RP:A Regrettable Reunion

Summary: Kyori has returned to the lands and while having a smoke and thinking back on what had transpired before his absence, he is found by an old friend. Lanara is thrilled to see that the warrior had slipped from the coma and the two share a heartfelt reunion that soon spirals into sadness. Kyori learns that Lana is dying and that this is a situation he cannot rescue the witch from. A letter is exchanged in hopes that their mutual friend, Penelope, will be able to help enchant an amulet that will hide the fact that the wearer is a lycan.

Part of the Lunar Tides and Silver Linings Arc

Kyori’s return was quiet. He slipped into Kelay, dragging himself to the Inn’s front door. No, not ready to face Nancy yet. Not ready to face anyone. The spellblade looped around the main road until he spotted a familiar set of swings. Through the gate, the wood and ropes groan in a blast of cool spring wind. His calloused fingers touch the rope, searching his mind for the memory associated with this place. Spring. He’d last promised Penelope he’d see her again in fall. Nat he’d promised in Spring. Or was it Winter? Had he promised Larz or Lanara or Emilia or her daughter? His sunken sapphire eyes fix on the shower of seeds pulled down by the wind. His last fight with Lana linked with Nat’s name. What did she accuse him of? Of knowing Nat was her daughter. Using her? The witch was attacked because Kyori hadn’t played nice with a trash talking vendor at a fair? He digs a knuckle into the corner of his eye, pressing hard, trying to remember. Great job Kyori, making friends, caring about people and vanishing. Not once but twice with broken promises on his heels. Where did he go? F - he can’t remember. Holes in his memory grin with malice in the dark, taunting him, daring him to try. His anger over his failures built like a poison. His stomach turns and he lights a cigarette with a shaky hand. His reflexes are slow. The match burns down to his fingers. He curses again when he burns them, flicks the match to the dirt and grinds it out with the heel of his worn boots. What’s he supposed to do now?

Lanara had finished saying goodbye to her beloved companions at the sanctuary, and so she’s in a sour mood and practically stomping down the main strip through Kelay, in hopes of heading home. The apartment she shares with Tiber had always been a safe place, but lately she feels as though she’s suffocating, because her time in this realm is rapidly fading. She can sense that every glance, word, and thought is focused solely on her demise, and she doesn’t have the answers to comfort her beloved boyfriend. Lanara had accepted her fate before returning to the lands, she didn’t even try to find a cure for her predicament, let alone share a positive outlook as did her sister and friends. The witch is on borrowed time, about a week or so left, if one is to gaze upon the unique hourglass pendant she wears about her slender neck. Wandering aimlessly now, as her tumultuous thoughts have sent her angry mood spiraling into one of despair, she turns right at the tavern instead of heading towards the bridge to Cenril. The soles of her black flats skid on the grass as she comes to an abrupt stop and sees a familiar form resting up one of the swings. It couldn’t be -him- because the last time she saw Kyori he had slipped into a coma! Penelope filled her in on the fact that the man woke up, but she also said that he gave her a kiss goodbye and fled the lands! Swallowing hard, the witch smooths her palms over her hunter green blouse and jeans to remove any wrinkles or stray hairs from the animals, and she loudly clears her throat. If Kyori is to turn around, and if it -IS- truly the male, she will give him a wry grin and ask, “Need a light?” Then, without waiting for a reply, she will aim to give him a tight hug and in a voice thick with emotion whisper in his ear, “I thought you were dead!”

Kyori would normally hear the witch’s approach. Any approach, with those ears of his. Those familiar to him faster. The cigarette light failed, and that’s when Lanara found him. Cursing at the smoldering match under his heel. His unlit cigarette bobbed between his lips, forgotten, when he hears her voice. “Lana.” Low and ripe with disbelief. The warrior turns and looks her over. Relief spreads through his shoulders. She’s alive. She’s alive. “Lana!” The warrior stumbles over his feet to catch her embrace. Her lithe frame consumed by his baggy clothes. If he was at his full strength he’d have spun her ‘round. The warrior forgot how short she was or how tall -he- was. The witch’s whisper inspires a laugh. Here comes that classic Kyori deflection. “Damn, who do you think I am that I’d just die? You’re not that strong.” He’d slipped into the fateful coma while wrestling with her in the Kelay Tavern, trying to calm her adrenaline fueled rage. “Is that healer you cut as luck or…?” The blonde lets her go to drag his thumb across his throat. Lana stabbed the girl trying to help her take care of her dog. Dog. “Where’s your dog?” He forgot the name, whoops. “How are you? How’s Nat? How’s-” He starts to ask about Penelope but second guesses himself. “God it’s good to see a friendly face.” A boyish laugh and sweep of his hand through his blonde hair. His cigarette’s on the ground, trampled by their hellos. ‘Only smoke one.’ The spellblade looks the same. Underweight, eyes sunken and clothes baggy. Hair too long, short beard show the passage of time.

Lanara gives Kyori’s middle a gentle squeeze as she giggles at his reply, always playing the ‘hero’ role, she shakes her head as she pulls back from the embrace, “It’s so good to see you! I was so worried, and I paid those nurses to keep a close watch over you but they just took my gold and ran!” Lana had sent gold every month to pay the cost of the room and for the hired help to keep an eye on the comatose patient, but upon her return, Nancy had informed her that it had been either Penelope or the barmaid herself that saw to the spellblades care. She has to tilt her head upwards to peer at his face, her dark chocolate eyes glistening in the moonlight, full of emotion. Words spill from Kyori’s lips as fast as the thoughts flow through his mind, and upon hearing one name in particular, the warmth in Lanara’s expression is gone in an instant. Natianara. How is she supposed to tell Kyori, the man that had recently woken from a coma, that she had been forced to kill her daughter back in Kelvar? She stammers over a reply, vowing to keep the truth about Nat hidden, at least for a while. He had only just returned and the last thing she wants is to upset him, plus, she will be gone in a week or so, and neither of them need the heartache. “Sorry about your cigarette, Coyote!”

Moving to the swings, Lana flops onto the left one and sways a little, her eyes studying Kyori’s frame. He had lost considerable weight, needed to shave, and he looks as though he hasn’t slept in weeks. If he is to judge Lanara, he would notice that her appearance is much the same, except she lost a lot of weight, also. However, there is a peacefulness to her aura that hadn’t been there before. “The maid is fine, just needed a few stitches. Ranger is such a big boy! I’m sure he would love to see you again!” She breezes over the inquiry about Nat. “Let’s see… What happened after you passed out? Hm… Oh! I was finally acquitted of murder and all those charges, but I did have to do some community service in Enchantment as I misused magic. Once that was finished I began to travel a little bit, and I met someone that I had dated off and on for a few years. Tiberius Lowell.” If it wasn’t so dark, Kyori would see the blush that creeps into Lana’s cheeks. “We decided to truly make it work, and we did work out for a while. But I received some letters from Kelvar, from Nat, and I had to go there for a while and fix some things… I returned a few months ago, after an absence of a year, and it’s great to be back! A lot has changed, but some things remained the same! Let’s see… Talyara is engaged to Krice, finally! Penelope is still healing and hoping to open a practice. The sanctuary now has a reptile section, which I’m not thrilled about, but it’s running smoothly. Tiber and I are living together in Cenril, in a little beachfront apartment.” Lanara looks stronger that when Kyori last saw her, she’s not clinging to his frame for safety, nor is she fearful of wandering around in the dark. Despite her composure, he’d be surprised to find that the witch is putting on a facade for the world, and is far more broken than she lets on.

Kyori’s dumbfounded. -Lana- paid for his room and for nurses? She felt that bad? “Damn, I didn’t mean to scare you that bad. I’m paying you back next job I get.” His easy smile is stiff when Lana stiffens at Nat’s name. She calls him Coyote and it..hurts? Why the hell does it hurt? The witch drops in a swing. It gives the warrior an excuse to take his seat again. She had been a small woman before but the night or his mind makes her smaller. Her words are lively and smooth but no mention of Nat. He wanted to know but he takes the glossing over to mean she still didn’t believe him when he’d told her he didn’t know Lanara was Nat’s mother. He shrugs privately. Fair play. “Ranger, that’s it.” The blonde leans his elbows on his knees to listen to Lana’s recap of events. Acquitted of murder with community service. “Not a bad shake.” Blonde brows lift at her blush. Oh no, a weakness, now he gets to tease her about this. “A lover boy.” He hums thoughtfully. Nat’s name appears but Lana won’t linger on her daughter’s status. “Bet she was glad to see you.” A lot has changed. Kyori did not yet know if it was for the best or not. “Oh, I met her, she was very nice. Give her my congratulations on her engagement.” Then Penelope’s name finds it’s way out of the witch’s mouth and he coughs in surprise. He pounds his chest to clear his airway. “Sorry, don’t ever smoke.” He blamed the rolled nicotine wrinkled in the dirt by the swings. “Damn girl, you shot up like a rose from all that dirt.” A boyfriend and a little place by the sea, a sister engaged and a sanctuary thriving. She survived. Lanara recovered. He believes the mask. Nat was the only crack he couldn’t decipher. His hearing was failing, any nervous or odd beats of her heart flew under his radar. It bugs him, her hesitation to talk about her daughter, but she can’t tell from looking at him. Hero was the role he tried to fill. His follow through needed work. “You trumped me, hands down. I can’t compete with any of that.” What happened to him when he woke up?

“Penelope and Nancy got me back on my feet, thanks to you apparently. Thanks again for that.” And Kyori and Penelope talked to Penelope’s dead brother after her ex went all possession and tried to kill her and some kids and the guy at her shop. Starts with an R...oh yeah and also he kissed her, gave her a ring and dipped off the planet for half a year or more. How are you gonna tell Lanara that Kyori? If she’s friends with Penelope, the healer could have spilled that and a string of curses around his name for that vanishing act. Better not scratch that surface today. Eyes on the prize, a long overdue reunion. “She didn’t sell her shop then? Penelope was packing up last time I saw her.” His hands shake in his pocket, producing another cig and match. “Can you actually light this thing?” He asks, rolled paper between his lips.

Lanara rolls her eyes as Kyori teases her about having a boyfriend, “He’s the best, you will loathe-erm… Love! You will -love- him, I’m sure!” Tiber is wonderful to the witch, but he despises being social, and he is prone to always saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Toss in a dash of rudeness, the fact that he’s a rogue with rich tastes, and lets not forget that he’s a lycan! Still. He’s Lanara’s ‘bad’ boy, and it’s obvious she’s head over heels, as she glances at the stars and sighs, “Yes… I’m hoping I will be engaged, next.” The third time is the charm, right?! As their conversation steers towards Kyori’s recovery and what he had been up to since he was released from the coma, the witch brings her swing to a complete stop and studies him with a softness in her gaze. She had missed her friend, even if it hurts to stare at him for too long. Natianara had loved Kyori, that was the one true relationship she hadn’t faked, and Lana dreads the day that he finds out what happened to her daughter. “Do you have any lasting effects? Headaches? And pfft! Don’t even start with me, Coyote! You are -not- paying me a single copper back, okay?” One couldn’t put a price on happiness or their health, and she would never expect a friend to compensate her in any way. Plus, the coma was -her- fault! “So… Why didn’t you stick around after you got better?” She knows she’s treading on dangerous territory here, towing the line so to speak between two people that she cares deeply about, but she’s notorious for being rather blunt and so she asks, “Kyori… What the heck were you thinking?! You shouldn’t have just up and left after -everything- that happened between you and Penny. It’s bad enough that I wasn’t around during most of it, then that Lionel - he’s always got something going on somewhere, and then she grew close to you and you left, too!” Yes, Lanara is aware of the kiss, the ring, the attachment, and the abandonment that swiftly followed. The healer is one of her best friends, and the warrior is a close confidant, but she feels that she can’t just ignore the fact that they parted when they both needed each other the most. “My issues had to be dealt with by me alone, a solo mission. But… You just woke up and just left! And Penny! She keeps her heart closed, but she trusted you, trusted us!” Extending her hand, she snags the cigarette from the male and lights it with one of her matches, not bothering to even attempt using fire magic. Her powers have been non-existent since the plague and she also had picked up smoking, so it’s a no brainer that she has a pack of matches in her pocket. “I’m having one, too.” After lighting both of their cigarettes, Lana takes a puff and holds it, before speaking during her exhale, “What made you leave? Was something wrong back home? Look, I don’t know where your or Pen’s feelings lay, and it’s none of my business… But as close friends, I think it’s important that we all stick together, or just, not go away for so long without keeping in touch.” She can’t talk, either, and she’s not judging the male but she wants to be sure that upon her death Penelope isn’t left alone and friendless.

Kyori :: “If he knows what’s good for him, you will be.” And Kyori means that. His time in enchantment, rash violence and hasty rage aside, gave him this friendship with Lana. A first meeting gone all wrong. He’d threatened to fight that Fae queen. “You deserve it, Lanara.” After all her woes with the trial, her daughter. She deserved happiness. So did Nat and so did the flower witch (Penelope). The slight witch on the swings gives him hell about paying her back.

“Whoa, calm down, don’t fight me I’m too weak, help.” It’s convincing...ly ridiculous. The warrior isn’t prepared for what she says next. His playful expression melts leaving blatant guilt in its place. ‘Why didn’t you stick around…?’ He pulls the cigarette out of his mouth and frowns at the dirt. “It’s complicated,” he starts then stops, knowing that won’t satisfy as an answer for Lana. Kyori sighs, aiming to try again, when Lana says ‘Lionel’. “Lionel? Who the hell is Lionel?” That wasn’t her brother's name, or her crazy ex, or any of the kids and...not her apprentice either. Who the hell was Lionel? He’s not ready for the jealousy that slammed against his ribs. He had no right. Lana was right, he left too. ‘She trusted you’. Well shit. Lanara didn’t pull punches. He bites back the gut retort he wanted to say because Lana was right. He hated it, hated it more because it was true. She snags his cig while he’s swallowing boiling guilt. “Yeah.” He flips open the pack, letting her take what she liked, on autopilot. He just got back. He wasn’t ready for this question. His legs stretch and the rope groans.

After a long silence he says “I know” with the confidence of someone kicked. “I promised her and then…” Vanished. No word. Just like with Nat. If his legs were stronger, he’d pace. “I kissed her, assuming you know or you wouldn’t be, not yelling, I don’t know.” His empty hand fusses through his longer hair. He can’t stand to hear himself say ‘it’s complicated’ any more. Lanara won’t be satisfied with that answer. Neither will Penelope. “I need you to trust me when I say I didn’t have a choice or a chance. It’s not like with Nat, I didn’t…

“I didn’t decide this time.” And what about this Lionel guy anyway? Did Penelope have a secret boyfriend during all that? The spellblade felt a damn fool. “My feelings were...are...they didn’t...” F- this, he has to pace. The ropes groan again. On his feet, he waves his lit cigarette around in the dark. “-I- kissed her Lanara. -I- kissed her.” The distinction was important. “I did that, but I didn’t walk away, I was forced to go.” How to explain. “Time works without my consent. It just grabs me and throws me wherever it likes, with no regard to -my- feelings or anyone else's.” Good job explaining Kyori, crystal clear now. “I care about Nat, I care about you and I care about Penelope.” He left all of them. “Nat reminds me of one of my younger sisters. I’d do more than punch any idiot that tried to hurt her. You’re someone who saw the worst of me and wanted to know me anyway. Even when I let those bastards hurt you.” Blood pumps through his tan clenched hands. “I gave her the ring Lana, the ring.” Very romantic, he asked her to do that whole simple...put the stone in the sword so I can help in a very non stalker way. They were all close friends. “You gotta stay around too. You gotta forgive me, Nat’s gotta forgive me, Pen...” He screwed that up. “I’ll talk to her. I’ll get my strength back up and I’ll talk to her.” If she’ll listen.

Lanara bites the inside of her cheek as Kyori blurts out an inquiry about Lionel, because she can sense the jealousy emanating from the warrior, and she feels her lips threatening to arch in a smirk. It’s obvious that the promises and kiss meant more to the male, and likely more to Penelope, than either party had let on. It’s not Lana’s business, and she’s mentally chastising herself for getting in the middle, but she cares deeply for both parties and wants to know where each stands. Eventually, after his second outburst about how sometimes it’s his decision to do things, and other times his actions are outside of his control, Lanara narrows her eyes and interrupts, “I get it. Everyone has obligations, and I”m not criticizing you for breaking any vows to Nat or me, nor am I upset that you kissed Penny and gave her a ring. I honestly think it’s adorable! You both compliment each other and who knows what the future holds?” She wisely keeps mum about Lionel, because there isn’t much to say and because she doesn’t want to further irritate Kyori, especially as this is their reunion after being apart for close to two years. Lionel, a heroic warrior, had courted the healer for a few months, but things hadn’t escalated beyond a few kisses and he was gone more than he was around. Penelope had ended things in a letter to the male, and Lana had supported her best friend, though she also plans on meddling in romantic prospects as the witch is prone to do. “I’m honestly at a loss for words, Coyote… Your explanation is a bit difficult to decipher -but- I do understand fate and bad timing and having to be two places at once.” Softly, she lowers her head, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pried, and I am not looking for an apology, if anything it’s -I- that should be apologizing to you.” After all, she did use the poor guy as an emotional crutch for several months, and then she had placed him into a coma!

The witch can handle the raw emotions bubbling from Kyori, she tries deeply to interpret exactly what his intentions are with Penelope, and she glazes over any mention of Natianara. The comments about Tiber proposing in the future and wishing her Talyara luck on her engagement are met with a small smile, and after the man says his final few sentences she falls silent and focuses on her cigarette. The ash flakes at the tip, which is nearly at Lana’s knuckles, and only when she feels the hint of a sting against her flesh, does she toss it to the ground and crush it with her shoe. “That’s not going to happen…” Meaning, she doesn’t plan on sticking around for long. Her usual gentle tone is much more harsh, the playfulness has left her face, and her eyes are now void of emotion. Wanting to explain as much as she wants to avoid this conversation, Lanara glances up at the moon as though asking the Goddess for guidance. She could leave out any bits about her daughter, but she -should- tell him why she’s on his case so much about Penny, and the fact that this could very well be the last time they share each others company. “So… You know how you said there are things -you- want to do, but also things that are outside of your control? Well… I -want- to stick around, but something else is -forcing- me to leave the lands in a few days, and not to ever return.” Her eyes look watery as they return to look at Kyori’s face, “That’s why I need to know that all of my friends are going to be okay, because -I- won’t be here to protect them.” The finality in her words sends a shiver down her spine, and it’s now obvious that the picture perfect exterior she had wielded like a sword is far from the truth. “Please, get your strength back and make things right with Penny. It will mean so much to her, to you, and to me…”

Kyori :: Lanara made the right move by not telling Kyori about Lionel. He’d let that topic die like Lanara continued to let the topic of Nat die. Why is he bothering with justification on this? He cracks his knuckles. He wanted to tell Penelope, the person he felt most guilty about leaving, before anyone but Lana’s apologizing and he can’t stand that. “Don’t apologize to me. You don’t have anything to apologize for, neither you or Nat, ever.” No one in Lanara’s family had given him a reason to doubt their intentions. “I know we left off on a bad, weird foot but you gotta trust that I didn’t know.” That Nat was her daughter. “We’re friends aren’t we?” He gives her a wry grin, just wide enough to serve it’s purpose of apologizing. It takes his brain a second to catch up with what Lana said.

Kyori sits up and looks at the witch. “You’re not staying? You don’t trust me?” She fills in the blanks, she wants to stay but can’t, and that unsettles him more. His head’s spinning. His chest swells with anger at who or what was ‘making’ her do this. “What is making you? Who? Lanara I swear to god if more people are harassing you and you aren’t telling me about it again, I’m gonna go burn Larket down.” The kingdom responsible for the witch deaths and propaganda.

It’s her crying that becomes the last nail in the coffin. He’s on his feet, standing in front of her on the swing and holding the ropes on each side for support. His sapphire eyes are steady when he looks at her. “What is going on? Honestly, Lanara. Tell me. This isn’t like you at all. Talking in riddles is my thing and girl you’re all over the place.” He kicks himself for letting it get to the point where she has to cry for him to know it’s out of place. “Really. If you can tell me, and you kinda should because -” His index fingers point back to this face “- ‘Cause I’ve got a shiny sword and I’m a lot taller than you, let’s be real.” No, Kyori, use your words seriously. Something’s not right here. “Let me help.”

Lanara blinks a few times at Kyori’s words, not quite realizing that he’s still hung up on the whole ‘Nat being her daughter’ topic, so after it finally registers she gives him a reassuring nod. It had been a long time, and Lanara isn’t one to hold grudges, especially after all that has happened. “Of course we are friends.” She lowers her gaze when Kyori holds onto the ropes that hold her swing in place, damp lashes brushing against her high cheekbones, as she stubbornly refuses to look into those sapphire orbs. After a few minutes of defying the man a peek into her soul, she finally allows those walls to crumble a little, and she sadly shakes her head, “You can’t help me with this one, Ky… If you could, I would gladly ask for your help.” A wry grin is offered as she imagines the warrior stumbling through the lands in search of Larket, only to burn the city to the ground, all in her honor. It’s a noble thought, she’s never been fond of Queen Josleen, and it -would- be sweet vengeance for all the trauma that the witches had endured… But! The issue at stake has nothing to do with Larket and so she is quick to decline the offer, “You can’t burn down Larket… What happened to me? It happened back in Kelvar. I can’t, no, I will -not- go into details… Please, don’t ask me -what- led up to this, okay? I need you to just accept what I’m going to tell you and not press me for details.” Otherwise, their friendship will definitely be at stake, and that’s extra heartache that the witch doesn’t need. Now, Lanara lifts her unfathomable brown eyes to make sure he understands the severity of her statement, and only when Kyori consents, will she slowly exhale a breath that she had been holding, “I’m dying and there isn’t any way to save me… It’s complicated, but in order to save others, I had to sacrifice my life. So… There isn’t any magical remedy, I cannot be resurrected, and I don’t have much time left. It’s a sure thing, and so… In a few days, maybe a week? I will be gone.”

Saying it out loud is much more damning to the elf’s already fragile mental state, and she gently tries to push Kyori back a bit so that she can breathe. The old Lana would have burst into tears and clung to the male, pouring her heart out about how cruel the world is, and begging him to look for a cure. However, the woman that sits before him now wears her brokenness with pride, for she had endured great distress during her time away from the lands. Embracing the Grim Reaper is a terrifying thought, but at least her heart would be put to rest, and the guilt she feels every day over what had to be done will finally have eaten its last morsel. Once Kyori takes that step back, Lanara will resume swaying the swing to and fro, allowing the air to dry the tears that have silently splashed to the ground. “I’m sorry… I know you have literally just returned and that so much has happened to you, and I hope this won’t make you relapse or anything like that... I wasn’t going to say anything, but, I felt that you should know even if I can’t tell you the specifics.” Her face feels hot as she’s overcome with shame, because everytime Kyori is in her presence, it’s always gloom and doom. “I think it was fate that brought us both here tonight…So we could see each other one last time.” Swallowing hard, she studies him closely, “I wasn’t even going to return to Lithrydel, but I have a few things that need to be sorted out before I go…”

Kyori wonders if Lana really would let him help her. He understood pride. His ego’d had its own blows to withstand. His jokes fail to soothe her but you can’t blame a guy for trying. “That’s a tall order Lanara…” To not ask questions. Kyori, mind your temper this time. He grits his teeth and finally nods. He’s braced against what’s to come or he thinks he is.

Lanara lifts her gaze to look at him and he’s hit with a shock wave of panic before she can say anything. Keep a straight face, don’t fly off the handle. Tension ravages his body like a parasite. He’s paralyzed by his promising nod and the sheer magnitude of what she’s saying. It hit far, far, far too close to home for him to take this news with calm, stoic understanding that this was her life and her choice and he’d stand by her decision as a decent and trustworthy friend.

He isn’t hearing this right, can’t be. Gone? No, if she was doing this to save Nat...His brain short circuits again. If he could only save one of them...but the phantom pressure of trying to decide knocks the wind out of his lungs. It sounds like an exchange. Lana’s life for Nat's and all the other witches in their eternal autumn homeland.

“That’s not long enough.” Is the first thing he can say with the controlled precision of a person not consumed with haunting feelings and a little bit (lot of bit) of trauma. Good so far, holding that mask together. Not perfect but he had to put Lanara’s feelings first right now, especially if she was due to die at any time. He takes a step back at her nudge, not recognizing the stone marble she’s casting herself into. She’d thrown herself into his arms enough time to -know- that’s how consoling her worked. Consoling Nat was different, being present and listening earnestly had been her modus operandi and Lana’s had been passionate outbursts and physical touch. Having sisters paid off. So the impulse to let her cry and reassure her with a joke or just his being there and close to her was stifling when it failed to follow through. Did he really come back or was this a cursed nightmare? Was he still asleep?

Lanara continues, lapsing into another apology. He wants to stop her on the swing, to tell her to stop wasting her time with apologizing, especially if it’s so limited and precious. In fact, yeah, he’s gonna do that now instead of misdirect his near deafening rage at himself! If he’d been here, what if it could have been different! It wasn’t his cross to bear but she was important to him and this was all kinds of F’d up.

“Wait, Lana, just a second.” He doesn’t take her ropes again but he kneels down so the angle’s aren’t awkward. “Don’t.” He clears his throat. “Don’t apologize to me ever again.” The serious baritone was highly unusual. The talk of her boyfriend Tiger or whatever proposing to her, talk of her sister’s wedding, talk of all these things the future could hold. It rotted in his throat like bile. “You can’t waste what little breath,” what little time she may have, “apologizing to an idiot like me that left your daughter here, left you here, left your friend here.” He tries to shake off the self depreciation. “If I can’t ask questions and I can’t change the outcome then I’m putting my foot down on this, got it?” She’s so small. Kyori you could pick her up and squish her little body and protect her from...honestly, screw everything. Tiger come protect your girlfriend ffs. The spellblade’s mind is quick to blame literally everyone BUT Lanara for this. Okay, maybe not Nat or Penelope but everyone else. Nancy, the barmaid at the tavern, also at fault somehow. He’d work out the logistics of his pointed rage later. His knuckles, thin and weak as they are, are tight knots against his forehead. His elbows are propped on his knees, casting his face in shadow darker than night.

If it was fate that brought them together just to say goodbye, fate could suck a- “I’m glad you came back.” He lied. He wasn’t glad at the moment. He’d be glad later, to know they had this chance to let old wounds scab over and do their best to grieve together before they had to grieve apart. “I’m sorry I was gone so long.” His voice broke, he cleared his throat a couple times. He would be thankful, when the rage subsided. He wants to ask so many questions, damn you Lana for making him promise, he hates everything about this right now but he can’t run. He can’t run because it could literally be in her last breath of her life she’d be watching him walk away -again- and he can’t. “Just don’t apologize to me.”

Lanara hadn’t expected Kyori to actually follow the ‘rules’ leading up to her confession, nor had she expected such a long pause afterwards, which is alarming as both of them are usually rather chatty. The sound of crickets is heard for a few drawn out minutes, a dog is heard barking in the distance, and the sound of her heart pumping wildly vibrates in her tapered ears. Kyori would think she’s a hero, that she had took the sickness from those in Kelvar, spared Natianara’s life, and in turn ended her very own. It’s a half truth, as she managed to save the souls of many, but she had snuffed the breath from her own daughters. It was the only way. The guilt in her gaze, followed with apologies, is likely mistaken for the fact that she’s leaving the mortal realm. Kyori had already lost his friend, Nat, and he’s soon to be losing his other friend, Lanara.

The years haven’t been kind to the witch as she had endured more heartache and loss than most face in their entire lifetime. One would think she’s accustomed to saying goodbye, but each time she’s forced to part with another friend or familiar, she finds her thoughts muddled and her voice thick with emotion. It’s hard for her to speak after Kyori telling her that she cannot ever apologize to him again, for anything, and it’s one of the most difficult pills for the woman to swallow. She’s not the ‘good’ girl that he has grown to care for, nor is she an ‘evil’ person, she always lies in the balance. The path of the Goddess had been one of balance, a path she had been proud to follow for her one hundred and eight-seven years, but since fate had detoured to a dead ending, she finds herself questioning everything. Is she of neutral alignment? Perhaps ‘chaotic’ neutral is a more fitting term?

“Thank you, Coyote. You have always been a good friend to me and I know that if there was a way to help me, that you would without hesitation.” She speaks the bittersweet truth, and the warmth in her dark eyes is indicative that she isn’t merely saying that to make him feel better. In the past, she craved affection when she had been frightened or needed comfort. Kyori had always been a shoulder to cry upon, a warm hand to hold, and quite possibly one of the healthiest relationships she had formed with another of the opposite sex. They were on the precipice of becoming best friends when the male had slipped into a coma, and now the witch is facing impending doom, leaving them both to wonder about all the adventures they may have gone upon.

“I don’t want you to apologize to me, either. You had to go and I understand, even if your reasons are a bit confusing.” A faint smile is attempted, as she sighs and glances away, “Taly always says that I suffer from wanderlust… I used to chase after every thrill that I heard about, some of which have kept me from the lands for several months at a time! Sometimes I had to leave to mend a broken heart, or just because I needed ‘space’ and had to reset my life’s compass… Just because you weren’t here doesn’t mean I hold you responsible for anything. I still hold you in the same regard as I have before all of this crazy stuff happened. We are -still- close friends, that never changed, and if by some miracle we meet in the afterlife or if I should cheat death again? Our friendship will continue to blossom and our bond will be even stronger.” She stops swinging as she slides her hand from the rope and forms a fist, her pinky finger sticking out, “I pinky swear that I will be your friend forever.”

If Kyori is to link his pinky finger with hers, she will give it a little shake, and give him that signature half smile that she reserves for the few special people she holds dear. “Our promise is sealed… And you’re lucky I didn’t make you spill blood or spit in your palm!” That’s about all the humor he will get from the witch tonight, but at least she’s trying to make light of the situation. “Hey! I know you will be heading to see Penny, so would you mind bringing a note to her from me? I have been meaning to mail it but I haven’t had a chance.” Lana stands up and removes a folded letter from her pocket, which she offers to Kyori, “It’s okay if you read it. Basically, I need Penny’s help with enchanting something, as my magic is too weak. Ideally, I need -two- witches, but hopefully everything will go off without a hitch.” It’s one of the scores she has to settle before she takes her last breath. “I really should get going, but I’m sure we will meet up before-” Her words trail off as she doubts she will be able to see Kyori with her shortened timeline.

Abruptly, Lanara stands on her toes and reaches to clasp her hands around Kyori’s neck, in an effort to bring his face within kissing distance. A chaste peck would be given to his cheek, if he allows such an action, before she leans closer to whisper in his ear, “Remember our promise…” Without waiting for a reply, she holds back her tears and flees from the area, the pain in her chest lingering throughout the night.

Kyori :: Lanara thanking him feels worse than the apologies. -Why does it feel worse?- He wouldn’t hesitate. “At the ball I took Nat to-” He moves his hands away from his face. “I don’t know if she told you, we went to a ball, but there was a kid that I screamed at and as it turns out, rage filled Larket prince. So yeah I’d punch that kid in the face probably.” To keep Lanara alive? Yeah he’d probably punch that kid in the face. Sorry Queen of Larket. Funny how he’d gotten out of that ball unscathed. Either way, this was about Lanara. He needed her to know what a wonderful girl Nat had been, ironic since Nat was dead. That’s what parents want to know - that the child they raised was good, that they were leaving behind a good piece of themselves in the world. That they’d done it right.

The spellblade gets distracted. He wants to think of everything he’d wished he’d said to people he’d lost. The creak of the swing stops and sapphire eyes look up to see the witch’s pinky finger. Pinky promise? He huffs a laugh without amusement and links their pinkies together. “Holding you to that.” The blonde laughs at her next comment. He flips his wrist to turn her hand over, palm up, while he pretends to spit into it. “Like this?” He asks, exaggerating the effort. He’s too weak to fling her around but this he can do. Kyori was, classically, great at hiding himself behind jokes. At her predicted recoil, his humor holds steady in his face. If she laughed a little, it could be okay. Had to be. Fate and all.

“Witch to witch eh?” Lanara wants him to deliver a note to Penelope. Her juniper eyes flash in the dark. “Uh, yeah sure.” He stands with her, ridiculous how much taller he is than her. “A pair of heels,” he thinks out loud, “and we could high five probably.” The folder letter is tucked into his pants pocket. She’s too weak. Yeah he felt pretty weak too. “Magic’s a curse sometimes.” A beat. “No double Pen knows another witch to help.” He wonders, privately, about her sister and decides the enchanted thing must be for the engaged woman.

Her voice cuts out and he interrupts her. “Nope. We will. Don’t doubt it. Fate, or whatever right?” Fate was being a line of things not fit for Lanara’s ears. She leans up to grab him around the neck and he gives in automatically. It stirs a grin he’d been burying. “Come here, you ridiculous woman.” He wraps his weak arms around her, crushing her against him. He’s exhausted but he puts all his energy into hugging her. Just in case. “I’ll never forget it.” He promises a second time, releasing her from the cage of his arms to fly into the night like a frightened sparrow. He’s left alone, patting the paper in his pocket and chewing over another attempt at going in the tavern. Now he had to see Penelope. Kyori’d rest up and go see her, with the letter and his own words, when he was more himself.