RP:A Heartfelt Return

Summary: After spending nearly a week apart, in which Lanara went off on a grand adventure that her sister, Talyara, suggested, the elf returns. Unable to wait until morning, she bursts into Largakh's apartment with the urgent need to drop the 'L' word. However, Larz beats her to the punch and upon seeing the sight of his lady, he pulls her into his arms and tells her that he's in love with her, to which Lana wholeheartedly reciprocates. After declaring their love for each other, the couple, along with their rabbit and puppy, head to Cenril for a weekend of camping on the beach.

Larz’s Shanty

The studio apartment is simple, you enter right into the kitchen, there is a closet to your immediate right and the small kitchen to the left, all hardwood floors kept surprisingly clean. The walls could use a paint job and the blinds on the one large window are dark and kept closed. It seems to have a clean odor which is a pleasant reprieve from the odd smells that apartment halls seem to have, you know, where it smells like someone’s cooking and everyone’s perfume or cigarette smoke all at once. In the living area seems to be one large couch which actually pulls out into a bed for the occupant and a bookshelf. On the back of the door are three sturdy hooks, one for a bow and it’s quiver of arrows, one for his leather holster which has his twin axes and dagger, the last for his patrolman jacket.

Largakh called off poker night since he was just not feeling it, totally has nothing to do with the fact that him and Tanner are missing his only… Nooo, not at all. “You think she'll be back today Officer Tanner?” The puppy whines as if he knew what Larz was referencing, “yeah? I hope so, too.” He gave the dog a scratch behind his ear as he was laying on the orc’s chest and looked up to the night sky as he lounged on one of the two chairs on his small balcony. He had since moved the potted plants to his little balcony and they appeared to be blooming gloriously under Lanara’s advice to care for them. Even Bunilla Ice was out of his cage and roaming freely in the apartment as Larz usually let's him out while he's gone and he even left the balcony door open in case the fella wanted to join them outside. It was a nice clear night and he rested one hand on his companion while the other loosely held to his first beer of the night. Tanner begged him for some, like he does with all of Larz’s food, but for once Larz was stern, “absolutely not… Silly boy,” Tanner gave a playful growl, “I'm sorry! OFFICER TANNER.” The puppy gave a playful bark as it to say ‘that's right! And don't you forget it, greeny’ and Larz chuckled low and slow at him. He liked that Tanner was taking so well to his training and stopped ripping up socks. The apartment was a lot more put together and even a plush doggy bed in a corner(unused, he still likes the big people bed), but the lamplight was nearly going out and the only light soon to be seen was coming from the balcony. Larz watched as Tanners ears perked up and his head whipped around, “what is it?” Tanner was looking up at the moon and shot up on Larz’s lap in a seated position before giving a cute howl that he thinks is convincing of being a wild wolf and Larz chuckled at the puppy. “Very scary,” Larz stopped as it seems Tanner glared at him?! The ‘tude of this pup! Larz looks up at the moon and gives a howl, Tanner joins and Larz laughs again while the puppy started licking his face. “You sap, Officer Tanner!” Tanner gives another playful bark before howling again, “ah, what the hell?” Larz joins him again. A neighbor sticks their head out their balcony door and yells at them to cut it out, but Larz and Tanner keep at it as if in their own world. Bunilla Ice pensively watches them from the corner of the narrowly barred balcony (there's no escape for that bunny) while gnawing some lettuce leafs.

Lanara knew what day it was, and she also knew that she was back ahead of schedule, two days ahead, in fact. But she couldn’t wait another second, she -had- to tell Larz her feelings, as the realization of the love she had for the man had reached its full potential. He had accepted her, despite her many flaws, and her multitude of baggage. Theoduin and Seldanna had opened their hearts and their home to her, for they saw what was in the couples eyes, words that they had yet to reveal to each other. And though she had -nothing- to offer the half-orc… She was here to give him her heart on a silver platter, for she was so head over heels for this man. He may not feel the same way, and it could be too soon, but she at least had to tell him how she felt. There was no way she could live another day and not tell him, and she wasn’t expecting him to return her affections, but maybe he would in the future. The witch looks completely disheveled, her clothes are tattered, and she’s wearing a denim jacket that looks as though it had once belonged to a giant. Slash marks are evident in her leggings, and the heel of her left boot is missing, so she walks with a noticeable limp. There’s not a trace of makeup on her face, her hair is a mess of tousled curls, likely needing a good brushing, and she nervously keeps gnawing on her lower lip. His friends would be at his place, playing poker and drinking beer, and likely feeding Tanner too many scraps and encouraging his obesity. He was adorable, though, and the chubby look only added to his appeal. Plus, Lana could never be cross, she often indulged in giving the pup too many treats! As she arrives at the apartment, in a hurry, she turns the knob and a little too quickly rests her shoulder on the pane, aiming to brush it aside, however the impact is surprising and it swings open and now sports a center split. Whoops. “Oh.” It hits her, that she needs to call off the spell she had used to aid her in making it here by midnight, and a moment later her hair stops wildly blowing and the wind dies down, as she stands in Larz’s living room area, her chocolate hues wide as she takes in the quietness of the area, the darkness creeping in, and she nearly loses all her nerve. She had come, at this hour, looking a mess, to tell Larz that she loved him, that she was -in- love with him, and only him. But… The apartment is empty. She hears howling in the distance and quirks a brow, limping over towards the balcony and it’s then that she sees her love, the puppy, -and- the rabbit, all looking up at the moon?! Lana is silent a moment, merely watching the trio in this absurd ritual, giving her a minute to catch her breath and gather her thoughts. She really should have brushed her hair. Or at least changed her clothes. She’d have to replace his door, too. Talk about making an entrance! Tanner cocks his head and she sees his tail begin to wag, and she assumes he heard the splintering of the door, then as he inhales and catches her scent, she smiles. Tanner had recognized her, and she self-consciously runs her fingers through her hair, hoping not to snag a knot as Larz would likely turn to see her, standing there, looking oddly ravishing and like she had just escaped from a treacherous jungle. “Largakh… I’m back.”

Largakh sprung up as soon as Lanara came into view, with the puppy in his arm of course (no dropping Tanner [especially on a balcony!]) The biggest and goofiest grin on his face as he closed the distance between them and took her up in his other arm, lifting her a little, and walking into the apartment. He nearly crushes her in a passionate kiss as Tanner was moshed between them and licking Lanara’s face like crazy - well, the parts he could reach that doesn’t already have Larz’s face on it. After a lingering moment of just kissing her he was still drinking in every bit of her with those tuscan eyes as he obviously doesn’t care about what she looks like. She could be wearing a potato sack for all he cares and those eyes lock to her delicious chocolate gaze, “I missed you so, so damn much.” He let Tanner drop down to the floor so he may race off to do whatever he wanted as he was squirming to be released, but took Lanara’s face in both his hands now to deeply kiss her once more as if he had been starving all this time… It gently breaks and his forehead rests on her own, “I have been thinking over and over what I want to say to you as soon as I saw you again, but no matter how many times I had rehearsed it. Here you are and I’ve lost my mind… I’ve been wanting to tell you something and these passed few days I had regretted every day that I hadn’t because I fully supported your journey, but I was so afraid something happened to you and if it did I would never forgive myself for never telling you…” His hands softly made their way down her shoulders, then slipped down her slender biceps and forearms until he was holding her hands in his. “Coming from a mixed race - I never thought there could be such a thing as love at first sight and sure when we met, it wasn’t ideal, but it was the first time I really saw you, when I saw your soul and how you light an entire room with your smile when you dance. Then I thought of how special you made me feel for even having a chance to bask in that light if just for a moment,” she knows what he was referring to, when she danced for the orphans. He swallowed hard, wow, this was scary and he thought on if he never saw her again, “every day since you left I’ve kicked myself because if something happened or you came to your senses and realized I wasn’t for you I just-” the rim of his eyelids were thinly lining with tears, “I just at least needed you to hear it from me, at least just once, that ever since the day I truly saw you I have been in love with you and there were so many times I should have just said it, but I was terrified of losing you.” One of his hands released from holding her own and gently cupped her cheek, “I had nothing before you and I thought I was happy. If I didn’t have you now… I.. I would have worse than nothing and I’d feel nothing but misery. Out of anything you accomplish, you amaze me, but I never thought someone could crash into my life and open my eyes the way you have, Lanara.” He softly sighs before kissing her forehead, “I have fallen for you, entirely and I am so fiercely in love with you. I do, I love you, Lanara.” He could practically hear how his heart was just about to pound right out of his chest and as silence fills the air, his fear picks all the way down his spine and he felt he was about to just die of embarrassment even though he appeared cool as a cucumber, “but… I will understand if you don’t feel the same.” Maybe she will get there one day and that day he will still be here, chasing her.

Lanara inhales as he comes towards her, merely drinking in the sight of her warrior, a sight that she had missed over the span of five days. This was really happening, Larz was walking towards her with a puppy in his arms, it was not a hallucination. She had made it through an avalanche, and later through a rabid raptor infested plain, all to come home to this green-skinned half-orc who had completely stolen her heart. Captivated, she meets his lips, hungrily, and presses her form against his, as he crushes her in a hug, and only now does she exhale. She could suffocate on his kisses and die a happy woman, as the smile on her face is genuine, the light in her dark eyes shining bright as they grow moist. “I missed you… So. Freaking. Much.” Tanner is happily licking her cheek and at one point nips her tapered ear, so as they break from the kiss so that he can lower the puppy, she bends to give him a minute of attention, “I missed you too, little guy. Oh my gosh, it’s been five days and he doubled in size!” She kicks off her uneven boots, and as she rises up, her lips are once more claimed, and she wraps her arms tightly about his shoulders, deepening the kiss, before he slowly pulls back and rests his forehead against her own. She focuses her gaze on his lips, sensing that he was about to tell her something of great importance, so she braces herself, putting her own reasons for coming here aside for the moment. Lana is silent, hanging on bated breath, and for the entirety of his speech the room is still, nothing exists, aside from his hands in her own, and the words exiting his mouth. She swallows and gives his hands a gentle squeeze as he reminisces about their time together, and she can practically feel his nerves pulsing off his flesh as his hand moves to cup her cheek. The butterflies in Lana’s stomach are surfacing and she’s a bundle of nerves, as the anticipation of what he’s about to say is coming to a head… Finally, he tells her that he is in love with her, he’s fallen, entirely, fiercely, and she literally is stunned. She knew it was coming, as his speech was leading up to this moment, but still, hearing those three words, the way he mouths her name, the elf tilts her chin up, peering beneath her long lashes, tears stinging her eyes. “Larz… I never thought you’d be the first to say it. I… Oh my gosh! You’re in love with me! I’m sorry… I just need a minute to not freak out. I need to like celebrate or something. This is… I’m literally ecstatic!” To prove it, she grins and jumps into his arms, hugging him so tightly that if he weren’t part orc, he’d likely suffer an injury. She holds him against her for a long moment, her cheeks flooded with color, a single tear trickling down her cheek, as she inhales his scent. She loved this man, with all her heart. It was time to tell him. Sniffling, she hopes he can see how touched she is by his words, as she slowly slides down the length of him, until her feet hit the floor, and she looks into those tuscan hues, getting lost in his eyes for a moment, like she had so many times before. “When I first laid eyes on you… I felt this invisible cord, ths connection that I couldn’t describe. The Queen of Mistrust suddenly reached out to a stranger, and I literally wore my heart on my sleeve. I believed in fate, but I never believed it could happen to me. I have never met a man that has challenged me, supported me, and made me -feel- the way that you make me feel. I deliberately tried to dislike you and I looked for reasons to mistrust you… But all I ended up doing? Was falling in deeper… Getting to know you, and your grandparents, your whole world, this stupid swamp, your friends, the amazing orphans, and… I realized that I don’t want to live the life of a drifter anymore. You helped me to mature, yet you still let me be a crazy trainwreck that loves to pull pranks, like crashing that wedding or taking me to your work where I beat up the bad guys! I feel like a kid, and I feel like an adult, I feel so strong and then I feel so weak… I feel so much. But there is one feeling that surpasses all of those… Larz...” Nipping her lower lip, as this was pretty scary, she’d only said it to two others and she never meant it to this depth. Taking his hands in her own, she finds that she’s shaking, and she gives a nervous laugh. “Largakh Xerthurg… I have never been so sure of anyone or anything, in my entire life… This week apart was hell, not because of all the mishaps on my adventuring… But because it was spent apart, and so many miles away from the man that I love… I realized that I can’t live without you, hell, I can’t even live more than walking distance from you. I am so undeniably head over heels in love with you. I love your smile, your eyes, your spirit… I love the way you look at me, how you make the kids at the orphanage light up just by seeing your face, the way you are so gentle with your grandparents, I love it all, and I want it all. Forever and for always. If I take anymore adventures… I want you by my side. My heart is entirely yours… I love you, Larz.” Standing on her toes, she gently pulls him down to her level, and places a kiss to his lips, her nerves ever so slowly dissipating. Did that really just happen?! After a minute of kissing, she reaches into her jacket pocket and hands him a neat stack of letters, so that he can read that on day ‘four’ she had plans to tell him, and that she had rushed here, to deliver that exact message. “Here you go… I’m not saying it back just to say it back… That was my intention for breaking down your door tonight.”

Largakh didn’t take his eyes off Lanara for a second during her admission, a soft smile remaining on his lips and for a moment he thought maybe he was just dreaming this because how could such a gorgeous being find it in her heart to love a guy like him. Looking back on everything it was quite strange how they ended up together and how opposite they seemed at first, but then they moved so fast even though it seems so right and normal for them. He wonders if she believes in soul mates and he would ask one day, but not today, one big admission at a time. Then she returns his feelings just as Tanner finally found what he was wanting to show his mommy, it was his little K9 vest and it had a little badge of Gualon clipped on, he was so proud of himself! Larz’s voice was harsher than usual due to emotion and his insomnia the past five nights as he asked, “wh-what?” His brow knit together for he couldn't even believe what his green tapered ears were hearing… A short chuckle when she mentioned his door and he glances behind her to see the damage before he felt he couldn't even stand anymore, so he sunk to both his knees before her and wrapped his arms around her hips to hold her tight. The side of his face was warm and rests on her stomach while Tanner was looking up at her, sitting like a good boy before his officer vest and wagging his tail. Larz chuckled softly in receiving her letters while standing up and placing her package next to a pile of parchment with his messy writing decorating every page, seems they were thinking the same. Then he sets the halves of his door in front of the archway and sighs when it won't stay in place, but catches Bunilla Ice before he makes a break for it no matter how much he freaks out at the audacity of the orc and gently places him back in the cage. Tanner also makes a break for it, making it only halfway down the hall when Larz let out a loud whistle and this called the puppy back, he skids across the hardwood floor a bit before sitting obediently at Larz’s feet. Bunny cage in hand he draped his arm around Lanara to escort her out, “well… Looks like we'll have to find somewhere else to sleep for our weekend since someone took away our privacy barrier.” A grin at her, “so, should we get a room at a local tavern or do you want to stay at the Rolafir’s? They miss you lots, I know.” He would rather spend time alone with her though, “maybe we could set up a campsite and just look at the stars.” He looks up once they are outside, Tanner following close on Larz’s heels, and mentions, “it's a nice clear night and I could tell you the story of the admirer and the fair maiden again.” He says trying to sweeten the deal, “and I promise no sausage snakes.” A kiss to her forehead/temple area as he walks on with the most precious things in his life at the moment, his only, his partner, and his pet bunny. All of which wouldn't be possible without the gorgeous woman under his arm.

Lanara watches Larz’s expression the entirety of her speech, relieved that he was smiling and that her words came out as she had rehearsed. His declaration of love had caught her completely off guard though, so at times she had struggled to find the right way to best describe her feelings, but all in all, they both managed to express their love for each other. The half-orc seems a bit confused and his words are a little harsher than usual when he asks about his door, and she winces, though he chuckles and she laughs right along. “Sorry! I missed you! See what happens when we’re apart for too long? I get destructive…” She nudges his cheek with her hip, as she runs her fingers through his hair, “I better behave, Officer Largakh, or you’ll arrest me for property damage.” Lana giggles as the poor man has to chase the rabbit, then the puppy, and try to piece his door back together, while she stands there, a cheesy grin on her face, and lightly swaying from side to side. She was exhausted, sore all over from the trials of her trip, and she looked an utter mess… But she also was a woman in love, and the man she loved had just returned her feelings. Her cheeks are practically glowing and she gives an excited squeal, before she retreats into the washroom to freshen up as best she could. The torn leggings are deposited in the trash and she slips into a pair of Larz’s sweatpants, making sure to double knot the drawstring so they didn’t slip from her frame. The denim jacket she also removes, and she slips one of his shirts over her tank top for added warmth, before she looks in the mirror and goes to work on her untamed curls. It seems like hours later, when she finally emerges from the washroom, and she sees the rabbit cage beneath Larz’s arm, and Tanner trotting over to her, his tail wagging and a little vest in his mouth. He was so proud! And she couldn’t be more proud of this little fur baby, as she bends and pulls him into her arms. “Officer Tanner! You looks adorable! Mommy is so proud of you! You’re a big boy now, and you have a vest and a badge?! Wow! You have been hard at work since I’ve been gone, huh? Pretty soon you’ll be showing Daddy how to do -his- job! I love you so much.” She plants a kiss to his forehead as he licks her cheek, wiggling in excitement as he had been such a good boy and was overjoyed at having earned that little vest. Lana lifts her head to catch Larz’s gaze and she weighs her options, the tavern, the Rolafir’s, or the beach… She scratches Tanner behind his ear and purses her lips, almost shy as she replies, “Can it just be us this weekend? No one knows I’m back yet… My sister is watching the sanctuary. Theo and Seldanna know that I’m away. And I can always send a letter to have food delivered to the orphanage. The Destrier has been very good to me, ever since that waiter ruined our double date… I just… I don’t want to share you this weekend. I don’t want to see or talk to anyone but you. I want ‘us’ time, and I know that sounds selfish, but… I literally want to just be in your arms for the next forty-eight hours.” She swallows and lowers the puppy to the floor, where he happily prances around them in a circle, before she slips beneath her warrior’s arm and coils her arm around his waist. “No sausage snakes! And yes! I loved that story. I think you should tell it to me every night.” Grinning, she looks over her shoulder to make sure Tanner is at their heels, as the family of four exits the building and heads to Cenril for the weekend.