Confused in the Wardens' Home

For once in the last few days Tatsoo was finally able to smile. Everything was back to normal for her as she lay within Elenri's embrace, her Shade. There was a hole in her life that was being refilled and she could not explain how important that was for her but she did her best by nuzzling up to her mate with a yawn.

She looked up at his face through half lidded eyes and sighed contentedly, "Ah missed ye, ye headstrong elf ye." She chuckled, "Ah don know what exactly ye went through but we ken talk about it later. It be ..."

Tatsoo sat up suddenly and looked about the room, "Aoy. Ah be ... nah late but ... Nygozy be having a meeting with all of de people of de keep. Well, na all of course cause some have ta guard de gates and such but ... that be right soon."
The honey haired woman started putting on her clothes and leaned over to give him a kiss, "We may be running late though."

Elenri smiled watching the woman getting dressed and chuckled. "Am i invited? Not that anything could stop me anyway since the wardens don't have any authority over me." He smiled playfully and stood up, by the time his feet touched the ground he was fully clothed and wearing his red armor once again. "Now, Where are we seeing Nygozy, after all I have to talk to her about a few things and I'm sure she will have questions. But I won't discuss everything, she has no right to know and I have no reason to tell. Oh what i told you is fine you can talk about it." He smiled and his staff appeared in his hand, leaning on it with a playful smile he reached out stroking his blonde lovers neck. "Now, what room is it and I'll just move us there."

Almost all of the small meetings had been attended to so Nygozy decided to take a walk in order to work out any kinks before going to the major meeting with all of the wardens and many of the working staff. With having been sitting for most of the day she was feeling like her body did not want to do anything more than stay in one spot so she was outside walking along a path she knew well.

As she and her guards got to a corner of the building she put her hand up and had them watch around the outside perimeter of some foliage which was growing wild around a run down part of the construction. The warden commander went to the side of the building and listened for a moment before leaning against a tree.

"There are some things I have no right to know? Shade, Shade, Shade ... or should I call you Elenri? Get your rump out here to see me. I miss your overconfident self."

Elenri smiled kissing his lovers neck his hands sliding over her body. "MM, I can't wait to have you to myself again....I missed you." His ear twitched at the sound of a old voice and he chuckled. "Excuse me my Golden bird." Elenri walked out of the tree his ward vanishing as he stepped over the threshold and out int the air. He breathed deeply and turned his silver eyes onto the Dwarf and smiled. "Nygozy, It's been too long. Yes there are things you have no right to know as there are things with the wardens you do not tell me." The elf the dwarf had known at one time was all but gone, the peron there now was confident and happy instead of angry and vengeful. However there was no hunger to prove himself, no desire to be better or do more. He stood a person who had achieved his mastery and had grown up. "Nygozy" He said fondly his eyes shining and a large smile spreading. "I am really glad to see you, I spoke of your deeds and your courage to some...old friends." The elf sat down so he was on level with the dwarf having grown and even in armor he moved as if he was in his own skin. "Oh, how rude of me." He tapped his staff and the ground rose forming a seat with a sft grass padding and back. "Only if you wish, I'm sure you been sitting all day."

Nygozy laughed as Elenri chided back with her and glanced at the padded chair he made for her use but she ignored the chance to use such a favour for the pure comfort of giving the man a hug instead. She kissed his cheek as a special friend and stood back with her hands on his shoulders, looking him over.

"For most of us trapping ourselves in the roads like that would have doomed us but I am glad you've returned." The dwarven woman smirked, her brown eyes shining with mirth, "So it seems you have learned some things with your time away. You will have to tell me of this later but I can guess that you wish to speak with me about something. You have that contemplative look about you. And I overheard you saying you needed to speak to me. Spill it, my friend."

She ruffled his hair with one hand as if he were still younger than she was and smiled at him. The woman was glad that he was back because she always liked him and for Tatsoo's sake as well. She could not blame the young woman for being so upset after Shade had gone into the Deep Roads alone as her whole tribe had been shredded by much less than what he would have to deal with there. The woman was used to killing what she could then staying away from larger amounts of Darkspawn which would have been a normal tactic. Now that he was back Nygozy hoped that Tatsoo would come out of her depression.

Elenri smiled hugging Nygozy in return and smiled happily. "Glad to see I am welcomed in my return, To be honest i thought I be in for a scolding." He chuckled laying a soft hand on Nygozy's shoulder. "Well essentially I want your help...well more like the Wardens support. I'm going to do it anyway but if the Wardens back me then i can take Tatsoo with me. I'm going to all the Nobles and up to the King himself to free the elves and I will be taking the tower and hence forth banish all Templars from the world as a organazation. The chantry can stay but the slaughter and murder of Mages simply from fear will cease. I have the power to do it and I want the Wardens to back me, Oh no money or even arms just enough so i can have Tatsoo come with me. I learned alot where I went....When I went, The magic of the world was never destined to be in the hands of humans but it is and therefore they too are protected. Aso I will be ordering the freedom of all Mages who have broken no laws ecept for being mages not in the tower. Those who of course did commit crimes will take the punishment. The Wardens can either be involved in the wrld altering Ideals of mine or not, either way I will be doing it." He smiled at his friend and stood up. "I simply need a yes or no from you Commander Nygozy of the Grey Wardens for Tatsoo to come. f course anyone else interested in the cause is more than welcome...if you yourself were with me I would be most honored but I know your duty is to see this place repaired....and I'm even willing to show you a few things about this place. it was not made by Wardens...but by others." His voice was strong but gentle with a undercurrent of complete confidence and truth in what he said.

"You have the right of it that I should be scolding you but I learn about places when I go there. The unfortunate problem is that door was unable to be locked from the outside without dwarven work being done on it. The mechanism had been broken. We would have had to have the door guarded at all times until the door was fixed and that could have taken months as well as many deaths. It was a sad and difficult choice but you did what you figured you had to do to save the rest of us."

Nygozy lowered her head and shook it then punched Elenri on the shoulder hard enough for the hit to be felt past the armor, "There. Now never even try to do anything else like that again or I will spank you like a child." She growled.

The rest was expected, knowing how Shade had felt about both the Circle and enslavement of his people. It was a sure thing that no matter what changes he went through the elven mage would consider it his duty to continue to deal with these issues and try to remove the problems from the world.

It was something she wanted as well but could not openly commit to.

Even though she knew it would come to Elenri wanting to bring Tatsoo with him she still had to sit down and brush a the fingers of her left hand through her hair until it settled on the side of her neck. This was not an easy point to work with.

"Shade. Elenri. Whether any of the wardens believe in your causes or not it still comes down to a problem dealing with the whole warden faction. As an individual I was able to deal with issues as I saw them. There was nothing preventing me from dealing directly on my beliefs; however, that is not the case when one becomes a commander of a whole nation's wardens."

She shook her head and snorted with frustration, "I cannot openly allow one of my own to be part of such deliberations. The only way I could allow that would be if you made her into two and took her civilian side." She chuckled with no humour as there would be no way for that.

He chcukled and flicked Nygozy's ear. "Next time I do something foolish i'll be sure to bring you and kai along since I know you would have relished the challenge. I'm sorry to hear the wardens can't back me in this but I do understand that you have more than yourself to look after. The Wardens need there leader here and it must be what you ay. However I can not split Tatsoo in two without destroying who she is...It is possible but the few times it was done the mind and body vaporized themselves. However I'll leave it to you to tell her that she can't go with me, you are her commander." He smirked and took a few steps away. "Oh, I learned a few other things...wanna see?"

He chuckled turning to face her. "I found there were other creatures that roamed the world before dragons and no they weren't all evil Arch-demons. I learned that only a very very few were rogue which is the actual term for a Arch-Demon. Dark spawn are more like locusts and a hybrid of several...repulsive creatures. So they themselves were created."

His body seemed to expand as he talked, scales of blue and red appeared on his arms and legs and over his face until he stood there covered in dragon hard scales. "I learned that a lot of transformations today are used wrong, they go fully into the animal but the truth is that they were designed to slowly meld. Transformation was used to help hurt animals since they feared others but if a scent was there they understood they excepted help. So I studied and learend the forms of creatures not even seen today." Wings opened on his back furling out twenty feet in length. "A lot of people picked animals that could fly as a sort of beginning style this way they were working with bones that were hollow to help understand the conditions of damage." His hands changed into claws and the staff vanished. "Now the animals had natural defenses in there make up so we could learn and understand the power and the extent of a wound and how important it was we too would take some damage to these areas."

He finished speaking and his body slammed forward for a hundred feet long was a Blue and red Dragon with 8 heads, three rows of sharp teeth, long two hundred foot wings and a tail as long as the body. "This is called a Hydra Dragon and are known to feed on Fish and elk. They are rare even where I was but dangerous. Each mouth released something else and they were called the Dragons of magic. One head may release lightning, another fire, one may pur out earth, another may make ice while some make gas for bigger fires or wind. When all eight heads release together it creats a malestrom of Magic. A very powerful creature indead." With his words he instantly was back to normal clothed and armored with his staff. "My arsenal of magic has increased by tons, i can turn into a element, I can raise them to fight for me, I can split the earth, raise winds that can tear buildings asuncer, Release fire that can melt stone like it melts ice. I know I'm showing off a bit but I wanted you to see what I learned...what I can do now and how my promise to always come to your aid can help you. I am not looking for war, it's too late for that anyway B ut I will never forget that I saw first hand the cruelty of Templars, yes you showed me the good in people and it's all i want. I want elves and Mages as equals...I want your help Nygozy but I will not put you in a position that endangers others. I have grown from a angry child to a calm and mature adult. You saved my life that day for I thought myself unbeatable...I was a fool. But you gave me back more than I could have ever expected. I will always be your friend. I am only staying a week than I go to find the lords and see who if any will agree with me. If not then the king...if the King says no I may be forced to take the elves...all the elves away."

After the ear flick, Nygozy poked Elenri in the stomach but not hard as she chuckled at him for being silly with her but she stopped at that and shook her head, "It's more complicated than that, Elenri." She said regarding her ability to be involved in what he wished to accomplish. It seemed that she could say more but glanced about at the open, noticeably not wanting anyone to hear if she did say anything.

"Split her in half? Ha. That's not quite what I meant by saying to make her into two." She grinned, waiting for him to catch on to the joking. It wasn't like he could do anything like her statements, "No no. Copy then remove the taint from the original." Nygozy laughed at the idea, "We could make person copier services for those who say they need more than one of themselves."

Nygozy then listened and watched as Elenri showed her what he could do then stepped back when he changed into the hydra. She grinned and stepped forward, clapping a hand on his arm, "Those are all great gifts and a lot of knowledge you learned. It would be good to know so much."

Since Elenri had gone out to talk with Nygozy, Tatsoo figured it would be better to wait for a few minutes to make sure she was not walking in on anything that she should not know of or hear. It would be unsavory to be asked to go back inside for coming out too early but when she heard a strange sound and came out to see this huge dragon.

The voice coming from this form was the one she knew as the older Shade's, Elenri, so she strode out and gently put her hand on the dragon's side as she walked around him, just to let him know exactly where she was so he didn't accidentally squish her.

When she got to the front she noticed guards running into the area so she tapped Elenri as he changed back, "Mebe ah circle so we ken talk privately, love?"

The honey haired lady didn't wait until Elenri could put up a spell that would block others from hearing and seeing them, or getting to them but looked at Nygozy as she spoke of copies. She wondered why they would be thinking of this then her eyes dropped sadly as the realization came upon her.

"Ye mean ah canna go with El.. Elenree. Not as Ah be, connected to de wardens as Ah am. But ... is da even possible ta make a copy? Wouldna' that be diffie..cult an take much of de power ye can use?"

She shook her head. Such a thing would not be possible, "One canna do that no matta how much ye want ta follow more than one calling. Ah have two, Nygozy, an it hurts ta be na with me love. Canna ye let me go, ta help? It be yer wish ta make de lives even fer de elves, de mages and all others, is it na? Mebe dere is something we ken do fer de wardens tha ken make up fer me going wif Shade."

Elenri wrapped his arms around Tatsoo holding her as she spoke. "My love, it is possible but as I said it has been done before but the complete copy of someone is hard. I want more than anything else for you to come with me. But know I am willing to use everything at my desposiale to free my brethren both elf and mage. It may even come to war between the Templar and myself. To ask you to come and for Nygozy to allow it would basically be aying the Wardens back me in whatever I do and may be dragged into that war. The wardens were made to fight Darkspawn, not kill on behalf of mages." He laid his head into her honey blonde hair breathing in her scent. "I need you with me....I could take her Ny, I could kidnap a warden as a Hydra, take her here in this place that n one has been to in ages. A sleeping creature awoken, in it's wrath it "Killed" a warden. Thin I know but not many peple and especially no one of high rank knows her. She could be just another person named Tatsoo. Her wind abilities aren't mentioned so she could be assumed as a fellow person who believes in the freedom of Magi." He smiled warmly at the dwarf who he respected. "Nygozy, for three hundred years I have been alone. Don't make me spend another three hundred without her.....Well longer than that but that's one of those things you don't get to hear about."

Kestral was angry. He was usually angry. However at the moment he was angrier than usual. There he was minding his own damned business in the library and he was interrupted, hell he even made comments in the defense of the woman who interrupted him and he still had people yelling at him. Minding his own business.

He was on his way to Nygozy's office, he was going to tell her to get control of her command. She was their leader and they were running wild under her watch. They threatened a Templar, a man who had no quarrel with them.

Even over the loud clank of metal shoes against the stone floors the commotion could be heard. And Kestral quickened his pace, hand grabbing at his sword. Upon seeing a dragon the sword was no longer in the sheath, drawn and ready for blood. "What is this foul beast doing within the walls?" He called to the others.

((They're outside.))

If anything, Nygozy knew what it was like to be without your love and she did not wish to put that kind of pressure on these two especially since Shade, now known as Elenri, had spent so long without her. It was a sad thought but the dwarven woman showed little of that distressful thinking to the two who had been speaking.

Her voice was found only to have it overridden by another's call. It was a reaction against a dragon which was no longer there so Kestrel must have seen the dragon from a window then rushed outside to threaten it but he was too late to find the creature.

What a perfect time for a snarly Templar to show up. It was perfect too. Nygozy's lip twitched in amusement and she winked at Elenri to show him that she meant no harm and was about to give them a way out.

Nygozy glanced back at Kestral, one hand held out in a stop motion, "Stand down, Kestral. This is a crucial moment." She kept her hand up and looked back to Elenri, "I cannot officially grant your wish."

Her eyes stayed on Elenri's as she hoped the two would understand her choice of wording. It was true that she could not officially do anything but unofficially she was giving them her blessing to do as they wanted.

One hand went to her own weapon for the moment to make this look convincing and as no one had gotten close to hear or see what was going on she could do as she pleased.

"Ah'm not going ta be without ye, love." Tatsoo whispered to Elenri as Kestral showed up yelling about a filthy beast. She gave the man a shocked look, confusion an adamant expression on her face.

Then Nygozy announced that she could not officially allow her to go and this made the honey haired woman glance back and forth. What was going on now? Was she saying she believed in her going with Elenri or not. It seemed like she didn't want it but then again like she did.

She turned her head to look at Elenri, her eyes confused with all but how she felt about him, "Ah wan ta go." Her whisper was low so none could hear but him.

Elenri smiled at the warden commander, a slight smirk only though. His hands wrapped around Tatsoo and kissed her neck while staring at the dwarf. "You leave me no choice Nygozy." His body shifted instantly to the massive hydra, his arms that were around Tatsoo now held her in one massive claw. His jaws on one head opened spraying a cascade of smoke that filled the courtyard. His large wings lifted and exploded downward lifting him into the air taking the honey blonde warrior with him. He worked a slight illusion giving the sign that the honey warrior was dropped and fell into the hills with the height her body would be mangled beyond recognition. A loud roar escaped all nine heads in a deafening vocal roar.

Nygozy pulled her scimitar and rushed towards the dragon as it grabbed Tatsoo, swinging her blade as she went. The steel clanked off a talon from a rear foot then she was buffeted back by the flap of the wings. The dwarf rolled with the wind and landed on her toes, her free hand on the ground holding onto a rock for purchase. A shadow flitted past where the dragon had been and she felt a touch on her shoulder before Kai went back into the shadows, satisfied that she had not been hurt.

The hydra flew away, Tatsoo clasped in it's grasp until suddenly he let her fall. No. Shade would not do that. Elenri would not. He had waited for so long to be with her.

Her mouth was open as she stood and her body almost swayed while her eyes continued to watch the spot where the dragon had let go. It couldn't be. This was a shock that even she could not determine whether or not it had been real. The Shade she had known would not have been so callous as to kill his love if he were told she had to stay but was Elenri really Shade or was he too jaded now.

No. Nygozy shook her head to clear it. Elenri had just said what he would do and that was to pretend. That was all she could do is hope that this was true. He pretended to kill her in a fit of anger instead of leaving without her. She was alive and well. The two would be fine.

Nygozy wiped her eyes as she suddenly realized that she had been soundlessly crying for what she had hoped was not what she had seen. She gave a shuddering gasp and looked toward Kestral, trying to sound calm but her voice came out in little choking words, "The foul beast was trying to take what he believed belonged to him."

..::Either way they are inside the keep's walls right? Just out in the courtyard? ::..

Kestral frowned, scowled, and scuffed. "WHAT IN MAKERS NAME IS WRONG WITH THIS BACKWARDS PLACE AND WITH THESE BACKWARDS PEOPLE!? EVERYONE LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN, HE LOOKS LIKE A WOMAN WITH A BEARD!!!" He yelled, signaling to Royce who was sleeping under a tree and whom had developed a stubble.

The Templar grumbled, sheathing his sword once more. "I came to talk with you Commander. About your underlings. I have had no query with them yet they turn to me with such anger. The red headed woman, she wished too draw her dagger and gut me whilst it was she who came upon me in the library." he explained.

((True enough.))

Nygozy's brow rose at the outburst from Kestral as he didn't seem to even notice that a woman had been taken away by a dragon and possibly thrown down into mountainous territory from a height that most likely killed her, if it happened at all. It certainly looked like it had. Here he was yelling like a fiend about who knew what then turned the topic around to some red head.

"What in the world are you flapping your lips about Kestral?" It had been a long day and this was making it much longer, "A woman was just taken away by a dragon and dropped miles above land and you are grumping about everyone looking like women? What the ..."

She walked back and forth for a few moments then took a deep breath while deciding to forget about the rest and try to deal with the man's other concerns, "There are quite a few men here who don't look like women and him ... well Roy is special. Now what is this about someone threatening you?"

"You told me not to concern myself with the dragon, so I do not concern myself with the dragon, and then you ask me why I don't concern myself with the dragon!?" Kestral's eyes thinned to slits in an intense glare. (Sounding pretentious...oh god I'm getting too into posting as Kestral : O ) "You are as backwards as the people who follow you."

He sighed, his muscle still tense with the excitement. The small rattle of chain-mail with each and every little movement. Concentrate on that. That sound. Calm. The Maker had gifted him with neither patients, nor tolerance. And it took every ounce of his strengths not to verbally cut down the already pint-sized dwarf in front of him. He didn't care that she had slayen the ArchDemon, and had brought an end to the Blight. Warden's had been giving up their lives to do so ever Blight, but the great "Hero of Ferelden" had not given her life to take down the ArchDemon, a curious matter to the Templar.

"The woman. Fermeldahyde. She came barging into the library where I was. She seemed to hate the fact I worship something that differs from her own believes. I believe had the conversation continued and the brute man, Bowen, had not been there, she might have very well found herself the fight she was itching for. " He recalled.

"So I did." She hadn't expected the explosive Templar to throw her words back in her face but she also hadn't expected him to not react at all when Elenri took Tatsoo either, "Negotiations don't always go well but it was not yet time to attack. Anyway," She noticed two guards, "Send for a couple of hunters to go looking for ... anything that would tell us if Tatsoo survived. Have them bring a healer in case."

Nygozy smirked at Kestral as she walked towards him, "Of course I'm backwards. Didn't you hear: I'm from Dusttown and that's as backwards as you can get. I'm a lady from the slums. That must stick in some craws but honestly, I don't care."

She stopped just short enough from him that she could look up at him without straining her eyes then laughed, "Fermeldahyde? That's a good one. How much time did you spend in the lab at the Tower? That could be helpful if you learned more from there. Anyway, Fremelda. Yes she does have a temper and is very insensitive to the Templar belief system or anything about Andraste or the Maker. She's just always angry. Are you sure you're not related?" The last was a tease but she figured he probably didn't know joking around, or care for it if it smacked his head off.

The dwarf walked past the young Templar and went to some patio furniture where she hopped onto the top of a table to rest for a few moments and to chat better with the man, "So let me get this right. You were minding your own business in the library when Fremelda went in, threatened you for some reason and Bowen backed her up?"

Kestral snorted. He was far more lost in the happenings around this place than he had previously believed. While he respected people's privacy, he mentally hit himself for being so unobservant of the situations around him. Had his head been that far up his own ass?

"Given a guess I would say my sister has been spewing her hatred for me to others. And the men in your service have nothing better to do than listen to her idle rantings. She has never killed men, never fought in a war. Lithawen the Dalish Keeper has fought for herself, and only herself. It will not change anytime soon." Kestral shook his head, and chuckled. "But you would back up your fellow warden, that is the nature of your order. And you seem a much more honorable woman than she. But I am here under the orders of the Revered Mother, my own commander, I am not here to fight a needless battle with a spiteful woman nor the idiots with whom she has tricked into affection."

That sounded like a dandy reflection from the man in front of her. Lithawen spreading hatred and getting others to dislike her brother. It was something the woman would do but it was also known to this commander on what Kestral had done to get Sinjan angry with him long ago as well. Either way, if Kestral was actually accosted by her wardens then she would have to deal with the issue. They did not require needless conflict within the ranks especially with all that she was planning.

Her memory said that it was Knight-Commander Greagoir who gave her the choice of which Templars to take with her yet here this man was saying it was the Revered Mother. Interesting. One would expect a reaction more than a tiny tilt of the head and brown eyes gazing almost through the person she was talking to but Nygozy always did things a bit oddly. In a way she thanked the fellow for that interesting information and filed it away for future use. She knew that Kai would be taking care with that bit of news to go over as well.

"And people say that Templars back each other up and hide evidence as well." Nygozy pointed out with her own chuckle, "However, it is interesting that even though you believe that I would do nothing with what you have said you still came to me to report it. So either you believe I will do something with this news..." A brow rose momentarily, "Or you are trying to prove that you are right in your beliefs."

Nygozy set her left hand to her chin in a fist with the index finger over her lips to think. Her eyes stayed on Kestrel as she continued to go over the thoughts and come to some conclusions on whether to deal with things now or later, "Actually, isn't the real reason you are here is to see me do nothing since you have something against me anyway. Don't try to pretend this is not so. It is right in your eyes. So ... what's the beef? Don't go saying it's because of the wardens. You have something against me even though I've done nothing to you besides bring you here so why not get it off your chest?"

Why not get it out of the way right away? That way she could determine what to do with Kestral. He didn't want to be there, that was obvious, but he also would not go against his orders.

Kestral's eye twitched. Perhaps he had let too much leave his mouth. He would have o watch his word very carefully. "You have a right to know what goes on under your command. And although I do not believe you will do the same thing I would, put in your position. Perhaps you will still do something." He said, his stoic face not betraying his slight discomfort in talking to her. He may have looked like he had a stick shoved up his ass, but most full-blown Templars did. Their rigidness was something of a taught discipline.

"Uh huh."

Nygozy knew that there was much more going on with Kestral then he would show but he had on that "Templar face" which indicated that he was not about to show or say anything he did not want to say. Or he thought that anyway. He could be a test of wills for some fun and even though she knew that Kai was already going out of his mind because she was not "resting" this was something that was restful for her.

Playing was fun.

"So you are saying that there is nothing else you would truly like to say to me except that a few of my people got into a hassle with you and you believe I'm going to shove it under the rug?" She chuckled, "I was sure you were going to say something like I consort with evil to get what I want and the Archdemon was a figment of my imagination sent upon the world so I could get this ..." She waved her right arm to her side to indicate her 'domain,' "Easy accommodation?"

That was a load of bull and even blinded Templars could see this was no cushy job that she had received. If she'd been interested in something cushy she could have taken off and left everything alone. Or if she just cared for herself only she would have. Either way, this was not a special thing unless one was a person who looked for leadership in all things.

The grin she showed him was somewhat evil in itself even though she was hardly even half into this one. Maybe less. She wasn't quite sure what she would get from Kestral, if anything, but it was something to do while she was waiting for Torture to bring her Griffinhart.

Kestral held his tongue, he did not wish to argue with the halfling. His temper was nearly legendary in Denrium, but the long years praying to the Maker had given him the discipline to not simply cut everyone's heads off. He hated other races, mostly the elves. Perhaps it was because dearest little sister had burned his shoulder and face to the point that it took the most skilled healers to remove the burned skin and return his face to normal, though his shoulder was still tinted pink.

She seemed to want to play with him. And he would give her no such pleasure. And so he continued to stare at her, face neutral. Waiting for her to make the next move.