"Most of a bottle."
"Uh huh." Amira hummed, the sound almost curt as she shoved her hands into her pockets. Her shoulders were hunched, which was odd, considering she usually walked with her shoulders back and chin high. Like she was shrinking in on herself all of a sudden. Normally talkative, she was suddenly quiet, eyes fixed ahead of her and down, and her face returning to that closed off look from earlier. Breathe. It's easy. In and out. You've been doing it forever. He's not going to do anything. Not everyone-you can defend yourself anyway, at least long enough to get away. Just breathe.
He looked to her and slid away, sensing something was off. “I’m sorry. I won’t do anything. Alcohol doesn’t make me strange or more confident or anything like it does to others. It knocks me out cold if I drink too much and only gives me a buzz if I drink too little. I have no middle area where I’m wild. It’s either a buzz, or I’m out. I blame the genetics of my race. We have specially made alcohol for our bodies.” He breathed out softly. “I will not touch you if you do not wish me too. You have my word.”
Her steps faltered as he slid away, mind immediately going to the worst possible outcome. And then he was speaking, and she was stopping completely. He was promising not to touch her. He was explaining the effects of alcohol on his body. Each thing something nobody had ever bothered to do for her, and she wasn’t quite sure how to take that. “I-I appreciate that.” She said, cursing her voice for shaking slightly. Even if promises could be easily broken, it meant something to her.
Nordali watched her expressions, only gesturing for her to continue when he was sure she was a little more calmed. “Let’s go eat. I’ll try some. It’s better than nothing in my system.” He lazily waved his arms about, trying to make it dramatic to pick up her mood. “But you know me, stubborn as always.”
Amira relaxed slightly as he changed the subject, glad for it. She nodded once, starting off again, though still at a distance from Zar. “It is better than nothing. And I’m starting to see that stubbornness.” Her last words almost had a teasing undertone, and she glanced back at him to shoot him a small smirk.
His lips twitched in an amused smile but it didn’t seem to reach his dull eyes. “Soooo, you have a taste for spice, right?” He raised an eyebrow. “I know where we could steal a few peppers from around the world.”
“Varying places, or varying peppers in one place?” She asked, raising an eyebrow back at him. Her hair was falling back into her face, her curls somehow even more curly now than they had been just a few minutes ago.
“Peppers from varying places. There’s one stand. It sells peppers from around the kingdoms. Thought you’d be interested in looking. The man there is easy to swindle. A rich old vendor who takes up brothels in his spare time.” A sudden look of distaste befell his features. “Dirty old man.”
Amira's eyes lit up as he talked about the peppers, the shadows clinging to them fading quickly with her smile. Though, the innocence and excitement in that smile faded somewhat at the mention of the brothels, becoming almost more scheming. Definitely more scheming. "Brothels, you say? Hm…"
“Yes, brothels.” He waved his hand at the mention of it, almost as if denouncing they existed. “The women and men there like what they’re doing so I can’t complain.” His eyes narrowed slightly, studying her face.
“Hold up, what are you planning?”
"Oh, that's beside the point." She said, waving her own hand in a dismissive motion. Her eyes were sort of far away though, twinkling. A scheming face, the corner of her mouth tugging up into a small smirk as she raised the eyebrow on the opposite side.
Nordali huffed, fixing his jacket and smoothing it out against his lean body. “Now that’s no fair. I want in on whatever mischief you’re planning.” His eyes drifted forwards, where a small group of his guild were sitting around a large pot that hung over the fire. The smell of fresh curry and spices drifted towards them. Nordali’s stomach lurched with hunger.
“Ah shit. Didn’t realize how hungry I actually was.” He mumbled, more to himself than the girl next to him.
"Oh no, you really don't want in on this scheme. Trust me." Amira said, flashing him a full smirk. Her attention shifted completely as soon as she smelled the food, that bounce and glow returning to her step and face. "It's easier to forget after a while. Hurry up, slowpoke!" She called over her shoulder, taking off at a jog and then a sprint, her hair coming fully loose from the ribbon keeping it back.
He flashed her a pout but that was quickly replaced by a grin as she challenged him. “Oh, you’re competitive.” He purred, whistling for Rolif, who came right away, letting Nordali up onto his back right away. He waved at her once they had caught up, grinning. “Slowpoke.”
"You dirty cheater." She accused, narrowing her eyes playfully at him as she picked up the pace. A wicked look sparked on her face as an idea came to mind, and she reached into her pocket quickly, pulling something out with the quickness of someone well practiced. "Two can play at that game, hallaski." She lifted her hand, and the glint of something powdery on her fingers caught the light as she blew a kiss. Whatever had been on her hands billowed out in a cloud headed straight for Zar and his stag, clouding the air around them.
He gasped dramatically. “I’m not cheating if there were no rules.” He purred wickedly, watching her with narrowed eyes as she schemed. He was just about to speak when the powder was blown at them, and Rolif was suddenly rearing back, snorting as the powder clouded his senses.
Nordali steered Rolif out of the cloud and cast a playful glare in Amira’s direction. “Now that was cheating he called back, reaching the fire pit just after she did.
"I've never won anything in life fairly. Cheating is the best and most sure way straight to the top." Amira said simply and surely, her accent thick as she placed her hands on her knees, bending over to catch her breath quickly. "Don't worry about the powder, anyway. It's just ground dried fern. Good for rashes."
“I wasn’t too worried. Rolif, on the other hand, seems to be a little more angry.” Indeed the stag was still shaking his head and blowing air out of his nose angrily in the direction of Amira. Nordali chuckled and slid off the back of the animal, walking to her and offering a hand. “You seem a little out of breath, dear.” He chuckled lightly, mischief in his eyes. “I may have lost the race but at least I can still breath.”
"Until I see you sprinting at full speed to out run a stag, I don't want to hear it." She huffed at him, accepting his hand with only a moment of hesitation. Once she'd caught her breath, she reached into her belt pockets again, this time searching around a bit more. "Does he eat sugar cubes? I would like to apologize for using him to make you lose."
He laughed, his voice melodic in the action. “I guess that would make it hard, now wouldn’t it?” He smiled softly at her.
Rolif perked up as Nordali called him closer, placing a hand on the Stag’s nose. “He loves them.” He replied softly. “He thinks he’s a horse, some noble steed of the highest breed.” He mused, pressing his forehead against Rolif’s neck. He breathed in the musky smell of his animal companion and smiled softly. “He’s a good companion and an even better friend.”
"Those are the best kind." She said softly, eyes on the stag. She missed the smile Zar gave her because of that, which might have been for the best. Dealing with softness…wasn't her strong suit. In fact, she had no clue how to. "I have some left over from a….heist that involved stealing horses." Pulling a small bag from her pocket, she dumped it out onto her palm, counting out a handful of sugar cubes.
Rolif’s attention immediately went to Amira. The stag lowered its head, antlers poised away to show her respect. Rolif always was an intelligent animal, and Nordali loved it. “You’ve done just about everything haven’t you?” He teased, releasing his companion and moving to the group. He collected two bowls of the curry, offering one to Amira as she counted out the sugar cubes. “Don’t spoil him or he’ll get clingy to you.” He warned playfully.
"I've done a lot of things, yes. I prefer to live like any moment could be my last. It allows me to feel no regrets about decisions that I would have regretted a year ago." Amira said, nodding once and puffing out a breath of air to try and blow her hair out of her face. She failed. "Here you go, kind sir." She said, offering a sugar cube to Rolif as she dumped the rest back in the bag and accepted the bowl. The cube was laid out on the center of the palm of her hand, her fingers pressed together and flat, just like one would feed a horse.
Rolif immediately gobbled up the sugar cube and stomped off a little ways to crunch on it, eyeing the two carefully. Nor laughed and took a seat right on the ground he had just been standing on, starting on his curry. His eyes slipped closed as he ate for a little bit in silence. It was wonderful to finally fill his stomach.
“That is a smart way to live. You never know when you’ll be killed or forced into a life you never wanted”
"My reasoning is more of one coming from being forced into a life they didn't want." She said, plopping down next to him and shooting Rolif a sweet smile. Starting on her curry, she sighed happily, eyes closing in bliss for a moment. Good food was so hard to come by when you couldn't afford even a loaf of bread.
