Private - Reconnecting

Being lead by the hand wasn't a situation that was uncommon for Luna, she was used to having other people take the lead after all. However, at least this time she knew where she was going, or at the very least she had a decent idea as to where they were going to go. She was fairly sure that the chosen destination was of course Ezra's home within Lucia's camp, a camp within which, up until this point, Luna herself had actually refused to join. Of course she had her reasons, most of which were to do with Luna herself and had nothing to do with the people and creatures that actually remained in the camp, such as Ezra for example.

The truth was, she just didn't feel worthy of living in the same camp as Ezra and Lucia, for a few different reasons. She had no real way of knowing for sure, but she knew that both women had and would do incredible things in the future, with that camp serving as their home and base of operations. With that in mind, there was no way she could just intrude upon their home, simply because she was sweet on them both. She wasn't as amazing as they were, she hadn't done anything to distinguish herself. She was just Luna, Beast Tamer and arcane witch, with some growing plant side effects as well. Those, she was going to keep to herself, until she got a grip on them.

She sighed, shaking her head of those thoughts as they got close enough to actually break the tree line and see Ezra's tent, smiling slightly as she tightened her grip on the knight's hand momentarily. "So, um, Ezra? I have to ask, why'd you lead me to your tent?" She giggled slightly. "I know we need to de-stress after that fight, but um, do we really need another bath?" She teased the woman, smiling.

@Ezra

 

Oh.

The Death Knight blinked and raised her head, her feet coming to a sudden halt. A dry wind scraped across her, carrying with it the familiar scent of earth and stone, something that she had mentally come to associate with her little spot of land. She blinked again, glancing around to be sure of it and had to sigh when she realized that she had guided Luna back to her tent.

She dropped the Arcane Witch’s hand and ran her hands back through her long black locks, frustrating making her grunt as she spun on her heel. Eyes collided with Luna’s serene features, the sight of her small smile enough to calm whatever storms were currently brewing in Ezra’s chest.

Sorry, she murmured, her arms falling to her sides. I just…walked. I didn’t have a place in mind. She licked her lips, wetting them. Attention slid off to Dispater as he tried in vain to get his brother to play with him, his sleek azure form darting in and nipping at the other velociraptor before dashing away. It didn’t seem to be working.

Just who in the fuck does she think she is?!

The explosion came out of nowhere, the volume of Ezra’s lyrics skyrocketed. It was enough to stop her pet from his childish antics. Had he ears, they would be plastered to his head.

A summon? A fucking summon, Luna! That’s what she thought I was. And…and…and like Lucia would need her help. Fuck off, no she wouldn’t. Lucia is too strong, too powerful to need the help of someone like…like…her.

She dragged the rear of her hand across her mouth, wiping away a tiny spec of blood that had appeared on her bottom lip. She had probably nicked herself with her outburst. Tense shoulders gave way to tense arms, her fingers curling to fists at her sides. She could still feel the vines, the scratch of thorns against her tender flesh, the acid in her eyes and nose, the screams and cries of her pet as he was restrained against his will.

I want to kill her, the Knight said, a murderous black tone coating her words in ice.​

 

Luna placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder supportively, stepping closer to share just a little more personal space with the woman, who seemed so frustrated and annoyed. It wasn't nice to see and hear Ezra in this sort of state, especially when the woman that she liked was normally so full of life and rambunctious, able to take on any challenge that came her way and toss it to the side, as if it were nothing. At one point she'd envied Ezra's strength of will and character a lot, but now she adored it.

She giggled, turning to Oktai with a smile as the raptor seemed to endure his brother nipping at him and running. Such a typical thing between them, Dispater was so much more energetic and childlike than his brother, who seemed to be such a mature boy already, maybe because of Luna's skill as a Beast Tamer? She wasn't sure, but she could tell that Oktai was a bit larger than his brother as he was, despite them being pretty much exactly the same age as each other.

That was before mt. Ezra exploded and drew a halt to Dispater's playful nipping and Oktai's amused, yet exasperated endurance of those nips. She could understand the knight's outburst and rage, she really could. She was just glad that she'd been in the area and had heard the sounds of combat, or rather, that her pets had heard the sounds and led her straight to the fighting.

She blinked, before wrapping her arms gently around Ezra, rocking slightly as a dangerous, black tone came to her voice at the end. "No you don't..." She cooed gently, rocking back and forth with the woman in her arms. Those were just the words of an angry woman. Her Ezra wouldn't usually talk about killing quite so easily. "You're angry Ezzy, I can understand. I'm a little angry too." Though she had a feeling that, after her little display of power, that woman wouldn't take her so easily the next time.

"Let's not think about that right now, okay?" She used her thumb to gently wipe at Ezra's lip, flicking the small droplet of crimson off with a loving, serene smile. "Let's go on a date. You and I, together. What do you say?"

 

Luna was right. The minute she encased the Fiendish Knight in her arms, Ezra exhaled, and that killing instinct fled out of her along with her breath. She hated that she had been made a fool of, that she was so easily beaten by this stranger who supposedly had business with Lucia. How could she protect the Dark Lady from other threats when she couldn’t even 1v1 a plant mage…a powerful plant mage, but a plant mage all the same.

Perhaps Ezra was weaker than she had originally thought. She had been taking it easy, goofing off with Dispater as they got to know one another and grow together. Or she would travel deep into the mountains to the few rivers and lakes that she had memorized, dip her feet in the cool water and remain there for the rest of the afternoon. She needed to get back to working her body, her weapon, and becoming as sharp as she had been the day she saved Lucia and Vivian from that blast during the war.

Mercurial gaze lifted to Luna’s eye. She had never known touch to be the trigger, the one thing that could pull her back from the edge, but it seemed both Luna and Lucia had. It steadied her, pushed away the darkness and gave her an anchor. She was…relieved.

I didn’t thank you, she said after a moment, the calmness of Luna’s presence seeping into her skin and bones. Slowly, it drifted along her bloodstream, filled her nose with the scent of winter, berries, and orchids, and she found peace. Beautiful, serene, white peace. I was dead to rights if you hadn’t shown up. I…I don’t know what came over me, to be honest with you. You know I’m not—anyway.

Her two hands travelled up to Luna’s upper arms, her fingers gently wrapping around her biceps. The Knight leaned in and gently pressed her blue lips against her partner’s, the kiss slow and delicate. Pulling back, there was a darker blue coloration to her cheeks and throat, but she didn’t pull completely back. Her forehead rest against Luna’s, the tip of her nose touching the Arcanamancer’s.

Thank you. I owe you my life.​

 

It was such a relief, being able to feel the way the tension and stress started to flow out of Ezra's body at her touch. Being able to feel the red haze shift and fade from the knight's vision, leaving behind the woman that Luna really adored and idolized, somebody that she always wanted to be like. Everybody had moments of weakness after all, moments where they were angry or terrified, or saddened beyond belief. Luna wasn't going to lower her opinion of Ezra any for being angry, rightfully angry at that. The woman had just been defending the things that she'd promised to defend. There was nothing wrong with doing her best to keep a promise.

Luna blushed slightly, shaking her head slightly for a moment, fondly, before she listened to Ezra's words. She didn't need thanking. She'd have come running in a heartbeat, no matter what had happened. She cared too much for Ezra to ever let anything actually happen, even if it had to cost her own life or more in order to do it. And darn it, Ezra had the most enchanting, intense eyes that she'd ever seen. She struggled not to get lost in them.

Fingers curled around her biceps gently and suddenly, Ezra was in her face, her lips claimed by the knight's in a gentle, delicate kiss. It took Luna by surprise for a moment, Ezra rarely initiated kisses and displays of affection like this after all, but it made her heart inwardly soar and her eyes drift closed on their own as she pressed her own lips back, her hands steadying herself by gently capturing Ezra's hips for that moment.

She smiled warmly, a soft giggle escaping her lips once Ezra pulled away, their foreheads pressed softly together, feeling the cool of Ezra's skin. That same, familiar sense of protection and clarity. "You don't have to thank me, silly. I could never have not saved you." Fresh giggles bubbled forth before she could stop them. "But, of all the thanks I've ever had, that one was my favorite." A soft pink blush coated her cheeks as she gently rubbed the tip of her nose against Ezra's. "You don't owe me anything. I'm just glad you're okay."

 

I didn’t mean… Ezra sighed in frustration, her shoulders drooping with imagined defeat even as her long lashed reached down to conceal her eyes. The movement of her head was gentle, the slight shake back and forth. I thought I was done not thinking. Lucia worked it out of me, cured me, I guess, but I went, just, charging in like an idiot.

The heat behind her words conveyed her absolute infuriation at herself. Yes, she would technically doing her job as Lucia’s Death Knight, but she couldn’t exactly protect the Dark Lady if she was dead. And it wasn’t like Lucia had been around to immediately raise her again should anything happen. No, it would be the temple for her, the Lady Who Waits, the chanting priests and priestesses in the dark corners with smiles too wide for their hooded faces.

She gulped and dropped her hands from Luna’s skin, the action reluctant though necessary. Opening her eyes, she took a step back and allowed a steadying breath to ease from her nostrils. It wasn’t easy, trying to remain calm, when only moments before she was on her knees in front of yet another powerful mage. She was sick of it, tired of being caught off guard by all these flashy fucking spell casters and their abilities. She needed something to even the playing field, but what?

Ezra forced those thoughts from her head. There would be another time for that, for figuring out how to make herself stronger. There was already one path that she knew she wanted to take and while the other was currently shrouded in mystery, maybe speaking with Lucia would clear the way.

Another exhale, her attention winding up Luna’s attractive figure before settling on her face and the slight pink that touched her cheeks. Ah, I’m…sorry about, uhm, invading you space just now, she muttered, scuffing a boot in the dirt. I just felt it was the right moment…and stuff. But, uhm, you mentioned doing a date or something, right? I would love to go on a date with you, Luna. I’ve…well, I’ve never actually been on a date before. Aalam and I had brunch in this nice little Tavern in the city once, but that’s about it…​

 

It was fair for Ezra to be frustrated, in truth Luna knew she'd be pretty upset to constantly be stuck fighting casters without a long range answer to the problem, but she also had faith that Ezra would come out of the other end stronger. Because that was what she did, wasn't it? Ezra was a warrior. She came out of the other end of a problem even stronger than she was when she went in, regardless of what actually happened. It was something to really admire and respect about the death knight.

"I don't think....not thinking can be worked out. Everybody has....lapses of judgement, you know? Even Lucia and I do." Though she'd yet to see Lucia have a brief lapse in judgement, she was sure that it could occasionally happen. Otherwise why would the necromancer bother keeping somebody like herself around. Heck, it was hard to see a reason why Ezra would want her to be around most of the time. It wasn't as if she had that many good qualities for people to see.

"And um, don't be sorry about that. I uh, I enjoy being close to you, you know?" It was hard to think that she got the same kinds of feelings from Ezra that she did from Lucia. A few months ago, she'd been the type of person that believed that everybody had that one special person in their lives. Heck, part of her still really wanted to believe in it, but knowing that she had feelings for multiple people really made it hard to believe in a worldview like that.

"L-let's go on a date then." She smiled and grabbed Ezra's hand, letting their fingers entwine together. There was only one small problem that she was having. She'd not really been on a date before and she couldn't think of what they could do here in Lucia's camp. That was before a small idea struck her. "Um, h-how about we get s-some of the citizens to cook us up some dinner, a-and then we could....I don't know, have a bath? Oh, I know!" She smiled suddenly, bright like the sun. "H-how would you like a massage?"

 

A lapse in judgment is what got me killed the first time.

Her words fled from her lips with a quiet self-loathing that was rare to hear from the Death Knight. She wasn’t always super over-confident about everything always, but she at least believed in her abilities. Maybe her decision making was clouded some time, yes, but it had been a long while since she had been so hard on herself for a slip-up.

Ezra had thought that the taste was gone, satiated, and that she didn’t need to worry about it anymore. Obviously, she was wrong.

Luna directed her thoughts elsewhere, allowing for the self-loathing that settled in her chest and slowly drip into her stomach. But at least it wasn’t at the forefront of her mind anymore. Instead, the Knight could focus on the sensation of their shared kiss and Luna’s obvious enjoyment of it. She was glad. For some reason, Ezra thought she had overstepped her boundary there, but she couldn’t help being thankful for her lover saving her life.

A massage? she asked, quirking an eyebrow. I, uh, I’ve never had a massage before. Hadn’t Vivian been trying to massage the kinks out of her back and shoulders since they met? The thought made her frown slightly, but she quickly masked by nodding her head. Uhm, that sounds like a good idea. Should we eat first or did you wanna do the m-massage first?​

 

It was difficult to see Ezra stuck in this kind of self loathing and deprecation, it wasn't the woman that she'd fallen for months ago. Ezra was better when she was strong and confident, unafraid to stand against anybody and anything, proud of herself. This kind of doubt wasn't good for her, wasn't good for anybody. But all Luna could do was squeeze Ezra's hand comfortingly, hoping to convey the fact that she didn't blame Ezra for having flipped out and getting captured.

Because she'd learned a lot, just from seeing how Ezra had ended up whilst fighting that strange witch. Nature Magic was powerful, could be an incredible boon in a fight, whilst it also could overpower even the strongest of physical warriors with the uses of different tricks and traps. It actually had her sort of excited to start learning how to grow her own mastery over nature, to give herself the option to take things down non-lethally, without risking serious injury.

She did blush when Ezra took notice of the massage thing, nodding mutedly. "I-I'm not an expert b-by any means, but um, Vivian taught me quite a lot about massaging....among other things..." She blushed harder.

Humming to herself, she placed a finger on her chin and thought for a moment. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want tonight to end....explosively....but that was probably best after the massage. "Umm, w-we should have dinner first, I think." She smiled, soft pink blush adorning her cheeks. "Is that alright?"

 

Ezra had a pretty good idea what Luna meant when it came to the…repertoire that she had learned from Vivian. All things considered, the Knight shouldn’t have been angry or even cared of that matter. They were in a poly relationship, Luna had just as much right to date and fuck Vivian as Ezra did…if she ever wanted to have a relationship with Vivian like that. But that didn’t stop the sour feeling that assaulted her stomach and the thick bundle of nerves that she suddenly had to force herself to swallow.

She kept her face neutral, her head nodding in agreement with the woman. If things…went in that direction, Ezra wasn’t going to stop them. She loved Luna, thoroughly enjoyed her company, and while she was still very heistant about what sharing a bed with her would be like, she wasn’t repulsed by it. She just wanted to be good enough and it was hard to be good enough once anyone had Lucia…well, at least in Ezra’s mind.

Coughing to clear her throat and her mind, she offered Luna a smile, squeezed her hand, and looked off toward the center of the camp. She didn’t know the intricacies of ordering food from the Undead populace, but it couldn’t be achieved out here by Ezra’s tent.

Dinner sounds like a good idea. C’mon, lets head into the center of camp. I’m sure we can find someone to cook us something good.

She tugged gently, pulling the Arcanamancer along behind her as she set off, a determined stride easily eating up the distance between her tent and where most of the Khalasar congregated when they weren’t in their own dwellings or doing whatever else they fancied. Some were just milling around, others were working on weapons and armor, and others were, surprisingly, doing mundane things like sewing or washing.

They had come a long, long way from when Ezra first joined Lucia’s following.

Excuse me, she said, tapping one of the Citizens on the shoulder. This man she had sparred with before and he was very good with his dual swords, often putting Ezra on the ropes before she knew what was going on. But he left himself open to exploits and Ezra greedily took advantage of them, thus usually turning the fight in her favor.

Is there a mess tent or a general place where me and Luna could grab something to eat?

“Oh! Oh yes, for sure, ma’am. I’m sure the chefs would not mind making you both a delicious meal.[/b]

With that, he pointed off to one of the largest tents, brown in color with an intricate arcane mark on the outer flap of it. Ezra couldn’t read it, wasn’t even sure if it was part of any language, but if that was where they could eat, then that’s where they would be going. ​

 

Lucia's camp was always one of the strangest, most amazing places that Luna had ever seen in this game. A camp of undead doing menial, everyday things, as if they were just ordinary people like herself or any of the NPCs. It was hard to even notice that they were undead sometimes, which probably only spoke even greater of Lucia's amazing skill and prowess when she thought about it. After all, for the undead to be almost completely indistinguishable from the living, it was honestly almost a spooky thing to actually bear witness to. It just didn't bear thinking about, how advanced everything would be in a year's time or more. How much could Lucia possibly improve things in that short time frame? How long until Lucia didn't need her because her undead could easily replace her?

It also was worth noting that Luna wasn't really all that well liked in the camp, at least among the undead servants of Lucia. Whether it was because of her stalwart refusal to move into the camp alongside them or because of how bright she was, she had no way of actually knowing. All she knew was that she hated having to walk through the camp alone. The stares of scorn and irritation usually got to her pretty badly.

And indeed, the undead that Ezra approached shot a wary, irritated look in her direction, though he seemed to be happy to speak to Ezra at the very least, offering them instructions on what to do to actually get the meal that they were looking for on their date. Luna was curious as to what exactly the undead would actually cook. Would it taste disgusting? Undead usually didn't really eat at all, did they, so how would they know what tasted good and what tasted foul?

Still, she smiled as she was lead into the tent that the undead had pointed out, thankful to escape the scornful eyes of the citizens for now. "Umm, so do you actually have any idea what undead food is like?"

 

She didn’t miss the scornful glance that the warrior shot in Luna’s direction. While she didn’t outright ignore it, she did lift an eyebrow, a worry line creasing the otherwise smooth plane of her brow. She didn’t know what that was all about, but she would be asking Luna as soon as they were relatively alone. A small smile was given to the man along with an incline of her head before she began walking off in the direction he had indicated.

Ezra didn’t really eat within the camp. Beside Dispater was mostly a carnivore that liked fresh meat that he himself killed, there was little reason for the pair to venture within the close bounds of Lucia’s camp. Not to mention that it seemed most of the undead were afraid of him. Why was anyone’s guess. Ezra just decided that they would stay away closer to her tent and call it a day. No sense in making waves if she didn’t have or need to.

I almost ate some fish when I first met Lucia, but I was too freaked out to do it. It flopped onto the table and kinda, uh, sat there with these big eyes, almost begging me to eat it. Even now, she shuddered at the memory. I think they might’ve come a long way since then though. Or, she quietly hoped that they had.

Arriving at the tent, she held the flap open for Luna and entered behind her. It was cool within and dim, a single oil lanturn hanging from the center-most beam that held up the tent. Hand-sized globes of light bobbed in the corners, but their brightness seemed muted somehow. Long picnic like tables sat pressed together, but most of them were empty. There was a little station to the far end of the tent where Ezra assumed they could order food. A female undead stood there with her crew to the right of her, ready to take orders.

Hey, wait a second, the Death Knight whispered, pulling Luna to one side of the tent and out of the way of anyone else trying to enter. Holding her hand, she gave a small squeeze as a frown pulled at her mouth. Why were they all looking at you so odd? Did something happen between you and the Citizens that I dunno about?​

 

Oh. Oh dear. Suddenly, Luna wasn't all that optimistic about their chances of finding anything actually edible for the living among the menu on offer in the catering tent. Seriously, a fish that actually flopped about on the plate after it had been served to you was just unsettling in every way, shape and form. It'd have probably sent Luna herself sprinting off in the opposite direction out of fear, or maybe killed her by causing her heart to stop or her lungs to suddenly implode.

Then Ezra stopped her before they actually entered the catering tent, pulling her to the side, out of the way of anybody that could have been entering the tent after them. She sighed, even as Ezra was asking her question. She should have seen this question coming, even if she'd tried her hardest to avoid it. Even Lucia didn't know about how much some of the citizens disliked the white witch.

"I'm not too sure, to be honest..." She shrugged, squeezing Ezra's hand softly in response to the woman's own hand squeeze. "I don't think I did anything. It might just be because of who I am. I'm quite....light....as Lucia would say."

 

The Death Knight glanced around. The interior of the tent was mostly empty outside of a pair of Undead sitting in one far corner, far enough from the two women that Ezra didn’t feel the need to make pleasant conversation. No, her entire attention was given to Luna and her speculation for why the rest of the Citizens didn’t like her. It made the Knight tilt her head and cast her silver eyes around the interior once more.

That doesn’t make sense, she murmured quietly, her brow furrowing. I thought they didn’t have any prejudice. And…for such a silly reason. You can’t help how you are. She exhaled a breath through her nose in what was obviously mild frustration. But, I guess prejudice doesn’t have to make sense… Ezra’s words trailed off to nothing.

In actuality, she didn’t know what to say to make Luna even possibly feel better. But perhaps if she brought it up to Lucia the next time they were together, that would have some kind of effect on the populace. Then again, the Dark Lady was all for the Undead making and evolving their own culture and customs. Maybe this was just a natural side-effect of that?

Ah, how about we take this other corner over there. I’ll get us something to eat. Anything specific that you’re allergic to or don’t like to eat? I don’t really know what they have here, but, ah, new experiences, right? She offered a small smile. ​

 

"No, you can't really help it. I don't really mind though, I don't think I'd fit in among a place like this as I am, anyway." She still had a few misgivings about the undead that, despite Lucia's best efforts to assuage, wouldn't go away. In her mind, she would probably always see necromancy as an inherently evil magic, even if it didn't always have to be wielded for an evil purpose. Some things were just inherently evil, but people were an entirely different subject altogether. People could do the most evil and heinous things for the best, most pure and loving reason.

Even so, she wasn't really that upset about being unwelcome within the undead ranks of Lucia's little community. Lucia and Ezra were more than enough to keep her content with her place, even if she didn't live or travel with them. There was more of this world that she wanted to see, she didn't want to be shackled to one group, to one person, to one destination, and miss out on so much more out there. It would have been possibly the most tragic thing to happen to her.

And to think, when she'd started playing the game, she wanted to be protected and saved for everything. Now she craved to escape protection, to strike out on her own all the time, to prove that she deserved to be both here and by Lucia's side. She didn't have the incredible bravery or talent of Lucia and Ezra, so there had to be something that she could offer to them in some way.

"Ah, there's not really anything I'm allergic to or don't really like. So, um, surprise me I suppose?" She offered, making her way over to the seat that Ezra had pointed out.