disappointed her somehow, at the very least, but he was trying harder than he ever had before. He furrowed his brows at her as she led him along the gallery and down the stairs. The place looked different by daylight, brighter, not as gloomy, less dangerous, but that wasn't what had put a confused look on his face. "Why?" he asked, not specifying exactly which statement he was questioning.

"Why what?" she asked curiously, glancing back at him. She wasn't sure it was quite the time to explain why she was comfortable with him, or why he hadn't pissed her off. They needed to be away from the prospect of imminent privacy before she would get into that, knowing that even talking about the bond forming would raise her need for him until she could barely stand it.

"What's so different about me? I mean, I know I'm not... like you... But..." He trailed off as they reached the bottom of the stairs. This wasn't the time or the place for his questions, not until they were alone, but not too alone. They needed time to talk, to get to know each other better. They didn't even know the most basic things about each other, and yet, somehow, none of that seemed to matter. Still, she needed to know some things about him. He owed her that much. "Do you know where we're going?" he asked, not having the slightest clue where they were or where they were going.

She paused thoughtfully, eyeing him speculatively and quite deliberately not answering his first question. "I saw a place not far from here that purports to sell food," she told him, drawing on her own admittedly meager knowledge of the city to explain. "It looked like the sort of place that maybe you would know. It looked a bit like the kind of place that would have a magic water room." Yes, it was going to take a while for her to get used to the concept of a fully plumbed bathroom, but that was the joy of Rhy'Din, apparently. So many races, so many cultures, so much to do and see and learn. She drew him out onto the waterfront, into the spring sunshine, refusing to relinquish his hand even here in public.

Now that it was daylight, there were even more marvels for him to see and hear and explore. All kinds of people - human and inhuman - all the sights and sounds of a city that was a cross-section of a multitude of cultures and races. It was that mix of things modern and ancient that struck him as they emerged into the light of day. "Are you sure I'm not dreaming?" he asked as he took in the wonder of his surroundings. "It's like... I don't know... Like ComicCon crossed with a Renfaire."

Leia looked up at him, once again utterly bemused by something he'd said, violet eyes wide as she tried to comprehend it. "A what crossed with a what?" she asked, a glimmer of amusement shining through for a moment. "Is that like a cockatrice? Because those are really scary. I've only ever seen one from a distance. Well, obviously from a distance; if it had seen me, I'd be dead, but still ... Scary. This place isn't scary. Is it?" She frowned, wondering if there was something here that he had seen and she hadn't.

"A what?" he asked, furrowing his brows at her, not quite comprehending what she was talking about either. He knew what a cockatrice was, sort of, from his gamer days. They were just a myth, a story, but then, he'd never believed elves were real either. "Where are we?" he asked, not for the first time. She'd told him the name of the place, but that had told him nothing. Hadn't she said something about it being a crossroads between universes or some such thing? "Scary? No, not scary," he replied, scanning their surroundings with a confused look on his face that branded him as a newcomer. "Just... different."

"They call it Rhy'Din," Leia shrugged, knowing only a little more than he did. "I had thought it was a myth in Allansia, but it truly does exist. The old men of my father's people call it the Hub of Creation." She barely knew any more than that, setting her feet to follow the path along the waterfront toward an area that was somewhat cleaner, definitely less populated with ships' crews and their dastardly ways. If anything, it looked like a tourist trap.

"Are those pirates?" he asked, lowering his voice as he leaned toward her, glancing over at a group of unsavory-looking characters. Hey, he'd seen Pirates of the Caribbean. He knew what pirates looked like, and he knew they were dangerous, but they weren't all bad. Jack Sparrow hadn't been all bad, had he? He was a good guy deep down. "Avast ye, mateys!" he called over to the scurvy-looking fellows with a wave and a grin that marked him either crazy or naive.

Leia had been hoping they could pass the group without drawing attention to themselves, but apparently Jensen had other plans. She groaned as he called out what was possibly the worst greeting to a pirate she had ever heard, unsurprised when it was greeted with varying degrees of unsettling hostility. "What are you doing?" she hissed to her companion, slipping to stand between him and the pair who had moved away from their group to confront the naive man who'd greeted them. "Who're you tellin' to avast?"

"You!" he said, thinking he'd been offering the pirates a friendly greeting. He noted the hostility with a frown. "I was saying hello in Piratespeak. Oh, wait... I meant ahoy. Yeah, that's it. Ahoy, not avast. I got my ahoy mixed up with my avast. Sorry about that!" He smiled, hoping they'd accept his apology, but sliding a hand into his jacket to his Colt, just in case. They were pirates, after all. "You know Jack Sparrow? I'm a friend. He sends his regards and all that."

"Piratespeak?" There was a ripple of laughter from the group nearby, but the faces of the pair now looming over Jensen and Leia were stony cold. "You better be touched in the head, or you're gonna be lookin' for it in the gutter." Leia leaned back against Jensen, deliberately stepping on his foot, hoping he could at least sense quite how dangerous this little encounter was. She didn't like the way the smaller one was looking at her, either.

His reaction to her stepping on his foot was a yelp of pain and a narrowing of his eyes, but he got the message. These were real pirates, not the renfaire variety, and they'd rip his entrails out and hang them from the mainmast just for fun, or something like that. "Okay, well, nice meeting you boys. Great work you're doing. Hey..." He pointed at the ship they'd been hovering in front of. "I think your friends are taking off without you!" They weren't really, but it might give them the split second they needed to make a run for it.

The larger of the two pirates glanced over to the group that had not moved, and Leia's hands lashed out. The smaller went down from a jab of the hilt of one of her daggers to his throat; the larger let out a beautifully girlish screech as the blade of her other dagger sliced through his belt, dropping his noisome britches to his ankles. Their companions erupted in a gale of loud laughter to see their shipmates bested by an idiot and his girl, and Leia took the opportunity. She grasped Jensen by the elbow and walked him firmly away. "Don't run," she warned. "They'll chase us if we run. What were you doing, talking to pirates? They're more likely to gut you just for the hell of it than anyone else I know!"

Jensen's eyes widened as she lashed out with her daggers, downing one pirate and humiliating the other, but his amazement didn't last long before it turned to indignation as the pirate broke into laughter and she led him away, questioning him as if he was some kind of idiot, which he sort of was. He was out of his element, anyway. "I was just saying hello. I never saw a real pirate before." He scowled, looking a little like a boy who'd just been scolded by his mother. "I had it under control, you know. I could have taken them." He was a trained soldier, after all, even if he was most at home behind a keyboard.

"How was that having it under control?" she asked, genuinely unable to understand what he thought he'd been doing. Her hand released his arm as they slowed to a more comfortable pace, and only then did she sheath the daggers once more, fairly sure they weren't being followed. "You drew their attention to us without knowing anything about them; which ship they are part of, how well armed they are, anything. And who is Jack Sparrow?"

He shrugged his shoulders, having no good answer for her. He'd warned her that he'd make her angry sooner or later and it seemed it had happened much sooner than expected. "I don't know. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot," he said, frowning, feeling stupid.

She wasn't angry, though. She was just a little flabbergasted. As he apologised, her lips curved in a soft smile. "You scared me," she told him gently, pausing in the street to look up at him, meeting his eyes with warm concern. "They could so easily have hurt you." And her, for that matter, but a pirate's designs on a female were usually pretty predictable. What a pirate might do to a man who had sassed him and then objected to the designs on his woman ... they didn't bear thinking about.