~Decisions Made~ (Agaenos, private)

[Keeva Kaldres]

OOC: I know I said I’d put this up a long time ago, so here it is! *looks very proud of herself* Also, if the Timestamp isn’t alright with you, please let me know and I’ll change it.

Timestamp: Aslanica, 5th brightening of the 2nd cycle of Ioannes, summer of Era X in the Age of Darkening

It had taken some time for her to decide, and many bouts of mental debates for her to come to a solid conclusion. She had not been one to run headlong into making choices for quite some time now, and had long since learned that physically thinking things through was a much better way to go about things than rushing blindly into them. This particular decision, however, had probably been inevitable from the start; she was still young, still had much to experience in life. She had never spent a significant period of time outside the province of Prime for as long as she could remember, and any trips she had decided to take were always bound by her life as a soldier. It was not as though the military was completely unfulfilling, certainly, but, at the same time it worked to chain her, shackling her to the city of Abestat, binding her to the protection of those people dwelling within it. A burden and responsibility she wanted for no longer.

Suddenly heavy eyelids slid shut over cold grey eyes as she continued to steep herself in the whirlpool of her thoughts. She was surprised she did not feel more depressed. Being in a more plaintive state of mind would certainly have helped her in feeling more human in that instance. Then, she always presented herself as apathetic when matters such as these were concerned, as well as others.

Emmie seemed somewhat affected by her owner’s mood as well, flopping down before her feet and offering a sympathetic mew, before taking a sudden interest in the state of her darkish front paws. It was not much of a life for a cat being cooped up somewhere like this, she was sure. It had become somewhat crowded within the divided space of the room, too, what with the assortment of animals she and her companion, Yarrow, kept between them. It was a small wonder that they had even been allowed to keep their pets by their sides for this long.

Stroking absent-mindedly at the cat’s sleek white fur with the toe of her boot did not earn the Sergeant any favours. The feline merely inclined her inquisitive head, deigning the worrisome human with a concerned look and moving a few steps away before resuming her task of preening. A simple shrug of dismissal, and the girl turned her chair back to face the desk it was partnered with. She did not have much in the way of belongings, so she doubted it would take too long to pack. How soon would they let her go, though? She would need to return a few things to the military before she was completely free of their influence, of course. Her uniforms, for one, although those would be the last of the things she would miss from her time here.

One slender finger poked nonchalantly at the dragon statuette positioned on her desk, striking the clay beast squarely on the nose. Maybe she would continue to pursue her art once she had left, or continue in her training with horses. She had grown to love the equines ever since she had met with Esteron and Firelight, all that time ago. Maybe she would even pay a visit to the Warsteed downs, the place where her own steed had been birthed. Of course that would then mean heading for Carmelyn which, in turn, would mean leaving Abestat, which would lead to her leaving...

Her hand dropped to the rigid surface of the desk. They had agreed that they would never leave each other, never been apart, had even promised as such. And now she was going to do something like this? Was she being selfish, a bad girlfriend? She needed to get out of Abestat for more than just a few cycles, but would he understand?

Biting idly on her lower lip, telltale creases of worry marred the smooth lines of her face as she contemplated these questions. A decision, however, was not long in coming- she would seek him out, talk to him. She had had this quiet time to herself, to think her choices over, and now that she had come to a solid conclusion he had every right to know.

Rising to her feet languidly, Keeva took one last, long glance before leaving at the listless cat, receiving naught but a speculative look in response, before leaving the haven of her shared quarters, closing the door gently behind her. Contrary to how fickle her head for directions might have once been, she knew the route needed for her to take in this instance, and it would not take her too long at all to reach her destination. Block 2, room 4 of the privates quarters. It had been a while since she had bunked in that place herself with her comrade, Staff Sergeant Woodruff.

In fact, it was only a few moments later when the doorway to the room shared between a small number of her subordinates loomed before her. Tilting her head in wonderment to one side, she brought one pale hand upwards to knock against the firm panel of the door, before hesitating. She had never seen inside before, let alone been in there, although those things alone should not have been enough to dissuade her. She did not expect much of rooms in the barracks, anyway; hers and Yarrow’s own room had been completely filthy and dust laden when it had first been assigned to them, as though no one had been in there for hundreds of eras. Her nose wrinkled as the memory perused her mind. It was then that she had discovered her apparent allergy to dust.

Of course, that had been a long time ago, and their room was as clean and dust-free as anything now. Besides, she had more important things to do now than dwell on matters of the past and the cleanliness of the barracks proper. Bringing her hand up again, she tapped at the wooden surface of the door once, then twice, before pausing. She hoped he was here, and that he would be alone. It would be had enough to put her assorted thoughts into words without others being present.

[Agaenos Phidion]

OOC: The timestamp's fine. And yay! It's up!

Although... Now I acutally feel slightly like crying... Don't mind me, though. Go with whatever you want. *huggles and nuzzles*

IC:

And yet even the most careful, most co-ordinated of mental debate might not lead to a single perfect result...

As such, the case was for his sweet-heart this Brightening. Military had shackled them to the responsibility of safeguarding the City of the Abe River, and all manners of vacations and leaves had to be bound to a certain time limit, without the freedom of time, and without the freedom of sauntering off to anywhere they wanted - all because they were chained to Abestat and her people, their welfare and protection. They needed the military and the army there, even if they did fail them for quite a few times...

Not quite as young as Keeva; though the Corporal was still very young too, only within his twenty-first Pattern and having a long life ahead of him. Others, especially the race with more pronounced longevity, such as the Elves, would disagree, though life for him would indeed be extensive, so much that he could still accomplish much, if he endeavoured adamantly enough. Unbidden, within his quarters as he stared up at the melancholy skies, overcast with dreary, tainted drapes of filthy grey puffs, his thoughts flitted back to the meeting of the initial Founders of the Hopites back in Winter, in Ponutis, when they had all gathered to hear and discuss about the then-idea of his new faction. He still found it rather difficult to truly believe it - he had finally made it something of a close resemblence to reality. He still needed to pay off the loan, and still needed to gather more Crowns - though if he succeed, that was it. There was one of his ambitions accomplished...

And with his cherished dear, Keeva, being in the group as well, that could only be a very amiable bonus.

Sighing at the glum, curtained celestial canvas, his eyelids allowed themselves to shut for a curt moment, the dark mahogony orbs of his soul's windows resting from the strain of the sky's light. He scanned his bunk again. There was still his seldomly used crossbow lying upon there, nonchalant, harmless; no bolts were loaded upon it. Only but more than a cycle ago, there had been one of the most interesting conversations he possessed the fortune to have in his life, with the Archmage Mystic and Captain, Duncan, and whilst with somewhat similiar ideals, managed to open up many ethics, philosophies and such stuff. That one had been unusual too. His languid gaze falling upon the chair he sat on that Brightening, he deigned himself to exhale heavily. The illusion that was placed on him...

But more importantly, the most cherished person in his life, he could not stop thinking about his love. Keeva meant everything to him, and she, as his girlfriend, was the greatest gift he could have ever had in his life, granted by the wonderful fate and the Gods of Aetheria. His affection and passion for her could not be expressed through mere words. He swore to himself, he will allow no transcendent or immanent force to even contemplate of endeavouring to break that bond. No one ever will... No one shall even dare to possess the filthy audacity to do that -

Knock knock.

His head turned, the slightly glum-tinged stares of his eyes settled upon his door. This room was shared by Privates and Corporals alike, and therefore, was not exactly in the best shape as it could have been - though at least, his part of the room was kept to the pinnacle of immaculacy. The quarters were certainly not dusty, though he was the only person left within the room. All the others had gone.

A heavy hand settled upon the door, and gently, it swung open...

"... Keeva?"

He kept enough of his common sense left to not start calling her "sweet-heart" or "honey" within the military compound, but alas, it waas not enough. For one, he was calling her by her first name - yet again - in the military. How forgetful of him about the military etiquette...

His gaze turned to one tinged with concern as well, as he noiced her mood was not... Quite right...

"Come in - is there... Something you want?"

The door invited her in, and as soon as she stepped in, Agaenos would close the door. Little did he guess the news that she was about to break to him...

[Keeva Kaldres]

She could feel a sinking feeling playing cruelly with her gut as she mulled over how she was going to break the news to him. It was not a cheerful topic to dwell on, in the least, but it was something that she felt she had to do, and there was to be no turning back now. She had served her time in the army, had some great moments, as well as some more painful ones, but now was the time to move on, to head for pastures anew, in a sense. Still, if this was to be a turning point in her life, then why did she feel so darned depressed about it?

Mulling over those disheartening thoughts, the woman barely managed much in the way of a thin smile as the door to the quarter’s was opened. Her beloved appeared to have sunken into the habit of addressing his senior officers by their first names, although luckily, in this instance, no one seemed to be around to overhear that little slip in etiquette. She was not one to chide him on that note either- being addressed as a senior officer by the man she loved was something that did not sit too well with her. Her smile broadened by the scantest of amounts then; yet another reason why she should leave the haven of military life.

Holding his gaze with her own impassive grey one, she did not fail to notice the look of concern he bore her as he spoke. It was evident he detected something of the melancholy and angst that was continually brewing within her small frame, even though he had yet to learn the reason behind these dismal emotions. In response to his question she merely nodded once, glumly, trying to poke her head forwards a little to glimpse into the room behind him, a check to see whether he was truly alone in there at the moment or not. Satisfied that he was, and that they would, with any luck, not be disturbed, she then turned her attentions back onto Agaenos, a weak smile still doing its best to fight back the relative sombreness that masked the remainder of her pallid features.

“I need to tell you something.”

As she stepped into the room, he closed the door neatly behind her. Good. The room itself only received the briefest and vaguest of glimpses as she tried to pull her thoughts together in order to make some semblance of coherency out of them. Bringing her hands together restlessly, delicate fingers entwined themselves together as she unwillingly indulged herself in a spate of disquiet. While telling him would likely be the easiest part of this, she still worried as to how he would react, how he would take her sudden decision to leave the army she had served with for almost two eras now. Her voice, when she finally deigned to speak, was one that inherently belied her hesitance, her unease.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I…”

Uncertainly struck her, and she mentally scolded herself. There was no point in being indecisive now. Partaking in a deep inhalation of breath aided her in calming herself before she proceeded to speak once more.

“I’ve decided to resign from the army. I don’t think I can stay here any longer. I need the freedom…To be able to travel without being pulled back to Abestat after a cycle or two. I’ve been here for so long that I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

That much was true. It had been a while since she had felt she had accomplished anything for herself, rather than for others. It may have seemed like a somewhat selfish though to most, but she had spent more time risking her life for the greater good of others instead of enjoying it herself, and that was something which she very much wanted to remedy.

“I want to see something of the world without being restricted by the leave-time the military has given me. I’d like to go to Carmelyn, maybe Archadoon, and the Warsteed downs, to meet with some of Esteron’s brethren there. I…don’t want to leave you, though.”

She felt torn, and it was a feeling that she did not like in the slightest. On the one hand, she wanted to leave Abestat and head for Carmelyn for a time, and, on the other, she did not wish to leave the company of her love. Reasserting her gaze on him once more, her grey orbs rested sullenly, almost imploringly on his brown ones, she tried to discern how he was feeling about her announcement, trying to gouge how he was taking it. She would not go ahead with her plans unless he was truly comfortable with them, after all.

[Agaenos Phidion]

OOC: Sorry for the short post, hun - trying to catch up as much as possible... (and I still haven't managed to catch up with everything yet)

IC:

The thin smile which stretched upon her fair face, unfortunately, did not manage to completely wipe off the taint of despondency upon her face - it was all too blatant there, that something was on her mind. The look oif concern still plastered upon Agaenos' face, he remained oblivious that he addressed his senior (even if one which he bore the utmost affection for) yet again - had he forgotten that time when he showed everything in the way of etiquette except for an Ioannes-forsaken salute to the Lieutenant General?

Somethings just never change...

Shutting the door, the silence in the room was thoroughly tangible - its sweeping tendrils brushed against his heart, as the suppressing silence began to play its toll on his mood as well. He appeared just as glum as his sweet-heart, although inwardly, he probably did not feel as much in the way of melancholy as Keeva did.

"I need to tell you something."

He could feel his heart drumming, accelerating in its rather tentative pace... And seem to turn into one of desperation. He did not know what to do, nor what to say... Everything somehow seem so awkward... It was the silence... No matter how short it was, it was an awkward, sad, cruelly elongated silence...

But it was broken soon.

Having begun her statement, his head dipped by the slightest of margins, as he listened intently upon the very issue which plagued her mind. She was in as much, if not then certainly more, of a trauma at that moment. What was happening?

"I¡¦ve decided to resign from the army."

All the heat vanished from his body; his heart plunged. Leaving the military? That would be to say that he would not be able to see the most precious person to him in all the Planes of Existences every Brightening?

Or at all?

It was no surprise, therefore, his eyes widened slightly, and his experession turned from rue to one of shock - the face of a heart-stopping shock which came as a complete surprise to him. He had not known of her thoughts and worries over the last Brightenings, and as such, all he could muster up was a face of complete, unscripted surprise. Had he known earlier, of course, he would have at least endeavoured to stop her - but he knew whatever choice she made now, he would not revoke - it was her choice, and hers only...

True - they were constricted by the military, rooted to Abestat, and even a holiday required consent and only lasted for a couple of Cycles. That would not do. In the end, however, whatever Keeva decided, Agaenos did not mind - it was her happiness that counted. If she was happy, then so be it.

He did not want her to leave him as well. Having soemone he loved torn away from him was worse than chiselling his heart into a thousand fragments. Though one Brightening, he knew, he would have to tread the same path as she was treading now, to lead a life without the constrictions of the military. As her seeking grey orbs rested softly upon his own brown ones, he gently took her hands, before attempting a cordial smile - an endeavour which ended up with a rather rueful version of it.

"In the end," he half-whispered after a short moment, "Decide what is best for you, Keevie, and I will support it - just so long as you are happy, I will always go with your decisions."

Forcefully, he choked back his own sadness, before continuing on.

"When... Are you going? And... When... That Brightening arrives, could you, at least, wait for me?"

He did not know why he was saying that - something compelled him. A need compelled him.

"Please?"

[Keeva Kaldres]

OOC: You call that short? *giggles* But hey, no worries.

IC:

The shock apparent on his face fuelled the flames of dejection burning ceaselessly in the core of her own being as she watched him. She was not surprised by his reaction, not in the slightest. Shackled by her own demure and reticent breed of nature, she had kept her thoughts and troubles more or less to herself, a nasty trait that she had lived with for the better part of her life. It was not as though she really wanted to anymore- the habit had simply become so imbedded in her sense of self that it was innately difficult to shake off. Partnered with that, she simply had not wanted him to worry for her choice of actions, to have tried to persuade her otherwise. Abestat had been a commendable home for her over the past era and a half, but she was feeling restless enough as it was; staying a part of the military for any longer would simply have left her feeling more anxious and agitated than anyone would have wanted. She had dallied here for long enough as it was, and a change of scenery for something more substantial than a few short cycles would be more than welcome.

She had had that spirit as a child, once- the desire to travel to distant lands and embark on a whole series of marvellous adventures. The folly of childhood, perhaps, but something still remained of that, some spark that would leave her feeling restless and bitter if it went unnoticed. Even now the uniform of the Abestatian army felt uncomfortable on her slender frame, the chevrons that marked her as a Sergeant not working to fill her with that immense feeling of pride that they had once done. A time ago, when she had taken a short break to visit her home of Alleria Prime, many she had met had been surprised by the fact that she claimed herself as a soldier, and she could hardly blame them. She did not outwardly appear the type, in any sense, despite the fact that she no longer appeared as fragile and delicate as she had then.

Feeling his hands gently grasping hers provided Keeva with a greater source of comfort than one might have thought possible from such a subtle gesture. She could detect the hint of regret in his smile as his gaze met hers, and the dull ache of remorse lanced through her soul once more. Had she made the right decision? Even if she did leave the gates of Abestat behind her, she knew that she would not be able to stray from his side for long without succumbing to a despair and longing for his company. Archadoon was close by, from her limited sense of distance and directions he did not think it would take long to traverse the distance between that city and Abestat, especially if she pushed Esteron for speed. Perhaps that would be the best choice for her first destination. At least, that way, she could easily return to Abestat with an admirable degree of speed, should she wish to.

“Thank you, pet. Your support means a lot to me, but...I want you to be happy, too. It’s too late for me to change my mind about leaving the military now, but I don’t want you to feel sad. On the bright side, at least you won’t have to worry about me ordering you about anymore.”

Every brightening that she was not by his side would be an ordeal, but she had to go. Unclasping one of her hands from his, she reached upwards to brush pale fingers lightly across his left cheek. If she had to leave him, if only on a very temporary basis, she did not wish for him to feel regret or lamentation about the decision she had made. She wanted him to smile, to be happy, despite the fact that they would be parted.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be going...It will take a while for my leaving the army to be made official, I think. I’ll be going to the Leave Office tomorrow, or the brightening after, but I don’t know how long it will be after that...In any case, I won’t be staying in Abestat for much longer than I have to. I want to spend some time in other cities- I need a change of scenery from Abestat. I think I’ll...I’ll be travelling to Archadoon, in Carmelyn, as soon as I’m free to go. Hopefully then we won’t be so far apart.”

Lowering her gaze to the floor, to her left, onto his eyes once more, that feeling of regret riddling her worried soul heightened as she tried to subdue the look of helplessness and sorrow that was beginning to present itself upon her pallid countenance. The words sounded too weak to her ears even as they left her lips, the solace they were meant to provide not quite managing to manifest themselves in any substantial way. It seemed as though she would be leaving the best part of herself behind her in Abestat whilst she journeyed on to Archadoon; all she could hope for during her time there was that her separation from him would be at least the slightest bit worth it.

“Wait for you...? Of course I will, but what do you mean? I’m not sure I understand...”

It was hard to make any sort of sense of the muddled state her mind was in now, hard to figure out the assortment of thoughts whirling erratically through her head. Of course she would wait for him; she was of a state of mind where she would do anything he wanted, so long as he did not confuse her feelings further by trying to stop her from carrying out her plans.

[Agaenos Phidion]

Needless to say, the rue and despair, not to mention shock, did not wear off from his face and the core of his soul as quickly as he would have favoured it to be. Being away from the one person he loved, cherished and favoured the most still loomed as an unbearable prospect to him. The military did chain their soldiers rather much to their responsiblility, as they were rooted to this city. Fine though it was, confinement did nto help one's knowledge and interests. One thing still puzzled Agaenos, however - knowing his sweet-heart as being one who normally spoke little and possessed a serious demeanour, he would have thought her preferring to stay on in the military to do her duty, and protect the people. The Corporal could not be blamed entirely, of course he never knew of Keeva's life when she was but a young infant. He never knew of that fiery spirit which she possessed as an innocent, untraumatized child, and the radiant love for anything resembled in the slightest bit of Art. His love for it, of course, was much more mild, and stemmed from more of a liking for aesthetic than an obsession.

His hand still grasped hers. For a moment, he did not, ever, want to let go of it - but he knew, someday, sometime, he will have to. Keeva, like Agaenos, was just an individual, an entity in itself, and he could never place anything resembling a bind or restriction in a person, no mattered how much he loved her. In the end, everyone had to make their own decisions - no one could stop one another from utilising that free-will of theirs.

And suddely, the fragile and slender frame of Keeva became more precious even than Telath itself to him...

At least, Archadoon was not too far away from the City of the Abe River - he did not have a good geographical knowledge, but at least he knew if anything, his love would not be so distant from him as to be unable to discover where she had gone. Being able to visit Esteron's brethern in the Warsteed Downs would even be viewed as a favourable bonus.

"You know, Keevie... Being ordered around by you is not such a bad thing after all." His smile, still rueful in appearence, at least had just that slight bit more humour in it, though not much by any reckoning.

It became his turn to wonder - whether he should take a short vacation for a while? That one a while back, to Candaceburg, was merely for about a Cycle, and that had been for a contest too - it did not seem too much as a resting period for him...

He did not make himself clear - his mind was still in a whirlwind of confusion and gradually-receding despair. Besides, he did not have a reason when he asked her to wait for him - only a need, a compulsion - his instinct, prompted him to say that. Regardless, he felt he had to do something before she left...

"That Brightening... Before you leave, could you please wait for me at the gates? THere woudl be something I wish to... Show you, or give you..."

"Show or give? Make your mind up..."

[Keeva Kaldres]

He wasn’t taking this as well as she might have hoped, but then, she had not particularly wanted him to be overjoyed at the prospect of her leaving, either. Still, she did not like seeing him this glum, and all as a result of her sullen news. Again, the thought that she might be doing the wrong thing poked tentatively at the borders of her conscious mind, but she hastily quelled it. She had sorted through her doubts and misgivings about this venture long before, and nothing would work to sway her decision now. The army simply was not for her anymore, and it contrasted too much with her other notable interest, that of art. Fighting wars and painting pictures were certainly not two things one would normally piece together as a part of the same proverbial jigsaw.

“That’s good to hear. In any case, though, you won’t be taking any more orders from me. Not as your superior officer, anyway.”

She smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. In a way, it was a considerable relief not to have to give out orders and take care of her own squad anymore. Despite anything she might have said in passing before, she had never originally wanted to stay in the army much longer than she needed to. Signing up had been a spur of the moment decision, and she had obtained the weapon’s practice that she had wanted, had learned to defend herself well enough so as not to feel overly vulnerable. She even felt she had grown up more in her time here than she had in the eras immediately preceding her enrolment into Abestat’s militia. As well as that, if she had not come here in the first place, she would never have been blessed with the good fortune of finding her soul mate, the love of her life. Unbidden, the memory of their first meeting danced its way into the confines of her mind. She had never even imagined then that they would end up as close as they were now, could not remember any real details of that brightening besides those of the events which had sprung up intermittently throughout the duration of the party.

“...Oh?”

Looking up at him inquisitively, the soon-to-be resigned Sergeant wore an open look of inquiry across her wan face, grey eyes widening by a fractional amount as she inwardly considered his questions. There was no doubt as to what the answer would be- she would not have simply upped and left when that brightening came, not without bidding him farewell, not without spending one last, cherished moment with him before her departure from the city proper.

“Well, I wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye...I promise I’ll wait for you then, but what was it that you were going to show me?”

Curious as always, but, in her mind, she felt that the emotion was justified. Just what was it that he wanted to show her, or give her? Possibilities flitted through her consciousness, each one as feasible as that last. A parting gift, a memento? If so, then what? A surprise? But if it was meant to be a surprise, then should she really be thinking about it, asking him about it? Surprises only worked when their target was completely clueless as to their nature, after all, and here she was trying to ruin it. If whatever he was talking about really did happen to be meant as a surprise. Even if it was not, however, another notion had by now struck at her mind, another possibility that she thought warranted being voiced out loud.

“Erm...Nevermind. Pet...Why don’t you come with me? For a while, at least. Archadoon isn’t far, and besides, you deserve a bit of a break, after all that horrible business with the Fallen Council. Consider it...consider it my last order to you, as leader of the Hellbear Squad.”

It was all she could do not to sharpen her tone of voice at her mention of the council’s name, after all she had been through with them. Her nose wrinkled as she thought about her past meetings with them. The arcanist’s spell that had been wrought upon her, wrapping her in unyielding folds of pure fear, degrading and debasing her into naught but a whimpering mass of tears and muttered prayers. It seemed more than a little ironic, at least in her way of thinking, that she had now mastered that exact same spell for herself, and that she had tried it out on another unwilling victim. Regardless of her loathing of the Fallen Council, however, her question had been asked in earnest. She really did want him to accompany her, at least for a time. The pain and anguish of being separated would still come, eventually, but at least if he journeyed with her it would be prolonged. Having all that emotional hurt pushed further and further afield sounded like an excellent plan to her, but, of course, it’s protraction would depend entirely on whether or not he felt her proposal was a good one.

“...Please?”

She could feel the entities of hope and fear building up within her, swelling together to form one vast aching mass. She could hardly believe she was bringing this all on herself, simply because of her will to leave Abestat. Her going was a matter of importance to her, however, and one which needed to be appeased. She was sure that if she had not been holding onto his hands so, her own would be shaking quite uncontrollably. Whilst she would be free of the bonds of military life, Agaenos would remain shackled to his duties here. How long would such a circumstance go on for? She did not know how long he planned on remaining in the ranks of the army, but the sad fact was that, as long as he did, talks like this would become more and more commonplace between them.

[Agaenos Phidion]

Gradually, his melancholy began to recede - though of course, it would take a long time for it to completely be quelled, if it ever was to be extinugished. Inwardly, he prayed to high Aetheria that his dear Keevie would not be away for too long - to bear loneliness once again, to stare out of the window in Darkenings to come and stare upon Menora and Majora, pondering when she would return, feeling empty within, seemingly devoid of company... But then, at this very moment, of course, she was forgetting that his honourary sister, Yarrow, was still within the Abestatian army - how he forgot it, he never knew, for he never even realized he was forgetting the prescence of his honourary sister within here. If anything, he may very well be able to turn to her for anything he needed to converse about. Seeing her making the decision to leave the army left him wondering when he would take the same choice, embark upon the same road as she was doing at that moment as well - after all, he could not be in the army for all of his life time...

Truth be told, he was slightly sad that he could not take any more orders from Keeva as his superior officers - he knew, he would miss those Brightenings. At least, there would be times when she could order him around as his girlfriend, and it proved to be a source of comfort, if even only just a mild one. He replied to her gentle squeeze to his hand and her words with a small imprint of his lips upon her forehead. No one was watching - or at least, he hoped - and he gazed once more into the stormy grey of her orbs. Tracing his memeories back to when she first met her, that Darkening's strange events... With Piotr being zapped by a crimson lightning bolt... And afterwards, when they first shaked hands. That was a Brightening riddled with mysteries and queer events, the circumstances made their first handshake rather awkward, to say the very least. How love was able to sprout from all of that, only Aetheria knew...

"Well, I wasn’t going to leave without saying goodbye...I promise I’ll wait for you then, but what was it that you were going to show me?"

He was not exactly using his mind, and brain, when he told her he wanted to give her something. Now, he came to a dead-end - what was he going to bestow her with? Agaenos had no ideas himself, and all he was able to do was to fiddle around in his mind and endeavour to rack up something to say. Though as expected, it failed - in the end, he had to resign himself to giving a rather vague answer. Though it seemed, as soon as she had asked that, she retracted that question as well. Were they both just as glum that even Keeva could not think properly as well? Just as Keeva needed a break, perhaps even Agaenos needed one as well - as she actually voiced out right after. Strange - sometimes, he wondered whether they followed the same track of thoughts...

Last order to him as the leader of the Hellbear squad...

He nodded, and slowly, gave out the acknowledgement. "Yes, ma'am." The fourth smile he gave appeared, this one much more cordial, even with a hint of mild mischief, appeared on his face - the first true smile to emerge from all of the melancholy conversation they had to trawl through.

"I think I need a break too... Last time I asked for leave, it was only in the Candaceburg contest, and I really could not call that a true break. I think I visited Archadoon once when I migrated from Olympia to Prime..."

The memories, now very vague, came back - but he could never be sure whether he had actually passed through Archadoon all of those patterns before. Then, Archadoon was known as Arkdün... And it was before long before he realized he was thinking about irrelevent things, and came back to reality soon enough.

"I'll speak with the Leave and Vacation officer, then."

If melancholy talks like these were to become more and more commonplace, then he feared he too would have to release himself from the military soon enough too... Although not until his full Era has been served first. Not yet...

OOC: Milestone post - my 1000th post!!

[Keeva Kaldres]

OOC: Belated congrats, hun! *huggles*

IC:

She was glad that his melancholy was beginning to weaken and waver in its presence. If there was one thing she could not stand, it was seeing him so despondent, so sad, and with her to blame, too. She had no idea how long she would be gone for; her plans extended far beyond the borders of this province alone, and she hoped to be able to visit a lot of those cities in Carmelyn, and beyond, before her journey came to it culmination. She was almost certain that the greater majority of her summer would be taken up by her travels, which would leave her return to Abestat as late as early autumn. Could she cope without him for that long? She severely doubted it, although this was what she had apparently wanted. As a result of that, any pain she felt, any heartache she suffered through, all of that turmoil would be entirely her own to blame. How long would this last? For as long as Agaenos was a soldier in the Abestatian army, it was probable that their lives would remain like this, that they would be torn apart by circumstances akin to the one they were undergoing together now. It was hardly something she could truly bear in earnest, but neither could she handle being trapped in one place for too long.

Riddled with emotions herself, it was proving to be an arduous task getting her thoughts and feelings in order. Why couldn’t things be simpler? Why couldn’t her life be like those artificial bard’s tales, where everything was shiny and perfect? Why did everything she got herself into have to be so darned complicated? The touch of his lips upon her face silenced those questions momentarily, although the inner frustration remained, lurking within the core of her being like a snake ready to strike. At his reply of affirmation to her plea, the girl let slip a wide and pleased grin, a gesture that was perhaps too much in contrast with those feelings trapped within herself.

“Good then. I’ll be leaving as soon as I can. Much as I’m sure that they’re of a very good quality, I don’t really want to stay in any of the inns here in Abestat if I can help it.”

The contest in Candaceburg had been quite a while ago, by her reckoning, although she did not trust her mind in being a good judge of time in the slightest. If he had already visited Archadoon at some point in the past, the better for the both of the. She had never really set foot in the province of Carmelyn before in her life, and it would be nice to be accompanied by someone who knew something of the city itself, no matter how vaguely or abstractly.

“Let me know how it goes. I won’t be leaving without you, understand?”

Disentangling her fingers from his, the woman placed her hands upon his chest instead, smoothing out part of his uniform there before inclining her head to take in the entirety of the room, expression working itself into a mild frown as she scrutinised the mottled untidiness that otherwise overwhelmed the neatness withheld by the Corporal himself.

“Tell your roommates to smarten up a little- this room should be in immaculate condition.”

With a gentle smile, the girl moved away from him, towards the vicinity of the door. Whilst being a Sergeant meant that she was not subject to the orders placed upon the liked of Corporals and Privates, she still had work of her own to do, and whilst this hadn’t been wasted time in the slightest, she would need to be catching up on her other duties nonetheless.

“Come by the Sergeants’ quarters later and let me know how things went at the Leave office, alright?”

She did not think there was anything else to be said, and at least now her melancholy had lessened severely from when she had first entered the room. At least now the hope that he might be able to travel with her, at least for a while, had been nicely manifested. All that was left now was for her to prepare for the journey that lay closely ahead…