RP:Moving In or Out?

From HollowWiki

Part of the Of Contracts and Families Arc




Location: Elioyahazers Gated Home

Synopsis: Lanara works on moving into the home and discovers something she's absolutely terrified of. Snakes. Little did she know Elioyahazer loved to keep them as pets. He often used their venom as poisons for his blades. She runs screaming into the night. Eli gets rid of his pets and then they spend the night alone. Lana is in a tree somewhere and Eli is nursing a bottle. The following morning there's a bad fight, but as usual TP steps up to bat for Lanara.

Moving In or Out?



(Post 1 of 2) Lanara stands to the side of the master bedroom, favoring her left side, as she keeps a watchful eye on the two men she hired to help her move into the manor. Eli wasn’t home, Toothpick could barely stand up as he was so hung over from the night before, and being that Lana had crashed into a tent on a recent adventure and broken her ribs, none of them were available to lug her belongings from the foyer, all the way up the spiral staircase, and into the bedroom. The muscular men are now turning the corner with a massive trunk, which is much heavier than it looks, and beads of sweat are forming above their brows. Lana takes pity on the pair once her chest is rested before the bed, and she shells out double the pay that they agreed upon. “Go and get yourselves some lemonade at the bakery. Thank you both so much!” The one male accepts the silver with a smile and heads out, while the other stands there ogling the witch like a bumbling idiot. He’d never been this close to someone so beautiful, and he looks as though he’s likely to faint. Lana clears her throat, ushers him out, and sighs heavily at all the boxes that she’d have to unpack in the coming days. “I guess I’ll get started now, otherwise Eli and I won’t be able to sleep in here tonight!” Immediately, Lana begins to go through some of the smaller boxes which rest atop the bed, sorting through the contents and separating everything into neat piles. Some would go in the closet, others in the powder room, and a few were best kept in a secret location.


(Post 2 of 2) After several hours of intense unpacking, she’s ready to collapse, but she knows she can’t get any sleep until she stows Eli’s Yule gift out of sight. It was a surprise! Leaving the present wrapped, she exits the room and wanders around the spacious manor, until she comes across a room that she has never been in before, and a light bulb goes off in her head. It was probably a storage room that Eli hadn’t noticed either, as it was set apart from the rest of the house, and was rather dark inside. The witch glances over her shoulder, making certain that Toothpick was lurking down the hall, as she didn’t want –anyone- to know that she was hiding something in this room. Once the coast is definitely clear, Lana slips inside, closes the door behind her, and lights a lantern which rests on the shelf. It’s then that a bloodcurdling scream exits her mouth; she drops the gift, and freezes in absolute terror. There are large tanks all over the room, housing snakes of every size and color, and from what she can tell, they all possess a lethal venom in their bodies. Lanara continues to scream, her lungs on fire, her tapered ears splitting from the echo, as she helplessly claws at the door. It’s stuck, refusing to budge, and she’s wondering if it somehow became locked on the other side. Perhaps her sweater caught onto the handle as she snuck in? There’s a door on the opposite end of the room, though she’d have to walk past the rows of tanks to exit, and she’s clearly not brave enough to do that, just yet. “HELP. Help me! TOOTHPICK! ELI! HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!” Tears stream down her face, she trembles from head to toe, and knowing that no one will come to her rescue brings on a panic attack of the worst variety. She begins to wildly claw at her arms, drawing blood in several places, before she tears a clump of hair from her head, and in the process she bites her tongue, the copper tang in her mouth nearly making her vomit. Although her tears are blinding, she –somehow- darts down the aisle and gets to the other door, which is also locked from the other side! “Goddess. Damn. It.” Rapidly, she kicks the door, hoping to splinter the wood, and it’s then that a white cobra rises in its tank and strikes at the glass. Lana’s next scream is the loudest of them all, as she closes her eyes and continues to kick and pull at the door, “Open. The. Fu-“ Finally, it gives, and she safely exits the serpent’s lair and sprints off down the hall. Her screams do not cease, as the bloodied, traumatized elf darts up the stairs and into the master bedroom, where she’d then hide in the closet, shaking like a leaf.


Elioyahazer enters the home with a sigh; shrugging off the days work at the adventurers guild. Those damn weapons and armor wouldn’t take care of themselves. He wondered who might replace him in that position, if there was even someone qualified to do such a thing. But thats when he catches Lanara bolting from one room, screaming and into the master bedroom. Why is she screaming? He looks to TP who stands baffled as well, still in the midst of taking his jacket. “Give me a moment T-ster.” When he takes his leave he realizes that she had bolted from his snake room; the spot that housed all the venomous creatures which he used to obtain poisons for his blades. Did one of them get out? The sandman prepares himself to go hunt down a wayward slithering creature, but first must check on his witch. After a few moments he’s made his way up the stairs and into the master bedroom, but she’s nowhere to be seen. “Lana?” Eli’s voice calls out to her in the dark before lighting a few candles. “Are you okay?” He continues his examination of the room to see the closet shut and the plethora of items she’s been working on moving. This thought brings a smile to his face, but he doesn't mention it. He ducks low and looks under the bed; to no avail. She isn’t there. The only other spot would be that closet. He marches on over to it, and opens the door with a questioning gaze. “Lana, you in here?”


The sound of footsteps go unnoticed as Eli enters the room in hopes of reclaiming the frightened witch. Her name is called, though she doesn’t mouth a reply, as she’s currently unable to use her vocals. All Lanara sees is the slithering serpents in all of those tanks, some coiled and prepared to strike, the white caped one that bared his fangs and struck the glass, their breathing, cold-blooded forms, wanting to strangle and swallow her defenseless form as she stood there cradling a gift to her chest. She’s struggling to breath, finding it difficult to swallow, and she lies curled up in a ball, beneath one of Eli’s many robes. The cord from one slides free of the loop holes and like a snake, slink around her ankle, and that’s the last straw. The desert born flings open the closet door, and he’s met with a shriek, before Lana bolts from the closet, and collides against his legs. She is unable to stop shaking, her sobbing fills the air, and she’s wildly kicking at the clothes that are tangled around her ankles, begging him with those big brown eyes to save her from this madness. “HELP ME!”


Elioyahazer has no idea what to expect when she bolts out and clings to his legs with those big pleading doe eyes - those mahogany hues which are filled with tears. She looked like she had seen a ghost. Are the clothes tied around her ankles the cause of all of this? His mutated eyes look over her form once more, she was bleeding. What happened? He ducks low, and picks her fragile form up into his arms, pulling free the article of clothing that had captured her. The sandman holds her tight and carries her to the bed where she’s set down and he gives her direct eye contact; even if she refused. “I need to know, did one of those snakes bite you?” It’s a serious question and he would have to figure it out to get her the antidote. It could kill her. When he looks at her wounds, he realizes that they aren’t from a bite, and his answer is revealed by just that. His serious demeanor drops, and he pulls her into his embrace once more - even if she fights it. Where he quietly shush’s her sobs with whispers. “Hey, I’m right here. Everything is okay.” Everything is indeed okay, for no snake got out and she wasn’t bitten. “What’s wrong Lana. I know you’re clumsy sometimes, but I’ve never seen you defeated by clothing like that.” He wants to laugh at what he had just witnessed, but instead refrains. Giving an ear to her voice if she needs it.


Lanara falls limp in Eli’s arms as she’s lifted from the floor, shivering so violently that her teeth begin to chatter. It’s not from the cold, it’s from fear, and if she didn’t calm down soon, she’d certainly be spending Yule in a psych ward with expert healers. She seems not to be snapping out of her little trance, even as she’s rested on the bed, and her form is examined by Eli’s mottled gaze. Toothpick appears in the doorway, giving them both a curious glance, and as soon as the words leave his master’s mouth, he pales. The butler was well aware of what that room held, as he had made certain everything was just so when they were brought into the home. If one of them had struck the little woman, she wouldn’t have very long, and this has his eyes growing moist. The only thing the butler had ever loved was his liquor, and the lioness came close to his drink. Lana trembles on the bed, twitching, though as the word ‘snake’ is mentioned, she bolts up and aims to crawl away from Eli. “Snake. No. No. NO. They are BAD.” Her barely coherent babbling and attempt to escape are to no avail, as she’s once more pulled into Eli’s embrace. The sobbing turns to wailing, as blood drips from her arms, and her scalp burns from where she had violently removed a fistful of hair. She cries for what seems like an eternity, as he rocks her in his arms, and smoothes her hair, whispering that it would all be alright. Like hell would it be alright! Their master bedroom was directly above the serpent’s lair! It was far too close, and this realization has the witch rising from the abyss, lifting her chin, and looking directly into Eli’s eyes. “I have to move out.” She, literally, moved in, about four hours ago, and now she was fully prepared to turn tail and head back to Sage. “I-I-I can’t be around snakes. They are my biggest fear. And the-the-the white one with the weird neck… It-It…” Hysterical all over again, she slides from the bed, and looks around the room, preparing to restock the boxes with her belongings.


Elioyahazer almost rolls his eyes. Almost. It’s the same old song and dance. Most people were terrified of snakes. Few realized how special they truly were, beyond their use for poisons. They were great at keeping the rodent problem down. Heck some snakes only ate other snakes. When she mentions moving out, he thinks she’s being rather drastic. So because I have caged snakes, you don’t want to live with me? Rather sad reason to just suddenly end this new adventure. “Ah, you mean Searie, the white cobra. Rather rare find she was. Very deadly.” He remarks mostly to himself. Yes, he’s named them all. Each and everyone. They were as dear to him as her own pets were to her, and yet he -never- threw a temper tantrum like this. Not once. She’s being irrational. They weren’t going to get out unless someone carelessly opened a cage and walked away. He dives further into the thought of these creatures into their home. TP instead chimes in by blocking the doorway and keeping Lanara from leaving. “Sir, if I may suggest, perhaps you just get rid of the snakes? I mean they are dreadful creatures. Put ‘em in a burlap sack and, I don’t know, drown them all or something. Then the Lioness here, will feel safe. It’s not like you really need their poison anymore. She is more important to you after all, isn’t she?” Great, thanks T-ster. Now he’s put on the spot. Stuck between the past he was running from and the future he decided on. He *BLEEP-ing* hates this. Why must he get rid of those. Dammit T-ster, Eli has half a mind to change the locks on the wine cabinet after this. Time to go sober old man. Cold turkey. With a sigh he responds “T-ster’s right. Don’t go. I’ll get rid of them. You’ll never see them again.” Eli’s gaze shifts from her to the butler and then he rises, his own emotions visible for her. He loved those creatures and here he is, having to throw them out for her. This sucks! He wants to throw his own tantrum, but instead bites his tongue. “Lioness, why don’t I go with you to the inn nearby and get you a room. Eli can come and meet up with us after he’s said his goodbyes. Will that fix things?” Elioyahazer doesn’t even wait for a response and instead, brushes TP aside and exits the main room - heading down the stairs.


Lanara is still shaking, as she’s fumbling around in the room, seeing all over items scattered, and not knowing where to start first. Tears continue to spill from her eyes and she’s not even listening to Toothpick’s rambling, as he’s telling Eli to get rid of the snakes, to appease Lana. She wouldn’t part with one of her familiars, so she can relate to what the desert born is feeling. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you kept snakes as pets.” Had she known… Would she have let things get this far? Would she have been hesitant about moving in? The decision was readily accepted, because she loved this man with all her heart, but she wouldn’t make him choose. Maybe they had moved too fast, and this would give Eli some time to move them to a new environment. He’s telling her not to go, and she shakes her head, already having made up her own mind. “Don’t kill them.” She’d feel terrible. She already felt terrible. Lana gives up on packing anything, and instead slips her jacket over her bloody arms, and makes for the door, giving Toothpick a ‘look’ that tells him to step aside or take a dagger to his ribs. She was –not- in the mood for playing around, and as Eli heads down the stairs, she’s unable to blink back the fresh flow of tears. In her heart, she knows she can never accept the snakes, as it was an ingrained fear. But, could she truly be content with living in Sage, while he dwelled in Cenril? The witch is torn, however, she told Eli not to harm the snakes or get rid of them. She would go, and they could continue seeing each other, without the meddling of the slithering beasts. Lanara pushes past Toothpick and skips down the stairs, needing to run as far away as possible.


Elioyahazer has already made it to the room where these scaled creatures lie within their cages; he doesn’t even notice the gift that Lanara had left here in her panic to escape. He takes a moment to stare at them all, pulling a flute from his pocket and stares at it in disbelief. Was he actually going to be rid of these creatures most deemed heartless, cold and unable to care for others? All that Elioyahazer knows is that time stands still and after a few moments a single droplet lands upon the musical instrument. Was Eli crying? “Hey guys,” his tone of voice muffled by the emotions he was struggling to contain. To the left wall sat a shelf filled with all the vials of venom he had milked from these dangerous beasts. “One last song before we part, okay?” His hand shifts, and closes the door behind him - locking the world out, for Elioyahazer carries the only key to this room. He would stop for no one. Meanwhile, TP, follows behind Lanara, knowing that’s what Eli would wish, to make sure she stays safe. It seems that tonight, Tp would once again be a bodyguard and come out of retirement. He wouldn’t argue with her, but if she tried to get Elioyahazers attention in the room, he would be baffled on how to get inside; only master had the ability to come and go. Elioyahazer pulls a seat up and plops down into the chair, trying to settle his thoughts. He had to part with these things for her. Is this the right choice? Sure Jez had altered his identity, but he still remembers caring for all of these creatures for many years and these thoughts are very dear to him. Finally the enchanted flute is pulled up to his lips and the first note is struck; it rings out in boisterous volume easily filling the room with its calming sound. Though he is no expert, the spells effectiveness is still witnessed by his own eyes as each and every snake fights the magic contained within its song - falling into a magical sleep. Elioyahazer drops the flute as the last serpent crashes, sobbing over what must be done. He couldn’t play anymore, not even if he tried. Tonight would be a long night for the ex assassin who is finally saying goodbye to everything that is his past. “I’m sorry.” His voice is nothing more than a hushed whisper amidst the emotions contained within.


Lanara doesn’t want Toothpick following after her, as she doesn’t need a babysitter, though she may need to be heavily sedated. The last she saw of Eli was the door closing to his snake room, and then she could swear she heard the playing of a flute, though it very well could have been her imagination. She’s still somewhat in shock from the events of today, and she’s aimlessly wandering around the shopping district of Cenril, when it hits her that the present she had stored away for Eli, was –still- in the room with the serpents! “Ugh! Can this day get –any- worse!? Toothpick, GO AWAY, I don’t need company right now. I’m not in a good place, okay? Eli hates me. I almost died. There were snakes everywhere just wanting to coil around my great ass and bite me and poison me and, and, and, Eli won’t even get to see the present I bought for him!” Would she ever stop shaking and crying? Never before had the witch been in such a state! Being locked in a room with dozens of venomous snakes clearly had taken its toll on her, and she flops down in the middle of the market, consumed with emotion. Several shoppers walk around her form as though it was in everyday occurrence, a couple people stop and stare, and one kind woman offers Lana a handkerchief. The witch isn’t having any of it, as she curls up in the fetal position in the sand, willing the Goddess to take her from the realm. Toothpick prays that Master Krawft will reward him handsomely if he looks after the little lioness, and so he extends a hand to Lana, and beckons for her to get up and stop the crying at once. She doesn’t budge, so he kneels on the ground, and awkwardly pats her on the head, “Lioness… What gift did you get for Krawft Junior, if I may ask?” Lana sniffles and dries her head, hoping that Eli would open the gift, for it just may be the saving grace of their relationship. “Well… You know how he has a locket with his mother’s picture, and it says their last name on the back? I… I had one designed for him, special. It’s a platinum locket… And it was enchanted so that every time it’s opened, the illusion of a canary is freed… And the picture inside, is a painting of Eli and myself… On the back I had it engraved… Sandman and Canary… Forever.” Lanara slowly sits up and hugs her knees to her chest, “He makes me feel free, and I love him, Toothpick. But… I can’t ask him to choose. I refuse to give him an ultimatum. I’m not that kind of elf. I just… Please, I’d like to be alone right now.”


Toothpick gives Lanara a long dramatic sigh. These two were going to be the death of him. “I’m sure he will love the gift Lioness, but right now, Eli is at home charming those snakes into sleeping. I’m afraid he will be in no state to look after you. And I know that you’re important to him, so, whether you want me to stay or go, makes little difference. I’m here to annoy you until Elioyahazer himself comes for you. So you best get used to my company.” He taps his lower lip with a finger. “Lioness, you’re giving him little choice. After he worked the nerve up to ask you to move in, you flipped out over something he holds very dear to himself. Fear or not. Right now I’m sure he is so confused that he can’t even word it. Does he love you or those snakes more? Do you even trust him keeping those snakes from you? Frankly, that little scene right back there at home says one thing very loudly. It’s you or the snakes.” His calculating gaze falls on her pitiful and trembling form. “We both heard the charmers flute on our way out.” It was clear that Elioyahazer had made his choice. Meanwhile Eli has taken the snakes, and loaded them onto a cart, where he now pulls them off grounds. If the two returned, Eli would not be at home and each and every snake would be gone from that room; cages and all. The only things to remain would be the shelves with those vials, the stands, Lanara’s gift, which he never discovered, and a rather odd flute sitting in the middle of the room; wet from his tears. The sandman otherwise, is long gone - taking those creatures somewhere else because he had chosen her.


Lanara had chosen Eli, many times, in the past few months. She had kept his identity a secret, even from her own flesh and blood. She had defended him in public, and had taken several kills at his side. She opened her home to him, without question. She gave him a purpose for joining the guild and helping at the sanctuary. She had even helped to set him on a path to create a life that he would enjoy living, as well as reuniting with his biological father. She had done everything she could for this man, and then some, but today is the first time that she knowingly caused him pain, and that doesn’t sit well with the woman. Lana isn’t the type to hurt someone she cares so deeply for, and the despair she feels is etched in her expression, as she sadly meets Toothpick’s gaze. Yes, he was right about everything. Despite all the good she had brought into Eli’s life, she had done a bad thing. She let her fears consume her, but she was honest when she said she’s move out of the manor. Lanara was many things… An accidental seductress. A professional dancer. A leader of the Adventurer’s Guild. The founder of an animal sanctuary. And she held a few other titles over the years, though the one title she enjoyed the most was being Elioyahazer’s partner. Pushing herself up from the ground, she dusts the sand from her clothes, and keeps a close watch on Toothpick. She had to dodge this butler, or die trying, as she desperately wanted to escape into the forest, climb into a tree, and pour her heart out to nature. Sometimes, that’s all it took to make the world right again. You needed to scream until you lost your voice, cry until the well ran dry, and feel until you are numb. Lanara feels worse for what she’s about to do, so she leans in and presses her lips to Toothpick’s cheek, “Be sure that he opens that gift, as soon as possible, okay? I don’t think he’ll wish to see me again, but maybe it will remind him that this locket holds good memories.” Toothpick reaches out to grab Lana, as though he can read her intent, when she kisses his cheek, and he’s frozen in place. It buys her the time she needs, as Lana sprints off towards the west, leaving nothing but a trail of sand in her wake. The freeze spell would wane in about ten minutes, though she’d be long gone by then, and Toothpick would have little choice but to head back to the manor.


In time Toothpick would thaw. Her spell waned and his cold form grew warm once more. Tsk, he clicks his tongue against his teeth. “Lioness, I’m afraid you just made a huge mistake. How am I supposed to report this to Eli?” With a roll of his eyebrows he stuff’s both gloved hands into his pockets and begins the long trek back home. He feared having to inform Eli of what transpired. Of what Lanara had done. Eventually the wrought iron gates are before him and he slides inside - locking those things behind him. He wondered if Lanara even took a key with her? Eventually the well dressed man steps through the threshold of the home and finds Elioyahazer sitting upon the stairs near the grand entrance; waiting. Those mutated eyes shift up to meet his butler. “Where’s Lanara?” The nights ordeal still written clearly upon his features. “I.” Toothpick doesn’t even know what to tell him and was about to say as much. But he does know what she had chosen. “I’m afraid she left. Placed a spell on me so I couldn’t go after her.” Even TP looks glum, “But she did say she left something for you. Let me go find it.” Without another word he meanders on over to the room that used to house the snakes, finds her gift and delivers it to Eli. Krawft Jr, opens it to find the locket she had purchased and inspects it - though the effect she wished it would have, only brought sorrow to his heart. “I’ll get the brandy sir.” The two would spend the night drinking, Eli most likely ending up in some random room that was not his own, sprawled out on a bed. Her gift neatly placed upon a nightstand nearby.


Lanara spent the night in Sage Forest, though she wouldn’t be found at her sanctuary or cottage, nay, not even the local taverns where she often enjoyed a good game of darts. The witch was hurting, and so she sought solace in the arms of nature, nestled in the crook of her tall tree, her tears watering the bark and giving it sustenance, while she took comfort from nature. She had never meant to hurt Eli, in any way, yet she gravely wounded him in a way she never thought possible. In all their time together, she had never mentioned her fear of snakes, and he had never mentioned that he kept a pet, let alone dozens of venomous ones, at the estate where she would be living. It was all one giant clusterfrack and Lana wasn’t sure they could recover. Would she be able to part with Aspen? Puddles? Sigrid and Bjorn? She knew that if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t be able to do what Eli had done with the serpents. The sun is now rising, and Lana stretches, sore all over, as it had been years since she coiled up in an oak tree. She’d be tense the remainder of the day, she’s certain, but it’s not her muscles that need tending to, it’s her beloved sandman. Scaling down the tree, she hits the ground with a soft thump and makes her way back to Cenril, pausing outside of the gated home. Would Eli even want to see her after yesterday? Was Toothpick going to be angry that she forced a spell on him and ran off? There’s only one way to find out, so she digs in her pocket for the key, and enters the home. It’s quiet, with no sign of either male anywhere, so she checks in all the rooms. The master bedroom is vacant of life, and the bed remains made, telling her that Eli hadn’t slept here last night. Lana stills, her eyes brimming with tears, before she continues her search. Toothpick is passed out in the pantry, so she doesn’t bother to wake the butler, assuming he had –another- night filled with alcohol. Each door is opened, and she grows frantic, even popping her head into the dreaded snake room. Her claw marks are evident on the door, the tanks and serpents have vanished, and the present has been removed from the floor. Lana continues on her way, concerned, and it’s then that she checks the last door on the right, one of the guest rooms. Inching inside, she sees her sandman lying on the bed. “Thank Goddess…” Fearing she had lost him entirely, she kicks off her boots, and lies at his side, curling into the crook of his arm. When he wakes, he’d find his witch staring at his face, with her hand held upon his heart.


Elioyahazer finds himself waking to a familiar scent - one which he had just whined about with TP over a few bottles of brandy. He certainly doesn’t smell so good himself, stinking like a bar despite the time that had elapsed. It had only been a few hours prior that he left the half emptied bottle on the stand next to her gift, but when his groggy eyes open and his hand reaches for it, he finds his view and path blocked. He needed to drown out whatever that smell was, the reminder. He was still so drunk that it took him a couple of moments to even realize that the source is Lanara herself. He does a double take, rubs his eyes and then looks once more. What’s she doing here, cuddled up next to him? After he painstakingly rid himself of something he held dear, for her, she ran off leaving TP without any reasonings. So now, not only had he lost those creatures, but he felt abandoned. He took her absence as a break up. Now she’s here? Elioyahazer pulls himself from the stupor of morning mind, “Lanara, what are you doing?” Here. What are you doing here? I thought you left me. Is this an illusion I cast upon myself to further torment? What in the BEEP is going on right now? His mind wants to scream, and he does his best to not voice those thoughts; though some of his frustration is obvious in the tone of his voice and the gaze he lays upon her.


Lanara blinks at Eli’s words, for she knew he inhaled her perfume for a few moments, a faint smile on his lips, before his eyes even opened. He welcomed her presence as one would welcome the sun, after a seemingly endless period of stormy skies. At least during his slumber. Now that the man is wide awake, and somewhat glaring at the witch, she knows it wasn’t a wise choice to just show up, unannounced. Eli had given up his snakes so that she felt safe in their home. They were dear to him, despite the fact that they couldn’t be cuddled and treated like children, unlike her own companions. Yes, his were venomous serpents, that were designed to be feared and avoided at all costs, but he still tended to their care and gave them the utmost respect. Lanara had entered his life, turned his world upside down, much as he had to her own, and he had to say goodbye to something dear. She senses his anger and his pain, and the fact that she’s the root in all of this, has her own eyes growing moist. “I… I can leave, if you want… I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. It never came up that I have this fear of snakes, or that you kept them as pets… I should have said something sooner, but it just never was mentioned. That’s on me. I’m sorry that you had to give them up, Sandman. You could have kept them and I’d have moved back to the cottage… I hate seeing you upset.” Lana takes a deep breath, lowering her eyes, as she trails circles over Eli’s chest with her pointer finger, trying to distract herself, despite the discomfort she felt. “I’m not sure why I have this fear of them… Something happened to me when I was a little girl at the academy, and I’ve repressed the memory. But, every time I see one, I go into a full fledged panic attack. It’s the only animal my empathy will not work on, and I can’t get over this, no matter what I do. I’ve even tried therapy a few years back, to try and be around worms and eels, but there’s never any progress.” Now, she lifts her heartbroken gaze to peer into those mottled hues she’s grown to love, “I shouldn’t have ran away and left Toothpick at the market. I just needed some time to regroup, because knowing that I inflicted pain on you, cut me deeper than you’ll ever come to know, Sandman. I figured you wouldn’t want to see my face, either. So, I went into the forest and didn’t come out until this morning. I had to come back, to make sure you are okay and that you know I love you.” Nipping her lower lip, she glances towards the door, “Do you want me to go?”


There is about a million and one things he wishes to say to her. All of them aren’t polite. Though the truth of the situation is that he would be hard-pressed to not shout them at her. He eyes her curiously as she explains the situation and how she feels without interruption. Did she really believe it was okay to just do that to him, and then come by in the morning as if nothing had happened and slip into his bed? Fear or not, running out on someone like that is never advised. Beyond just that, it’s been hours! He was left alone for hours thinking that she had just left him! Yet here she is and he’s supposed to just take her back and accept that? Even the mirages of the deserts know better than to show up once more after they’ve been dispersed or dispelled. Now that she was before him again he only finds himself growing angry. Why run out on him when she was needed? She loved him? Clearly he had made a choice in favor of her, not the snakes, yet she still ran. He’s livid and ready to scream because bottling it up right now isn’t working for him. Finally he sits up, his mind still racing; this act removes the contact she used as a distraction. She needed time to regroup because of the pain she inflicted upon him? Last night he cast out things that he loved for her. Said his goodbyes and swallowed his pride. When he returned she was nowhere to be found. Instead he was greeted by TP and a gift she left. Tp’s own words confirmed what he thought was going on; Lanara had left Eli. In the wake of her absence is a momento which ridiculed him all night - in the form of that precious locket. What was he supposed to believe? Would she do it to him again? Finally his words break the silence, “And you think downgrading what we are trying to build here, by moving back to the Sage is the right answer?” She might as well have balled up his invitation to live there as if it were written on paper and cast into the fire. “Do I mean so little?” Eli stands then on wobbly legs, trying to gain his balance but last nights liquor is still holding his equilibrium hostage. “I need a drink.” The ex assassin moves around the bed and snatches the half emptied bottle of brandy. “I get that you’re afraid of snakes, but abandoning me like that, in that situation,” he makes direct eye contact with her. “Is not okay.” He takes a few giant swigs from the bottle, and if she even so much as tried to take it from him, she would find the brandy pulled out of her reach. He isn’t going to be compliant about this. “Do I want you to go? No. I thought you were gone already. Just because I love you, doesn’t mean I like you right now.”


Lanara is speechless, but truly, she had expected to receive severe backlash after the way she had behaved. She thought Eli would give her the silent treatment, or be emotional about losing the collection of snakes he coveted for years. She hadn’t expected anger. As he moves just out of reach, grabs the bottle, and gives direct eye contact followed by what seems like a threat, she swallows hard. He doesn’t wish for her to leave, though he clearly doesn’t want her here, either. The witch doesn’t know what to do in this moment, so she bows her head, and blinks back tears. Slowly, the denim jacket slips from her arms, revealing faint blood stains and claw marks from self-inflicted slashes. The back of her head shows a slight bald spot just behind her left ear, along with some dark bruising. She wasn’t lying when she described her fear of snakes, though Eli didn’t want to hear her reasons, or accept her apology. After what seems like an eternity of him glaring at her and drinking brandy straight from the bottle, the witch rises from the bed, and visibly flinches. She was sore all over after that night in a tree and her hand immediately goes to run her lower back. Through the emotional and physical distress she feels, she tries once more to reach Eli, hoping that all the positive things she’d done for him in the past few months were still imprinted in his mind. She had put her own life at stake, many times. Opened a home to him, a guild position, the sanctuary, and she had even given him a piece of herself that few could ever claim. This was the first sacrifice he had made for the witch, and he’s regretting it, and that hurts her more than when he states he dislikes her in this moment. “I’m sorry that I have a fear of snakes and I didn’t think to tell you sooner. I’m sorry that I left last night, when I should have been here for you. I –wanted- to be here, but I knew you’d want space. I was the reason you parted with the snakes… After I lose a familiar, I prefer solitude… I’m sorry that I used a freeze spell on your butler. I’m sorry that I said what I said, but it was out of fear, Eli. I was –terrified- and I literally wasn’t thinking clearly. Of course I don’t want to live separate from you, but if it made –you- happy to keep snakes, I wouldn’t begrudge you of that, and we’d figure it out, no matter where I lived. How dare you say that you mean so little to me… When you are all I think about, day and night, every single second! I’m in love with you, Eli, so much so that I would marry you and consider adopting children. I don’t trust many, and you know I hold everyone at arm’s length. But you? I let you in. Without hesitation. Because I love you, because I need you, and because I want you in my life.” Hot tears scald her silken flesh as she shakes her head, “In a world full of strangers, you’re the one I know… I messed up. Bad. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make things right again. But please, don’t –ever- claim you don’t mean anything to me, because those words couldn’t be further from the truth.” Lana gives into her emotions, allowing herself to cry freely, wanting to pull him into her arms again, but fearing he’d reject her affections. After several moments, Toothpick enters the room with a tray of breakfast for Krawft Junior, and he does a double take as he sees the disheveled witch standing there, sobbing. “Lioness! You’ve returned? How lovely! Let me set this down and I will go and fix you some coffee. Maybe run you a bath, too? Are those branches in your hair, you little minx!?” He’s annoyed that she froze him, abandoned Eli, and tracked dirt into the house… Though he’s also elated that she’s safe and has returned home. Lana blinks at Toothpick, as though she can’t believe he’s really standing there, before she issues an apology, “I’m really sorry about yesterday… It won’t happen again, TP.” That’s all she says, before she leaves the room, and heads into the guest room next door. She knew neither of them could stand the sight of her, and she didn’t like her own self very much either right now. Slamming the door, she curls up on the bed, and sobs into a pillow, repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”


Elioyahazer bites his tongue, not literally of course but figuratively. Holding back the outburst which threatens to darken this already horrible morning. As if he hadn’t sacrificed things for her! What the hell does any of that mean? He saved her from Riordan. Took his place because -she- needed it, not him. He followed her as the weapons master offering time to the guild in training. Spending time training people. Gathering items for a journey into the unknown. He let Michael live on her whim. Hell he even got throat punched -by- her. Helped take care of her sanctuary by shoveling shite. Oh yes. Fecal matter. TP eyes Lanara for a moment and then nods, accepting her apology for what it is. He can tell that Elioyahazer, however, seems to be of a different mind. And it’s him that she would need to square with. “Don’t you worry about it Lioness, we all do silly things.” He sets Eli’s food down and lets her exit the room as she deems worthy. However, his gaze moves to his master. “So, you’re just going to let it all end like that? After she just proclaimed to love you like that?” Elioyahazer shifts his attention away from the bottle much alike TP usually does. With a groan, and settles his sights on the butler. “Hello, Lithrydel to Eli, come in captain, there’s a fuzz over this communication stone and I can’t hear you. She just told you she would marry you. Have kids. Raise a family. You think she meant what happened last night? In the face of one of her greatest fears? You dolt.” Now someone might know the origin of that word. Eli learned it from TP. “I just let it go? And accept it for what it is?” The desert borns words ring out in a whisper. “Yes an no. You barge in there and show her you still love her. I’ll even uh.. Head outside for a brisk early morning walk. You know give you two a while to calm down.” He offers the universal sign for quotation marks at the utterance of calm. Without another word TP leaves the room and heads out of the house. For a good minute, Elioyahazer ponders over what he might do. Finally he snatches up the locket, pulling that bottle away with him and enters the room in time to see Lanara’s fit upon the bed. He’s wordless, but making strides towards her where he offers the bottle to her, before climbing into bed with her. His eyes say it all. That he too is sorry for letting the moment consume him. But she was here now, and he could let it go, but only after they’ve made up. “I’m sorry,” are the only words he offers her before he drops his head down to place a kiss upon her lips...