[Righteous Hand Dojo] Getting a little more acquainted (Lenara)

Veleraen · August 10, 2008, 01:24 PM

Early Morning, 35th of Immanis, Winter Era XV PF

Secrets :

It had been just over three cycles since Veleraen had met Lenara and welcomed her into his home. The surprise meeting between the pair had given Veleraen a new jolt to his life and as such, had enjoyed her company so far.

The Knight had insisted she take his bed and that he would sleep out in the barn upon a comfortable loft of hay instead. The Giant had slept in worse places in his life, some of which were covered with dirt and grime. Upon rock faces and crevices, valley floors lined with mud and against the hard trunks of trees within the Arium mountains. A lofty haystack and a blanket was a dream home compared to many other things from the past and was happy to give up his own bed until a new bed was able to be procured.

Just before dawn rose to greet the cold and still land of ZInn'sunn, Veleraen had awoken just as the pair of suns were rising to their feet. It had been a tradition with the Knight ever since he became a soldier, to rise early and to sleep a little less than everyone else. The reason he hadn't gotten a new bed yet for Lenara or himself was that he did not want to be in the same building with her while he slept, as his nightmares and visions that were brought to him on a somewhat darkening by darkening basis surely would have scared the young Giantess. She might have been able to hear him from inside the house, but it would have sounded like a severely muffled shout or the faint howl of a wolf to her ears.

That morning however, Veleraen had risen like he always had but instead of stretching and opting for a morning meditation, the Knight had decided to take a bath. Sleeping in the hay had become, well, unsanitary at times, and while it was comfortable in many respects, left less to be desired when it came to cleanliness in the morning.

The rice paper door that led to the back of his attached home opened slowly and the Giant walked through into the kitchen. Pausing, he looked towards the door that was closed, where behind it Lenara was sleeping. He didn't want to wake her, but as he turned to continue, his foot caught on a chair at the table and rustled it, skidding it across the floor. Veleraen gave an inward sigh and opened up the paper door to the bathing room.

Meticulously, Veleraen filled it with warm water that had been sitting on the idle stove and slipped into the basin that barely contained his enormous figure. He had forgotten to close the door behind him in the breaking of his morning routine and in turn, Lenara was able to hear the faint splashing of water from across the main room.

Lenara · August 10, 2008, 06:02 PM

Being free truly did have it's perks, Lenara wasn't made to ride early in the morning to do her chores and made to remain awake until late in the darkening, she could sleep whenever she wished and wake whenever she wanted to as well. Having a bed to sleep in rather then a hard cold floor was a definite change and while she had protested to taking Veleraen's bed from him, he was insistent and took his bed out to the barn. Lena was still reeling cycles later that she had met someone as kind and noble as Veleraen, he had taken care of her when he said he would and while she was certain that he would eventually tire of having her around, he still hadn't.

It was nice being in a home that was built to be big enough for her race, Veleraen was much bigger then she was, but it was nice not to have to duck low to keep from smacking her head on ceilings and doorways. Such annoyances they were, she used to have headaches all the time from her time as a slave. Gods, it felt weird to think of slavery in a past tense, she still had brightenings where she woke up expecting to be working and then realize that she was free. Was freedom supposed to be such a burden? Being a slave was easier, there was no freedom to defend, was it wrong to think that way?

Living with Veleraen didn't bother Lenara at all, she knew that there was simply a friendship between the two of them and while others might get odd ideas, she didn't worry too much about them. Being around other people was still an oddity that she was getting better with, she spoke more, though mostly to Veleraen and she was doing better with meeting his gaze, though there were still times she couldn't look him in the eyes.

The young giantess woke up from her sleep a bit before dawn, her dark hair mussed from a good darkening's rest, the sound of something moving scraping out in the kitchen waking her up. She stretched out and moved the covers, looking around the room before getting out of the large bed. She took the time to re-braid her hair before opening the rice paper door and stepping out into the kitchen to greet the morning. She didn't see any sign of Veleraen and wondered if he had unceremoniously slept in that brightening.

Lenara started a kettle of tea and got out two cups, looking back at the rice door every so often to see if Veleraen would walk inside. He usually woke early as well and normally he liked to let her sleep in, which was something she had trouble doing, her body clock being attuned to early morning and late darkenings. As she got the tea going, she thought she heard the sound of water splashing and she raised a brow. Instead of doing the logical thing and thinking it was Veleraen taking a bath, she walked over to see who it was, since Veleraen wasn't a big bath taker. The rice paper dog was left ajar strangely enough and when she looked inside, there was Veleraen....naked!!

Oh gods...oh gods! Her face turned bright red as she struggled to do something, she wasn't supposed to be looking at Vel while he was bathing. She gave a tiny squeak and moved away from the paper rice door quickly, hoping vainly that Vel hadn't noticed her. Admittedly, Vel had been mostly covered by the water....but still...just the idea. She walked back into the kitchen, her cheeks still burning red as she tried to concentrate on the tea, burning her finger in doing so because she was so flustered. Would he be angry at her? It had been an accident, gods how could she look at him? She had seen some of the tattoos he had mentioned before, and had she no decency, she would have looked longer rather then just glance.

Lena had never seen another naked person before and gods was it weird. "He was definitely good looo....What am I thinking!" She scolded herself and stood at the counter, drinking her tea for the moment.

Veleraen · August 10, 2008, 06:33 PM

Perhaps it was the cold winter air that had gotten to his mind or the will of Aslan striking him deftly in the head but Veleraen had been rather careless that morning. He had forgotten Lenara was usually an early riser like he was and that morning as he left the door open, he hadn't suspected Lenara, knowing how she acted and what she was like, to come up to the door and peek in.

Veleraen had definitely been naked inside the giant basin that he sat in, water covering most of the secretive parts of one's body. A small squeak, one almost barely audible sounded behind him as he was unraveling his braided hair and washing it thoroughly with his hands. The Knight turned around briefly but found no one or nothing there. The Titan shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "Must have been one of those rats that I found in the dojo the other brightening...I will have to go out to the store and buy a few more traps it seems.."

A few more splashes of water later and the Titan had finished his bath, silence still emanating from the rest of the home as Lenara was quietly contemplating the sights she had witnessed just minutes before hand. Veleraen on the other hand no reason to suspect Lenara to be in the kitchen as he slowly got out of the tub and grabbed his lone towel and started to dry himself off.

Quite calmly, the Knight walked into the kitchen and living room area with his head down as he inspected a small cut that was on his right shoulder. He had knicked it the other brightening while he was trying to clean off some of the rooftop surface on the dojo.

What he failed to notice was Lenara standing by the counter, nervously tending a cup of tea. Veleraen walked in, quite naked and open for all to see. It was a good thing the Titan was in such good shape for a warrior of his race, otherwise Lenara might have frowned upon such a sight.

Holding his towel in his right hand, nothing having bothered to cover up in the brief jaunt it would have taken him to get back to the barn, Veleraen looked up from his inspecting and saw Lenara and immediately and frantically attempted to cover himself up. The Knight's figure itself was quite sculpted from many many eras of training and battle and any more aggressive Giantess might have taken advantage of the situation but Lenara was definitely not one to act upon any such urge.

"Lenara!" The knight exclaimed as he wrapped the towel around his waist. If Lenara had even looked out of sheer curiousity, she would have seen, besides the obvious appendage of the male anatomy, several tattoos that hugged the skin of the warrior Knight. A large, black outline of a Lion's maw covered the width and height of the mid portion of his chest, proud eyes and two large fangs bearing emotion for all to see. Above his heart was a silver sword and shield combination with a golden sun behind them, its rays escaping around the edges and upon his right shoulder was a black rose curled around a white cross, with the letters, O.B.R. right below it. On his back was the largest tattoo he had, a phoenix rising from the ashes and it covered almost the entire span of his upper and middle back, flames and feathers of gold licking at his muscles and tendons.

Accompanying the tattoos were an insurmountable amount of scars. Too many to count, Lenara would have seen half a dozen patches of skin scattered about his thigh, midsection, both sides of his collarbone and on his chest itself where the scars were warped and the skin was slightly discoloured where hot metal rods were used to cauterize the wounds. One enormous scar ran diagonally across his chest and intersected the eye of the lion tattoo, giving it an even grittier look.

Veleraen could do nothing but stand in shock and tie the towel around his waist and look at Lenara in quite a bit of embarrassment and shame. "I'm so sorry, I did not know you were awake.." Veleraen paused and then gave a subtle chuckle, a slight tinge of red entering his face. His hair was not even braided, as he liked to let his ponytail dry in a spread of strands before he rebraided it. He wasn't exactly sure what to do as he stood there, motionless in the kitchen, holding onto the last of his dignity. On the positive side however, Lenara's morning was one she probably would never be able to forget.

Lenara · August 10, 2008, 07:23 PM

Lenara sighed as she took a nice relaxing drink of her tea, the smell and taste helped her to relax bit by bit. It hadn't been a horrifying thing really and had she not been so sheltered, she would have been slightly embarrassed rather then so shaken up as she was. She had just never seen anyone naked before, though thankfully he had been mostly covered and he didn't seem to notice. She would wait for him to come out and she would apologize, even if he didn't know, she did and that was bad enough. She pushed back her braid and took another nice sip, she was beginning to calm down, her cheeks still red, but her breathing wasn't so quick now.

She heard footsteps coming into the kitchen and figured that Veleraen was finished with his bath and was coming to speak with her. She finished off her tea and was going to offer Vel tea as well, turning to face him. The gods were surely laughing at the giantess as her eyes practically bugged out of her head, Veleraen was still naked! Good gods, what the feth was he walking around naked when he had a guest in his home?! He even had a towel in his hand. Unlike when he had been in the wash basin, he stood before her completely uncovered, everything was open to her eyes and while she knew she should have immediately looked away, she was given a better look at the tattoos and scars that covered his muscular body.

She saw another certain appendage before he seemed to take notice of her and covered up, why the feth was it pointing towards her? Is that what they did....ewwwww. "Stop pointing at me." She squeaked as she fianlly averted her eyes, took her long enough of course. Gods, this imagery was going to stay with her for way too long and while she knew she couldn't remain innocent of such things her entire life, she didn't need a crash course in the male body this way, definiely not. He sounded just as surprised if not more so and when she looked again, he was covered, not that it meant she didn't know what was under that towel now.

Her cheeks were bright bright red and she couldn't help but keep her eyes on Vel's face this time, looking anywhere but there. She was surprised that in all the surprise, that she had held onto the tea that she had been about to offer to the naked man. She couldn't believe how many scars marked his body, surely he had been put through so much pain at different points in his life. She recalled what he had said about his tattoos telling a story and she was curious, though she was still embarrassed about all that she had seen that morning. "Um....good morning?" It was a bit late for the greeting now, but hopefully it would lessen the awkwardness that they both felt.

At least he was blushing as well, she held the tea out to him, staying by the counter for the moment. Gods that had been so embarrassing and yet, she couldn't help but laugh a little bit, her cheeks seemed stained red, but it was still humorous. "What does O.B.R stand for?" She asked curiously.

Veleraen · August 10, 2008, 07:56 PM

The naked form. It was something to be admired, praised and covered in some instances and this was one of them. The Knight had heard nothing nor suspected anything that might have indicated Lenara was awake and about the house. It would have only taken him a few seconds to go back outside and into the barn. Victims of chance they both were, more Lenara than anyone else however as Veleraen came into the room.

Her reaction to his appearance however threw the Knight off kilter, so much so that her uttering 'stop pointing at me', made him scrunch his face up in confusion, wondering what the feth she was referring to. "Stop poin-" His eyes went wide as he started to cover up and whatever had been 'pointing at her' had surely went limp out of sheer embarrasment. Had she welcomed the situation, it might have gone the other way, but that was another chapter of a book that had been stored on the shelf for safe keeping.

Letting out a massive, throating clearing gargle of sorts, Veleraen looked the other way to the wall and wrapped the towel and tied it to make sure no more surprises were sprung upon the pair. It was awkward enough having to stand in the midst of his own home with a relatively, still strange Giantess handing him a cup of tea.

His face was a now completely red and a hand was gathering up his loose hair and twisting it briefly to make sure it didn't go anywhere. "I....am....so sorry Lenara." The Giant stumbled over his words, while deep down he was dying of embarrassment. Lenara's presence during the past few cycles had been very pleasant and the Giantess had started to grow on him so much so that his feelings had started to change for her, change in a way that made his heart jump a step each time she greeted him with a smile. Now this situation had come along and had potentially ruined everything.

Noticing her equal amount of embarrassment, the flushing of her face signalling to him that she wasn't disgusted at what she saw, which in more a general sense was a positive thing. Her greeting made him take a huge sigh and a large but awkward smile crossed the Knight's face, as this had been a first for the Titan. He never really had any interaction with the female sex of his own race before and in his absentmindedness of the cold morning had forgotten that one could never be too careful. At least Lenara did not run off screaming, it could have been much worse, although the pointing comment surely was not going to leave his mind for yet some time.

"Morning.." Veleraen took the cup of tea from her and stood there like an awkward buffoon in his now, half naked form. He didn't know what exactly to do but he had atleast garnered Lenara's attention and had almost forced her to look at his face. "Perhaps I did her a bit of a favour..." Veleraen laughed along with the Giantess and lifted his head and eyes from the floor after taking a sip of his coffee. She inquired as to his tattoo that held the initials and in an effort to push aside the tension inside the room, he answered her as he walked over and sat down at the table in the kitchen itself, decreasing the odds that a breeze would flow through the house and expose the Knight's decency once more for all to see.

"The initials O.B.R. stand for Order of the Black Rose. It is the Order of Knights that protects the leader of the Empire." He looked at her as she stood in front of the table and took another sip of tea as he tried to relax his nerves. "I was and still am apart of that Order. I guarded Empress Arabella de Lylles and the now proclaimed Prince, Prince Milo L'Evienne." He offered up a weak smile to Lenara and leaned forward against the table in an effort to conceal more of his frame but it did not help much. It only brought more light to the tattoo upon his back instead.

His eyes darted about, almost acting like Lenara now when they had first met in Laroo river park. Gods why was he twitching and so nervous? His right hand started to shake and he froze it willingly right there and then, hoping Lenara did not take any notice to such a vulnerability. Looking up at Lenara a little hesitantly, he let out a small sigh of relief that the house wasn't alight with the flames of Aeternia or that Lenara hadn't locked herself inside his room after their still awkward encounter. "I will, uhm, make sure this never happens again. I humbly apologize for that...I..." He became slightly frustrated and leaned back against the wall behind his stool and sighed, angry at himself for exposing her to such an unnecessary situation. No more words flowed from his mouth as a mixture of embarrassment and shame took hold of his tongue. It was a strange world he lived in and it seemed no matter how hard he tried, something always went awry, even in the company of such beautiful grace.

Lenara · August 10, 2008, 09:02 PM

Perhaps Lenara had blow the situation out of proportion, but she was still young and innocent and she had never seen anything like it before. Being a slave had kept her from really pursing relationships and really, no human wanted to be with a giantess, she knew that and understood it quickly. She wasn't really disgusted by Vel's naked body, she was surprised of course, gods had she been surprised and being that she was Vel's friend rather then something more, she wasn't supposed to see anything like that. She hoped that she didn't hurt his feelings with her reactions, it was just....well traumatizing for the young giantess, but she would eventually get over it.

Perhaps it was her fault for being there in the first place, had he been alone, he wouldn't have needed to worry about people seeing him walk around naked. She looked down at the floor boards while he adjusted the towel, the way he acted showed that he was just as embarrassed as she was, perhaps even more given the circumstances. Lenara almost wished she hadn't finished her tea, she could use another cup after this, to keep from actually having to say anything. The tattoos had been interesting, she could imagine the stories each one told and while she wasn't going to ask, just how many stories existed within the scars marking his entire body.

Lenara was starting to calm down, watching Veleraen now figit before her, she didn't think she had ever seen him with his hair un-braided, it was odd. Her cheeks still burned from the amount of surprise and embarrassment, what embarrassed her most was that while it had been a shock that nearly gave her a heart attack, she didn't mind looking at his body. He was a muscular man and had an amazing body that came from eras of working it into shape and keeping it in shape. Was she wrong to enjoy his body? She hated to admit that she was developing a small crush on her friend, but she could never tell Veleraen this because she couldn't stand to be rejected. He was so kind to her, so good to her as a friend and she didn't wish to lose that ever.

"No, I'm sorry, I should have been in the other room, I mean I knew you were bathing...." She trailed off, not wanting to continue that train of thought for the moment nor did she wish to continue the awkward moment between them.

Thankfully things started to calm down a bit between the two of them, he returned her awkward morning greeting and took the tea offered to him. Once he took the tea, she turned and poured herself another cup, remaining at the counter as he took a seat for the moment. He was still half naked, but at least a certain area was covered now, his chest and back weren't all that bad to look at.

Order of the Black Rose, it sounded so interesting that despite the awkwardness earlier, her eyes lit up. Veleraen had once guarded the Empress and the Prince as well, it was amazing, he was just the like the heroes from her stories. "Wow," she said softly, noticing his weak smile and seeing that he was still uncomfortable, which was a good bit of her fault. "You're like the hero from the stories I used to hear about, except you are real."

As she tried to resposition himself a bit better, she caught sight of his back and her eyes went wide, the Phoenix tattoo on his back was amazing, what story did that tell? She examined the tattoo closely until her attention was brought back to Veleraen's face, noticing that he was acting much like she had before when they had first met. She felt bad that she had made him feel this nervous, she herself had calmed down to the point where it was almost funny what had happened, but it seemed Veleraen wasn't at that point yet. "Despite my reaction, it wasn't horrible, I was just surprised." She hoped she could help ease him, seeing how this had effected him. A smile touched her lips and she sat at the table across from him. "You're cute when you're nervous." She took a sip of her tea and tried to appear bright and cheery, perhaps she knew from her slavery how to cheer others up. "But I like it better when you smile, please smile for me."

After a few moments and a few glances at his back, her curiousity peaked and she just had to ask. "Where did you get the Phoenix tattoo, it is beautiful."

Veleraen · August 11, 2008, 12:13 AM

Luckily childish thoughts were not apart of the pair's moment together in the silent air of the kitchen. Veleraen had entered, not anticipating such circumstances and there he was, half naked with a towel around his waist. They were both adults and while Lenara was more innocent than most were at her age, Veleraen could help but have a huge cloud of guilt hanging over his head. His mind was trying so hard to make the storm dissipate that there might have been steam coming out his ears had it been possible.

The Knight could have seen how Lenara might have thought it to be all her fault. She had been there and in the process reacted quite surprised, as he figured she would and now they were standing awkwardly in the cold morning of the dojo. It wasn't her fault at all. It was his carelessness and he wanted her to know that right away before guilt started to spread relentlessly inside herself.

"No, it's not your fault Lenara. I was quite careless. I should have covered up...It does not matter if I thought you were there or not, I should have thought better than to walk around in such a state of undress with a lady present in the house. Do not put any blame on yourself, for there is none to take." He almost forced a smile, trying to put her at ease as she too was trying to do the same.

Sitting at the table with an uneasyness unlike that of which he had felt in a long time, Veleraen sat in silence, trying to let the situation calm itself down. He sipped on his tea and then explained to her about the O.B.R. tattoo. Lenara's face lit up again, comparing him to that of a hero in a story. Veleraen got a real kick out of that, as he hadn't truly been compared to anything like that before. "You honour me with such a comparison Lenara. No one has ever said that to me before." It made him forget about the awful confrontation about a minute ago and flattered him immensely instead. To be compared to a hero in a story was quite a compliment. To be recorded in a story or a tale was one of the highest honours of any warrior, Giant or not.

It put a smile on face and for once the nervous jitters of their moment were starting to fade. For her to say the 'encounter' wasn't horrible still gave him hope as she was simply startled. What she said next made his face perk up a little as she noted that: 'he was cute when he was nervous'. It made the Knight grin slightly and chuckle, his cheeks still reddening a little after her comment was made. "Don't let it go to your head now..." His eyes glanced down to the table and then looked back at Lenara with a comforting smile.

"Thank you. I did not realize this was true until now. You are the same when you get flustered. It's the red colour...I think." Veleraen chuckled as he paid her a compliment back, obeying her request as he gave her a bit more 'smile' and less 'glum'. He could feel himself feeling more awkward again until she mentioned his tattoo on his back and Veleraen was more than happy to explain it to her to avoid being pinned down in a war of compliments.

"I actually got it from an old sea elf sailor in Aelyria Prime." Veleraen remembered what happened to Mister Juckson too, as he had been murdered after tattooing Veleraen, having seemingly broke the 'unwritten rules' of the gang that claimed that part of the beach as their own. Trying to avoid gruesome details, Veleraen opted not to mention the part of how he was brutally murdered in his shack while the Knight slept peacefully in his cot at the Order's citadel compound.

"It took over two brightenings to finish it as well, many many hours went into it. It's actually Hakan, in phoenix form...the feathers on the bird are golden in colour instead of red and the beak is more similar to his. I got it to commemorate our friendship and connection. He is as much apart of me as I am him." Veleraen looked out the small window in the kitchen to the barn where Hakan had opted to sleep in the loft above Veleraen's own bed.

"He likes his sleep...Like us Giants, maybe that's why we're such good friends." Veleraen laughed and became a little more relaxed in his seat, despite his lack of dress. Taking a sip of his tea he looked at Lenara who was still trying to calm herself and couldn't help but continue to look at her with a curiousity not unlike her own. He was wondering why she hadn't run off like he assumed she would have from the start. Did she like the fact that he was half naked? She did say he was cute...Gah no he couldn't assume such things. Lenara would think him to be some...some pervert.

Opting for a route of decency, Veleraen sat in silence and enjoyed his cup of tea, simply sitting there. Perhaps he lingered too long in his position, as he probably should have gone and put some clothes on but the quiet morning had been a rather eventful one. He didn't want to go back out into the cold snow out to the barn now that he was having a nice conversation inside his warmer home. How could she blame him now?

Lenara · August 11, 2008, 10:49 PM

Lenara couldn't help but feel immensely guilty and it wasn't because she had seen him naked in the kitchen but because she had seen him earlier, of course it hadn't been as much of a view as she got this time around, but it had been enough and she felt like she had caused all this. If she would have just returned to her room when she heard someone in the bath tub, why did she have to be so stupid? She accepted blame for the occurrence and hoped that Veleraen left it at that, but she knew he wouldn't, he would be all noble and take the blame for it.

Just as she thought, Vel accepted the blame as his own and while he was right and should have covered up, but it was his home and she didn't really have a right to anything there. She was a guest there and Vel could do whatever he wished really, she just wished she would have had some warning as to what was going to happen. It was humorous that both giants sought to console the other and take the blame themselves. Lena took a moment before sighing, she could have argued that it was somehow her fault, but it would have prolonged the awkwardness. "I guess it was both our faults and hopefully we learned our lessons."

Lenara did what she could to change the subject and learn more about her friend Vel, he was a fascinating individual with so much to teach her, he was teaching her about faith and hope, about religion and how to read, he was just all around wonderful. The fact that her cheeks were stained red from the earlier incident help keep Vel from knowing that she was thinking something embarrassing for her. Lenara wondered about the book Vel had mentioned that he had been in the process of writing, she couldn't wait to read it for she wanted to learn more about his adventures. While Lena had learned a lot of stories over her eras of life, Veleraen was slowly becoming the person she imagined as the hero of her stories. Veleraen felt honoured but it was true, he was the hero of his stories surely. "I still wish to read your book when you have finished it."

Lenara must have been insane to admit that she thought he was cute, but it had been an attempt to make him feel better, having seen how jittery he seemed after what had happened. She felt bad for how she had acted, but there was nothing that could be done about it now. She took notice of the blush that came after her comment and it made her smile, knowing that she had helped make Vel feel better, even if it was only a little bit. Lenara had come a long way from their first meeting in Laroo Park. She was still shy, still complacent, but she was more animated then before and she spoke more to Vel.

She blushed as he returned the compliment, though she was unsure if he meant it or if it was customary to return a compliment. Not wishing to continue the compliments and get more red, she smiled and thanked him, looking down at the floor with a shy smile on her face. It was frustrating at times, not being as mature as she should have been. Women her age were married or had experienced a partner before, but Lenara had always been alone.

She stared wide eyed at the fantastic Phoenix tattoo on his back, she had never seen anything like it before and wondered just how long it had taken, who had done it, and what story it told. He had mentioned how tattoos were stories painted forever on the body. She wondered if he hurriedly answered her question as a way to lose her in the story and help them both continue to move on from the earlier incident. Her eyes were wide, a look of fascination when he mentioned Aelyria Prime, she would visit the capital someday, she just had to.

Two brightenings to finish a tattoo. "Did it hurt?" She remembered meeting Hakan before and while she liked the bird, she was nervous around him. She hadn't known he had a Phoenix form, that was interesting. "I never knew Hakan had a Phoenix form, but then again, I don't know anything about the pretty bird other then he is big and can talk to you." She followed his gaze towards the barn and smiled a bit. "I don't know if he likes me."

Silence fell between the two and Lenara wondered if Veleraen opted to remain there half dressed because she was asking silly questions, she should let him go and get dressed. Lenara finished off the rest of her tea and shook the finger that still burning, it didn't hurt all that much since she had such tough skin, but still it burned and she wasn't much of an advocate for pain. Lenara didn't tell anyone, but she had a fear of fire or perhaps better said, a fear of the pain of fire, the brand had branded more then just her young skin. "You hair isn't braided, I don't think I've ever seen that before," she mused as she stood back to her feet. "I find it funny that you braid your hair better then I do, nothing wrong with it of course." Lenara had a habit anymore of blurting out random observations. "Am I keeping you from getting dressed, cause I can go back to the room and let you go if you wish."

Veleraen · August 11, 2008, 11:45 PM

If it was a combination of both their faults, Veleraen couldn't truly accept it but for the sake of their friendship, the Knight calmly nodded in a slow manner and did so. He didn't feel like arguing over a petty thing such as acceptance of blame, whether it was his or hers, it truly did not matter now. The ordeal was done with and better things were now in front of them.

Lenara's compliment of him being like the heroes she had heard of truly lifted his spirits and we he thanked her, he felt like reminiscing about his past but with company, it did not serve a purpose.

Now that he quickly thought about it, the Knight surely had many stories. He had rescued Empress Arabella de Lylles from an alleyway of muggers, helped save the Second Empire two hundred eras in the past, many many eras before he was actually supposed to have been born. The Knight had climbed to the peaks of the Arium mountains, fought demons from Aeternia and rushed to the Temple of Aetheria itself in an effort to cleanse the denizens of the abyss from its hallowed halls. He had been brought to the most emotionally breaking depths upon a simple pond and fallen through grace until the end of eternity and back. He possessed the courage of a thousand men and had fought in multiple wars, crashing through lines of undead and orc alike...Did it truly amount to such tales? To Veleraen, it was simply a way of life.

"And you are welcome to read it when I am. I have two chapters done so far, with many more to write I am afraid...You are welcome to those whenever you wish." He offered a gentile smile and finished up his tea, shifting in his rather precarious position upon his stool. Lenara's reaction to his compliment had its effects on the young Giantess as the Knight predicted. She smiled, thanked him and looked down to her feet in an effort to conceal her emotions. Perhaps one brightening she might give him a kiss, or so he prayed. He could not force himself upon her in any way, it felt wrong to even intrude upon her innocent ways. Emotions were a feeble thing and having not experienced such things before in his life, his kin far and few between, Veleraen could not help but have his usually focused mind wander in lust and confusion.

Lenara's wide gaze at his tattoo broke his train of thought as she asked him it hurt and Veleraen gave a subtle chuckle. "No, it did not. I spent most of my time face down in the sand as the man worked on it. It was during the summer too, so it was rather warm and pleasant." Veleraen had just recently got the lion and sword/shield combination upon his chest and was continually thinking about what to decorate his body with next. Perhaps if his relationship developed farther with Lenara, he would put something upon his skin that reminded him of her. It would only be fitting as she was as much apart of his life now as anything else.

Her remark about Hakan's 'phoenix form' made Veleraen raise an eye and he realized very quickly she had misunderstood him. "Well, he doesn't have a 'phoenix form' exactly. The tattoo of him as a phoenix is more of a representation of my thoughts of Hakan. He is a Giant golden falcon, but he cannot turn into flames, as entertaining and exciting as that prospect might be." Veleraen let out a little smirk and frowned ever so slightly as Lenara was unsure whether or not Hakan liked her.

"Do not worry, Hakan likes you very much. He thinks you are a welcome sight. He says I do not get to see much of my own kind and that having you around will do me some good. He also said you have a very beautiful face, something unlike he has never seen before."

"Me no say that!" Hakan's internal voice pierced his thoughts as the bird had been awake and reading his mind as his conversation with Lenara progressed.

"Shush, she doesn't know any better."

Veleraen would have grinned but kept a straight face as he spoke. He was simply gracing her with an indirect compliment. The Knight had no real intention of deceiving her but testing the waters was better suited to his mindset than anything else he could come up with. Silence enveloped them for a brief moment and he noticed Lenara was nursing a bit of a small wound. Nothing serious by the looks of it but her finger seemed to be bothering her. Veleraen was about to say something but the Giantess was good at switching topics and breaking into new areas of conversation without much notice. This time, it was his hair.

To say that this was a new one Veleraen had not heard before, was an understatement. In many cultures, having long, braided hair was reserved for women and women only, but many Kemite men had longer hair and in Giant culture, many warriors had longer, skull-locked ponytails as he did. It was not uncommon for a Giant to have a long and braided set of hair and Veleraen puffed out his chest a little in reactionary mode of self-protection even though Lenara was not saying anything negative about his sense of style.

"Well, when I think about it really, no one has really seen me with my 'hair down.'" His own words made him grin and laugh slightly. "Many Giant warriors have their hair braided. It keeps it from getting in the way when in combat. You cannot fight your enemies with hair in your face." And it was true too. He'd seen a few younger Giants wrestle in the valley meeting area of his village and one younger Giant had his hair always constantly getting in the way. In the end, he had lost the match because he couldn't see his opponent for almost half the match and ended up swiping at his hair more often than his actual target.

"I have gotten good at it after many eras. My father taught me actually, strangely enough." To think that a father could teach a young Giant warrior how to braid his own hair, well, it might have sounded ridiculous to some, but it was true. It was a proud tradition in Giant culture. Father's lent their wisdom to their sons and one of the first things learned was how to braid their hair (If they had any).

Lenara's brief question broke his link between him and his past as he began to wander off again and then realized her finger was still bothering her. "I'll be right back." He didn't say any more and instead got up, opened one of the cupboards on the wall and took out a small package that had a '+' on it. Undoing the tie string, Veleraen pulled out a small cloth pouch that was inside it and in just a towel, half naked and exposed to the elements, Veleraen stepped out into the cold and scooped a handful of snow into the pouch and tied it up nice and tight and then walked back in, a hazy fog coming out from his warm maw.

"Here...Put this on your finger. It will help." He gave her a flash of a smile and then turned, looking back over his shoulder once more and then half jogged back to the barn to get dressed. Maybe Lenara thought he hadn't noticed, but he had known for quite some time now. He had not the right opportunity until now.

"You not put words in Hakan's mouth again!" The bird's voice echoed in his mind, a little annoyed.

"Do not worry my friend, they were good things! You do like her right?"

"Hakan like her yes, but me no want her to think she pretty! She be pretty yes, but Hakan have pride. Hakan mighty bird!" Hakan was now just giving Veleraen a hard time. The Giant sighed as he entered the barn door and closed it. It gave Lenara a little time to do whatever she wanted and soon the Knight would return, hopefully this time not in the buff.

Lenara · August 12, 2008, 10:42 PM

Lenara waited for a moment, just hoping that Veleraen didn't bother to continue the silly argument between the two giants in regards to just who was at fault and who should take the blame. It didn't really matter who was to blame and she hoped he accepted that, but being the noble man he was, she was sure he claimed blame no matter what she said. Thankfully he said nothing on the subject and she could consider it dead and buried, that was one more relief that she needed after how the morning had started. She certainly hoped that it wasn't a sign of how things would go the rest of the brightening because she had been looking forward to a nice brightening with Veleraen.

As long as Lenara had known Veleraen, she had only heard a handful of his stories and while this would be enough to satisfy most, Lenara held a curiosity that seemed unquenchable. She wanted to learn everything there was to learn about her friend and the world that she had been released into, living the life of an uneducated slave in a small town gave a true appreciation for knowledge. She took in every story and commited it to memory and while she didn't ask for a story to be repeated more then once, she was able to remember them pretty much word for word and could recite them back if she wanted. Veleraen seemed more then happy to share his tales of heroism with Lenara, never turning her down when she asked for a story regarding one of his scares of her life in general.

Giving out compliments was something that Lenara happily did, but only when she meant them for she was honest above everything else. If she gave a compliment, it was because she believed it to be true and wished to make someone happy by telling them. If she had a complaint with someone, then she would keep it to herself, having learned eras ago that her opinions didn't and never would matter to anyone simply because of what she was. Receving compliments was something altogether different and while it made her feel good, she hardly knew what to do with herself when she was complimented, especially when it came from Veleraen, since he was a knight and was of high stature. Nothing she ever did would even come close to Veleraen in importance and she accepted this, she was still amazed at times that someone like Veleraen wanted to be her friend.

The idea of decorating your body with marks of pride was still new to the young woman, despite her stay with the tattoist. She had seen many of his tattoos, most of which because of the earlier incident, but she couldn't understand the honor that it gave Veleraen to have these markings. They told the story of his life and helped him to remember his triumphs as the scars helped to remember his pains, though his mind might not allow him to forget even if he wished to. "So you spent candlemarks eating sand....must have been pleasant." She smiled teasingly as she imagined Vel's large body laying on the beach as people tattoed his body.

Lenara felt her cheeks burn once more as Veleraen explained about the tattoo's significance and while he said it gently, Lena could see that she had misunderstood what he meant. Lenara felt silly anf sighed, she was always making mistakes like that because she didn't know better, it was frustrating, but she did realize that people did make mistakes. Veleraen didn't fault her for misunderstanding him and in fact gave a little smirk at the thought of Hakan having such a form. "I've heard about the Phoenix before, the birds that rise from the ashes to become more beautiful then what they had been." She blushed as she admitted something she never told anyone. "When I was back in the village, I would sometimes dream that I was a Phoenix, rising from the ashes of ignorance that came from slavery and actually became someone, someone that was worth more then a quick glance, someone that was just worth something." She sighed and looked down at the wood of the table. "Sounds stupid, doesn't it."

He did frown though when Lenara mentioned about her uncertainty with Haken, she liked the bird a great deal, but she didn't know what the bird thought about her and since Veleraen and Hakan were so close, if Hakan didn't like her, it wouldn't be long before Veleraen didn't either and she wished to hold onto this friend as long as she could. Veleraen had told her when she first met Hakan that they had a bond that made it so that they could speak to one another, he began to explain that Hakan did indeed like her and said such wonderful things about her as well. Having no reason to believe that Veleraen was fabricating this to help ease her worries and give her indirect compliments as well, she smiled happily and believed his gentle lie. "I had no idea Hakan said such things, makes me feel bad that I doubted him."

Lenara didn't realize how much attention she placed on her burnt finger until she noticed the silence between the two of them, she had no wish for any attention to be placed on her and so she hurried to change the subject before he inquried about her finger or her thoughts. It wasn't that she didn't like sharing her thoughts with Veleraen, there was no one on Telath that she spoke to more then Vel, but she just didn't like having attention placed on her. She was so used to being invisible until she was called by her master, even one as large as she had been could fade into the shadows when she put her mind to it. The new topic seemed a bit lame when she thought about it, she hoped that he wasn't embarrassed or offended that she took notice of his hair, she didn't mean to sound negative in any way.

Lenara listened as Veleraen explained more about their culture, hearing about her own kin was something she loved, especially since she had never met any of them before, Veleraen being the only giant that she actually knew of. She actually tried to imagine a warrior fighting with their hair in their face and it didn't turn out well at all. "But why have hair at all? I mean wouldn't it be easier to have no hair at all?" She hoped she didn't offend him, she was just stating what she thought, she didn't know if the braids had to do with honor or anything, one reason she wanted to learn as much as she could from Veleraen.

Another surprise came when he mentioned just who had taught him to braid, it had been his father rather then his mother, something she wouldn't have guessed at all. "I learned from one of the daughters of my master, she could be a bit nasty at times and throw rocks at me, but she had her nice moments as well and she said she grew tired of seeing my hair in tangles and knots." Lenara was careful about mentioning her former life because she knew Veleraen wasn't comfortable with the subject of slavery and she didn't wish to upset him.

Lenara tried to shake off the slight pain that came from her finger, watching curiously as Veleraen got up from the table and retrieved something from his cupboard. She waited patiently to see what he was getting, it didn't matter if it wasn't her business or not, she was a curious young woman. Her curiosity was peaked as Vel walked outside to gather snow, this wouldn't have been so odd had Vel not been clad in only a towel to keep away the elements. When he finished with whatever he was doing, he handed her the coo pouch to place on her finger. She took the pouch and flashed him a shy smile, doing as he asked and feeling relief. "Thank you, it feels much better now." She said softly as he jogged out of the room, leaving to get dressed in the barn.

Once he was out of the room, she slowly stood to her feet and walked back into the room she temporarily called hers, sitting on the bed for a moment and allowing the pain to ease from her finger. Once she finished with that, she changed into a pair of black pants and a warm white shirt, she wasn't big on fashion and didn't really care what she looked like so long as she had clothes to wear. She put on the pair of nice black boots that she so pridefully owned now, the other shoes she had owned had holes in them and were pretty much useless.

Once she was fulled dressed, she left the room and waited for Veleraen to return from the barn, hopefully fully dressed this time. Was it a crime to admit that she didn't mind seeing him half naked? Most likely it was, having such thoughts about her only friend, how could she? Instead of waiting for Veleraen to come inside, Lenara decided to wait for him outside. Walking outside into the cold air, she smiled as she gathered a rather large snowball in her hand and waited for Veleraen to emerge from the barn. Once she caught him in her sight, she would aim the snowball and throw it, hiding behind the side of the barn near the door.